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The Association for Skeptical Enquiry

Casting a critical eye over suspect science, dubious claims and bizarre beliefs


Welcome to the ASKE website

ASKE was founded in 1997 in the UK by a small group of people from different professional backgrounds who were opposed to the promotion of irrational ideas and practices and the misrepresentation of science for purposes that deceive the public. The association was mainly funded by annual membership subscriptions and donations from people who support its Aims and principles. Its main activity was the circulation of a magazine, the Skeptical Intelligencer which ran from 1996/7 to 2023, and a newsletter, the Skeptical Adversia, which ran from 2000 to 2012, when it was amalgamated with the Skeptical Intelligencer. ASKE ceased collecting membership subscriptions at the end of 2023. However, this website remains active and now serves the following purposes:

New material

By arrangement, you may contribute material to this website, and even have a webpage for your own contributions. Please email ASKE for further information. At present we have one regular contributor (see below).

Skeptical Linguistics: Mark Newbrook's Webpage

Mark Newbrook continues his regular column on skepticism in linguistics on this website. For many years this appeared, along with other papers and reviews by Mark, in the Skeptical Intelligencer (back copies here) under the title 'Language on the Fringe'.

Coming up soon from Mark

David Miano, Ph.D., is a historian, specializing in the cultures of the ancient world. An experienced teacher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry, he is proprietor of the World of Antiquity YouTube channel, producing video lessons designed for public consumption. In 2022, Miano interviewed me on the subject of undeciphered ancient scripts. See Undeciphered Ancient Scripts (youtube.com}.

An article on this theme will on Mark's page soon.

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Donate to support the ASKE website

ASKE no longer has a subscribing membership but you are more than welcome to make a donation to the annual cost of this website by PayPal or credit/ debit card. Please go to the Donations page.

What is skepticism?

Perhaps the first thing to notice is the spelling of the word, which in the UK is usually 'scepticism' (similarly, sceptic and sceptical). In the USA it's spelt 'skeptic', etc. and this spelling has become universal in the present context. Whatever the spelling, in everyday usage saying that you're skeptical about something means that you're not convinced...
Read more...

Being a skeptical activist

Many people from all walks of life are now actively involved in some way in what has become known as The Skeptical Movement .....
Read more....

Practical guides for skeptics

Are you intending consulting 'a psychic'? Or perhaps you are considering testing someone who claims to have paranormal powers. Are you a journalist preparing a newspaper article on a sensational new treatment outside of mainstream medicine or science? Would you like to devise your own quack remedy and set up a successful paractice, even though there is no evidence that it works? Would you like to learn how to be a dowser? The articles in Practical guides for skeptics provide instructions and advice on how to do all of these things. And Other organisations and websites lists many online organisations and individual websites of skeptical interest.

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SKEPTICAL NEWS

Water Fluoridation

'Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has said Trump will call for an end to adding fluoride to public water supplies. … Kennedy has claimed in the absence of conclusive evidence that water fluoridation at U.S. levels is associated with numerous health issues including cancer.' But: 'The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called fluoridation of drinking water one of the nation's top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century, noting that it effectively prevents tooth decay regardless of a person's socioeconomic status or access to care.'

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is well known for his anti-vaccine stance and dabbling in junk science. But ahead of his potential confirmation, more details of his conspiracist views on Covid-19 have come to light - including the fact that Children's Health Defense, a nonprofit he helped found, financed one of the most viral misinformation campaigns of the pandemic.

Whooping Cough

'Whooping cough cases across Australia have passed 40,000 in a year for the first time since recording began more than 30 years ago. To November 6, there had been 41,013 cases confirmed across the country, passing the 38,748 cases recorded in 2011. … Dr Laurence Luu, Chancellor's Research Fellow and Lecturer at University of Technology Sydney said low vaccination rates are a major concern amid the surge in cases. "While we do an incredible job protecting newborns and infants, re-vaccination or 'booster' rates are alarmingly low," he said.'

Climate Change and Volcanoes

'A recent report from the Icelandic Meteorological Office suggests that magma is building up underground near a volcano known as Askja, a mountain about the size of Mount St. Helens in Vatnajokull National Park in Iceland's central highlands. Although volcanic eruptions are difficult to predict accurately, this indicates a high likelihood that Askja may erupt in the near future. … Researchers funded by the Icelandic government believe that the rapid retreat of glaciers due to climate change is raising the threat to their nation, and may foreshadow increased volcanic activity all over the world. As glacial ice melts, the downward pressure on Earth's thin outer crust eases, causing the ground to rebound. That can cause the dynamic subterranean forces below volcanoes to produce increased quantities of magma, leading to more frequent eruptions.'

Rogue Therapists

'High-profile figures from the world of politics, entertainment and mental health campaigners are calling on the Government to regulate psychotherapy in the wake of The i Paper's investigation exposing therapists who have been struck off but continue to see vulnerable patients. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former spokesman and podcaster, comedian Ruby Wax and TV medic Dr Ranj Singh have joined MPs from across Parliament to demand action after cases of therapists involved in the sexual exploitation of clients were unearthed by i and discovered to still be working as therapists. Mr Campbell and Ms Wax, who both campaign on mental health issues, have called it "plain wrong" and "appalling" that there are no regulations to stop those guilty of serious misconduct from continuing to see clients.'

Water Fluoridation

From Christopher Labos MD, MSc of McGill University: 'The City of Montreal contemplates stopping the West Island's water fluoridation program. I will try to make the case that fluoride is good for dental health and that it does not affect the brain development of young children.' Also see here on the website (pages 2-5) Fluoridation and the Nazis.

Children Identifying as Cats

According to the Times, October 15: 'Russia is cracking down on children identifying as cats and other animals after a powerful ally of President Putin said the trend was part of a western plot to turn people into slaves. The teenage subculture, known in Russian as "kvadrobing", has made headlines in Russia, as well as in western countries. Schools in Britain and the United States have previously been forced to deny fake reports that they provide litter boxes for children who come to lessons as cats. Vyacheslav Volodin, the Russian parliamentary chairman, alleged that the trend had been instigated by Brussels and Washington as part of a "dehumanisation" project that aimed to turn people into "silent puppets" without rights.' The same story was reported in the Independent.

Longevity Claims

'Australian Dr Saul Newman from Oxford Institute of Population Ageing has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize for his work debunking the idea that people in Okinawa, Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Greece live longer lives than average. These long-lived people we've been taking "lifestyle tips from" are "mostly corpses," Newman told RNZ's Afternoons. … "I found out that at least 72 percent of the people in Greece over the age of 100, thousands of people, they're all dead. "These numbers come from the people handing out the pensions, and they've been handing out the pensions for 100-year-olds despite the fact that these people are dead. "It's extraordinary to have a ton of science based off this, because, like, what are you going to conclude? Essentially it's nonsense." Okinawans, it is claimed, live long healthy lives because of among other things, their love of veggies. "The Japanese government actually asked Okinawans since 1975 they've asked them about their nutrition, and they've always been dead last out of 47 regions of Japan. "They're always last in terms of eating sweet potatoes, in terms of eating their veggies full stop. They're always last. None of this stuff stacks up." In all these regions record keeping, the basis on which these longevity claims are made, was decidedly poor, he said. "It's wild. There were 230,000 people in Japan that were alive on paper and dead in reality - 230,000. It's incredible. Greece was roughly 8000." In fact, he said, Okinawans were among the least healthy people in Japan.'

Evidence-based Policy

From Sense About Science: 'When Keir Starmer became PM in July, he was keen to signal a change in attitude to public accountability. But as his government approaches its first 100 days, there is still no formal indication that ministers intend to follow the rules on publishing the evidence behind policy decisions. Our director Tracey Brown wrote to the Prime Minister this week emphasising evidence transparency's crucial role to re-gain the public's trust. Politicians cannot expect us to trust them when they obscure their data and reasoning. Evidence transparency is key to democracy, and we need to keep up the pressure on government to deliver. But we can only do that with your support. … It's disappointing to see government miss opportunities to build public trust in the integrity of policy decisions. Evidence transparency is simple to secure in practice - the rules already exist, and civil servants are keen to implement best practice. What's missing is the political will to enforce them. … Our crowd-sourced evidence transparency review of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill found that it failed basic tests on evidencing claims and citing sources for data. We need to continue rating major policy announcements on how well government follows the rules until all departments consistently show their workings.'

Alternative Medicine

'A new original research study by a team of HealthSense volunteers has found that virtually all practitioners of certain pseudoscientific therapies regulated by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council are making claims on their websites that would breach advertising guidelines, including some that could mislead cancer patients. Our citizen scientists used a specially-developed AI tool to scrutinise 725 UK websites promoting 12 different pseudoscientific practices, such as reflexology, kinesiology and naturopathy, which are not based on robust science. They found the AI was as good as experienced human assessors at spotting misinformation online, but much faster. 97% of the websites made misleading health claims, including some related to treating cancer.' The paper is published in the online journal Royal Society Open Science and is freely available.

UFOs

'What Really Happened at the Pentagon's Once-Hidden UFO Office? An office in the Pentagon investigated UFOs-and the paranormal-over a decade ago, segueing into a long saga leading to Congressional hearings and breathless news stories today. But the real story looks more like former defense officials pushing their personal mythology, rather than any cover-up of aliens.'

Menopause Supplements

From Australia: 'With a parliamentary inquiry into menopause expected to report shortly, experts are warning of a rise in ineffective and potentially harmful menopause supplements. Susan Davis, head of the Women's Health Research Program at Monash University, said women are being targeted by "commercial interests". She estimated that of the 1.6 million menopausal women in Australia, a third will have significant symptoms - and are therefore in the sights of a multi-billion dollar global supplement industry peddling "natural alternatives" to hormone therapy.'

Mobile Phones and Cancer

'The objective of this review was to assess the quality and strength of the evidence provided by human observational studies for a causal association between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and risk of the most investigated neoplastic diseases.' Conclusions: 'Exposure to RF from mobile phone use likely does not increase the risk of brain cancer; RF from broadcasting antennas or base stations likely does not increase the risk of childhood cancer; occupational exposure to RF may not increase the risk of brain cancer.'

Vaccination

Americans' faith in vaccines is fading, and it's corresponding with a rapid rise in some diseases. Oregon recently experienced its biggest measles outbreak in five years: 30 cases, all among people who are not vaccinated. As of mid-August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed 219 measles cases in the United States, up from 59 last year-a 271% increase. According to a new poll from Gallup, the percentage of Americans who say vaccinating their children is essential has dropped from 58% in 2019 to 40%.

Climate Change

The vast majority of climate policies fail to significantly reduce emissions. The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin assessed the impact of 1500 climate policies between 1998 and 2022, covering 41 countries across six continents. Only 63 successful policy interventions with large effects were identified. However, the authors say that policymakers can learn from these 63 effective cases.