Alright, there really is no humble way of putting this. My new book [*blush*], having been trailed as “imminent” for several months, is now officially available. In all good booksellers, as they say (and they actually do say this). I’ll be… Read More ›
Religion
Who let the dogmas out?
Have you ever noticed how irrationalities (a) tend to cluster, (b) tend to offer hope to the desperate, and (c) tend to appeal to folks with strongly held dogmatic beliefs? No? Well here’s an interesting example of the genre: Get… Read More ›
“Life Matters” (Because it just does)
Here is Sunday’s episode of “Life Matters” on RTÉ Radio 1, which features (among many luminaries) none other than yours truly. Entitled The God of Aliens, the programme addresses those famous bedfellows, science and religion. It’s all a very interesting package and… Read More ›
‘Miracle’ cure removes cancer, HIV, autism. By killing you
Hat tip to c*nty_mc_sh*tb*lls over on Reddit for this one. Irish patients warned ‘miracle cure’ from US church is bleach A CONTROVERSIAL American Church which is coming to Ireland this weekend is promising a “miracle” cure for patients – but… Read More ›
Marriage causes germs (kind of)
Yesterday morning I watched an interesting breakfast TV show here in Accra, on Ghana’s GTV. Interesting for three reasons: (a) because it illustrated the passionately articulate and comfortably personable nature of many Ghanaians, with whom just about any quick chat… Read More ›
Half-full glass latest: Americans beginning to accept heliocentrism
Three quarters of Americans believe that the Earth orbits the Sun. Three quarters. That’s almost all of the quarters. It’s practically everyone who is awake at any one time. Good news, huh? I mean, the opposing view — that the Earth… Read More ›
“On Correlations and Bias”
Here is a Guest Blog I was invited to write for the folks over at Neuroscience Ireland. I guess this is because I’ve recently been taxonomised as a “Neuroblogger.” It has heft, but such is the nature of being a… Read More ›
Science news latest: Adam and Eve “real”, Noah’s Ark “actually round”
Here’s an interesting way to report the latest Science News: “Adam and Eve Were Real According to Study Out” declares the headline in the Guardian Liberty Voice. So, I assume a study has shown that Adam and Eve were real…. Read More ›
Knowing me, knowing you (Eureka!)
If there is “more than one way of knowing”, then how can you know that that is true? Presumably, if you know that it is true, then I can simply ‘know’ that it is not true. And I can further… Read More ›
Todd Akin’s empirical question
So, as you may have heard, Mr Akin, the Republican Party Senate candidate in Missouri (hi, Missouri!) has some weird views on rape, conception, and abortion. Basically, this is what the Todd Akin t-shirts are going to be saying this… Read More ›
Are conservatives less intelligent? Let’s ask a liberal…
Here is an interesting article from Discover Magazine, about some recent research into the association between intelligence and social attitudes. The study was conducted by some psychologists from Canada, and published in the prestigious journal Psychological Science. It represents a… Read More ›
Euphemistic congress
Everybody knows that it is perfectly acceptable to say anything you like about religion. Anything. Go on, try it. Nobody will care one way or the other. After all, for as long as the history of human civilization has been recorded,… Read More ›
One year in: The Science Bit’s greatest hits
I am generally nonplussed by birthdays. And I realise that blog posts about blog posts can sometimes be boring. However, as I’m an obsessive hoarder and a data geek, in this case I am going to make an exception. You… Read More ›
It’s official! Internet overuse causes brain damage! Oh wait…no, it doesn’t…
Either overusing the internet destroys your brain, or it doesn’t. If it does then I apologize (I’m assuming that as you’re reading this humble blog instead of, say, Art Project, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, or Celebrity Bitch Fest [Scarlett Johansson… Read More ›
“Atheists die first”?
My post on Dr Wendy Walsh — “Atheists die first”: CNN’s “expert” fights back — has been experiencing a spike in hits over the past day or so. It deals with the research evidence surrounding claims that religious belief (and… Read More ›
Scientific advice for Christmas (Original Soundtrack), Part 2
Happy Solstice everybody! As James Brown (above) puts it, it’s time to hitch up your reindeer and go straight to the ghetto! This is because it’s time for Part 2 of my… …SCIENCE-OF-CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! Woo-hoo! (Again) Last time out things were,… Read More ›
Are Cambridge University Press now promoting Scientology?
Have a look at the screenshot of this South Korean website and tell me which British book publisher whose overseas operation you think it represents: Let me give you a hint. It’s not Oxford University Press. Confused? Well, let’s park… Read More ›