Skeptical Inquirer — Volume 31.6
November / December 2007
The Global Warming Debate: Science and Scientists in a Democracy
by Stuart D. Jordan
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Follow-up
Science does not offer certainty. The results of modern science are typically presented in statistics and probabilities.
Spook Hills in the Lab
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Notes on a Strange World
Spook hills, also known as antigravity or magnetic hills, are natural places where cars in neutral seem to move uphill.
The Anti-Vaccination Movement
by Steven Novella
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Article
Despite the growing consensus that neither vaccines nor mercury cause autism, a stubborn vocal minority claims otherwise.
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The Best of All Health Care
by Edzard Ernst
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Comment and Opinion
The best of all health care— who wouldn't want to know how to achieve this meritorious aim?
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Beyond Selfish Genes
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Thinking About Science
Richard Dawkins' classic book, The Selfish Gene (1976), presented to the public the astonishing idea that...
Biodynamics in the Wine Bottle
by Douglass Smith and Jesús Barquín
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Article
Is supernaturalism becoming the new worldwide fad in winemaking?
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Cosmos and Commentary
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandries by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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Endless Forms, Endless Controversy
by Greg Martinez
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography. By Janet Browne.
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The End of the Einstein-Astrology-Supporter Hoax
by Denis Hamel
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Article
Astrology books and Web sites often describe Einstein as favorably regarding astrology. Einstein, however, was known for...
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Governed By Emotion
by Peter Lamal
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation. By Drew Westen.
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The Greatest Occultist in Western History?
by Richard Petraitis
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro, Master of Magic in the Age of Reason. by Iain McCalman.
Interview with Roy Richard Grinker
by Ben Radford
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Interview
Author of Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism
Kitzmiller v. Homo Boobiens
by Greg Martinez
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
Review of 40 Days and 40 Nights: Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania
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Letters to the Editor
by The Editors
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Letters to the Editor
Responses to Volume 31.4, The Science Behind Fiction
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Masaru Emoto’s Wonderful World of Water
by Harriet Hall
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Article
It can read, listen to music, look at pictures, hear your thoughts, heal you, and create world peace.
The Netherlands: Visions and Revisions
by Joe Nickell
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Investigative Files
Like people everywhere, the Dutch can also be superstitious--hence the conference theme, “the paranormal.”
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New Books
by The Editors
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Abstracts of recent books of interest to skepics
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Out of Body and in the Lab: New Experiments Stimulate Seeing Self Elsewhere
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
Two sets of studies published independently in the same issue of the journal Science demonstrate how...
Over the Hill on UFO Abductions
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Book Review
The story of the alleged UFO abduction of Betty and Barney Hill in New Hampshire in 1961 is well known to the public.
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Paul MacCready (1923-2007)
by The Editors
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
Paul MacCready was a visionary aeronautical engineer trained at Caltech, the father of human-powered flight, winner of...
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Protecting Our Valuable Vaccine Programs
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
From the Editor
Benjamin Franklin championed vaccinations in the early years of our nation. In the past half-century or so, widespread...
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Ralph Estling, Eclectic Writer, 1930-2007
by Chris Brewchorne
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
Ralph Leonard Estling, who died in July at the age of seventy-seven, was born in the Bronx, New York...
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Studies Challenge Garlic, Beetroot Treatments against HIV
by The Editors
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
During the same week that our September/October 2007 cover article on AIDS denialism vs. science was published came the news...
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A Time to Die
by Ben Radford
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Skeptical Inquiree
On the Montel Williams show, Sylvia Browne recently stated that most people die within three months of...
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Tributes to Barry Beyerstein, Champion of Critical Thinking, Skeptical Inquiry
by James Alcock
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
Barry Beyerstein is dead. I have lost a friend and colleauge of thirty-plus years, and you, dear reader, have lost a champion...
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Tribute to Barry Beyerstein
by Lee Moller
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
I found Barry through a short article in Scientific American some twenty years ago...
Vaccine Safety: Vaccines Are One of Public Health’s Great Accomplishments
by Richard G. Judelsohn
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Article
As the 20th century drew to a close, immunization was declared its greatest public health achievement.
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Weekly World News Dies in Print, Lives On on the Web
by David Park Musella
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
News & Comment
For the past twenty-eight years, every time that Elvis was sighted behind a fast-food counter, every time that Bigfoot showed...
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What is Common about Common Sense? Perspectives from Anthropology
by Lathel F. Duffield
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Forum
The idea of "common sense" fuels the popular intelligent-design (ID) explanation for biological evolution.
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‘Why Won’t They Admit They’re Wrong?’ and Other Skeptics’ Mysteries
by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Comment and Opinion
Cognitive dissonance is hardwired, but how we choose to reduce it is not. Just as good drivers learn to correct for...
