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Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Center for Inquiry

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition brings the insightful articles from Skeptical Inquirer magazine directly to your ears. Covering topics in science, skepticism, and critical thinking, each episode features narrated versions of our most thought-provoking content. Perfect for those on the go, SI Audio Edition allows you to stay informed and inspired wherever you are. Support our work and subscribe to the print magazine at skepticalinquirer.org Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is produced at the

society & culture

All Episodes

14:55

Triangle SkeptiCamp 2025 by Susan Gerbic

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/06/18

Susan Gerbic Recaps the 2025 Triangle SkeptiCamp. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/triangle-skepticamp-2025/ About the Author: Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the cofounder of Monterey County Skeptics and a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. Susan is also founder of the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project. She is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and writes for her column, Guerilla

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11:36

Five Things You Should Know Before Buying Fish Oil...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/06/11

Nick Tiller draws a compelling parallel between dietary supplements and slot machines: both are cheap to produce, highly profitable, and widely consumed despite offering questionable returns. Fish oil supplements, among the most popular, are critically examined through five key concerns. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/five-things-you-should-know-before-buying-fish-oil-supplements/ About the Author: Dr Nick Tiller is an exercise

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07:51

The Telepathy Tapes Tries to Silence a Critic—and...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/06/04

Stuart Vyse reports on how the popular podcast The Telepathy Tapes, which promotes debunked pseudoscientific methods of communication among nonspeaking autistic individuals—including telepathy—attempted to silence critics with a copyright claim. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-telepathy-tapes-tries-to-silence-a-critic-and-fails/ About the Author: Stuart Vyse is a psychologist and author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of

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07:38

The Seed Oil Gambit by Nick Tiller

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/28

Nick Tiller unpacks how wellness influencers and companies scapegoat seed oils to sell overpriced alternatives, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting claims that seed oils are harmful. He argues that the attack on seed oils is part of a broader anti-science narrative driven by identity-based marketing, profit motives, and distrust of mainstream health institutions. Read this article and find accompanying references at :https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-seed-oil-gambit/ About

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18:38

Ecuadorian Equatorial Pseudoscience by Rob Palmer

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/21

In this "flashback" episode of Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition, Rob Palmer reads an article from his "The Well-Known Skeptic" online column at skepticalinquirer.org, originally published on January 8, 2020. Palmer recounts a frustrating museum tour at the Museo de Sitio Intiñan near Quito, Ecuador, where guides perform pseudoscientific demonstrations—like water draining in different directions on either side of the equator—to mislead tourists. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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15:02

The Demise of the American Society for Psychical...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/14

Stuart Vyse’s investigation into the American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) reveals an organization, once rich in both assets and history, that has all but collapsed. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-demise-of-the-american-society-for-psychical-research/ About the Author: Stuart Vyse is a psychologist and author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition, which won the William James Book Award of the American

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08:20

Joe Nickell Leaves a Legacy of Intrigue and Solved...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/07

Stephen reflects on a investigative career in memory of Joe Nickell. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/04/joe-nickell-leaves-a-legacy-of-intrigue-and-solved-mysteries/ About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor of Clinical Child & School Psychology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer:

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11:52

Mysterious Drone Sightings: Give Me the DTLs (Dates,...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/07

In late 2024 and early 2025, reports of mysterious drone swarms over New Jersey and U.S. military bases triggered widespread media coverage and public concern, culminating in official statements from the Air Force and President Trump. Skeptical investigator Mick West debunked many of these sightings—often just misidentified planes—by promoting the need for “DTLs” (date, time, and location) to verify such claims through flight tracking and 3D reconstructions. Read this article and find accompanying

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12:30

Cancer Misinformation Kills; Chemotherapy Saves Lives...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/05/07

Pseudoscientific claims that chemotherapy kills more than it saves are dangerously misleading; in reality, chemotherapy has significantly improved survival rates for numerous cancers, including childhood leukemia and HER2-positive breast cancer. Rejecting evidence-based treatments in favor of "natural" alternatives drastically increases the risk of death, a trend driven by wellness industry disinformation and medical conspiracism. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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09:44

Critical Thinking about Our Vulnerabilities to...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/30

Vazquez and Trecek-King discuss the importance of epistemic vigilance—critical thinking about our beliefs and biases—to combat misinformation. They emphasize that while educators work to teach students to evaluate claims and sources, the more difficult challenge is addressing our own vulnerabilities to misinformation, and suggests that critical thinking should be integrated not only in schools but also in workplaces, communities, and through everyday conversations to foster a culture of skepticism

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14:13

Numerical Hygiene Lessons: Critical Thinking and the...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/30

William Matthew London discusses the concept of "numerical hygiene," a term he uses to promote quantitative reasoning and numeracy in daily decision-making. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/04/numerical-hygiene-lessons-critical-thinking-and-the-central-tendency-fallacy/ About the Author: William Matthew London is a professor of public health at Cal State LA and the editor of the free weekly email newsletter Consumer Health Digest. Subscribe

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16:36

Highly Effective Thinkers: Critical Thinking for...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/30

Timothy J. Redmond recounts his journey from conspiracy belief to critical thinking advocate, which inspired him to develop a high school course teaching teens how to think skeptically and avoid cognitive pitfalls. The course, structured in seven units, covers topics such as cognitive biases, evaluating information sources, and the importance of skepticism and intellectual humility in forming well-reasoned beliefs. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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02:31

Bill Nye Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/30

Bill Nye was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden on January 4, 2025, honoring his work as a science educator and advocate for reason and critical thinking. Nye credited his World War II veteran parents for inspiring his values, emphasizing the importance of applying reason and progress to today's challenges. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/04/bill-nye-awarded-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/ About the Author:

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02:53

Critical Thinking for Curious Minds by Stephen Hupp

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/23

Stephen Hupp introduces the special section on critical thinking in education by highlighting David McRaney’s contributions and background, then shares his own experience teaching a university course on pseudoscience. He encourages readers—especially students and educators—to engage in critical thinking by writing letters to the editor and submitting photos of questionable claims for a chance to be featured in future issues. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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06:13

Teaching Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/23

David McRaney reflects on his experience at CSICon 2024 and the personal journey that led him to the skeptical movement, emphasizing the importance of passing on critical thinking skills in an era of misinformation and AI-generated content. He introduces a special section in Skeptical Inquirer highlighting modern educators and communicators teaching critical thinking across age groups, from children's media to high school and beyond. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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12:52

Critikid: Critical Thinking and Mind Illusions for...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/23

Critikid explores how teaching children to recognize “mind illusions” like optical illusions, counterintuitive puzzles, and Bayesian inference can cultivate critical thinking by showing that intuition isn’t always reliable. Through fun activities such as the Monty Hall game and the Bat and Ball puzzle, the author emphasizes the value of slow, analytical thought over instinctive judgment. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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05:20

Media Masters Rock: Critical Thinking about Social...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/23

Steve Trash launched Media Masters Rock, a creative campaign to teach kids critical thinking about social media using superhero themes, catchy rules, and educational videos. Collaborating with experts and a beatbox musician, he developed songs, posters, and study guides—all freely available online—to help kids engage thoughtfully and responsibly with digital content. Read this article and find accompanying references at:

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15:58

Belief in Psychics: What’s the Harm and Who’s to...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/04/16

In this "flashback" episode of Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition, Rob Palmer reads an article from his "The Well-Known Skeptic" online column at skepticalinquirer.org, originally published on April 9, 2019. In the article, Palmer discusses the persistent problem of psychic medium frauds and their victims. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/belief-in-psychics-whats-the-harm-and-whos-to-blame/ About the Author: Rob Palmer has had a diverse

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06:57

Cosmic Love: Astrology Popularizes Stereotyping and...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/02/25

Craig A. Foster argues that astrology perpetuates harmful stereotypes and discrimination by encouraging people to make assumptions about others based on their zodiac signs, such as in romantic relationships or hiring decisions. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/emcosmic-love-em-astrology-popularizes-stereotyping-and-discrimination/ About the Author: Craig A. Foster is a CSI fellow and the director of research and evaluation at Northshore

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12:41

The Case of the Sketchy Study about Authentic Art by...

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition ·

2025/02/25

Benjamin Radford describes a study claiming that original art stimulates the brain more than reproductions, which gained widespread media attention but had several methodological flaws. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/02/the-case-of-the-sketchy-study-about-authentic-art/ About the Author: Benjamin Radford, M.Ed., is a scientific paranormal investigator, a research fellow at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, deputy editor of the Skeptical

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216 results

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