Susan Gerbic investigates UK performer "Psychic Medium Dean," presenting detailed evidence that he relies on hot reading—researching ticket buyers through direct social media and payment interactions—rather than any paranormal ability. She argues that his methods exploit grief for profit and calls for greater public skepticism and controlled testing to expose such practices.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/authors/susan-gerbic/

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 Skepticism, often. You can contact her through her website.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.

Chris French reviews The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience by Terence Hines. Rowman & Littlefield, 2025.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/a-sympathetic-understanding-of-paranormal-beliefs/

About the Author:

Chris French is professor of psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London. His latest book is Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Beliefs & Experience.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquir

Eugenie Scott recounts an early Bay Area Skeptics sting in which she posed as a blind woman to expose faith healer W.V. Grant's manipulative tactics and exploitation of vulnerable people. Reflecting on the success and limits of pre-internet skepticism, she argues that coordinated action and information sharing remain essential as skeptics confront enduring pseudoscientific scams in the decades ahead.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/blind-victorias-secret/

About the Author:

Eugenie Scott, a physical anthropologist, is founding executive director of the National Center for Science Education. She is a fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquir

In this first installment of a two part article, Banachek traces his path to collaborating with Randi on Project Alpha, illustrating how poor scientific controls and investigator bias allowed simple magic tricks to masquerade as psychic phenomena—and why Randi's skepticism mattered.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/my-memories-of-the-amazing-randi-part-one/

About the Author:

Banachek was born in England on November 30, 1960. He was schooled in South Africa and the United States. It was while living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, that Banachek saw his first magician at a high school function at the age of fourteen. He was intrigued but not enough to delve much further into that secret world. In 1976, the bicentennial year of the United States, Banachek moved to the United States. It was at the end of this same year that he picked up a worn copy of James Randi's book The Truth about Uri Geller. Banachek performed Mind Games Live in Las Vegas at the prestigious Strat hotel, Casino and Skypod.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.

Bertha Vazquez reflects on Jane Goodall's revolutionary impact on science, highlighting how her patient, humane observation of chimpanzees shattered rigid behaviorist dogma and forced a rethinking of what separates humans from other animals. Framing Goodall alongside other once-dismissed scientific pioneers, the article argues that intellectual humility, openness to evidence, and outsider perspectives are essential drivers of scientific progress.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/revolutionizing-science-jane-goodall-and-the-challenge-to-conventional-wisdom/

About the Author:

Bertha Vazquez has been teaching middle school science in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 24 years. She has BA in Biology from the University of Miami and a Master's in Science Education from Florida International University. A seasoned traveler who has visited all seven continents, she enjoys introducing the world of nature and science to young, eager minds. An educator with National Board Certification, she is the recipient of several national and local honors, including the 2014 Samsung's $150,000 Solve For Tomorrow Contest and The Charles C. Bartlett National Excellence in Environmental Award in 2009. She was Miami-Dade Science Teacher of the Year in 1997 and 2008 and was one of Florida's 2015 finalists for the most prestigious science award in the country, The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.

This installment of The Time Warp revisits a late-1970s Skeptical Inquirer debate over the "Mars effect," exploring how skeptics critically tested—and ultimately undermined—astrological claims while briefly giving claimants a voice. Craig A. Foster uses this historical case to reflect on an enduring tension within skepticism: when, if ever, skeptics should invite credulous viewpoints, and how remaining skeptical of skepticism itself helps keep the movement intellectually honest.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/the-red-planet-rumble-claimer-vs-claimer/

About the Author:

Craig A. Foster is a CSI fellow and the director of research and evaluation at Northshore School District in Bothell, Washington.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.

Stephen Hupp details the schedule for CSICon 2026, the 50th annviersary conference of the Committee of Skeptical Inquiry held June 11-14, 2026. Register now at csiconference.org.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/get-the-most-out-of-csicon-celebrate-our-history-chart-our-future/

About the Author:

Stephen Hupp, PhD, is Executive Director of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) and 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: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Benjamin Radford examines the ethical risks of ghost hunting. Drawing on established ethical frameworks, he contends that ghost hunting lacks accountability, incentives for skepticism, and safeguards for vulnerable people—making ethical reflection not optional but essential.

Read this article and find accompanying references at:

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2025/12/ethical-issues-in-ghost-investigation/

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 Inquirer, and author, co-author, contributor, or editor of twenty books and over a thousand articles on skepticism, critical thinking, and science literacy. His newest book is America the Fearful.

Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/

Skeptical Inquirer Audio Edition is a production of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the Center for Inquiry.