Steven Galbraith is an associate professor in mathematics at the University of Auckland. His research interests include cryptography and information security, and he enjoys breaking mathematical cryptosystems (cryptanalysis is basically skepticism about cryptosystems).
1 May 2018
His research interests include genetics and evolution, including the effects of stress (particularly induced by antibiotics and agrochemicals), risk assessment and the influence of language on science and eugenics.
1 February 2018
It is hard to avoid hearing about Bitcoin and other so-called cryptocurrencies these days. Almost every issue of every newspaper has an article about some aspect of Bitcoin. As a researcher in cryptography I have been interested in Bitcoin since around 2013 (though I confess to have never "mined" a block or invested in Bitcoin). The purpose of this article is not to explain the technology of Bitcoin or to give a detailed overview of it. And I am definitely not giving investment advice! Instead I want to highlight a few aspects of the Bitcoin story that I think are of particular interest to skeptics.
1 August 2017
Dr Siouxsie Wiles, recipient of the NZ Skeptics Denis Dutton Award
1 November 2015
In December 1952, letters appeared in the Otago Daily Times reporting sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects across the length of New Zealand. The story was apparently quite convincing, as the correspondents were relatively respectable people scattered widely around the country.
1 November 2015
HOW TO FIND THE APOLLO LANDING SITES
1 February 2015
First, please don't panic! This article is about pseudoscience and those who practice it, and does not require knowledge of mathematics.
1 February 2014
Completely Unnecessary? Hardly. New Zealand's own Completely Unnecessary Skeptical Podcast is celebrating its fourth birthday and has established a niche for itself in the country's digital airwaves.