Skeptics' Circle 57: The Zebra Spilled its Plastinia on Bemis

Dear skeptical Reader, welcome to Aardvarchaeology and the 57nd Skeptics' Circle blog carnival! I used to blog at Salto sobrius, and now Aard offers the same salad of archaeology, skepticism, books, music and general psychedelic whimsy. We've got some really good stuff on the carnival this time.

CLEAR THINKING

• Steve at NeuroLogica leads the reader through a number of insights into how our minds work, all important to "cognitive hygiene" and skeptical thinking.
• Factician at Conspiracy Factory asks himself, why do smart people say such stupid things?

RELIGION

• Angry Professor at A Gentlemen's C offers a look at some insane paper correspondence combining numerology, astronomy, psychology and theology.
• GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life reviews God: The Failed Hypothesis. I've got a copy waiting too.
• Akusai at Action Skeptics presents the religious version of cryptozoology: Christozoology!
• Jim at Tehbiz muses on those cuddly, family-oriented, downright creepy Purity Balls.
• Liz at I Speak of Dreams has made a bunch of nifty banners for the Easter weekend Blog For Separation of Church and State blog-event.
• Lord Runolfr looks at the off-and-on love affair between science and the Bible. Some people really, really wish it would work out.
• Paddy K the Irish expat explains St. Patrick's Day in no uncertain terms.

ALTIE MEDS

• Orac at Respectful Insolence gives us the current thinking on dichloroacetate (DCA), a potential anti-cancer drug that somehow doesn't appear to have magical powers.
• David at Who Has Time for This? takes apart a snake-oil profylactic against the common cold: Airborne.
• Thursday at Polite Company discusses a recent death on Vancouver Island where a lady had systematically yet inadvertently poisoned herself with heavy metals by extended ODing on dodgy pills from an on-line pharmacy.
• The Skeptical Alchemist discusses the consequences of deregulating dietary supplements in the US.
• Sandy at Junkfood Science explains why we needn't worry about our sauce pans: teflon, aluminium, they won't hurt you.
• My own contribution is a review of Sharon Moalem's recent book, Survival of the Sickest.

WOO

• Skeptico digs inte the woolly uses to which obscurantists put semi-digested readings of quantum mechanics.
• Guest blogger Xiangtao at Pooflingers Anonymous discusses the concept of chi and what it can actually mean to athletes and martial arts people.
• EoR at The Second Sight takes a big bite out of p$ychic Anthony Grzelka.
• Magnus Westerstrand the atheist Christian Democrat kicks the scrotum of a Swedish provincial newspaper for its continued uncritical coverage of fung shoo-ay. (Trust me, that's how it's pronounced.)
• Rev. Jenner J. Hull of the Church of the Everlasting Groove has some fun with astrology.

Now, how about that, me hearties? The next Skeptics' Circle will open two weeks from now at the Geek Counterpoint blog & podcast. It's "Your Antidote to Soundbite Science"!

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