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Climate Adaptation: theory and practice

During October’s GC Skeptics in the Pub, Dr Johanna Nalau talked about her research on climate adaptation and her work with the Climate Change Response Program and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, implementing climate adaptation strategies around the world. Dr Nalau’s research focuses on mitigating and adapting to the increasing environmental consequences of climate change, from heatwaves to flooding, through triage, or prioritising the impacts and necessary fun

Growing Up Neanderthal

During September's GC Skeptics in the Pub, Professor Tanya Smith talked about her archaeological research into using fossilised teeth to understand aspects of ancient development, evolution, and behaviour. From the first Neanderthal remains found in Germany's Neander Valley in 1856 to the recent discovery of fossilised Neanderthal footprints on a Normandy beach, Professor Smith's research paints an increasingly detailed picture of the life and development of Homo neanderthale

It’s hot, the kids are striking, it’s time to adapt!

During our April Gold Coast Skeptics in the Pub, we heard from Senior Research Fellow Dr Sarah Boulter talks about adaptation and sustainability in a world increasingly affected by climate change. In her talk Dr Boulter provides a comprehensive summary of the recent 5th IPCC report. One question that often gets asked about climate change is: "But how much is human". Sarah sent us an email after her talk to explain: "Well the science is quite clear with quite a bit of research

Understanding Quantum Mechanics in the Shadow of a Single Atom

During November's GC Skeptics in the Pub, Dr Eric Streed from Griffith University tells us about how his team took the first ever photo of a shadow of an atom. While this is amazing in itself (I mean it's a freakin' atom! And we humans not only took a photo of it but also it's shadow!), one may wonder "what's the point?". Well, these kinds of activities have further out understanding of quantum mechanics which have direct applications in computing and increasing computing sec

Human origins in Sunda and Sahul.

During the May GC Skeptics in the Pub, Dr Michael Westaway gives a fascinating talk on human evolution in Australia and south east Asia and some of the latest discoveries that are changing the shape of our past, such as fossil evidence showing the emergence of modern humans to be far earlier that previously recorded and the importance of a strong relationship between researches and indigenous communities so they can continue to unearth and study these amazing fossils. Listen

Darwin Day Celebration

On the 11th Feb we celebrated Darwin Day with the Brisbane Skeptical Society at the Moorooka Community Center. The mission of International Darwin Day is to inspire people throughout the globe to reflect and act on the principles of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, scientific thinking, and hunger for truth as embodied in Charles Darwin The event was a great success with approximately 50 attendees coming to enjoy the free pizza and three fantastic speakers. We were a

Sustainability and climate change - why is the science sidelined?

Speaker: Associate Professor Michael Howes (Griffith University) Title: Sustainability and climate change - why is the science sidelined? Slides: click here **This blog post has been inspired by A/Prof Howes presentation rather than a summary** There have been recent debates in parliament over Australia’s new climate policy. Carbon tax, energy target, blah blah – no matter what you call it, Australia has been lagging behind a number of other countries in tackling the global

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