Racing Green explores how science in motorsport and the efforts of engineers to go a hundredth of a second faster ripple into our daily lives. We use the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car to keep our food cool in the supermarket and stop skyscrapers wreaking havoc; crash helmets and rear view mirrors keep us safe; and the cutting edge of our future – from electric and autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and virtual reality – began on the track.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Social media is not an even playing field. Algorithms promote the most engaging content over all else, which often means false claims and inflammatory rhetoric are given undue prominence. Bad actors understand this, and have weaponised these platforms to do great harm over the course of the pandemic. The only viable solutions start with holding Big Tech accountable for this state of affairs.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Just over fifty years ago we landed on the moon … or did we? Yes.

Unfortunately, we live in a time where a disturbingly large proportion of the population happily fuel the flames of conspiracy despite overwhelming evidence. So, we’re going to take an express tour through their ‘top’ items – with your help!

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

From the bike tyre that grips the road to a non-stick pan, our lives are controlled by friction. In this talk, Laurie will explore the role of friction in both the manufactured and natural worlds and how surface science, and our ability to manipulate stickiness, have developed throughout history. If you’ve ever wondered how ancient Egyptians could move colossal stone blocks, or why earthquakes happen, you might find the answers here.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

While most people accepted the realities of the new coronavirus, little white stickers began to appear in public around the world claiming it was a hoax. It was co-ordinated grassroots campaign by a group calling itself The White Rose, urging members of the public to join their encrypted messaging channels. So that’s what Michael Marshall did. After months undercover, he has reported on the various conspiracy theories, and how groups radicalise vaccine hesitant people.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

You have a choice. There’s the long way: boring, repetitive, hard work. Or the shortcut: a cunning, less intuitive path to your goal. Shortcuts have enabled so much of human progress, whether in constructing the first cities around the Euphrates 5,000 years ago, using calculus to determine the scale of the universe or in writing today’s algorithms that help us find a new life partner.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Is Wikipedia a worldwide network with secret members, seeking to influence humankind? Or is it a web forum, where one can publish their opinion? How does Wikipedia work? And how can you make a difference? Even among skeptics Wikipedia is still looked at with scrutiny. Is it reliable? Are there mechanisms and processes to make Wikipedia more valid and protected?

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Why must Luke Skywalker turn off his targeting computer at the climactic moment of Star Wars? Despite starting a revolution in cinematic special-effects, the film shows a deeply rooted anxiety about the right uses of technology. So what can Star Wars teach up about Luddism?

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Many people experience a tangible fear when facing anything to do with numbers. The root of the problem lies in the fact that no one is ever taught what maths actually is. Once we understand mathematics – the art of more — we can begin to see mathematics as more than just a maze of numbers: we see it as the pinnacle of human achievement.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.

Through interviews with QAnon converts, apostates, and victims, as well as psychologists, sociologists, and academics, Mike Rothschild is uniquely equipped to explain the movement and its followers. In The Storm Is Upon Us, he takes readers from the background conspiracies and cults that fed the Q phenomenon, to the storming of the Capitol, and on.

This event will be online, on the Skeptics in the Pub Twitch channel.