The Skeptic Zone Richard Saunders
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- Science
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The Podcast from Australia for Science and Reason.
Join Richard Saunders and his team of reporters for your weekly dose of skeptical news and interviews, reports and comments.
Past guests have included, James Randi, Stephen Fry, Tim Minchin, Eugenie Scott, Dr Phil Plait, Michael Marshall, Dr Steve Novella, Dr Pamela Gay, Jon Ronson, Dr Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh, Prof. Richard Wiseman, Dick Smith, Banachek, Prof. Chris French, George Hrab, Tim Ferguson, Dr Paul Willis and many, many more.
Featuring Australian radio legend Maynard with his Spooky Action, Jo Alabaster from the 'Evidence Please' blog, Eran Segev's Grain of Salt, Dr Rachael Dunlop with 'Dr Rachie Reports' and Heidi Robertson aka 'The Raw Skeptic'.
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The Skeptic Zone #811 - 21.April.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:04:34 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill.
Kate and Allie revisit another frightening herbal development this time from Japan. With guest Kat McLeod.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-supplement-pill-recall-death-illnesses-kobayashi-pharmaceutical-co
0:12:38 Dr Steve and the UFOs
For many decades, Dr Steve Roberts has been investigating reports of UFOs. In this informal chat with Richard Saunders, Dr Steve looks at various recent UFO fads and some from history.
0:23:08 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham
What Goes Around By Tim Mendham
Scares, Sounds, Sickness and Spooks!
A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 42 No. 3
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:30:54 A Dive into a Trove
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Crop Circles", a blast from the past.
1991.12.22 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1991.06.24 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1991.09.10 - The Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
https://wecanreason.com
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The Skeptic Zone #810 - 14.April.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:02:00 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill
This week Adrienne talks to the organizers of the Los Angeles Skepticamp on the day after the event which was held on March 24, 2024.
Interviewed are Wendy Hughes, Heather Henderson, Paula Lauterbach, Jane Selkie, Deborah Warcken, and Susan Gerbic.
https://skepticampla.fmtpo.com
https://www.youtube.com/@HeatherHenderson
https://www.abouttimeproject.org
0:14:16 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham
Join Tim Mendham and Richard Saunders at Sydney Skeptics in the Pub as they talk about the special guests lined up for the Australian Skeptics national convention in November.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:21:48 Australian Skeptics Newsletter
What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
Read by Adrienne Hill.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:34:12 A Dive into a Trove
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Australian Skeptics.
1984.07.05 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1987.02.11 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1989.03.17 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1994.11.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1998.03.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
https://wecanreason.com -
The Skeptic Zone #809 - 7.April.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:04:30 My Mum Talks To Aliens - Or Does She?
A review of a TV documentary from 2010. Mary Rodwell travels Australia seeking out those who claim to be abducted by UFOs. Can she convince her son during the course of the two week adventure? What, if any, real evidence does the documentary provide?
https://youtu.be/zZ6dJergQ8o
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/debunked-2007-avebury-ufo-sighting-military-exercise-flares.6411/
0:18:34 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham
The Pauline Conspiracy By Dr Paul Willis
Paul Willis puts on both his pop hat and his tinfoil hat to look at a classic plot from the Fab Four.
A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 34 No. 3
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:30:18 Milbourne Christopher
Milbourne Christopher (1914 - 1984) regarded those individuals who claimed extrasensory perception or psychic powers to be actually using magic trickery. He wrote three book-length exposes regarding those he said were false seers or psychics: ESP, Seers & Psychics; Mediums, Mystics & The Occult; and Search For The Soul.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milbourne_Christopher
0:47:18 A Dive into a Trove
With Kat McLeod
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Anti-Vacation in tne 1950s.
1952.03.14 - The Barrier Miner
1954.10.25 - Daily Mercury in Queensland
1955.05.26 - The Central Queensland Herald
1958.10.03 - The Australian Jewish Times
http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
https://wecanreason.com -
The Skeptic Zone #808 - 31.March.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:04:36 Kenny Biddle Tiks on Tiktok
It's hard to believe, but much of what you see on Tiktok may not be all it seems! Chief Investigator for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Kenny Biddle, hunts for claims of the paranormal on Tiktok. Can he explain the unexplainable?
https://www.tiktok.com/@kennybiddle42
0:20:56 Australian Skeptics Newsletter
What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
Read by Adrienne Hill.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:32:20 A Dive into a Trove
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to yet more UFOs.
2014.01.27 - Woman's Day
2010.11.29 - New Idea
http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
Also Dick Smith's Helicopter Adventure - Parkinson 1982
https://youtu.be/TM_0q3m5i40
We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
https://wecanreason.com -
The Skeptic Zone #807 - 24.March.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:04:00 Skeptical Highlights of Dick Smith
As we send our birthday wishes to Dick Smith, who just turned 80 years old, we look back at his influence on the skeptical movement in Australia. We also cover his great friendship and productive cooperation with James Randi.
James Randi in Australia - With Dick Smith
https://youtu.be/gN-0FEqAkQM
This Is Your Life - Dick Smith 1997
https://youtu.be/FEXr2Wh4fPQ
0:17:32 The Skeptic Magazine, From Australian Skeptics - March 2024
A look through some of the features and stories of the current issue of this long-running magazine, including a closer look at a report by Richard Saunders into the so-called "power bands" of the last 15 years.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:26:04 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham
It's Behind You! By Adam van Langenberg
Do you ever get that feeling that you're being stared at? Then, when you turn around, you notice somebody looking right at you? Sometimes with a knife? Adam does, and he suspects that most other people do as well. There are lots of reasons why this could happen. It could be a case of confirmation bias.
A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 32 No. 3
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:34:28 A Dive into a Trove
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to UFOs.
1991.09.07 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1972.07.02 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1986.09.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
Also
https://www.alantacolley.com/upcoming-gigs
https://wecanreason.com -
The Skeptic Zone #806 - 17.March.2024
0:00:00 Introduction
Richard Saunders
0:04:10 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill
Redefining Beauty, one tongue press at a time?
Can keeping your mouth shut make you more attractive? While some people believe so, it may not be for the same reasons you think. Adrienne Hill has an interesting conversation with Kat McLeod to discuss the controversial beauty trend and viral sensation known as "mewing"; the origins and the myths.
0:19:08 Alanta Colley - Live Show
Trick or Treatment at Melbourne International Comedy Festival : 25- 31 March
Big pharma gets a bad rap, but what about big chakra? Could horse de-wormers cure a global pandemic? Can I mainline the placebo effect? Come on a science comedy journey through the wild and weird and occasionally effective world of alternative medicine with Alanta Colley as your test subject.
https://www.alantacolley.com/upcoming-gigs
https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/trick-or-treatment
0:28:46 Australian Skeptics Newsletter
What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
Read by Adrienne Hill.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
0:41:14 A Chat with Dr Eugenie Scott
In a follow up interview, Dr Eugenie Scott expands her thoughts on the development of human teeth. Also how you can get involved in the San Francisco Bay Area Skeptics.
https://baskeptics.org
Customer Reviews
Love it!
Informitive, entertaining and just fun!
Bravo from an American
Although the podcast typically deals with Australian issues regarding pseudoscience and quackery, much of this is universal - even to an American like me.
This was one of the first skeptical podcasts I discovered, and the show pushed me off the fence and got me to become a skeptical activist myself. In fact, several years after I found the podcast, I was interviewed on it, and then went on to serve as a guest reporter for three episodes!
Good job
Keep up the good work.