Darwin Day – February 12

Skeptics and other “free-thinkers” around the world are inclined to mark two special days in each year.

One, of course is December 25th. (That’s Isaac Newton’s birthday). The other is the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birthday, in Shrewsbury England on February 12th 1809.

Quite a lot of useful, informative and entertaining stuff about Charles Darwin already exists on this site. Rather than add to it, this year we’ll just provide the links.

Charles Darwin Articles

“About Charles Darwin”

https://skeptics.cafe/2007/11/27/about-charles-darwin/

Darwin – A Great Scientist by Rosslyn Ives https://skeptics.cafe/events/darwin-a-great-scientist/

For Schools: – The Darwin Day Suite of Classroom Exercises

https://skeptics.cafe/2019/01/22/for-schools-darwin-day-february-12-2/

 

Charles Darwin Crossword:

https://skeptics.cafe/puzzles/february-2014-skeptical-crossword/

Puzzles for February 2021

February’s Skeptical Crossword Puzzle returns to a favourite theme of Foretelling the Future.  A new set of Picture Puzzles, a set of “Mixed Bag” Questions, and a set of Maths & Logic Puzzles accompany at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE, or if you’d like to go straight to the crossword,  go here:

128 Feb 2021 Foretelling the future

Enjoy!

Puzzles for January 2021

We start the new year as we left the old one: with a set of Picture Puzzles, a set of “Mixed Bag” Questions, a Skeptical Crossword Puzzle and a set of Maths & Logic Puzzles.

They’re all blog-style at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE, or if you’d like to go straight to the crossword, which is about 2020 in Review (how could it not be?) go here:

127 Jan 2021 2020 in review.

Enjoy!

Puzzles for December 2020

Our Crossword Puzzle is called Famous Skeptics (3).

126 December 2020 Famous Skeptics (3)

It’s a belated follow-up to our earlier Famous Skeptics Crosswords published  in December 2014:

December 2014 SKEPTICAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

and in July 2016:

July 2016 Skeptical Crossword

Of the twenty-three people featured in this month’s crossword, all but one are different to the twenty-six skeptics of the 2016 crossword. That common link, fittingly, is James Randi.

There’s also a new batch of Picture Puzzles, Mixed Bag Questions (Trivia/General Knowledge), and a Logic & Maths Problems set with worked solutions.

All on the PUZZLES PAGE.

Enjoy!

The Science Talent Search 2020

Thanks to the  Science Teachers Association of Victoria’s Janice Teng and her team of volunteers, the Victorian Science Talent Search has continued its unbroken run of sixty-nine years. The question was never “Can STS continue, given the unprecedented restrictions imposed by the Corona virus?” but “How should STS run in 2020 to best effect?”

Each year, a theme is set for the thousand or so entries that are submitted for judging. This year, the theme was Deep Blue – Innovations for the future of our Oceans.

Vic Skeptics and Australian Skeptics Inc. have jointly supported STS for many years, and are consistently among its major sponsors.

This year we were delighted to provide cash bursaries to sixty-six participants. View More The Science Talent Search 2020