PODCAST · science
Edinburgh Skeptics Presents...
by Edinburgh Skeptics Society
Welcome to the Edinburgh Skeptics Society podcast. We'll be bringing you talks from our guest speakers on a variety of topics in our Skeptics in the Pub podcast. There'll be talks from areas such as science, social issues, politics, and lots more, all with a view to promoting reason and critical thinking.You'll also be able to see what makes our guest speakers tick with our 10 Questions segment, plus there'll be bonus content along the way that doesn't fit anywhere else.Do make sure you rate or review us, and get in touch and let us know what we're doing right (or wrong!). Email us at [email protected]
Episodes
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Special: Skeptics on the Fringe 2020 details!
It's that time of year again! Only it isn't, and we're all (mostly) couped up in our homes and not having fun. But, thanks to the wonders of the internet, we're able to bring you some lockdown Fringe events! Join Mark Pentler, Sean Slater & Heather Pentler as they discuss the three events...
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SITP: Brexit: What Comes Next?
We're back! For one episode. Maybe more, we don't know. But we had a lot of interest in this talk from people who couldn't make it for whatever reason (mostly the novel coronavirus, as it turns out). So we popped a C90 in, hit record and play, and we're happy to bring you it just in time to kill…
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QEDCon 2018 Special
Join us for a special episode of the podcast recorded at QEDCon 2018. QEDCon is the UK's best (only?) skeptical conference and each year a large contingent of Edinburgh Skeptics migrate south for the weekend to Manchester for it. There are talks, panels, podcast recordings, and the chance to…
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SotF 2017: Our Friends On The Fringe
Are you enjoying this year's Fringe? Why not step into our time machine and enjoy something you may have missed from last year's Fringe! Traditionally we have a few nights every year where we find the best in nerdy, scientific and skeptical content from around the Festival. Whether you like…
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SotF 2017: Mid Fringe Binge
From the middle of last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe run we present an amuse bouche of acts from this year's Free Fringe that have a skeptical bent. We scoured the festival to find the best in nerdy material, rationalism, skepticism and other cool stuff and the result is this podcast of three...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe - Dr Smith - Zombie Science
Theoretical zombiologist Dr. Smith joined us during the 2017 Fringe to explore the real science behind a potential zombieism outbreak. Zombieism is a fairly new field but has great relevance in our everyday lives. Unfortunately Dr. Smith's very interesting talk was heavy on visuals/video and not...
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Special: Fringe 2018 Lineup Reveal
Join the current members of the Edinburgh Skeptics committee for the official unveiling of our Skeptics on the Fringe 2018 programme. This year's diverse roster includes talks on blasphemy, historical medical woo, fracking and many other interesting and varied topics. Plus we have details of our...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Dr. Paul Dimeo
Here's our interview with Dr. Paul Dimeo from the University of Stirling on drug testing in sport. In it we introduce Paul to skepticism, hear what a mess cycling is, and generally have one of the most depressing conversations about sport that might have ever taken place. But it was a good one.…
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SotF 2017: Why Drug Testing in Sport is Such a Failure
Drug testing is a perennial topic in sports these days. High profile suspensions, accusations at world champions and a clamour for "clean competition" in the face of apparent state-sanctioned doping has seen the subject's importance to the public seemingly increase in recent years. This talk…
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10 Q's @ The Fringe: Heather Pentler
Note: Bit of mic trouble in this one - sorry! Quite some time after the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe our chair Mark Pentler sat down in his own living room with his fellow committee member Heather Pentler to chat about autism and the many myths surrounding it. They also talk about Issac Newton and the...
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SotF 2017: Autism Myths
Ever wondered what is the difference between Aspergers and autism but been too embarrassed to ask. There are many myths and misunderstandings about people with autism. EdSkeptics' very own Heather Pentler is here to fill your knowledge holes. Heather's talk seeks to dispel some of the myths and...
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10 Q's @ The Fringe - Dr Katie Steckles
Dr Katie Speckles spoke for us during the 2017 Fringe about Mathematical Life Hacks. It's a talk she's done for lots of SITP groups across the country and we were very pleased to welcome her to Edinburgh. Unfortunately her talk was quite visual in nature, so there's no real point podcasting it....
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10 Q's @ The Fringe: Tamasin Cave
In part two of our "we're actually releasing an episode!" special we sit down with Tamasin Cave from Spinwatch to delve even deeper into the murky world of politics and corporate lobbying. Tamasin is a writer and campaigner with Spinwatch, which investigates corporate PR and lobbying. She is...
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SotF 2017: Lobbying and the Distortion of our Democracy
Sorry for the long break. We'll really try our best to get out this last few podcasts and then we'll probably take an even longer break... who knows. Here's a full talk and interview from last year's Edinburgh Fringe run. Tamasin Cave will talk about the UK's £2bn lobbying industry and the…
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10 Q's @ The Fringe: Lydia Finch
Before her talk on the dangers of the Jehovah's Witnesses and cults in general our chair Mark Pentler sat down for a conversation with Lydia Finch to learn more about her life both in and out of the church, along with some silly stuff as well to lighten the mood a bit... Lydia Finch was born and...
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SotF 2017: Cults and Skepticism
[A few tech issues on this one, folks. Sorry about the audio quality] Cults and Skepticism: How one ex Jehovah's Witness fell into the 'trap of independent thinking' Historically the purview of atheist, secular, and humanist organisations, Ms. Finch wants to expose the workings of these cults to...
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10 Q's @ The Fringe: Dr. Dean Harris
On a cold and raining late-December evening EdSkeptics chairperson Mark Pentler sat down with ex-Beagle 2 team member Dr Dean Harris to talk about space, the perils of going to Mars, and whether a failure is really a failure if you learn from it. Also some silly stuff... Dean started his career...
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Beagle 2: How the UK Landed on Mars
In the early 21st century, a group of British adventurers, scientists, engineers and explorers launched a mission to Mars. The mission was called Beagle 2 and was led by the late Professor Colin Pillinger. The mission attempted to answer one of the most profound questions asked by humanity (and...
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10 Q's @ The Fringe: Deborah Hyde
Before her talk for us as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017 Deborah Hyde sat down with Heather Pentler to talk about her love of vampires and her skeptical history... Deborah Hyde wants to know why we believe in things that probably aren't there. What's the story behind the folkore of…
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SotF 2017: Interview with a Vampire Expert
The Vampire has fascinated Western Europe from the early 1700s, but the tradition was a real part of Eastern European lives for a considerable time before that. In the last three centuries, the icon has been taken up in art of all kinds – literature, film and graphics – and it has had a lasting...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Dr Louise Todd
Before her talk for us on the relationships that people have with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Dr Louise Todd sat down with Heather Pentler to talk more about her research and how it came about, plus her thoughts about events and festivals in general and their future. Dr Louise Todd is a…
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SotF 2017: The Fringe: My BFF
Edit: had to take a few clips out of this one. Sorry! Often skeptics are charged with only concentrating on hard, physical sciences. Well, that shouldn't be the case. Recorded during our 2017 Edinburgh Fringe run, this talk from Dr Louise Todd is the perfect antidote as we hear her describe her...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Martin Corley
Is Martin Corley a big fat liar? Will his knowledge of speech disfluency manage to trick our host Danny Robertson into accepting his answers as the God's honest? Find out in this week's 10 Questions @ The Fringe! Martin Corley is Head of Psychology at Edinburgh University. His research centres on...
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SotF 2017: If You Say Um, You're Lying
How does the way you speak influence others' judgements? What is it about the way that someone speaks that makes you think they're lying? In this talk, Martin presents a series of experiments looking at speech disfluency ("um" or "er") and how it affects listeners' judgements. In particular, he...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Madeleine Berg
Before her talk for us on the wonders and the dangers of plastic Dr. Madeleine Berg sat down with Claudia Schaffner to discuss her career and current job, her work with Edinburgh Skeptics on their cinema nights and her adorable-sounding guinea pigs. Coming from a geosciences background, Dr Berg...
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SotF 2017: How Fantastic is Plastic?
When plastic was invented, it was hailed as a wonder material, promising to completely transform our lives, which indeed it has. None of us can truly imagine a life without this hygienic, durable and flexible material. But as a society, we're beginning to realise the consequences of the plastic...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Dr. Grant Ritchey
Let it not be said that we don't pull out all the stop at Edinburgh Skeptics. All the way from Kansas we welcome Dr. Grant Ritchey. Before his excellent talk for us on dental pseudoscience we sat down with the Skeptical DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) to hear about his "favourite" dental quackery,...
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SotF 2017: Dental Pseudoscience
Most of us are familiar with unproven and pseudo-scientific medical practices, but they are also prevalent in the dental field. From misinformation about fluoride, mercury in fillings, and "toxic" root canals, to fringe treatments such as oil pulling, cranial osteopathy, and acupuncture, there is…
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Hayley Stevens
Before her talk for us on how to we sat down with Hayley Stevens to talk women in skepticism, smug people in skepticism, and her thoughts on dismissing things without checking them out first (especially when investigating the paranormal). Plus we learn how one of the country's most recognised...
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SotF 2017: A Skeptic's Guide to Ghost Hunting
A Skeptic's Guide to Ghost Hunting offers an entertaining, funny and at times scary introduction to the world of modern paranormal research. Audiences have laughed, gasped and even cried... Lifting the lid on sham ghost-hunting claims, showcasing the latest not-so-amazing paranormal evidence, and...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Prof Kathy Whaler
With tales of moving plates, swirling magma and rabbits, Prof. Kathy Whaler from the University of Edinburgh tackles 10 Questions from Heather Pentler. Kathy Whaler has been Professor of Geophysics at the University of Edinburgh since 1994. Her main research interests are using permanent...
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SotF 2017: Why The Compass Needle Points North
Magnetic compasses may have been used by the Chinese as early as the first century AD, and natural magnets were known to the Greeks in classical times. Knowledge of the magnetic field has been routinely used in navigation (and measurements have routinely made) since the 18th century, soon after...
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10 Qs @ The Fringe: Prof Tim Whitmarsh
As well as full-length talks we're bringing you interviews with our Fringe 2017 speakers to find out what makes them tick and to grill them in forensic detail about their fields. First off is writer and history Prof Tim Whitmarsh. Tim sat down with our own Heather Pentler to discuss gods, cats…
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SotF 2017: Atheism in Ancient Greece
Edit: You know when you've given the podcast gear to your vice-chair to do interviews at QED and you realise you needed it to record a welcome message for the very first Fringe 2017 podcast? Yeah, that... It's a very special time here at Podcast HQ as we start to bring you some episodes from our...
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10 Questions: Michael Dougan
In this episode of 10 Questions we sit down with Prof. Michael Dougan to ask some searching, evidence-based questions on Brexit. Are we really screwed? What's the process? And most importantly: how will Scotland fare? Michael Dougan is Professor of European Law and Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law at...
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SITP: Brexit: Where have we got to? And where are we going?
The UK's negotiations on withdrawal from the EU are now underway. And so Leave campaigners are now facing a form of accountability they have never experienced before: the accountability of reality. What are the key issues in the UK-EU negotiations? What will be their likely outcomes? What will…
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SciFest 2017: Forensic Anthropology and its Use in Criminal Investigations
Edit: Bit low effort this one on my part. But next week... The Fringe! - Mark For another trip back to 2017's Edinburgh International Science Festival we'll be hearing from Dr Lucina Hackman. Forensic anthropologists are crucial in helping to identify the deceased when there are limited clues to...
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SciFest 2017: Niamh Nic Daeid Interview
Yes, it's us again. Remember us? We do podcasts and then take massive breaks to put on public festivals of science and rationalism. But we're here again! We'll have some podcasts from most of our Skeptics on the Fringe 2017 talks over the coming months and there's so much good stuff coming up....
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10 Questions: Paul Zenon
The morning after the birthday cake-infused Skeptics In The Pub before, Mark Pentler sat down with Paul Zenon to discuss the world of psychics and mediums in more detail. Plus they reminisce about Blackpool, the place where they both grew up. It's like Portabello, only with more Scottish people....
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SitP: Secrets Of The Psychics
Edit: A birthday surprise at the end of this talk. The picture attached should hopefully provide some context... From long-running TV series to sold-out theatre shows and premium rate phone 'advice' lines, the business of 'Love and Light' and talking to the dead is very much alive and well. How…
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Special: Skeptics on the Fringe 2017 Preview!
The podcast returns for one week only! (Probably. Hopefully a few more before the Fringe). Join Mark, Sean & Heather as they go through each night of the Skeptics on the Fringe 2017 lineup and discuss the people, the topics, and generally lark about for 50 minutes. Skeptics on the Fringe 2017…
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SciFest 2017: Emma McClure Interview
In this interview with EdSkeptics Science Festival speaker Emma McClure we delve deeper into some of the issues with the reliance on certain types of forensic evidence, hear about her journey into skepticism, and find out what happened to her first pet - featuring special guest star Emma's…
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SciFest 2017: The Phantom of Heilbronn
We're back but also we never really went away or something. For this double episode of the podcast we have a talk and an interview with prison lawyer Emma McClure. In this talk, she examines the issues with forensic techniques, highlighting the amusing, confusing and sometimes tragic consequences...
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Special: A Plastic Tide talk
For the podcast this week we have some bonus content for you while we pin down some of our Science Festival speakers for interviews. We have a recording of a talk given at one of our monthly cinema nights. Over eight million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean each year, killing sea life. Now new...
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SciFest 2017: Stevyn Colgan Interview
(Sorry for the slightly dodgy audio... - Ed) Time reasons scuppered our chances of having a nice chat with our old friend, QI Elf, and ex-copper Stevyn Colgan. So, to go along with his Science Festival 2017 talk we're dusting off the archives and bringing you a EdSkeptics classic - our interview...
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SciFest 2017: The Skeptical Bobby
The podcast returns! And we're back with a corker - the first of our run of talks under the banner of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. First up is QI Elf and ex-London copper Stevyn Colgan. Stevyn was a police officer in Scotland Yard for 20 years, as part of the Problem Solving Unit...
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SotF 2016: Mid Fringe Binge
For our final trip down the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe memory lane we're heading back to 2/3rds through the run for our Mid Fringe Binge! We always have a few nights at the Fringe where we invite our old friends to come back and do something for us, plus we scout the Fringe to find some sufficiently...
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SotF 2016: Online and Offline Spaces for Democracy
For our last talk from the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe we're having a look at how online and offline spaces work both for and against democracy courtesy of Ella Taylor Smith. If we think of social media as spaces – like rooms – we get a new perspective on what's going on and why. This talk looks at…
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SotF 2016: Charles Cockell Interview
Many, many, many months after his talk, Claudia Schaffner sits down with Charles Cockell to talk in more detail about life throughout the universe. And how the hell we're going to find it... Charles Cockell is Professor of Astrobiology at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the UK Centre...
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SotF 2016: Life in the Universe
Will we find life elsewhere in the Universe and what are we really looking for? Why has this question suddenly become more interesting? In this talk from the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Charles Cockell guides us through the possibilities and tells us what could be out there and how we can try to find…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to the Edinburgh Skeptics Society podcast. We'll be bringing you talks from our guest speakers on a variety of topics in our Skeptics in the Pub podcast. There'll be talks from areas such as science, social issues, politics, and lots more, all with a view to promoting reason and critical thinking.You'll also be able to see what makes our guest speakers tick with our 10 Questions segment, plus there'll be bonus content along the way that doesn't fit anywhere else.Do make sure you rate or review us, and get in touch and let us know what we're doing right (or wrong!). Email us at [email protected]
HOSTED BY
Edinburgh Skeptics Society
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... have?
Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... currently has 156 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... about?
Welcome to the Edinburgh Skeptics Society podcast. We'll be bringing you talks from our guest speakers on a variety of topics in our Skeptics in the Pub podcast. There'll be talks from areas such as science, social issues, politics, and lots more, all with a view to promoting reason and critical...
How often does Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... release new episodes?
Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... publishes regularly with 156 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
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Edinburgh Skeptics Presents... is created and hosted by Edinburgh Skeptics Society.
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