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...
News
Can Handwriting Identify Better Employees?
Can a person’s handwriting reveal their personality and aptitude for a job? That’s what many handwriting experts, called graphologists, claim — and millions of people may be denied jobs because of this controversial practice. My article on graphology was recently...
Big Foot Mystery Afoot: Bear, Human, or …?
Though television police shows like CSI often make it look like identifying human from animal bones is easy, in reality it can be very difficult. There have been many examples where bear bones have been mistaken for human bones. You can read more HERE.
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!
Goat Sacrificed for Chicago Cubs Curse
Forest Preserve police in Cook County, Ill., found a grisly discovery last week: a decapitated white goat tied to a tree near the Indian Boundary Golf Course. That was strange enough, but last Wednesday an unknown man delivered a smelly box addressed to Tom Ricketts,...
Boston Marathon Conspiracies
I'm quoted in a new Discovery News piece about the Boston marathon conspiracies... You can read it HERE.
My Article on Conspiracy Beliefs and Political Parties on LiveScience.com
My column on conspiracy theories by different political parties went up at LiveScience.com last week. A new national poll reveals that Americans differ along political party lines even in their endorsement of conspiracy theories, including the belief that President...
Upcoming UFO Documentary Promises Proof of Pint-Size Alien
Here's my new Discovery News piece about an upcoming "documentary" UFO film including a dubious autopsy of a tiny alien/leprechaun body. You can read it HERE. Real alien or real hoax? You decide!
My ‘Media Mythmakers’ Book Cited in New York Law School Report
My research on sex offenders and the news media, published in my 2003 book Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us, was recently quoted in a report from the New York Law School... You can read the full report HERE, it's actually pretty...
Sharon Hill of ‘Doubtful News’ Becomes HuffPo Blogger
Sharon Hill, editor and writer of the ever-useful site DoubtfulNews.com, has recently become a writer for the Huffington Post. Congratulations to Sharon, and I'm sure she will be spreading skepticism and critical thinking for a long time to come. You can read her...