Interesting article in Psychology Today by my colleague and co-author Bob Bartholomew, about the strange case of a phantom cat killer in New Zealand... One feature of human psychology is that people tend to see what they expect to see. As meaning-oriented...
Conspiracy theories
Squaring the Strange #174: A Musical History of the Devil
New episode of Squaring the Strange is out! This time the devil's not in the details, he's in the music! From violinists centuries ago to hard rock and even country music, the devil shows up quite a lot. Pascual takes us on a diabolical tour of musical folklore...
Mystery of the Borderline Bar Silent Shooting
A few years ago I investigated and solved a mystery that stumped both conspiracy theorists (not hard to do) and a noted science educator (more difficult). Why did eyewitness video of a nightclub shooting contradict eyewitness accounts? On November 7, 2018, a...
Quoted in Rolling Stone: ‘Stop Falling for Made-Up TikTok Moral Panics!’
So this is cool: I'm quoted in Rolling Stone encouraging people to, quote, "Stop Falling for Made-Up TikTok Moral Panics!" Check it out HERE! Also, don't forget to check out my podcast, Squaring the Strange!
Revisiting the ‘Mystery Missile’ Scare of 2010
This month is the anniversary of one of the highest profile—and best documented—UFO reports in modern American history, with hundreds of eyewitnesses and reasonably clear (albeit nevertheless ambiguous) video footage. Despite the (at-least-temporarily) unidentified...
Conversation with a Conspiracy Believer
After many, many similar encounters, I thought I'd offer this... Person A: Hey, you should check out this YouTube video, it’s full of interesting information, stuff “they” don’t want you to know. It’s really important to seek out multiple sources, question...
Squaring the Strange #153 – Brian Regal Talks Pseudoscience and Pseudohistory!
Did you hear our recent episode of Squaring the Strange? We talk a bit on the resurgence of dowsing and announce some upcoming appearances... then we sit down with guest Prof. Brian Regal, who takes us on a tour of pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Learn how...
Interview in ‘Superstitious Times’
I'm interviewed in a 'Superstitious Times' piece on the inability (or unwillingness) of investigators to call out fraud and hoaxing in their own fields: "What’s happened, Radford added, was the democratization of paranormal investigators, in particular those who...
Squaring the Strange #145: Bottomless Pits and Spooky Geology with Sharon Hill
In a recent episode of Squaring the Strange we have everything: Lil Nas X's Satanic Shoes, a sketchy alkaline water CEO, and geologist Sharon Hill educating us about spooky geology like bottomless pits, the mysterious "Mel's Hole," quicksand, and hollow earth...
Roots Of—And Responses To—COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy
My new blog examines some myths about, and ways to address, covid vaccine hesitancy. From concerns about efficacy to the "Dirty Dozen" social media anti-vaxxers, the first step is understanding the problem; the second step is knowing your audience. As the...