The family of a young British girl traveling in their home country of India is accusing a medical clinic of killing their daughter for her organs. Gurkiren Kaur Loyal's family said she was being treated for dehydration in Punjab when she died. You can read the story...
Folklore
‘Undead Apocalypse: War of the Damned’ board game!
It's about time to give everyone a glimpse of a top-secret project I've been working on: a monstery new board game called Undead Apocalypse! You can check out the spiffy site HERE, stay tuned for more details!
Why People Believed Fake Bomb Detectors Worked
A man who sold bogus bomb detectors likened to dowsing rods in Iraq and elsewhere was convicted of fraud in a British court last week. You might think that if the bomb-detecting devices were completely worthless, that would soon become clear to those people whose...
New Review of ‘The Martians Have Landed: A History of Media-Driven Panics & Hoaxes’
Sharon Hill of Doubtful News reviews my latest book (with Robert Bartholomew), The Martians Have Landed, for eSkeptic! You can read it HERE.
My article on Fatima Miracles and Virgin Mary Sightings
The story of a famous miracle in Fátima, Portugal, began in May 1917, when three children claimed to have encountered the Virgin Mary on their way home from tending a flock of sheep. The oldest girl, Lucia, was the only one to speak to her, and Mary told the children...
Bitcoins and Tulipmania
What does a bitcoin, a uniquely 21st century electronic currency, have to do with tulips in 1630s Holland? What, exactly, happened? Find out in my Discovery News piece HERE!
Loch Ness Monster Interview on Tulsa’s Big Mad Morning Show KMOD
I was recently a guest on The Big Mad Morning Show on Tulsa’s 97.5 rock station KMOD, talking about the Loch Ness Monster and some of my other lake monster investigations. It’s about 15 minutes long. You can listen to the whole interview here (mp3). ...
Penis-Theft Panics Around the World
I recently wrote about penis-theft panics for LiveScience.com. I'd written about it before, for example in the book I co-authored with Bob Bartholomew, "Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking," and I included it in a talk I gave last year on mass...
How Belief in Magic Spreads HIV in Africa
In many countries throughout the world belief in witches is common, and black magic is considered part of everyday life. A 2010 poll of 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that over half of the population believe in magic. Witch doctors are consulted not only for...
My article on the Jersey Devil appears on LiveScience.com
A devil is said to haunt the wooded Pine Barren of southern New Jersey. Dubbed the Jersey Devil, it has never been photographed or captured, but has appeared in dozens of books, films, and television shows including "The X-Files." I recently wrote about it, and you...