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Home : Skeptical Inquirer magazine

Cover

Vol. 22, No. 1, January/February 1998

Articles

Testing New Claims of Dermo-Optical Perception
Can blindfolded people really see through their skin? Two very reputable laboratories in Paris think they have obtained hard evidence to prove some subjects can. A team of scientists in Grenoble performs a critical experiment to ascertain the validity of this claim.
Claudio Benski and scientists from CRSSA

Magnetic Water and Fuel Treatment: Myth, Magic, or Mainstream Science?
Magnetic treatment has been claimed to soften water and improve the combustibility of fuels. A literature review reveals that these claims are not well supported by data.
Mike R. Powell

Dowsing the Rollrights
Dowsing may be one case of the phenomenon of "self as unrecognized cause." Other paranormal claims might originate in the same misperception.
P. A. Hancock

Anomalous Gold
"Ghost gold" eludes old-fashioned fire assaying but is snared by modern ghost-busting prospectors wielding doodle bugs.
K. R. Brower

Open Minds and the Argument from Ignorance
Arguments from ignorance fallaciously infer that since a hypothesis has not been disproved, it is reasonable to believe that hypothesis or regard it with an open mind.
Jonathan E. Adler

200% Probability and Beyond: The Compelling Nature of Extraordinary Claims in the Absence of Alternative Explanations
The likelihood that people will accept any given proposed explanation of an unusual event -- even one almost certainly wrong -- is directly related to how few alternative explanations are accessible.
John McDonald

Psychic Exploitation
While some "psychics" represent a harmless form of entertainment or act as benign counselors, others knowingly hurt and con vulnerable clients. The authors recently investigated some of these individuals operating in London.
Richard Wiseman and Emma Greening

Columns

Editor's Note

News and Comment

Fairy Tales: Film, Photos, Fantasies, and the Child Within Us

Psychic Forecasts Were a Big Flop (Again). Diana's Death Eluded `Psychics'

Australian Geologist Plimer's Costly Court Battle With Ark Creationists

ABC's Good Morning America Touts ESP, Psychokinesis, Astrology

First Issue of New Journal Examining Alternative Medicine Published

Californians Rate High-Tech, Scientists Highest Among All Institutions

CNBC Show Tackles Dennis Lee's Free-Energy Claims

CFI-Midwest's Inaugural Program a Success

Oh, the Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide