"… she successfully resisted the forces pitted against her, giving an astounding manifestation of some power other than that making up the ordinary phenomena of nature." So wrote the Feilding Star on ... (1886 words)

Alison Campbell looks at the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum. By accident, I came across the curriculum document for Accelerated Christian Education (ACE), which provides teaching and ... (767 words)

A lot of effort goes into science communication, but the effectiveness of much of it is debatable. This article is based on a presentation to the NZ Skeptics Conference in Wellington, 7 September ... (895 words)

There may indeed be a place for creationism in the science classroom, but not the way the creationists want. This article is based on a presentation to the 2011 NZ Skeptics Conference. We live in a ... (1865 words)

The world-wide panic over the MMR vaccine was sparked by the actions of one doctor who breached several standards of scientific practice. This article is based on a presentation to the 2010 NZ ... (1927 words)

Alison Campbell reviews a study of why so many struggle with scientific concepts. One of the topics that comes up for discussion with my Sciblogs colleagues is the issue of 'resistance to science' - ... (880 words)

The Moral Landscape: How Science can Determine Human Values. Sam Harris. 2010. Free Press, New York. ISBN 978-1-4391-7121-9 Reviewed by Martin Wallace. If faith is belief without evidence, then it is ... (390 words)

Alison Campbell looks at some words that cause scientific misunderstandings. I suspect that for many of my first-year Biology students, the sheer weight of new terms they come across is perhaps the ... (647 words)

Evolution - What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters. Donald R Prothero, Columbia University Press. Reviewed by Louette McInnes. If your local library doesn't have this book, go out right now and ... (414 words)

It's often said that scientists long rejected the idea of meteorites, but the evidence for this assertion is far from convincing. Pseudoscience constantly attempts to discredit science. One method is ... (944 words)

Research scientist Hamish Campbell spoke of his experiences as Te Papa's museum geologist at the 2005 NZ Skeptics conference. It behoves all scientists to be both skeptical and open-minded, research ... (690 words)

More bad news for homeopaths The leading medical journal The Lancet recently published yet another analysis of trials of homeopathy. After examining 110 such trials, the Swiss researchers concluded ... (558 words)

"Energised Water" turns out to be much the same as the other kind Grander water indeed, than the ordinary stuff from the tap; Europeans are paying more than the equivalent of $NZ20 per litre for it. ... (577 words)

Australians turn up the Heat on Pan Breaking news as this issue goes to press (Waikato Times, April 30 and elsewhere) is the recall by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of 219 ... (1276 words)

Death was "the Biggest Gift" A Feng Shui practitioner who died while on a life mastery course in Fiji was ready to leave his body, his widow believes. Stephanie Challis, pictured in the Nelson Mail ... (1345 words)

Whether or not you believe in the paranormal may depend entirely on your brain chemistry. People with high levels of dopamine are more likely to find significance in coincidences, and pick out ... (336 words)

This article is drawn from interviews with Allan Coukell on the NZ National Radio science programme "Eureka!" in 2001. We live in an era where science is universally needed but rarely appreciated, ... (2066 words)

It's often claimed either that science doesn't have the tools to identify ESP, or that scientists have a prejudice against the whole idea. But American researchers have recently confirmed that ... (136 words)

Goethe's Faust is a tale of the supernatural. According to a famous passage, on Walpurgisnacht a witch's sabbat was celebrated on top of the Brocken, a mountain in the Black Forest. Old maps show ... (713 words)

The old creationist claim that there are no transitional forms in the fossil record is starting to look a bit tired A perennial contention of creationists opposed to evolution is that transitions or ... (1486 words)

In which John Riddell continues his pub night discussions. Chiropractic and the sin of Onan If you are potentially offendable, and litigious, please do not read this. That said, I was at the pub ... (954 words)

There are three types of people in this country. Those that can count and those that can't. It is common to blame the education system for this. One of the consequences of a poor education is we end ... (1061 words)

New claims that pollen grains on the Shroud of Turin link it to pre-eighth-century Jerusalem were made in August by researchers at the International Botanical Congress in St. Louis. In fact, the ... (554 words)

More from last year's Skeptics conference. A Relatively recent development in Western society has been the increased popularity of health foods and dietary supplements. While initially these health ... (1490 words)

EMILY ROSA of Loveland, Colorado, designed and carried out an experiment two years ago that challenges a leading treatment in alternative medicine. Her study, reported in the Journal of the American ... (840 words)

Jay Mann delivered this address with accompanying liquid refreshment (with and without MSG) at last year's conference. A large number of food manufacturers seem to be selling their food on the basis ... (2072 words)

Jim Ring continues his investigations into the Fijian paranormal scene. I HAVE previously examined supernatural claims from Fiji [see NZ Skeptic 26 & 35]. Twenty odd years ago a friend described ... (1090 words)

AROUND 40 years ago, at Hull Fair in England, I saw a man dip his fingers in molten lead. He also poured it into his palm and ran it through his fingers. He seemed to suffer no harm although it was ... (883 words)

Recently I had a UFO experience in the comfort and privacy of my own home. Or rather, I would have had a UFO experience if it had been a UFO. Unfortunately, however, I found a rational explanation ... (1162 words)

The New Zealand Herald of 5 September carried the headline "Ozone gap to lift skin cancer 7 per cent". Then followed a report from Dr Richard McKenzie of the National Institute of Water and ... (522 words)

On 8 February 1994, Professor Clyde F. Herreid, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Buffalo, gave a talk in the Department of Zoology, University of Otago entitled "The Magician as ... (96 words)

What can events 100 years ago tell us about a modern disorder? Students often ask me whether multiple personality disorder (MPD) really exists. I usually reply that the symptoms attributed to it are ... (1364 words)

Attempts to interpret the results of quantum mechanics in ways people can understand can themselves lead to confusion. Some physicists and philosophers conspire to waste intellectual resources on ... (743 words)

Lights in the sky are not always aliens on the lookout for earthlings to abduct. Sometimes they are mostly a load of hot air. On Wednesday afternoon we saw a UFO. My wife, Fleur, did not say,"Look -- ... (748 words)

This is a summary of a talk given at the 1992 Skeptics conference by Dr Eric Geiringer. [An E-meter is a device used by members of the Church of Scientology, and some related groups or individuals, ... (398 words)

New Zealand Skeptics walk happily on red-hot embers, protected by the laws of physics. Fijian firewalkers, however, are said to stroll across white-hot stones. How do they do it? Fijian firewalking ... (1124 words)

Brew up a miracle for fun and profit, in the comfort of your own kitchen. The blood, in a phial in a church in Naples, is reverently turned over several times during services every few months. It has ... (593 words)