Welcome to the website of Ottawa Skeptics. Please contact us if you have any questions or information about local strange occurrences or claims. We enjoy researching and answering people's questions about the paranormal, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine, and other issues that are 'on the fringe' of science. Please check out our extensive topics section to learn more about the topics that we deal with.
If you live in the Ottawa region and would like to join us, please register an account and come to an event. Even if you don't live in Ottawa, you're more than welcome to register and participate in our forums.
Happy Canada Day! Xander exposes the truth behind the Avro Arrow conspiracy, Darren goes to great pains to unearth the facts around the brain drain, and Adam bites into a beavertail misconception.
Last week, the FDA, followed by Health Canada, issued consumer alerts on Zicam's Cold Remedy nasal gel and swabs because at least 130 users reported suffering loss of the sense of smell, a medical condition called anosmia, after using the product. Despite the seriousness of this health risk to the public, Health Canada does not have the power to order the recall of the product - an authority gap that would have been rectified by Bill C-51. Yet luckily, in this case, the manufacturer Matrixx Initiatives has voluntarily withdrawn the products cited by the FDA.
News of the Zicam alert was picked up quickly by the mainstream media and has been covered by fellow skeptic Dr. Steven Novella at Science-Based Medicine. But nothing undercuts a product's credibility quite as much as when the late night comedy shows get hold of the story, and on Monday, Stephen Colbert, calling himself a "born skeptic", took his shots at Zicam and its developer. The video can be seen at The Comedy Network in Canada and at Comedy Central in the US.
"Shocking, disturbing news," exclaimed Colbert, "which could affect millions ..."
The Cat came back! Catherine Lebel returns via skype to join the crew for a show. Darren dissects vaccine dangers, Cat goes into the scientific evidence behind Cosmetic substances, and Xander explores bilateral symmetry as another bit of evidence for evolution.
Scott Gavura of the Science-Based Pharmacy blog is spearheading a get together for Canadian skeptics at this year's Amazing Meeting in Vegas. Currently, it's being planned for Thursday July 9 somewhere in the Southpoint Casino and Hotel. Please join the facebook group to RSVP and to keep up to date on the plans. We hope to see you there!
This week Jon explains the basics of Critical Thinking, Adam looks at the evidence behind the claim that dogs can predict when their owners come home (psychically!), and Darren busts the myth that nerds/geeks need glasses more than everyone else.
