Skeptical Inquirer — Volume 36.6
November/December 2012
Phrenology and the Grand Delusion of Experience
by Geoffrey Dean
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Article
In the nineteenth century, phrenology was hugely influential despite being totally invalid. Its history shows why we must be skeptical of any belief based solely on experience.
Homeopathy: A Critique of Current Clinical Research
by Edzard Ernst
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Article
An evaluation of the clinical research by the group that has published most of the papers in homeopathy, 2005–2010, finds numerous flaws in the design, conduct, and reporting along with a tendency to overinterpret weak data.
The Pseudoscience of Live Blood Cell Analysis
by Thomas Patterson
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Article
Of the many aspects of alternative medicine, one of the most bizarre is live blood cell analysis. This unapproved blood test supposedly identifies nutritional deficiencies and other nebulous conditions.
Faith Healing and Skepticism in Pakistan: Challenges and Instability
by Ryan Shaffer
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Article
With the rise of Islamic extremism in Pakistan, the country not only has to protect people from fraudulent healers but also has the challenge of protecting these fraudsters from violence.
Greek Government Takes Action against Maker of Nanobionic Clothing
by Simon Davis
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
News & Comment
Following an investigation published by journalists Kostas Vaxevanis and Stefanos Gogos, the General Consumer Secretariat (GCS), a Greek government agency, ordered the immediate removal of key health and product claims by Viotech Ltd., makers of the Nanobionic clothing line.
States of Mind: Some Perceived ET Encounters
by Joe Nickell
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Investigative Files
Together, as we shall see, these cases illustrate that UFOlogy continues its long tradition of mystery mongering and the implicit reliance on a logical fallacy called “arguing from ignorance”: “We don’t know what was seen in the sky; therefore, it must have been an extraterrestrial craft.”
Curse That Painting!
by Massimo Polidoro
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Notes on a Strange World
Paranormal legends about paintings have always existed. Some think that a picture falling off the wall represents a bad omen for the person depicted or photographed in it. Others feel watched by some portraits whose eyes seem to follow onlookers as they move through a room. And still others claim that paintings can come alive...
How to Get Something from Nothing
by Mark Alford
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Book Review
A review of A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss.
A Book of Stories that Happened to a Friend ...
by Ben Radford
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Book Review
A review of Encyclopedia of Urban Legends: Updated and Expanded Edition by Jan Harold Brunvand.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
A Golden Age of Harmony? Misrepresenting Science and History in the 1001 Inventions Exhibit
by Taner Edis and Sonja Brentjes
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Article
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
The Higgs Boson and the Future of Physics
by Marvin M. Mueller
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Commentary
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Phrenology’s Lessons for Today
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
From the Editor
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Singularity As Pseudoscience
by Massimo Pigliucci
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Thinking About Science
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
National Geographic’s Chasing UFOs—‘Investigation as Farce’
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Psychic Vibrations
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Exorcising Exercise
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Science Watch
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Mystery Solved—According to Whom?
by Ben Radford
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Skeptical Inquiree
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Not So Smart Thinking
by Daniel Grassam
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Book Review
A review of You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself by David McRaney.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Four Realms of Inquiry
by Richard Bond
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Book Review
A review of Handling Truth by William Gardner.
Available in the Print Edition. Subscribe Here.
Aztec Saucer Crash Story Rises from the Dead?
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 36.6, November/December 2012
Book Review
A review of The Aztec Incident by Scott Ramsey, Suzanne Ramsey, Frank Thayer, and Frank Warren.
