How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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<div class="span index">1</div> <span><a class="" data-remote="true" data-type="html" href="/series/biscuits-jam-2787342">Biscuits & Jam</a></span>

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Biscuits & Jam

إلغاء الاشتراك

منذ 6 أياممنذ 6d ago

إلغاء الاشتراك

أسبوعيا

In the South, food and music go hand in hand. They define much of what we think of as Southern culture, and they say a lot about our past, our present, and our future. Each week, Sid Evans, Editor in Chief of Southern Living, sits down with musicians, chefs, and other Southern icons to hear the stories of how they grew up, what inspires them, and why they feel connected to the region. Through honest conversations, Sid explores childhood memories, the family meals they still think about, and the intersection of food and music in their lives. Always surprising, always engaging, Biscuits & Jam is a celebration of the South—and the people who are moving it forward every day. New episodes every Tuesday.

منذ عامين 1:30:32

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Brooke Magnanti is a scientist and author. She is writer of the bestselling Belle de Jour series of books, which were adapted into the hit ITV show "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" starring Billie Piper. She is also the writer of crime thrillers The Turning Tide and You Don't Know Me. Brooke was born in west central Florida in 1975. She earned a Ph.D. in the Forensic Pathology department there, specialising in human decomposition and postmortem identification. She has worked in forensic science, epidemiology, chemoinformatics and cancer research.

The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

92 حلقات

#Science #Society #Podcasting Education #Self-Improvement #Documentaries #Skeptics In The Pub Online

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

17 subscribers

published منذ عامين

MP3•منزل الحلقة

The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.

92 حلقات

#Science #Society #Podcasting Education #Self-Improvement #Documentaries #Skeptics In The Pub Online

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Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
Atheism, Religion, and Human Nature: The Evolutionary Puzzles of Faith and Atheism – Dr Will Gervais 1:29:49

منذ 20 hours1:29:49

1:29:49

We’re all members of a very strange species. But where lots of human peculiarities – from art to warfare and beyond – have analogues across the animal kingdom, we stand alone as the only religious species. Yet, within our otherwise religious species, atheism is currently flourishing in large parts of the world. I’ll discuss research highlighted in my recent book (Disbelief: The Origins of Atheism in a Religious Species), showing how people’s intuitions about morality lead them to assume the worst of atheists – with problematic implications for our scientific understanding of atheism, religion, and human nature. Will Gervais (Centre for Culture and Evolution, Brunel University London) is a cultural evolutionary psychologist and has been a global leader in the scientific study of atheism for over a decade. Dr. Gervais’s research has been featured in media such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, Der Speigel, Psychology Today, Vox, and Scientific American. His interdisciplinary work, lying at the intersection of cultural evolution, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive science, has garnered international scientific recognition. He was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science and is the recipient of the Margaret Gorman Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association and the SAGE Young Scholar Award from the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology. Will likes cooking, camping, and his dog. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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SitPO – Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 16 – Is the Smoking Gun Enough? – Ben O’Brien 16:13

منذ 29 يومًا16:13

16:13

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: In spite of advancements in the field of forensic science, questionable practices and outright unproven methods still often get admitted into American court rooms. We'll explore some examples of this happening, some intractable problems in some methods that may seem reliable, and the reasons why there's even a chance of nonsense being admitted into court. About the speaker: Ben O'Brien (BSc, MSc) has a masters in Forensic Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and currently works as a forensic DNA analyst for a private company based out of northern Virginia, primarily analyzing sexual assault kits to aid Illinois State Police in preventing backlogs by ensuring all cases have evidence processed within 6 months. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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SitPO – Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 15 – What Mental Health Crisis? Psychiatrization & Social Media – Shayna Weisz 14:56

منذ 4 weeks14:56

14:56

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: 1 in 8 people globally are affected by a mental disorder, yet despite research, knowledge and awareness efforts, mental health is still increasing at an alarming rate. Could there be something misleading us in the data, an underlying reason why so many are identifying as mentally ill these days that is being overlooked? I will explain the concept of the “psychiatrization of society” as a possible explanation, in particular exploring social media’s role in the increasing pathologization of normality. About the speaker: Shayna is a PhD student at the University of Birmingham studying the gendered nature of modern mental health discourse & the psychiatrization of society. Her goal is to uncover and expose pseudoscience and sexism within psychiatry. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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SitPO – Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 14 – Why can’t they just behave? – Caradoc Gething 16:40

منذ 5 weeks16:40

16:40

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: The dubious rants of an aging teacher, regarding discipline and punishment in schools and why we've never had it so bad, or good, depending on who you listen to. About the speaker: Caradoc is returning to Skepticamp for another year, hoping to prove that quantity is not necessarily quality. This year, fresh from joining a new school in September, he is embarking on his 24th year destroying the hopes and dreams of children in education. A keen lover of sport, vegetables and politics, he is extremely glad his brother lasted longer as Welsh First Minister than Liz "Lettuce" Truss. Will His daughters get a mention in this year's talk? Who knows! His favourite Gladiator is Fury The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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SitPO – Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 13 – A Comedy of Errors (and Overcrowding) – The Prison Population Crisis – Emma McClure 16:03

منذ 5 weeks16:03

16:03

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: Last year prison lawyer Emma ran a long way to make an over-laboured point about prison conditions. The sequel calls for an even more ridiculous stunt... So Emma will be running in circles at a prison for 52 miles. Our prisons are full to bursting. The situation is so bad that by soon thousands will be released before they have served even half of their sentence. In this talk Emma will clear up exactly how we got here, how it has been brewing for a long time and the facts about 'early' release. About the speaker: Emma is a former QED main stage speaker and solicitor specialising in prison and public law. She regularly represents prisoners before the Parole Board. In what is left of her spare time, Emma enjoys running and boring other people about how much she enjoys running. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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SitPO – Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 12 – Who owns AI?- Phil Armstrong 14:29

منذ 5 weeks14:29

14:29

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: Proponents of AI promise that AI will lead to the the democratisation of knowledge, but it is ultimately owned by various companies and investors. Who are these people and what are their goals for AI? About the speaker: Phil is a professional software engineer and an amateur board member of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and The Skeptic magazine The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 11 – Postnatal Psychosis and me – Karin McClure 15:01

منذ 6 weeks15:01

15:01

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: A talk about my experience literally losing the plot with Postnatal Psychosis and what it's like to experience psychiatric care on the NHS About the speaker: Karin is a artist/skeptic based in Liverpool. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 10 – A priest, a viking, and a seamonster walked into a lake – Fredrik Trusohamn 16:05

منذ 6 weeks16:05

16:05

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: From where do the stories about sea serpents, draugr, and trolls originate? In the case of one of Europe's oldest lake monster, the story seems to originate from misinterpreting a historical artifact. So what happens when the church, king, and bureaucracy get involved in a monster hunt, and does the monster really exist? About the speaker: Fredrik is an archaeologist who investigates Ancient Aliens, alternative history, and even monsters. He hosts a podcast on the Archaeological Podcast Network called "Digging up Ancient Aliens." Fredrik's specialty is the Scandinavian Viking Age, and their specialty is the view of childhood. However, due to unforeseen events, he is now telling people online that Pakistan was not nuked by aliens. Or that dragons are not real. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 9 – The cane only works if you use it – Cass Peters 15:53

منذ 6 weeks15:53

15:53

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: Nearly 1 in 4 Britons has some form of disability and, at least in theory, has access to a system that is designed to get them the accommodations that they need. However, we know that many people underutilize or even fully reject these accommodations, often causing themselves undue pain, suffering, and frustration. This talk will take a look at the research behind why this rejection happens and what we can do about it, ending with a call to action for good skeptics everywhere. About the speaker: Cass is the queer, trans, disabled immigrant that the Daily Mail warned you about. He’s a sociologist by training, and he taught undergraduates for years before health issues cut his PhD program short. These days he still gives occasional talks on subjects that take his fancy, particularly those related to disability, queerness, and identity. In between migraines he likes to make extremely sparkly art and take care of his many animals, all of whom are cuter than yours. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 8 – A Boney M to pick: debunking Rasputin – Tom Williamson 15:02

منذ 6 weeks15:02

15:02

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: In 1978, German pop group Boney M released their single Rasputin. The lyrics cemented the reputation of one Grigory Rasputin, one of the most loathed men in Russia, for all time. About the speaker: One half of the Retrospecticus podcast, Tom is a PhD-trained scientist with a passion for modern history. Also known as skepticism’’s resident vexillologist (flag nerd), you’ll find him hanging out with The Merseyside Skeptics Society, blasting out some terrible karaoke or streaming on Twitch. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 7 – Electric aircraft – just around the corner or a distant dream? – Daniel Buvarp 16:24

منذ 7 weeks16:24

16:24

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: Electrification is transforming transportation at a fast pace. With over 40 million electric cars on the roads as of 2023, and a growing number of electric trucks and buses, the shift towards greener travel is clear. Electric trains have been around for almost two centuries, yet, as of 2024, there's only one serial production electric aircraft, and it can only carry two people. How close are we to the dream of zero-emission flights to Skepticamp and QED? About the speaker: Daniel is a PhD student at Uppsala University in Sweden, researching electric aircraft and the electrification of airports. He holds an M.Sc. in Electric Vehicle Engineering and has previously worked on the development of electric trucks, cars, and scooters. Daniel also holds a commercial pilot's licence and is a flight instructor. Naturally, he is also a member of the Swedish skeptics' association. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 6 – Are you one of those who cross the line? – Andras Pinter 15:17

منذ 7 weeks15:17

15:17

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: According to many, your handwriting, the way you draw your letters, says a lot about your personality. But what does science have to say about it? And what could it be useful for anyway? About the speaker: A biology teacher and jazz singer by training, currently working as a tour director and guide, András has been a skeptical activist in Hungary for 25 years. He’s an original member and current president of the Hungarian Skeptic Society, a member of Susan Gerbic’s Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia team, board member of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations, intiator and co-host of the European Skeptics Podcast as well as the host and editor of the Hungarian ‘Hogy is van ez?’ podcast. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 5 – Why Your Computer Is Like That – Andrew Taylor 16:44

منذ 7 weeks16:44

16:44

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: In a world where humans can literally fly, somehow the word "technology" has come to mean violating labour laws to undercut taxi firms and dressing it up as "innovation" by bolting on a phone app. The tech industry is revered by the media as inspirational, miraculous and futuristic, it has almost unlimited money, and many extremely clever engineers work in it — so why does nothing work properly? Let's discuss some of the very silly ideas pushed from above by bosses, and from below by developers. About the speaker: Andrew has been touching computers for long enough that you'd think he'd know better, been a professional developer since 2012, and is now the tech lead at a small web company. He is also a longtime member and organiser of Manchester Skeptics. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 4 – How Stray Dogs Became a Threat to National Security – Serdar Basegmez 18:34

منذ 8 weeks18:34

18:34

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: The rise in the number of stray dogs has sparked fierce reactions from conspiracy influencers. Between violent interventions like shooting strays and deporting volunteers who feed these “scary monsters,” some escalated the issue to the point of declaring it a national security threat. But why has such an everyday issue been dragged to its most radical form? This talk explores how conspiracy networks use everyday issues and radical narratives to advertise themselves. About the speaker: About the speaker: Serdar Basegmez is a former Istanbulite and a new Londoner skeptic. Since 2010, Serdar has been actively involved with Yalansavar, a Turkish grassroots skeptical movement that promotes scientific reasoning and critical thinking, serving as a blogger, podcaster, meet-up host, and speaker. He is also part of the organizing committee for Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub and occasionally writes for The Skeptic UK. In his free time, Serdar runs his own company, developing business applications. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 3 – Forget the Vikings! – Pontus Böckman 15:57

منذ 8 weeks15:57

15:57

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: No people ever called themselves “the Vikings” and the history of Scandinavian culture didn’t start with the raid of Lindisfarne. There were kings, well-established communities, and even countries in the geographical area that we now call Denmark, Sweden and Norway, thousands of years before “the age of the Vikings”. Recent archeological finds and historical research paint a very different picture of the lost history of Northern Europe compared to what most of us learn at school. About the speaker: Pontus Böckman co-hosts the European Skeptics Podcast (the ESP, former president of the Swedish Skeptics (VoF) and the current president of ECSO, the European Council of Skeptical Organisations. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 2 – Laura Eggo – Poop Detective 13:38

منذ 8 weeks13:38

13:38

This audio is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: A gramme of human excrement contains one trillion bacteria, so how can we selectively culture a poop sample to hunt for our most wanted faecal felons? Enter our intrepid Biomedical Scientist Laura Eggo to conduct a defecation investigation. This talk will take you through the process of finding the scatological equivalent of a needle in a haystack. About the speaker: Laura Eggo has seventeen years of microbiology experience, starting as medical lab assistant, and working her way up to become a Specialist Biomedical Scientist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. She is a QED stalwart, appearing in one of the panels last year to highlight medical misinformation following her cancer diagnosis. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skepticamp 2024 – Talk 1 – The Woo of Wee – Heidi Mounsey 18:59

منذ 8 weeks18:59

18:59

This video is a part of the Skepticamp 2024 event, that happened on October 18th 2024 in Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester and was livestreamed at https://www.twitch.tv/sitp About the talk: Learn of the benefits of drinking your own urine! Marvel at how it treats conjunctivitis if you pour it in your eyes! Discover if you really should be peeing on your jellyfish sting! This talk considers whether there is any scientific evidence for the benefits of urine therapy (spoiler: there isn’t), what might lead people to believe in it, and contains horrible pictures of the results caused by indulging in this practice. About the speaker: Heidi owns many cats, all of which prefer to use the high class facilities of the indoor litter trays rather than the slum of the garden flower beds, and therefore she thinks about the best way to dispose of urine quite a lot. None of these ways has yet involved drinking it, strangely enough. She likes science fiction conventions, singing, and is currently trying to learn more than four chords on the ukulele. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The Voynich Manuscript: The World’s most Enigmatic Book from a Skeptical Perspective – Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh 1:10:00

منذ 16 weeks1:10:00

1:10:00

The Voynich Manuscript is a handwritten book that probably dates back to the late Middle Ages. It is written in a script that no one can read. The Voynich manuscript has been studied by many professional and amateur cryptographers, including American and British codebreakers from both the First and Second World Wars. Still, the manuscript has never been demonstrably deciphered, and the mystery of its meaning and origin has excited the popular imagination, making it the subject of speculation and pseudoscience. This presentation explores the background behind the manuscript and its cryptic features. The most important scientific and pseudoscientific theories are covered. Elonka Dunin is an author, cryptographer, game developer, and management consultant. She is a lifetime member of the International Game Developers Association, Chairperson Emerita and a founding member of the IGDA's Online Games SIG, and a co-Director of the Global Game Jam from 2011–2014. Elonka's lifelong interest in cryptography became public in 2000 when she was awarded a prize for being the first person to crack the PhreakNIC Code, an up-until-Elonka unsolved puzzle created by the hacker group se2600. After the attacks of September 11th, Elonka helped out with the war on terrorism by teaching government agents about cryptography and what types of codes that Al Qaeda might have been using. From 2012–2022 she was on the Board of Directors for the National Cryptologic (Museum) Foundation. From 2015 to 2018 she chaired the Nashville 2600 Organization, a Tennessee 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Corporation. Elonka is co-founder and co-leader of a group of cryptographers who are working hard to crack a code on the famous Kryptos sculpture at CIA Headquarters, and led the international team that cracked the related KGB Cyrillic Projector Cipher in 2003. She maintains a list of the World's most famous unsolved codes on her elonka.com site, and in 2006, published The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms. As of 2023, her elonka.com website has had over 6 million page views. Bestselling author Dan Brown honored Elonka by naming one of the characters in his Da Vinci Code sequel, The Lost Symbol, after her. Elonka is also an avid Wikipedian, having been elected to administrator status in 2007, and written or expanded over 500 articles on Wikipedia. In 2020, she co-wrote a book with prolific crypto-blogger Klaus Schmeh, Codebreaking: A Practical Guide. In 2023, they co-wrote the Expanded Edition of Codebreaking with US publisher No Starch Press. It was released on Amazon on September 19th. Klaus Schmeh is the most-published cryptology author in the world. He has written 15 books (in German) about the subject, as well as over 200 articles, 25 scientific papers, and 1500 blog posts. He is also a member of the editorial board of the scientific magazine Cryptologia. Klaus’s main fields of interest are codebreaking and the history of encryption. His website Cipherbrain is read by crypto enthusiasts all over the world. Klaus is a popular speaker, known for his entertaining presentation style involving self-drawn cartoons and Lego models. He has lectured at hundreds of conferences, including the NSA Cryptologic History Symposium, HistoCrypt, the Charlotte International Cryptologic Symposium, and the RSA Conference in San Francisco. In his day job, Klaus works as a crypto expert for the global IT security company Eviden. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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2000 mules and one big lie: A stubborn conspiracy theory – Jim Cliff 1:15:51

منذ 30 weeks1:15:51

1:15:51

In May 2022, conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza released 2000 Mules, a film which attempts to show that the 2020 US election was stolen by Democrats, and to provide a mechanism by which this took place – a coordinated effort to ‘harvest’ ballots and distribute them around ballot drop boxes in battleground states using paid ‘mules’. The film is based largely on assumptions, anomaly hunting, assertions without evidence and previously debunked claims. Where evidence is presented it has frequently been misinterpreted or taken out of context, or simply doesn’t support the conclusions the filmmakers claim. This talk provides a brief window into Jim’s obsession with debunking the film’s fractal wrongness. Jim Cliff is an author, video editor, and former BBFC examiner who’s always been fascinated in why people believe crazy things. He’s the producer and host of the podcast Fallacious Trump, where he and other host Mark explain logical fallacies using examples from Trump, pop culture and British politics. If he gets his arse in gear, his latest book, 2000 Mules and One Big Lie, will be released at the beginning of September. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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God and ETI: The Future of Human Religion – Dr Aaron Adair 1:36:55

منذ 32 weeks1:36:55

1:36:55

In 1543, Copernicus made us no longer the center of the universe. Science today shows we are one planet of billions in just one galaxy of billions, so can we be all alone? And if we are not alone, what does that make us is in relation to God? There are significant issues for parochial earthly religions if we have cosmic neighbors, including thorny problems such as: Are the aliens closer to God than us? Do aliens need salvation? Did Jesus visit just us or does he visit every planet with a civilization on it? Does the problem of evil become worse now that there can be cosmic-levels of suffering? How does the end of the world work if there are billions of worlds? These questions and more emerge when one wonders, what will the Pope say to Mr Spock? Dr. Aaron Adair (Physics PhD., The Ohio State University 2013) is a scholar of science education, popular culture, and especially science and religion–having published multiple books and articles on the topic, especially the rationalizations of religious myths, namely the Star of Bethlehem. He has presented in conferences internationally, such as the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Society of Biblical Literature, and a special conference on the Christmas Star at the University of Groningen. He is a research affiliate at MIT in physics education research, while working as a data scientist in the defense sector. He is an area chair at the Southwestern Popular and American Culture Association (SWPACA) on science, science fiction, and fantasy. Formerly a professor at Merrimack and Babson Colleges, he lives in the Greater Boston Area with his wife, Janice, and they are currently working together on a book concerning Godzilla. Dr. Adair is also currently working on articles and a book concerning the biblical Exodus tradition. His current books are “The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View” and (co-authored with Jonathan MS Pearce) “Aliens and Religion: Where Two Worlds Collide: Assessing the Impact of Discovering Extraterrestrial Intelligence on Religion and Theology.” The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Controlled Human Malaria Infections: Infecting people in the name of health – Katharina Grabowski, Matteo Putra, and Jo Salkeld 1:14:29

منذ 38 weeks1:14:29

1:14:29

What is a Controlled Human Malaria Infection, and why are researchers at the University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh leaning on it to advance public health? Come along to a talk hosted by Katharina Grabowski and Matteo Putra to learn more about the ins and outs of this research approach, how it will be used to break new ground in understanding one of the most complex immune responses to an infectious disease, and how it could help save hundreds of thousands of lives by developing novel public health interventions alongside vaccines. Katharina Grabowski (BSc, MSc) is a Research Assistant and Matteo Putra (BSc, MRes, MScR) a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh who are working with the Oxford Vaccine Group and Department of Biochemistry on an upcoming Controlled Human Malaria Infection clinical trial. This study aims to understand how people become immune to malaria so that we can learn how to protect the most vulnerable from disease. And as bizarre as this may sound, we think controlled infections are the answer! This ground-breaking approach to malaria control was recently awarded an Medical Research Council Experimental Medicine Grant. You can find out more at malariaimmunology.com. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Myths and Mindsets in a Decade of Electric Transport – Robert Llewellyn 1:13:17

منذ 44 weeks1:13:17

1:13:17

In the last 10 years consumer production models of EVs have become more readily available. In spite of data which shows EVs are more efficient than fossil fuel vehicles, with reduced CO2, emissions and particulates, in a recent policy U-turn, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak kicked back the date for full transition to EVs to 2035, eliciting heavy criticism from the world’s major car manufacturers, who had already invested billions to meet the original deadline. There’s also been a significant uptick in anti-EV media headlines. Pervasive stories about EVs have returned. Aren’t they too expensive? Too heavy? With dangerously flawed batteries? Can our energy infrastructure even cope with the demand? Are they really ‘greener’ anyway? With 2023 global fossil fuel subsidies at a mind-blowing $7 trillion (IMF data) it’s no surprise there’s been pushback. In this talk, Robert Llewellyn aims to get us up to speed on progress during the last 10 years of electric vehicle production. They’ll aim to demonstrate how the barriers to electric transport are primarily psychological, not engineering. Robert Llewellyn is a British actor, presenter and writer, famous for his thirty-year stretch as the rubber-masked mechanoid Kryten in the much-loved science fiction comedy, ‘Red Dwarf’. With his interest in engineering, Robert then turned his hand to presenting the long-running TV gameshow, ‘Scrapheap Challenge’ and also ‘How Do They Do It?’ and ‘Carpool’. In 2010, after being blown away by early Electric Cars, Robert launched Fully Charged, a YouTube channel focussing on the future of electric vehicles, of all shapes and sizes, and clean energy. Fully Charged has exceeded 55 million views around the world and Robert was recently acknowledged as ‘Tech Legend’ at the T3 Awards. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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How cholesterol skepticism became a pseudoscience – Dr Christopher Labos 1:40:06

منذ 46 weeks1:40:06

1:40:06

There was a time when you could be skeptical about cholesterol’s role in cardiovascular prevention. There was uncertainty about causality, diet seemed to have little impact and the drugs were either ineffective or potentially dangerous. But then things changed. Medications improved, genetic causes of high cholesterol became clear, and the cardiovascular benefits of cholesterol reduction were demonstrated in multiple trials. So how did cholesterol denialism become a thing and why has it become the latest pseudoscience? By reviewing the history of the “cholesterol controversy,” Dr Christopher Labos will show how this scientific debate played out in a real time over the span of the 20th century and why the best description of the cholesterol controversy now is that there isn’t one. Dr. Christopher Labos is a cardiologist with a master’s degree in Epidemiology. He is a columnist with the Montreal Gazette and Medscape, featured on the Sunday Morning House Call on CJAD radio, and has a regular TV segment with CTV Montreal and CBC Morning Live. He is an associate with the McGill Office of Science and Society and co-hosts the award-winning podcast “The Body of Evidence.” He is the author of “Does Coffee Cause Cancer?” published by ECW press, a story about food epidemiology and why food headlines are usually wrong. He occasionally practices as a cardiologist so he can buy groceries. To date no one has asked him for his autograph. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time – Dr Emma Chapman 1:22:47

منذ 50 weeks1:22:47

1:22:47

Astronomers have successfully observed a great deal of the Universe’s history, from recording the afterglow of the Big Bang to imaging thousands of galaxies, and even to visualising an actual black hole. There’s a lot for astronomers to be smug about. But when it comes to understanding how the Universe began and grew up we are literally in the dark ages. In effect, we are missing the first one billion years from the timeline of the Universe. This brief but far-reaching period in the Universe’s history, known to astrophysicists as the ‘Epoch of Reionisation’, represents the start of the cosmos as we experience it today. The time when the very first stars burst into life, when darkness gave way to light. After hundreds of millions of years of dark, uneventful expansion, one by the one these stars suddenly came into being. This was the point at which the chaos of the Big Bang first began to yield to the order of galaxies, black holes and stars, kick-starting the pathway to planets, to comets, to moons, and to life itself. Incorporating the very latest research into this branch of astrophysics, this talk sheds light on this time of darkness, telling the story of these first stars, hundreds of times the size of the Sun and a million times brighter, lonely giants that lived fast and died young in powerful explosions that seeded the Universe with the heavy elements that we are made of. Emma Chapman tells us how these stars formed, why they were so unusual, and what they can teach us about the Universe today. She also offers a first-hand look at the immense telescopes about to come on line to peer into the past, searching for the echoes and footprints of these stars, to take this period in the Universe’s history from the realm of theoretical physics towards the wonder of observational astronomy. Emma Chapman is a Royal Society research fellow and fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, based at Imperial College London. She is among the world’s leading researchers in search of the first stars to exist in our Universe, 13 billion years ago, and she is involved in both the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and the forthcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in Australia, a telescope that will eventually consist of a million antennas pointing skywards in the desert. Emma has been the recipient of multiple commendations and prizes, the most recent of which was both the 2018 Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship and STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship, two of the most prestigious science fellowships in the UK. She won the Institute of Physics Jocelyn Bell Burnell Prize in 2014, and was runner-up for the UK L’Oreal Women in Science award in 2017. In 2018 she was also the recipient of the Royal Society Athena Medal. Emma is a respected public commentator on astrophysical matters, contributing to the Guardian, appearing on BBC radio and regularly speaking at public events. Among others, she has spoken at Cheltenham Science Festival, the European Open Science Forum and at New Scientist Live. You can buy Emma’s book at https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Emma-Chapman/First-Light–Switching-on-Stars-at-the-Dawn-of-Time/24856473 Emma is on platform formerly known as twitter at https://twitter.com/DrEOChapman Emma has been involved in challenging and ending sexual harrassment in science. You can find out more about her work in this area here: https://dr-emma-chapman.com/diversity-work/ Information on the LOFAR telescope is available at https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar and the Square Kilometer Array at https://www.skatelescope.org The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Tourette Syndrome: Sounds, movements and myths. – Adrienne Hill 2:01:49

منذ 52 weeks2:01:49

2:01:49

During her presentation, Adrienne will delve into the myriad myths surrounding Tourette Syndrome, the intriguing TikTok Tics phenomenon that started during the pandemic, and the pseudoscientific “cures” targeting vulnerable parents who seek to support their children. Be ready with pencil and paper to experience what it is like to live with TS+. Adrienne, a retired high school mathematics teacher, has been a volunteer educating teachers, students and community members about Tourette Syndrome and its comorbid disorders (TS+) since 2005. She is a board member and educational consultant for the Tourette OCD Alberta Network. Her personal journey as a mother of three children includes two who have been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome +. Beyond her involvement with the network, Adrienne actively contributes as a board member to Susan Gerbic’s nonprofit organization, “About Time.” She also volunteers as a Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia editor and is a regular reporter for “The Skeptic Zone” podcast. Her written work has been featured in publications like The Skeptic (Australia) and Skeptical Inquirer magazines. https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/resource/tourette-ocd/tourette-ocd-alberta-network https://www.zonegiggler.ca/ This episode includes the empathy exercise, for which you will need a pen and paper, and this section of a poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carrol: The time has come,' the Walrus said, To talk of many things: Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax — Of cabbages — and kings — And why the sea is boiling hot — And whether pigs have wings.' But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried, Before we have our chat; For some of us are out of breath, And all of us are fat!' No hurry!' said the Carpenter. They thanked him much for that The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The science of mental health; how it goes wrong, how it’s treated, and the many misunderstandings in between – Dr Dean Burnett 1:41:13

منذ 1 year1:41:13

1:41:13

Mental health awareness is a very big concern in 2021, particularly with the impact of the pandemic and lockdown. But while being aware that mental health can and does go wrong is important, very little attention is paid to how and why this happens. In his new book, Psycho Logical, neuroscientist, author, and former Psychiatry lecturer Dr Dean Burnett explores all that and more, using the latest science to explain what happens in the brain when mental health goes awry, how these problems and treated and why they work (or often don’t), and why the whole issue is so slippery and uncertain, and why stigma still endures despite everything. Dean will also be answering questions and challenging misconceptions about mental health flagged up by the SITP community, making this talk very unique. Dr Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, podcaster, pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need. Previously employed as a psychiatry tutor and lecturer at the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education, Dean is currently an honorary research associate at Cardiff Psychology School, as well as a Visiting Industry Fellow at Birmingham City University. However, Dean is currently a full-time author, previously known for his satirical science column ‘Brain Flapping‘ at the Guardian, which ran from 2012 to 2018. This led to his internationally acclaimed bestselling debut book ‘The Idiot Brain‘, which has resulted in several further books and even more interesting brain stuff. You can buy one of Dean’s excellent books at https://www.hive.co.uk/Search?Author=Dean+Burnett (by buying from Hive you also support local indendent bookshops). It’s okay to not be okay. Here are some helpful places to talk and get help when you need it. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/getting-help . If you need someone to talk to there is a free active listening service at https://www.7cupsoftea.com they cannot offer advice but can be useful if you need soneone to talk to annonymously, Dean is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/garwboy . He writes a blog at https://cosmicshambles.com/words/blogs/deanburnett and his website is https://www.deanburnett.com/ . The slides used by Dean are available here . The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Does life know about quantum mechanics? – Professor Jim Al-Khalili 1:10:48

منذ 1 year1:10:48

1:10:48

Physicists and chemists are used to dealing with quantum mechanics, but biologists have thus far got away without having to worry about this strange yet powerful theory of the subatomic world. However, times are changing. There is now solid evidence that enzymes use quantum tunnelling to accelerate chemical reactions, while plants and bacteria use a quantum trick in photosynthesis – sending lumps of sunlight energy in multiple directions at once. It even appears that some animals have the ability to use quantum entanglement – what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance” – as a compass to ‘see’ the earth’s magnetic field. In our research at Surrey we are discovering that life may even have evolved mechanisms to control genetic mutations caused by quantum tunnelling of protons between strands of DNA. Welcome to the exciting new field of quantum, biology. Jim Al-Khalili CBE FRS is a distinguished professor of physics at the University of Surrey and a well-known author, broadcaster and science communicator. He received his PhD in theoretical nuclear physics in 1989 and has published widely on few-body quantum scattering methods to study nuclear structure, particularly as applied to the study of exotic nuclei. He has more recently focussed on the foundations of quantum mechanics, quantum thermodynamics and quantum effects in biology. He currently leads an international interdisciplinary research collaboration on the arrow of time in quantum mechanics. Jim is a prominent author and broadcaster and has written 15 books on popular science and the history of science, between them translated into twenty-six languages. He is a regular presenter on TV and hosts the long-running weekly BBC Radio4 programme, The Life Scientific. He is a past president of the British Science Association and a recipient of the Royal Society Michael Faraday medal and Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medals, the Institute of Physics Kelvin medal and the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. He recently served as the only non-engineer judge on the QE Prize for Engineering and is a commissioner on the board of the 1851 Royal Commission. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Born to dance? The evolutionary origins of music making – Dr Jacques Launay 1:32:25

منذ 1 year1:32:25

1:32:25

What’s the point in making music? Is there a point? Although music surrounds us for a large proportion of our time it doesn’t seem to serve an obvious purpose, and this talk will explore that problem. Darwin suggested music could be involved in sexual selection, used to flaunt genetic fitness to potential partners, but there are also several alternative explanations, ranging from Pinker’s null hypothesis (it’s auditory cheesecake) to the Mozart Effect (music makes you clever). Spoiler alert – those theories are probably both wrong! This talk will primarily explore the role of music in social bonding, and whether music is best understood as the alternative to language. Dr Jacques Launay is an expert in music and social bonding, and has worked on this from a range of perspectives, including the origins of music making, the health benefits of singing in choirs, and the neuroscience of moving to sounds. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Dangerous Products: In The Home & In Our Stomachs – David Frank and Virginia Ng 1:37:10

منذ 1 year1:37:10

1:37:10

The societal and scientific consensus says only irrational people fear things like WiFi, artificial sweeteners, and fluoridated water, but there have been legitimately dangerous products sold as safe in the past. Flammable, toxic, radioactive and generally bad for you, we’ll look at products throughout history that killed, injured and poisoned, and the marketing campaigns that went along with them. Plus, we’ll explore some formerly dangerous things that turned out to be fine, and things we know are bad for us that we consume anyway. Come along. It’ll be good for your health. David Frank David Frank is a marketer, a writer and a former radio show host. He is a former event organiser for Perth Skeptics in Australia, and Edinburgh Skeptics here in the UK. Pre-COVID he has toured talks across a dozen Skeptics in the Pub groups here in the UK, on such topics as “how to market yourself on online dating”, and “how big tobacco circumvents marketing restrictions” (the latter of which you can watch on his website). He has a Master’s of Science in Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University, and is currently based in Seattle. David is free range, organic, with no added hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. Virginia Ng Virginia is a food microbiologist and is the Director of Regulations and Food Processing at the Seafood Products Association in Seattle. She has a Masters of Science in Biological Sciences from California State Polytechnic University – Pomona, where she studied toxin formation and sporulation patterns in various Clostridium botulinum strains. In her day job, among other things, she is a sensory expert using organoleptic analyses to keep good quality seafood on the shelves. She has previously given talks on food preservation . Virginia’s favorite vices include ice cream, the extra dose of cosmic radiation that comes with flying, and movie marathons. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Resisting Incarceration: Prisons, Activism and Abolition – Professor Phil Scraton 1:44:25

منذ 1 year1:44:25

1:44:25

Since Michael Howard’s pronouncement that ‘Prison Works’ the prison population in the UK has doubled with the current Government planning to build several more multi-occupancy ‘Titan’ prisons to incarcerate thousands more men and women. This reflects an ill-founded commitment to what became a cross-party mantra. In what sense does ‘prison work’? Does the claim stand scrutiny? Or, as Jonathan Simon suggests, does locking away an ever-increasing number of women, men and children amount to ‘social warehousing’? Derived in three decades of activist work and academic research Phil Scraton will address the harms of imprisonment for those locked away, their families and their communities. He will critique the reformist ‘rehabilitation’ agenda and explore the potential for prison abolition. What would decarceration look like? What are alternatives and how would harms caused to individuals and communities by ‘criminal’ and ‘anti-social’ acts be addressed without the ‘punishment’ of incarceration? Phil Scraton PhD, DLaws (Hon), DPhil (Hon) is Professor Emeritus, School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast. He has held visiting professorships at Amherst College, USA, the Universities of Auckland, Monash, New South Wales and Sydney. Widely published on critical theory, incarceration and children/ young people his books include: In the Arms of the Law – Coroners’ Inquests and Deaths in Custody; Prisons Under Protest; ‘Childhood’ in ‘Crisis’?; Hillsborough The Truth; Power, Conflict and Criminalisation; The Incarceration of Women; Women’s Imprisonment and the Case for Abolition. He co-authored reports for the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People (Children’s Rights) and the NI Human Rights Commission (Women in Prison) and a member of the Liberty Advisory Committee on deaths in custody. He led the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s research and was principal author of its ground-breaking 2012 Report, Hillsborough. Seconded to the families’ legal teams throughout the 2014-2016 inquests, in 2016 he published a revised edition of Hillsborough: The Truth. Consultant on, and contributor to, the 2017 BAFTA winning documentary Hillsborough, he holds a Leverhulme Fellowship addressing the unique work of the Panel and the legal processes that followed. In 2018, with Rebecca Scott Bray at the University of Sydney, he initiated a community-based international research programme on coroners’ inquests into deaths in custody. He was a member of the JUSTICE Working Party into inquests and public inquiries: When Things Go Wrong: The Response of the Justice System (2020). Also in 2020 he edited ‘I Am Sir: You Are A Number’: The Report of the Independent Panel of Inquiry into the Circumstances of the H-Block and Armagh Prison Protests 1976-1981. He is lead investigator for the Irish Council of Civil Liberties’ research project Deaths in Contested Circumstances and Coroners’ Inquests. Having refused an OBE, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in recognition of his Hillsborough research.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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A Dog’s World – Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World without Humans – Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff 1:29:58

منذ 1 year1:29:58

1:29:58

What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without us? A Dog’s World imagines a posthuman future for dogs, revealing how dogs would survive—and possibly even thrive—and explaining how this new and revolutionary perspective can guide how we interact with dogs now. Drawing on biology, ecology, and the latest findings on the lives and behavior of dogs and their wild relatives, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff—two of today’s most innovative thinkers about dogs—explore who dogs might become without direct human intervention into breeding, arranged playdates at the dog park, regular feedings, and veterinary care. Pierce and Bekoff show how dogs are quick learners who are highly adaptable and opportunistic, and they offer compelling evidence that dogs already do survive on their own—and could do so in a world without us. Jessica Pierce is with the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School. Her most recent book is Who’s A Good Dog? And How To Be A Better Human. For more information, go to www.jessicapierce.net . Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado Boulder. His books include Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine. His website is marcbekoff.com and his Twitter is @MarcBekoff The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Jewish Space Lasers – Mike Rothschild 1:15:06

منذ 1 year1:15:06

1:15:06

For more than 200 years, the name “Rothschild” has been synonymous with two things: great wealth, and conspiracy theories about what they’re “really doing” with it. Almost from the moment Mayer Amschel Rothschild and his sons emerged from the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt to revolutionize the banking world, the Rothschild family has been the target of myths, hoaxes, bizarre accusations, and constant, virulent antisemitism. Over the years, they have been blamed for everything from the sinking of the Titanic, to causing the Great Depression, and even creating the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018 Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene took to social media to share her suspicions that the California wildfires were started by ‘space solar generators’ which were funded by powerful, mysterious backers. Instantly, thousands of people rallied around her, blaming the fires on “Jewish space lasers” and, ultimately, the Rothschild family. Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories is a deeply researched dive into the history of the conspiracy industry around the Rothschild family – from the “pamphlet wars” of Paris in the 1840s to the dankest pits of the internet today. Journalist and conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild, who isn’t related to the family, sorts out myth from reality to find the truth about these conspiracy theories and their spreaders. Who were the Rothschilds? Who are they today? Do they really own $500 trillion and every central bank, in addition to “controlling the British money supply?” Is any of this actually true? And why, even as their wealth and influence have waned, do they continue to drive conspiracies and hoaxes? Mike Rothschild is a journalist and conspiracy theory expert whose work has examined scams, frauds, moral panic, conspiracy theories, and how their impact has gone from the online world into everyday life. He has written two previous books, including The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, which examines the roots and the impact of the QAnon movement. Rothschild has been interviewed by CNN, MSNBC, NPR, the BBC, the Washington Post, and the New York Times among many others to discuss conspiracy theories; has testified to Congress on the threat of election disinformation; and appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Pseudo-Archaeology: Fake news and new fakes – Mirko Gutjahr 1:24:11

منذ 2 years1:24:11

1:24:11

Light bulbs in antiquity? UFO landing sites in Peru? Giant pyramids in the Balkans? Authors like Erich von Däniken or TV shows like “Ancient Aliens” accuse archaeologists of hiding important discoveries and masking the truth. According to them the monumental buildings of the past were created not by our ancestors but by aliens or extradimensional beings. At first glance this appears harmless – fantasies written by science fiction authors. However, those claims are deeply rooted in creationist and racist ideas. In times when fewer and fewer people trust in science such views become more popular and thus give rise to right-wing esoteric ideologies. This talk sheds light on the problem of “pseudo-archeology” and will try to prove that real archeology is much more exciting – and true – than archaeological fantasies. Mirko Gutjahr is an archaeologist and historian working at as a scientific advisor at “Luthergedenkstätten”, a Martin Luther memorial foundation with five museums and UNESCO World Heritage Sites at three locations in Saxony-Anhalt. He also produces German language podcasts about curious facts from history. One of his podcasts has been translated into English at https://play.acast.com/s/secretcabinet The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Too dangerous to publish? Navigating the high-stakes nature of AI research – Rosie Campbell 1:22:15

منذ 2 years1:22:15

1:22:15

As AI becomes increasingly advanced, it promises many benefits but also comes with risks. How can we mitigate these risks while preserving scientific inquiry and openness? Who is responsible for anticipating the impacts of AI research, and how can they do so effectively? What changes, if any, need to be made to the peer review process? In this talk, we’ll explore these tensions and how they are playing out right now in the AI community. AI is not the first high-stakes, ‘dual-use’ field to face these questions. Taking inspiration from fields like cybersecurity and biosecurity, we’ll look at possible approaches to responsible publication, their strengths and limitations, and how they might be used in practice for AI. Rosie Campbell leads the Safety-Critical AI program at the Partnership on AI, a multistakeholder nonprofit shaping the future of responsible AI. Her main focus is on responsible publication and deployment practices for increasingly advanced AI. Previously, she was Assistant Director of the Center for Human-Compatible AI at UC Berkeley, a Research Engineer at BBC R&D, and cofounder of Manchester Futurists. Her academic background spans physics, philosophy, and computer science. Rosie is also a productivity nerd and enjoys thinking about how to optimize systems, and how to use reason and evidence to improve the world. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission .…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The Human Cosmos – Dr Jo Marchant 1:31:38

منذ 2 years1:31:38

1:31:38

For most of human history, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are – our religious beliefs, power structures, scientific advances and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. And that disconnect comes at a cost. In her latest book, The Human Cosmos , Jo Marchant takes us on a tour through the history of humanity’s relationship with the heavens. We travel to the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux and witness the winter solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at Newgrange. We visit Medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. And we discover why stargazing can be really, really good for us. It is time for us to rediscover the full potential of the universe we inhabit, its wonder, its effect on our health, and its potential for inspiration and revelation. Jo Marchant is an award-winning science journalist. She has a PhD in genetics and medical microbiology from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, London, and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College. She has worked as an editor at New Scientist and Nature , and her articles have appeared in the Guardian, Wired, Observer, New York Times and Washington Post . She is the author of Decoding the Heavens , shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books, and Cure , shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books and longlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The Patriarchs: How men came to rule – Angela Saini 1:29:37

منذ 2 years1:29:37

1:29:37

Award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present. Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements, analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are. Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time, even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash. Saini ends by asking what part we all play – women included – in keeping patriarchal structures alive, and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present. Angela Saini is an award-winning journalist based in New York, known globally for her work on race and gender. She has presented science programmes on BBC radio and television, and her writing has appeared in National Geographic, Wired, the Lancet and Nature. She is the author of four books, including Superior: The Return of Race Science, which was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, which has been translated into fourteen languages. Both are on university reading lists across the world. Her latest book The Patriarchs, on the origins of patriarchy, has been hailed as a highlight for 2023 by the Financial Times, Guardian and New Statesman. Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford and has been a Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Humboldt Foundation in Berlin. In 2020 she was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers by Prospect magazine. She has delivered distinguished lectures and keynotes at Oxford, Yale, Princeton and CERN in Geneva. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Planetary Protection: Guardians of the Galaxy or lame science-party poopers? – Dr Jennifer Wadsworth 1:11:50

منذ 2 years1:11:50

1:11:50

What is planetary protection? Is it even important? Because it sounds like it’s either an incredibly exciting space battle strategy from Independence Day or an exceedingly dull health and safety class that future generations will be subjected to. In reality it’s kind of both (except that thankfully it’s not from Independence Day). I’m a space scientist who recently finished my postdoc at NASA Ames Research Center, California, where I spent my time developing new ideas to help in the often-overlooked field of planetary protection. I’ll (hopefully) convince you of its importance for our continued exploration of the solar system and how it can even be applied to help solve some of our problems here on Earth. Jennifer Wadsworth is an astrobiologist who did her PhD at the University of Edinburgh and recently completed her postdoc at NASA Ames Research Center, California. She’s particularly interested in how microbes can survive extreme radiation environments … or not, as the case may be! She enjoys long walks on the beach, and subjecting bacteria to a plethora of lethal conditions. For science.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Lost and found in the Science of Emotion – Dr Dean Burnett 1:45:06

منذ 2 years1:45:06

1:45:06

Why can’t we think straight when hungry? What’s the point of nightmares? And why can’t we forget embarrassing memories? Emotions can be a pain. After losing his dad to Covid-19, Dean Burnett found himself wondering what life would be like without them. And so, he decided to put his feelings under the microscope – for science. In this talk, Dean takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, stretching from the origins of life to the end of the universe. Combining expert analysis, brilliant humour and powerful insights into the grieving process, Dean uncovers how, far from holding us back and restraining logic and reason, our emotions make us who we are and allow us to think at all. Dean Burnett, neuroscientist, lecturer, author, blogger, podcaster, pundit, science communicator, comedian and numerous other things, depending on who’s asking and what they need. Previously employed as a psychiatry tutor and lecturer at the Cardiff University Centre for Medical Education, Dean is currently an honorary research associate at Cardiff Psychology School, as well as a Visiting Industry Fellow at Birmingham City University. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Unidentified Flying Objects: Are there any images that require an extraterrestrial explanation – Dr Steve Barrett 1:27:11

منذ 2 years1:27:11

1:27:11

As a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Physics, my research interests span all aspects of imaging, image processing and image analysis. This includes medical imaging (biophysics), scanning probe microscopy of atoms, molecules and surfaces (nanophysics), microscopy of earth materials (geophysics) and astrophotography. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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A critical perspective on what cognitive science can tell us about first impressions and stereotypes – Dr Lou Safra 1:33:01

منذ 2 years1:33:01

1:33:01

In this talk, I will present the key findings on first impressions and stereotypes offered by cognitive science. By presenting the main experimental designs that are used to product these results, I will question the limits and issues of this research and discuss how we can ensure a safe use of these results Lou Safra holds a PhD in cognitive science awarded by the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris in 2017. She is currently assistant professor in political psychology at CEVIPOF-Sciences Po and an associate researcher at the Institut d’Études Cognitives (Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives & Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Computationelles, École Normale Supérieure, Paris). The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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How to Make the World Add Up – Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers – Tim Harford 1:27:13

منذ 2 years1:27:13

1:27:13

When was the last time you read a grand statement, accompanied by a large number, and wondered whether it could really be true? Statistics are vital in helping us tell stories – we see them in the papers, on social media, and we hear them used in everyday conversation – and yet we doubt them more than ever. But numbers – in the right hands – have the power to change the world for the better. Contrary to popular belief, good statistics are not a trick, although they are a kind of magic. Good statistics are not smoke and mirrors; in fact, they help us see more clearly. Good statistics are like a telescope for an astronomer, a microscope for a bacteriologist, or an X-ray for a radiologist. If we are willing to let them, good statistics help us see things about the world around us and about ourselves – both large and small – that we would not be able to see in any other way. In How to Make the World Add Up, Tim Harford draws on his experience as both an economist and presenter of the BBC’s radio show More or Less. He takes us deep into the world of disinformation and obfuscation, bad research and misplaced motivation to find those priceless jewels of data and analysis that make communicating with numbers worthwhile. Harford’s characters range from the art forger who conned the Nazis to the stripper who fell in love with the most powerful congressman in Washington, to famous data detectives such as John Maynard Keynes, Daniel Kahneman and Florence Nightingale. He reveals how we can evaluate the claims that surround us with confidence, curiosity and a healthy level of scepticism. Using ten simple rules for understanding numbers – plus one golden rule – this extraordinarily insightful book shows how if we keep our wits about us, thinking carefully about the way numbers are sourced and presented, we can look around us and see with crystal clarity how the world adds up. Tim is an economist, journalist and broadcaster. He is author of The Next Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy, Messy, and the million-selling The Undercover Economist. Tim is a senior columnist at the Financial Times, and the presenter of Radio 4’s More or Less, the iTunes-topping series ‘Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy’, and the new podcast ‘Cautionary Tales’. Tim has spoken at TED, PopTech and the Sydney Opera House. He is an associate member of Nuffield College, Oxford and an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. Tim was made an OBE for services to improving economic understanding in the New Year honours of 2019. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Women, Wellness, and Woo – Dr Alice Howarth 1:30:35

منذ 2 years1:30:35

1:30:35

We all want to be well, right? Whether you’re a bit run down and just need a pick me up to get through the next working week, you’re suffering symptoms of a long-standing condition that you just can’t figure out or you’re reaching an age where you want security in your long-term health. The wellness industry has become ever more popular in an age where chronic illnesses can go undiagnosed for years and access to medical support for mental ill-health is either prohibitively expensive or subject to long wait times. Women and other marginalised people are sometimes dismissed or overlooked in healthcare – where resources are already stretched and spending time really listening to a patient can be difficult even without biases. To fill the gap, we often turn to the wellness industry; an amorphous, indefinable collection of well doers, businesses and practitioners who offer patients control over their health, empowerment to make medical choices that suit their needs and the gentle ear of a practitioner who’s always willing to listen. But does the wellness industry really provide answers? Are women really empowered by the range of choices available to them? Is there really a solution to “wellness”? Dr Alice Howarth is a scientist and skeptic who is also disabled and chronically ill. She’s spent years navigating the healthcare system while trying to learn how to manage her health conditions at the same time as working in academia and juggling a bunch of roles in the skeptical community. As a podcaster with Skeptics with a K and writer for The Skeptic, Alice has researched a wide variety of wellness industry hacks and products and practitioners, and the reasons people might feel encouraged to make use of them. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
Food Therapy: How our psychology affects how we eat – Pixie Turner 1:24:28

منذ 2 years1:24:28

1:24:28

How does food make you feel? We need food to survive, but often we don't stop to think about why we eat the way we do. From birth, we are shaped by our early psychological environment, which ultimately affects what, where, when, and why we eat. Are your parents really to blame for everything? Can you actually eat your way out of depression? Or is it perhaps a bit more complicated than that. Pixie Turner is a registered nutritionist (RNutr) and psychotherapist (MBACP), and director of The Food Therapy Centre, where she specialises in food and body image issues. She is the author of several books, including 'Food Therapy' which was released this year. In 2020–21, she co-hosted (alongside cardiothoracic surgeon Nikki Stamp) 'In Bad Taste', a podcast that casts a critical eye over the content and claims of health documentaries. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
Halloween Special: I ain’t afraid of no ghosts! – Richard Wiseman and Chris French 1:41:24

منذ 2 years1:41:24

1:41:24

October 31st is Halloween - traditionally the scariest night of the year (although we're a bit more scared about what might happen in the US election a few days later). All things considered, it’s pretty safe to say that this has been a slightly unsettling year for lots of people and the last thing we need right now is a bunch of ghosts and ghouls turning up and causing havoc on Halloween. Fear not, however, because we're pleased to say that ghosts don’t actually exist. But if ghosts aren’t real, why do so many people believe that they’ve seen one? How can we explain the supernatural experiences people have reported? How do places develop a reputation for being haunted? What are those things that go bump in the night? Richard Wiseman is a psychologist and author. For years, he has researched the science behind the paranormal. He will be discussing the natural explanations behind the supernatural and showing how the paranormal is perfectly normal. Richard will be Interviewed by his good friend Chris French, Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths. Professor Richard Wiseman has been described by a Scientific American columnist as ‘…one of the most interesting and innovative experimental psychologists in the world today.’ His books have sold over 3 million copies and he regularly appears on the media. Richard also presents keynote talks to organisations across the world, including The Swiss Economic Forum, Google and Amazon. He holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, is one of the most followed psychologists on Twitter, and the Independent On Sunday chose him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live. Richard is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, a Director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and has created psychology-based YouTube videos that have attracted over 500 million views. He also acts as a creative consultant, including work with Derren Brown, The Twilight Zone and the hit television show, Brain Games. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
From f#ck to microorganism – why do words sound the way they do? – Dr Shiri Lev-Ari 1:12:42

منذ 2 years1:12:42

1:12:42

One of the characteristics of language is that there is no relationship between the way that words sound and their meaning. For example, there is nothing window-like about the word window, and it is named with completely different sounds in other languages, from fenêtre in French to shubak in Arabic. In this talk, I will discuss cases where the sounds of words are not arbitrary. I will start by showing what characterises the sounds of swear words across the world’s languages. I will then discuss which languages have more words whose sounds express their meaning, and why that is the case. I will end with an example that illustrates that our intuition regarding whether the sounds of certain words express their meaning can be very wrong. Dr. Shiri Lev-Ari is a cognitive scientist studying language from a social perspective. She is particularly interested in how language evolution is shaped by the social needs of the society. She holds a PhD from The University of Chicago and is currently a lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The Bloody Work of Naturopaths – Britt Hermes 1:13:45

منذ 2 years1:13:45

1:13:45

Naturopathy is scary! For three years, I practiced as a licensed “naturopathic doctor” in the United States. The overwhelming majority of naturopathic care relies extensively on dubious alternative therapies, rather than established protocols based on medical and scientific research. In this Halloween-themed talk, I share the experiences that led to my interest in natural medicine, some spooky naturopathic practices, and how I became the most hated naturopath in the world. Britt Hermes is a writer, scientist, and a former naturopathic doctor. She practiced as a licensed naturopath in the United States and then left the profession after realizing naturopathy is a pseudoscientific ideology. Since this time, Britt has been working to understand and communicate how she was tricked by alternative medicine, so others do not repeat her mistake. She now writes to expose issues with naturopathy, the current rising profession in alternative medicine. Her work focuses on the deceptions naturopathic practitioners employ to scam patients and contrive legitimacy in political arenas. She hopes her stories will protect patients from the false beliefs and bogus treatments sold by alternative medicine practitioners. Hermes is currently living in Germany where she is completing her doctorate in evolutionary genomics. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The social and cultural factors influencing attitudes to abortion – Lora Adair and Nicole Lozano 1:36:20

منذ 2 years1:36:20

1:36:20

Scientific approaches to understanding reproductive choice - the decision to have a child, the decision to terminate a pregnancy, etc. - typically position decision-makers as rational. Attention is paid to economic forces of change (e.g., industrialisation, rising costs of living, globalisation), to explain why people are having fewer children relative to previous generations. What is missing is a description of the internal, psychological process when someone is making a choice about their reproduction, their family constellation, and their future. Are these choices rational? Do people really view children as a calculus of financial gains and losses? We explore these questions by emphasising the role that our social world plays in shaping our reproductive decisions and attitudes. Specifically, we explore the kinds of things that are important to women as they navigate their own reproductive choices. In interviews with 29 women in the UK, we find that practical concerns (health, financial resources) and relational concerns (anticipated support from others) are both critical in the decision to terminate a pregnancy. In a cross-cultural study, we find that judgments of other people’s reproductive choices are shaped by several factors - people living in places with greater gender inequality and more restrictive abortion legislation, are less likely to support the decision to abort. Our findings can help us understand reproductive choice - and the judgement and stigmatisation of reproductive choice. Ultimately, this research can help us empathise with people’s experiences. Dr. Lora Adair is a senior lecturer in psychology at Brunel University London, a member of the Centre for Culture and Evolution, and lead of the Gender, Sexuality, and Relationships working group. Her research applies feminist and evolutionary theory to investigate topics relevant to romantic relationships, intimate partner violence, and reproductive decision-making. Her research is highly engaged with the West London and broader UK community, through advisory work with NHS CCGs and research collaborations with reproductive health clinics. She is a member of The Bridge, a women’s health community advisory group and serves on the editorial board for Culture and Evolution. Dr. Nicole Lozano is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Angelo State University. Nicole leads the Cultivating Advocacy, Relationships and Equity (CARE) Lab at Angelo State using feminist and intersectional qualitative methods to explore people’s relationships with gender, parenting, trauma, and reproductive decision making. Nicole has secured approximately $250,000 in grants for a variety of research work, including exploring STEM education, reproductive health care, creativity and parenting, and developing feminist teaching methods. In addition to her research, Nicole maintains a part-time clinical practice utilising telehealth, focusing on high functioning clients experiencing depression, anxiety, and perfectionism. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Ethical realism in a universe without free will – Aaron Rabinowitz 1:24:50

منذ 2 years1:24:50

1:24:50

Skepticism and ethics are both essential features of a life of flourishing, but what should skeptics and critical thinkers know about ethics, and how should those beliefs motivate us to action? Philosopher Aaron Rabinowitz will put forward the case that skeptics should believe that ethics is real and free will is not, and will argue that adopting these two beliefs gives us the tools we need to improve the world through applied skepticism in a way that’s compassionate without being toothless. Aaron Rabinowitz is a lecturer in philosophy at Rutgers University, and host of the Embrace The Void and Philosophers in Space podcast. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Mental Health Pseudoscience on Social Media – Carrie Poppy 1:38:40

منذ 2 years1:38:40

1:38:40

Trauma, gaslighting, narcs, multiple personalities, and the rest of the human mind. Where better to learn about these things than TikTok, Instagram and Twitter? Carrie Poppy (Oh No, Ross and Carrie) takes you on a tour of some of the most popular social media pseudoscience, how to spot it, and what you can say when you see it. Carrie Poppy is an independent journalist who investigates fringe science, anomalous experiences, and psychology. She co-hosts Oh No Ross and Carrie, a podcast wherein she and her friend Ross try out all kinds of strange treatments, fringe theories, and secretive groups. Carrie's bachelor's degree is in philosophy (University of the Pacific) and her master's degree is in journalism (University of Southern California). She is working toward her Topics in Human Behaviour graduate certificate from Harvard Extension School, where she is also a recurring guest lecturer in Pseudoscience and Mental Health. She is co-editing a psychology textbook for Routledge and for three years has been writing a deeply-reported, disturbing and occasionally hopeful book about the trauma industry. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti 1:30:32

منذ 2 years1:30:32

1:30:32

As the US Presidential election draws near, the world has become fascinated with the seemingly new phenomena of Qanon and other wide-ranging conspiracy theories taking over social media and mainstream politics. However, the genesis of these groups is years old and comes from a surprising place: the global anti-sex trafficking movement. Brooke Magnanti discusses what happens when well-meaning causes are sidelined by bad stats and bad faith actors seize the opportunity in the service of a more worrying trend. Brooke Magnanti is a scientist and author. She is writer of the bestselling Belle de Jour series of books, which were adapted into the hit ITV show "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" starring Billie Piper. She is also the writer of crime thrillers The Turning Tide and You Don't Know Me. Brooke was born in west central Florida in 1975. She earned a Ph.D. in the Forensic Pathology department there, specialising in human decomposition and postmortem identification. She has worked in forensic science, epidemiology, chemoinformatics and cancer research. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Ivermectin for COVID-19: A Tale of Science Gone Wrong? – Jack Lawrence 1:07:26

منذ 2 years1:07:26

1:07:26

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a host of scientific triumphs but also numerous failures and declining reputations. One such example is the antiparasitic medication ivermectin, which had previously gained a reputation as a highly effective "wonder drug" but has since faced much controversy during the pandemic. Initially hailed as a potential miracle cure for COVID-19, further examination revealed that ivermectin had little effect on the disease. Jack Lawrence, played an instrumental role in uncovering signs of research misconduct in several high-profile ivermectin for COVID-19 studies after stumbling upon fabricated data in a major ivermectin study during a university assignment. Following his discovery, Jack teamed up with a group of scientific data sleuths to examine further ivermectin studies. In his talk, Jack will outline the history of ivermectin and the lessons we can draw from its rise and fall as a potential COVID-19 cure. He will also take us behind the scenes of his journey into the world of scientific fraud and how he spotted what passed the notice of many. Jack Lawrence obtained a Master’s degree from St George’s, University of London in July 2022. His research was focused on improving pancreatic cancer treatment options. He currently works on projects to improve research integrity and transparency. During the COVID-19 pandemic Jack discovered scientific misconduct and fraud in several influential papers purporting to show strong benefits for using ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
Confessions of a Former Fox News Christian – Seth Andrews 1:37:20

منذ 2 years1:37:20

1:37:20

Seth Andrews is best known as host of the popular website, podcast, and online community, The Thinking Atheist. He is a broadcaster, storyteller, author, activist, and public speaker. However, rewind a few years and you’d meet a very different Seth Andrews. As a former evangelical Christian he was once a captive of right-wing media, and Fox News in particular. In his new book he examines the Fox News culture, its influence on public opinion, and how it fuels public outrage, bigotry, and fear. Join us for an open discussion with Seth where we’ll dip our toes into this murky pond, and perhaps find out how he escaped. You can also take the opportunity to ask your own questions. To find out more about Seth: Website: https://www.sethandrews.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seth.andrews.31 Twitter: https://twitter.com/SethAndrewsTTA The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Building bridges – how to talk to conspiracy believers – Ulrike Schiesser 1:12:58

منذ 2 years1:12:58

1:12:58

In the last two years conspiracy theories seemed to have spread like a different kind of virus even to people, we would never have expected to be susceptible. Discussions have been unavoidable and ugly, we lost friends, saw family members drifting away and experienced an increasing radicalization. How to respond to conspiracy narratives? Why do people believe them in the first place? Are some more susceptible to it than others? What are good conversation strategies? Should you break off contact? What if it involves close relatives? How can we connect despite different world views? Ulrike Schiesser is a psychologist and psychotherapist working at the Federal Office for Cult Affaires (Bundesstelle für Sektenfragen) an Austrian state-run office who who deals with cults and various problematic developments in the field of esotericism, personality cults, authoritarian and monopolizing group structures and conspiracy theories. She does counselling of family members of conspiracy affiliated persons and public stakeholders and accompanies people through rethinking and change processes. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Take the Redpill: Understanding the Allure of Conspiratorial Thinking among Proud Boys – Samantha Kutner 1:47:12

منذ 2 years1:47:12

1:47:12

Recent global events have led many to ask how far right groups like the Proud Boys are linked to Qanon, Lockdown Protests, Save The Children, and other disinformation vectors. In "Take the Redpill" her latest publication with @GJIA_Online, Samantha Kutner answers a different question: How does the Proud Boys redpill entry into recruitment make them susceptible to conspiracy theories? Samantha Kutner received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. She studies violent extremism and the gender dynamics of radicalization. Her research has been published in the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism Studies in the Hague and Georgetown University's Journal of International Affairs and referenced in Rolling Stone, Truth or Fiction, Miami New Times, The Daily Beast, and Nation of Change. As an independent consultant, Samantha provides training presentations informed by her ethnographic research with Proud Boys and Antifascists. To learn more about Samantha, her research, and Glitterpill, visit proudboyswhisperer.com and follow her on Twitter: @ashkenaz89. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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The Skeptics’ Guide to Vexillology – Dr Tom Williamson 1:26:26

منذ 2 years1:26:26

1:26:26

Flags! They’re everywhere, from battlefields to Pride marches to the World Cup. But what secrets and mysteries do flags hold? Why do some people get upset if you say Union Flag instead of Union Jack? Are remainers right when they say they want their star back? Why do the bad guys have such well-designed flags? And just what does it mean to fly at half mast?Tom Williamson, whose fascination with the subject began with investigating his grandfather’s souvenirs, will attempt to answer these questions and more in this taste of vexillology, the study of flags. Every aspect of this diverse field will be covered, so look forward to history, politics and design. Flags: not just colourful pieces of cloth! Graduating with a PhD in Systems Biology from the University of Manchester, Tom Williamson has decided to do nothing with it whatsoever and instead spends his days designing tills for some of the UK’s biggest charities. When he’s not doing that, Tom is one half of the Retrospecticus podcast, a show that examines The Simpsons and the events in modern history that surround it. Outside of that, Tom developed the word salad generator Wisdom of Chopra, a website that was used to win an IgNobel prize. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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RETRO: Suffragettes Vs Velociraptors – How two of the coolest things in history have been misunderstood – Iszi Lawrence 1:09:52

منذ 2 years1:09:52

1:09:52

The intriguing title of the talk pretty much speaks for itself, and absolves us of not knowing any more. However, if you've ever wondered which of them would win in a fight, then you'll finally get an answer!Iszi Lawrence is the Author of The Unstoppable Letty Pegg (Bloomsbury), presenter of BBC Radio 4's Making History, The British Museum Membercast, Terrible Lizards and The Z List Dead List Podcasts. She is also a comedian and voice of The Skeptics Guide To The Universe. To find out more about Iszi: Website: https://iszi.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iszi_lawrence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iszi.lawrence/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iszi_lawrence/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKr5IYVneZl1SBVFInBL6wA The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
RETRO: Who really runs the internet? – James Ball 1:12:46

منذ 2 years1:12:46

1:12:46

If you believe the rumours, Mark Zuckerberg is about to take over the world, thanks to Facebook's billions of users and the power of his algorithm. But Facebook is ultimately just one company and just one service – what about the actual internet: the servers, the routers, and the thousands of miles of fibre-optic cables that cross the world? Who controls them? And who makes the rules that govern how traffic flows, who can connect. and more – and why don't we talk about it more often? James Ball is the author of The System: Who Owns The Internet And How It Owns Us. He is the global editor of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, where he oversees the not-for-profit’s international reporting projects. He also works as a freelance writer and broadcaster, and is a weekly columnist for The New European. He was previously a special correspondent at BuzzFeed UK and special projects editor at The Guardian, where he played a key role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the NSA leaks by Edward Snowden, as well as the offshore leaks, HSBC Files, Reading the Riots and Keep it in the Ground projects. At WikiLeaks he was closely involved in Cablegate – the publication of 250,000 classified US embassy cables in 2010 – as well as working on two documentaries based on the Iraq War Logs. He lives in London with two cats. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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A history of human emotion – Richard Firth-Godbehere 1:18:17

منذ 2 years1:18:17

1:18:17

We like to think of humans as rational creatures, who have relied on calculation and intellect to survive. But many of the most important moments in our history had little to do with cold, hard facts and a lot to do with feelings. Join Richard Firth-Godbehere explores a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history. In this talk, Richard focuses on desire and disgust as he draws on psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, art, and history. He vividly illustrates how our understanding and experience of emotions has changed over time, and how our beliefs about feelings profoundly shaped us and the world we inhabit. Richard Firth-Godbehere, PhD, is one of the world’s leading experts on disgust and emotions. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for the History of the Emotions, Queen Mary University of London. He received a first-class degree from the University of London, during which time he won two awards for academic excellence, alongside a Masters (MPhil) from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from Queen Mary, University of London, where he was a Wellcome Trust Scholar. His award-winning interdisciplinary research walks the line between history, psychology, linguistics, philosophy and futurism. He examines how understandings of emotions change over time and space, and how these changes can influence the wider world. Already translated into nearly a dozen languages, Richard’s latest book, A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know, is available from all good bookstores. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
RETRO: How to Build a Healthy Brain – Kimberley Wilson 1:35:54

منذ 2 years1:35:54

1:35:54

Most of us know the basics of how to take care of our physical health, but what about the brain? Brain health is curiously neglected from public health campaigns, especially considering that dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK and depression is rapidly becoming the leading cause of global disease burden. What’s driving the rising rates of mental illness and neurodegeneration and what, if anything, can we do to turn the tide? In this talk, Chartered Psychologist Kimberley Wilson will present an overview of the evidence and discuss the role of modifiable risk factors in brain and mental health. https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Build-Healthy.../dp/1529347025 Kimberley Wilson is a Chartered Psychologist and visiting lecturer working in private practice in central London. She is a Governor of the Tavistock & Portman NHS Mental Health Trust and the former Chair of the British Psychological Society's Training Committee in Counselling Psychology - the group responsible for monitoring and assessing the standards of Counselling Psychology training across the UK. She formerly led the therapy service at HMP & YOI Holloway, which at the time was Europe’s largest women’s prison (closed summer 2016).Kimberley believes the way we think about mental health – as separate from physical health – is flawed. Her philosophy of Whole Body Mental Health is a comprehensive approach to mental health care; integrating evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle factors with psychological therapy. A former finalist on The Great British Bake Off and an award-winning food producer with a degree in nutrition, Kimberley's work looks at the role food and lifestyle plays in our mental health, including disordered eating, the gut-brain axis and our emotional relationship with food. Passionate about the power of psychology to transform lives, Kimberley is committed to demystifying the theories and putting the information into the hands of the people who need it through social media, her Stronger Minds Podcast, live events and regular appearances on expert panels. Kimberley was the featured mental health expert on several Channel 4 documentaries throughout Spring 2020; Coronavirus: How to Isolate Yourself, Living With Coronavirus, and When Will Lockdown End? Kimberley's first book, How to Build a Healthy Brain was published in March 2020 by Yellow Kite. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
JWST: from launch to first science – Dr Emma Curtis-Lake 1:27:48

منذ 2 years1:27:48

1:27:48

After an incredibly exciting release of images this summer, JWST has settled into science mode. This talk will take you on a journey from our own galaxy to the beginnings of the Universe via images from this incredible new telescope, highlighting some interesting scientific discoveries along the way. Emma is a STFC Webb Fellow, which means she has been hired to do science with Webb, but also to take the public along the journey. Emma has mostly worked with space telescopes, like Hubble, to peer into the very distant, and early, Universe and has been preparing for JWST for the last seven years. Since Emma’s PhD she has worked in Edinburgh, Paris and Cambridge, but is now based at the University of Hertfordshire. She has been working there to bring Webb to the public with an exhibition of first images at the Galleria shopping centre, and local libraries, as well as giving talks like this one to various groups and communities. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

1
Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World – Kit Chapman 1:25:55

منذ 3 years1:25:55

1:25:55

Racing Green is a fascinating exploration of how science in motorsport extends its reach far beyond the track. The efforts of engineers to go a hundredth of a second faster ripples into our daily lives. We use the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car to keep our food cool in the supermarket and stop skyscrapers wreaking havoc; we can thank crash helmets and rear view mirrors to keep us safe; and the cutting edge of our future – from electric and autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and virtual reality – began on the track. Motorsport is a testbed, the world’s fastest R&D lab. Including stories from Formula 1, Formula E, land speed racing and NASCAR, and interviews with an incredible cast of characters, from aerodynamicists to Formula E racing drivers, Racing Green is your insider’s guide to how the sport of today could save the world of tomorrow. With an emphasis on green technology, Kit Chapman explores incredible breakthroughs in electric batteries, graphene, hydrogen power, and biofuels. Despite its gas-guzzling past, the constant striving for efficiency and speed from the motorsport industry is driving green innovation. With the stratospheric rise of Formula E and Extreme E, will the drive to produce ever faster electric vehicles help to save our planet? A mix of travelogue and historical retrospective, Racing Green takes us around the world to explore the future of car development, from Silverstone to the Amazon jungle, and from Monaco to the Bonneville Salt Flats. This is a truly electrifying read. Kit Chapman is an award-winning journalist and adventurer. He is a lifelong motorsports fan who has previously worked with Virgin Racing’s Formula E team to cover the chemistry and material science of their racing cars. With more than a decade of experience writing for titles such as Nature, New Scientist, Chemistry World, Physics World and the Daily Telegraph, his work has taken him to more than 60 countries as he seeks amazing tales from the cutting edge of science. He has interviewed more than a dozen Nobel prize winners, been inside the world’s fastest computer and once convinced an Oscar-winning actress he was a cyborg. Kit’s first book, Superheavy, was shortlisted for the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science books. The music used in this episode is by Thula Borah and is used with permission.…

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Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast « » How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti

How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti

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مشابه لـSkeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

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Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast « »
How the sex trafficking panic leads to Qanon conspiracy theorists – Brooke Magnanti