The Haunted Brain

The Haunted Brain

by Richard Wiseman
Skeptical Inquirer · Feature · Volume 35.5

Reports of alleged ghostly activity tell us a great deal about the innermost workings of our brains.

The Perpetual Quest

The Perpetual Quest

by Dimitry Rotstein
Skeptical Inquirer · Feature · Volume 35.5

How to make a perpetual motion device and live to tell about it.

The Life and Death of ‘Living God’ Sathya Sai Baba

The Life and Death of ‘Living God’ Sathya Sai Baba

by Ryan Shaffer
Skeptical Inquirer · Special Report · Volume 35.5

Sathya Sai Baba, a living god for nearly forty million people, died in April. He had a nine-billion-dollar organization and religious centers throughout the world. Who was Baba? Why was he thought to be a god?

In Search of the Emerald Grail

In Search of the Emerald Grail

by Joe Nickell
Skeptical Inquirer · Investigative Files · Volume 35.5

Il Sacro Catino, “The Holy Basin,” is one of the most famous embodiments of the legendary “Holy Grail,” and I was able to study both it and its legend there in the fall of 2009, attempting to resolve some of the mysteries and controversies concerning it.

Selling Stem Cell Hype

Selling Stem Cell Hype

by Steven Novella
Skeptical Inquirer · The Science of Medicine · Volume 35.5

Stem cells have tremendous potential, and they will likely be playing an increasing role in medical therapies over the next twenty years. But reality has yet to catch up with the hype.

(No) Escape from Alcatraz

(No) Escape from Alcatraz

by Karen Stollznow
The Good Word
December 5, 2011

Yet another claimant to the title of America’s “most haunted” place, Alcatraz certainly reigns as one of the world’s most notorious jails.