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PODCAST

The Skeptic Zone

Richard Saunders

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

science social sciences

All Episodes

01:01:41

The Skeptic Zone #887 - 5.October.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/10/05

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders. Also the winners of the Australian Skeptics Awards for 2025, live from Skepticon Melbourne with Tim Mendham. 00:09:44 Divination We look at the claim that some people can foretell future events via divination. From historical references to this "art" to the many, many different and interesting practices and devices used to see what is in store for us. 0:25:18 Skeptics in the Pub Once again we head for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub and meet up

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01:04:09

The Skeptic Zone #886 - 28.September.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/09/28

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:56 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill This week Adrienne takes us to Portugal on a trip of discovery of the local superstitions. Find out what happened when they tried to rid a city of black cats! Also we hear about the "Miracle at Fatima". 0:20:48 Woo Watch! With Kate Thomas This week Kate takes a skeptical look at the claim that Acetaminophen, aka Paracetamol, can cause autism in children if taken by the mother during

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01:00:19

The Skeptic Zone #885 - 21.September.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/09/21

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders and Maynard 00:05:58 Woo Watch! With Kate Thomas We interview Pharmacist Kate Thomas, a rising TikTok star from Sydney who fights medical misinformation with commonsense and humour. https://www.tiktok.com/@prescribeorpass https://www.tiktok.com/@debunkingbarbara https://www.instagram.com/scriptedbykate 0:18:34 Gone and Forgotten #3 Over the years of skeptical inquiry (and after quite a few visits to the regular Mind Body Spirit

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01:01:28

The Skeptic Zone #884 - 14.September.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/09/13

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:00 Cryptozoology We take a look into the history and likelihood of strange creatures roaming the earth, yet to be discovered by science. Tall tales from our ancestors and adventurous hunts throughout the world are examined. Is Bigfoot really there? 0:13:46 Prescribe or Pass Sometimes the rabbit hole of TikTok can offer much more than conspiracy theories and bad advice. We review the channel of Pharmacist Kate Thomaswho takes to task many

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53:59

The Skeptic Zone #883 - 7.September.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/09/05

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders and Tim Mendham 00:06:06 A Look into the Stars We take a sceptical look at the claims and promises of the age old practice of Astrology. Can the stars and planets really predict your future or influence your characteristics? 0:17:50 Gone and Forgotten #1 Over the years of skeptical inquiry (and after quite a few visits to the regular Mind Body Spirit exhibitions) we have come across many claims of pseudoscience and the paranormal. At the

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01:05:08

The Skeptic Zone #882 - 31.August.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/08/30

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:06:14 Comet 3I Atlas and TikTok Tales of Doom As another interstellar visitor races through our solar system, we look at various predictions and musings of people who think this chunk of rock is actually an alien spacecraft heading our way. Prof. Dave - Avi Loeb https://youtu.be/4nYXIeZh_bw 0:21:24 For Crying Out Loud. It's Kat McLeod! This week Kat straps on some ghost busting gear and investigates the possibility of the paranormal when

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01:02:03

The Skeptic Zone #881 - 24.August.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/08/24

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:28 Alien Abductions? We take a look at the history, implications and possibilities of aliens travelling across the Milky Way to not only visit the Earth but also to kidnap some of its unlucky, innocent residents. 0:16:44 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Relationship Gurus with Karen Bijkersma #2 The Internet seems full of people who want to offer you advice, for a price, on your relationships. This week Adrienne Hill talks

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01:00:24

The Skeptic Zone #880 - 17.August.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/08/17

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:34 The World Without the Modern Skeptical Movement We imagine what society would be like if James Randi and people like him never started the modern skeptical movement. What would the world be like? 0:16:56 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Relationship Gurus with Karen Bijkersma #1 The Internet seems full of people who want to offer you advice, for a price, on your relationships. This week Adrienne Hill talks to author

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01:05:20

The Skeptic Zone #879 - 10.August.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/08/09

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:02:50 Msynard's Spooky Action Maynard heads to Sydney Skeptics in the Pub for a special screening of the remastered documentary "James Randi in Australia". Attending was Kent Blackmore who took part in the documenty 45 years ago. Maynard also chats to Skeptic Zone listener Tom. http://www.sydneymagic.net 0:22:26 Psychic Penny's Horoscopes Exclusive to The Skeptic Zone, Psychic Penny casts a horoscope and looks deep into the stars. Is your

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01:05:22

The Skeptic Zone #878 - 3.August.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/08/02

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:08 Radical Thinking Radical Thinking is a book about how you view the world. It's about the things that shape your thoughts, from what you notice and how you interpret it, to what you assume, believe and want. It's also about how, if you think in a radical way, you can look beyond your limited view of the world to see the bigger picture. Peter Lamont is a Professor of History and Theory of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, and a Senior

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50:20

The Skeptic Zone #877 - 27.July.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/07/26

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:02:16 Dr Eugenie Scott - Scopes Monkey Trial 100th Anniversary - #2 We chat to the one and only Dr Eugenie Scott who reflects on the 100th anniversary of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. This is part two of a two part interview. The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, commonly known as the Scopes trial or Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case from July 10 to July 21, 1925, in which a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was

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01:03:09

The Skeptic Zone #876 - 20.July.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/07/19

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:02:16 Dr Eugenie Scott - Scopes Monkey Trial 100th Anniversary - #1 We chat to the one and only Dr Eugenie Scott who reflects on the 100 anniversary of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial. This is part one of a two part interview. The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, commonly known as the Scopes trial or Scopes Monkey Trial, was an American legal case from July 10 to July 21, 1925, in which a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, was accused of

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01:02:42

The Skeptic Zone #875 - 13.July.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/07/12

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

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01:02:17

The Skeptic Zone #874 - 6.July.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/07/05

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

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01:03:03

The Skeptic Zone #873 - 29.June.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/06/28

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

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58:50

The Skeptic Zone #872 - 22.June.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/06/21

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

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57:47

The Skeptic Zone #871 - 15.June.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/06/15

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!

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01:01:45

The Skeptic Zone #870 - 8.June.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/06/07

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.

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57:05

The Skeptic Zone #869 - 1.June.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/05/31

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

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01:03:03

The Skeptic Zone #868 - 25.May.2025

The Skeptic Zone ·

2025/05/25

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

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