About Me

Peter Harrison

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Twitter (日本語)
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Hello, just another carbon-based biped. I am a science obsessive living in St Andrews, Scotland. I am mildly obsessed with education… so much so that I am currently studying for the third time. Yes, a sucker for punishment. I love pineapple, weird t-shirts, the Japanese language, and dinosaurs.

When I’m not being a student, I’m creating award-winning magic/mentalism material for international artists, and occasionally performing as well. Most of what I do is consultancy, including work for TV and stage in several countries. I consult as Peter Harrison, but perform and create mostly under various stage names.

My main scientific interests include palaeontology, evolutionary developmental biology, herpetology, virology, oneirology, the public understanding of science, and the promotion of rational thinking and skepticism. If it has anything to do with reptiles, I’m all over it.

I am a skeptic. I will accept any claim, no matter how insane it initially sounds, if it can be supported by robust and valid evidence. For that reason I am also an atheist.

Occasionally I write science and skepticism articles for a few websites and investigate as a researcher for the British Anomalistic Research Society. I have held various positions in organisations/charities promoting rational thinking, including working as volunteer Coordinator of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Currently I’m the president of the St Andrews Skeptics Society. Occasionally I do public speaking on topics such as science, skepticism, and magic, at events including the popular Skeptics In The Pub meetings.

From time to time I appear as a guest on the blogs and podcasts of others. Sometimes they forgive me.

I am obsessed with 日本語, breeding reptiles, gaming, photography, playing football (soccer), testing paranormal claims, and amateur astronomy. I sometimes post amusing pictures and off-topic blog entries at Carbon-Based-Biped. It’s not very active right now, but I also have a Japanese iPhoneography blog.

I also tweet amazing and interesting scientific discoveries and curiosities about reptiles on Twitter as @ReptileFacts.