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Category: Skeptical Inquiree

Skeptical Inquiree
The GIGO Problem: Crop Circle Research Edition
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 6
November / December 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Subliminal Advertising, Trumpian and Otherwise
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 5
September / October 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Anomaly Hunting with Satellite Images
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 4
July / August 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Fatima Miracle Claims All Wet
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 3
May / June 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …


Skeptical Inquiree
Bailing in the Mummies
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 2
March / April 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
‘Class A’ Bigfoot Report Reveals Little about the Beast, and Much about the Seekers
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 43, No. 1
January / February 2019
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Channeling Ancient African Wisdom or Not
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 6
November / December 2018
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Caught Between the Possible and the Paranormal
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 5
September / October 2018
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
The Phantom Menace of UFO Revelation
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 4
July / August 2018
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
The Case of the Curious Christmas Light
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 3
May / June 2018
Benjamin Radford

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


Skeptical Inquiree
Just Asking Questions
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 2
March / April 2018
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Is Elvis Presley in Home Alone?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 42, No. 1
January / February 2018
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Legitimizing Woo
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 6
November / December 2017
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
Orbs as Plasma Life
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 5
September / October 2017
Benjamin Radford

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 …

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Skeptical Inquiree
The Phoenix Driveway Ghost
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 4
July / August 2017
Benjamin Radford

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


Skeptical Inquiree
Los campos electromagnéticos ¿pueden crear fantasmas?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 3
May / June 2017
Benjamin Radford, Traducido por Alejandro Borgo

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.


Skeptical Inquiree
Can Electromagnetic Fields Create Ghosts?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 3
May / June 2017
Benjamin Radford

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.


Skeptical Inquiree
Ghost Hunters in the Dark
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 41, No. 1
January / February 2017
Benjamin Radford

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


Skeptical Inquiree
‘M’ Is for Mysterious Marks
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 6
November / December 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Playing to an Empty Room: Ghost Hunting and ‘Singapore Theory’
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 5
September / October 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Egging the Equator
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 4
July / August 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
U.K. Viral ‘Ghost Photo’ Explained
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 3
May / June 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Cyptozoology and Global Warming
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 2
March / April 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Have You Seen the Toucan Man?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 40, No. 1
January / February 2016
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Beware Mesmer Thieves!
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 6
November / December 2015
Benjamin Radford
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Parapsychology, Skeptical Inquiree
Playing with Past Lives: The Virginia Boy and the Dead Marine
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 5
September / October 2015
Benjamin Radford

Have you heard about this recent case of a young boy who says he lived a past life as a Marine? What do you make of it?


Skeptical Inquiree
A Skeptic’s Guide to Ethical and Effective Curse Removal
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 4
July / August 2015
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Texas Monsters and the Chupacabra
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 3
May / June 2015
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
The Skepticism of Clara Peller
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 2
March / April 2015
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
The Cockington Church Ghost Photo
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 39, No. 1
January / February 2015
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Vegetable Oil or Snake Oil? The Pseudoscience of ‘Oil Pulling’
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 6
November / December 2014
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Crop Circles: A Not-So-Convincing Case
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 5
September / October 2014
Benjamin Radford
Popular

Unlike other mysterious phenomena such as psychic powers, ghosts, or Bigfoot, there is no doubt that crop circles are real. The real question is what creates them.


Skeptical Inquiree
Did Television Introduce Anorexia to Fiji?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 4
July / August 2014
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Did Elves Delay Road Construction in Iceland?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 3
May / June 2014
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
The Mystery of the Texas Chupacabra
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 2
March / April 2014
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
BMI Skeptics
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 38, No. 1
January / February 2014
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Paranormal Qualifications
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 37, No. 6
November / December 2013
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Did Psychic Visions Locate Missing California Boy?
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 37, No. 5
September / October 2013
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Psychic Failure and the Boston Marathon Bombing
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 37, No. 4
July / August 2013
Benjamin Radford
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Skeptical Inquiree
Sandy Hook School Shooting: The Adam Lanza Death Certificate Conspiracy
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 37, No. 3
May / June 2013
Benjamin Radford

“Is there any chance you could put my mind at ease and explain why the Social Security Death Index would list [Sandy Hook shooter] Adam Lanza as having died on December 13, 2012, the day before the Sandy Hook shooting?”


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