Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Mark Boslough critiques how fringe science like the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis slips into peer-reviewed journals through inadequate scrutiny, despite being debunked by experts. He argues that credibility depends on competence and honesty, warning that misconduct and pseudoscience persist when red flags are ignored. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquir...

Susan Gerbic dismantles claims that psychic Tyler Henry predicted Ricki Lake's house fire, showing that his actual reading pointed to a past event and emphasized water damage, not a future blaze. She argues Lake and the media retrofitted his vague statements into a "hit," illustrating how grief and sensationalism fuel belief in psychics. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https...

Daniel A. Reed revisits the bizarre 1968 tale of the "Vegetable Man" of West Virginia, a plant-like creature said to have attacked a local hunter. Ultimately, the story—reported only by a single witness and publicized by known hoaxer Gray Barker—appears far more like a fabricated tall tale than genuine cryptid encounter. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinqui...

Craig A. Foster and Kelsey M. McGinn revisit a 1979 Skeptical Inquirer story about a missing red panda in the Netherlands, where false public sightings emerged even after the animal was confirmed dead. They argue this "red panda effect" illustrates how human error and memory distortions can generate sincere but false testimony, a key lesson for evaluating claims like Bigfoot. Read this article and...

Robyn Blumner celebrates Barry Karr's retirement after forty-four years at CSI, calling him the tireless backbone who kept skepticism thriving through leadership, conferences, and creative outreach. Through anecdotes and tributes, she highlights his humor, dedication, and behind-the-scenes work that made him an unsung hero of the skeptical movement. Read this article and find accompanying referenc...

Barry Karr, longtime executive director of CSI, built the skeptical movement by exposing frauds like Popoff and Geller while organizing conferences that united science communicators worldwide. His greatest legacy lies in fostering collaboration, community, and global outreach that will continue to strengthen skepticism beyond his retirement. Read this article and find accompanying references at: h...

Curtis E. Margo warns that today's unregulated stem cell clinics mirror the quackery of the past, from Elisha Perkins's bogus "tractors" to modern snake-oil medicine. He argues consumers must stay vigilant, verifying FDA approval and relying on rigorous clinical trials before trusting new medical procedures. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/...

Benjamin Radford debunks popular myths about habituation, including the chained dog and boiled frog stories, showing they are inaccurate metaphors often misused in politics, business, and culture. While habituation is real in psychology, these animal myths rely on slippery-slope reasoning and bad science—so skeptics should reject them and leave the dogs and frogs alone. Read this article and find...

Mick West examines the history and criticism of the "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" maxim, showing how its vagueness invites accusations of unfairness from UFOlogists and parapsychologists. He argues that skeptics should move beyond catchphrases and instead apply Hume's principle of proportioning belief to evidence, stressing that claims violating established science demand e...

Dan Wilson explains how proposed 44% cuts to NIH funding could devastate lifesaving research and stall future medical breakthroughs. He highlights past NIH-supported discoveries like CRISPR and Gleevec that have already transformed deadly diseases into treatable conditions. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/08/nih-funding-cuts-hurt-basic-rese...

Bill Nye gave the following speech on March 7, 2025, as part of the Stand Up for Science rally held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/08/we-must-stand-up-for-science/ About the Author: Bill Nye (The Science Guy) is chief executive officer of The Planetary Society. He learned his love of...

Skeptical Inquirer editor Stephen Hupp previews issue (Vol. 49, No. 5) of the magazine titled The Disturbing Attacks on Science: Science Communicators Fight Back. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/08/science-saves-lives-but-science-is-under-attack/ About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer . He is a Licensed Clinica...

Stuart Vyse explores new research showing that the long-dismissed "hot hand" in sports may be real once shot difficulty is considered, vindicating athletes' experiences. In contrast, the gambler's fallacy remains alive and well, but recent studies reveal it stems from decision-making biases rather than an inability to understand probabilities, leaving psychologists with fresh questions to investig...

A long-lost manuscript commissioned by Harry Houdini, The Cancer of Superstition , has finally been published a century after it was written. Though the core text is brief, it offers surprising insights into enduring patterns of belief—and missed opportunities for historical context. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/houdinis-lost-manusc...

Science writer Nick Tiller critiques lifestyle magazines for promoting pseudoscience under the guise of empowerment, highlighting how superficial gestures toward skepticism mask an industry driven by profit and gendered consumerism. By mocking only fringe "woo" while protecting lucrative wellness trends, these outlets distort critical thinking and undermine public health. Read this article and fin...

Peter Barglow critiques what he calls the "direct experience fallacy" in psychedelic research, warning that personal experiences with ketamine and MDMA can bias scientific judgment and undermine research validity. While acknowledging promising findings, he emphasizes the need for rigorous methodology and caution in light of the significant psychological and physiological risks associated with thes...

Biomedical scientist Andrea Love highlights the inconsistency in public acceptance of genetic engineering—embraced in medicine but often rejected in agriculture. She argues that the same scientific tools used to treat cancer and genetic diseases can also save lives through innovations like Golden Rice, and warns that misinformation and ideology are blocking progress where it's needed most. Read th...

Taner Edis reviews  Quanta in Distress: How New Age Gurus Kidnapped Quantum Physics by Sadri Hassani. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/calling-out-quantum-woo/ About the Author: Taner Edis is a professor of physics at Truman State University. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ Skeptical Inquirer Audi...

Joe Nickell's final "Investigative Files" column critically examines the canonization of Carlo Acutis, a tech-savvy teen dubbed the first millennial saint. Nickell explores Acutis's fascination with Eucharistic miracles and challenges the legitimacy of the "miraculous" healings attributed to him, arguing instead for rational, evidence-based explanations. Read this article and find accompanying ref...

Foster and Miller travel to Summer 1979, volume 3 number 4 of Skeptical Inquirer in the latest edition of The Time Warp! Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/full-moon-full-wards-how-science-craters-that-lunar-link/ About the Authors: Craig A. Foster is a CSI fellow and the director of research and evaluation at Northshore School District in...

Talia Felix, a contributor to the Online Etymology Dictionary , explores the widespread misunderstanding of etymology—not just as a confusion with "entomology," but as a belief that words contain hidden, mystical truths. This outdated notion assumes language was divinely assigned and that etymology can unlock secret meanings, a view long discarded by modern linguistics. Felix critiques the pseudol...

Jay Novella reflects on the 20-year journey of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU) and its founding force, his brother Dr. Steven Novella. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/the-force-behind-the-skeptics-guide-to-the-universe/ About the Author: Jay Novella is a skeptic, podcaster, and coauthor who's been fighting pseudoscience since d...

Cara Santa Maria reflects on two decades of debunking health pseudoscience as a cohost of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU). From bleach-based "cures" like Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) to enduring myths such as homeopathy, chiropractic, detoxes, and anti-vaccine rhetoric, she tracks the dangerous persistence and evolution of medical quackery. Read this article and find accompanying refer...

Steven Novella reflects on the evolution of the modern skeptical movement, particularly through the lens of his own decades-long involvement and the 20-year success of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast, which recently celebrated its 1,000th episode. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/after-decades-of-skepticism-how-are-we-doing/ A...

Stephen Hupp reflects on his admiration for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU) podcast and envisions what it might look like as a magazine. That idea became reality in a special issue of Skeptical Inquirer celebrating SGU's milestones: its 1,000th episode and 20th anniversary. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/06/celebrating-our-skepti...