Category: Skeptical Inquiree

Q: It seems that skeptics just debunk and naysay, but if they’re so confident in their explanations, why don’t they recreate the mystery and prove it? —A. J. Kitt A: This question was directed at me in the context of Florida’s famous Coral Castle (see this column, May/June 2006) but has appeared many other times …

Q: If the famous Patterson/Gimlin Bigfoot film is fake, as skeptics say, then why hasn’t anyone been able to duplicate it? —M. Morrow A: I’ve heard some version of this question dozens of times during my career as a monster investigator. I have investigated the best photographic evidence for several mysterious creatures—most prominently the 1977 …

Q: Have you heard about the “Buxom Ghost Girl” photo and the mysterious handprints at the Torquay Museum in England? What do you make of that? —Daniel M. A: I first heard about “Britain’s Sexiest Ghost” in early 2015 when the latest “spooky” ghost image circulated online. The photo was taken that May at the …

Q: I know that skeptical explanations for so-called “psychic surgery” involve sleight of hand, making blood and tissue appear on a patient, but how much blood could one successfully palm in the hand for such an act? In the video I’m providing, there seems to be quite a bit of blood on the person’s spine. …

Q: What do you know about the Bridgewater Triangle? I saw that the FX Network optioned a piece about it and planned a scripted series, which I’m not sure was developed. There are some stories here and there, but is anything active still happening? Is it worth doing a deep dig and trying to connect …

Q: How does a tornado explain the finding of a single species in some falls of frogs? Surely, the aerodynamics of the lift might sort for weight but not for species and genus. —L. Coleman A: For millennia, people have reported a rare and strange phenomenon: a sudden rain of frogs—or fish or worms—from the …

Q: Why doesn’t the paranormal community police itself better when it comes to scientific rigor and fraud? In many areas—including ghosts, cryptozoology, and UFOs—it seems that pretty much anything goes. —B. Baker A: This question hits on one of the key issues in critical analysis of mysterious and paranormal claims: Why—despite enormous amounts of time …

Q: I finished reading your Skeptical Inquirer article1 on BMI (“Bashing the BMI: A Closer Look at the Skeptics”). It’s a good piece; however, I feel compelled to point out a logical flaw. You wrote, “If anything, the fact that the BMI has been widely used for so long is actually evidence that it works—not …

Q: Have you done an investigation into pet acupuncture? What’s the story behind that? —M. Downey A: Pet acupuncture is not a topic that has gotten much specific attention from skeptics. It’s not widely practiced among professional veterinarians, though it does have its adherents. Many fields are inherently sketchy, acupuncture and psychic phenomena among them. …

Featured Image: Figure 1. New batteries to be tested at a supposedly haunted mansion in Clovis, California, the set for the show MysteryQuest: Return of the Amityville Horror. Photo by the author. Q: I’ve been mulling over a question for years: If batteries are supposed to be drained during ghost investigations because spirits use the …

Q: I understand that an early crop circle seems to be depicted in a famous seventeenth-century woodcut. What can you tell me about that? —C. Blennerhassett A: Crop circles first appeared in the English countryside about fifty years ago. The designs—simple circles at first that grew in size and complexity over time—were mostly formed in …

Q: Have you ever been skeptical about a finding or assertion, then did your own investigation only to have your conclusions further corroborate the initial assertion? If so, can you provide any examples? —Mike D. A: There are—or should be—many times in a person’s life when their initial skepticism about some claim or other was …

Q: What’s new with the chupacabra? I know you wrote the book on it, but what’s happened since then? Are there any new developments or sightings? —R. Vanover A: Monsters and cryptozoological curiosities are strange enough, but even among that elusive lot (Bigfoot, Nessie, Champ, etc.), the chupacabra is an odd duck (-sucking thing). Not …

Q: In researching reports of Mothman, I’ve found many references to the beast having glowing red eyes. Is that real?  —O. Elfenkamper A: Mothman is the name bestowed upon one or more mysterious flying creatures first reported in the small West Virginia town of Point Pleasant starting with several prominent sightings in November 1966 and …

Q: Have you ever investigated a haunting you could not explain or you thought was real? Have you ever seen a ghost? —D. Sheehan A: As a longtime investigator into ghostly phenomena (that is, phenomena attributed to ghosts not necessarily caused by ghosts), I’ve been asked some version of this question countless times. It’s a …

Q: It’s said that the best way to keep people down is to limit their access to education and knowledge, making it easier to control them. That seems to be what the government does. What do you think? —C. Griffin A: I was asked this question in mid-2019, accompanied by the news headline “Trump Administration …

Q: I’m a professor at Santa Clara University in California. Recently, I began researching whether all crop circles were humanmade and discovered a few that were clearly beyond the capacity of human authorship. I made an academic presentation (video) on this subject and would like to hear your reactions.  —Jerry K. A: I’ve investigated multiple …

Q:  Until this morning, I’d thought subliminal messages were prohibited by international and federal law. I’m sending this to all my friends in the United States and abroad. This is not a political issue; it’s a human rights issue. We’re all in danger. Please contact your representatives and tell them to enact legislation that prohibits subliminal messages. The Facebook …

Q: I’m curious as to what you think these two images could be of. They are screenshots I took from Google Earth and are off the coast of Borneo. —V. Corbett A: We can begin with what they’re least likely to be: something mysterious, such as a sea serpent or top-secret experimental snakelike submarine. It’s …

Q: I read your investigation of the Miracle of Fatima and the last appearance of the Virgin. I noticed you dismissed the event based on the perception of the people as some mass delusion. Are you aware that it had been raining all night and into the day? Everyone present was soaked—as was the soil—but …

Q: Today I heard a speaker repeat the story that mummies were used as fuel in British trains. I recall this was a classic legend first related by Mark Twain in The Innocents Abroad, but the speaker insisted that she thoroughly researched the subject, and it was true. Got anything on this? —B. Dail  A: This …

Q: I heard about a Bigfoot sighting not far from here. It happened a few years ago. There was a team of firefighters working on the Tres Lagunas fire in northern New Mexico. They saw a Bigfoot not far away, out in the open during the daytime, and it couldn’t have been a deer or …

Q: I’m producing a documentary about channeler Neferatiti Ife; I would like your opinion about her work and on channeling from a historical perspective. What’s your take on what she does? —M. Shabazz A: I received this query from a filmmaker seeking an analysis in early 2018. I explained that time constraints didn’t allow for …

Q: Have you ever come across any research, findings, or reports that have shaken your stance about the validity of skeptical explanations for mysterious claims? In other words, have any cases stumped you? —J. Meuse A: I’ve often been asked if, in the course of my research into myriad mysteries and seemingly paranormal events, whether …

Q: I heard you on an episode of the StarTalk Radio Show, and host Seth Shostak asked why governments around the world would hide evidence of extraterrestrial life. You mentioned that the reason conspiracy theorists often give—to avoid mass panic—was absurd because polls show that many people (about a third) already think aliens exist. But …

Even a smart, skeptical person can be fooled by something strange in a photograph

Q: “I enjoyed your recent investigation into the 2016 Mall of America’s black Santa outrage, and I have a question regarding ‘asking questions.’ How do you tell the difference between someone with a genuine inquiry about something and an ideologue attempting to steer the debate in a specific direction?” —Al C. A: I received this …

I’ve been trying to debunk this for years, but my eyes have convinced me Elvis is in the airport scene in Home Alone. It should be easy to prove but I can’t find the name of the extra in question or any entry online that puts this particular myth to rest. Nothing short of the …

I was sent a link to your article about the Sandy Hook conspiracies (https://tinyurl.com/y747c2gf), and my question is: Why even give these people the time of day? I unfortunately watched the [pro-conspiracy] YouTube video before realizing what I had done: contributed to helping the creator make money off of YouTube. Why help drive traffic to …

I contacted you about my video evidence over two years ago and have continued to video my orb/plasma life forms. My file contains over fourteen hours of video and pictures. I started a YouTube channel to show some of my video; please look at them and let me know what you think. I got the …

Ben Radford explains a strange mist found in a Phoenix woman’s driveway.

Si usted está seguro de que los fantasmas son reales (y no el producto de alucinaciones inducidas por CMEs), no hay lógica ni razón alguna para usar un dispositivo para detectar dichos CMEs.

If you are sure that ghosts are real (and not the product of EMF-induced hallucinations), there is no logic or point in using a device to detect those EMFs.

Why do ghost hunters look for ghosts at night with the lights off?