Swoopy pops in for a quick chat with Derek about what she has been doing, and some fun, new, ideas for Skepticality. Derek interviews Sean Faircloth about his new role at the Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason and Science, USA branch and his new book, "Attack of the Theocrats!".

Tim Farley of "Whats the Harm" and "Skeptic History" and Derek Colanduno sit down for a short chat about the past year in skeptical issues, and what might be coming in 2012. 

This week's guest on Skepticality is Dr. Scott Hannahs, the Director of DC Field Instrumentation and Facilities National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Find out a bit about what it is like to work with the worlds most powerful magnet, and what types of experiments require such a powerful bit of scientific equipment and what discoveries and research comes out of the science of magnetic fields.

This week Derek has a chat with Joeseph Lazio, project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. To find out a bit more about what this next-generation radio telescope is going to attempt to find, and how it will address some of the fundamental questions in astrophysics, physics, and even astrobiology.

In September of 2008 Ben Radford appeared as a guest on the podcast Skeptiko, hosted by Alex Tsakiris.  During that interview he agreed to take up Alex's challenge to investigate the best case of the efficacy of psychic detectives.  What followed was months of research, numerous interviews and a follow-up which ended in acrimony.  Now, three years after the initial challenge, the hosts of MonsterTalk (Blake Smith, Ben Radford and Karen Stollznow) have Alex onto their show to discuss Skeptiko, the interface of skeptics and believers, and to settle the matter of whether or not Ben's investigation disproved the psychic's claims. 

An update from Scott Sigler about his newest book and a fun free give-away. Then Derek takes some time to sit down with AJ Mass, a staff writer for ESPN, and card dealer in Atlantic City, to discuss his new book 'How Fantasy Sports Explains the World'. From the Last Supper to Star Wars, winning advice about almost any facet of life can be found almost anywhere, especially when you pay attention to reality and the current known odds.

This episode Derek sits down with David Daigle, a leading member of the CDC preparedness team to talk about the CDC 'Be Prepared' Zombie campaign which has been rolling out since this past May. David relays information about how the CDC keeps track of upcoming threats to citizens be it a pandemic, food contaminations, and even disastrous massive storms.

This week Derek sits down with Jen Hancock to discuss her newest book,

"Jen Hancock's Handy Humanism Handbook". In this work, Jen attempts to

give people a quick, easy, book which describes the philosophy of Humanism

and how it relates to culture and personal happiness.

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks with Daniel Loxton about his latest book, Ankylosaur Attack. Then, checks in with Ann Druyan to discuss a bit about the current world of science and her current work on the sequel to the groundbreaking science miniseries, Cosmos and the upcoming 2012 Dragon*Con Skeptrack Carl Sagan Essay contest.

This week on Skepticality, Derek gives a brief wrap-up of the Skeptic Track at Dragon*Con 2011 as well as giving you a sample from one of the many events which took place over the four day track of skeptic events. The panel is an important discussion moderated by JREF President, D.J. Grothe on the topic of Education vs. Debunking, how they are different and when and how each should be used to the greatest effect.

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks with author and professor Cathy N. Davidson, co-founder of HASTAC, "Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory", about her recently released book, "Now You See It", which tells the fascinating story of how our understanding of human attention and learning can be used to enhance and change the manner in which we teach in the modern era.

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks with Jeff Wise, science writer, outdoor adventurer, and pilot of airplanes about his latest book, Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger, and reveals how our bodies react to different types of fear, and how we might be able to make our fears work for us.

It's safe to say that a generation of science enthusiasts were inspired and educated about the wonders of life on earth and beyond by the man best as Bill Nye "the Science Guy".  In recent years, William Nye's concern about our changing planet has garnered him new monikers, like Bill Nye "the climate guy", and as Executive Director of The Plantary Society, Bill Nye "the planetary guy".

This week on Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy talk with "that guy", William Nye (who recently was a featured Guest at The James Randi Educational Foundation's 2011 Amazing Meeting ), about the challenges facing a new generation of science educators on television and in the classroom, and his new project to promote algebra literacy entitled "Solving for X".

This week, members of the skeptical community gathered en masse in Las Vegas, Nevada to participate in the James Randi Educational Foundation's 9th annual Amazing Meeting.

Just off the plane from the conference, team Skepticality share their interview with TAM 9 keynote speaker - author and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Professor Richard Wiseman about his new book, "Paranormality: Why What We See Isn't There" and discovers how paranormal research has led to amazing insights on how we believe and interact with our every day world.

For over 30 years Matthew Chapman, the great, great grandson of
Charles Darwin has written and directed major motion pictures, as well
as authoring notable books of his own on the topic of evolution -
"Trials of the Monkey - An Accidental Memoir",  and "40 Days and 40
Nights - Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, Oxycontin, and Other
Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania".

This week on Skepticality, Derek talks with Matthew Chapman about his
soon to be released independent film "The Ledge" (starring Liv Tyler
and Terrence Howard), in which a battle of philosophies between a
fundamentalist Christian and an atheist escalates into a lethal battle
of wills.

As the international skeptical community gears up for another season
of conferences presented by established groups like The Skeptics
Society's Science Symposium, The James Randi Educational Foundation's
Amazing Meeting, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry's CSICon, a
new generation of skeptics are also finding the critical thinking
movement in their own back yards at local meet ups called Skepticamps,
which are community driven, informal "un-conferences" borne from the
desire for people to share and learn in an open environment.

This week on Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy report from Atlanta
Skepticamp 2011 and share one of this year's Skepticamp talks by
Skeptic History contributor Tim Farley appropriately entitled "Don't
Start a Blog or Podcast", on the topic of how to handle the vast
amount of skeptical content created by blogs and podcasts, and how to
stand out if you decide you do decide to jump into the fray.

Over the past 30 years, Skeptics Society founder Dr. Michael Shermer has questioned how and why humans believe what we do in all aspects of our lives—from our suspicions and superstitions to our politics, economics and social beliefs.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Shermer about his new book, The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies - How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths, a compendium of the research and neuroscience that reveals how our brains evolved to connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen and ultimately why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not our beliefs are based in reality.

In 1765, the author of an anonymous article in a French Enlightenment periodical spoke of "The general love of humanity ... a virtue hitherto quite nameless among us, and which we will venture to call ‘humanism’, for the time has come to create a word for such a beautiful and necessary thing."

Today on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with author and Humanist Jennifer Hancock about her book, "The Humanist Approach to Happiness" , a practical guide to living an ethical, compassionate and happy life that outlines critical thinking and common sense human solutions to everyday human problems.

Skeptics are well versed in the many tools of the trade used by charlatans and hucksters to defraud their unwitting victims. Some of these same tools - elicitation, pretexting, influence and manipulation to name a few - are also used by hackers, spies and identity thieves to obtain information.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Christopher Hadnagy, author of "Social Engineering, The Art of Human Hacking" which not only examines the maneuvers and the science behind them that are aimed at deceiving unsuspecting victims, but also addresses ways to reduce our own susceptibility to the hackers and security threats in our every day lives.

On this special bonus episode of Skepticality, celebrating the eve before the final launch of the Space Shuttle "Endeavour", Swoopy catches up with author Mary Roach whose best-selling book "Packing For Mars" was recently released in paperback.

Each year 45 million Americans diet to lose weight, spending $33 billion on weight-loss products - and yet, 68 percent of Americans are now classified as overweight or obese. If the prescription to eat less and exercise more, or maintaining a calorie deficit is all it takes to lose or maintain a healthy weight, why are so many of us fat and getting fatter?

This week on "Skepticality", Swoopy talks with award-winning science journalist Gary Taubes about his most recent book, "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" which looks critically at the science of adiposity, the hundreds of years of scientific research and data about the best ways to avoid obesity and obesity related illness, and debunks the myth that losing weight is all about the calories.

The 9.0 magnitude Tohoku earthquake and tsunami which devastated Japan on March 11th, 2011 is being reported as one of the five most powerful earthquakes since seismological records began being kept in 1900.  The awesome destructive power of our constantly changing world is highlighted by these kinds of disasters on a fairly regular basis, but does the understanding of when and how these events may happen change the way humans are choosing to live on dangerous planet earth? 

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Donald R. Prothero, professor of geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles and a lecturer in geobiology at Caltech about his new book "Catastrophes! Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and other Earth-Shattering Disasters" which discusses not only the dangers we face from geographical challenges but also those that affect us all: overpopulation and global climate change.

What was it about iTunes that changed the way we buy music? What inspires people to donate to causes online, and what factors make the game Angry Birds so addicting?

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Charles L. Mauro, a Certified Human Factors Engineering Professional and founder of MauroNewMedia, which has pioneered groundbreaking research on how we consume and respond to media (including television, web, mobile and virual platforms), how we engage in social networking, and even why sometimes we can't seem to stop.

"Skepticism is the agent of reason against organized irrationalism - and is therefore one of the keys to human social and civic decency." - Stephen Jay Gould 

Of the scientists who have left their mark on science, skepticism and indeed the Skeptic's Society, few are more quotable or thought-provoking than the late evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould. This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Richard York, co-author (with Brett Clark) of The Science and Humanism of Stephen Jay Gould . This new book offers a unique look at Gould not only as a paleontologist and evolutionary theorist, but also as a humanist and one of the most prolific science historians of our time.

 

Skeptics are all too aware of the irrationality of human nature and society, and turn to critical thinking to live more happily. But could there be benefits from the commonplace irrationalities of everyday life? Cognitive psychologist and behavioral economist Dan Ariely argues that there are.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Professor Ariely (author of the New York Times bestseller Predictably Irrational ) about his latest book, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home . Find out how experiments illuminate the unexpected roles of irrational decision-making in daily life, and in shaping the world around us.

 

How we live, how we function, how we reproduce and how we age are all explained by the smallest and yet most complex of living structures — the cell.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Lewis Wolpert, Professor Emeritus of Biology as Applied to Medicine at University College London and author of The Unnatural Nature of Science and Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins of Belief about his newest US release, How We Live & Why We Die: The Secret Lives of Cells . This basic primer on cellular biology deftly examines the invisible world of all living things, from our evolutionary past, to stem cells, cloning and the future of regenerative medicine.

 

In order to accomplish amazing illusions and magic tricks, performers of prestidigitation must be well versed in the art of deception; thus, it is not surprising that many of the world's most renowned skeptics are also world-class magicians.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Stephen L. Macknik and Dr. Susana Martinez-Conde, co-authors of Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday Deceptions (with Sandra Blakeslee). Both are laboratory directors at the Barrow Neurological Institute and columnists at ScientificAmerican.com - experience they bring to their multi-year, world-wide exploration of magic (with a team of advisors including Jamy Ian Swiss, the late Jerry Andrus, and James "The Amazing" Randi). Can ancient principles of the conjurer's trade be explained using the latest discoveries of cognitive neuroscience? Find out on this episode!

 

 

This week on Skepticality, Tim Farley wraps up the year in Skepticism and Swoopy treats listeners to a splash of monkey news.

 

 

Most skeptics are familiar with the James Randi Educational Foundation - a not-for-profit organization founded in 1996 that offers a $1,000,000 prize for testable proof of paranormal ability. This world-renowned skeptical organization promotes critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural claims. But besides the Foundation's famous founder and the Million Dollar Challenge, the JREF is notable for its commitment to education.

This week on Skepticality, science educator and grassroots skeptical organizer Michael Blanford discusses his role as Director of Educational Programs for the JREF. Michael describes ongoing and upcoming educational programs — and how skeptics can help.

One of the most positive aspects of the skeptical movement is advocacy for consumer awareness about the claims made by producers and advertisers of all sorts of products, from the outlandish to the commonplace.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Robert Tiernan, Managing Editor of Consumer Reports  magazine, the monthly publication produced by The Consumers Union. For nearly 75 years, the Consumers Union has utilized rigorous scientific testing to separate hype from fact and good products from bad ones — empowering consumers to think more critically about everything from cars to health care.

What if you could travel the world to ask scientists, artists, spiritual leaders, gurus, and everyday people why we exist? Documentary film-maker Roger Nygard (best known for his films about Star Trek  fandom, Trekkies 1 and 2 ) did just that, conducting over 170 interviews to explore The Nature of Existence .

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Roger about his journey across the globe, and what he discovered during his compelling conversations with people of faith and science (including Richard Dawkins, Leonard Susskind, and Skeptic Society founder Michael Shermer).

Over the years Skepticality  has featured many science educators, and more than a few musicians. This week, Swoopy talks with Dr. Greg Graffin, a professor of life sciences at the University of California at Los Angles who also happens to be the lead singer and songwriter for the legendary punk band Bad Religion .

As well as touring in support of The Dissent of Man , Bad Religion's 14th studio album, Dr. Graffin has just released his memoir Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science and Bad Religion in a World Without God  (co-authored with Steve Olson).

Professor James Kakalios, a mild-mannered physics professor at the University of Minnesota, has something in common with the characters he chronicled in his 2005 book The Physics of Superheroes  - he has a super power. In fact, his new book The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics: A Math-Free Exploration of the Science That Made Our World,  Kakalios reveals that all  humans have a super power: our intelligence. With that power (and with a little help from quantum mechanics) we have created the greatest technologies the world has ever known.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Kakalios (a science consultant on the 2009 Warner Brothers filmWatchmen ) about his latest book. Not only does he explain how quantum mechanics enables your blu-ray player; he also explores the similarities between the young physicists who developed quantum theory and the science fiction pulp writers of the 1920s and 1930s - blending pop culture and hard science to reveal the physics behind our world. 

 

Eppur si Muove is Italian for "and yet it moves." These are perhaps the most famous words attributed to the Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Galileo Galilei. While this quote makes for a dramatic climax to the story of Galileo's condemnation for heresy in 1633, there is no proof that the great scientist ever said it.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with author Dan Hofstadter, whose book The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition paints a unique picture not only of Galileo the heliocentrist, but also of Galileo the humanist.

 

 

In her new book, The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help you Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse , author and science blogger Jennifer Ouellette reminds us that our stubborn resistance to calculus is not entirely rational, and that we all do a little calulus every day whether we know it or not. 

 

This week on Skepticality Swoopy talks with Jennifer about how The Calculus Diaries  seeks to inspire our math-phobic culture by explaining complex concepts using simple real world applications like theme park rides, shopping for real estate, and even fortune telling.

 

In keeping with a tradition of highlighting artists, illustrators and film-makers who are bringing great stories of science to their genres, this week Skepticality is pleased to welcome James Lu Dunbar, author and illustrator of an educational series of graphic novels about the history of the universe targeted at children of all ages entitled The Universe Verse .

Swoopy chats with Jamie about the process of creating this series of self-published books, and how the second book in the series It's Alive! , about evolution, is being funded by supporters via donations on Kickstarter.com.

Imagine you were talented enough, ambitious enough and lucky enough to be chosen to part of a manned mission to another planet. What you might see out there? What you might learn?

And, what about going to the bathroom, taking a shower, eating, drinking, sleeping, or even sex?

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with psychologist, journalist and bestselling author Mary Roach. Her new book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void explores how space programs, scientists and astronauts (and even astro-chimps) tackle the unexpected complexity of performing everyday activities when in space.

As with her previous books Spook (the science of the search for the afterlife), Stiff  (the science of the dead), and Bonk (the science of sex), Ms. Roach's accessible investigation into the science of space travel sparkles with humor and insight.

Historical precedent, eyewitnesses, academic experts — these are among the tools that critical thinkers use to verify facts and give credibility to their arguments. And yet, misuse of these same principles provides the foundation for widely accepted conspiracy theories.  

Why does the public often prefer wildly improbable half-truths to the demonstrable facts of history? This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with award-winning journalist and author David Aaronovitch about his book Voodoo Histories: The Role of Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History. Deconstructing both well-known and obscure conspiracies, David illuminates how such far-fetched claims come to be believed.  

This week after returning from The Amazing Meeting 8 - a conference celebrating skepticism and critical thinking sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation, Skepticality is pleased to host a round table discussion with a distinguished group they have dubbed "Team Skeptic".

Daniel Loxton (editor of Junior Skeptic and author of Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be ), Blake Smith (paranormal investigator and creator of the Skeptic podcast Monster Talk ) and Tim Farley (creator of WhatsTheHarm.net and the Skepticality contributor of This Week in Skeptic History ) discuss their impressions of this year's Amazing Meeting Las Vegas with hosts Derek and Swoopy.

From "survival of the fittest" to "the selfish gene," familiar evolutionary themes advocate an amoral viewpoint that favors the individual. And yet, evolutionary biologists have uncovered countless examples of altruism in animals and humans — which has given rise to the idea that there is an evolutionary component to these selfless behaviors that can be quantified.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Professor Oren Harman, author of The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness . Both a history of the study of social evolution and a biography of George R. Price, this book explores a life which would become an illuminating experiment in altruism and lead to the development of the Price equation (a mathematical equation used to study genetic evolution).

Over the last five years Skepticality has been pleased to interview some of the world's most interesting and noteworthy skeptics and scientists and some of those skeptics and scientists are also gifted artists. 

This week Swoopy and Derek talk with George Hrab about the release of his new album Trebuchet , which he has been kind enough to provide to our listeners in it's entirety for free as a full album mp3. Among the many topics, and music clips, George talks about marketing this new album via his award nominated Geologic Podcast , and about the subject matter that is, as always relevant to his audience of skeptics and music lovers alike. 

Additionally Derek chats with New York Times best selling author Scott Sigler, about the release of his book Ancestor (a sci-fi horror thriller steeped in hard science) by Crown books on June 22nd. Scott didn't just stop by to chat, he also has some special give-aways for Skepticality listeners. 

The new, full length album by George Hrab. Buy a physical copy at CDBaby , or download tracks on iTunes .

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with geneticist Dr. George C. Cunningham, author of Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer? This book serves as a point-by-point rebuttal of the 2006 bestseller The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief , by Dr. Francis S. Collins.

Dr. Collins was the head of the Human Genome Project during its final phases, presiding over one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time. And yet, some skeptics expressed unease about Dr. Collins' 2009 appointment as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. At issue were the award-winning geneticist's beliefs that our "genetic code is, after all, God’s instruction book" — and that God himself does not need an explanation since he is beyond the universe.

In this interview, Dr. Cunningham respectfully questions the proof Dr. Collins offers for his beliefs, including the Bible and the writings of C.S. Lewis. Additionally, Decoding the Language of God serves as a primer for good critical thinking, discussing points of conflict between naturalistic explanations of reality (which are anchored in scientific research) and supernatural interpretations (which are not). Cunningham's well-reasoned discussion will appeal to people across a wide spectrum of belief and unbelief.

​Skeptic readers may suspect that there's little to interest them in the pages of most graphic novels, dominated as they are by superheroes and the supernatural. However, a new generation of authors and artists are hard at work creating comics rooted in science fact — and even critical thinking.

 This week Skepticality welcomes back Jim Ottaviani: nuclear engineer, librarian, lead author for GT Labs (which produces graphic novels about the history of science and prominent scientists). Swoopy talks with Jim about his most recent published works, T-Minus: The Race to the Moon ; Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of Love ; and, of special interest to skeptics, The Science of the Unscientific: Levitation: Physics and Psychology in the Service of Deception .

This week Skepticality welcomes two of the members of the Los Angeles-based band Artichoke : Timothy Sellers (who pursued physics before deciding on music) and Steve Collins (an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory).

Artichoke is known to many eSkeptic readers for the song Mary Anning , their highly popular contribution to the Skeptics Mix Tape 2009 project. (As Mix Tape curator Daniel Loxton explains, "Artichoke is really top tier science music. There are vanishingly few bands who can match their catchiness and scientific depth.")

On this episode, Swoopy chats with Timothy and Steve about the special challenges in writing fun, accessible music that also portrays scientists accurately — as featured on the band's albums 26 Scientists Volume 1: Anning – Malthus , and 26 Scientists Volume 2: Newton – Zeno .

In-depth inquiry is a central virtue in the realms of skepticism and investigative journalism. In both traditions, investigators immerse themselves into unfamiliar worlds in order to understand, inform and illuminate the truth.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with author Gina Welch about her first book In The Land of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey Into the Heart of the Evangelical Church . Recounting her two years as a member of Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, the book is an honest discussion by a non-theist of her extraordinary look into the lives of the evangelical Americans who became her friends.

Over the past five years, Skepticality hosts Derek & Swoopy have been inspired by noteworthy scientists and skeptics—and by the many podcasters producing popular programs about science and critical thinking.

This week's guests are science podcasters with a little something extra. Aaron's World and Princess Scientist's Book Club are both podcasts hosted by children under the age of nine. This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with both hosts (and their parents) about the unique challenges and rewards of creating online programming by and for young science enthusiasts.

One of our favorite things to do on Skepticalit y is to introduce listeners to new ways of communicating skepticism and critical thinking that may have never been tried before.  This week's guest is a perfect example.  As the  International award-winning author and illustrator of Secrets of Sorcerers and Love Pe t, Sara E. Mayhew is a professional illustrator who specializes in producing manga artwork that embraces the themes of skepticism and critical thinking. 

In 2009 Sara became a TED Fellow (short for Technology, Entertainment, Design), as part of this distinguished program built on the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world she spoke about her goal to use the art of manga to teach young readers about science and critical thinking through engaging stories and images. She spoke again at TED 2010, and recently spoke at CFI West about Skepticism Though Manga .

This week Swoopy talks with Sara about her new manga, Legend of the Ztarr about a young girl on a far off planet who must ultimately utilize critical thinking and science to help save her world. And her popular blog about critical thinking, There Are Four Lights .

The concept of race continues to affect our world in undeniable ways. Sociologists tell us that people derive their attitudes about race from their family, culture, and education, with vast and persistent differences between the popular notions of race and the scientific view of human diversity. Even among scientists, who understand the current evidence, there is controversy about the definition of "race" — and about the usefulness of thinking in terms of race at all.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Guy P. Harrison, a part-time science and history lecturer and journalist about his latest book Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity . Harrison discusses scientific evidence that the human species has no races, and explores how that evidence could unite humankind.

Also featured is Atlanta Skeptic Taylor Proctor, on making this year's Atlanta Skepticamp a celebration of "Critical Thinking for Everyone".

In February 2010 a panicked zebra ran loose down a major Atlanta freeway at rush hour sustaining fatal injuries, the same month at Orlando's SeaWorld a whale trainer was dragged underwater to her death by a 12,000-lb killer whale, and this week in Mumbai an angry 56-year-old female elephant killed a man who entered her enclosure by picking him up with her trunk and slamming him into a wall. 

From food production to circus acts to scientific stud, animals have a long and controversial history in the lives of humans who not only learn from studying their biology but what they in turn teach us about our own behaviors.

This week, Skepticality welcomes back Dr. Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado who alongside Jane Goodall co-founded the organization "Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". Dr. Bekoff discusses his book The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint citing supporting current scientific research to outline six guiding principles designed to increase awareness of the deplorable conditions animals experience across a broad spectrum of activities, and what those of us who are concerned can do to help.

This past week has been particularly troubling for secular humanists  
and freethinkers, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the  

words "In God We Trust" on American currency and "Under God" as part  

of the Pledge of Allegiance are not in violation of the First  

Amendment rights of nontheists.

Meanwhile, the conservative majority of the Texas State Board of  

Education (whose sheer size and buying power influence textbook  

content nationwide) revised its curricula to reflect a less secular  

version of history, economics and sociology. Among other revisionist  

changes, this reduces the role of President Thomas Jefferson as a  

revolutionary author.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Sean Faircloth (the new  

Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America) about these  

troubling current events. Sean also talks about the Coalition's recent  

historic meeting with White House officials to open a policy dialog  

with the Obama Administration — the first of its kind for American  

nontheists.

Imagine you've just completed your PhD in molecular biology and genetics. Would enrolling at NYU film school be your next logical career step? Unlikely as it may sound, that's exactly what Alexis Gambis, creator of the "Imagine Science Film Festival," decided to do.

This week on Skepticality , Swoopy talks with Alexis about the surprising and yet natural collaboration between scientists who dedicate their lives to studying the world we live in, and filmmakers — who have the power to interpret and share this knowledge with a broader audience than ever before.

This week also includes the debut of a new segment: "This Week in Skeptic History," hosted by notable skeptical activist Tim Farley (creator of the WhatsTheHarm.net).

Derek catches up with the new JREF President, DJ Grothe to discuss what is next for the JREF now that he has become the new President. 

For a myriad of reasons, NASA is in the news this week. For an update on everything astronomical Skepticality is proud to welcome back The Bad Astronomer himself, Dr. Phil Plait (author of the popular books Bad Astronomy , Death from the Skies and his award-winning blog at Discovermagazine.com). Swoopy chats with Phil about this week's planned launch of the space shuttle Endeavour (one of five final missions marking the retirement of the shuttle fleet by the close of 2010); the surprising recent announcement of President Obama's plans to increase NASA's funding but cancel the Constellation program already five years underway; and, Phil's own tough decision to step down as president of the James Randi Educational Foundation in order to extend his skeptical outreach to a global audience through television.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with a true skeptical original: Skeptics Society co-founder Pat Linse, co-publisher and Art Director of Skeptic magazine. She is among skepticism's most influential pioneers — and yet, she has rarely stepped into the public spotlight.

Among Pat's many groundbreaking innovations was the creation of Junior Skeptic (the 10-page kids' critical thinking insert bound within Skeptic magazine). Joining Pat in this interview is current Junior Skeptic editor and illustrator Daniel Loxton, here to talk about their latest creation: a full-color children's book released this week by Kids Can Press, entitled "Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be".

"The Universe does not bend itself to our ignorance."  This simple truism is just one of the many observations made by author, skeptic and former president of the National Center for Science Education Robert J. Schadewald, who died of cancer on March 12th, 2000.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with his sister Lois Schadewald, who compiled and published a humorous, insightful volume of her brother's articles, essays and interviews in 2008.

Entitled Worlds of Their Own: A Brief History of Misguided Ideas; Creationism, Flat-Earthism, Energy Scams, and the Velikovsky Affair, Robert Schadewald's work reminds us that in order to understand the difference between science and pseudoscience we must investigate the unique claims and personalities of some of history's most unorthodox thinkers. Only then can we begin to learn what leads some people to embrace critical thinking and science — and others cling to their own realities despite all the evidence in the universe….

The holiday season can be a stressful time for anyone, but for those parents raising their children to be critical thinkers and skeptics, there are some special challenges — namely, to Santa or not to Santa?

This week, on a special holiday episode of Skepticality, Derek & Swoopy talk with Heidi Anderson (whose article, Skeptical Parenting: Raising Young Critical Thinkers appears in the current issue of Skeptical Inquirer) and her seven-year-old son Hollis. Young Hollis, it turns out, has his own opinions on Santa, science and truth…

Insomnia; depression; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; sexual infidelity. Most of us have dealt with at least one of these issues in our lives, and no wonder — so did our ancient ancestors.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy welcomes back Dr. William Meller for a second round of discussion based on his book Evolution Rx. Evolutionary medicine sheds some light on how the adaptations of early humans affect our emotions, behaviors and our modern daily lives.

Water bottles, hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial soap, vitamin supplements, broad spectrum antibiotics - ancient man had none of these things, and yet in harsh conditions he not only survived, but thrived. The study of evolutionary medicine illuminates how the past adaptation of early humans to their ancestral environment now affects contemporary humans with our vastly different diet, life expectancy, degree of physical exercise, and hygiene.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. William Meller, MD about his book "Evolution RX" which delves into the latest research in genetics, biology, and early human history in order to better understand a wide array of human health conditions and the ways in which our bodies have evolved to combat them.

Absinthe. The very name of this anise-flavored spirit has become synonymous with the forbidden. Associated with marijuana and other illicit drugs, it is said to cause hallucinatory and psychoactive secondary effects, delusions, criminal tendencies, convulsions, tuberculosis and death. At the start of the 20th century, these beliefs were reported by the media, widely promoted by the French wine industry, and spread via propaganda posters. This led to a ban on absinthe in Europe and the United States (lasting nearly 100 years). This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Cheryl Lins, owner of Delaware Phoenix Distilleries in Walton, New York, about how this once-accepted and popular drink came to be outlawed and misunderstood — and how it was eventually resurrected at the hands of skeptics and scientists.

Cryptozoological creatures like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and the Chupacabra have fascinated and inspired monster hunters for generations, providing endless reports of sightings, unverified film footage and blurry photographs to feed the public imagination.

Thankfully, this kind of speculation and storytelling has also given rise to a new generation of skeptical investigators who use the tools of science to dig into monster claims. This week on Skepticality, Derek & Swoopy talk with Benjamin Radford, Dr. Karen Stollznow, and Blake Smith — the team from the podcast MonsterTalk.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy catches up with biologist-turned-filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, whose latest book, Don't Be Such A Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style deals with the image and communication issues facing scientists in the new media era.

Some of the book's key messages (don’t be so cerebral; don’t be so literal-minded; don’t be such a poor story teller; don’t be so unlikable) are also on display in Dr. Olson's newest feature film, Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy.  The new movie, a mockumentary that humorously relates just how hard it is to get a film about science made in style-conscious Hollywood, is the closing film at the Imagine: Science FIlm Festival in New York this week.

One of the refrains of skepticism is that reality is often more amazing than fiction. This is most assuredly true of the stories reported by investigative journalist, filmmaker and author Jon Ronson, who has delved time and again into the worlds of conspiracy theorists and extremists.

This week on Skepticality Swoopy talks with Jon Ronson about his experiences bonding with skeptics at the recent Amazing Meeting London, his bizarre cruise (and rare interview) with psychic Sylvia Browne, and his 2004 auto-biographical book The Men Who Stare at Goats which will be released this November as a feature film starring Ewan McGregor and George Clooney.

On this week's Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy have just returned from
Charlotte PopFest, a unique music festival with proceeds benefitting
the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Unexpected
local media backlash against the PopFest benefitting a group of
"evolutionists" is further evidence why events like this one, the
first of it's kind, are so important.

These sentiments are echoed in this week's short interviews with
PopFest musician Jill Sobule, members of the Charlotte Atheists and
Agnostics and Keith Williams, a local Charlotte skeptic who wrote a
letter to WBTV Charlotte to express his concern over their reporting
of the PopFest as an example of "Science and religion butting heads".

This week, Derek and Swoopy recap Skeptrack at Dragon*Con 2009 and chat with musician James Deem about the upcoming music festival Charlotte Pop Fest.

Not your average music festival, this year Charlotte Pop Fest (September 24-26th) will celebrate the life of Charles Darwin and all proceeds from the event will benefit the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science.

On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on American society when they carried out their plan to kill as many of their high school classmates as they could. The very word "Columbine" has come to represent a specific brand of unthinkable horror: when children make a calculated decision to murder their teachers and peers.

In the chaos and aftermath of that April day, legends and misinformation quickly proliferated. A great deal of what was reported about Columbine was simply not true.

Author Dave Cullen has spent the last ten years of his journalistic career studying the lives of the residents of Littleton Colorado as they were before, during, and after this shattering event. Cullen's seminal book on the subject, Columbine, delves deep into the psyches of the killers, the victims, and their families — to set the record straight not only about what really happened on that fateful day, but why.

This week Skepticality releases the entertaining wealth of recent audio Derek recorded at the James Randi Educational Foundation's "Amazing Meeting 7" conference in sunny Las Vegas.

The diverse nature of modern skepticism is well represented in interviews featuring Jennifer Ouellette (author of The Physics of the Buffyverse) and magician Michael Goudeau (executive producer of Penn and Teller's Bullshit!). Best of all, Skepticality shares thoughts from one of the founding fathers of the skeptical movement — psychologist Dr. Ray Hyman.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado and author of Wild Justice. His book examines the differences—and startling similarities—between the observed morality and emotions of human and non-human animals.

This week on Skepticality, Derek & Swoopy recap The James Randi Educational Foundation's Amazing Meeting 7 conference, which took place this past week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Derek recounts his many adventures as a TAM7 attendee, including his interviews and discussions with TAM Guests including Ray Hyman, Jennifer Oullette and MythBuster Adam Savage. Looking at this epic convention in a new way, Swoopy shares her impressions of following the conference from home via social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook and uStream.

"Don't try this at home! …This trick just might kill you! … Fool your friends, amaze your family and scam your way to free drinks!"

These taglines and more invite the average college student to study with spiky-haired rabble rouser, Brian Brushwood — skeptic, author and award winning magician — via his popular podcast Scam School.

This week Derek & Swoopy talk with Brian about his work. Digging into the biggest scam of all, they reveal that Brian Brushwood is the epitome of the modern skeptic. Beneath the bar room bravado lurks the mind of well-studied, articulate critical thinker.

Though the celebrated and the famous have long used the glare of the spotlight to highlight personal causes, rarely has fame been used to such staggering effect as by Jenny McCarthy. Since 2007, this former Playboy model now turned autism activist has advocated for parents to stop vaccinating their children against deadly diseases.

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Derek Bartholomaus, creator of “The Jenny McCarthy Body Count” website. This chilling and controversial site utilizes data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to keep a running tally of illnesses and deaths from vaccine preventable diseases - a sobering reminder of the human cost of anti-vaccination rhetoric.

On a lighter note, Derek & Swoopy also talk with Junior Skeptic Editor Daniel Loxton about the launch of the “Skeptics Mix Tape” project. This eclectic collection of songs of science and skepticism are available as free MP3s from Skeptic.com.

Mass extinctions, rising temperatures, and changing glaciers may sound like current events, but Earth scientists are learning that this type of climate change is nothing new.
 
This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Donald R. Prothero about his new book Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs: Evolution, Extinction, and the Future of Our Planet. Prothero discusses the links between the climate changes that have occurred over the past 200 million years.
 
Dr. Prothero also discusses "Ida," a 47-million year old fossil the media is hailing as yet another "missing link." Is Ida all she is hyped up to be — or is this Darwinius masillae just one more transitional fossil supporting the theory of evolution?

This week Skepticality is pleased to have back paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford.

Derek talks with Ben about his recently concluded "Great Psychic Detective Challenge" which came about through amazing claims made to Ben while he was a guest on the Skeptiko Podcast.

We also catch up with JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation) President Dr. Phil Plait about the upcoming Amazing Meeting 7, to be held in Las Vegas July 9-12.

This week Skepticality is pleased to once again speak with noted 'Quirkologist' Richard Wiseman, the Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom and fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).

Swoopy talks with Professor Wiseman about his recent paranormal investigations and the initial findings from his Hauntings: The Science of Ghosts project that was presented as part of the 2009 Edinburgh International Science Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This week Skepticality celebrates it's long awaited 100th episode with a look back at past shows, thoughts about future installments and well wishes from their friends the skeptic community including Dr. Phil Plait (the Bad Astronomer), George Hrab (The Geologic Podcast) and Brian Dunning (The Skeptologists).

Why do we think aliens are out there? Is Earth really being visited? Will aliens really be short, gray, and hairless? What happens if we pick up a signal from another world?  These are just a few of the questions this week's guest tackles regularly, in his role as the senior astronomer for the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute. Dr. Seth Shostak talks with Swoopy about the ongoing search for life in the universe, as chronicled in his new book Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.

In 2007, Junior Skeptic Editor Daniel Loxton called for renewed focus on classical skeptical activism in an essay entitled "Where Do We Go From Here?" Released simultaneously as a PDF from Skeptic.com and as an audio essay on Skepticality, this article drew tremendous positive response.

But many listeners wanted to know, what’s the next step? How does one become a skeptical activist? This week, Skepticality and Skeptic.com are pleased to release the follow-up project, "What Do I Do Next?: Leading Skeptics Discuss 105 Practical Ways to Promote Science and Advance Skepticism."

Daniel Loxton returns to tell Swoopy how a panel of 13 skeptics contributed almost 30,000 words of impassioned, in-depth commentary to this groundbreaking document — and how skeptics like you will take it to the next level.

This week's Skepticality hits the highlights and plays excerpts from Atlanta
Skepticamp. Topics from the two day "un-conference" included: raising children to be critical thinkers; homeopathy; the question of what organic food labels really mean; and (in discussion with the hosts of the American Freethought podcast) the role of new media in promoting the growth of the skeptical community.

Also, Derek & Swoopy check the Skeptic events calendar to keep listeners updated on upcoming Skepticamps and other events for skeptics around the world.

On a special Thursday edition of Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. John M. Harris, curator of the George C. Page Museum at Rancho La Brea. Yesterday, it was announced that a new excavation near La Brea has unearthed the largest known cache of fossils from the last ice age including an eighty percent in-tact mammoth, named Zed.

This week on Skepticality we check in with author and paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford. A regular contributor to LiveScience.com and Managing Editor for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, Ben talks with Derek & Swoopy about his recently completed fourth book and his investigations into weird paranormal mysteries — including UFO sightings in New Jersey, the haunted hotel where President Obama stayed prior to his inauguration, and the claims of police department psychics.

The United Nations has declared 2009 the "International Year of Astronomy." Coinciding with both Galileo Galilei's celestial discoveries in 1609 and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia Nova (which described the fundamental laws of planetary motion), the International Year of Astronomy celebrates 400 years of discovery and exploration of our elegant universe. It is an unprecedented opportunity to showcase some amazing science — and to inspire cosmic wonder.

On this episode of Skepticality, Derek & Swoopy talk with astronomer, educator, and podcaster Dr. Pamela Gay about the many exciting global events people can enjoy during the International Year of Astronomy. She also shares her thoughts about the changing face of NASA, and about some thrilling recent astronomical discoveries.

On a recent episode of Skepticality, guests Kate Holden and Tiana Dietz proposed their joint project, "Visit Discovery," which encourages people to visit Seattle's Intelligent Design think tank The Discovery Institute. Is there hope of fostering better dialog between advocates of science and proponents of Intelligent Design?

This week's guest, Maria Maltseva, a Seattle skeptic and practicing attorney, talks with Derek & Swoopy about her own recent visits to The Discovery Institute, where her talks with Institute insiders yielded a wealth of interesting information.

Rarely is mathematics a major plot component on American television. The exception, of course, is the current hit prime time CBS television drama Numb3rs.  "We all use math every day: to predict weather, to tell time, to handle money. Math is more than formulas and equations: it’s logic. It’s rationality. It’s using your mind to solve the biggest mysteries we know." So begins every episode — astonishingly — of one of the consistently highest rated programs in its time slot. Now in its fifth season, Numb3rs has helped pave the way for a whole new generation of science-based programming on American television. This week Swoopy talks with Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci (the creators and Executive Producers of Numb3rs) about the challenges of creating a fictional TV drama chock full of real science and mathematics.

Over the past several episodes, Skepticality has endeavored to showcase an eclectic range of skeptical activism.  Our recent guests have overwhelmingly agreed that everyone has something to offer — and that "activism" comes in many flavors.  

This week, Derek & Swoopy talk with bloggers Kate Holden and Tiana Dietz, who recently had an unorthodox adventure at the well-known Intelligent Design think tank The Discovery Institute. These unapologetic rabble-rousers discuss the controversial tactics that took them where few skeptics have gone before.

What can regular skeptics actually do to enhance the appreciation of science and skeptical inquiry?

This question has been an ongoing theme for Skepticality, and this week's guest has one answer to propose. In his audio essay, "Raising Our Game: The Rationale to Embrace Skepticamp," software architect Reed Esau argues that "Skepticamps" (self-organizing peer conferences of intimate scale) can harness the potential of the "long tail" of the skeptical movement — offering a voice to all of us who have passion and expertise to share but who cannot take on the role of a "professional" skeptic. 

These meetings are an experiment in the structure of a movement, and they are capturing the imagination of many new skeptics. What are the true implications for skeptical organizing? Is the advent of social networking technologies really the moment when everything changed?

Also Tim Farley of Whatstheharm.net talks with Swoopy about an effort to help out a fellow Skeptical activist in need.

This Tuesday, November 4th, Americans head to the polls. But despite the outcome, the question remains: under the new administration, can nontheists, science advocates, and critical thinkers expect better representation in government?

In recognition of Election Day 2008, Skepticality is pleased to present a talk by Lori Lipman Brown of the Secular Coalition for America (the only Washington, DC lobbyists working on behalf of skeptics, rationalists and nontheists), entitled Pastafarian, Zoroastrian, Atheist — Can't We All Just Get Along?

On this week's episode of Skepticality, Derek & Swoopy explore the good, the bad, and the scary among television's current crop of offerings — from "Psychic Kids" to "The Mentalist."  

Also, in a lead up to her favorite holiday, Swoopy ponders the pros and cons of being a skeptic on Halloween….

With less than thirty days left until (U.S.) Election Day 2008, Skepticality checks in with noted skeptic Lt. Colonel Hal Bidlack (U.S. Air Force, Retired) — the Democratic Party's 5th Congressional District candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Swoopy talks with Hal about the challenging and expensive process of seeking public office in the United States, and how the recent upset of financial markets is shaping this election season. Hal also explains how his study of the U.S. Constitution and experience as the nation's premier Alexander Hamilton scholar lends valuable insight even in 2008.

This week, Skepticality rounds out its Dragon*Con coverage with the Skeptrack panel inspired by Junior Skeptic Editor Daniel Loxton's op-ed essay, "Where Do We Go From Here?" 

Daniel also joins Swoopy to share his thoughts upon hearing the panel discussion, and about skeptical trends.

Panelists for this conversation about the future of skeptical activism include the JREF's James Randi and Jeff Wagg, Skeptical musician George Hrab, The Secular Coalition for America's Lori Lipman Brown , Center for Inquiry's D.J. Grothe and Benjamin Radford, Australian skeptic Dr. Karen Stollznow — and by popular demand, new JREF president Dr. Phil Plait.

The hosts of Skepticality are recovering from their spectacularly successful "Skeptrack" events at Dragon*Con 2008: four days of lively discussion featuring guests from some of the most prominent skeptical organizations around the world. Included were James Randi and Dr. Phil Plait from the JREF, Dr. Michael Shermer of the Skeptics Society, Benjamin Radford and D.J. Grothe from the Center for Inquiry, and Richard Saunders and crew from the Australian Skeptics—to name only a few.

For those who participated in this groundbreaking weekend, we look forward to hearing your stories. For those who could not attend, Skepticality brings you the first of several recordings from last week's panel discussions, beginning with James Randi and D.J. Grothe discussing "Why Magic is Important to Skepticism." This in-depth discussion of the entwined histories of magic and skepticism reveals how creating illusions can illuminate the truth.

Misinformation is everywhere, but nowhere more prolific than on the internet. A Google search for "homeopathy" or "UFO" returns a landslide list of mystery-mongering websites. Yes, there are a few skeptical web resources too — but a non-skeptic can be easily misled online.

On this episode, Derek & Swoopy talk with Tim Farley, a skeptic applying his 20-plus years of software development experience to the creation of advanced tools and techniques for fighting the battle against misinformation on the World Wide Web. 

Tim's popular websites include the Skeptical Software Tools blog "Skeptools" (which uses Web 2.0 techniques to aid the spread of critical thinking information online), and WhatsTheHarm.net, which has collected the stories of over 225,000 people who have been injured or killed as a result of supernatural and pseudoscientific practices from alternative medicine to hypnosis to faith healing.

Long-time listeners may recall that Skepticality's very first interview guest was Bad Astronomy author and popular science blogger Dr. Phil Plait. 

This past week the James Randi Educational Foundation (one of the leading organizations to promote critical thinking and examination of pseudoscience) announced that The Bad Astronomer himself will be the new JREF President.

Now, Dr. Plait returns to Skepticality to tell Derek & Swoopy not only about interesting advances in privately-funded space travel and the future of NASA under a new presidential administration, but also about exciting developments in his own career — including his new role at the JREF, changes for Bad Astronomy, and Phil's impending trips to the Galapagos and Dragon*Con 2008.

The mainstream rap and hip hop communities are known not only for a way with words and penchant for controversy, but also for occasional drama. Rapper Greydon Square is no exception. 

On this week's episode of Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy hang loose with Greydon and talk about his musical influences, being embraced by the atheist community — and why this Compton native (raised as a legal orphan by the Department of Children & Family Services of California) refuses to be a product of the system.

Continuing from last week's interviews recorded at the "Amazing Meeting 6" conference, Derek & Swoopy talk with secular lobbyist Lori Lipman Brown and her father Mel Lipman (both secular humanists with backgrounds in law and government). 

They also speak with mentalist Banachek, who has been responsible for putting more magic and mentalism on American television than any other magic consultant in the world.

While the paths of these skeptics seem widely divergent, Derek & Swoopy learn that their common decision to further skepticism within their chosen professions illuminates many similar truths…

This week on Skepticality, Derek and Swoopy return from the desert with highlights from "The Amazing Meeting 6" conference in Las Vegas (hosted by the James Randi Educational Foundation).

Joining them are two skeptics who are changing the face of popular science: astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, and MythBuster Adam Savage.
 
The incomparable Neil deGrasse Tyson (Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, current host of Nova Science Now, and the only astrophysicist to be named one of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive") talks with Swoopy about getting the United States back on track as science innovators. (He also sets the record straight about Pluto.) and in his third appearance on Skepticality, Adam discusses his evolution from artist and model maker to skeptic and television scientist—as well as thoughts about his life after MythBusters. 

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Skeptic magazine's resident expert critic of alternative medicine, "SkepDoc" Dr. Harriet Hall. Dr. Hall talks about about her recent memoir Women Aren't Supposed to Fly, which details her life as a family practice specialist, flight surgeon, pilot, and career Air Force officer. (She retired in 1989 as a full Colonel.)

Dr. Hall also discusses her recent regular contributions to Skeptic magazine and "The Science-Based Medicine" blog, which is quickly becoming an invaluable source for in-depth, quality articles investigating questionable medical practices (not only in alternative medicine but within conventional medicine as well), illuminating the mysteries of medical science—and even insight into how doctors think.

Just this week, the discovery of the 300-million year old Gerobatrachus hottoni ("Hotton's elder frog") confirmed the previously contentious inference that modern frogs and salamanders evolved from one group of ancient primitive amphibians. The dispute arose because of a lack of transitional forms; but, like so many "missing links," this newly discovered fossil sealed the gap.
 
The fossil record is one of the strongest lines of evidence for evolution, yet it continues to come under attack by present-day creationists and advocates of Intelligent Design.  This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with eminent paleontologist and professor of geology Donald R. Prothero about his bestselling Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters. This comprehensive book explores not only the rich mosaic of fossil discoveries and transitional forms, but also the very nature of science—and the "monkey business of creationism."

Over the past several episodes, Skepticality has interviewed some of the notable scientists featured in the new pro-Intelligent Design documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.  This week, the last word on the controversy goes to Dr. Randy Olson, the biologist-turned-filmmaker whose 2006 documentary Flock of Dodos: The Evolution – Intelligent Design Circus examined the communication breakdown between the science community and the rest of the world on the subject of evolution.  

Dr. Olson strives to improve the reputation of science in the court of public opinion, where the Religious Right and Intelligent Design movements continue to wedge their way in by "teaching the controversy."  On his "Shifting Baselines" blog, Dr. Olson was one of the first scientists to express concern that the well-funded Expelled was likely to succeed in selling its message to a tremendous number of people. The "dodos" of the blogosphere responded with incredulity.  

At the request of many skepticality listeners, we're pleased to feature this week's interview with Dr. Olson about his controversial opinions — and about his new film, Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy.

The contentious pro-Intelligent Design film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed  is now in its second week of wide release, and the controversy is far from over. 

This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Dr. Eugenie Scott about her participation in Expelled, her thoughts on seeing the film — and the "Expelled: Exposed" website, created by the National Center for Science Education (where Dr. Scott serves as the Executive Director).

Beyond the Expelled frenzy, Dr. Scott talks about her work with the NCSE, the future of science education, and what the average person can do to improve the public perception and understanding of science.