Mascot of the Australian Skeptics.

The Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organization based in Australia which investigates paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies. Image File history File links Mascot-Australian-Skeptics. ... Image File history File links Mascot-Australian-Skeptics. ... Anomalous phenomena are phenomena which are observed and for which there are no suitable explanations in the context of a specific body of scientific knowledge, e. ... A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. ...

History

The Australian Skeptics were founded in Victoria in 1982, after a visit to Australia by James Randi, who encouraged its establishment based upon the USA Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (also known as CSICOP). It grew from a Melbourne based organization to a national one over the following years. It currently has some 4000 members in all Australian States and Territories. Each State and Territory has its own Branch and most have their own newsletters. Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, August 7, 1928 in Toronto, Canada), more often known as The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician, skeptic, and is an opponent of pseudoscience (including homeopathy). ... The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, or CSICOP, is an organization formed to encourage open minded, critical investigation of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. ... The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, or CSICOP, is an organization formed to encourage open minded, critical investigation of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims from a responsible, scientific point of view. ... The City of Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of 3. ...

The Skeptic

The journal of the Australian Skeptics is called The Skeptic and has been published for over twenty five years. The Skeptic is used extensively by the media in Australia seeking an alternative view on many of the issues examined by the Australian Skeptics.

Debate

In June 2005, staff scientists from Answers in Genesis–Australia debated a team from the Australian Skeptics online on Margo Kingston's web diary section of the Sydney Morning Herald website.[1] AiGs logo Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a not-for-profit Christian apologetics ministry with a particular focus on providing answers to questions surrounding the book of Genesis. AiG is devoted to the belief of Young Earth Creationism, specifically a plain reading of the first chapters of the Book... Margo Kingston (born 1959) is an Australian political journalist who formerly worked for The Sydney Morning Herald. ... ...

Disputed claims

The Australian Skeptics dispute the veracity or scientific basis for the following phenomena or theories:

• Acupuncture
• Adam and Eve
• Alchemy
• Abduction Phenomenon (Aliens)
• Aliens
• Alternative Medicine
• Allopathy
• The Amityville Horror
• Ancient Astronauts
• Angels
• Anti-gravity (Machines)
• The Antichrist
• Apparitions
• Anti-Immunisation Claims
• Aromatherapy
• Astrology
• Astral projection
• Atlantis
• Auras
• Automatic writing
• Ayurvedic Medicine See: Ayurveda
• Backward Masking See: Backward message
• Bass Strait Triangle
• Bee Venom Therapy
• Bermuda Triangle
• Bible Numerics
• Biblical Literalism
• Bigfoot
• Biorhythms
• Bone Pointing
• Bridey Murphy
• Bunyip
• Cattle mutilation
• Channeling
• Chiropractic
• Christian Science
• Clairvoyance
• Cold Fusion
• Creationism
• Crop Circles
• Cryonics
• Cryptozoology
• Crystal healing
• Crystal power
• Cults
• Curses
• Demons
• Dental Amalgam Removal
• Devils
• Dianetics
• Divining
• Dowsing
• Dragon's Triangle
• Dreams Of The Future

Acupuncture chart from the Ming dynasty. ... God creates Adam, by Michelangelo. ... Alchemy is an early protoscientific practice combining elements of chemistry, physics, astrology, art, semiotics, metallurgy, medicine,and mysticism. ... For other uses of related terms, see Abduction The Abduction Phenomenon is an umbrella term used to describe a number of hypotheses, claims or assertions stating that extraterrestrial creatures kidnap individuals—sometimes called abductees—usually for medical testing or for sexual reproduction procedures. ... Aliens in the plural may refer to more than one of several types of aliens, such as extraterrestrial beings or those foreign to a place The Aliens was the name of Roky Ericksons backing band Aliens is a 1986 film starring Sigourney Weaver and the sequel to Alien Aliens... Alternative medicine broadly describes methods and practices used in place of, or in addition to, conventional medical treatments. ... Advocates of homeopathy and other forms of alternative medicine often use the term allopathy or allopathic medicine to refer to mainstream, Western medicine. ... The Amityville Horror was a best-selling 1977 novel by Jay Anson, and a 1979 film , about a family that moves into a house in the New York village of Amityville, on the south shore of Long Island where a murder was committed, and finds that the house exerts a... ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A kinemassic field generator from U.S. Patent 3,626,605: Method and apparatus for generating a secondary gravitational force field Anti-gravity is a hypothetical means of countering or otherwise modifying the effects of gravity, typically in the context of spacecraft propulsion. ... In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist is a person or other entity that is the embodiment of evil and utterly opposed to truth. ... An apparition is an act or instance of appearing. ... Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of essential oils (EOs) and other aromatic compounds from plants to affect someones mood or health. ... An astrological chart (or horoscope) - Y2K Chart — This particular chart is calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA. (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251), using the tropical zodiac Astrology (from Greek: αστρολογία = άστρον, astron, star + λόγος, logos, word) is... Astral projection (or astral travel) is the controversial interpretation of out-of-body experiences achieved either consciously or via lucid dreaming or deep meditation. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other meanings, see Aura (disambiguation). ... For an article about music album Automatic Writing go to Automatic Writing (album). ... Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद Sanskrit: ayu—life; veda—knowledge of) or ayurvedic medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine, more than 2,000 years old and based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. ... A backward message (also known as backmasking) is a supposed message hidden in an audio recording that is only fully apparent when played backwards. ... Bass Strait (IPA /bæs/) is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland (Victoria in particular). ... Bee venom therapy is a therapeutical use of bee stings. ... The Bermuda Triangle is a 1. ... Bible codes, also known as Torah codes, are words, phrases and clusters of words and phrases that some people believe are meaningful and exist intentionally in coded form in the text of the Bible. ... Biblical inerrancy is the view that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is in every detail infallible and without error. ... Frame 352 from the Patterson-Gimlin film This article is about Bigfoot, an unconfirmed North American ape-like creature. ... A biorhythm (or biological rhythm) is a cyclic pattern of alterations in physiology, emotions, and/or intellect. ... Bridey Murphy is the name of a woman that U.S. housewife Virginia Tighe (April 27, 1923 in Madison, Wisconsin _ July 12, 1995 near Denver, Colorado) claimed to have been in her previous life. ... The bunyip (devil or spirit) is a mythical creature from Australian Aboriginal mythology. ... Cattle mutilation is the alleged killing and then subsequent mutilation of cattle, under supposedly unusual or anomalous circumstances. ... Channeling can refer to Channeling (physics) Channeling (mediumistic), a term used in reference to the process of receiving messages or inspiration from invisible beings or spirits This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Chiropractic - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Church of Christ, Scientist, often known as The Christian Science Church, is a nontrinitarian Protestant Christian denomination, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879. ... Clairvoyance is defined as a form of extra-sensory perception that it is claimed allows a person to perceive distant objects, persons, or events, including seeing through opaque objects and the detection of types of energy not normally perceptible to humans (i. ... Charles Bennett examines three cold fusion test cells at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA Cold fusion is a term for any nuclear fusion reaction that occurs well below the temperature required for thermonuclear reactions (which occur at millions of degrees Celsius). ... This article is about the Abrahamic belief; creationism can also refer to origin beliefs in general or, centuries earlier, to an alternative to traducianism. ... This article is about the band, Crop Circles, for information about the controversial phenomenon, see Crop circle. ... This bigfoot Dewar flask is custom-designed to contain four wholebody patients and six neuropatients immersed in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius. ... Cryptozoology is the study of rumored animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof does not yet exist, or are generally considered extinct, but occasionally reported. ... Crystal healing is the belief that crystals have energies and properties that are able to improve health. ... Crystal power is a belief that crystals have healing, mystical and paranormal powers. ... See Cult (disambiguation) if this article is not what you were looking for. ... For the main meaning see curse. ... The demon Satan In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as an evil spirit, but is also depicted to be good in some instances. ... The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. ... In Scientology, Dianetics is put forward as a methodology to alleviate unwanted sensations and emotions, irrational fears and psychosomatic illnesses. ... Dowsing is a controversial method of divination which dowsers say empowers them to find water, metals, gem stones and hidden objects by carrying some form of stick and watching its motion while walking over a piece of land. ... Dowsing is a controversial practice which dowsers claim empowers them to find water, metals, gem stones, and hidden objects by carrying or waving a stick or other apparatus over a piece of land and watching for any movement. ... Prescience is the ability to predict the future through vision. ...

Prominent members of the Australian Skeptics

• Phillip Adams A.O.
• Dr Colin Groves
• Dick Smith
• Barry Williams

Phillip Adams Phillip Adams AO (born 1939) is an Australian broadcaster on the Radio National network of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), filmmaker, author, archaeologist, controversialist, social commentator and satirist. ... Colin Groves is a Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Australia. ... Dick Smith (born 18 March 1944) is an Australian businessman and aviator. ...

External links

• Australian Skeptics Website
• Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Paranormal