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Scientific Reasoning at the USAF Academy: An Examination into...
Wedding bands typically feature a particular metal such as gold, silver, platinum, or in some cases, titanium. There is no scientific reason to believe that the substance of the metal (e.g., the...
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Dissociation and Paranormal Beliefs, Toward a Taxonomy of Belief in the Unreal
Virtually all known human cultures possess beliefs in the paranormal. This may at first seem maladaptive—how could belief in the unreal be sufficiently advantageous that it would have survived the...
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Creators of the Paranormal
Much of what is called “the paranormal” today has intrigued mankind since the most ancient times. The term refers to those things that are supposedly beyond the normal range of science and human...
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Myth Check: Was Hitler a Vegetarian?
Heartfield, John. Appeasement. 1936. Photomontage. (c) 1972 Carl Hanser Verlag, Munchen. You know that riddle about killing baby Hitler? The one where you’re asked if you would go back and kill an...
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Heavy with Praise, Light with Skepticism
Extrasensory Perception: Support, Skepticism, and Science. Edwin C. May and Sonali Bhatt Marwaha, editors. Praeger, Santa Barbara, CA, 2015. ISBN 978-1-4408-3287-1. Two volumes. 829 pp. $131.00....
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Partisan Pandemics
In the lead up to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, global news attention has focused on the impact of the Zika virus in the country, including efforts to halt the spread of the mosquito-borne virus across...
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The ‘Phoenix Lights’ Become an ‘Incident’
One of the best-known UFO sightings in recent years—the so-called “Phoenix Lights”—took place on the evening of March 13, 1997. They were very widely seen largely because that was one of the best...
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Jesse James’s ‘Haunts’: Legends, History, and Forensic Science
An American embodiment of the Robin Hood legend, notorious outlaw Jesse James, with his older brother Frank, rode boldly into U.S. history in the wake of the Civil War, during which the two had...
View ArticleIn-Memoriam Segment from CSICon 2016
One of the “traditions” that occurred at TAM every year was the In-Memoriam segment highlighting those who had died during the previous year; notable skeptics and what were termed “cultural...
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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,” says Ellen Levy, artist and cocreator of the “Some Provocations from Skeptical Inquirers” art exhibit in New...
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Artistic Provocations from Skeptical Inquirers: An Exhibit
"Jellyrods2" Art and science have a complex relationship. On the positive side, artists can be inspired by what philosopher Wilfrid Sellars calls the scientific “image” of the world, while scientists...
View ArticleSelf-Hatred: The Cause of Autoimmune Disease?
When we get sick we naturally want to understand what is happening to us. Our first question is: What is it? We want to put a name to our suffering by establishing a diagnosis. Then we ask: “Why is...
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A Skeptical Response to Science Denial
Science denial has significant consequences. AIDS denial caused over 300,000 deaths in South Africa. Vaccination denial has allowed preventable diseases to make a comeback. Climate science denial...
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Does Astrology Need to Be True? A Thirty-Year Update
The original article in Skeptical Inquirer Winter 1986–87 had a relaxed cover picture by artist Ron Chironna and this introduction by Editor Kendrick Frazier: “We begin publication in this issue of...
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Chemtrails Kill… Dude!
I was driving on the freeway in Los Angeles, and the car in front of me had a bumper sticker on it that said “Chemtrails Kill.” Now, I love to laugh at the chemtrail people anyway, but this one had me...
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No Alternative To Cancer—Interview with Dr. Paul Willis
Every year, thousands of Australians are suffering and dying prematurely because of alternative cancer treatments, according to a special investigation by Dr. Paul Willis, director of The Royal...
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The Discovery of Gravitational Waves: An Interview with Lawrence Krauss
In my Spring 2016 Skeptical Briefs column, I briefly covered the fascinating discovery of gravitational waves. For this column, I had the opportunity to talk about the discovery with Lawrence Krauss,...
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Ghosts at New Orleans’ Secret Horror Chamber
The Lalaurie House—once the New Orleans residence of the now- infamous Delphine Lalaurie (or LaLaurie) and her third husband, Louis—has become synonymous with horror. There, lurid stories of torture...
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‘Career’ in Exorcism in Argentina
What century are we living in? It might sound ridiculous, strange, and weird, but a career in parapsychology, “angelology,” and demonology has been practiced at Santos Lugares, near Buenos Aires,...
View ArticleA Guide to Ghost Hunting Guidebooks: NO MORE! Please! (Part 2)
In the Spring 2016 issue of the Skeptical Briefs, Sharon Hill brought you the first part of her Guide to Ghost Hunting Guidebooks. Here is another installment. — The Editors Ultimate Ghost Tech, Vince...
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