Ben Radford
Benjamin Radford is a scientific paranormal investigator, a research fellow at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, deputy editor of the Skeptical Inquirer, and author or co-author of six books and over a thousand articles on skepticism, critical thinking, and science literacy. His newest book is The Martians Have Landed: A History of Media Panics and Hoaxes. Radford is also a columnist for Discovery News and LiveScience.com.
Chasing the Ghost Bird
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.3, May / June 2010
The ivory-bill has captured the imagination of people the world over for a very long time.
New Prayer Study: Need Glasses or Hearing Aid? Ask God!
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
August 4, 2010
A new, badly flawed prayer study suggests that God will heal hearing and vision problems if someone else asks Him to.Reflections on Camp Inquiry 2010
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
July 26, 2010
A memorable week at CFI's summer camp for kids, Camp InquiryNew Film “Inception” Bends Both Minds and Logic
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
July 18, 2010
Ghost Photo on Front Page of New York Times
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
June 28, 2010
Psychic Carla Baron Called Out on Claim of Solving Natalee Holloway Case
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
June 14, 2010
Famous psychic Carla Baron says she solved the Holloway case; that's news to the police, FBI, and Holloway's parents.What Martin Gardner Taught Me
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
June 2, 2010
Martin Gardner, one of the all-time great skeptics, taught me how skeptics can help the public with real-world problems.BP Oil Spill: Just Wondering Where the Psychics Are…
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
May 26, 2010
Psychics should be asked—after each and every tragedy and national disaster—to explain their failures.Rescuing Oiled Wildlife: Expensive and Ineffective
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
April 30, 2010
The desire to clean oiled wildlife is admirable and noble, but the most obvious solution is not always the best one.Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Psychic and the Serial Killer: Examining the ‘Best Case’ for Psychic Detectives
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Article
An examination of the 'best case' of psychic detective abilities offers insight into how extraordinary claims are made, exaggerated, and clung to despite...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Bigfoot Beliefs in Cultural Context
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Book Review
Bigfoot: The Life and Times of a Legend by Joshua Blu Buhs.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
BodyTalk: Boon or Bogus?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Skeptical Inquiree
Q: I work for a national corporation and recently noticed pamphlets advertising "BodyTalk" therapy distributed around the workplace. Now a BodyTalk...
British Government Study Finds Homeopathy Worthless
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
April 22, 2010
A recent UK committee investigating homeopathy provides yet another nail in the coffin for this pseudoscienceReview of “Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be” by Daniel Loxton
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.3, May / June 2010
Online Extra
Two very different books about evolution crossed my desk recently. The first, by Richard Dawkins, is titled The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence...
How Global Warming Creates Monsters
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
April 8, 2010
Benjamin Radford reveals an interesting link between Bigfoot and global warming. From his upcoming book on the chupacabra.Valuing Solutions Over Problems, Explanations Over Mysteries
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
March 30, 2010
A brief discussion about the nature of mysteries and the value in finding their solutionsBlog on psychic detectives riles the believers—especially those who don’t read carefully
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
March 17, 2010
A Discovery News blog results in a poster's reply that seems to prove that psychic detectives are real!Psychics: Be a Hero, Save Lives, and Earn $2 Million!
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
March 8, 2010
$2 million and hero status awaits any psychics who can solve Toyota's problemsGhost Hunters International Team Finds Evidence of Fictional Character’s Ghost!
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
February 24, 2010
Another Real-World Example of Eyewitness Unreliability
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
February 19, 2010
If you think eyewitness reports are accurate, you otter read this.Texas Police Blotter: Drunk Man “Running from Chupacabra”
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
February 15, 2010
Police near Abilene, Texas, who responded to a prowler report found a drunk man "running from a chupacabra."New Chupacabra Documentary: More Speculation than Investigation
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
February 5, 2010
Radford reviews early footage of a film on the chupacabra monster, finding more speculation than investigation.Another Cancer Hoaxer Preys on Goodwill
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
February 1, 2010
Another tragic story of battling a horrible disease turns out to be made up—either for profit or simply attention.Charles Darwin and his Father Debunk Spiritualists and Psychics
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
January 21, 2010
In several of Darwin's letters, he described the skepticism he and his father shared over paranormal claimsReview of “Creation” New Film about Darwin
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
January 19, 2010
Benjamin Radford reviews Creation, the new film about Charles DarwinA Plea for Any Real Psychics to Help Haiti
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
January 14, 2010
A plea for any real psychics to help save lives in earthquake-devastated HaitiThe Link Between Astrology and Prejudice
Free Thinking (centerforinquiry.net)
January 11, 2010
Astrology and racism are very similar in some disturbing waysAvailable in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Hyperbaric Therapy for Autism: Airy Promises
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Skeptical Inquiree
With the recent news that autism cases are on the rise, I'm sure the number of dubious "treatments" are increasing as well...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Latest Texas ‘Chupacabra’ Exhibited in Creationist Museum
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
News & Comment
In August 2009 a man in the small town of Blanco, Texas, heard something attacking chickens in his cousin's barn.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Cryptozoology Museum Opens in Maine
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
News & Comment
Fans of Bigfoot, Ogopopo, the chupacabra, and other "mystery creatures" will finally have a place to see their favorite beasts—albeit in absentia.
