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.
Close Encounter of the Secondhand Kind with ‘Psychic Medium’ George Anderson
by Gary Posner
Volume 20.2, June 2010
One needs to listen to the entire recording to appreciate the endless stream of wild guesses and proffered questions that don’t offer any specific...
Shooting for The Sun
by Tom Napier
Volume 20.2, June 2010
A physicist explains why the sun is a poor dumping ground for nuclear waste.
How to Talk to Philosophers
by Julia Galef
Volume 20.1, March 2010
Book Review
A review of “Philosophy Bites: 25 Philosophers on 25 Intriguing Subjects”
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...
