Scientists and Skeptics on Twitter
Twitter isn’t just for brainless pop star publicity machines and Shaq – there are a lot of interesting scientists and skeptics online. Here are some people worth following – I’ve tried to focus on people who have a good-sized audience, update at least a few times a week, and aren’t just geeky but are sciencey and skeptical. Post your favorite Twitterers in the comments!
Categories: Skepchicks, Scientists, Bloggers, Podcasters, Books, Music, TV, Comedy, Webcomics, Organizations
Skepchicks & Teen Skepchicks
Group Feeds: Skepchicks & TeenSkepchicks
Scientists
Phil Plait (astronomer, blogger at BadAstronomy.com)
Richard Wiseman (psychologist, writer)
Chris French (psychologist, The Skeptic Magazine)
Carl Zimmer (science writer, Discover blogger)
Neil Degrasse Tyson (astrophysicist, Hayden Planetarium)
Ben Goldacre (blogger, columnist, Bad Science)
PZ Myers (biologist, ScienceBlogger)
Kiki Sandford (biologist, This Week in Science Podcast)
Mike the Mad Biologist (um, biologist, ScienceBlogs)
Pamela Gay (astronomer, AstronomyCast podcast)
David Colquhoun (DCScience.net)
Dr. Joe Albietz (pediatrician, TAM7 guest)
Bloggers
Tim Farley (WhatstheHarm.net)
Amanda Marcotte (Pandagon)
Oskar Kennedy (Suburban Panic)
Hemant Mehta (The Friendly Atheist)
Andy Lewis (Quackometer)
Reason Weekly (skeptical news aggregator)
Terry Simpson (Skepticdoc)
Derek Bartholomaus (JennyMcCarthyBodyCount.com)
Richard Haynes (Lifewithoutfaith)
Joshua Nicholson (Tobasco DaGama)
Podcasters
DJ Grothe (Point of Inquiry podcast)
Brian Dunning (Skeptoid podcast)
Derek and Swoopy (Skepticality podcast)
Richard Saunders, Dr. Rachael Dunlop, Karen Stollznow, and Tiffany Day (SkepticZone podcast, Australian Skeptics)
Brian Thompson (Amateur Scientist podcast)
Soccer Girl (Soccer Girl podcast)
Reginald Finley (Infidel Guy podcast)
Ira Flatow (Science Friday)
Peter Sagal (Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me)
Sean Ouimet & Desiree (Skeptical Radio)
Skeptographer (Skeptographers group podcast)
MsInformation (Geologic podcast)
Books
Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare at Goats)
John Hodgman (More Information Than You Require)
Scott Sigler (Contagious)
Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan)
Neil Gaiman (American Gods)
Terry Pratchett (Discworld)
Edzard Ernst (Trick or Treatment)
God The Father (The Bible)
Music
TV
Adam Savage (Mythbusters)
Grant Imahara (Mythbusters)
Stephen Fry (QI)
Penn Jillette (magician, Bullshit!)
Jamy Ian Swiss (magician)
Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy (MST3K, RiffTrax)
Sarah Haskins (Current TV’s Target: Women)
Comedy
Iszi Lawrence (comedian, Sundays Supplement podcast)
Webcomics
Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)
Jon Rosenberg (Goats)
Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics)
Jessica Hagy (Indexed)
Steve Degroof (Tree Lobsters)
Organizations
The Skeptics in the Pub feed has info on SITP events and guests from around the world. Plus, Sid Rodrigues of London Skeptics in the Pub.
SkepNet good collection of skeptical links
JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation), and Jeff Wagg (JREF General Manager).
TAM London has info for those going to that event in October
TAM 7 has info on that conference in July
SkeptiCamp (bar camps for skepticism)
Carl Zimmer now blogs for Discover, not ScienceBlogs.
@Blake Stacey: Oh you blog networks, you’re like the Crips and the Bloods but nerdy.
Is there a way to link to this page from the sidebar or something?
You could even add to it as more links come in.
It’s a great resource page that someone might want to find back, say, 6 months from now.
Randall Munroe (xkcd) is on twitter too. Doesn’t seem to be very active, though.
@exarch: Agreed!
Also Eddie Izzard, I’ve found, is obsessed with the weather. Specifically, the sun. He loves when it is sunny out.
He was twittering from the stage last night. I’ve seen him live twice, and once he actually texted on stage, so I can just see him talking to the audience about his twittering on stage.
Okay, sorry for the Eddie Izzard fangirl crap.
Oh oh and what about our nerd family? Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Whil Wheaton are all on Twitter! I can’t access Twitter at work but I’m sure y’all can find ’em with ease…
Whoa! Epic list is EPIC! Thanks for putting all of this together. You need to find a spot for GodTheFather up there too. I have no idea who writes all of his Tweets, but it’s hilarious.
And let us not forget:
Unofficial VPODS (Vice President of Doin’ Stuff) of the Boston Skeptics, cynic, compulsive film watcher, humorist, two-time failed blogger, and all-around Prince of Space: Me!
@Expatria: I forgot the most important part of my own credentials: I’m also a master of karate and friendship for everyone.
As much as I love Paul & Storm and John Hodgman, are they really self-identifying themselves as skeptics? Or the MST3K guys?
They might, and I just missed it.
Crap! You scooped me. I’ve been working on a “Using Twitter for skepticism” post for skeptools this week. But thanks for the plug!
Ah, well, you save me the trouble of listing all the accounts and I can focus on the other stuff I’m writing about building community, how to engage skeptics and woos in conversation, etc.
Here’s a few folks to add to the list, most of them just joined Twitter recently:
Scientists
Edzard Ernst of “Trick or Treatment”
David Colquhoun of DCScience.net
Dr. Joe Albietz pediatrician & TAM7 guest
Bloggers
Andy Lewis of Quackometer.net
Reason Weekly skeptical news aggregator
Terry Simpson of skepticdoc.com
Derek Bartholomaus of JennyMcCarthyBodyCount.com (& IIG)
Everyday Skeptics
SkepDad
Podcasters
Sean Ouimet of SkepticalRadio & Skeptographers
Desiree the host of Skeptical Radio
Skeptical Radio a skeptical weekly radio show in Edmonton
Skeptographer Skeptographers group podcast
MsInformation of Geologic podcast
TV
Grant Imahara of Mythbusters
Jamy Ian Swiss awesome magician/mentalist, TAM5 & TAM7 guest
Misc People
Hal Bidlack perennial TAM emcee
Reed Esau creator of Skepticamp
Local Groups
Australian Skeptics
Skeptics Canada
New York City Skeptics
Atlanta Skeptics
Central Ohio Skeptics
Dragon*Con Skeptics Track
Calgary Skeptics
Finally, for anyone planning to attend TAM 7, follow this account: TAM 7. Some folks from the JREF Forum will be relaying announcements via that account during the event.
Oh, I forgot a couple of key people:
Brian Thompson of Amateur Scientist podcast
Dr. Rachael Dunlop of Skeptic Zone
Karen Stollznow of Australian Skeptics & Skeptic Zone
Tiffany Day of Macquarie Skeptics & Skeptic Zone
Skeptical Inquirer magazine
Spectrum Scientifics awesome science store run by a skeptic
A few more to add:
Brian Thompson – Amateur Scientist – Blogger/Podcaster
Atheist Nexus – Organization
Richard Haynes – Blogger at Lifewithoutfaith
Neil Gaiman – Neil Effin Gaiman
Steve Degroof– TREE LOBSTERS webcomic!
Terry Pratchett – Author
Great suggestions! I’ve incorporated many of them, but did leave out those that weren’t skeptical enough (it’s a judgment call, and a tough one to make between geeky and skeptical) and those that just don’t update often enough to make them worth the recommendation….
Thanks for including me on the list. FYI, I’m not a biologist. Just writer obsessed with how life works.
Oh and I’ve still left out Expatria because I was going to start a miscellaneous category but then it seemed extraneous. So…anyway, start a blog or something, VPODs. Maybe I’ll sneak you into one of the other categories.
@Carl Zimmer: Ah, thanks! Fixed now, and that’s the second time I’ve had to edit your entry. Oops…
@Expatria: Uhh ahhahh! Champion of the sun!
I don’t actually have anything else to add because I refuse to use my cell phone and I don’t text and therefore by default cannot Tweet. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the damn blogs!
@phlebas: Yeah, I’ve seen all of those show their skepticism, so I opted to put them in, though they’re mostly worth following for the lulz.
@Elexina: You can tweet without a cell phone. I tend to tweet more when I’m at home on my computer, once or twice a day maybe, and read a few of the tweeters I actually follow. :)
Gah! Twitter is blocked at work! Stop taunting me!
@Expatria:
Me too! But only after huffing Elmer’s glue from a paper bag.
If you are a skeptic in Germany, you should follow GWUP and Stefan Kirsch. (Thanks, Stefan for the retweets etc!)
@Elexina I use twitter mainly on my laptop when home. It’s nice to have on a phone but not entirely necessary.
@jtradk A lot of companies block twitter. That’s why the almighty Jobs gave us iphones.
Now that I see so many alternatives I am ending my Brittney Spears following, her last tweet said “WTF! Why are there Es on my M&Ms.”
Thanks for putting this together. I have been feeling out of the loop on twitter. :)
There’s a new one for “Suburban Panic!” too, along with http://twitter.com/oskar_kennedy – Straight blog feeds from http://twitter.com/Suburban_Panic
And also… ME! http://twitter.com/foofoo_mckinley
Wow. Cool.
This is a great list and I’m pleasantly surprised to see me listed.
Thanks.
-Derek
Egad! Too many!
Yay! So many awesome twitterers! Mucho props to Sean and Desiree (and the Skeptographers) for representin’ Edmonton! Plus, you know, they’re awesome.
Thanks for the mention. I’ll do my best to live up to the honor of the good company.
Here is another source to browse:
WeFollow (skeptic)
Hi Rebecca,
One super important skeptic is missing:
Tim Minchin
http://twitter.com/timminchin
And one semi important one:
Me
http://twitter.com/faseidl
Podcaster and TAM rabblerouser Rich Orman of the ‘Dogma Free America’ podcast
http://twitter.com/RichOrman
Not as actively skeptical as many on that list (probably as skeptical as Warren Ellis though) would be @JhonenV. At the very least he is highly entertaining.
ANTI scientology twitter:
http://twitter.com/stopthecult
http://twitter.com/ScientologyCult
UK focused. Scientology cult members and businesses revealed
Can’t believe no-one’s mentioned Gia Milinovich: skeptic, TV presenter, blogger and ‘professional dork’. She’s also married to Brian Cox but it would be very unfair to define her by that fact.
Here’s more people we forgot. (Again, some just now joined Twitter).
Michael Stackpole, author and Arizona-area skeptic, DragonCon Skeptrack guest.
Banachek mentalist, TAM guest & participant in “Project Alpha”
Todd Robbins Professional carnival geek
Rich Montalvo of JREF
Oops, bad hyperlink on last one. Should be:
Rich Montalvo of JREF
…and me! (you know, if you’d like)