Bad Reaction: The Toxicity of Chemical-Free Claims

by Sharon Hill

Special Articles · Sounds Sciencey

May 25, 2012

I had a startling realization a few years ago: I discovered that not everyone thinks science is good for humanity. How can that be? Scientific discovery makes our lives better, richer, longer, and healthier.

Cryptozoology and Pseudoscience

by Sharon Hill

Skeptical Briefs · Volume 21.3

When I was a kid, cryptozoology books repeatedly advocated the existence of creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster using the same dramatic stories. At first, I was swayed by these stories, but eventually I got bored with them. Something was missing. Stories only got me so far. . .

The Downloadable Revelation

by Austin Dacey

Special Articles · Circumnavigations

May 21, 2012

How do you treat your iPhone when it contains the iQuran?

Out of Mind? Out of Sight!

by Robert Blaskiewicz

Special Articles · The Conspiracy Guy

May 17, 2012

The source of the dread, foreboding, or control that conspiracy theorists sense is often outside the range of the normal experience of everyday life, which in no way diminishes the sense of a real threat. Therefore, they locate the locus of power just beyond the normal citizen's perceptual range. . . .

Psychic Mary Occhino Doesn’t Know Best

by Ryan Shaffer

Skeptical Briefs · Volume 21.3

Over the years, Occhino has claimed to assist in missing persons cases, talk to the dead, and peer into the futures of celebrity lives. This article delves into Occhino’s predictions and activities, revealing that while Occhino is short on claims, her claims are short on independent proof. . .

On a Wing and a Prayer: The Search for Guardian Angels

by Joe Nickell

Skeptical Briefs · Investigative Files · Volume 21.3

Are these experiences really supernatural? Or are they only natural, the result of misperceptions and even misreporting? A look into the phenomenon of claimed guardian-angel encounters is illuminating.