Mind
When Scientists Sin
Fraud, deception and lies in research reveal how science is (mostly) self-correcting
Skeptic212 articles archived since 1845
Mind
When Ideas Have Sex
How free exchange between people increases prosperity and trust
The Sciences
Doing Science in the Past
The comparative method of historical science helps to explain Haiti's poverty
Mind
The Sensed-Presence Effect
How the brain produces the sense of someone present when no one is there
The Sciences
Surviving Death on Larry King Live
Obscurantism and obfuscation on national television
The Sciences
Cultivate Your Garden
How a lack of control leads to superstition and what can be done about it
Mind
Kool-Aid Psychology: Realism versus Optimism
How optimism trumped realism in the positive-psychology movement
Mind
Political Science: The Psychological Differences in the U.S.'s Red-Blue Divide
Psychological research reveals how and why liberals and conservatives differ
The Sciences
Will E.T. Look Like Us?
Evolution helps us imagine what aliens might be like
The Sciences
Pirate Economics?: Captain Hook Meets Adam Smith
Debunking pirate myths reveals how hidden economic forces generate social order
Mind
Paranoia Strikes Deep
Why people believe in conspiracies
The Sciences
Skeptic's Take on the Life and Argued Works of Shakespeare
The anti-Stratfordian skeptics are back, and this time they have a Supreme Court justice on their side
Policy & Ethics
What Skepticism Reveals about Science
A skeptic's journey for truth in science
The Sciences
Why People Believe Invisible Agents Control the World
A Skeptic's take on souls, spirits, ghosts, gods, demons, angels, aliens and other invisible powers that be
Evolution
The Contradictions between the Creationist Movements
A skeptic engages three types of creationists who claim science supports their beliefs, yet they contradict one another
Behavior & Society
Skeptic's Take on the Origins of Success
Are successful people primarily the beneficiaries of luck, timing and cultural legacy?
Mind
The Art of the Con—Learning from Bernard Madoff
A Skeptic's advice on how to avoid falling prey to con artists
The Sciences
A Skeptic's Take on the Public Misunderstanding of Darwin
On the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birthday two myths persist about evolution and natural selection
Tech
A Skeptic's Review of Telephoning the Dead
Talking to the dead is easy. Getting the dead to talk back is hard. Why not phone them?
Mind
Patternicity: Finding Meaningful Patterns in Meaningless Noise
Why the brain believes something is real when it is not
