822 episodes

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'.

The Skeptic Zone Richard Saunders

    • Science
    • 4.5 • 130 Ratings

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'.

    The Skeptic Zone #811 - 21.April.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #811 - 21.April.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:04:34 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill.

    Kate and Allie revisit another frightening herbal development this time from Japan. With guest Kat McLeod.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-supplement-pill-recall-death-illnesses-kobayashi-pharmaceutical-co
    0:12:38 Dr Steve and the UFOs

    For many decades, Dr Steve Roberts has been investigating reports of UFOs. In this informal chat with Richard Saunders, Dr Steve looks at various recent UFO fads and some from history.
    0:23:08 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham

    What Goes Around By Tim Mendham

    Scares, Sounds, Sickness and Spooks!

    A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 42 No. 3

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:30:54 A Dive into a Trove

    A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Crop Circles", a blast from the past.

    1991.12.22 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1991.06.24 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1991.09.10 - The Sydney Morning Herald


    http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
    Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
    https://wecanreason.com
     

    • 52 min
    The Skeptic Zone #810 - 14.April.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #810 - 14.April.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:02:00 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill

    This week Adrienne talks to the organizers of the Los Angeles Skepticamp on the day after the event which was held on March 24, 2024.

    Interviewed are Wendy Hughes, Heather Henderson, Paula Lauterbach, Jane Selkie, Deborah Warcken, and Susan Gerbic.

    https://skepticampla.fmtpo.com
    https://www.youtube.com/@HeatherHenderson
    https://www.abouttimeproject.org
    0:14:16 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham

    Join Tim Mendham and Richard Saunders at Sydney Skeptics in the Pub as they talk about the special guests lined up for the Australian Skeptics national convention in November.

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:21:48 Australian Skeptics Newsletter

    What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
    Read by Adrienne Hill.

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:34:12 A Dive into a Trove

    A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Australian Skeptics.

    1984.07.05 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1987.02.11 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1989.03.17 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1994.11.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1998.03.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald

    http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
    Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
    https://wecanreason.com

    • 56 min
    The Skeptic Zone #809 - 7.April.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #809 - 7.April.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:04:30 My Mum Talks To Aliens - Or Does She?

    A review of a TV documentary from 2010. Mary Rodwell travels Australia seeking out those who claim to be abducted by UFOs. Can she convince her son during the course of the two week adventure? What, if any, real evidence does the documentary provide?

    https://youtu.be/zZ6dJergQ8o

    https://www.metabunk.org/threads/debunked-2007-avebury-ufo-sighting-military-exercise-flares.6411/
    0:18:34 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham

    The Pauline Conspiracy By Dr Paul Willis

    Paul Willis puts on both his pop hat and his tinfoil hat to look at a classic plot from the Fab Four.

    A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 34 No. 3

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:30:18 Milbourne Christopher

    Milbourne Christopher (1914 - 1984) regarded those individuals who claimed extrasensory perception or psychic powers to be actually using magic trickery. He wrote three book-length exposes regarding those he said were false seers or psychics: ESP, Seers & Psychics; Mediums, Mystics & The Occult; and Search For The Soul.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milbourne_Christopher
    0:47:18 A Dive into a Trove

    With Kat McLeod

    A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Anti-Vacation in tne 1950s.

    1952.03.14 - The Barrier Miner
    1954.10.25 - Daily Mercury in Queensland
    1955.05.26 - The Central Queensland Herald
    1958.10.03 - The Australian Jewish Times

    http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
    Also We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
    https://wecanreason.com

    • 1 hr 3 min
    The Skeptic Zone #808 - 31.March.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #808 - 31.March.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:04:36 Kenny Biddle Tiks on Tiktok

    It's hard to believe, but much of what you see on Tiktok may not be all it seems! Chief Investigator for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Kenny Biddle, hunts for claims of the paranormal on Tiktok. Can he explain the unexplainable?

    https://www.tiktok.com/@kennybiddle42
    0:20:56 Australian Skeptics Newsletter

    What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
    Read by Adrienne Hill.

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:32:20 A Dive into a Trove

    A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to yet more UFOs.

    2014.01.27 - Woman's Day
    2010.11.29 - New Idea

    http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
    Also Dick Smith's Helicopter Adventure - Parkinson 1982
    https://youtu.be/TM_0q3m5i40

    We Can Reason - Calgary Canada
    https://wecanreason.com

    • 58 min
    The Skeptic Zone #807 - 24.March.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #807 - 24.March.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:04:00 Skeptical Highlights of Dick Smith

    As we send our birthday wishes to Dick Smith, who just turned 80 years old, we look back at his influence on the skeptical movement in Australia. We also cover his great friendship and productive cooperation with James Randi.

    James Randi in Australia - With Dick Smith
    https://youtu.be/gN-0FEqAkQM

    This Is Your Life - Dick Smith 1997
    https://youtu.be/FEXr2Wh4fPQ
    0:17:32 The Skeptic Magazine, From Australian Skeptics - March 2024

    A look through some of the features and stories of the current issue of this long-running magazine, including a closer look at a report by Richard Saunders into the so-called "power bands" of the last 15 years.

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:26:04 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham

    It's Behind You! By Adam van Langenberg

    Do you ever get that feeling that you're being stared at? Then, when you turn around, you notice somebody looking right at you? Sometimes with a knife? Adam does, and he suspects that most other people do as well. There are lots of reasons why this could happen. It could be a case of confirmation bias.

    A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 32 No. 3

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:34:28 A Dive into a Trove

    A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to UFOs.

    1991.09.07 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1972.07.02 - The Sydney Morning Herald
    1986.09.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald

    http://www.trove.nla.gov.au
    Also

    https://www.alantacolley.com/upcoming-gigs

    https://wecanreason.com

    • 57 min
    The Skeptic Zone #806 - 17.March.2024

    The Skeptic Zone #806 - 17.March.2024

    0:00:00 Introduction
    Richard Saunders
    0:04:10 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill

    Redefining Beauty, one tongue press at a time?

    Can keeping your mouth shut make you more attractive? While some people believe so, it may not be for the same reasons you think. Adrienne Hill has an interesting conversation with Kat McLeod to discuss the controversial beauty trend and viral sensation known as "mewing"; the origins and the myths.
    0:19:08 Alanta Colley - Live Show

    Trick or Treatment at Melbourne International Comedy Festival : 25- 31 March

    Big pharma gets a bad rap, but what about big chakra? Could horse de-wormers cure a global pandemic? Can I mainline the placebo effect? Come on a science comedy journey through the wild and weird and occasionally effective world of alternative medicine with Alanta Colley as your test subject.

    https://www.alantacolley.com/upcoming-gigs

    https://thebutterflyclub.com/show/trick-or-treatment
    0:28:46 Australian Skeptics Newsletter

    What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week?
    Read by Adrienne Hill.

    http://www.skeptics.com.au
    0:41:14 A Chat with Dr Eugenie Scott

    In a follow up interview, Dr Eugenie Scott expands her thoughts on the development of human teeth. Also how you can get involved in the San Francisco Bay Area Skeptics.

    https://baskeptics.org

    • 1 hr 4 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
130 Ratings

130 Ratings

Krystie Jo ,

Who, What, Why, When & How

Richard answers all the questions or points you where you can find the answers for yourself. He asks probing questions with insight and respect. He does not dismiss the person or insult the believer. Richard tells you why something is bunkum and does not assume you would have prior knowledge. There are entertaining interviews and provoking articles.

Too often other Skeptics podcast presenters instantly dismiss the belief, insulting the believers. They do not provide any critical questioning or demonstration why it is not true. Calling ‘Flat-Earthers’ or ‘Anti-Vaccinationers’ names does not explain to me why their views are detrimental to society and could cause harm.
Richard is respectful, informative and is a nice person.
Have removed the other skeptic podcasts. Maybe when they stop being so ‘up themselves’ and full of righteousness, I may listen to them again. Remember, it is almost impossible to reason with a fanatic- Including Skeptics.

Nicky Squabble ,

Still annoying

Every year or so I try to listen to this podcast, being Australian and looking for local skeptical reports. Why is every conversation accompanied by music? And presenter talking like a rock star to himself. I’m a long time listener to SGU, Reality Check and Skeptics with a K, OS skeptic podcasts where presenters still chat but talk normally, and keep music as intro to segments.

Jonathan from Australia ,

I alway smile when I see a new episode has arrived.

A great podcast. Richard is very engaging and the show is always in informative and thoughtful.

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