Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Susan Gerbic Recaps the 2025 Triangle SkeptiCamp. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/triangle-skepticamp-2025/ About the Author: Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the cofounder of Monterey County Skeptics and a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. Susan is also founder of the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW)...

Nick Tiller draws a compelling parallel between dietary supplements and slot machines: both are cheap to produce, highly profitable, and widely consumed despite offering questionable returns. Fish oil supplements, among the most popular, are critically examined through five key concerns. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/five-things-you-...

Stuart Vyse reports on how the popular podcast The Telepathy Tapes , which promotes debunked pseudoscientific methods of communication among nonspeaking autistic individuals—including telepathy—attempted to silence critics with a copyright claim. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-telepathy-tapes-tries-to-silence-a-critic-and-fails/ A...

Nick Tiller unpacks how wellness influencers and companies scapegoat seed oils to sell overpriced alternatives, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting claims that seed oils are harmful. He argues that the attack on seed oils is part of a broader anti-science narrative driven by identity-based marketing, profit motives, and distrust of mainstream health institutions. Read this article and...

In this "flashback" episode of Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition, Rob Palmer reads an article from his "The Well-Known Skeptic" online column at skepticalinquirer.org, originally published on January 8, 2020.  Palmer recounts a frustrating museum tour at the Museo de Sitio Intiñan near Quito, Ecuador, where guides perform pseudoscientific demonstrations—like water draining in different directions o...

Stuart Vyse's investigation into the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) reveals an organization, once rich in both assets and history, that has all but collapsed.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-demise-of-the-american-society-for-psychical-research/ About the Author: Stuart Vyse is a psychologist and author of Believin...

Stephen reflects on a investigative career in memory of Joe Nickell. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/04/joe-nickell-leaves-a-legacy-of-intrigue-and-solved-mysteries/ About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer . He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor of Clinical Child & School Psychology at Southern Il...

In late 2024 and early 2025, reports of mysterious drone swarms over New Jersey and U.S. military bases triggered widespread media coverage and public concern, culminating in official statements from the Air Force and President Trump. Skeptical investigator Mick West debunked many of these sightings—often just misidentified planes—by promoting the need for "DTLs" (date, time, and location) to veri...

Pseudoscientific claims that chemotherapy kills more than it saves are dangerously misleading; in reality, chemotherapy has significantly improved survival rates for numerous cancers, including childhood leukemia and HER2-positive breast cancer. Rejecting evidence-based treatments in favor of "natural" alternatives drastically increases the risk of death, a trend driven by wellness industry disinf...

Vazquez and Trecek-King discuss the importance of epistemic vigilance—critical thinking about our beliefs and biases—to combat misinformation. They emphasize that while educators work to teach students to evaluate claims and sources, the more difficult challenge is addressing our own vulnerabilities to misinformation, and suggests that critical thinking should be integrated not only in schools but...

William Matthew London discusses the concept of "numerical hygiene," a term he uses to promote quantitative reasoning and numeracy in daily decision-making. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/04/numerical-hygiene-lessons-critical-thinking-and-the-central-tendency-fallacy/ About the Author: William Matthew London is a  professor of public healt...

Timothy J. Redmond recounts his journey from conspiracy belief to critical thinking advocate, which inspired him to develop a high school course teaching teens how to think skeptically and avoid cognitive pitfalls. The course, structured in seven units, covers topics such as cognitive biases, evaluating information sources, and the importance of skepticism and intellectual humility in forming well...

Bill Nye was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden on January 4, 2025, honoring his work as a science educator and advocate for reason and critical thinking. Nye credited his World War II veteran parents for inspiring his values, emphasizing the importance of applying reason and progress to today's challenges. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https:...

Stephen Hupp introduces the special section on critical thinking in education by highlighting David McRaney's contributions and background, then shares his own experience teaching a university course on pseudoscience. He encourages readers—especially students and educators—to engage in critical thinking by writing letters to the editor and submitting photos of questionable claims for a chance to b...

David McRaney reflects on his experience at CSICon 2024 and the personal journey that led him to the skeptical movement, emphasizing the importance of passing on critical thinking skills in an era of misinformation and AI-generated content. He introduces a special section in Skeptical Inquirer highlighting modern educators and communicators teaching critical thinking across age groups, from childr...

Critikid explores how teaching children to recognize "mind illusions" like optical illusions, counterintuitive puzzles, and Bayesian inference can cultivate critical thinking by showing that intuition isn't always reliable. Through fun activities such as the Monty Hall game and the Bat and Ball puzzle, the author emphasizes the value of slow, analytical thought over instinctive judgment. Read this...

Steve Trash launched Media Masters Rock , a creative campaign to teach kids critical thinking about social media using superhero themes, catchy rules, and educational videos. Collaborating with experts and a beatbox musician, he developed songs, posters, and study guides—all freely available online—to help kids engage thoughtfully and responsibly with digital content. Read this article and find ac...

In this "flashback" episode of Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition, Rob Palmer reads an article from his "The Well-Known Skeptic" online column at skepticalinquirer.org, originally published on April 9, 2019. In the article, Palmer discusses the persistent problem of psychic medium frauds and their victims. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive...

Houdini, a passionate skeptic and debunker of Spiritualism, was likely dismayed by claims that Abraham Lincoln participated in séances. In this issue of Skeptical Inquirer , historian Jason Emerson explores Houdini's investigation into Lincoln's alleged belief in spirit communication, while Jim Underdown reports on recent attempts to win CFI's $500,000 paranormal challenge. Read this article and f...

Craig A. Foster argues that astrology perpetuates harmful stereotypes and discrimination by encouraging people to make assumptions about others based on their zodiac signs, such as in romantic relationships or hiring decisions. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/emcosmic-love-em-astrology-popularizes-stereotyping-and-discrimination/ About t...

Benjamin Radford describes a study claiming that original art stimulates the brain more than reproductions, which gained widespread media attention but had several methodological flaws.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/the-case-of-the-sketchy-study-about-authentic-art/ About the Author: Benjamin Radford, M.Ed., is a scientific paranormal...

Andrea Love explains how mRNA vaccines are not gene therapy because mRNA does not alter DNA or enter the cell nucleus. However, gene therapy itself is a legitimate medical advancement aimed at treating genetic disorders, and fear surrounding it is largely driven by misinformation and a lack of understanding of molecular biology. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepti...

Mick West examines how misleading graphs and conspiracy theories about election fraud resurface, fueled by seemingly ridiculous claims that escape scrutiny. Drawing parallels to UFO conspiracies and advance-fee scams, he highlights how absurdity can be a tactic to both attract believers and deter debunking, allowing discredited theories to persist and resurface over time. Read this article and fin...

Blumner critiques the influence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates on science funding, arguing that these policies prioritize ideological conformity over scientific merit. She highlights examples of federal grant requirements emphasizing DEI goals and warns that politicizing research funding undermines trust in science, particularly in a polarized climate. Read this article and fin...

Stephen Hupp reports from CSICon 2024. Read this article and find accompanying references at:  https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/is-biological-sex-binary-or-multifactorial/ Further Reading Coyne, Jerry. 2024. Vegas, CSICon, sex and nooz. Why Evolution Is True (October 26). Online at https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2024/10/26/vegas-csicon-sex-and-nooz/ . Novella, Steven. 2024. A discussion about...