The Gadfly

The SkepDoc

pH Mythology: Separating pHacts from pHiction

The Rise of the Alt-Right and the Politics of Polarization in America

The Rise of the Alt-Right and the Politics of Polarization

Delusions of the Imagination

How the “Tractor”—an Early 19th Century Medical Quack Device—Was Debunked by One of the Earliest Single Blind Placebo Studies

Area 51: What is Really Going on There?

UFOs and U-2s, Aliens and A-12s

Is Race a Useful Concept?

WE SEEK TO ADDRESS A SINGULAR, SIMPLE QUESTION: are

The Three Shades of Atheism

How Atheists Differ in Their Views on God

Why We Should Be Concerned About Artificial Superintelligence

The human brain isn’t magic; nor are the problem-solving

Why Artificial Intelligence is Not an Existential Threat

OVER THE YEARS EXISTENTIAL THREAT WARNINGS have been

Artificial Intelligence Simulation, Not Synthesis

After over 50 years of mostly empty promises and disappointments

Think Again

Rethink: The Surprising History of New Ideas by Steven Poole

The Ultimate Trade Off

A review of How Men Age: What Evolution Reveals About Male Health and Mortality by Richard G. Bribiescas

Playing Whac-a-Mole with Science Deniers

A Review of Not a Scientist: How Politicians Mistake, Misrepresent, and Utterly Mangle Science by Dave Levitan.

Frauds and Cons

Reviews of: Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History by Nate Hendley Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff by Edward J. Balliesen Houdini’s ‘Girl Detective’ compiled by Tony Wolf The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For it…Every Time by Maria Konnikova

Any Sufficiently Advanced Human is Indistinguishable from God

Review of Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari.

TERRIFYING! IMPROBABLE! CHEMTRAILS!

We’ve all heard the story of Chicken Little—a fanciful