The Skeptic Zone

0:00:00 Introduction Psychic Penny 00:02:36 Skeptoid Adventure Interviews From around the Bermuda Triangle comes interviews with Adrienne Hill, Ben Radford, Ross Blocher, Susan Gerbic, Dr Angela Mattke and Brian Dunning. https://skeptoid.com/events 0:24:28 You Can Count on Adrienne In part 2 of the adventures with Adrienne and Susan, we travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we discuss the Triangle Skeptics' 2nd annual Skepticamp. I interviewed organizers Jeff Gehlbach, Faith and Ramiro Rodriguez and spirited ex-ghost hunter, Jon Michael. https://triskep.org 0:40:06 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised newspapers on a search for references to James Randi. 1980.08.07 - The Age 1974.08.28 - The Hour 2007.07.14 - Reading Eagle PA http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

0:00:00 Introduction Kat McLeod 00:03:04 You Can Count on Adrienne In part 1 of adventures with Adrienne and Susan, Adrienne Hill chats cheerfully with Susan Gerbic about their marvelous May meanderings, starting with the 'WeCanReason' conference and wrapping up with the sensational St. Louis Skepticamp shenanigans, orchestrated by Karl Withakay (Karl Gerhardt). I chat and giggle gleefully with Karl in the second half of this You Can Count on Adrienne episode. Stay tuned next week for part 2 where the pair head to Raleigh North Carolina. Links to Susan's articles: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-skeptical-society-of-st-louis/ https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/edmonton-qe2-skepticamp-2025/ Link to the Skeptical Society of St. Louis: https://skepticalstl.com/ 0:20:30 Maynard's Spooky Action Maynard is back at Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to investigate AI. Includes interviews with Sue Ieraci, Jessica Singer and the guest speaker Dr James Dunn. Dr James Dunn is an ARC

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:04 The Book of Tim. For Tim Mendham This week we pay tribute to retiring editor of the Skeptic Magazine, Tim Mendham. After many years of hard work behind the scenes and in front of the scenes, Tim is stepping back to enjoy more of his hobbies. These include skeptical investigations and BBQs! Congratulations Tim on a huge contribution to the skeptical movement. With Maynard Susan Gerbic Ben Radford Jessica Singer Adrienne Hill Pontus Bockman Richard Saunders 00:26:18 The Matter of Dowsing By far the most common claim that was made for the Million Dollar Challenge offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) was dowsing. Dowsing is, as strictly defined, the claimed ability to discover underground sources of water or metals by means of a "dowsing rod." Another term used is "divining." http://www.dowsing-research.net/dowsing/articles/Randi_2-Swift_Vol_1_No_1_1997.pdf 0:41:10 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:06 Science and Psudoscience Americans (Kind of) Smarter on Science We look at a news report from 2007 on the state of science and pseudoscience in America. 2007.02.18 - Lakeland Ledger 0:17:42 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:32:06 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to James Randi in Australia. 1980.07.24 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1980.06.28 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1980.07.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1980.07.30 - The Canberra Times 1980.11.09 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1980.11.13 - The Age http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Richard Saunders on Squaring the Strange Podcast https://squaringthestrange.libsyn.com/episode-256-look-into-my-eyes-with-richard-saunders

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:22 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill. Adrienne interviews Sebastian Toews, Dawson VonStein, and D.J. Crossland, all students from Grant McEwan University who presented at the Edmonton QE II Skepticamp that Kat McLeod and Rodney Schmaltz organised. Then she talks to Coleman Watts after a hike near Banff where they discuss his latest video release. Then look out as they encounter a Bigfoot wannabe in the form of a grizzly bear! 0:16:16 What is Pseudoscience? Science or Pseudoscience? What are the hallmarks of something that masquerades as or pretends to be scientific? This week we look at some of the ways you can identify fake science from real science. 0:27:14 For crying out loud! It's Kat McLeod This week Kat pays homage to her prairie roots by having a look at something that has crept back into the news lately, crop circles. Yes, just when you thought they were left behind in the 1990s or early 2000s, they are back and craz

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:22 Randi Restored 45 years ago, James Randi flew to Australia at the invitation of Dick Smith. He came to test a score of water diviners in Australia's first major investigation of these claims. The resulting documentary, "James Randi in Australia" was shown on Australian TV and then lost forever. Luckily it was recorded onto video tape via a VCR at the time and this version has now been restored to its former glory. http://www.tinyurl.com/randiaustralia 0:23:32 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:37:14 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to James Randi's Project Alpha. 1983.01.29 - The Victoria Advocate 1983.02.16 - Record-Journal, Meriden, Ct. Project Alpha - An Honest Liar https://youtu.be/Ewr3uqfHzMM&t=2720 http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:06 Armidale SitP Join Tim Mendham and Richard Saunders as they travel to Armidale in the New England area of Australia to enjoy the hospitality of the local skeptics. Included is a field report from Armidale Skeptics in the Pub. With thanks to Amelia and Brian Willmer. 0:17:00 Squaring the Strange with Celestia and Ben We catch up with those famed skeptical podcasts from the United States, Ben Radford and Celestial award from the Squaring the Strange Podcast. What's new? What's old? What's going on? https://squaringthestrange.libsyn.com 0:24:12 Psychic Penny's Horoscopes Exclusive to The Skeptic Zone, Psychic Penny casts a horoscope and looks deep into the stars. Is your fate in her hands? This week her mystic insights for Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. 0:29:32 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Rex Gilroy. 1979.07.24 - The Age 1976.09.1

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:06 Is that a Ghost? Ghosts, ghouls, phantoms and apparitions. Are you living in a haunted house? This week Richard Saunders looks at some of the aspects and implications of ghosts and spirits. 0:16:48 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Unnatural Selection By Tim Mendham Part 5 of 5 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier writings on the topic. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:26:54 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:41:06 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:06:40 For Crying Out Loud! This week Kat McLeod (with a little help from Adrienne Hill) interviews attendees and guests from the recent "We Can Reason" conference in Calgary, Canada. Includes Seth Andrews, Leslie Rosenblood, Brenda Hill, Forrest Valkai, Rodney Schmaltz and Lei Pinter. 0:19:04 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Unnatural Selection By Tim Mendham Part 4 of 5 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier writings on the topic. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:27:50 Psychic Penny's Horoscopes Exclusive to The Skeptic Zone, Psychic Penny casts a horoscope and looks deep into the stars. Is your fate in her hands? This week her myst

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:38 You Can Count on Adrienne This week Adrienne interviews attendees and guests from the recent "We Can Reason" conference in Calgary, Canada. Includes Terrlyn Seltenrich, Janalee Morris, Leslie Rosenblood and Dr Eugenie Scott. 0:20:24 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Unnatural Selection By Tim Mendham Part 3 of 5 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier writings on the topic. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:29:40 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:44:40 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:06:24 Prophecies about the Pope With a new Pope just around the corner, we review various prophetic writings about this high religious office. Will the next Pope be the last? Will Rome fall? A holy tangled web from centuries past. The Prophecies Of Nostradamus 1979 https://archive.org/details/the-prophecies-of-nostradamus-1979 0:16:26 Psychic Penny's Horoscopes Exclusive to The Skeptic Zone, Psychic Penny casts a horoscope and looks deep into the stars. Is your fate in her hands? This week her mystic insights for Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. 0:23:14 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Unnatural Selection By Tim Mendham Part 2 of 5 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier w

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:26 A Challenge to So-Called Psychics A review of the challenge to psychics, and people claiming other paranormal powers, put out by Australian Skeptics in 1984. How does this compare to 2025? https://www.skeptics.com.au/about/activities/challenge 0:20:28 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Unnatural Selection By Tim Mendham Part 1 of 5 Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was an English naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, biologist and illustrator. He independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection; his 1858 paper on the subject was published that year alongside extracts from Charles Darwin's earlier writings on the topic. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:30:26 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. Also hear Adrienne's insights of her travels across the Pacific Ocean and encoun

0:00:00 Introduction Kat McLeod 00:02:30 Susan vs. Psychics We catch up with Susan Gerbic to hear her thoughts on what she's dubbed "Motivated Sitters", that is people who actively take part in so-called psychic readings and, unknowingly, do most of the hard work. 0:24:18 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham I Can Smell Onions By Ken McLeod In this report, Ken McLeod recounts the time that psychics tried to help in finding missing aircraft. Read by Tim Mendham. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 24 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:32:54 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Meeting of skeptical women. Be a fly on the wall when Adrienne meets up with Annie McCubbin and Australian Skeptics president Jessica Singer for an informal chat. 0:44:16 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Voodo Pills and Powders. 1945.09.01 - The World's News http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:24 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod How are you feeling? It is a common question people ask each other all the time. Most of us give thought to our diet, exercise or overall health on a regular basis. On this week's show Kat McLeod will look at society's obsession with the health and wellness industry, in hopes that you will feel better about yourself. 0:29:02 Extinction Over? The Riddle of the Dire Wolf Recent media headlines would have you think that scientists have solved extinction! Have Dire Wolves really been brought back from the dead? We seek the thoughts of Brian Dunning who casts some doubt on this claim. 0:30:12 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Kat McLeod. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:40:52 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Psychic Precognition. 1950.08.26 - The Gipps

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:08:54 The Loons From Canada Kate & Allie vs. AI Just how good is AI in April 2025? Kate & Allie test Copilot from Microsoft when it come to its skeptical knowledge. 00:21:48 Maynard's Spooky Action This week Maynard heads for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to see a talk by Karen Bijkersma, a distant relative of the Skeptical Fairy Godmother Angel from the Internet. He took the opportunity to interview Karen and Annie McCubbin about their upcoming podcast episode on the Why Smart Women podcast. Why Smart Women Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2385970 0:25:18 Around the Curve to the Antarctic Rob Palmer talks with Jeran Campanella, a former "Flat Earther", about his trip to the Antarctic to see for himself the 24 hour sun. https://skepticalinquirer.org/authors/rob-palmer 0:33:26 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Pyramid Power. 1978.01.15 -

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:40:10 The Loons from Canada Join Kate and Allie as they investigate paranormal activity at Concordia University with Rodney Schmaltz's fourth-year psychology students from McEwan University. They explore potential ghostly presences using dowsing rods, EVPs, ghost photography, and infrasound detection. Listen to eerie recordings and a few giggles as they explore the spooky, old building in the dark. 0:24:04 UFO No Show You might be surprised to hear that a couple of weeks ago our planet was supposed to have been invited by giant alien motherships. Is it possible that the psychics, mystics and channels who foresaw this momentous event were wrong? If so, why? 0:33:56 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:47:48 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the Abo

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:08:48 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Adrienne chats with Johnathan Jarry from the McGill Office of Science and Society regarding his recent expose about Joe Mercola. Johnathan describes the controversial and jaw-dropping findings discovered after a whistle-blower sent him videos depicting strange conversations between Mercola and a psychic medium. Find out Mercola's thoughts on veterinarians, unconventional carbon dioxide treatments and how he is using Chat GPT. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRps3VQ-0BE&t=281s https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/exclusive-videos-show-dr-joe-mercolas-dangerous-ideas-whipped-alleged-medium 0:24:40 The Naked Skeptic An opinion piece by Richard Saunders. Abusing science is sadly prevalent in our society. Originally published in Australasian Science, Oct. 2002. 0:32:44 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Aus

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:06:54 The Loon From Canada Kate and Allie return to the topic of the Mandela Effect and explore the rabbit hole of the International Mandela Effect Conference, featuring speakers who delve into consciousness, quantum silliness, and miraculous phenomena; the conference is more paranormal pondering than scientific symposium. They even are able to manifest special guest Coleman Watts from the Think This Through Channel on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkThisThroughChannel Mandella effect video: https://youtu.be/lEi_-nDoQXs 0:21:28 Deep Seek - The Play - Penny's Adventures #7 We asked Deep Seek AI to write part #7 of the misadventures of psychic Penny and the Galactic Federation. Joining Richard Saunders in this segment, playing the parts of a psychic and aliens, are Kat McLeod, Adrienne Hill, Lara Benham and Maynard. 0:30:18 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:40 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod This week Kat interviews Annie McCubbin from Australia. Annie is an actor, author and corporate trainer, committed to elevating the quality of critical thinking in business and life. She focuses on helping women avoid being conned by new-age nonsense and self-help platitudes. She is the author of Why Smart Women Make Bad Decisions (published in 2020) and Why Smart Women Buy the Lies (published in 2023). https://linktr.ee/anniemccubbin 0:28:26 Deep Seek - The Play - Penny's Adventures #6 We asked Deep Seek AI to write part #6 of the misadventures of psychic Penny and the Galactic Federation. Joining Richard Saunders in this segment, playing the parts of a psychic and aliens, are Kat McLeod, Adrienne Hill, Lara Benham, Maynard and Kathy Rightmire. 0:36:50 What can AI tell us about Cold Reading? Will AI ever replace psychics? We think it's quite possible. In this week's episode we interview an AI engin

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:20 Revisiting the Beaumont Children Mystery In January 1966 three young children went missing from an Adelaide beach. This, one of the great unsolved cold cases of Australian criminal history, was not helped by the distraction of so-called psychics. News reel from 1966 with Gerard Croiset https://youtu.be/6phR-jFnx3g?t=666 TV news report from 1990 about June Cox a so-called psychic who was no help in the case https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/99408-clairvoyant-joins-beaumont-children-search 0:20:34 Meta AI - The Play - Penny's Adventures #5 We asked Meta AI to write part #5 of the misadventures of psychic Penny and the Galactic Federation. Joining Richard Saunders in this segment, playing the parts of a psychic and aliens, are Kat McLeod, Adrienne Hill, Lara Benham, Maynard and Kathy Rightmire. 0:27:30 In Search Of - Water Seekers - 1980 Review A review from an Australian newspaper in 1980 of the 1978 ep