Skeptical Inquirer

Skeptical Inquirer I know of no greater antidote to pseudoscience than the contents of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. Neil deGrasse Tyson
(656)

07/25/2025

If you're in the Chicagoland area, you can see Susan Gerbic and Glenn Branch this Sunday as part of Chicago Skepticamp 2025.
Click the link for details!

Multitenant Web Application

"So, it bears asking: Is AI-enabled fake news a problem of supply or demand? And who has the power to diminish or increa...
07/25/2025

"So, it bears asking: Is AI-enabled fake news a problem of supply or demand? And who has the power to diminish or increase it?"

AI-enabled misinformation is not merely a failure of facts. Regulation can help slow the supply. But unless we address the demand side—the human hunger for stories that soothe or confirm—we will be fighting a shadow.

Starting soon! Journalist Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling joins Skeptical Inquirer Presents at 7pm ET to unravel how paranormal...
07/24/2025

Starting soon! Journalist Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling joins Skeptical Inquirer Presents at 7pm ET to unravel how paranormal grifters (Bigfoot hunters, ghost chasers, UFO truthers) are hijacking public trust in science.

It's not just fringe anymore. It’s mainstream. It’s profitable.

This one’s free, online, and happening in ONE HOUR:

Science has advanced enormously in the past 500 years, guided by experimental tests of theory and practice. In that same time, science teaching and education—guided primarily by tradition and dogma—has remained largely medieval. Carl Wieman will discuss research from university classrooms that r...

The story includes quotes from CFI Director of Education Bertha Vazquez and CSI Fellow Glenn Branch.
07/24/2025

The story includes quotes from CFI Director of Education Bertha Vazquez and CSI Fellow Glenn Branch.

Climate.gov is at risk of being mothballed or turned into a site for disinformation, leaving educators to search for alternative tools.

In her new “Letters to America” column for Skeptical Inquirer, Wendy Grossman considers the mythology of historic buildi...
07/24/2025

In her new “Letters to America” column for Skeptical Inquirer, Wendy Grossman considers the mythology of historic buildings and various sites claiming to be "The Oldest Pub in Britain."

James Wright thinks there are a couple of dozen pubs claiming to be “the oldest pub in Britain.” Most regions have a claimant; the two closest to his Nottin ...

Quantum mysticism is the zombie idea that won’t die. In Quanta in Distress, physicist and skeptic Sadri Hassani picks ap...
07/23/2025

Quantum mysticism is the zombie idea that won’t die. In Quanta in Distress, physicist and skeptic Sadri Hassani picks apart the pseudoscientific nonsense that’s latched onto quantum physics like a parasite.

Taner Edis reviews the book for Skeptical Inquirer, asking why physicists ever gave these ideas oxygen in the first place:

Quanta in Distress: How New Age Gurus Kidnapped Quantum Physics. By Sadri Hassani. Springer, 2024. In pop culture, quantum has come to mean magic. Because I ...

"The authors were surprised to discover that not only are conspiracy theorists overconfident, they also don't realize th...
07/23/2025

"The authors were surprised to discover that not only are conspiracy theorists overconfident, they also don't realize their beliefs are on the fringe, massively overestimating by as much as a factor of four how much other people agree with them."

Gordon Pennycook: “It might be one of the biggest false consensus effects that’s been observed.”…

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is undoing public health from the inside out. Mass firings. Vaccine advisory panels gutted. Budget...
07/22/2025

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr is undoing public health from the inside out. Mass firings. Vaccine advisory panels gutted. Budget cuts to scientific research. This isn’t fringe ideology anymore. It’s federal policy.

And the consequences for science, for medicine, for all of us, will last long after the headlines fade. Read The Guardian's breakdown:

Experts warn that the dangerous ideologically driven cuts at HHS will have long-term consequences for healthcare

"[B]ehind its polished branding and influencer endorsements lies a darker reality: This movement no longer just peddles ...
07/22/2025

"[B]ehind its polished branding and influencer endorsements lies a darker reality: This movement no longer just peddles ineffective supplements and dubious diagnostics; it’s actively undermining science-based health policy"

In recent years, the $6.3 trillion global “wellness” industry has marketed itself as a liberating alternative to conventional medicine, promising empowerment, “natural” health, and personal control. It taps into public distrust of government institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, and mai...

On this episode of New Mexico Strange, KRQE News 13 anchor Chad Brummett talks with Skeptical Inquirer's Ben Radford abo...
07/22/2025

On this episode of New Mexico Strange, KRQE News 13 anchor Chad Brummett talks with Skeptical Inquirer's Ben Radford about the urban legends around organ harvesting.

NEW MEXICO (KRQE)— Organ harvesting legends are a staple of horror films, but do they really happen? On this episode of New Mexico Strange, KRQE News 13 Host and Anchor Chad Brummett sat down …

“The current administration is waging a war on science,” warned Celine Gounder, a professor of medicine and an infectiou...
07/21/2025

“The current administration is waging a war on science,” warned Celine Gounder, a professor of medicine and an infectious disease expert at New York University.

Experts warn that the dangerous ideologically driven cuts at HHS will have long-term consequences for healthcare

A local TV station offers an update on Kevin Plantan, whose story was the focus of a 2024 Skeptical Inquirer article by ...
07/18/2025

A local TV station offers an update on Kevin Plantan, whose story was the focus of a 2024 Skeptical Inquirer article by Stuart Vyse titled "A Life Shattered by Pseudoscience."

Kevin Plantan recalled an utter shock when he was arrested by the Hanover County Sheriff's Office for alleged s*x crimes against his own daughter.

Address

Amherst, NY

Telephone

+17166361425

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Skeptical Inquirer posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Skeptical Inquirer:

Shortcuts

Share

Category