Staying Afloat in a Sea of Misinformation

My goals as a science educator are to teach students the essential skills of science literacy and critical thinking. Helping them understand the process of science and how to draw reasonable conclusions from the available evidence can empower them to make better decisions and protect them from being fooled or harmed. Yet while educators agree …

In a recent issue of the Skeptical Inquirer, Editor Kendrick Frazier (July/August 2021) noted that UFOs, and the space aliens who putatively drive them, are actually being taken seriously by current mainstream media. This is happening in outlets we would normally expect to showcase scientific thinking rather than UFO promotion and publicity. Paranormal beliefs are …

Miracle claims abound, not only at any of various holy shrines but indeed anywhere a religious issue may arise. Here we consider such claims as they apply specifically to photographs and offer a Miracle Photograph Identification Chart. What Is a Miracle? Before turning to the subject of miracle photos, we must first consider the meaning …

When I first met CSI Fellow Richard Saunders, the producer and host of The Skeptic Zone podcast, at CSICon 2017, I had no way of knowing that in less than a year I would be writing for skepticalinquirer.org. I also had no way of knowing that once I had that job, my first article would …

We are all afloat—and some of us are drowning—in a sea of misinformation. In our cover article, Melanie Trecek-King throws us a life preserver. A community college biology professor, Trecek-King follows up on her previous SI article, “Teach Skills, Not Facts” (January/February 2022), with a guide to evaluating claims and keeping us afloat. It is …

The public’s trust in science and scientists is on the rise, both around the world and in the United States, according to a pair of multinational surveys. The importance of science and scientists in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a plausible explanation. The 3M State of Science Index conducted surveys in fall 2019 …

The results of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project, a twelve-year study by Australian Skeptics, have revealed that so-called psychics’ predictions are right only 11 percent of the time. And when something momentous or infamous happens, they are unlikely to have foreseen it. In fact, most of what happened was not predicted, and most of …

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) is pleased to announce the election of fourteen new fellows to the Committee, chosen for their outstanding contributions to science and skepticism. This year’s electees are from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Germany, and Australia, as well as the United States. Their fields include physics, psychology, biology, and medicine. …

Every year, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI)—a program of the Center for Inquiry and publisher of the Skeptical Inquirer—honors the creators of the published work that best communicates the importance of skepticism and empirical science with the Robert P. Balles Annual Prize in Critical Thinking. Normally, the $2,500 award is presented at the Committee’s …

Dutch microbiologist Elisabeth Bik had quite a conclusion to 2021. For the past seven years, Bik has actively investigated questionable practices in scientific publications, and in 2019 she announced she was taking a year off work to do so full time. She is now best known for her work detecting photo manipulation in scientific papers …

Our Precautionary UFO “Tips”: Back in June 2021 at the height of the most recent UFO craze, we issued our “Tips for Media in Covering UFO/UAP Claims.” It went out widely to the media. We also published it in our special issue “UFOs (or UAP) Hit the News,” SI, September/October 2021. But it sure didn’t …

To James Randi I know you’d come back if anyone were able, surely nudge the planchette, or yet tip the tipping table to spell messages at will. I wouldn’t need daydreaming to see you, maybe streaming      vaporized           ectoplasm      before my eyes,      or otherwise return      despite the chasm,           from the …

The title of this piece suggests I might have known Carl Sagan. Sadly, I did not have that honor. That’s not to say I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know him. I was an undergraduate student at Cornell University in the early 1980s when Sagan was a professor of astronomy there. But I …

“Ah, Watson,” said Sherlock Holmes, gazing absently out the window into the swirling fog. “I’ve been mulling over a case from before our time.” Seated beside the fire, I turned to him. “I should be glad to hear of any case you find instructive,” I replied. “Well,” said he, “It occurred in 1860, one your …

There is a pernicious belief spreading within the skeptic community that it’s a waste of time to talk to science deniers, so our efforts are better spent, well, doing what, exactly? I’ve been to plenty of skeptic conferences where we all talk to each other and pat ourselves on the back in recognition of just …

Animals can be hazardous to human health. When asked to name the most dangerous animal, many people will give the wrong answer. Sharks have captured the attention of the public, and other animals that kill people may come to mind, such as black widow spiders, rabid dogs, and venomous snakes. And don’t forget the human …

Georgiana Houghton’s only major showing of her drawings in her lifetime was not a success. It was an elaborate affair at the New British Gallery in London organized at her own expense, but of the 155 pieces produced over a ten-year period, she sold only one. Nor was the critical reception particularly warm. According to …

The pandemic has turned mobile mindfulness into a booming industry, as millions of Americans download meditation apps hoping to boost their attention, mood, and sleep. Major companies concerned about worker productivity have also contracted with app makers to provide their employees with free subscriptions to the services (Lowery 2021). With the average American meditation app …

An oft-bemoaned reality of the world of skepticism is eloquently expressed in a popular quote attributed to Mark Twain: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” It is fitting that this quote both describes what this column is about—the viral nature of falsehood and the difficulty …

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 …

On The Exorcist As a very serious forty-years-plus scholar of all things related to both the classic novel and film The Exorcist (most specifically relating to the writings and work of award-winning novelist and screenwriter William Peter Blatty), I greatly enjoyed your November/December 2021 issue featuring the article “Demoniac: Who Is Roland Doe, the Boy …

William of Occam is a hero of the skeptical movement, and the importance of Occam’s razor to skeptical analysis is well known to readers of this magazine. But just who William of Occam actually was and what he actually said is less well known. Johnjoe McFadden’s book not only provides a biography of William but …

Hollywood has always had trouble with science. To its credit, the American Film Institute (AFI) recognized the problem and ran a series of Catalyst Workshops to help scientists learn the art of storytelling and translate their work into film. In 2009, AFI asked applicants to write essays including sections describing movies they think portray science …