Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Fifty years after James Randi helped popularize modern skepticism, pseudoscientific beliefs remain persistent "unsinkable rubber duckies," with ideas like astrology and UFOs continuing to resurface despite decades of debunking. While organized skepticism has successfully diminished some claims, the ongoing fight shows both meaningful progress and the enduring challenge of confronting misinformatio...

The Artemis II mission's detailed images of the Moon found no evidence of the alien structures and "skyfish" phenomena long claimed by UFO enthusiasts like Jose Escamilla , reinforcing scientific explanations over extraordinary claims. Benjamin Radford uses this case to illustrate how pareidolia and misinterpreted visual data can fuel conspiracy theories, underscoring the importance of skepticism...

The disappearance of Nancy Guthrie has generated widespread attention, but the failure of psychics to provide actionable help—despite their claims—highlights a critical gap between asserted abilities and real-world results. Benjamin Radford argues that this silence exposes both the lack of evidence for psychic powers and an ethical inconsistency, suggesting that verifiable, testable predictions ar...

Acupuncture research from China shows an implausibly high rate of positive results, driven by systemic bias, poor methodology, and powerful cultural and political incentives that shield the practice from critical scrutiny. Rather than banning such studies outright, the article argues for stricter research standards and greater skepticism to prevent distorted evidence from shaping global health pol...

Stuart Vyse reports that Penn & Teller have filed an amicus brief urging the United States Supreme Court to review the conviction of death row inmate Charles Don Flores , arguing it relied on unreliable "junk science" in the form of investigative hypnosis.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/magicians-penn-teller-file-brief-in-junk-scienc...

Alejandro Borgo traces the history of parapsychology, from its origins with the Fox sisters and the spiritualist movement to the formalization of research by Joseph Banks Rhine, who attempted to study telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis using experimental protocols and statistical analysis. Despite decades of experimentation worldwide, including rigorous attempts at replicatio...

In this article, Anthony G. Wheeler examines a surge of Reiki studies published in Turkey, arguing that they promote a scientifically implausible form of "energy medicine" without addressing its lack of evidential basis or considering alternative explanations such as placebo effects and patient attention. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusiv...

In this review of The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker , Terence Hines explores Barker's complex role in shaping UFO mythology from the 1950s through the 1980s. Barker is credited with popularizing the Men in Black, the Philadelphia Experiment, and Mothman, blending fact, fiction, and mischief in a career that influenced UFO culture more than scientific under...

In this review of The Conjuring: Last Rites , Kenny Biddle examines the film's claim to be "inspired" by the Smurl family haunting and finds that it bears virtually no resemblance to the documented case. Drawing on interviews, contemporary reporting, and the book The Haunted , he details how Ed and Lorraine Warren promoted sensational claims while offering no physical evidence and blocking scienti...

Andrea Love argues that the "paraben panic" began with a deeply flawed 2004 study and was amplified by media sensationalism, chemophobia, and low science literacy—despite decades of robust evidence showing that parabens are safe, weakly biologically active preservatives used at minuscule levels. Read this article and find accompanying references at: skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/the-paraben-panic-...

Reflecting on fifty years of Skeptical Inquirer , Craig A. Foster finds that skepticism's core mission has remained remarkably consistent: confronting enduring pseudoscientific claims that rely heavily on arguments from ignorance and rarely gain credible evidence over time. While skeptics often feel disappointed by the persistence of credulity, he argues that meaningful progress will require broad...

Robyn E. Blumner reflects on the mistaken beliefs and cultural fads she once experimented with—from religion and astrology to Ouija boards and Erich von Däniken's ancient astronaut claims—recalling how easily even curious, intelligent people can be taken in. Crediting scientific critics such as Carl Sagan and the rise of the organized skeptical movement, she argues that valuing evidence over comfo...

Massimo Polidoro recounts the early 1970s efforts by James Randi, Martin Gardner, and Ray Hyman to create what would eventually become CSICOP, revealing that the modern skeptical movement began not with a clear structure but with strategic debates over tone, mission, funding, and even its name. Long before it had a public identity, the group wrestled with how to promote rigorous evaluation of para...

Benjamin Radford argues that while many conspiracy theories may seem like harmless entertainment, they contain an embedded narrative of hidden enemies that can foster mistrust, alienation, and, in some cases, justify violence or harmful policy decisions. He contends that the real danger arises when conspiracy beliefs—especially when clustered together and amplified by confirmation bias—are acted u...

In the wake of widespread drone scares across Europe—sparked by war in Ukraine and fears of Russian "hybrid warfare"—Mick West examines how airport shutdowns, military alerts, and even assassination rumors were driven largely by eyewitness misidentifications of ordinary aircraft and lights in the sky. Drawing on investigative work from his Metabunk community and video recreations using flight data...

Melanie Trecek-King recounts her visit to a Bigfoot museum run by a committed believer and uses the experience to explore how pseudoscience and science denial operate.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/this-isnt-about-bigfoot/ About the Author: Melanie Trecek-King is an associate professor of biology at Massasoit Community College. Her we...

Skeptical Inquirer  editor Stephen Hupp introduces new columns appearing for the first time in the latest issue of the magazine, The Chroniclers of Curiosity. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/cheers-to-our-columnists/ About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer . He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professo...

Nick Tiller recounts how a widely publicized study claiming homeopathic care dramatically reduced illness in newborns—published in the  European Journal of Pediatrics —was later retracted after skeptics exposed serious methodological flaws, bias, and ethical concerns. He argues that the paper's lack of blinding, weak controls, and implausible biological basis reflect systemic problems in peer revi...

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed proponents and users of Spelling to Communicate—a discredited variant of facilitated communication—to the federal government's top autism advisory panel. Stuart Vyse argues that endorsing these scientifically debunked methods promotes pseudoscience, offers false hope to families, and undermines evidence-based support for people with autism. Read th...

Benjamin Radford shows how innumeracy and poor media literacy can amplify controversy—and why skepticism is a vital safeguard against such traps. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/dilbert-dilemma-the-tragic-innumeracy-of-scott-adams/ About the Author: Benjamin Radford, M.Ed., is a scientific paranormal investigator, a research fellow at...

Stephen Hupp details the schedule for CSICon 2026, the 50th annviersary conference of the Committee of Skeptical Inquiry held June 11-14, 2026, in this the second of a two part preview of the conference. Register now at csiconference.org . Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/get-the-most-out-of-csicon-part-2-celebrate-our-history-chart-our...

Susan Gerbic investigates UK performer "Psychic Medium Dean," presenting detailed evidence that he relies on hot reading—researching ticket buyers through direct social media and payment interactions—rather than any paranormal ability. She argues that his methods exploit grief for profit and calls for greater public skepticism and controlled testing to expose such practices. Read this article and...

Chris French reviews The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience by Terence Hines. Rowman & Littlefield, 2025.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/a-sympathetic-understanding-of-paranormal-beliefs/ About the Author:  Chris French is professor of psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London. His latest book is Anomalistic Psychology: Explori...

Eugenie Scott recounts an early Bay Area Skeptics sting in which she posed as a blind woman to expose faith healer W.V. Grant's manipulative tactics and exploitation of vulnerable people. Reflecting on the success and limits of pre-internet skepticism, she argues that coordinated action and information sharing remain essential as skeptics confront enduring pseudoscientific scams in the decades ahe...

In this first installment of a two part article, Banachek traces his path to collaborating with Randi on Project Alpha, illustrating how poor scientific controls and investigator bias allowed simple magic tricks to masquerade as psychic phenomena—and why Randi's skepticism mattered. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/my-memories-of-the-amaz...