Benjamin Radford

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Benjamin Radford
Ben Radford.jpg
Ben Radford lectures at CFI West on Paranormal Investigations, June 18, 2011
Born (1970-10-02) October 2, 1970 (age 54)
New York City, U.S.
Education Master's in Public Health
Master's in Education
Bachelor's in Psychology
Alma mater Dartmouth College
University at Buffalo
University of New Mexico
Occupation(s)Writer, investigator, podcaster, research fellow
Known forMedia and science literacy educator, scientific paranormal investigation, MonsterTalk podcast, Squaring the Strange podcast
Website benjaminradford.com
Signature
Ben Radford Signature.jpg

Benjamin Radford (born October 2, 1970) is an American writer, investigator, and skeptic. He has authored, coauthored or contributed to over twenty books and written over a thousand articles and columns on a wide variety of topics including urban legends, unexplained mysteries, the paranormal, critical thinking, mass hysteria, and media literacy. His book, Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment, was published in the summer of 2014 and is a scientific investigation of famous legends and folklore in the state of New Mexico. In 2016 Radford published Bad Clowns, a 2017 IPPY bronze award winner, [1] and he is regarded as an expert on the bad clowns phenomenon. [2]

Contents

Radford has appeared on Good Morning America , CNN, The History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the Learning Channel, CBC, BBC, ABC News, The New York Times , and many other outlets.

Radford characterizes himself as one of the world's few science-based paranormal investigators, and has done first-hand research into psychics, ghosts, [3] exorcisms, miracles, Bigfoot, stigmata, lake monsters, UFO sightings, reincarnation, crop circles, and other topics. "I'm open-minded. I never said I don't believe ghosts exist. But I can say I've looked at the research that's been done, and I've done personal investigations. In each particular case there either is or isn't good, compelling evidence, and so far I haven't seen it." [4]

He regularly speaks at universities and conferences across the country about his research, and about science and skepticism. [5] Radford's books and investigations have been incorporated into several college and university courses on critical thinking, including at Western Washington University and the University of New Mexico. [6]

Radford is also a contributor to the website Snopes.com, where he has researched and written articles debunking fakelore and a variety of popular myths including The Amityville Horror, [7] and the claim that humans only use 10% of their brains. [8]

Early life

Radford became interested in "the mysterious and the unexplained" as a child from reading books about, "monsters and dragons, the Bermuda Triangle, psychics in Russia that could move automobiles with their mind", etc. He also became interested through television shows such as That's Incredible and Ripley's Believe It or Not . He grew disenchanted with the lack of scientific rigor in the books and television shows because there seemed to be little or no investigation or proper references. [9]

Radford's first encounter with formal skepticism came as a result of a fruitless search for beer in a "dry" county in Utah. Winning a regional essay contest while at the University of New Mexico, he was flown to present his paper at a college town in Utah. He and his colleagues came across a tiny used bookstore where he acquired an old issue of Skeptical Inquirer featuring an article on the prophesies of Nostradamus penned by none other than James Randi. He relates that this was the first article he'd read criticizing Nostradamus and offered "skeptical, logical, and reasonable explanations for the prophecies apparent accuracy". [10]

Radford holds a bachelor's degree in psychology (graduating magna cum laude) with a minor in professional writing from the University of New Mexico where he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in 1993. He also has a master's degree in education from the University at Buffalo where his focus was on Science and the Public, and his masters thesis was titled Misinformation in Eating Disorder Communications: Implications for Science Communication Policy. [11] Radford stated that he chose this topic because it "involved several of my longstanding interests such as myths and misinformation ... eating disorders (a subject I first became involved with when helping an ex-girlfriend struggle with bulimia); and the news media". [12]

He graduated from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in 2022, earning a master's degree in Public Health. He was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, and was the recipient of a 2022 Social Justice Award from the Dartmouth Institute. [13]

Career

Journalism

Radford served as managing editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer from 1997 until early 2011, when he was promoted to deputy editor. He is also a regular columnist at the magazine. [14] Until it suspended publication in 2009, he was editor-in-chief of the Spanish-language magazine Pensar, published in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [15] Radford is also a regular columnist for Discovery News , LiveScience.com, and the Skeptical Briefs newsletter.[ citation needed ]

Radford is a co-founder and former co-host of MonsterTalk, a podcast, which critically examines the science and folklore behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and werewolves. [16] MonsterTalk won the 2012 Parsec podcast award for the “Best Fact Behind the Fiction” category. [17]

Radford is a Research Fellow with the non-profit educational organization Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, [18] and presented at the American Folklore Society's 2011 annual conference on Folklore of the Chupacabra. [19]

Radford's writings also focus on topics related to women and minorities, particularly in South America and Africa. Through his books, articles, blogs, and podcasts he has raised awareness of many social problems that disproportionately affect women, including modern witchcraft in India, Nepal, and Pakistan; [20] the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping in 2014; [21] acid attack victims in Pakistan; [22] and sex trafficking. [23]

Guy P. Harrison reviews Radford's 2016 book Bad Clowns saying, "Who knew naughty clowns could be so interesting?" Radford spends time on the "unfounded hype and hysteria" of stories of clowns in journalism including John Wayne Gacy and the Aurora Colorado shooter James Holmes. [24]

Scientific paranormal investigator

Described as a "professional skeptic", Radford works at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry investigating all manner of unusual claims and events. His work includes investigation, reporting, journalism, science literacy education, and public speaking. [25]

Radford explains his approach by saying "I am not paid to doubt things; I am paid to promote science and investigate unusual claims. Our approach is empirical, evidence- and science-based. Science has proven itself incredibly successful in explaining and finding out about the world. If we wish to know why a certain disease strikes one person and not another, we turn to medicine instead of a witch doctor. If we wish to know how to build a bridge that can span a river, we turn to physics instead of psychics. Paranormal or “unexplained” topics are testable by science: either a psychic's prediction comes true or it doesn't; either ghosts exist in the real world or they don't. My job is not to doubt, nor debunk; it is to investigate. I have no vested interest in proving or disproving any unexplained phenomena; I get paid the same either way. But the cardinal rule is that an investigator must eliminate all the natural explanations before accepting supernatural ones, and must use sound science." [10]

When asked "Have you ever been stumped by a mysterious claim?" Radford responded, "No". He responded more fully that there are times with some claims there isn't enough information or the information given to him wasn't correct. Radford compares these investigations to a crime scene investigating where there exists "a positive correlation between the quality of the available evidence and solving the mystery". Radford states he has a "high bar for what I am willing to concede is 'unexplained' or truly mysterious". [26]

Paranormal researcher Brian D. Parsons in a review for Investigating Ghosts, praised the book, stating, "Radford is not saying ghosts do not exist. He's merely explaining and demonstrating that ghost researchers have been going about things wrong for a very long time". [27]

Awards

As of 2023 Radford has been a finalist or winner of eight book awards.

Book Awards
YearAwardFromTitle
2011FinalistNew Mexico-Arizona Book AwardsTracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore [28]
2011FinalistForeword Reviews Book of the Year awardTracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore [29]
2012FinalistNew Mexico-Arizona Book AwardsScientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries [30]
2014WinnerSouthwest Book AwardMysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment [31]
2017BronzeIndependent Publisher Book AwardsBad Clowns [32]
2018Winner, Science CategoryNew Mexico-Arizona Book AwardsInvestigating Ghosts: The Scientific Search for Spirits [33]
2021Finalist, Nonfiction GeneralNew Mexico-Arizona Book AwardsBig-If True: Adventures in Oddity [34]
2023Winner, Politics/Current EventsNew Mexico-Arizona Book AwardsAmerica the Fearful: Media and the Marketing of National Panic [35]

Squaring the Strange

In April 2017 Radford and Pascual Romero launched the Squaring the Strange podcast with evidence-based analysis and commentary on a variety of topics ranging from the paranormal to the political. [36] Frequent contributor and content producer Celestia Ward was later added as a cohost. [37] [38] The podcast features discussions on a wide variety of subjects including psychology, myths, hoaxes, folklore, and science. [39] It has featured Radford's detailed analysis of the Blue Whale Challenge scare and his passionate criticism of the History Channel's Amelia Earhart documentary and its discredited photographic evidence. [40]

Investigations

Radford has conducted numerous investigations into "unexplained" phenomena. These are some of his best-known cases:

Pokémon panic (1997)

In 2001, Radford investigated the mysterious 1997 incident in which thousands of Japanese children seemingly suffered seizures while watching "Dennō Senshi Porygon", an episode of the Pokémon anime. Though many doctors advanced theories including photosensitive epilepsy, Radford proffered evidence that the incident was rooted in mass hysteria. The resulting article, co-authored by Robert Bartholomew, was published in the February 2001 Southern Medical Journal . [41]

"We studied a reported illness outbreak occurring on December 16, 1997, involving more than 12,000 Japanese children who had various signs and symptoms of illness after watching an episode of a popular animated cartoon, Pokémon. While photosensitive epilepsy was diagnosed in a minuscule fraction of those affected, this explanation cannot account for the breadth and pattern of the events. The characteristic features of the episode are consistent with the diagnosis of epidemic hysteria, triggered by sudden anxiety after dramatic mass media reports describing a relatively small number of genuine photosensitive-epilepsy seizures. The importance of the mass media in precipitating outbreaks of mass psychogenic illness is discussed." [41]

Ben Radford lectures at CFI West on Paranormal Investigations, June 18, 2011. Radford BW 2.jpg
Ben Radford lectures at CFI West on Paranormal Investigations, June 18, 2011.

Santa Fe courthouse ghost (2007)

In 2007, Radford solved the mystery of the "Santa Fe Courthouse Ghost", a mysterious, glowing, white blob that was captured on videotape June 15, by a security camera at a courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico. [42] [43] While the court personnel who first saw the image could not explain it, others soon offered their own explanations, and a ghost was among the most popular. Radford conducted several days of on-site field investigations at the courthouse, and after several experiments duplicated the "ghost" effect by placing insects on the video camera that recorded the original event. [42] [43]

The Los Angeles UFO / mystery missile (2010)

In November 2010, a UFO was sighted and recorded in the sky over Los Angeles by a news helicopter cameraman. [44]

In a column for Discovery News, Radford was one of the first journalists to critically analyze the video and correctly identify the UFO or “mystery missile” as an airplane contrail. [45]

The White Witch of Rose Hall (2007)

In Fortean Times magazine and his book Scientific Paranormal Investigation, Radford published his re-creations of the "ghost photos" taken at Rose Hall, a mansion near Montego Bay in Jamaica, showing that alleged paranormal phenomena caught on film at that location were camera artifacts and reflected flashes, not ghosts. [46] [47]

Ben Radford with James Randi in a panel discussion at The Amaz!ng Meeting 2012 Ben Radford and James Randi at The Amazing Meeting 2012.jpg
Ben Radford with James Randi in a panel discussion at The Amaz!ng Meeting 2012

Kansas City gym ghost video (2008)

Radford investigated and solved the mystery of an alleged "ghost video" taken at Anytime Fitness, an all-night fitness club in Overland Park, Kansas in 2008. Surveillance cameras caught the glowing, fuzzy light in a workout area, wandering over the weight benches and fitness machines. The video was circulated on YouTube, generating more than 100,000 views. [48]

Radford concluded the actual culprit to be merely an insect on the camera lens. His conclusions were based on the several facts: 1) the image only showed up on one of several cameras covering the area, 2) the fuzzy and out-of-focus image indicated that the object was closer rather than farther to the security camera which is designed to focus at longer distances, 3) the image appears to reflecting rather than emitting light, and 4) the image appeared to go over objects in the room rather than going around them. [49] [50]

The "Champ" photo (1977)

The photo, taken by Sandra Mansi in 1977, sparked investigations and national interest into the creature allegedly living in Lake Champlain. John Kirk, in his book In the Domain of the Lake Monsters, writes that "The monster of Lake Champlain... has the distinction of being the only lake monster of whom there is a reasonably clear photograph. It... is extremely good evidence of an unidentified lake-dwelling animal". After investigating claims of a monster in Lake Champlain that has been nicknamed "Champ", Radford, along with Joe Nickell concluded that the object in the famous photo was almost certainly a floating log or tree-trunk. [51] Joe Zarzynski, author of Champ: Beyond the Legend (1984), calls the photo "the best single piece of evidence on Champ."

The results of the Champ and Mansi photo investigation were published in the book Lake Monster Mysteries, as well as in Skeptical Inquirer magazine and Fortean Times magazine. Radford and Nickell re-enacted their experiments and investigation for the Discovery Channel in 1995. [52] [53]

Chupacabra (2010)

Radford spent five years investigating the mysterious monster el chupacabra, and came to the conclusion that the monster sightings were inspired by the 1995 film Species , and were aided and abetted by faulty eyewitness accounts, lack of forensic knowledge, and mass hysteria. His account of the investigation is detailed in his 2011 book Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore. The investigation included eyewitness interviews, forensic and folkloric research, and "a field expedition to the jungles of Nicaragua" in search of the legendary monster. [54] [55]

Similar media-inspired monster sightings have been offered to explain for Loch Ness Monster (inspired by scenes depicting a Plesiosaur-like monster in the 1933 King Kong movie) [56] and of the fictional bogey-man Slender Man reported on the talk-radio show Coast to Coast . [57]

Tracking the Chupacabra was a Finalist for two books awards including Book of the Year. [58] According to Outside Magazine , Radford came to the conclusion that the chupacabra "was nothing but a cinematic fever dream." [59]

Dyatlov Pass Deaths (2014)

The 2014 Discovery Channel special Russian Yeti: The Killer Lives explored claims that the Dyatlov group was killed by an enraged Russian yeti. Radford wrote an in-depth review of the show for the Doubtful News website on June 1. He noted that "Russian Yeti: The Killer Lives begins with the premise that the injuries sustained by the skiers were so grave and extraordinary that could only have been inflicted by an inhumanly strong creature." Radford pointed out that the evidence believers in the idea point to is present in many other types of pseudoscientific claims, such as the chupacabra and cattle mutilations, and can be accounted for by the predation of convention animals, or in the case of the Dyatlov group, by avalanche. [60] [61] Radford points out that producers of the program, and host Mike Libecki, despite encountering such a creature, never mentioned anything else about that being, and never mentioned it in their journals. [60]

Films

Clicker Clatter poster Clicker Clatter poster.png
Clicker Clatter poster

Radford has appeared in films that address his investigatory work. In Wrinkles the Clown he discussed the historical roots of deviant clowns, [62] and in Science Friction he was interviewed about his experience with documentaries which misrepresent the interviews with experts in their field. [63]

In addition to his scientific skepticism work, Radford has written and directed several animated short films. In Sirens (2009), "A young boy in a small-town library avoids his math homework and is instead drawn into the world of the mythological Sirens, beautiful women who lured sailors to their doom." [64]

Both films screened at film festivals around the world, and Clicker Clatter won the “Best Traditional Animation” award at the 2007 California International Animation Festival. Clicker Clatter has an online distributor and can be seen at SnagFilms.com. [65]

Board games

Playing Gods

In 2008 Radford released Playing Gods: The Board Game of Divine Domination, a satirical board game he created based on theme of gods warring over the control of believers. The game is described as a "theological version of Risk " and contains figures based on Jesus, Moses, Buddha and many other religions including satirical religions like the Flying Spaghetti Monster and J. R. Bob Dobbs. The game made its world premiere at the New York Toy Fair in March 2009 and debuted at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. [66] Playing Gods is produced through Radford's company, Balls Out Entertainment. [66] [67]

Australia's Synergy Magazine reported Playing Gods has "some of the nicest pawns I have ever seen in a board game... has great game play and comes with a smart, cynical and satirical tone. Playing Gods is blasphemy with style and offers a great board game with a good dose of insight and a great load of fun!”. [68] Other players have praised the game as "one of the coolest and most important things to happen to parlor games", [69] and "awesome, and damned funny.. it's Candyland for people who want the express train to hell". [70] Carl Raschke, professor of religious studies at University of Denver, criticized Radford's board game telling USA Today that the game "sounds too stupid to go far". [71]

Undead Apocalypse

In 2013, Radford released plans for a followup to the Playing Gods board game, entitled Undead Apocalypse: War of the Damned. [72] [73] It would have integrated genuine lore concerning werewolves, vampires and zombies into the board game. [74] A Kickstarter campaign to fund the game was launched in June 2013, but was cancelled when it became clear it would not fully fund. [75]

Selected bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chupacabra</span> Legendary creature in American folklore

The chupacabra or chupacabras is a legendary creature, or cryptid, in the folklore of parts of the Americas. The name comes from the animal's purported vampirism—the chupacabra is said to attack and drink the blood of livestock, including goats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee for Skeptical Inquiry</span> Organization focusing on scientific skepticism

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims." Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of CSICOP in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, to counter what he regarded as an uncritical acceptance of, and support for, paranormal claims by both the media and society in general. Its philosophical position is one of scientific skepticism. CSI's fellows have included notable scientists, Nobel laureates, philosophers, psychologists, educators, and authors. It is headquartered in Amherst, New York.

Skeptical Inquirer (S.I.) is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle "The Magazine for Science and Reason". The magazine initially focused on investigating claims of the paranormal, but evolved and expanded to address other pseudoscientific topics that are antithetical to critical thinking and science. Notable skeptics have credited the magazine in influencing their development of scientific skepticism. In the "Letters to the Editor", the most frequent letters of appreciation come from educators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogopogo</span> Mythical creature in British Columbia

In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopogo now plays a role in the commercial symbolism and media representation of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted house</span> House or other building perceived as being inhabited by spirits

A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property. Parapsychologists often attribute haunting to the spirits of the dead who have suffered from violent or tragic events in the building's past such as murder, accidental death, or suicide.

Popobawa, also Popo Bawa, is the name of an evil spirit or shetani, which is believed by residents of Zanzibar to have first appeared on the Tanzanian island of Pemba. In 1995, it was the focus of a major outbreak of mass hysteria or panic which spread from Pemba to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, and across to Dar es Salaam and other urban centres on the East African coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Nickell</span> Skeptic and paranormal investigator (born 1944)

Joe Nickell is an American skeptic and investigator of the paranormal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spirit photography</span> Attempt to capture images of ghosts or spirits

Spirit photography is a type of photography whose primary goal is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual entities, especially in ghost hunting. It dates back to the late 19th century. The end of the American Civil War and the mid-19th Century Spiritualism movement contributed greatly to the popularity of spirit photography. The omnipresence of death in the Victorian period created a desire for evidence of the afterlife, and those who partook in Spirit Photography oftentimes hoped to receive images that depicted the likeness of a deceased relative or loved one. Photographers such as William Mumler and William Hope ran thriving businesses taking photos of people with their supposed dead relatives. Both were shown to be frauds, but "true believers", such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, refused to accept the evidence as proof of a hoax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost hunting</span> Investigating reportedly haunted locations for ghosts

Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are purportedly haunted by ghosts. The practice has been heavily criticized for its dismissal of the scientific method. No scientific study has ever been able to confirm the existence of ghosts. Ghost hunting is considered a pseudoscience by the vast majority of educators, academics, science writers and skeptics. Science historian Brian Regal described ghost hunting as "an unorganized exercise in futility".

The Santa Fe courthouse ghost event was a purported ghost sighted on a video captured by a security camera at a courthouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 15, 2007. Once the video was uploaded onto YouTube it quickly attracted widespread attention and many improbable suggestions as to its origin. Benjamin Radford, a managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer investigated the sighting and concluded that the origin of the ghost was a bug crawling across the camera lens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert A. Baker</span> American psychologist and scientific skeptic (1921–2005)

Robert Allen Baker Jr. was an American psychologist, professor of psychology emeritus of the University of Kentucky, skeptic, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranormal phenomena. He is the editor of Psychology in the Wry, a collection of satire, and was formerly the co-editor of Approaches, a quarterly journal of contemporary poetry. His satirical and humorous verses have appeared in Vogue, Saturday Review, The Journal of Irreproducible Results, Worm-Runners' Digest, and other journals. He wrote 15 books and is a past fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Stollznow</span> Australian-American skeptic (born 1976)

Karen Stollznow is an Australian-American author, linguist, public speaker, and podcaster. Her books include Bitch: The Journey of a Word, Missed Conceptions: How We Make Sense of Infertility, On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present, The Language of Discrimination, God Bless America: Strange and Unusual Religious Beliefs and Practices in the United States, Haunting America, Language Myths, Mysteries and Magic, Hits and Mrs, and Would You Believe It?: Mysterious Tales From People You'd Least Expect. Stollznow also writes short fiction, including the title Fisher's Ghost and Other Stories, and she is a host on the podcast Monster Talk with Blake Smith. She has written for many popular publications, including The Conversation and Psychology Today. Stollznow has also appeared as an expert on many TV shows, including the History Channel's History's Greatest Mysteries and Netflix's Files of the Unexplained.

<i>MonsterTalk</i> Skeptical podcast

MonsterTalk is an audio podcast that was originally presented by the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine but broke ties in 2019. Since 2019 it has been an independent podcast under the "Monster House, LLC" banner. The show critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. It is hosted by Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow, and produced by Blake Smith. In 2012, MonsterTalk was awarded the Parsec Award for the "Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon A. Hill</span> American geologist and science blogger

Sharon A. Hill is an American science writer and speaker known for her research into the interaction between science and the public, focusing on education and media topics. Hill's research has dealt mainly with paranormal, pseudoscience, and strange natural phenomena and began at the University at Buffalo, where she performed her graduate work in this area. Hill attended Pennsylvania State University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in geosciences and working as a Pennsylvania geologist.

<i>Tracking the Chupacabra</i>

Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction and Folklore is a non-fiction book by Benjamin Radford, an American writer and investigator. The book documents Radford's five-year investigation into accounts of the chupacabra. The chupacabra is said to be a vampiric predatory animal that drains the blood of animal victims while avoiding human detection.

The Launceston Skeptics is a nonprofit organisation that promotes scientific skepticism in Launceston, Tasmania. Founded in 2010 by Jin-oh Choi through a meetup group, the organisation has participated in community events, challenged the claims of ghosts, and hosts regular meetups in Launceston. Their mission is to encourage the media to adopt a more critical outlook, encourage scientific knowledge and address questions about human rights and social issues.

<i>Mysterious New Mexico</i> 2014 book by Benjamin Radford

Mysterious New Mexico: Miracles, Magic, and Monsters in the Land of Enchantment is a 2014 collection of thirteen investigations conducted by author Ben Radford into cases involving claims of the paranormal occurring in or with significant connections to New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Biddle</span> Investigator of paranormal claims

Kenny Biddle is an investigator of paranormal claims. He is chief investigator at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a fellow of the same organization.

References

  1. ↑ "2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards National Medalists". Independent Publisher. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ Shone, Colton. "Recent scary clown trend nothing new, expert said". KOB 4. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (January 29, 2004), Investigating a Haunted House – Amherst, New York, GhostVillage.com, archived from the original on August 10, 2009, retrieved March 26, 2009
  4. ↑ Nott, Robert (October 31, 2014). "Things that go bump in the night". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  5. ↑ Gerbic, Susan (February 3, 2017). "Local Skeptical Outreach & Activism: Monterey County Skepticamp". Archived from the original on September 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (2010). Scientific Paranormal Investigation. Rhombus Publishing. p. 192.
  7. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (April 15, 2005), The Amityville Horror, Snopes.com , retrieved February 16, 2014
  8. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (July 21, 2007), The Ten Percent Myth, Snopes.com, retrieved February 16, 2014
  9. ↑ "Meet the Skeptics!: Meet Ben Radford". Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Radford, Benjamin (2010). Scientific Paranormal Investigation. Rhombus Publishing. pp. 42–51.
  11. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (2013). "Misinformation in eating disorder communications: Implications for science communication policy". University of Buffalo. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ Radford, Ben (2018). "Medical Misinformation in the Media: Is Anorexia on the Rise?". Skeptical Inquirer . 42 (1). Center for Inquiry: 46–49.
  13. ↑ Dean, Timothy (June 15, 2022). "The Dartmouth Institute Celebrates Class of 2022". Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ "A Glimpse Backward". Skeptical Inquirer. Vol. 40, no. 6. Center for Inquiry. November–December 2016. Archived from the original on March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Pensar - Quiénes Somos". www.pensar.org. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Monster Talk". Skeptic Magazine. October 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  17. ↑ "2012 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists". Parsec Awards. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  18. ↑ "CSI Fellows and Staff - CSI". www.csicop.org. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  19. ↑ "American Folklore Society 2011 Annual Meeting" (PDF). www.afsnet.org. American Folklore Society. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  20. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (July 31, 2014). "Indian Woman Beaten to Death for 'Witchcraft'". Live Science. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  21. ↑ Radford, Ben (September 17, 2014). "Bring Back Our Girls? Boko Haram and the Forgotten Captives". Seeker.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  22. ↑ Radford, Benjamin (February 28, 2012). "Oscar-Winning Film Highlights Acid Attack Domestic Violence". Center For Inquiry. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  23. ↑ Radford, Ben (February 25, 2015). "'Witchcraft' Used to Fight Sex Trafficking in Africa". Seeker. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  24. ↑ Harrison, Guy P. (2019). "Scrutinizing the 'Bad Clown' Idea". Skeptical Inquirer. 43 (2): 63.
  25. ↑ Mayberry, Carly (January 6, 2017). "National author to keynote Monterey County Skeptics' third annual SkeptiCamp". Montereyherald.com. Monterey Herald. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  26. ↑ Radford, Ben (2018). "Caught Between the Possible and the Paranormal". Skeptical Inquirer. 42 (5). Center for Inquiry: 30–31.
  27. ↑ Parsons, Brian D. (2019). "A Friendly Guide Showing How Ghost Hunters Go Wrong". Skeptical Inquirer. 43 (4). Center for Inquiry: 62–63.
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