Covid-19 Misinformation / The Possible Worlds of Ann Druyan

  The numbers were grim, changed constantly, and told only part of the story. As of early June, there were nearly 6 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 350,000 deaths and 2.3 million recovered. Of those, over 1.6 million patients and nearly 100,000 deaths were in the United States. With only a small …

The third season of Cosmos is finally out! So I took the opportunity to speak with its executive producer, writer, and director, Ann Druyan, about the show, its companion book, and the state of the world as we shelter in place, practice social distancing, and hope for a brighter future.

From popular books to public lectures, television shows to radio programs, and magazine articles to blogs, skeptics have worked hard to promote critical thinking about the paranormal. However—perhaps surprisingly—they have tended not to use one of the most visual, immersive, popular, and entertaining forms of storytelling. Several years ago, I teamed up with illustrator Jordan …

Although science has never authenticated a single ghost, spirits of the dead have posed for elaborate studio portraits, strolled casually into mundane photographic scenes, and darted into the snapshots of hopeful ghost hunters—or so it seems. Initially, however, ghosts were reticent to appear before the camera. Advent of Spirit Photography The earliest practical photographs—daguerreotypes (process …

“Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense.”—Carl Sagan I began reading Becoming Supernatural by Joe Dispenza with an open mind. But I’m afraid that the more I read, the more critical I became of his references, interpretations of published work, experimental methods …

This is the fourth of an occasional series of articles on the Creationist Funhouse. James Hutton was a scientist in the eighteenth century, back before there were professional scientists. But he had the single most important trait that a scientist needs to have: he had the habit of asking questions about the things that he …

What is it you think of when someone says “chemicals” or “chemistry”? Do you shout “yeah!” or do you react the way some of the news media do, where you seldom encounter the word chemicals without the adjective toxic? As a result, many people have expressed the opinion that all chemicals should be banned. I …

“There are no atheists in foxholes.” This phrase purports to be an empirical statement. Despite the practical problems, one could in principle determine the percentage of nonbelievers in the infantry and interview them under fire—when a random event could end their life at any moment—to see how many abandon their skepticism and pray for divine …

The subject line of the email read “[So-and-so] said I should talk to you,” but the so-and-so was not a name I recognized. Nonetheless, I opened the email and discovered it was an invitation to record an audio course. I had never done anything like that before, but I ultimately agreed to do it. I …

Over the course of human history, pandemics have repeatedly knocked civilization back on its heels. Many thought they were ancient history. Now we find ourselves amid a pandemic in our own time. Life everywhere has changed. After months of restrictions, countries and states have eased their stay-at-home orders, and we head into a more open …

A new campaign launched in January in response to pervasive cases of witch persecution and related abuses in Africa is now facing additional challenges as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 could trigger even more witchcraft allegations in African communities, but it presents educational opportunities as well. Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AFAW) was …

Following my article on “Magic Waters,” part of the Skeptical Inquirer’s special issue on “The Health Wars” (September/October 2019), another type of supposedly magical water has made the news. Televangelist Jim Bakker advertised on his website (“The Jim Bakker Show,” February 12) a product called Silver Solution. Its label says it contains “deionized water.” That …

Mario Bunge, the centenarian Argentine/Canadian physicist/philosopher, passed away in the loving company of his wife and two children on February 24, 2020, in Montreal. He turned 100 on September 21, 2019. Bunge was one of the outstanding figures in twentieth-century philosophy of science; few others approached the scope, depth, and detail of his contributions to …

In April 2020, the Pentagon declassified and released three U.S. Navy videos that show “unexplained aerial phenomena” that fighter pilots saw during training flights in 2004 and 2015. Despite sensational headlines, the videos were neither new nor particularly mysterious. They had been leaked (and even reported on, for example in The New York Times) in 2007 and …

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, conspiracy theories, hoaxes, and fake news about COVID-19 have spread. Is it true that the virus escaped a Chinese military laboratory? Or was it created in an American laboratory just to hit China? Is it true that it was foreseen by a novel, by Nostradamus, on The Simpsons, or by …

As fears of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, alternative medicine was quick to provide false reassurance in the form of misinformation and bogus remedies. A recurring theme in complementary and alternative medicine—and a common mantra of those who make questionable health claims—has long been “boosting the immune system.” In fact, this wrong-headed idea is …

Prologue Even before President Trump began calling it the “Chinese virus,” the outbreak of sudden acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease it causes, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), set the occasion for a disturbing wave of anti-Chinese racism. I am aware that, merely by writing about superstition and COVID-19, I might be accused of …

Across a few weeks in mid-March, American life was remade—whether temporarily or permanently, no one could say for sure. To stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus, states and cities closed schools and nonessential businesses, ordering more than 280 million Americans to shelter at home. With much of the economy coming to a sudden halt, …

Among the earliest recorded ghost stories in Alaska is the tragic tale of the lovelorn bride of Baranof Castle. I encountered the promontory once topped by that historic site—and later learned of its captivating legend—when I arrived at Sitka in 2006 on a Center for Inquiry cruise.1 Baranof Castle The great rock outcrop known as …

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 …

The New Climate War Michael E. Mann is correct when he says that we cannot allow the profits of a few companies to destroy our planet and that the misinformation tactics of Exxon and other major oil firms are criminal (Commentary, “How to Win the New Climate War,” March/April 2020). However, the hydrocarbon producers are not …

Taking Conspiracy Theories Seriously. Matthew R.X. Dentith, Rowman & Littlefield International, 2018. ISBN: 9781786608284. 251 pp. Softcover, $34.95.   On June 6, 2016, the newspaper Le Monde published a collective opinion piece criticizing the French government for not being effective in combating “conspiracy theories.” The piece conveyed the impression that any narrative touching upon a …

The Shroud of Turin: The History and Legends of the World’s Most Famous Relic. By Andrea Nicolotti. Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2020. 523 pp. Hardcover, $59.95.   The remarkable thing about the Shroud of Turin is that it started out as merely a painting but ended up being treated as a relic—namely a piece …

Falling Flat: A Refutation of Flat-Earth Claims. Danny R. Faulkner. Master Books, Green Forest, Arkansas, 2019. ISBN 978-1-68344-206-6. 385 pp. Softcover, $16.99. A fifth of the way into the twenty-first century, it is hard to believe that flat-earthers are still around. Faced with assertions of flat-earth belief by figures from the athletic and entertainment worlds, …

Placebos for Pets? The Truth about Alternative Medicine in Animals. By Brennen McKenzie, VMD, MSc. Ockham Publishing, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-9212701-36-0. 481 pp., Softcover, $17.99.   Alternative medicine is accepted by many humans, but we may forget that it is also imposed on their pets. Veterinarian Brennen McKenzie has done cats and dogs everywhere a great …