Joe Nickell
Joe Nickell, Ph.D., is Senior Research Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and "Investigative Files" Columnist for Skeptical Inquirer. A former stage magician, private investigator, and teacher, he is author of numerous books, including Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (1998), Pen, Ink and Evidence (2003), Unsolved History (2005) and Adventures in Paranormal Investigation (2007). He has appeared in many television documentaries and has been profiled in The New Yorker and on NBC's Today Show. His personal website is at joenickell.com.
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Claims of Invalid ‘Shroud’ Radiocarbon Date Cut from Whole Cloth
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
Special Report
A Longtime Shroud of Turin devotee now admits there is the equivalent of watercolor paint on the alleged burial cloth of Jesus.
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Alleged Reagan Astrologer Dies
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.3, May / June 2005
News & Comment
Joyce Jillson, the self-styled "Hollywood Astrologer" who claimed to have cast horoscopes for the Reagans, died October 1, 2004.
Claims of Invalid “Shroud” Radiocarbon Date Cut from Whole Cloth
March 2, 2005
Longtime Shroud of Turin devotee Ray Rogers admits there is the equivalent of a watercolor paint on the alleged burial cloth.
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Intuition: The Case of the Unknown Daughter
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
Investigative Files
In the fall of 2003, my life was transformed by the news that I was the father of a beautiful, thirty-six-year-old daughter.
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Holy Grilled Cheese?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.2, March / April 2005
News & Comment
A Hollywood, Florida, couple received $28,000 when they auctioned a reputedly ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich bearing...
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Mystery Painting: ‘The Shadow of the Cross’
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
Investigative Files
An enigmatic painting is exhibited at the church of San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi) at Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico
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Betty Hill, First ‘Alien Abductee,’ Dies
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
News & Comment
Eunice "Betty" Hill—whose claimed 1961 encounter with extraterrestrials spawned the alien-abduction mania—died October 19,2004.
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Alien-Abduction Guru Mack Killed in Accident
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 29.1, January / February 2005
News & Comment
John E. Mack—whose position as a Harvard psychiatrist seemed to add legitimacy to his endorsement of alien abduction claims...
The Lake George Monster Hoax
Skeptical Briefs Volume 14.4, December 2004
Investigative Files
Called "one of the grandest hoaxes of all times", the Lake George Monster has occasionally resurfaced since its debut in 1904.
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Psychic Sylvia Browne Once Failed to Foresee Her Own Criminal Conviction
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 28.6, November / December 2004
News & Comment
Self-claimed "psychic, medium, clairvoyant, channel" Sylvia Browne has gained notoriety by appearing on...
Rorschach Icons
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 28.6, November / December 2004
Investigative Files
People arrive in droves to view them: holy images that appear—many believe miraculously—in the most unlikely places.
Abraham Lincoln: An Instance of Alleged ‘Spirit Writing’
Skeptical Briefs Volume 14.3, September 2004
Investigative Files
Modern spiritualism began in 1848 at Hydesville, New York, when two schoolgirls pretended to communicate with a ghost who...
Police Psychics: Do They Really Solve Crimes?
April 29, 2004
Is it a matter of science versus mysticism as some assert, or an issue of having an open mind as opposed to a closed one?
The Stigmata of Lilian Bernas
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 28.2, March / April 2004
Investigative Files
Canadian Lilian Bernas claims to exhibit-"in a supernatural state"-the wounds of Christ.
Riddle of the Glowing Statues
Skeptical Briefs Volume 13.4, December 2003
Investigative Files
Two women noticed it first. The eyes of the Virgin Mary statue on the church's bell tower had begun to glow.
The Curse of Bodie: Legacy of Ghost-Town Ghosts?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 27.6, November / December 2003
Investigative Files
Today, the ghost town of Bodie, California, is one of the most authentic abandoned gold- mining towns of the Old West.
The Case of the Alien Hand
Skeptical Briefs Volume 13.3, September 2003
Investigative Files
It was Monday, March 24, 2003, when the voice of CSICOP Executive Director Barry Karr came over my intercom...
Legend of the Lake Champlain Monster
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 27.4, July / August 2003
Investigative Files
Termed "North America's Loch Ness Monster", "Champ," reportedly haunts the waters of its namesake.
Bone (Box) of Contention: The James Ossuary
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 27.2, March / April 2003
Special Report
Supposedly recently discovered, a box that purportedly held the remains of Jesus' brother, is the subject of controversy.
Legend of the White Lady
Skeptical Briefs Volume 13.1, March 2003
Investigative Files
Every town in Franconia has a legend of Die Weisse Frau - a ghostly figure that walks about at night terrifying people.
Amityville: The Horror of It All
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 27.1, January / February 2003
Investigative Files
Although the original event proved to be a hoax, that fact does not seem well known to the general public.
Mothman Revisited: Investigating on Site
Skeptical Briefs Volume 12.4, December 2002
Investigative Files
In a previous critical report, I suggested the identity of “Mothman.” Subsequently I was able to make an investigative trip to Point Pleasant.
Psychic Pets and Pet Psychics
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 26.6, November / December 2002
Investigative Files
Many believe that the bond between man and animals, known from great antiquity, includes extrasensory perception (ESP).
Circular Reasoning: The ‘Mystery’ of Crop Circles and Their ‘Orbs’ of Light
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 26.5, September / October 2002
Special Report
Since they began to capture media attention in the mid 1970s, crop circles have provided mystery and controversy
“Visitations”: After-Death Contacts
Skeptical Briefs Volume 12.3, September 2002
Investigative Files
Those who suffer the loss of a loved one may experience such anguish and emptiness that they are unable to let go...
‘Miraculous’ Image of Guadalupe
Skeptical Briefs Volume 12.2, June 2002
Investigative Files
Mexico's Image of Guadalupe is a sixteenth-century depiction of the Virgin Mary that, according to pious legend...
Benny Hinn: Healer or Hypnotist?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 26.3, May / June 2002
Investigative Files
Hinn's selection process is-- perhaps not surprisingly--virutally identical to that employed by professional stage hypnotists
Voodoo in New Orleans
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 26.1, January / February 2002
Investigative Files
New Orleans has been declared America's most haunted city, and tour guides-following the imaginative lead of Anne Rice...
Secrets of the Voodoo Tomb
Skeptical Briefs Volume 11.4, December 2001
Investigative Files
Among the sites associated with New Orleans voodoo is the tomb of its greatest figure, Marie Laveau...
John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 25.6, November / December 2001
Investigative Files
I was asked by television newsmagazine Dateline NBC to study Edward's act: was he really talking to the dead?
