Skeptical Inquirer

06/24/2026

"[B]ecause exotic weirdness was perhaps more acceptable to the mainstream in premodern, less scientific times, we might benefit from taking a modern psychological look at such exotica in cases of the past.

"This brings us to the case of the greatly maligned cleric Fray Marcos de Niza, frequently called “The Lying Monk” by mainstream historians (and practically everybody else)."

We live in a fabulous world: amazing hidden civilizations, exotic unknown animals, and even bizarre human giants abound—at least, on our televisions. TV pro ...

06/24/2026

On February 5, 2026, CSI Chief Investigator Kenny Biddle traveled to Atchison, Kansas, to investigate the town’s most well-known (allegedly) haunted locations, including the 1889 McInteer Villa. You can read his full report here:

On February 5, 2026, I traveled to Atchison, Kansas, to investigate the town’s most well-known (allegedly) haunted locations, including the 1889 McInteer Vi ...

06/24/2026

In the new issue of Skeptical Inquirer, Massimo Pigliucci reflects on "The Fine Art of Baloney Detection—Sagan’s Essay Three Decades Later."

Three decades after the publication of Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World—let’s take a fresh look at one of Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit.

06/22/2026

Stephen Hupp writes: "Today, however, it still feels like we are living in darkness. Extraordinary claims abound. Extraordinary evidence is in short supply. As disheartening as it is, Sagan offered inspiration with this adage: 'It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.' So, that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do."

In 1987, Carl Sagan published a two-page article in Parade magazine titled “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection.” He picked Parade due to its readership (at t ...

06/22/2026

The July/August 2026 issue of Skeptical Inquirer is now available to read online! https://skepticalinquirer.org/volume/no-4-vol-50/

06/16/2026

Don't miss part three of our recap of this year's incredible CSICon - Skeptical Inquirer Conference. (Hopefully it'll get you excited about joining us next summer in Philadelphia!)

Even though Friday’s program went late into the night, the CSICon’s crowd was back at it bright and early on Saturday (fortunate, I suppose, that those of u ...

06/13/2026

Yesterday was a long and very busy day at CSICon 2026. Check out our recap of some of Friday's many highlights!

It wasn’t even nine a.m. when CSICon emcee Leighann Lord first took the stage, but the auditorium was already nearly full. Friday’s morning session would fo ...

06/12/2026

For those who can't be here in person, here's a recap from the first day of CSICon 2026 in Buffalo!

CSICon 2026 is an event fifty years in the making, the in-person capstone of the “golden anniversary” celebration for the organization–originally founded as ...

06/10/2026

Stuart Vyse appears in a new episode of ESPN’s "Sources Tell Jeff Passan" that looks at the deeply-ingrained presence of superstition in major league baseball. (Vyse’s segment starts around the 49-minute mark, if you want to fast forward).

Baseball has always been a game of routines, rituals, and maybe a l...

06/08/2026

What better time is there to talk about this topic with a lifelong UFO investigator than right now—in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “UFO files” release and during yet another round of claims that alien “Disclosure” is imminent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIjX8qIV_Os Several months ago, when I interviewed the hosts of the European Skeptics Podcast (ESP), I asked a question abou ...