Firstly – tune in for Skeptically Speaking tomorrow!
Philosophy professor and author Dr. Massimo Pigliucci joins us to discuss his new book “Nonsense On Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk.” We’ll discuss why people embrace pseudoscientific beliefs, and how it affects our culture.
Closer to home: Australian scientists find Timor Sea meteorite crater
Australian scientists have discovered a crater deep beneath the Timor Sea made during a heavy meteor storm which may have altered the Earth’s climate, the lead researcher said Thursday.
Australian National University archaeologist Andrew Glikson said seismic activity led experts to the Mount Ashmore 1B site, and a study of fragments showed a large meteorite hit just before the Earth’s temperatures plunged.
Is fact-checking in? Washington Post: Who woulda thunk it: Fact-checking is popular!
I asked AP Washington Bureau Chief Ron Fournier about this, and he told me something fascinating, if not all together unexpected: Their fact-checking efforts are almost uniformly the most clicked and most linked pieces they produce.
Journalistic fact-checking with authority, it turns out, is popular. Who woulda thunk it?
There’s also a stand against superstition in India, particularly when the endorsement draws on Government funds: Thaindian News – Kamat Using Government Machinery To Promote Superstitions
[Goa Chief Minister] Kamat Wednesday visited the house in Parra, 15 km from here, where an ancient idol was unearthed after a 17-year-old girl Pooja Chodankar ‘dreamt’ about its presence there.
“It is ridiculous of the chief minister to behave in this fashion. He is endorsing superstition using government money. How can gods appear in your dreams and say there’s an idol under the floor of your house?” Nigalye, a renowned anti-superstition activist, told IANS.
He has been conducting camps against superstitions and exposing fake ‘miracle’ conjuring religious leaders for several decades now. Nigalye said there was no scientific basis to divine communication in one’s sleep.
Finally – Mark Edwards of SkepticBlog – on The Truth about Psychic Hotlines! It’s a video.
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