Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition

Magicians Penn & Teller File Brief in Junk Science Death Row Case by Stuart Vyse

Stuart Vyse reports that Penn & Teller have filed an amicus brief urging the United States Supreme Court to review the conviction of death row inmate Charles Don Flores, arguing it relied on unreliable "junk science" in the form of investigative hypnosis.  Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/magicians-penn-teller-file-brief-in-junk-science-death-row-case/ 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 Psychological Association. He is also author of Going Broke: Why Americans Can't Hold on to Their Money. As an expert on irrational behavior, he is frequently quoted in the press and has made appearances on CNN International, the PBS NewsHour, and NPR's Science Friday. He can be found on Twitter at @stuartvyse. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/  

The Rise and Fall of Parapsychology by Alejandro Borgo

Alejandro Borgo traces the history of parapsychology, from its origins with the Fox sisters and the spiritualist movement to the formalization of research by Joseph Banks Rhine, who attempted to study telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis using experimental protocols and statistical analysis. Despite decades of experimentation worldwide, including rigorous attempts at replication, no repeatable evidence for psi phenomena has been found, leaving parapsychology in decline and its claims unproven, with most supposed effects now explained by psychology or chance rather than a new form of energy or ability. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-rise-and-fall-of-parapsychology/ About the Author: Alejandro Borgo is director of the Center for Inquiry Argentina and a journalist, writer and musician. He has written two books about pseudoscience and critical thinking. He is editor of Pensar magazine (pensar.org) and has been a speaker at several skeptics congresses and conferences. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Responding to a Burst of Reiki from Turkey by Thomas J. Wheeler

In this article, Anthony G. Wheeler examines a surge of Reiki studies published in Turkey, arguing that they promote a scientifically implausible form of "energy medicine" without addressing its lack of evidential basis or considering alternative explanations such as placebo effects and patient attention. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/responding-to-a-burst-of-reiki-from-turkey/ About the Author: Thomas J. Wheeler was a biochemistry professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine for twenty-five years, followed by a second career as a high school science teacher. While at Louisville he developed an elective course on alternative medicine, a subject he continues to pursue, posting his writings on the Kentucky Council Against Health Fraud site (https://sites.google.com/site/kycahf/kentucky-council-against-health-fraud). He has been a Skeptical Inquirer subscriber since 1982. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Gray Barker's Legacy: Men in Black, the Philadelphia Experiment, and Mothman by Terence Hines

In this review of The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker, Terence Hines explores Barker's complex role in shaping UFO mythology from the 1950s through the 1980s. Barker is credited with popularizing the Men in Black, the Philadelphia Experiment, and Mothman, blending fact, fiction, and mischief in a career that influenced UFO culture more than scientific understanding. Hines highlights McKee's meticulous research, showing how Barker's writings, publishing, and personal antics left a lasting impact on popular perceptions of the paranormal. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/gray-barkers-legacy-men-in-black-the-philadelphia-experiment-and-mothman/ About the Author: Terence Hines is professor of psychology at Pace University and author of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

The Uninspired Conjuring: Last Rites by Kenny Biddle

In this review of The Conjuring: Last Rites, Kenny Biddle examines the film's claim to be "inspired" by the Smurl family haunting and finds that it bears virtually no resemblance to the documented case. Drawing on interviews, contemporary reporting, and the book The Haunted, he details how Ed and Lorraine Warren promoted sensational claims while offering no physical evidence and blocking scientific scrutiny. Biddle argues that the film abandons the historical record in favor of fictional mythology, turning a dubious real-life case into a self-serving supernatural spectacle. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/the-uninspired-conjuring-last-rites/ About the Author: Kenny Biddle is the Chief Investigator of Paranormal Claims for CSI. A former ghost hunter turned skeptic, he now examines various extraordinary claims, photographic & video anomalies, and "ghost hunting" gadgets to uncover the real-world explanations behind them. He is a CSI Fellow, columnist, producer, speaker, host of the CFI video series "Ghosts in the Machine," and host of The Skeptical Help Bar livestream. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/