Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Kenny Biddle reports from CSICon 2024. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/changing-minds-through-critical-thinking/ About the Author: Kenny Biddle is a science enthusiast who investigates claims of paranormal experiences, equipment, photos, and video. He promotes science, critical thinking, and skepticism through his blog I Am Kenny Biddle...

Bertha Vazquez reports from CSICon 2024. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/real-world-harms-from-pseudoscience-and-science-denial/ About the Author: Bertha Vazquez has been teaching middle school science in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 24 years. She has BA in Biology from the University of Miami and a Master's in Science Education...

Stephen Hupp reports from CSICon 2024. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/we-saw-the-brightest-stars-shine-at-csicon-2024/ 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 Illinois University Edwardsville. Subscribe t...

Health news is increasingly driven by hype, as journalists often fail to critically assess studies, relying instead on press releases that exaggerate or misrepresent findings. The demand for frequent, attention-grabbing content—especially in wellness reporting—leads to sensationalized headlines, legitimization of pseudoscience, and a lack of scientific nuance, ultimately misleading the public abou...

Historian Jason Emerson explores claims that Abraham Lincoln was a believer in Spiritualism, which gained traction due to Mary Lincoln's participation in séances following their son's death. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/harry-houdini-debunked-claims-of-abraham-lincolns-spiritualism/ About the Author: Jason Emerson is an award-winning...

John Cook discusses the dangers of misinformation in shaping beliefs and behaviors, particularly regarding climate change, and highlights the limitations of fact-checking alone. It introduces logic-checking as a complementary method to identify logical fallacies and hidden premises in misleading arguments, advocating for logic-based inoculation to counter misinformation effectively. Read this arti...

Amardeo Sarma critiques common misconceptions about nuclear energy and its role in combating climate change. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/12/unmasking-the-claims-of-the-antinuclear-movement-climate-health-and-energy-at-the-crossroads/ About the Author: Amardeo Sarma is a fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for Ske...

Floe Foxon examines cases where alleged evidence for cryptids, such as African dinosaurs, lake monsters, sea serpents, and mystery big cats, mysteriously vanishes or proves inconclusive.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/12/fringe-zoology-the-inconvenience-of-disappearing-evidence/ About the Author: Floe Foxon has a degree in physics with as...

Ronald Crouch reflects on the challenge of teaching his young son critical thinking in an era saturated with misinformation. He shares insights from research, debunking the common belief that young children are incapable of critical thinking, showing that even toddlers display early signs of skepticism and scientific reasoning. Crouch suggests practical activities for parents to nurture critical t...

Massimo Pigliucci explores the common thread between pseudoscience and pseudophilosophy: "bullshit," as defined by philosopher Harry Frankfurt. Pigliucci argues that both disciplines involve epistemic failures, where truth and evidence are disregarded in favor of pretension, with pseudoscience mimicking scientific rigor and pseudophilosophy offering false intellectual depth. He emphasizes the role...

Mick West discusses modern techniques for analyzing UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) videos, emphasizing the importance of original video quality, metadata retention, and accurate enhancement methods to avoid misinformation. By leveraging public datasets, flight tracking tools, and open-source software like Sitrec for situational recreation, analysts aim to identify plausible natural or huma...

Richard Dawkins' The Genetic Book of the Dead explores the rich interconnectedness of evolution, illustrating how the traits and behaviors of living organisms are "palimpsests" revealing the stories of their ancestors. Blending scientific insight with curiosity and imagination, Dawkins emphasizes the wonder of genes as time-traveling entities shaping life, all while inviting readers to ponder prof...

Mann and Hotez identify three interconnected threats to humanity: climate change, pandemics, and anti-science campaigns and highlight the increasing environmental and health challenges exacerbated by misinformation and political attacks on science, urging immediate global action to combat these existential risks. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/...

Stephen Hupp introduces the guest editor for the 250th issue of Skeptical Inquirer : Bill Nye! Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/12/bill-nye-the-climate-guy-guest-edits-a-special-section-in-our-250th-issue/ About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer . He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor of Clinical C...

The Berkshire UFO incident of 1969, which allegedly involved hundreds of witnesses and reports of abductions in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, is re-examined with a skeptical perspective. Benjamin Radford suggests that inconsistencies, lack of corroborating evidence, and psychological explanations—like false memories and suggestive influences—cast doubt on the claims, highlighting the story's al...

This article argues that so-called alternative medicine (SCAM), though often perceived as harmless, can cause harm on multiple levels, including physical health risks, financial costs, and societal impacts. The author, Edzard Ernst, emphasizes that SCAM's benefits are generally minimal, making its risks—ranging from misdiagnosis to promoting fallacies in thinking—significant factors for consumers...

Pigliucci discusses the concept of "semi-fake news," misinformation that arises from the distortion of factual content rather than outright fabrication. Researchers Musi and Reed's study on misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights how logical fallacies, cognitive biases, and social media trends contribute to this issue, recommending critical thinking education as a key defense. Read...

The Cass Review, a report commissioned by the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, raises significant concerns about the rapid medicalization of gender dysphoria treatment for minors. The review's recommendations for a more measured approach contrast with practices in the United States, where early medical interventions remain largely endorsed, underscoring the need for clearer guideline...

Bertha Vazquez highlights CFI's Generation Skeptics program, which supports teachers by providing resources that address the influence of personal beliefs on critical thinking, aiming to better equip students to evaluate misinformation and pseudoscience. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/10/critical-thinking-in-the-classroom-how-cfis-generati...

Melanie Trecek-King explores the concept of critical thinking in education, challenging conventional approaches that prioritize content knowledge over broader thinking skills essential for navigating misinformation. She advocates for a focus on teaching students how to evaluate information critically and to understand science as a process of reliable knowledge acquisition, emphasizing the role of...

Daniel Meyer explores the sensational claims connecting the Amityville Horror house to historical witchcraft, specifically the alleged involvement of John Ketchum and his lineage in the Salem witch trials. The article argues that these connections are largely unfounded, as genealogical research reveals the Ketcham family left Massachusetts long before the trials, with little evidence supporting th...

Mathieu Beau explores the complex relationship between science, progress, and conservation, challenging the perception that science is inherently progressive. Through the examples of prominent scientists like Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, it argues that scientific advancement often preserves foundational ideas while evolving, highlighting the complementarity between progress and conservation rat...

Stephen Hupp reflects on how pro-science messages are missing from campaign buttons, despite America's founding presidents having embraced scientific principles. Hupp introduces Timothy J. Redmond's research showing that both political parties sometimes stray from scientific consensus, urging readers to prioritize science over party loyalty in their beliefs—and even to wear pro-science buttons to...

Timothy J. Redmond discusses the partisan divide in attitudes toward science, with each political side selectively trusting or rejecting scientific findings. Redmond proposes five strategies to help individuals prioritize scientific evidence over political alignment, aiming to foster a bipartisan commitment to scientific truth for more informed decision-making. Read this article and find accompany...

Psychologist Stuart Vyse describes his trip to London as part of his "Skeptics Tour of..." series. On this trip, he visits sites relevant to skeptics and science enthusiasts in the cities of London and Cambridge including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Freud Museum, and more! Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/science...