Digital Bits Skeptic

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By Nicholas Covington
Article ID: 1328

Life may have been the result of intelligent aliens sending bacterium to Earth. This theory is called “directed panspermia”. It was proposed thirty-five years ago by Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, and Leslie Orgel, a highly respected British chemist. I found the original paper they published. Here I examine it and provide some comments[1].

A common objection to the theory that aliens brought life to Earth is the problem of infinite regress: If life on Earth was created by aliens, who created the aliens? And who created those creators? And so on. Crick and Orgel get around this problem by speculating that some planets may have chemical properties that make the origin of life much more probable than it is on Earth. Although it’s not mentioned, I think it’s possible that there are forms of life more likely to originate from non-living matter (and without the guidance of an intelligent designer).

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By Navin Kumar
Article ID: 1327

Seatbelts save lives, right?

They secure people to the vehicle so that if an accident occurs, passengers are prevented from being thrown around and hitting interiors of the car and breaking their necks. They prevent passengers from crashing into each other or being thrown out of the car. Given their ability to prevent second impact, their life saving ability should be obvious.

Right?

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By M Parrott
Article ID: 1326

The ideomotor effect is a psychological accident that spans many new age traditions, séances, and other “woo-woo” practises. I must emphasise that these practises aren’t faked intentionally. People delude themselves into believing they are true. Examples of the ideomotor effect cover a wide range of supernatural games, from Victorian-era séances to examining the most harmoniously-vibrating new age crystal.

The ideomotor effect and the Ouija board

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By David Annis
Article ID: 1325

Atheism and evolution are two topics that I write about and discuss with my religious friends. I encounter the same objections for both. Repeatedly.

The wing of the Atlas moth: you can't see it evolve, but you can see the evidence of evolution

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By Andy Kaiser
Article ID: 1324

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the “Death from the Skies!” promotion. Per my request, you DID generously help me to run out of supplies! Sadly, all the books are gone - there’s no more to give out - but you can still purchase “Death from the Skies!” at this link.

I’m keeping the text below for archival reasons, but am crossing it all out to make sure you realize it’s no longer valid.

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By David Annis
Article ID: 1323

I enjoy playing the lottery. But I often hear it described as a tax on those who can’t calculate the odds.  I think that view is wrong for four reasons.

The first reason that the lottery is worth paying money for is because of the highly positive-skewed outcome. 

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By Nicholas Covington
Article ID: 1322

This article is a response to a blog post at Uncommon Descent by Walter Remine[1]. I will begin by quoting part of his essay:

“Life is unified by an abundance of complex biochemical features possessed by all, or virtually all life. Such features are known as biologic universals. The list includes:

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By Andy Kaiser
Article ID: 1321

I have no idea how I first started listening to the deò’s Shadow podcast. But there I was. A skeptic. A secular humanist. An atheist. And I was listening to and enjoying a podcast that targeted pagans. Pagans! Nature-communing, naked-fire-dancing, tarot-card-reading, Winter Solstice-celebrating pagans! Many pagans believe in multiple gods and the supernatural. Many secular humanists don’t. On paper, I’m the opposite of a pagan.

But I listened. I listened to this podcast that lectured in depth about things I thought were nonsense. But that was okay. I liked deò’s Shadow for two reasons. First, the hosts (husband and wife team deò and Mandy) were talented and charismatic. Second, the show was (for lack of a better description) kinda skeptical. Yes, they focused heavily on pagan-centric stuff that rubbed my hackles in a way I didn’t want rubbed. But they also supported issues important to skeptics. Some you may know, like Kirk Cameron’s odd assumption that the physical design of the banana proves the existence of God. Or a criticism of “The Secret”, an Oprah-advertized self-help guide that’s just cuckoo. Or how to profess a liberal belief system in a land populated by fundamentalists.

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Hi everyone, this is Andy Kaiser with a quick announcement. I want to get rid of the ads on the DBSkeptic website and you can help.

Here’s my promise: If I can get enough new subscribers to equal the amount of money the ads bring in, I will remove all ads from the website. As of now, DBSkeptic makes about $15 per month on the ads. If I can get 9 more subscribers, that will equal the income from the ads. So, I’m asking for your help: go to DBSkeptic.com and click the “Support” link. Your cost is cheap - $20 per year - and you’ll get a jazzy “DBSupporter” badge next to your name every time you leave an article comment. Impress your friends! Infuriate your enemies! Or if you just hate the ads and want them to go away, now’s your chance. Remember that DBSkeptic does not make money - since authors get paid for articles and there are other costs to running a website, we’re actually losing money. And that’s fine - DBS is a non-profit - but I’m asking for your help so we lose a little less.

The counter is going: please help us get 9 more subscribers. I will thank every subscriber personally, both in writing and on the podcast itself.

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By Andy Kaiser
Article ID: 1320

The news lately has been buzzing about the swine flu. Excuse me, I mean the “H1N1 virus”. Or the “2009 H1N1 influenza virus”. Or the “H1N1 swine flu”.

You know what? I’m going to forego the medical designation and just call it “the swine flu”. It’s less technical yet more specific, it’s the name that was originally used, and most everyone knows what I’m talking about.

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