National Capital Area Skeptics
Promoting critical thinking and scientific understanding.
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Latest posts
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Saturday, November 14
1177 BC and After:Revisiting the Late Bronze Age Collapse Ten Years LaterProfessor Eric ClineProfessor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and of AnthropologyDirector of the GWU Capitol Archaeological InstituteAn early version of this lecture was presented at the…
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Centennial of Houdini's Death?
Harry Houdini is perhaps the most famous magician–and skeptic–of all time. Escape artist, stage magician, silent movie star, and skeptical investigator of seance mediums and other phonies. This Halloween marks the 100th anniversary of his death.As the story goes, Houdini, born…
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Special Events Coming October 13 and 22
October 13 is International Skeptics Day!NCAS will be participating in the Global Skeptics in the Pub, live on Zoom. Pour your favorite beverage and join everyone online.October 22Fact-Checking in a World of MisinformationA Conversation with Glenn Kessler, Formerly The…
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Skeptical Eye: News from NCAS July 2026
CSICon 2026May 1st of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the modern skeptical movement, born near Buffalo, New York, on the second day of the American Humanist Association’s 35th annual conference. The theme for that day’s talks was, “The New Irrationalisms: Antiscience…
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Rorschach Theatre: American Apparitions
Rorschach Theatre is a spunky, local theater company whose works for 25 years have often featured themes that are spooky and fantastical. They have mounted stage productions ranging from Toxic Avenger: The Musical to a delightful twist on Beauty & the Beast. Naturally, I’m a…
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2026 Candidates for Election
ROB EVON Rob Evon is an NCAS Life Member and a lifelong supporter of national skeptical and science organizations, including the Center for Inquiry and the Skeptics Society. He has been a frequent attendee of CFI’s CSICon and The Amazing Meeting (TAM), as well as a direct…
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Coming April 20 and April 25
Cryptocurrency. Are you skeptical because you know too little? Or because you know too much? Either way...EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU FOR MONEY is a documentary that asks a sobering question: Who benefits from the chaos, and who is left to clean up the damage?NCAS exclusive…
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Skeptical Eye: News from NCAS April 2026
Thoughts on the way to the MoonArtemis II commander Reid Wiseman (proud son of Baltimore, Maryland) took this photo of Earth after the crew put their ship on course for the Moon.Except for a slight sliver of sunlight at upper left, the only illumination of Earth is from the full…
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Coming Thursday, April 9
A Duality in Mission Regarding UAPs: the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)Dr. Sean KirkpatrickAARO was a Congressionally mandated organization with two missions: 1. organize, streamline, collate, and investigate current reports of military and government sightings of…
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Coming Saturday, March 21
Industrial Scale Renewable Energy: A Skeptic’s Scrutiny From The HinterlandsMark HaynesMark’s talk will be an examination of and a skeptic’s perspective of many of the claims about renewable energy from the rural, environmental, power grid, and “big picture” perspectives. Mark…
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Coming February 21, 2026
No Blueprint for the Moon: Navigating the Unknowns of Extraterrestrial ConstructionDr. Caitlin AhrensThis presentation examines lunar architecture not as science fiction, but as an applied problem in risk management, engineering under uncertainty, and evidence-based design. We…
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Coming on January 10, 2026
"Everything you wanted to know about coronaviruses but were afraid to ask."Laura H. Kahn MD, MPH, MPP, author of One Health and the Politics of COVID-19Using an interdisciplinary One Health approach, Dr. Laura Kahn will draw upon material from her book, One Health and the…
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Saturday, December 6, 2025
Nate Pedersen on his book Pseudoscience: An Amusing History of Crackpot Ideas and Why We Love ThemFrom the easily disproved to the wildly speculative, to straight-up hucksterism, Pseudoscience is a romp through much more than bad science—it’s a light-hearted look into why we…
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Saturday, November 15, 2025
MESMERIZEDAn Immersive Experiment in Science & MagicSaturday, November 15 at 8 p.m.Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20036The field of experimental psychology arose during a time steeped in wonder and mystery. Spiritualism gained widespread influence,…
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Coming soon: SkepTour 2025 and MESMERIZED
"I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost" SkepTour 2025Wednesday, October 22 (rain date October 23) at 7 p.m.What is the origin of the "Demon Cat of DC?"Where in Washington did Houdini hang upside-down, while escaping from a straitjacket?Where was the skeleton of a prominent Bigfoot…
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Upcoming events -- October & November 2025
"So Late Into The Night"Sunday afternoon, October 12 at 3 p.m.It's the weekend when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Join her and friends at the seance table for a theatrical rock opera retelling of history.Our friends at Rorschach Theatre commissioned this world premiere and…
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A Skeptic's Guide to Mythbusting AI
October 2025NCAS Public Lecture SeriesA Skeptic's Guide to Mythbusting AI James E. Harris, Jr., CISSPVirtually every product and service advertised today claims some use of “AI,” but what is AI, how does it work, and how can it be “de-mythed”? Jim Harris, a Distinguished…
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Saturday, Oct 4, 2025
[updated title]A Skeptic's Guide to Mythbusting AIOctober 4, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.James E. Harris, Jr., CISSPVirtually every product and service advertised today claims some use of “AI,” but what is AI, how does it work, and how can it be “de-mythed”? Jim Harris, a Distinguished…
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"What is SkepTours?" and "A Skeptic's Guide to Mybusting AI"
What is SkepTours?Thursday, September 18, 8pm US/ETNCASVideo YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/live/cKKfu6RCx4o?feature=shareChip Denman, Grace Denman, and Scott Snell will discuss the history of SkepTours, NCAS's long-running project to create a SkepTours Google Map…
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How Much is Enough? How Sure are You?
YouTube Live Event for Q and A Recent Research on the Foundations of Fingerprint Comparison Decisions Presented by Heidi Eldridge, PhD Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and Director of Graduate Studies in Crime Scene Investigations The George Washington University