Fringe Zoology: The (In)Convenience of Disappearing Evidence by Floe Foxon
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
Release Date: 12/23/2024
Critical Thinking about Our Vulnerabilities to Misinformation by Bertha Vazquez and Melanie Trecek-King
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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. Read this article and find accompanying references at: About the Authors: Bertha Vazquez...
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Numerical Hygiene Lessons: Critical Thinking and the Central Tendency Fallacy by William Matthew London
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: William Matthew London is a and the editor of the free weekly email newsletter . Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.
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Highly Effective Thinkers: Critical Thinking for Teens by Timothy J. Redmond
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: Timothy J. Redmond received his MA and PhD in political science from the State University of New York at...
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Bill Nye Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Stephen Hupp
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: 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...
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Critical Thinking for Curious Minds by Stephen Hupp
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist...
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Teaching Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Special Section by David McRaney
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: David McRaney is a science journalist and lecturer who created the blog, internationally...
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Critikid: Critical Thinking and Mind Illusions for Kids by Stephanie Simoes
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: Stephanie Simoes is the founder of Critikid.com, which is dedicated to teaching critical thinking to kids and teens. She creates...
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Media Masters Rock: Critical Thinking about Social Media for Kids by Steve Trash
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: Learn more about the Media Masters Rock campaign: About the Author: Steve Trash is a professional magician, eco-entertainer, and star of the PBS TV show Steve...
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Belief in Psychics: What’s the Harm and Who’s to Blame? by Rob Palmer
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
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: About the Author: Rob Palmer has had a diverse career in engineering, having worked as a spacecraft designer, an aerospace project engineer, a computer programmer, and a software systems engineer. Rob became a skeptical activist when he...
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Was Lincoln a Spiritualist? Houdini Investigates by Stephen Hupp
Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition
Houdini, a passionate skeptic and debunker of Spiritualism, was likely dismayed by claims that Abraham Lincoln participated in séances. In this issue of Skeptical Inquirer, historian Jason Emerson explores Houdini’s investigation into Lincoln’s alleged belief in spirit communication, while Jim Underdown reports on recent attempts to win CFI’s $500,000 paranormal challenge. Read this article and find accompanying references at: About the Author: Stephen Hupp, PhD, is editor of Skeptical Inquirer. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and professor of Clinical Child & School...
info_outlineFloe Foxon examines cases where alleged evidence for cryptids, such as African dinosaurs, lake monsters, sea serpents, and mystery big cats, mysteriously vanishes or proves inconclusive.
Read this article and find accompanying references at:
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2024/12/fringe-zoology-the-inconvenience-of-disappearing-evidence/
About the Author:
Floe Foxon has a degree in physics with astronomy from the University of Nottingham and works as a data scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. Foxon has peer-reviewed publications in astronomy, cryptography, public health, paleontology, and zoology. His research linking Bigfoot sightings to black bear populations in North America was featured in New Scientist, his review of large eels as a candidate for the Loch Ness monster was featured in Popular Mechanics, and his analysis of Lake Champlain monster sightings was featured in The Skeptic. His website is https://floefoxon.github.io/, and his X handle is @FloeFoxon.
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Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.