August 20, 2014

#087 – MORE BRAINSSSS

WHAT CAN A SHAMBLING ZOMBIE TEACH US about the human brain? According to Brad Voytek and Tim Verstynen, quite a lot. Their new book is called Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? and in this episode of MonsterTalk we’ll be talking “Brainssss
” Further Reading Zombie Apocolypse Science Lisa Feldman Barrett Brad’s blog Tim’s column at Psychology Today Additional Media TEDx zombie neuroscience video Crazy Like Us: The Globalization […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
July 30, 2014

#086 – SLENDERMAN & TULPAS

SLENDERMAN IS AN INTERNET CREATION made for a contest on the Something Awful website. Its creator was Victor Surge (whose real name is Eric Knudsen). The character is tall, thin, faceless, wears a suit and is often shown in the background of otherwise innocent photos — sometimes with tentacles creeping shadowy from behind his back. His fictional story is that […]

Regular Episode 7 min read
July 16, 2014

#085 – ALIENABLE RITES

WHAT CAUSES A PERSON TO BE POSSESSED? Are there demons? Is it mental illness? Is it abnormal neurology? Does exorcism work? in this episode of MonsterTalk, paranormal researcher psychologist Dr. Chris French joins us to discuss the psychology of demonic possession and exorcisms. More about Chris French Read Dr. French’s column at The Guardian Browse Goldsmiths Faculty Page Further Reading http://whatstheharm.net/exorcisms.html http://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/jun/04/childrensservices.childprotection […]

Regular Episode 4 min read
July 2, 2014

#084 – NEW MT ON THE BOUNTY

THE 10 MILLION DOLLAR BIGFOOT BOUNTY television contest is over and we’re going to talk to the science advisers for the show to see how they felt about the outcome. Did science win the day? Did editing take away the good take-aways? Will Justin Smeja be getting in trouble for hunting feral humans? Check it out in this episode of MonsterTalk! […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
June 18, 2014

#083 – THE CURES OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB

UNWRAP THE SECRETS of the Mummy’s tomb as we talk to “Mr. Mummy” Dr. Bob Brier about the history of mummies and the world’s fascination with Egyptology. And then, we discuss the strange history of mummies as medicine with Dr. Richard Sugg. Join as we learn about The Cures of the Mummy’s Tomb! Dr. Bob Brier, also known as “Mr. […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
June 4, 2014

#082 – THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM

THE MONGOLIAN DEATH WORM—its name conjures up images of fantastic beasts like the sand worms in Dune or the creatures from the film Tremors, but the actual legends are even stranger. We discuss the legends and facts behind this cryptid with the official zoologist for the Center for Fortean Zoology, Richard Freeman. Mentioned in the episode Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowman The official […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
May 7, 2014

#081 – A TIGER BY THE TALE

ARE MYSTERIOUS LARGE CATS killing livestock and stalking the wilds of Australia? Dr. David Waldron returns to MonsterTalk to discuss his research on alien big cats down under: Snarls from the Tea-Tree: Big Cat Folklore, co-written with Simon Townsend. David Waldron and Simon Townsend describe the history and evidence for strange misplaced large cats reported in Australia. Farm animals are being killed — […]

Regular Episode 6 min read
April 2, 2014

#080 – A WOLF IN THE FOLD

DID IT TAKE A SILVER BULLET to kill the beast of GĂ©vaudan? Is that where Curt Siodmak got the idea for his film The Wolfman? Host Blake Smith reveals his findings from more than two years of werewolf research. Books mentioned in this episode Monsters of the GĂ©vaudan The Werewolf in Legend and Lore The Book of Werewolves Strange Creatures from […]

Regular Episode 5 min read
March 12, 2014

#079 – PLESIOSAUR PARENTING

IN THIS EPISODE of MonsterTalk, Blake interviews Junior Skeptic author/artist Daniel Loxton on the final book in his prehistoric animal thrillogy, Plesiosaur Peril. We talk about dinosaur names, raising kids with science literacy, and the reboot of Cosmos. Mentioned in this episode The 2014 MonsterTalk cruise featuring Dr. Kenny Feder Books by Daniel Loxton Plesiosaur Peril Ankylosaur Attack Pterosaur Trouble Evolution Abominable Science About Plesiosaur Peril A […]

Regular Episode 5 min read
February 26, 2014

#078 – DEMONS, GHOSTS AND GARY INDIANA

IN THIS EPISODE of MonsterTalk, Blake and Karen talk about how skeptics evaluate the Gary Indiana Demon case. Items of Interest Original News Story (Indiana Star) Indiana DCS Report (Initial Report) Additional DCS (Intake Officer Report) DCS Report on taking custody of children Excerpt from Police Report on the home investigation Additional Police Report excerpt Some of the other outlets that […]

Regular Episode 5 min read