Monthly Archives: August 2011

The Trouble with Conspiracy Theories

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Cath Murphy

Two months ago, the name Anders Breivik meant very little or nothing to most people in Norway. Since he embarked on his mission to save Europe from what he saw as the creeping peril of multiculturalism, his is a name … Continue reading →

Posted in Conspiracy Theories | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Going Ape over Earthquakes

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Craig Good

A recent story about the devastating D.C. quake dredged up the old claim that animal behavior can predict earthquakes. Animals at the Washington National Zoo started behaving oddly minutes before Tuesday’s magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit. Quakes seem to dislodge quack … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Science | 3 Comments

Five Failed Apocalyptic Predictions

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Guy McCardle

History is riddled with failed predictions of an apocalyptic nature.  You can find out about more than 200 of them here.  In the interest of brevity, I’ve chosen to write about just five.  After thousands of years and literally hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Complimentary Medicine Popular with Healthcare Workers

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Guy McCardle

A new study reveals that nearly three quarters of U.S. healthcare workers utilize the services of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practitioners. The most common reason given was to alleviate anxiety.  As reported in the journal Health Services Research by … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health, New Age, Pseudoscience | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Notable Quacks Throughout History

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Guy McCardle

Quackery, as noted by our friends over at Quackwatch, is derived from the word quacksalver (someone who boasts about his salves).  Many dictionaries define quack as “a pretender to medical skill; a charlatan” and “one who talks pretentiously without sound … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Medicine, Health, Pseudoscience | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Skeptical Student Perspective

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Eric Hall

Finally, my first blog for the Skeptoid Blog. I am really writing it! What am I going to write about? Let me tell you a bit about who I am. I am a father and husband in my mid-thirties. Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Paradoxes 101

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Guy McCardle

In many parts of the U.S. it is back to school time and with that in mind I take time out from prepping for my teaching duties at Thunderwood College to offer our loyal Skeptoid readers a free peek at … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

i.am FIRST and Popularizing Science

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Brian Dunning

This evening my kids and I watched i.am FIRST – Science is Rock and Roll. It was a special telecast of Dean Kamen’s annual FIRST robotics competition for kids, augmented with the contributions of rapper will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who also … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Science, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paper Money Worldwide Contaminated With Bisphenol A

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Guy McCardle

In a change of pace, I’m going into proactive mode today to try to prevent a falsehood from spreading.  Cut it off at the knees as it were.  Yesterday, during my daily browsing of science websites, I came across an … Continue reading →

Posted in Conspiracy Theories, Science | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It’s a whirlpool of wrong

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Craig Good

Warning: In this blog post I am going to agree with something the Discovery Institute has to say. A while back I tweeted about the latest over-analysis of a Pixar film. I have long maintained that movies are a mirror, … Continue reading →

Posted in Pseudoscience | Leave a comment