Investigating pseudo-science and the paranormal from a responsible scientific viewpoint
Immunisation saves lives. Since the humble observations about cowpox made by Edward Jenner in the 1700s, vaccination programs have saved millions of lives and dramatically decreased child mortality and suffering. Diseases such as smallpox are now consigned to history, while polio has virtually disappeared. But sadly there are some people who are vehemently opposed to vaccinations. While they … Read on »
[ Sunday, January 20, 2013; 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. ] Date: Sunday, January 20, 2013, 14:00 Location: Questacon Questacon, King Edward Terrace Parkes, ACT Australia See map: Google Maps Canberra Skeptics will be putting on a free public screening of Brian Dunning’s “Here Be Dragons – An Introduction to Critical Thinking” in the Japan Room. Brian is the producer of the Skeptiod podcast, and will be the international guest-of-honour at the 2013 Australian … Read on »
Meryl Dorey, the founder and long-term president of the Australian [anti]Vaccination Network, has announced that she has relinquished her position as president of the organisation, effective January 1. Her replacement is Queensland-based AVN board member, Greg Beattie. Beattie, whom the AVN describes as a “long-time vaccine researcher”, is the author of two anti-vaccination books — Vaccination: A Parent’s Dilemma, … Read on »
Cold fusion was the subject of a presentation at the All-Energy Conference held in Melbourne in October, but with a twist. Ian Bryce, chief investigator for Australian Skeptics, was invited to present on his research into the Italian Andrea Rossi’s development of what he claims is cold fusion technology that can be used from domestic to industrial … Read on »
On the night of the 1st of December, at a glittering dinner at the Melbourne Arts Centre for the Australian Skeptics National Convention, the annual Skeptics awards were announced. These cover both positive and negative awards for good works and,at the other end of the scale, the Bent Spoon for the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle. And … Read on »
The 2012 Australian Skeptics National Convention is being organised by the Victorian Skeptics and will be held at the Spot Theatre in Melbourne University from November 30-December 2. With the theme of Active Skepticism – changing for the better, featured speakers include James “The Amazing” Randi, D.J. Grothe (president of the James Randi Education Foundation), Brian Thompson (Outreach … Read on »
James (Gerry) Gerrand, co-founder of the Australian Skeptics, died on October 12, aged 93. Gerrand played a fundamental role in the setting-up and on-going activities of Australia Skeptics. The initial meetings to establish the Skeptics were held in 1980 at his home in Hawthorn, Melbourne, with lawyer Mark Plummer, who became the group’s founding president. (Plummer died … Read on »
Professor Paul Kurtz, co-founder of the original Skeptical organisation, the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), died on October 20, 2012. He was 86. Kurtz was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and over his long career published over 800 articles or reviews and authored … Read on »
[ Saturday, November 10, 2012; 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. ] Speaker: Dr Will Grant Date: Saturday, 10 November 2012 Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm Location: Lecture Theatre, CSIRO Discovery Centre, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, ACT Free Admission We often hear moans that our current parliament features far too few scientists, and instead is packed with lawyers, economists and used car salesmen. But what would it actually mean to pack our parliament … Read on »
ABC-TV’s Media Watch program has described the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) as “deceptively-named” and an “obsessively anti-vaccination pressure group that’s immunised itself against the effect of scientific evidence”. In a segment of the program titled “False balance leads to confusion”, which went to air on October 1, host Jonathan Holmes also referred to an AVN claim about … Read on »
[ Saturday, December 8, 2012; 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. ] Speaker: Peter Bowditch Date: Saturday, 8 December 2012 Time: 1:30 – 3:00pm Location: Lecture Theatre, CSIRO Discovery Centre, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, ACT Free Admission* With the end of the world predicted on December 21 this could possibly be the last meeting of this kind ever. Peter Bowditch will try to raise people’s hopes by looking at failed apocalyptic predictions … Read on »
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© 2013 Australian Skeptics Inc. Website by Joel Birch.
