Maybe you've heard the news about the "secret" DoD program to find UFOs? Here's a quick take on it: Given that UFOs are literally "unidentified flying objects," the Pentagon's interest in the topic is both understandable and appropriate. After all, unknown objects...
Media Appearances
Review of ‘Bad Clowns’ in the Journal of Folklore Research
Santa brought me a great gift: A nice review of my book in a prominent folklore journal: "Bad Clowns is a thorough, useful survey of the history of bad, creepy, and evil clown narratives and imagery, and one that could prove a timely and accessible teaching text for...
Latin American Pseudohistories: Chupacabra, Nazca Lines, Ica Stones, and More!
I was recently a guest with Kurly Tlapoyawa, an archaeologist, author, and ethnohistorian, on his podcast. His research focuses primarily on the interaction between Mesoamerica, Western Mexico, and the American Southwest. We talked about pseudohistories, including of...
Champ’s no Chump: The Best Evidence for Lake Monsters
The new episode of Squaring the Strange is out! In it we discuss how to tell when "Just asking questions" is either a cynical conspiracy ploy or a sincere effort to understand something, and then move on to my research into the best evidence for lake monsters and...
Behold the Miracle Potato Chip!
A "Jesus Potato Chip" I found during a TV shoot for the show "Miracle Detectives" with Indre Viskontas at the Holy Love Ministries in Ohio. I talk about it in episode 30 of Squaring the Strange! If you'd like to see a short clip of my appearance on that TV show, you...
I’m a Special Guest on “The Crypto-Kid” Podcast!
Tonight on the Crypto-Kid, I return to the show to discuss my research into lake monsters, specifically Champ and the Loch Ness Monster. This is going to be a great episode, so check it out! Details below.
The Top 5 Halloween Scares
Halloween is here, and amid the make-believe witches, ghouls, and goblins, there are supposedly real-life villains who hope to harm on children October 31. News reports and scary stories on social media leave many parents concerned about protecting children from...
Squaring the Strange: Chupacabra Cha Cha
Episode 27 of Squaring the Strange is up! To begin our creepy Halloween lineup, Pascual and I talk about the world's best-known cryptozoological vampire, el chupacabra! The beast has lost its bite over the years, but we go back to the late 1990s when it terrified many...
Explaining ‘Unexplained’ Photos for TV’s ‘Strange Evidence’
I will be appearing on a new 10-part series on Discovery’s Science Channel, on a show titled “Strange Evidence.” It examines bizarre and seemingly inexplicable photographs and videos. (I’m one of the guests who takes the “un” out of “unexplained.”) Will I be on the...
The West Palm Beach Killer Clown Case: A Closer Look
A decades-old murder in one of the strangest clown-related mysteries in history may have been solved. I wrote about this case in my 2016 book Bad Clowns... It happened in West Palm Beach in the spring of 1990 when a woman named Marlene Warren heard a knock on...