My brilliant zoologist friend Darren Naish wrote a retrospective piece for Scientific American about various interesting zoology-related news stories from last year--including a "monster mystery" I played a role in revealing. It's a fun read, check it out, you can...
Reviews
My Book ‘Mysterious New Mexico’ Finalist for New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards
My last book "Mysterious New Mexico" is a finalist for the 2015 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards! You can find more on me and my work with a search for "Benjamin Radford" (not "Ben Radford") on Vimeo.
“The Visit” film review
M. Night Shyamalan's new film The Visit has a fairy tale feel to it as Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and her younger brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are sent off to visit their estranged maternal grandparents in a big, isolated house while their single mother takes a...
The Post Hoc Fallacy: Vaccine Fears and Roosevelt-Menacing Indians
I recently read Candice Miller's book The River of Doubt, about Theodore Roosevelt's 1914 exploration of an unknown river in the Brazilian Amazon. It's a fascinating story of adventure, misadventure, murder, and more. In the book I also found an excellent real-life...
Film Review: “The Gift”
The Gift starts, as many films do, with the story of young married couple Simon and Robyn (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) who move into a new neighborhood. They recently came from Chicago to Los Angeles, lured by the promise of a job promotion for him and some down...
Herbal Supplement Safety Crackdown Underway
The Attorneys General of several states recently announced a crackdown on unsafe herbal supplements.... you can read more HERE.
Why Terrorists Behead Their Victims
ISIS terrorists have apparently beheaded at least one of their two Japanese hostages taken weeks ago. Last year I wrote an article about why terror groups cut their victims' heads off. Gruesome but interesting, you can read it HERE.
Dr. Oz-Promoted “Magic Bean” Weight Loss Producer Fined $9 Million for Deception
Following consumer complaints and a June 2014 congressional hearing, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against the manufacturer of a green coffee bean extract heavily promoted by Dr. Oz on his popular television show. You can read more HERE.
ISIS Terrorists Demanding Ransom: Why It Failed
The terrorist group ISIS threatened to kill two Japanese citizens unless their government pays a huge ransom. They did not, and at least one was beheaded. Last year I wrote a piece for Discovery News about the politics of paying for hostages... you can read it HERE.
Did Sony Really Try to Shelve ‘The Interview’ Over Terror Threats?
Censorship and free speech: Was Sony going to shelve The Interview last month because of terror threats? Most people think so. But a closer look suggests that might not be true; you can read it HERE.