Skeptical Briefs
The Skeptical Briefs newsletter is only available to Associate Members of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. It is published four times per year (in March, June, September, and December), and includes articles; news from skeptical groups across the country and around the world; and regular columnists Joe Nickell ("Investigative Files"), Lewis Jones ("Inklings"), Victor Stenger ("Reality Check"), Henry Huber ("Group News"); and Benjamin Radford ("Briefs Briefs"). It also includes a Hidden Messages puzzle in each issue by New Mexico physicist and skeptic David E. Thomas.
Is Carbon Production in Stars Fine-Tuned for Life?
by Victor Stenger
Volume 20.1, March 2010
Reality Check
For years theists have claimed that the constants of physics had to have been finely tuned by God for life in the universe to be possible...
A Skeptic Gets Schooled: An Introduction to Parapsychology
by Kylie Sturgess
Volume 20.1, March 2010
Within the U.K. and on the European continent, there appears to be a well-established number of parapsychology research groups situated within higher...
Paracelsus: The Magic and the Science
by Joe Nickell
Volume 20.1, March 2010
Investigative Files
Among the significant European figures of the sixteenth century, Paracelsus (1493–1541) was a transitional figure in the contest between magical and...
How I Debated a 9/11 Truther and Survived
by Dave Thomas
Volume 19.4, December 2009
Every October, New Mexico Tech puts on an alumni reunion called "49ers." As a Tech alumnus myself, my part of 49ers usually involves playing bass...
Thoughts and Matter
by Victor Stenger
Volume 19.4, December 2009
Reality Check
In his book God and the New Atheism, theologian John Haught calls naturalism "deeply self-contradictory."
Elvis Lives! Investigating the Legends and Phenomena
by Joe Nickell
Volume 19.4, December 2009
Investigative Files
Legendary American singer Elvis Presley is heralded not only as the major innovator, "The King," of rock 'n' roll but also as a godlike figure...
There’s No Debate: Elvis Is Not Alive
by Patrick Lacy
Volume 19.4, December 2009
"Elvis is alive." We've heard this refrain for years. It is a well-traveled companion of popular culture. The notion that Elvis faked his death is...
John Calvin and the Shroud of Turin
by Joe Nickell
Volume 19.3, September 2009
Investigative Files
While writing an introduction for an edition of John Calvin’s 1543 Treatise on Relics, I became intrigued by a little mystery...
Jules Verne: The Founder of Technobabble
by Tom Napier
Volume 19.3, September 2009
Every history of science fiction mentions Jules Verne (1828–1905). He wasn’t the first to write about a trip to the moon; that was done in Roman times...
A Skeptic’s Visit to Mythical Macchu Picchu
by Ben Radford
Volume 19.3, September 2009
Hard-headed types like scientists and skeptical investigators are often seen as dour debunkers, devoid of magic and awe...