Skeptical Inquirer —
2012: Not a Complete Disaster
by Ben Radford
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
One might be excused for wondering what, exactly, German director Roland Emmerich has against the United States...
Court Vindicates Doctor Who Questioned Fertility Study
by The Editors
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
A study was published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine claiming that prayers from the USA, Canada, and Australia...
Edmund (Pseudo) Scientific Sells ‘Ghost Detectors’
by Matt Lowry
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
Edmund Scientific is actively marketing and selling paranormal woo-woo on their Web site.
Norm Levitt: An Obituary
by Jay M. Pasachoff
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
News & Comment
Norman Levitt, a major figure in combating pseudoscience and pseudoknowledge, died at the age of 66 on October 24.
Alternate Cover
by csicop.org
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
Alternate Cover for Issue 33.6, November / December 2009
Ask the Outlaw Skeptic
by csicop.org
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
What is a "skeptoid" anyway?
Editor’s Note
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
There are, of course, dozens more skeptics out there whose names may be slightly less familiar but whose contributions...
Messages to ‘Ask an Astrobiologist,’ May 2009
by David Morrison
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Featurette
Sidebar to Morrison's update on the Niburu 2012 doomsday
Skeptical Programs for Generation Y and Beyond
by Barry Karr
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Special Report
CSI has many long-standing programs to encourage critical thinking in children and young people--the world's future skeptics.
Update on the Nibiru 2012 ‘Doomsday’
by David Morrison
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Follow-up
Special preview from the November / December 2009 Skeptical Inquirer
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Ask The Outlaw Skeptic
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
While at the local mall, I stopped inside a health-food store to check out the wares...
Bobby Fischer: Genius and Idiot
by Martin Gardner
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Notes of a Fringe-Watcher
Is it possible for someone to be extremely intelligent and creative in a certain field and at the same time...
Can a Reasonable Skeptic Support Climate Change Legislation?
by Stuart D. Jordan
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
CFI vets list of 687 'dissenting scientists' in Senate minority report; 80% haven't published peer-reviewed climate research.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Cell Phones, Power Lines, Video Games…and Much Else
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Editor's Note
This issue demonstrates not only the variety of topics we tackle in the Skeptical Inquirer, but also...
Comments on NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Christopher C. French
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
"I think this article raises an interesting issue, but ultimately I find the arguments unconvincing for a number of reasons..."
Comments on NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Susan Blackmore
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
"If Parnia does the experiments properly, and his patients really can see those images, then I will change my mind about..."
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Does Subliminal Persuasion Work? It Depends on Your Motivation and Awareness.
by Brandon Randolph-Seng and Robert D. Mather
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Recent psychological research provides more answers about why and when subliminal information can influence...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Eusapia Palladino, Queen of the Cabinet, Part 3
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Notes on a Strange World
There suddenly came a wild, yelling scream. It was such a scream as I have never heard before in my life, not even in...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Exercising the Brain Gym
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
What can you tell me about the Brain Gym? It seems to make all sorts of amazing claims and is apparently very popular...
A Growing Hysteria
by Lorne Trottier
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Angry citizens' groups in hundreds of different communities across the United States protest against the location of new...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Hidden Messages
by Dave Thomas
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Puzzle— A simple substitution cipher.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Last Laugh
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Humor
Eight Weird Psychic Comments Overheard at a Singles Bar
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Leadership Changes at the Center for Inquiry
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
Changes in the leadership at the Center for Inquiry, including the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, were announced at the end...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to the May / June 2009 issue of Skeptical Inquirer.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Logophobia
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Thinking About Science
Logophobics have developed strategies to obfuscate clear thinking, which they deploy whenever pressed by a skeptic.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Modern-Day DaVinci’s ROM: Range of Motion or Rip Off Machine?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
A supposedly revolutionary (and remarkably expensive) exercise machine called the ROM makes amazing claims in advertisements.
NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Sebastian Dieguez
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Anecdotal reports of people having paranormal perceptions during near-death experiences are widespread, and it has been...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
New Champ Lake Monster Video Surfaces
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
In May, new video footage of Champ, the monster said to inhabit Vermont's Lake Champlain, was release on YouTube...
‘None of This Is True’: Do Disclaimers about the Paranormal Really Work?
by Richard wiseman, Chris French, and Caroline Watt
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
The last few years have seen substantial growth in the number of television programs claiming to contain paranormal phenomena.
Pirates’ Ghosts: Aar-r-gh!
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Investigative Files
They embody legend: romantic, swashbuckling, heroic figures--enchanting rogues whose ghosts eternally guard their buried...
Power Line Panic and Mobile Mania
by S.T. Lakshmikumar
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
What is the physics that underlies any possible linkage between mobile phones, power lines, and cancer?
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Questionable Research of Hans Holzer, Dean of Ghost Hunters (1920-2009)
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
During the second half of the twentieth "Dr." Hans Holzer, a self-styled parapsychologist who died April 2, 2009, at the age...
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Skeptic’s Web Site Becomes Advertising for Psychic Business
by Ryan Shaffer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
In October, a Hollywood-based Web site selling psychic consultations and other products acquired a notable skeptic's Web site...
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The Pseudoscience of Anti-Anti-UFOlogy
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Psychic Vibrations
Stanton Friedman critiques Joe Nickell's article "Return to Roswell" by noting that Nickell is a former magician...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Third Annual IIG Awards: Mythbusters and Nickell Honored, Ben Stein Lampooned.
by Owen Hammer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
On May 18, 2009, the Independent Investigations Group--the premier paranormal investigations teram on the West Coast...
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The Varied Concepts of ‘Epidemic’ and Our Varied Reactions
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Book Review
Review of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu by Philip Alcabes.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Violent Video Games: Dogma, Fear, and Pseudoscience
by Christopher J. Ferguson
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Video games are at the center of a modern media-based moral panic. Too often, social scientists have fueled the flames...
Viral Video Cell-Phone Scare
by Tracy King
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Featurette
In June 2009 a new urban legend was born—that the power generated by cell phones can cook popcorn.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
What’s New? Observations on Science and Fringe Science from Bob Park
by Robert L. Park
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
Recap of recent news items by the author.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
An Apologia with a Transparent Strategy
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Review of The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right. by Jon A. Shields.
Bigelow’s Aerospace and Saucer Emporium
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Psychic Vibrations
Perhaps you've seen news stories about Bigelow Aerospace, founded by Las Vegas real estate millionaire Robert Bigelow.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Big Scientific Controversy over Little Hobbit People of Flores
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Editor's Note
Five years ago a stunning discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores rocked the field of paleoanthropology...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Borneo’s River Monster Photo: Living Legend or Hoax?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
In February, two photographs of a huge snake-like creature allegedly taken in Borneo made international news.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Careful Phrasing: A Matter of Life and Death
by Danny Helman
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Many people believe one is more likely to die from a shark attack than from falling airplane parts. This finding has been...
CFI World Congress: More Highlights
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
Longtime CSI Fellow and Skeptical Inquirer contributor Elizabeth Loftus presented a talk about...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Chiropractic Neck Manipulation and Informed Consent
by Samuel Homola
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Although there is evidence to indicate that neck manipulation can cause stroke by damaging vertebral or carotid arteries...
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Crystal Balls in Chains
by Donna Danford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Fortune teller Janet Adams preyed on the fears of an elderly San Mateo, California woman to the tune of more than $80,000.
CSI’s Balles Prize Goes to Physicist/Author Leonard Mlodinow
by Barry Karr
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
CSI has awarded its Annual Prize to Mlodinow for his book The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
CSI Solves New Jersey UFO Mystery
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Strange, bright red lights appeared over Morris County, New Jersey, on January 5, 2009. They were first noticed in the night...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Deadwood Ghost Photo
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
"My brother and I stayed at the historic Franklin Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota. I'm not a big believer in the paranormal..."
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Eusapia Palladino, Queen of the Cabinet, Part 2
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Notes on a Strange World
Eleven extraordinary séances with medium Eusapia Palladino were held in the now-defunct Hotel Victoria in Naples.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
A Graphic Guide to Grabbing a Precious Pro-Religion Prize
by Joel Kirschbaum
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Forum
Lord Templeton established a foundation that grants various sums to advance religion, in particular Christianity.
Highlights of CFI’s Twelfth World Congress: Science, Public Policy, and the Planetary Community
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
Science, Public Policy, and the Planetary Community
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
John Maddox, Longtime Nature Editor and CSI Fellow, Dies
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
John Maddox, a pivotal figure in the world scientific community as twice editor of the esteemed scientific journal...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to Skeptical Inquirer Volume 33.2, "Debunking the Pearl Harbor Message Myth."
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Michael Dennet, Skeptic and Bigfoot Investigator, Dies
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Michael Dennett, who headed the Seattle area skeptics group Society for Sensible Explanations, died May 2, 2009.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
New Books
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Abstracts of recently published books of interest to skeptics.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Nonreligious Portion of U.S. Population Growing, Survey Finds
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
What many secularists have long been contending--that their numbers are growing, and have consistently been underestimated...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Obama on Science, Discovery, and Open Inquiry
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Excerpts from a talk by President Barack Obama to the National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C., April 27, 2009.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
On Evolution, Abortion, and Astrology
by Alan Orenstein
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Survey research about the kinds of people who read horoscopes shows the effects of religious and scientific beliefs.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
On the Moon
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
There is nothing like new facts to add some excitement to supposedly established theories.
Pathology or Paradigm Shift? Human Evolution, Ad Hominem Science and the Anomolous Hobbits of Flores
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
A pint-sized Hobbit recently shook the science world's foundations and set anthropologists at one another's throats.
Quest for the Giant Eel
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Investigative Files
On a six-day trip to the Canadian province of Newfoundland in Labrador, I encountered some very large creatures...
Randi, Krauss, Kurtz Honored with Major Awards
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
James Randi, Lawrence Krauss, and Paul Kurtz were honored with major awards at CFI's 12th World Congress in Bethesda, Maryland.
Seeing the Indigo Children
by Benjamin Witts
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The Indigo children are touted as the next evolutionary stage in human development, and their supporters boast that these...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
A Tribute to Jerry Andrus—Magician, Creator of Master Illusions
by Ray Hyman
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Jerry Andrus--master magician and creator of innovative illusions--died peacefully August 26, 2007.
Whats Wrong with the I Ching? Ambiguity, Obscurity, and Synchronicity
by Charles Sullivan
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese oracle that many believe mysteriously offers clear advice on important questions.
When Science Gets Distorted for Nonscientific Reasons
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Hyping Health Risks: Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology. by Geoffrey C. Kabat
Autism-Vaccine Link Researcher Andrew Wakefield Accused of Faking His Data
by Steven Novella
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Andrew Wakefield, the researcher who in 1998 sparked the public controversy over whether the MMR vaccine is linked to autism...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Cardiff’s Giant Hoax
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of A Colossal Hoax: The Giant from Cardiff that Fooled America by Scott Tribble
CFI/Los Angeles Celebrates Darwin’s 200th Birthday with Readings, Plays, Lecture
by Jim Underdown and Bob Ladendorf
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
More than 300 Southern Californians celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin at CFI Los Angeles...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea
by Robert Ashton
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of the book by Christine Garwood
Demons in Connecticut
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Investigative Files
Take a house reeking of death, bring in a "demonologist," commission a professional writer to enhance the alleged events...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Eusapie Palladino, the Queen of the Cabinet, Part 1
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Notes on a Strange World
...it was essential that the investigators were knowledgeable of the methods of trickery. But were they really?
Ghosts, Doughnuts, and A Christmas Carol: Investigating New Mexico’s ‘Haunted’ KiMo Theater
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
A careful investigation into one of the most famous haunted theaters in the Southwest.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Great Global Cooling Myth
by John Fleck
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Commentary
Like all good misinformation that travels well and lasts long, we found a kernel of truth. But we also found the deep...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Hard and Soft Science: Physics vs. Psychology
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Thinking About Science
It turns out that the replicability of findings in psychology is no worse than that of findings in particle physics.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
It’s What We Do
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Editor's Note
"Why did you write about [fill in the blank]?" That is a recurring question we get at the Skeptical Inquirer.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to Volume 33.1, The New UFO Interest
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Life and Planet
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Evolution, Climate Change. Two Grand Themes of AAAS Science Fest.
A Modern Witch Craze in Papua New Guinea
by Karen Stollznow
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Newspapers internationally reported a recent spate of witchcraft-related murders in rural Papua New Guinea.
More Studies Reject Vaccine-Autism Link
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
As if more scientific support was needed, a new review of the evidence has again shown no link between vaccines and autism.
Playing by the Rules
by Harriet Hall
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
It is useless for skeptics to argue with someone who doesn’t play by the rules of science and reason.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Pseudoscience of Personalysis
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
"Look, that green rectangle represents my motivation to control things!"
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Putting Your Money Where Your MInd Is
by Joseph Keierleber
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of The Mind of the Market by Michael Shermer
Remembering Henry Gordon, Magician, Skeptic, Debunker
by Justin Trottier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Kemo Kimo Merinickel Pumpernickel. Henry Gordon invented this phrase to use as an incantation in his magic...
Report Knocks Baylor Claim about American Religiosity
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
The Council for Secular Humanism made some headlines in February with a report released to the national media...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Repower America? Science Commmunication and the Obama Presidency
by Matt Nisbet
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Policy Forum
It is time to turn the page on the "war on science," "inconvenient truths," and "denier" rhetoric that were battle cries...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Roots of Skepticism
by Christopher diCarlo
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Some of the central ideas of ancient skepticism have historical significance and still influence...
Science and Pseudoscience in Adult Nutrition Research and Practice
by Reynold Spector
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Human nutrition research and practice is plagued by pseudoscience and unsupported opinions.
Scientists Hail Gallo’s ‘Unsung’ Role in Nobel HIV/AIDS Discovery
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
When the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to two French virologists for discovering and identifying the HIV virus...
Selective Memory at Work When Patients ‘Predict’ Own Death
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Can patients predict their own deaths using some fancy type of "insight" that is more accurate than the expertise of physicians?
Spanish Skeptics Magazine Pensar Suspends Publication
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Pensar, the Spanish-language skeptics magazine launched in 2004, has suspended publication as of 2009.
Bearing False Witness for Profit
by Greg Martinez
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
To say that people love a good story is cliché, but the problem with that statement is that 'love' is too mild a term.
A Christian Physicist’s Dispatch from the Evolution Wars
by Glenn Branch
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
Review of Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution by Karl W. Giberson
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Critique of ‘The Bipolar Bamboozle’
by Nigel Bark
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Follow-up
As a psychiatrist, I see a lot of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Yet I am a bit skeptical of the expansion of...
Curious Contrails: Death from the Sky?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
Is someone or something criss-crossing our skies with poisonous vapor trails that fall to Earth?
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Deep History or Shallow Cognition? Cognitive Biases and ‘Esoteric History’
by John Ray
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
A host of new media productions have reignited the belief that extraterrestrial visitors aided early human civilization...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Dutch, Belgian Creationist Groups Unite to Bring Anti-Evolution Message to Six Million
by Stefaan Blancke
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
News & Comment
The upcoming year-long celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday (February 12, 2009) is causing a lot of excitement...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Darwin
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Editor's Note
You are going to be hearing a lot about Charles Darwin this year. Deservedly so. February 12 was his 200th birthday...
2012: Not a Complete Disaster
by Ben Radford
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
One might be excused for wondering what, exactly, German director Roland Emmerich has against the United States...
Court Vindicates Doctor Who Questioned Fertility Study
by The Editors
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
A study was published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine claiming that prayers from the USA, Canada, and Australia...
Edmund (Pseudo) Scientific Sells ‘Ghost Detectors’
by Matt Lowry
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Online Extra
Edmund Scientific is actively marketing and selling paranormal woo-woo on their Web site.
Norm Levitt: An Obituary
by Jay M. Pasachoff
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
News & Comment
Norman Levitt, a major figure in combating pseudoscience and pseudoknowledge, died at the age of 66 on October 24.
Alternate Cover
by csicop.org
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
Alternate Cover for Issue 33.6, November / December 2009
Ask the Outlaw Skeptic
by csicop.org
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
What is a "skeptoid" anyway?
Editor’s Note
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Online Extra
There are, of course, dozens more skeptics out there whose names may be slightly less familiar but whose contributions...
Messages to ‘Ask an Astrobiologist,’ May 2009
by David Morrison
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Featurette
Sidebar to Morrison's update on the Niburu 2012 doomsday
Skeptical Programs for Generation Y and Beyond
by Barry Karr
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Special Report
CSI has many long-standing programs to encourage critical thinking in children and young people--the world's future skeptics.
Update on the Nibiru 2012 ‘Doomsday’
by David Morrison
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Follow-up
Special preview from the November / December 2009 Skeptical Inquirer
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Ask The Outlaw Skeptic
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
While at the local mall, I stopped inside a health-food store to check out the wares...
Bobby Fischer: Genius and Idiot
by Martin Gardner
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Notes of a Fringe-Watcher
Is it possible for someone to be extremely intelligent and creative in a certain field and at the same time...
Can a Reasonable Skeptic Support Climate Change Legislation?
by Stuart D. Jordan
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
CFI vets list of 687 'dissenting scientists' in Senate minority report; 80% haven't published peer-reviewed climate research.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Cell Phones, Power Lines, Video Games…and Much Else
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Editor's Note
This issue demonstrates not only the variety of topics we tackle in the Skeptical Inquirer, but also...
Comments on NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Christopher C. French
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
"I think this article raises an interesting issue, but ultimately I find the arguments unconvincing for a number of reasons..."
Comments on NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Susan Blackmore
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
"If Parnia does the experiments properly, and his patients really can see those images, then I will change my mind about..."
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Does Subliminal Persuasion Work? It Depends on Your Motivation and Awareness.
by Brandon Randolph-Seng and Robert D. Mather
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Recent psychological research provides more answers about why and when subliminal information can influence...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Eusapia Palladino, Queen of the Cabinet, Part 3
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Notes on a Strange World
There suddenly came a wild, yelling scream. It was such a scream as I have never heard before in my life, not even in...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Exercising the Brain Gym
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
What can you tell me about the Brain Gym? It seems to make all sorts of amazing claims and is apparently very popular...
A Growing Hysteria
by Lorne Trottier
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Angry citizens' groups in hundreds of different communities across the United States protest against the location of new...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Hidden Messages
by Dave Thomas
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Puzzle— A simple substitution cipher.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Last Laugh
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Humor
Eight Weird Psychic Comments Overheard at a Singles Bar
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Leadership Changes at the Center for Inquiry
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
Changes in the leadership at the Center for Inquiry, including the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, were announced at the end...
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to the May / June 2009 issue of Skeptical Inquirer.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Logophobia
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Thinking About Science
Logophobics have developed strategies to obfuscate clear thinking, which they deploy whenever pressed by a skeptic.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Modern-Day DaVinci’s ROM: Range of Motion or Rip Off Machine?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
A supposedly revolutionary (and remarkably expensive) exercise machine called the ROM makes amazing claims in advertisements.
NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Sebastian Dieguez
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Anecdotal reports of people having paranormal perceptions during near-death experiences are widespread, and it has been...
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New Champ Lake Monster Video Surfaces
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
In May, new video footage of Champ, the monster said to inhabit Vermont's Lake Champlain, was release on YouTube...
‘None of This Is True’: Do Disclaimers about the Paranormal Really Work?
by Richard wiseman, Chris French, and Caroline Watt
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Commentary
The last few years have seen substantial growth in the number of television programs claiming to contain paranormal phenomena.
Pirates’ Ghosts: Aar-r-gh!
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Investigative Files
They embody legend: romantic, swashbuckling, heroic figures--enchanting rogues whose ghosts eternally guard their buried...
Power Line Panic and Mobile Mania
by S.T. Lakshmikumar
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
What is the physics that underlies any possible linkage between mobile phones, power lines, and cancer?
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The Questionable Research of Hans Holzer, Dean of Ghost Hunters (1920-2009)
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
During the second half of the twentieth "Dr." Hans Holzer, a self-styled parapsychologist who died April 2, 2009, at the age...
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Skeptic’s Web Site Becomes Advertising for Psychic Business
by Ryan Shaffer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
In October, a Hollywood-based Web site selling psychic consultations and other products acquired a notable skeptic's Web site...
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The Pseudoscience of Anti-Anti-UFOlogy
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Psychic Vibrations
Stanton Friedman critiques Joe Nickell's article "Return to Roswell" by noting that Nickell is a former magician...
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Third Annual IIG Awards: Mythbusters and Nickell Honored, Ben Stein Lampooned.
by Owen Hammer
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
On May 18, 2009, the Independent Investigations Group--the premier paranormal investigations teram on the West Coast...
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The Varied Concepts of ‘Epidemic’ and Our Varied Reactions
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Book Review
Review of Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu by Philip Alcabes.
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Violent Video Games: Dogma, Fear, and Pseudoscience
by Christopher J. Ferguson
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Video games are at the center of a modern media-based moral panic. Too often, social scientists have fueled the flames...
Viral Video Cell-Phone Scare
by Tracy King
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Featurette
In June 2009 a new urban legend was born—that the power generated by cell phones can cook popcorn.
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What’s New? Observations on Science and Fringe Science from Bob Park
by Robert L. Park
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
News & Comment
Recap of recent news items by the author.
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An Apologia with a Transparent Strategy
by Peter Lamal
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Review of The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right. by Jon A. Shields.
Bigelow’s Aerospace and Saucer Emporium
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Psychic Vibrations
Perhaps you've seen news stories about Bigelow Aerospace, founded by Las Vegas real estate millionaire Robert Bigelow.
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Big Scientific Controversy over Little Hobbit People of Flores
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Editor's Note
Five years ago a stunning discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores rocked the field of paleoanthropology...
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Borneo’s River Monster Photo: Living Legend or Hoax?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
In February, two photographs of a huge snake-like creature allegedly taken in Borneo made international news.
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Careful Phrasing: A Matter of Life and Death
by Danny Helman
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Many people believe one is more likely to die from a shark attack than from falling airplane parts. This finding has been...
CFI World Congress: More Highlights
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
Longtime CSI Fellow and Skeptical Inquirer contributor Elizabeth Loftus presented a talk about...
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Chiropractic Neck Manipulation and Informed Consent
by Samuel Homola
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Although there is evidence to indicate that neck manipulation can cause stroke by damaging vertebral or carotid arteries...
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Crystal Balls in Chains
by Donna Danford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Fortune teller Janet Adams preyed on the fears of an elderly San Mateo, California woman to the tune of more than $80,000.
CSI’s Balles Prize Goes to Physicist/Author Leonard Mlodinow
by Barry Karr
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
CSI has awarded its Annual Prize to Mlodinow for his book The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives.
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CSI Solves New Jersey UFO Mystery
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Strange, bright red lights appeared over Morris County, New Jersey, on January 5, 2009. They were first noticed in the night...
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The Deadwood Ghost Photo
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
"My brother and I stayed at the historic Franklin Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota. I'm not a big believer in the paranormal..."
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Eusapia Palladino, Queen of the Cabinet, Part 2
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Notes on a Strange World
Eleven extraordinary séances with medium Eusapia Palladino were held in the now-defunct Hotel Victoria in Naples.
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A Graphic Guide to Grabbing a Precious Pro-Religion Prize
by Joel Kirschbaum
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Forum
Lord Templeton established a foundation that grants various sums to advance religion, in particular Christianity.
Highlights of CFI’s Twelfth World Congress: Science, Public Policy, and the Planetary Community
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
Science, Public Policy, and the Planetary Community
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John Maddox, Longtime Nature Editor and CSI Fellow, Dies
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
John Maddox, a pivotal figure in the world scientific community as twice editor of the esteemed scientific journal...
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Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to Skeptical Inquirer Volume 33.2, "Debunking the Pearl Harbor Message Myth."
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Michael Dennet, Skeptic and Bigfoot Investigator, Dies
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Michael Dennett, who headed the Seattle area skeptics group Society for Sensible Explanations, died May 2, 2009.
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New Books
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Abstracts of recently published books of interest to skeptics.
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Nonreligious Portion of U.S. Population Growing, Survey Finds
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
What many secularists have long been contending--that their numbers are growing, and have consistently been underestimated...
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Obama on Science, Discovery, and Open Inquiry
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Excerpts from a talk by President Barack Obama to the National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C., April 27, 2009.
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On Evolution, Abortion, and Astrology
by Alan Orenstein
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Survey research about the kinds of people who read horoscopes shows the effects of religious and scientific beliefs.
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On the Moon
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
There is nothing like new facts to add some excitement to supposedly established theories.
Pathology or Paradigm Shift? Human Evolution, Ad Hominem Science and the Anomolous Hobbits of Flores
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
A pint-sized Hobbit recently shook the science world's foundations and set anthropologists at one another's throats.
Quest for the Giant Eel
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Investigative Files
On a six-day trip to the Canadian province of Newfoundland in Labrador, I encountered some very large creatures...
Randi, Krauss, Kurtz Honored with Major Awards
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Special Report
James Randi, Lawrence Krauss, and Paul Kurtz were honored with major awards at CFI's 12th World Congress in Bethesda, Maryland.
Seeing the Indigo Children
by Benjamin Witts
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The Indigo children are touted as the next evolutionary stage in human development, and their supporters boast that these...
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A Tribute to Jerry Andrus—Magician, Creator of Master Illusions
by Ray Hyman
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
News & Comment
Jerry Andrus--master magician and creator of innovative illusions--died peacefully August 26, 2007.
Whats Wrong with the I Ching? Ambiguity, Obscurity, and Synchronicity
by Charles Sullivan
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese oracle that many believe mysteriously offers clear advice on important questions.
When Science Gets Distorted for Nonscientific Reasons
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Book Review
Hyping Health Risks: Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology. by Geoffrey C. Kabat
Autism-Vaccine Link Researcher Andrew Wakefield Accused of Faking His Data
by Steven Novella
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Andrew Wakefield, the researcher who in 1998 sparked the public controversy over whether the MMR vaccine is linked to autism...
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Cardiff’s Giant Hoax
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of A Colossal Hoax: The Giant from Cardiff that Fooled America by Scott Tribble
CFI/Los Angeles Celebrates Darwin’s 200th Birthday with Readings, Plays, Lecture
by Jim Underdown and Bob Ladendorf
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
More than 300 Southern Californians celebrated the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin at CFI Los Angeles...
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Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea
by Robert Ashton
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of the book by Christine Garwood
Demons in Connecticut
by Joe Nickell
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Investigative Files
Take a house reeking of death, bring in a "demonologist," commission a professional writer to enhance the alleged events...
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Eusapie Palladino, the Queen of the Cabinet, Part 1
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Notes on a Strange World
...it was essential that the investigators were knowledgeable of the methods of trickery. But were they really?
Ghosts, Doughnuts, and A Christmas Carol: Investigating New Mexico’s ‘Haunted’ KiMo Theater
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
A careful investigation into one of the most famous haunted theaters in the Southwest.
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The Great Global Cooling Myth
by John Fleck
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Commentary
Like all good misinformation that travels well and lasts long, we found a kernel of truth. But we also found the deep...
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Hard and Soft Science: Physics vs. Psychology
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Thinking About Science
It turns out that the replicability of findings in psychology is no worse than that of findings in particle physics.
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It’s What We Do
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Editor's Note
"Why did you write about [fill in the blank]?" That is a recurring question we get at the Skeptical Inquirer.
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Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Letters to the Editor
Responses to Volume 33.1, The New UFO Interest
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Life and Planet
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Evolution, Climate Change. Two Grand Themes of AAAS Science Fest.
A Modern Witch Craze in Papua New Guinea
by Karen Stollznow
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Newspapers internationally reported a recent spate of witchcraft-related murders in rural Papua New Guinea.
More Studies Reject Vaccine-Autism Link
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
As if more scientific support was needed, a new review of the evidence has again shown no link between vaccines and autism.
Playing by the Rules
by Harriet Hall
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
It is useless for skeptics to argue with someone who doesn’t play by the rules of science and reason.
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The Pseudoscience of Personalysis
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
"Look, that green rectangle represents my motivation to control things!"
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Putting Your Money Where Your MInd Is
by Joseph Keierleber
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Book Review
Review of The Mind of the Market by Michael Shermer
Remembering Henry Gordon, Magician, Skeptic, Debunker
by Justin Trottier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Kemo Kimo Merinickel Pumpernickel. Henry Gordon invented this phrase to use as an incantation in his magic...
Report Knocks Baylor Claim about American Religiosity
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
The Council for Secular Humanism made some headlines in February with a report released to the national media...
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Repower America? Science Commmunication and the Obama Presidency
by Matt Nisbet
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Policy Forum
It is time to turn the page on the "war on science," "inconvenient truths," and "denier" rhetoric that were battle cries...
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The Roots of Skepticism
by Christopher diCarlo
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Some of the central ideas of ancient skepticism have historical significance and still influence...
Science and Pseudoscience in Adult Nutrition Research and Practice
by Reynold Spector
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Human nutrition research and practice is plagued by pseudoscience and unsupported opinions.
Scientists Hail Gallo’s ‘Unsung’ Role in Nobel HIV/AIDS Discovery
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
When the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to two French virologists for discovering and identifying the HIV virus...
Selective Memory at Work When Patients ‘Predict’ Own Death
by Terence M. Hines
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Can patients predict their own deaths using some fancy type of "insight" that is more accurate than the expertise of physicians?
Spanish Skeptics Magazine Pensar Suspends Publication
by The Editors
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
News & Comment
Pensar, the Spanish-language skeptics magazine launched in 2004, has suspended publication as of 2009.
Bearing False Witness for Profit
by Greg Martinez
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
To say that people love a good story is cliché, but the problem with that statement is that 'love' is too mild a term.
A Christian Physicist’s Dispatch from the Evolution Wars
by Glenn Branch
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Book Review
Review of Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution by Karl W. Giberson
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Critique of ‘The Bipolar Bamboozle’
by Nigel Bark
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Follow-up
As a psychiatrist, I see a lot of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Yet I am a bit skeptical of the expansion of...
Curious Contrails: Death from the Sky?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Skeptical Inquiree
Is someone or something criss-crossing our skies with poisonous vapor trails that fall to Earth?
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Deep History or Shallow Cognition? Cognitive Biases and ‘Esoteric History’
by John Ray
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
A host of new media productions have reignited the belief that extraterrestrial visitors aided early human civilization...
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Dutch, Belgian Creationist Groups Unite to Bring Anti-Evolution Message to Six Million
by Stefaan Blancke
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
News & Comment
The upcoming year-long celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday (February 12, 2009) is causing a lot of excitement...
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Happy Birthday, Mr. Darwin
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Editor's Note
You are going to be hearing a lot about Charles Darwin this year. Deservedly so. February 12 was his 200th birthday...