The Skeptic Zone podcast

#Australia #Eran #Maynard #Richard #Saunders #Segev #Zone #Richard Saunders #Social Sciences #Skeptic #Science

22:08

Host Francesca Amiker sits down with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, producer Angela Russo-Otstot, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and more to uncover how family was the key to building the emotional core of The Electric State . From the Russos’ own experiences growing up in a large Italian family to the film’s central relationship between Michelle and her robot brother Kid Cosmo, family relationships both on and off of the set were the key to bringing The Electric State to life. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Podcast from Australia for Science and Reason. Join Richard Saunders and his team of reporters for your weekly dose of skeptical news and interviews, reports and comments. Past guests have included, James Randi, Stephen Fry, Tim Minchin, Eugenie Scott, Dr Phil Plait, Michael Marshall, Dr Steve Novella, Dr Pamela Gay, Jon Ronson, Dr Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh, Prof. Richard Wiseman, Dick Smith, Banachek, Prof. Chris French, George Hrab, Tim Ferguson, Dr Paul Willis and many, many more. Featuring Australian radio legend Maynard with his Spooky Action, Jo Alabaster from the 'Evidence Please' blog, Eran Segev's Grain of Salt, Dr Rachael Dunlop with 'Dr Rachie Reports' and Heidi Robertson aka 'The Raw Skeptic'.

870 episodes

The Skeptic Zone

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870 episodes

#Australia #Eran #Maynard #Richard #Saunders #Segev #Zone #Richard Saunders #Social Sciences #Skeptic #Science

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The Skeptic Zone

1
The Skeptic Zone #859 - 23.March.2025 1:05:04

3 days ago1:05:04

1:05:04

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 Australian newspapers on a search for references to Graphology. Included in this report are audio clips from "James Randi: Psychic Investigator" (1991) and various TikTok videos. Joining Richard Saunders are Kat McLeod and Adrienne Hill. 1989.06.08 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1969.10.07 - The Age 2005.04.29 - The Australian Jewish News http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also The adventures of Psychic Penny and the Galactic Federation - series #1 https://youtu.be/9bszCu-_SAU Annelise Baer - Your friendly neighborhood archaeologist & Emmy-nominated researcher - Pyramid Pseudoscience https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSrJQt3aT Skeptics Cafe Meet the one and only Adrienne Hill, a.k.a. Psychic Penny! Function Room at The Stolberg Hotel, 197 Plenty Road Preston, Melbourne 31st March - Dinner from 6pm - Talk at 7:30pm https://www.facebook.com/events/1370082674018460?…

The Skeptic Zone

1
The Skeptic Zone #858 - 16.March.2025 1:03:45

10 days ago1:03:45

1:03:45

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 Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:41:44 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to James Randi. 1980.07.26 - The Age - Melbourne 1993.06.26 - The Age - Melbourne 1993.07.08 - The Age - Melbourne http://www.trove.nla.gov.au…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #857 - 9.March.2025 1:09:29

17 days ago1:09:29

1:09:29

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 engine to get its opinions on the matter and get a cold reading along the way. https://www.sesame.com 0:43:56 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Australian Skeptics. 1987.04.24 - The Sydney Morning Herald 1997.08.12 - The Age 1989.06.03 - The Age http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Surf Coast Skepticamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025 Joe Nickell with Maynard 2015 http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #856 - 2.March.2025 53:39

24 days ago53:39

53:39

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 episode from the "In Search Of" series that looks into the phenomenon of water divining or water dousing. https://youtu.be/SMCo1tvsauE 0:33:40 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au Also Surf Coast Skepticamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #855 - 23.February.2025 1:03:24

4 weeks ago1:03:24

1:03:24

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:32 Wikipedia and Belle Gibson Susan Gerbic from Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia takes us through some of the recent activity and interest shown in convicted scammer Belle Gibson in relation to her Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Gibson 0:20:42 In Search Of - Water Seekers A review of the 1978 episode from the "In Search Of" series that looks into the phenomenon of water divining or water dousing. We discover pseudoscience and logical fallacies galore. An excellent lesson in critical thinking. https://youtu.be/SMCo1tvsauE 0:38:14 Gimini - The Play - Penny's Adventures #4 We asked Gemini AI to write part #4 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. 0:44:54 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Australian Skeptics. 1987.04.17 - The Canberra Times 1994.09.22 - The Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Surf Coast Skepticamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025 Jabba's Curious World - 2011 Paranormal in Australia https://youtu.be/jYWAmtNJIj0…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #854 - 16.February.2025 57:17

5 weeks ago57:17

57:17

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:22 What If? What if "Psychics" really were psychic? What if "Diviners" really could find water? What if people could really predict the future? What would the world be like if these strange claims are actually true? Richard Saunders poses a few thought experiments. 0:13:10 Chat GPT - The Play - Penny's Adventures #3 We asked Chat GPT to write part #3 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. 0:19:20 VR Skeptics Lara Benham, Adrienne Hill, Ross Blocher and Richard Saunders enjoy a little virtual reality golf and chat about the upcoming Skeptoid Cruise to the Bermuda Triangle. 0:24:30 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:35:52 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Paranormal Politics. 1995.03.22 - The Canberra Times 1940.05.15 - The Manning Times 1993.12.27 - The Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Kat McLeod on Why Smart Women https://www.buzzsprout.com/2385970/episodes/16592626-what-happened-to-kat Richard Saunders' talk. Psychic Detectives : False Trails. https://youtu.be/pfAntkVFxcs…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #853 - 9.February.2025 59:27

7 weeks ago59:27

59:27

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:34 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod Here at the Skeptic Zone we adore our listeners, and with Valentine's Day approaching, we thought we would do a segment dedicated to you, the listener. Are you feeling the love? Roses can be red, violets aren't blue. On this week's show, Kat will be looking at Valentine's Day origins, myths, and alternatives for you. 0:14:16 Copilot - The Play - Penny's Adventures #2 We asked Copilot to write part #2 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. 00:21:36 Maynard's Spooky Action What do people at Sydney Skeptics in tne Pub, including Tim Mendham, think about intuition and 'gut feelings'? Find out as Maynard asks the tough questions. 0:35:52 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Strange Monsters. 1946.03.30 - The West Australian 1938.03.17 - The Western Mail http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Surf Coast Skepicamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #852 - 2.February.2025 56:26

7 weeks ago56:26

56:26

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:44 Looking to the Stars This week we once again check into those folks on the Internet who claim they are in regular contact with aliens from all over the cosmos. Are we about to receive a visitation? Also an update on Ross Coulthart and his amazing claims about the drone invasion of 2024. 0:17:58 DeepSeek - The Play Yet another new AI model is available. We test DeepSeek! Can it write a play in under 10 seconds? Joining me in this segment, playing the parts of a psychic and aliens, are Kat McLeod, Adrienne Hill and Lara Benham. 0:25:30 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:36:36 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Mesmerism. 1850.09.25 - Hobarton Guardian, or, True Friend of Tasmania 1927.08.07 - The Sunday Times - Sydney 1888.06.30 - The Daily Telegraph - Sydney http://www.trove.nla.gov.au…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #851 - 26.January.2025 56:05

8 weeks ago56:05

56:05

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:06 Looking to the Stars This week we gaze towards the heavens to observe the planetary alignment. Also keeping an eye out for any UAPs or UFOs controlled by telepathy, and discovering the fate of the television news astrology segment. Hunting UFOs - Video https://youtu.be/3dtA9w5ldHw 0:14:44 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill. Modern Mystery School summary - Part 2: Adrienne continues her conversation with Faith Newsome and Ramiro Rodriguez about the mystique of the Modern Mystery School. Can things become more unbelievable than what was discussed in part 1? Be sure to listen to find out. 0:34:40 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Reincarnation. 1893.01.07 - The Wagga Wagga Express 1954.03.13 - The Guardian - Perth 1938.02.19 - The Advertiser - Adelaide http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Surf Coast Skepicamp http://www.tinyurl.com/scsc2025 Planet Maynard http://www.maynard.com.au…

The Skeptic Zone

1
The Skeptic Zone #850 - 19.January.2025 1:03:04

9 weeks ago1:03:04

1:03:04

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:58 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill. Modern Mystery School - Part #1 Adrienne is joined by guests Faith Newsome and Ramiro Rodriguez to dive into the world of the dazzling domain of the Modern Mystery School. Never heard of it before? Neither had we! But it is another New Age group with a worldwide wave of followers. Part #2 next week. 0:23:42 UFO Disclosure is Coming Any Day Now... I Promise... Will journalist Ross Coulthart end up with alien egg all over his face? Any day now we've been promised disclosure and more evidence from so-called whistleblowers. So far these whistleblowers have been more "blow hards" than anything else. Take a deep breath, a stiff drink and prepare to hear yet more amazing revelations from the UFO believers just like the "amazing revelations" of months and years gone by. Ross Coulhart on Tiktok https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS64c1hwM/ 0:29:50 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:40:48 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian and Canadian newspapers on a search for references to Creationism in Schools. With Kat McLeod, Lara Benham, Adrienne Hill and Richard Saunders. 1975.02.03 - The Daily Herald Tribune - Canada 1952.04.23 - The Adelaide Advertiser 1930.05.31 - The Kangaroo Island Courier 1923.07.12 - The Brisbane Courier 1978.11.17 - The Calgary Albertan http://www.trove.nla.gov.au…

The Skeptic Zone

1
The Skeptic Zone #849 - 12.January.2025 1:04:10

10 weeks ago1:04:10

1:04:10

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:14 Channeling Aliens on TikTok We look at some of the many people on TikTok who claim to be in touch with aliens from the far reaches of the galaxy. Very long distance calls! 0:16:52 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod Can you trust what you were taught in health class? Do you think you know basic human anatomy? For crying out loud, Kat McLeod is back this week and will have you questioning what you thought was common knowledge. 0:30:32 Maynard's Spooky Action Maynard travels to the Bermuda Triangle, virtually. This week Maynard gives his review on the various TV shows and movies that take place in the Bermuda Triangle over the years. With Lara Benham and Richard Saunders 0:43:10 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "The Coogee Beach Virgin Mary". 2003.02 - The Sydney Morning Herald 2003.02.03 - The Sydney Morning Herald 2005.02.05 - The Sydney Morning Herald https://www.museumoflost.com/the-virgin-mary-at-coogee-beach http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also https://karenbijkersma.com.au…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #848 - 5.January.2025 47:19

11 weeks ago47:19

47:19

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:05:04 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod Were the medieval times as torturous as we are led to believe? What do torture devices and GSoW have in common? Find out this week as Kat ties it all together as she reviews what we think we know about the past and reminds us to always consider the source whenever we are learning new things. 0:18:30 Jimmy Carter's Message to the Cosmos A message penned in 1977 by the late President Jimmy Carter was sent with spacecraft currently traveling in interstellar space, intended for alien eyes. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/voyager-spacecraft-statement-the-president 0:24:32 The TROVE Archives With guest Lara Benham A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the Bermuda Triangle. 1978.11.05 - The Canberra Times 1995.12.14 - Army 1977.06.09 - The Port Lincoln Times 1977.10.11 - The Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #847 - 29.December.2024 58:29

12 weeks ago58:29

58:29

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:06 Kate & Allie With the close of 2024 drawing near and the start of a new year dawning, Kate and Allie both had the idea of making a quiz for the last episode of the year to surprise each other - so surprise, the loons ended up with two quizzes! Play along with their tag-team trivia and take time to look at new year's eve superstitions from around the world, see how many traditions you've heard about. 0:20:16 Drones Droning on about Drones Are drones from outer space? Do they come from the ocean? Are they manufactured in factories and bought by people and companies? We look at the recent influx of drones in the United States and find a stunning prediction for the year 2025! Mick West looks at the drone phenomena. https://youtu.be/ZK4HFxzsjgo 00:26:38 For Crying Out Load! It's Kat McLeod The white lady, the lady of the lake, pale, semi-transparent ghostly apparitions all seem to have some commonalities. This week Kat is going to delve into the reasons why we think of ghosts the way we do, and explore how society's perception of ghosts hasn't changed much over the centuries. 0:36:36 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Failed Predictions". 1990.03.10 - The Canberra Times 1990.04.13 - The Canberra Times 1991.01.02 - The Canberra Times 1994.05.31 - The Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #846 - 22.December.2024 1:00:53

13 weeks ago1:00:53

1:00:53

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:58 New Moon Superstitions Lara Benham (and the Skeptic Zone cats) take a look at some of the myths and superstitions regarding the new moon. Included is a clip from our friend Kenny Biddle. 0:14:18 Flat Earthers fall flat in the Antarctic A report of a group of hopeful flat earthers and globe earthers who travel to the Antarctic to view the 24 hour sun... or not! 24h Timelapse of Antactic Sun https://youtu.be/in0B1OQG3-M 0:24:58 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:03:42 Richard Saunders' Skeptical Challenge Over the past 25 years Saunders had the opportunity of being involved in numerous preliminary tests for the Australian Skeptics challenge, as well as the James Randi Educational Foundation's (JREF) US$1,000,000 prize in the 2010s, where he served on the committee that met annually in Las Vegas. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 44 No. 4 (2024) http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:43:36 The TROVE Archives A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to New Moon Superstitions. 1892.03.12 - The Queenbean Age 1943.09.29 - The Inverel Times 1908.11.21 - The Pastral Times 1834.03.25 - The Sunday Mail 1924.06.14 - The Queenbean Figero http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Kenny Biddle with Kat McLeod and Lara Benham https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ytPtiuunFdc…

The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #845 - 15.December.2024 51:05

14 weeks ago51:05