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Degaussing: Whose mine is it anyway?
Degaussing is “the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field”, at least according to Wikipedia. This process has many uses both in the civilian and military world, and is particularly applicable to naval warfare. In this talk, Graeme Eddolls will discuss the history of degaussing while debunking some of the myths and legends that have grown from a misunderstanding of how it works, namely the Philadelphia experiment, as well as explaining how degaussing is still used to this…
Find out more »The Right Treatment: Alt-Med, Anti-Science & Conservatism
“Alternatives” to the medical mainstream, including traditional Chinese medicine, faith-healing, and anti-vaccination beliefs, provide a window into debates over health, well-being, and personal choice in the marketplace. During the 1970s, California was a hotbed of health activism and medical entrepreneurship, a climate where contested medicines met various economic and political ideologies. Single-issue health movements underlined the importance of medical freedoms and consumer autonomy, and this talk will examine two examples: Laetrile, a controversial cancer treatment, and MDMA (ecstasy). We will…
Find out more »Climate change & extreme weather: Behind the headlines
“2017 was second hottest year on record, after sizzling 2016” “Deadly storm Eleanor batters Europe” “Winter storm threatens US East Coast, bringing colder temperatures than Mars”. Hardly a day goes by without climate change and extreme weather in the headlines, but sometimes it’s hard to decipher reality from hyperbole. Scientists are becoming more confident that climate change is affecting the frequency of extreme weather events, but it is still difficult to link the severity of any single event to climate…
Find out more »Glasgow Skeptics Visit Cafe Scientifique: Plasticising the Planet
So we don't have an official Glasgow Skeptics event on this date ... but our friends over in Cafe Scientifique have got something to tickle your fancy instead. This month's topic: Plasticising the Planet Plastics are an inextricable part of everyday life, however, there is growing concern of their impacts to the environment. It is estimated that 8 million tons of plastics enter our oceans annually. How does this plastic get into the ocean? Where does it go? What are…
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