TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE INCLUDE: The Origin of Life: How did it happen? How close are we to creating it in the lab? • Does religion = violence? • Alternative Medical Systems: Naturopathy, Plus India’s Ancient Medicine • A Sermon for Atheists • Who Still Believes in 9/11 Conspiracies? • Ray Kurzweil’s Singularity Isn’t Even Close • Randi on Magic & Science • Do Placebos Work When Patients Know They Are Fake? • Spontaneous Accents — How Do they Happen? • Why the Universe Seems Incomprehensible • The Myth of the Miraculous Stradivarius • Junior Skeptic: Ghostbusting…
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If you only go on one cruise, make it this one! We have selected the best glacier cruise that we could find and added lectures from a world-renowned panel of distinguished experts for a hands-on voyage of discovery into the science of glaciers and climate change.
Skepticality — the pioneering original skeptics podcast — is a top-rated audio talk show dedicated to skeptical topics and interviews.
MonsterTalk critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, or werewolves.
lecture with Carl Zimmer
recorded at Caltech in 2009
Carl Zimmer, an award-winning science writer for the New York Times, Discover magazine, Scientific American, takes readers on a frightening tour of the H1N1 flu virus, and reveals what deadly diseases tell us about how evolution works.
SkepticBlog is a collaboration between eight of the most recognized names in the promotion of science, critical thinking & skepticism. It features the cast & producers of The Skeptologists, a pilot skeptical reality show.
"I'll tell you what," the older boy offered. "If you give me your chocolate, I'll let you have a ride on my elephant."
There is another major measles outbreak in Europe. The WHO reports: The World Health Organization said Thursday that France had 4,937 reported cases ...
While in Australia for The Amazing Meeting last year, I got to (very briefly) meet fellow speaker Dick Smith, a co-founder of the Australian ...
Welcome to our look at the heart of modern scientific skepticism: active investigation! In this issue of Junior Skeptic, we’ll see how skepticism’s roots go back more than 2,000 years, and learn how science gave rise to specialized new scholars—experts in paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. How do investigators solve spooky mysteries? And, can kids solve mysteries on their own? Let’s find out!
Led by various guest geologists and paleontologists, our often multi-day excursions tour some of the best geologic wonders in the United States. Visit some of the richest dinosaur-bearing deposits in the world, and collect amazing trilobites. Decipher the geologic story behind the amazing scenery at Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reef National Parks, Death Valley, Kelso Dunes, the Great Basin, Redrock Canyon and more.
Interested in participating on future Scientific Exploration Geology and Science Tours? Enter your email address here to get priority notification of future events (we will not share your address with any other parties).
Think the best skepticism is the kind you can rock to? We’re pleased to offer you this selection of songs of science and skepticism — completely free! Download these MP3 files for non-commercial use at home or in your classroom.
In this week’s eSkeptic, Justin Trottier reviews Ray Jayawardhana’s new book Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life Beyond Our Solar System.
In a soon-to-be-published controversial paper entitled “Feeling the Future: Experimental Evidence for Anomalous Retroactive Influences on Cognition and Affect,” Daryl Bem claims to have found significant statistical data in support of precognition in various situations through a series of nine experiments. Nicolas Gauvrit presents several analyses critiquing the methodology and statistical data presented in Bem’s study.
Daniel Loxton, Editor of Junior Skeptic (and the organizer behind What Do I Do Next? 105 Practical Ways to Promote Skepticism and Advance Science) addresses the importance of Wikipedia. Find out how grassroots skeptics can help ensure that Wikipedia is a science-based public resource.
What is the origin of religion? Is it purely a cultural product or does it have deeper roots in our evolutionary past? Evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson argues in his book Darwin’s Cathedral that religion served as a social tool to unite groups into cohesive wholes by which they could out compete groups without religion, and thus the religious impulse was born. Biologist Peter Corning considers the pluses and minuses of this theory of religion in this review.
In this book review Joe Cuchiara considers the validity of the new theories of emergence and complexity and how complex systems arise naturally from the bottom up through the natural forces of nature as emergent properties, instead of the traditional top down explanation of divine design. Herald Morowitz's book The Theory of Everything is an all encompassing theory to explain the cosmos.
Dr. Tapio Schneider discusses the science behind human-induced climate change. He is a climate scientist and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the California Institute of Technology.
In this 14-minute introduction to skepticism, Dr. Michael Shermer (Executive Director of the Skeptics Society) discusses why people believe weird things and elaborates on the power of belief systems. This lecture was delivered at the 2006 TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design) in Monterey, California.
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This concise pamphlet provides answers to common objections to evolution, such as: If humans came from apes, why aren’t apes evolving into humans?; Only an intelligent designer could have made something as complex as an eye; The second law of thermo-dynamics proves that evolution is impossible; Evolution can’t account for morality; and more…
Harriet Hall, MD (aka the SkepDoc), shares her wit and wisdom about alternative medicine including: chiropractic, the placebo effect, homeopathy, acupuncture, and the questionable benefits of organic food, detoxification, and ‘natural’ remedies.
Psychic readings and fortunetelling are an ancient art — a combination of acting and psychological manipulation. While some psychics are known to cheat and acquire information ahead of time, these ten tips focus on what is known as “cold reading” — reading someone “cold” without any prior knowledge about them.
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The Mind of the Market
by Michael Shermer
In this eye-opening exploration, Shermer uncovers the evolutionary roots of our economic behavior and explains how evolution shaped the modern economy.
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50% off the cover price!
now only $7.98 paperback
now only $10.98 hardback
The Bible
Against Itself
by Randel Helms
The Bible frequently seems to contradict itself. Randel Helms discusses these contradictions by looking at the cultural and historical factors that produced them.
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