Cell-phone shields may do little to protect you -- and scientists say they're unnecessary. My brief investigation into a company that took out a full page ad in the New York Times Science(!) section can be read HERE.
Investigation
The Mysterious Life and Death of Kaspar Hauser
On May 26, 1828, a teenager was found wandering a public square in what is now Nuremberg, Germany. He wore tattered clothing and clutched an envelope containing two letters. The first was addressed to the captain of a local cavalry regiment asking him to take the...
Can Thieves Rob People Using Hypnosis?
A woman in Germany claims she was hypnotized outside of a supermarket, put into a trance, and later woke up at home having been robbed. There’s a certain creepy Gothic allure to the idea that a mesmerizing stranger can ask you to stare deeply into his eyes, or ask you...
Debunking the ‘Oil Pulling’ Medical Pseudoscience
The latest health fad making the rounds is something called “oil pulling,” an ancient Indian practice in which people cleanse their mouths (and bodies) of toxins by swishing a vegetable oil (such as olive, coconut, or sunflower) in the mouth for 20 minutes and then...
My Piece on Missing Flight 370 on Yahoo News!
As officials from several countries, and dozens of planes and boats, scour the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal for the mysteriously missing China-bound Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people aboard, some people are wondering if there might be some...
A Look at the Psychology of Astral Projection
I recently got the following email with the subject line, "Question of Astral Projection of Non-Believer." Due to my workload and the volume of e-mails I get I often can't address everyone who contacts me, but when possible I try to give a personal response,...
New Anthology Includes Me with William Safire, Jessica Valenti, and Al Gore
My chapter in a new book: "In a vibrant four-color format, 'The Sundance Reader' features more than 70 essays drawn from a range of academic disciplines and professions. This rich collection of engaging essays and articles emphasizes critical thinking, careful...
Great Pyramid at Giza Vandalized to ‘Prove’ Conspiracy Theory
My new article on two conspiracy theorists who vandalized an Egyptian pyramid, with a closer look at their nonsensical claims: "Suggesting that people from Plato's Atlantis built the pyramids is like saying people from Tolkien's Middle Earth built the pyramids, or...
My Loch Ness Monster Research Quoted in ‘USA Today’
My Loch Ness monster piece last week caused quite a stir, and I was even quoted in USA Today; you can read it HERE.
What is Stigmata? A Closer Look
People who have stigmata exhibit wounds that duplicate or represent those that Jesus is said to have endured during his crucifixion. The wounds typically appear on the stigmatic's hands and feet (as from crucifixion spikes) and also sometimes on the side (as from a...