Essential Oils: One Weird Workshop
Nothing prepared me for the workshops my colleagues and I were required to attend this past winter.
On the Set of Cosmos’s Season Two
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey aired in 2014 to much acclaim.
Ghostly ‘Black Monk’ or Random Tourist?
Several British tabloids and paranormal-themed websites reported that a ghostly black monk appeared in a photograph taken by Jon Wickes during a visit to Eynsford Castle in Kent. Wickes had taken his twelve-year-old son to the castle because he was learning about medieval castles in school. The photo, taken from outside the ruined remains of …
Gullible Reporting about ESP on CBS
In the 1970s and 1980s, belief in the paranormal was the most common target of skeptics. Topics such as extrasensory perception (ESP), astrology, and faith healing were at the top of the list of skeptical concerns. In the past thirty years, skepticism has evolved quite a bit, and while we never stopped being watchdogs on …
CBS Sunday Morning Seers Don’t See So Well
On March 18, 2018, CBS Sunday Morning featured an insufficiently skeptical segment, “ESP: Inside the Government’s Secret Program on Psychic Spies.” One of the psychics presented—Angela Ford (formerly Angela Dellafiora)—is described as a former Pentagon Project Stargate “psychic spy.” She recalled one of her best assignments in which, allegedly, she psychically tracked down fugitive drug …
The Anatomy and Pathology of Jihad
The Halloween 2017 terror attack in New York brought forth the usual affirmations of courage and resilience amid the sorrow, though these have been joined by a growing sense of frustration that the United States is not making progress in its struggle against Islamic extremism. Such confusion stems from the fact that Americans are far …
A Doctoral Dissertation on a Geocentric Flat Earth
On April 1, 2017, Professor Hafedh Ateb, a scientist who founded the Tunisian Astronomical Society, published a post on his Facebook page to denounce a forthcoming PhD thesis (Ateb 2017). Its subject? The geocentric universe with a flat and young Earth. It was not an April Fool’s joke. With a bit of condescension, the astronomical …
The Roswell Incident at 70: Facts, Not Myths
The seventieth anniversary of the so-called Roswell Incident came and went this past summer with a refreshing lack of fuss.
Teaching Skepticism: How Early Can We Begin?
I trust that I need not persuade readers of Skeptical Inquirer that in today’s world of post-truth, alternative facts, and rampant pseudoscience, critical thinking—reasoning that helps to compensate for our biases—is needed now more than ever.
Predatory Journals: Write, Submit, and Publish the Next Day
Predatory journals can be defined as “publications [that take] large fees without providing robust editorial or publishing services.” They usually “recruit articles through aggressive marketing and spam emails, promising quick review and open access publication for a price.
Superstition Masquerading as Science
“As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession”
Survey Shows Americans Fear Ghosts, the Government, and Each Other
The issues of paranormal and conspiracy claims, which have long been the focus of our work at Skeptical Inquirer, are finding new, interesting connections with these broader issues of how fear—especially irrational fear—works.
Artistic Provocations from Skeptical Inquirers: An Exhibit
The question of the relationship between art and science remains fascinating and open.
Two Artists Combine Art, Science, and Skepticism
“Much of my work has been about what we see, what we don’t see, and what we think we see”
No Reason to Believe That Sykes’s Yeti-Bear Cryptid Exists
Sykes, named “Cryptozoologist of the Year 2013” according to the blog CryptoZooNews, seems to be gaining more and more prominence and respect among cryptozoologists. However, certain of his pronouncements seem highly dubious to his fellow scientists; he has reached some embarrassingly incorrect conclusions, and a number of his statements as to his credentials are thought to be misleading.
Sylvia Browne’s FBI File: Examining Her Alleged Detective Work and a Federal Criminal Investigation
Recently obtained FBI files shatter Sylvia Browne’s insinuation that she had a relationship with federal law enforcement and show that the only interest the agency had in Browne was investigating her for fraud.
Discovery’s Mountain of Mystery Mongering: The Mass Murdering Yeti
A much-hyped two-hour Discovery Channel “documentary” delved into a decades-old pseudo-mystery known as the Dyatlov Pass incident in which nine Russian skiers died under unclear circumstances in the Ural Mountains.
Bill Nye’s Take on the Nye-Ham Debate
Bill Nye gives his own first-person view of this much-watched and much-discussed debate, the circumstances surrounding it, his preparations and strategy, and the reasons he decided to take part.
Has Global Warming Stopped?
The latest public confusion about climate change involves an apparent slowing of the rise of global temperatures. What is the reality concerning this putative temperature ‘plateau’?