The Politicization of Scientific Issues
“My dear Kepler, what would you say of the learned here, who, replete with the pertinacity of the asp, have steadfastly refused to cast a glance through the telescope? What shall we make of this?...
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Predatory Journals: Write, Submit, and Publish the Next Day
In 2012, journalist John Bohannon of the respected journal Science submitted a fictitious research paper to 304 open-access journals, of which 157 accepted his paper for publication. Bohannon used a...
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An Interview with CSICon Speaker Michael Mann
Mark Boslough: At the time I interviewed you for CSICon 2016, Hillary Clinton was a pretty solid favorite to be our next president. Barely a week after the conference ended, we were all shocked by the...
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A Brilliant Climate Collaboration
The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy. By Michael E. Mann and Tom Toles. Columbia University Press, New York, 2016....
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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...
View ArticleThe Riddle of Consciousness
For most of human history, people have assumed that some kind of vitalistic essence had to be added to matter to produce life. The belief in an immaterial soul was pervasive. At one point, scientists...
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Evolution in the College Classroom: Facilitating Conversations about Science...
For most American college students, their first serious encounter with the theory of evolution may come as part of an introductory biology course. As surprising as this might sound, the unfortunate...
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A Consistently Erroneous Technology
I’ve often been asked to participate as an advisor in court cases or investigations where I might be useful due to my experience as a conjuror, but I have always refused when required to accept...
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Bigfoot as Big Myth: Seven Phases of Mythmaking
The hairy man-beast known as the “Sasquatch” or “Bigfoot” is now ever present in North American culture. Supposedly a throwback to our evolutionary past, it is an “ape-man” version of us just as the...
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From Mallets to Chisels: Good Journalism, Bad Journalism, and Fake News
At a conference this past weekend, I met a PhD student with whom I share some academic interests. His work seemed worthwhile, but one thing he said struck a nerve. When I first asked him the topic of...
View Article‘Educate Yourself’: The Log in the Critical Eye
As a professional skeptic (I know; that phrase sounds weird to me too—even after all these years—but you know what I mean) I deal with all manner of believer. Some are respectful, some are not, but...
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El origen del movimiento escéptico español
Mark Plummer y Wendy Grossman (a la derecha), con algunos de los fundadores del movimiento escéptico español. Foto: Gabriel Naranjo. El movimiento escéptico español nació de un grupo de ufólogos. Es...
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An Interview with Guy Harrison
Guy P. Harrison is an American author. He is known for his written works on skepticism and atheism. Harrison has degrees in history and anthropology at the University of South Florida. From 1992 to...
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Chiropractors and Diabetes Gimmickry
The more I study the activities of chiropractors, the more I find myself comparing them to striptease dancing as depicted in my favorite humorous musical number from the 1962 movie “Gypsy.” The scene...
View ArticleWould You Drill Holes in Your Head for Science?
How do we know whether a treatment is effective? It is only natural to assume a treatment works if: There is a good rationale as to why it should work Lots of patients got better with the treatment...
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Reflections on Krauss’s The Greatest Story Ever Told—So Far
In the Summer 2016 issue of Skeptical Briefs, this column featured an interview with theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, who briefly mentioned his new popular-science book. The Greatest Story Ever...
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Roswell UFO ‘Strange Metal’ Mystery
On July 8, 1947, a New Mexico newspaper, The Roswell Daily Record, issued a stunning story about the Roswell Army Air Field: “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region,” read the...
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Bringing Levitation Down to Earth
I was recently sent a review copy of a new book titled The Man Who Could Fly: St. Joseph of Copertino and the Mystery of Levitation. The accompanying press release included the following summary: St....
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Before Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, There Was Dan Q. Posin
In the 1950s and 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a powerful rivalry. After World War II, both countries began stockpiling increasingly destructive nuclear weapons, and in...
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CSICon Photo Tribute to James Randi
CSICon 2017 is all over, I will be writing about it in more depth soon, so stay tuned. CSICon might be over, but so much inspiration was gained and follow-up on opportunities remains to be done. I...
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