SKEPTICISM . SCIENCE . SOCIETY Vol 38, No 1. March 2018 The Earth Flat, Hollow & Doomed +Skeptics & Religion, Psychic Detective, MTHFR Australian Skeptics . www.skeptics.com.au Skeptic_Cover_Mar18.indd 1 8/03/2018 11:14 pm The Skeptic March 18 Skeptical Groups in Australia NSW VIC Australian Skeptics Inc – Eran Segev Australian Skeptics (Vic) Inc – Chris Guest www.skeptics.com.au GPO Box 5166, Melbourne VIC 3001 PO Box 20, Beecroft, NSW 2119 Tel: 1 800 666 996 [email protected] Tel: 02 8094 1894; Mob: 0432 713 195; Fax: (02) 8088 4735 [email protected] Skeptics’ Café – Third Monday of every month, with guest speaker. Clyde Hotel, cnr Elgin and Cardigan Sts, Carlton. Meal Sydney Skeptics in the Pub – 6pm first Thursday of each from 6pm, speaker at 8pm sharp.($4 contribution). More details month at the Occidental Hotel, York Street in the city, near on our web site www.skeptics.com.au/vic Wynyard Park (meeting second floor) Dinner meetings are held on a regular basis. Ballarat Skeptics in the Pub http://facebook.com/groups/3978112230309544 Hunter Skeptics – John Turner Tel: (02) 4959 6286 [email protected] Geelong Skeptics Society Occasional social meetings at the Cricketers Arms Hotel, Cooks Contact: James Rolton [email protected] Hill. Those on the contact list will be sent details in advance. Online group: See Facebook for details. Currently meeting at 12.30 on third Sunday of each odd-numbered Hosting the Annual Surf Coast Summer Skepticamp (February) month. Gippsland Skeptics in the Pub Blue Mountains Skeptics Interested parties contact Mark Guerin or Martin Christian Power See Facebook for details. via the Gippsland Skeptics page: https://www.facebook.com/gr oups/291929110900396/?ref=bookmarks Coffs Coast Skeptics & Freethinkers See Facebook for details. Melbourne Eastern Hills Skeptics in the Pub Contact: Andrew Rawlings [email protected] Tel: 0438 043 050 ACT hyyp://groupspaces.com/meh-sitp Canberra Skeptics – Lauren Kelly https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melbourne-Eastern-Hills PO Box 555, Civic Square ACT 2608 www.canberraskeptics.org.au Tel: 0410 382 306 Skeptics-in-the-Pub/19241290737690 [email protected] (general inquiries), Meets second Monday of each month at The Knox Club, [email protected] (Canberra Skeptics in the Pub). Wantirna South. A free monthly talk, open to the public - check website for details Skeptics in the Pub gather at 1pm on the third Sunday of each Melbourne Skeptics in the Pub month at King O’Malleys Pub in Civic. For up-to-date details: See Facebook for details. www.meetup.com/ SocialSkepticsCanberra/ Meets on the fourth Monday of every month from 6 pm at the Mt View Hotel in Richmond. Mordi Skeptics in the Pub http://www.meetup.com/Mordi-Skeptics-in-the-Pub/ Meets at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of each month at the Mordialloc Sporting Club. ($4 to cover website costs) For details on Skeptical groups in other states and territories, see inside back cover Volume 38 • No1 March 18 Contents REPORTS Global skeptic action 7 Tim Mendham Religion in the USA 8 Martin Bridgstock TGA Amendments 9 8 10 Tim Mendham Gold Coast Skeptics 10 Mandy-Lee Noble 7 FEATURES How to Tell It’s Not Flat 16 26 Moriel Schottlender Flat Earth Forum 20 Richard Saunders The Hollow Earth 22 22 Brian Dunning The Hole in the Pole 26 Tim Mendham 16 The Doomsdayers 34 34 Bob Carroll ARTICLES 48 The MTHFR Gene 40 44 Mandy-Lee Noble Skeptics & Religion 44 Barry Williams The Blind Seer 48 40 Richard Saunders REGULARS Editorial 4 Around the Traps 5 51 Them! 14 Puzzles page 15 Logical place 42 Book review 51 What goes around 52 Forum 54 Letters 61 Quotable Quotes 62 52 EDITORIAL From the Editor Taking a stand he Skeptical scene has changed early part of this decade, there were two Tdramatically over the lifespan of parallel debates about climate change, Australian Skeptics. one scientific and the other economic/ In 1981, when the organisation political. Australian Skeptics Inc made was first launched, its concerns were a statement, not an endorsement of any ISSN 0726-9897 clairvoyants, psychic surgery, water particular argument or point of view Quarterly Journal of divining, UFOs, yowies, and such like. but rather a fairly non-controversial Australian Skeptics Inc While these were issues of concern statement, that any discussion of the (ABN 90 613 095 379) from a consumer rip-off and a ‘scientific nature of climate change and climate Editor truth’ perspective, by and large they science should be based on science. Tim Mendham were not front and centre on the issues Now we are faced with another major affecting the population of the land. issue. And this time it doesn’t involve Editorial Board The Skeptics were the people that the taking the scientific point of view; it is Steve Roberts media got on to as an afterthought (if about ethics. Eran Segev we were thought of at all) to put their In the last 12 months, sexual Martin Hadley wowserish point of view on those weird harassment by celebrities has become Barry Williams wonderful and wacky crystal ball gazers. front page fodder for the media. Design Services Over the next decade, some leading Actually, sexual harassment of all sorts Nova Consulting P/L lights of the Australian skeptical scene has been an issue for much longer, and helped turn that image and reputation celebrities have been involved in many All correspondence to: around. Lawyer Mark Plummer pushed cases. But recently it must be admitted Australian Skeptics Inc the Skeptics into a stronger consumer there has been a groundswell, and PO Box 20 protection profile. And as the obituary many have been drawn into the debate, Beecroft NSW 2119 in this issue says, Barry Williams was whether directly involved or not. Australia instrumental in the transition of the So it is with the Skeptical community. Contact details Skeptics’ image from amusing novelty Since the issue was raised several years Tel: +61 (0)2 8094 1894 to serious players and activists. ago of sexual harassment at Skeptical Mob: +61 (0)432 713 195 At the time, one of the big issues events, suddenly (inevitably?) we find Fax: +61 (0)2 8088 4735 being pressed upon Skeptics was to Skeptical celebrities named. What were debunk religion per se. And despite previously whispers and rumours have [email protected] most Skeptics probably having personal become news, and the current situation www.skeptics.com.au sympathies for an atheist viewpoint, re Prof Lawrence Krauss has occupied the Skeptics, headed by Barry, resisted many skeptics around the world. The Skeptic is published four times this, reminding people of the scientific Thus the Australian Skeptical per year by Australian Skeptics Inc. rather than humanistic underpinnings community has been involved in a non- Views and opinions expressed in articles of the organisation. His explanation scientific issue and frankly has to take and letters in The Skeptic are those of of this stance, as presented in a debate a stand, not least because one incident the authors, and are not necessarily at the 1990 Skeptics convention, is apparently took place at an Australian those of Australian Skeptics Inc. reprinted in this issue. Skeptics event. Articles may be reprinted with But as an organisation becomes Which is why ASI has issued the permission and with due acknowledge- more serious and activist, it is pushed statement published in this issue. ment to The Skeptic. – or pushes itself – into the frontline It is the price of activism. It is not All effort is made to ensure correct of debate on some broader issues. done lightly. But, in this case at least, it acknowledgement of all contributions. No longer the amusing novelty, needs to be done. We are happy to update credit when so the Skeptics are now called upon informed. to comment on issues of major - Tim Mendham, editor importance to 21st century Australians Editorial submission deadline (and don’t forget that almost half of our About the cover:We would like tothank for the next issue: existence has been in the 21st century.) Si Clark for permission to use his illustra- May 31, 2018 For instance, climate change. In the tion. See more at www.si-clark.co.uk 4 NEWS The Skeptic March 18 Around the traps ... CAM practitioners really don’t need scientific literacy AUSTRALIA: A draft industry skills Education and forecast for the complementary health Training, though industry puts scientific literacy near the not necessarily in bottom of a list of “key generic skills – the order presented. ranked in order of importance”. Ranked from most “Sciences, mathematics and scientific important to least, they are: The 7th skillset, which includes literacy” ranks 11 out of 12, meaning that 1. Communication/collaboration/social “thinking critically”, covers “Ability finance and entrepreneurship (including intelligence to adapt products to rapidly shifting the ability to sell ideas and products) are 2. Learning agility/information literacy/ consumer tastes and trends. Ability more important. Only “environmental intellectual autonomy to determine the deeper meaning or and sustainability” skills rate lower than an 3. Customer service/marketing significance of what is being expressed appreciation and knowledge of science. 4. Financial via technology. Ability to understand The complementary medicine 5. Entrepreneurial how things that are regarded as systems disciplines covered in the forecast are: 6. Language, literacy and numeracy influence one another within a complete aromatherapy; Ayurveda; kinesiology; 7. Design mindset/thinking critically/ entity, or larger system. Ability to think massage and remedial massage therapy; system thinking/problem solving holistically.” reflexology; shiatsu; and traditional 8. Technology and application Australian Skeptics Inc wrote to Chinese medicine remedial massage.