Consilience: An African Science Podcast

Consilience: An African Science Podcast

By Natural Sciences
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Consilience: An African Science Podcast episodes

  • Consilience – Episode #66: Learning to Grow Weed, Holy Water Stampeed and Nigeria Ruins It for the Rest of Us

    Pictured: your living room.

    The 66th episode of Consilience is here! You can download the mp3 here (30mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here. Starring

    • Owen Swart
    • Patrick Till
    • Chris Sham
    • Suzanne Patterson

      • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

      • 1945: Operation Paperclip steps into high gear.

        • Guest Segments

        • Patrick’s News Headlines
          • Climate change caused early humans to flourish.
          • Adverts target rhino horn consumers.
          • Local leader blames negligence in South Africa circumcision deaths.
          • Dubai police in new crackdown on ivory smuggling.
          • Lesotho, South Africa collaborate to develop $1.3bn hydro project.
          • Language and the two schools of thought.
          • Soo’s “I learned on the Internet…”
            • growweedeasy.com

              • News

              1. False rape claims usually aren’t
              2. First case of polio reported in Somalia since 2007
              3. Lethal stampede for magic water in Ghana

                4. Announcements

                1. Joburg
                  1. Sceptics in the Park – Joburg. Sunday 26th May, 13:00. Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Emmerentia.
                  2. Rumble in the Pub – Joburg. Thursday 30th May, 18:30. Venue TBA.
                  3. Sceptics in the Pub – Joburg. Wednesday 5th June, 19:00. Pizaevino, The Wedge, Morningside.
                  4. Sceptics in the Pub – East Rand. Tuesday 11th June, 19:00. Grandslam Sports Diner, Edenvale.

                    5. Link of the week

                    Soo: Nemogould

                    Chris: Daniel Dennett’s seven tools for thinking

                    Patrick: News360

                    Owen: Kissing Hank’s Ass

                    https://archive.org/download/Consilience66/Consilience66.mp3

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                  5. Consilience – Episode #65: Malagasy Locusts, Cellphone Losers and Dirty Hippie Stoners

                    ‘Let my people go.”

                    The 65th episode of Consilience is here! You can download the mp3 here (19mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                    Starring

                    • Owen Swart
                    • Patrick Till
                    • Chris Sham

                      • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                      • 1796 – Edward Jenner administers the first successful smallpox vaccine.


                        • News

                        1. Locust plague in Madagascar
                        2. Dementia striking more people, earlier
                        3. San Francisco morons lose cellphone case.
                        4. A new trick for spotting exo-planets works

                          5. Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                          “Speculation is not evidence.”

                          – Lt.Cdr Tuvok, Star Trek: Voyager, S6e09 “The Voyager Conspiracy”

                          Announcements

                          1. Joburg
                            1. Sceptics in the Pub – West Rand. Wednesday 15th May, 18:00. Green & Gold pub, Roodepoort.
                            2. Rumble in the Pub – Midrand. Thursday 16th May, 18:30. Dros, New Rd.
                            3. Sceptics in the Pub – Joburg. Wednesday 5th June, 19:00. Pizaevino, The Wedge, Morningside.
                            4. Durban
                              1. Sceptics in the Pub. Thursday 16th of May, 18:00. Pizetta.


                                2. Link of the week

                                Chris: The Planetary Society

                                Patrick: Google Drive

                                Owen: StarTalk Radio

                                http://archive.org/download/Consilience65/Consilience65.mp3

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                              2. Consilience – Episode #64: Citation Needed, “False” Prophets and Fake Crap

                                Crazy eyes and a fancy hat

                                The 64th episode of Consilience is here! You can download the mp3 here (26mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                                Starring

                                • Owen Swart
                                • Patrick Till
                                • Chris Sham

                                  • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                                  • 1839 – Dageurreotype photography announced.


                                    • Guest special segments

                                    1. Patrick: News headlines from Around the world in 5 minutes
                                      1. Alexandra Hospital neglect: Jeremy Hunt ‘disgusted’
                                      2. New strain of winter vomiting bug norovirus: Sydney 2012
                                      3. National Cathedral to have same-sex marriages.
                                      4. Grandfather saves family by sheltering in the sea to escape lethal Tasmania wildfire
                                      5. Zombie planet Formanhaut b “shocks” scientists.
                                      6. Milder temperatures reduce wildfire danger across southern Australia as scores of blazes burn.
                                      7. UN rings alarm over conditions of domestic workers
                                      8. Chris: Citation Needed
                                        1. Today’s link: Wide Binary Stars Wreak Havoc in Planetary Systems
                                        2. Next time’s link: ‘Tricorder’ Closer to Reality


                                          3. News

                                          1. Gambia to slaughter AIDS patients
                                          2. Labrador-sized dinosaurs walked Earth “243 million years ago”
                                          3. Study shows lion population plummeting as habitat disappears
                                          4. Zimbabwean prophet uses power of Jesus to rape woman.
                                          5. Fake Crap

                                            6.  

                                            Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                                            “I’ve been around long enough to know how ignorant I am. I don’t assume the universe obeys my preconceptions. Huh! But I know a frelling fact when it hits me in the face!”~Rygel, Farscape.

                                            Announcements

                                             

                                            1. Pretoria
                                              1. Sceptics in the Pub. Saturday 26th January, 12:30. Venue TBD.


                                                2. Link of the week

                                                Chris: Albert Bartlett’s population growth lecture.

                                                Patrick: Encyclopedia of Life.

                                                Owen: Gauteng Skeptics Google+ Community

                                                http://archive.org/details/Consilience64

                                                http://archive.org/download/Consilience64/Consilience64.mp3

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                                              2. Consilience – Episode #63: Toenails for Rhinos, Grass-eating Hominins and Monogamy Hormones

                                                Pictured: rhino horn

                                                The 63rd episode of Consilience is out! You can download the mp3 here (20mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                                                Starring

                                                • Owen Swart
                                                • Patrick Till


                                                  • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                                                  1. 1765 – Birth of Robert Fulton Jr, American inventor.


                                                    2. Updates.

                                                    1. Leo Igwe appointed JREF fellow.


                                                      2. Discussion

                                                      1. Top Ten Higgs Boson Facts

                                                        2. News

                                                        1. SA film-maker launches campaign to substitute rhino horn with human toenail clippings.
                                                        2. Our ancestors took to eating grass earlier than previously thought.
                                                        3. Exposure to oxytocin causes partnered men to back away from other hot chicks.


                                                          4. Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                                                          “The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created.

                                                          This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.” Chapter 1, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980) – by Douglas Adams


                                                          Announcements

                                                          1. Durban
                                                            1. Sceptics in the Pub – Thursday 15th November, 18:00. Pizetta
                                                            2. Pretoria
                                                              1. Sceptics in the Pub – Saturday 17th November, 12:30. Venue to be decided.
                                                              2. Johannesburg
                                                                1. Sceptics in the Park – Sunday 18th November, 13:00. Johannesburg Botanical Garden, Emmerentia
                                                                2. Rumble in the Pub – Thursday 22nd November, 18:30. Venue to be advised.
                                                                3. West Rand
                                                                  1. Sceptics in the Pub – Wednesday 21st November, 19:00. Green & Gold Pub, Roodepoort

                                                                    2. Want to tell us about an event we should announce on the show? Post it in the comments or on either of these social media sites:

                                                                    • Google Group
                                                                    • Facebook Group


                                                                      • Link of the Week

                                                                      Patrick: The Religion of Peace – Attacks

                                                                      Owen: 10 Reasons Why Oxytocin is the Most Amazing Molecule in the World

                                                                       

                                                                      http://archive.org/details/Consilience63

                                                                      http://archive.org/download/Consilience63/Consilience63.mp3

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                                                                    • Consilience – Episode #62: Census Results, Population Explosions and a REAL Tractor Beam!

                                                                      The Doctor will see you now.

                                                                      The 62nd episode of Consilience is out! You can download the mp3 here (27mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                                                                      Starring

                                                                      • Owen Swart
                                                                      • Patrick Till
                                                                      • Deon Barnard


                                                                        • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                                                                        1. 1926 – The death of Harry Houdini.


                                                                          2. Discussion

                                                                          1. 2011 South African Census Results
                                                                            1. Whites earn 6 times more than blacks
                                                                            2. Less than a third of South Africans have finished high school.
                                                                            3. 1.3 million households without piped water.
                                                                            4. More TVs than fridges in SA households.

                                                                              5. News

                                                                              1. A working Star Trek tractor beam! Kinda!
                                                                              2. “Einstein was not an atheist” – Some Idiot
                                                                                1. Referenced quotes.
                                                                                2. Black Mamba venom is good for you.
                                                                                3. DNA analysis finds previously unknown human population explosion.


                                                                                  4. Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                                                                                  “We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.” – Douglas Adams.


                                                                                  Announcements

                                                                                  1. Johannesburg
                                                                                    1. Sceptics in the Pub – Wednesday 7th November, 19:00. Brazen Head Pub, Sandton
                                                                                    2. Rumble in the Pub – Thursday 8th November, Details TBA.
                                                                                    3. Sceptics in the Park – Sunday 18th November, 13:00. Johannesburg Botanical Garden, Emmerentia
                                                                                    4. East Rand
                                                                                      1. Sceptics in the Pub – Tuesday 13th November, 19:00. Grandslam Sports Diner, Edenvale.
                                                                                      2. West Rand
                                                                                        1. Sceptics in the Pub – Wednesday 21st November, 19:00. Green & Gold Pub, Roodepoort

                                                                                          2. Want to tell us about an event we should announce on the show? Post it in the comments or on either of these social media sies:

                                                                                          • Google Group
                                                                                          • Facebook Group

                                                                                            • Link of the Week

                                                                                            Patrick: Sceptical Science – the climate change resource.Deon: Global Rich List

                                                                                            Owen: Rbutr



                                                                                            http://archive.org/details/Consilience62

                                                                                            http://archive.org/download/Consilience62/Consilience62.mp3

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                                                                                          • Episode #61: Nobel Prizes, Meta-Analyses and a REAL Warp Drive This Time

                                                                                            Click the image to enlarge

                                                                                            The 61st episode of Consilience is out! You can download the mp3 here (27mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                                                                                            Starring

                                                                                            • Owen Swart
                                                                                            • Patrick Till
                                                                                            • Deon Barnard
                                                                                            • Chris Sham


                                                                                              • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                                                                                              1. 1851 – Discovery of Ariel and Umbriel, two moons of Uranus by William Lassel.
                                                                                                1. Lassel made his fortune with beer-brewing, giving him the freedom to build his own observatories (plural) at Liverpool and Malta, and construct his own telescopes (plural, large and heavily mechanised for their day).
                                                                                                2. Possibly also of interest: Latest telescope study of Uranus has revealed interesting and as-yet unexplained new features in its atmosphere.


                                                                                                  3. Updates

                                                                                                  1.  Rational blog post about the Satanism murders nonsense.

                                                                                                    2. News

                                                                                                    1. Nobel prizes
                                                                                                      1. Physics: Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland “for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems”
                                                                                                      2. Chemistry: Robert J. Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilka “for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors”
                                                                                                      3. Physiology or medicine: Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka “for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent”
                                                                                                      4. American politicians are dumb.
                                                                                                      5. NASA really is working on a warp drive this time, and this one works on Dilithium Crystals.
                                                                                                      6. (Andre Engelbrecht) Braais cause cancer
                                                                                                      7. Proof that our bodies can predict the future with data input that doesn’t exist yet!
                                                                                                        1. (Spoiler: It’s a meta-analysis)
                                                                                                        2. Opening ad hominem: The lead author, Mossbridge, is an unapologetic spiritualist.
                                                                                                        3. statistical means, but that’s no substitute for real data derived from properly varied sources.
                                                                                                        4. The “researcher degrees of freedom” that Steve Novella has talked about a lot over the last year or so.
                                                                                                        5. Paul Kurtz died.


                                                                                                          6. Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                                                                                                          “Damnit, Bones, you’re a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can’t be taken away with the wave of a magic wand.” – Capt. James T. Kirk, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier


                                                                                                          Announcements

                                                                                                          1. Johannesburg
                                                                                                            1. Rumble in the Pub – Thursday 25th October, 18:30. Primi Piatti, Rosebank
                                                                                                            2. Sceptics in the Pub – Wednesday 7th November, 19:00. Brazen Head Pub, Sandton
                                                                                                            3. Sceptics in the Park – Sunday 18th November, 13:00. Johannesburg Botanical Garden, Emmerentia
                                                                                                            4. East Rand
                                                                                                              1. Sceptics in the Pub – Tuesday 13th November, 19:00. Grandslam Sports Diner, Edenvale.
                                                                                                              2. West Rand
                                                                                                                1. Sceptics in the Pub – Wednesday 21st November, 19:00. Green & Gold Pub, Roodepoort


                                                                                                                  2. Link of the Week

                                                                                                                  Patrick: Richard Dawkins interview – Playboy

                                                                                                                  Deon: Belief-o-matic

                                                                                                                  Chris: William Rankin, The Man Who Rode The Thunder or better still, the book

                                                                                                                  Owen: If Only… – Tony Ballentyne



                                                                                                                  http://archive.org/details/Consilience60_927

                                                                                                                  http://archive.org/download/Consilience60_927/Consilience61.mp3

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                                                                                                                3. Episode #60: West African Witchery, New Monkeys and Warp Speed

                                                                                                                  Sad monkey is possibly delicious.

                                                                                                                  The 60th episode of Consilience is out! You can download the mp3 here (27mb) and the file’s page on Archive.org is here.

                                                                                                                  Starring

                                                                                                                  • Owen Swart
                                                                                                                  • Michael Meadon
                                                                                                                  • Angela Meadon


                                                                                                                    • Teaching Angela to Appreciate History

                                                                                                                    1. 1961: First contact with an alien race.

                                                                                                                      • Betty and Barney Hill, an American couple, claimed that they were abducted by aliens and experimented upon. Over the years, the Hills’ own stories have grown increasingly fabulous, as well as inspiring a cultural revolution in reports of alien abductions and similar encounters.
                                                                                                                      • None of their claims have ever been substantiated, and sceptics, including Brian Dunning of the Skeptioid podcast, have managed to poke so many holes in the story there isn’t even anything left to hold the holes together.


                                                                                                                        • News

                                                                                                                        1. Ghanaian witches are exiled to concentration camps.
                                                                                                                        2. Nigerian man used witchcraft to recruit children for his sex slavery trade.
                                                                                                                        3. New African monkey.
                                                                                                                        4. NASA Building Real-life Warp Drive.
                                                                                                                          1. Vulcan Suurok Class Cruiser.
                                                                                                                          2. Jesus was married.


                                                                                                                            3. Sci-fi/Fantasy Quote

                                                                                                                            “The only moral way to change someone’s mind – make them see the truth, as you put it – is to present evidence.” – Unnamed Alteran Dude, Stargate: The Ark of Truth


                                                                                                                            Announcements

                                                                                                                            1. Durban
                                                                                                                              1. Sceptics in the Pub: Thursday, 20th September, 18:00. Pizetta
                                                                                                                              2. Pretoria
                                                                                                                                1. Sceptics in the Pub: Saturday 22nd September, 12:30. Venue TBA
                                                                                                                                2. Cape Town
                                                                                                                                  1. Sceptics in the Pub: Friday 28th September, 19:00. Beleza
                                                                                                                                  2. Johannesburg
                                                                                                                                    1. Sceptics in the Pub: Wednesday, 3 October, 19:00. Grandslam, Edenvale


                                                                                                                                      2. Link of the Week

                                                                                                                                      Michael – Josef Schmid, Flight Surgeon

                                                                                                                                      Angela – Geological Time Scale for Creationists

                                                                                                                                      Owen – How to Avoid the Natural Reactions that Prevent Good Decision Making 



                                                                                                                                      http://archive.org/details/Consilience60

                                                                                                                                      http://archive.org/download/Consilience60/Consilience60.mp3

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