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The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

The mission of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry is to promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims.

6th World Skeptics Congress, May 18-20, 2012 in Berlin, Germany
The Skeptic's Toolbox 2012

The FDA is giving serious consideration to our petition to require that all over-the-counter homeopathic drugs meet the standards of effectiveness applicable to non-homeopathic drugs. Read the letter from the FDA »

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The Center for Inquiry is looking for a Web Developer. Read more »

Now Online: Skeptical Inquirer Volume 36.1

Skeptical Inquirer Volume 36.1 Cover

  January/February 2012

Selected articles by:

  • Edzard Ernst
  • Jim Underdown
  • Joe Nickell
  • Massimo Polidoro
  • Steven Novella

Available Online Now…

Latest Articles

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

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.

Mythbusting Makeup: Skepticism and Cosmetic Claims

Mythbusting Makeup: Skepticism and Cosmetic Claims

by Kylie Sturgess
Special Articles · Curiouser and Curiouser
May 9, 2012

There’s two things the general public are guaranteed to be concerned about: their health and the contents of their wallets. Yet somehow we are drawn to claims that you can make your thighs thin via a tube of goop and eagerly purchase promises of perfect complexions through using gunk best slapped on with a spatula.

Return of the Living Dead: The Final Chapter

by Paul DesOrmeaux
Skeptical Briefs · Volume 21.2

Although most of us haven’t had the exhilarating and life-affirming ex­peri­ence of nearly dying, a lucky few have returned from being “living challenged” to report their near-death experiences (NDE).

SkeptiCal 2012

SkeptiCal 2012

by LaRae Meadows
Special Articles
May 4, 2012

SkeptiCal, a one day conference billed as Northern California's science and skepticism conference, was host to more than 260 skeptics at the DoubleTree Hotel in Berkeley, California on April 21, 2012.

The Doctor’s Ghostly Visitor: Tracking ‘The Girl in the Snow’

The Doctor’s Ghostly Visitor: Tracking ‘The Girl in the Snow’

by Joe Nickell
Skeptical Briefs · Investigative Files · Volume 21.2

Although skeptics insist ghosts are unreal, there are many ghostly encounters that seem to present startling evidence to the contrary. One such incident is presented in the book The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales by Ruth Ann Musick.