NEWS AND COMMENT

AAAS Session Provides Glimpse at Science-end of Issues, Research

KENDRICK FRAZIER doing its best to sift through all kinds of ing that the grants and awards issued by claims for nuggets of scientific and ther- NCCAM and its predecessor Office of The more scientific end of the spectrum apeutic value. Alternative Medicine have produced no of alternative medicine got a hearing at "Our role is to stimulate and support useful information (see story on next the annual meeting of the American the best scientific modalities," he told page). He didn't quibble with the con- Association for the Advancement of the media. Some of the therapies clusion but again emphasized that larger Science (AAAS) in Boston in February. NCCAM studies "may hold germs of studies will be necessary to get definitive Generally the kind of wacky and ques- truth." Some, he said, "will be proven results. "If something [turns out to be] tionable stuff that critics and skeptics of safe and effective, some unsafe and inef- ineffective, I have no need to fund fur- alternative medicine focus on was fective." He said the agency seeks to pro- ther studies of that topic," he said. nowhere to be seen, and in both the vide the public guidance to sort through In his presentation introducing the February 17 session and in a news brief- "folklore and rumor." symposium on Sunday morning, Straus ing for science reporters the day before, In the news conference the media again offered numerous cautions. He presenters described real scientific were about equally divided between spoke of the strong influence of people's investigations and had all the right cau- those interested in the scientific presen- beliefs, the unintended consequences tionary words about fringier topics. tations to be given and those interested of such things as botanical and drug The half-day session was titled "The in grilling Straus about the controversies interactions, "studies that provide Science Underlying Complementary over the scientific value of NCCAM and important cautionary tales" (such as and Alternative Medicine." It was orga- alternative medicine in general. DiBella multitherapy, which claimed nized by Stephen E. Straus, Director of Isn't NCCAM a highly political 10,000 successful patients, whereas sub- the National Center for Comple- agency, influenced by the views of the sequent studies showed "zero evidence mentary and Alternative Medicine politicians who helped set it up and of remissions"), and important issues of (NCCAM) within the National Insti- continue to support it with ever mind/body medicine. tutes of Health; Donald Krogstan of increasing funding? "Complementary But he maintained that good science Tulane University; and Sondra Schlesin- and alternative medicine is popular," could be done in the field. "Our speak- ger of the Washington University School Straus pointed out. The strong political ers today will tell you that it's not all a of Medicine. support NCCAM enjoys is helping it bunch of nonsense. There is interesting Straus, a physician, has the task of move forward, he said. "It provides the and exciting science to do." trying to bring good science to wherewithal to separate the wheat from In answer to questions from the NCCAM while not offending those the chaff." audience, Straus said, "I believe that influential congressional advocates of What would it take to say all of it the American people are not stupid." alternative and untested therapies who (alternative medicine] "is bunk?" he was He said they seek good information, provide a strong political and funding asked. "Our job is not debunking," he but the problem is that if reliable infor- base for the center, whose annual budget said, but only finding out what works mation is not provided, it is for extramural research now exceeds and what doesn't. "In the U.S. people nature for people to "attach to anec- $100 million. Most observers say he is a can take things without proof [of effi- dotes." Said Straus: "We at least can master at this. [See also "Bioterrorism cacy]," he said. "We can sit back and rail provide the public with better informa- and the NCCAM: The Selling of about this or we can try to set out and tion to make those decisions. We want Complementary and Alternative Medi- find" what the facts are. to elevate the dialogue. We want to get cine," by Kimball C. Atwood IV, M.D., He openly acknowledged that it out of the streets and get it into the , March/April NCCAM's studies haven't yet produced hospitals and laboratories." 2002.) At die meeting and the news any significant results one way or anodier, * a * briefing, Straus certainly said all the but he maintained that larger studies now right words for his audiences of scien- under way are likelier to do so. As for the rest of the symposium, there tists, physicians, and at times skeptical He was asked directly about a new were some interesting reports: science journalists. He offered up the study just published in the Scientific Jonathan Davidson (Duke Universi- image of a taxpayer-funded agency Review of Alternative Medicine conclud- ty Department of Psychiatry) provided a

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER May/June 2002 5 NEWS AND COMMENT critical analysis of previous studies of the analgesia is mediated by the body's the awards have not produced useful efficacy of St. John's Wort (hypericum) endogenous opioid systems. "In other information. on major depression. Sales of St. John's words, the appropriate context and The study is published in The Wort are now four times those of expectation is capable of triggering the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine Prozac. There is, he said, "a little evi- release of endogenous opioids in the (5[4]:205-207, 2001) by Saul Green, a dence that St. John's Wort helps the sea- brain," leading to relief of pain. "We now former professor of biochemistry at sonal blues, or SAD" (seasonal affective know that placebos induce the release of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute. disorder). But the study that really got endogenous opioids in painful condi- Congressional advocates of alterna- the herb's sale going was the so-called tions and of endogenous dopamine in tive medicine caused OAM to be estab- Linde study in 1996, an analysis of motor disorders, like Parkinson's disease," lished in 1992 within the National twenty-three randomized trials. It said Benedetti. "Both endogenous opi- Institutes of Health, supposedly to carry claimed a response in treating depres- oids and dopamine appear to be released out rigorous evaluation of "alternative" sion of 55 percent—equivalent to that as neurotransmitters at the level of spe- medical treatment methods and to of prescription agents—compared with cific neurochemical pathways, rather determine their effectiveness. With 22 percent for a placebo. than as systemic modulators/hormones." some intense political support, congres- • David Spiegel (Stanford University sional appropriations for OAM and its "However," said Davidson, "there successor NCCAM have increased were limitations" to the Linde study, in- School of Medicine) described studies using positron emission tomography yearly. Its research funding now stands cluding small sample sizes and lack of at $105 million this fiscal year. long-term follow-up. He also finds "a (PET) scans of the brain to reveal effects number of things puzzling" about the of hypnosis on color vision. The PET Green, a noted critic of alternative study, including a smaller-than-expected scan examined blood flow of "highly medicine, downloaded from the placebo effect (30 to 50 percent is typical hypnotizable" patients during hypnotic NCCAM Web site records of grants and in depression). "It's not quite clear to me states and showed that blood flow awards and tabulated them. He also examined published reports of the inves- how you would get these results," he said. increased when the hypnotized patient believed he was looking at colors, tigations, although he found these to Post-Linde (since 1997) studies of regardless whether the pattern exhibited exist in small numbers. hypericum with large samples have had was in color or in gray scale. The hyp- Among his findings: "Many publica- some "disappointingly low" results, with notic illusion of color induced blood tions were found to be repetitions of odds of getting better with the treatment flow change consistent with observing previously performed research, reviews, at 2.1, "a more realistic" finding com- color. "The subjective experience of and commentaries—the latter two not pared with Linde's 5.5, but still suggestive color alteration in hypnosis was associ- requiring large grants to perform. . . . "of some small effect," Davidson said. ated with activation and deactivation of Many projects seem to be devoted to Davidson had hoped to present at the color processing regions of the brain," implausible methods. No clearly posi- symposium results of his own NIH- said Spiegel. "This provides evidence tive or negative findings have been sponsored study aimed at testing the effi- that hypnotic alteration of perception reported for any method, yet many cacy and safety of hypericum in major changes perceptual experience and not reports call for continuing research." depressive disorder. It's a multicenter, merely reports of that experience." Green says most of the people who double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of were appointed to the OAM advisory hypericum extract. He described the Kendrick Frazier is Editor of the committees were strong advocates of study protocol, which he considers "a SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. alternative medicine, and many of them kind of model for studies of depression," were reappointed to the NCCAM advi- but said the report is still in peer review sory committees. in a major journal. "I hope to be able to Study Finds NCCAM The trend continues, he says. "More share results in public before too long." recently appointed members of the advi- Two studies described in the sympo- Grants Have Produced sory committees are largely advocates of sium presented some perhaps surprising No Useful Results aberrant methods. Few members have findings. been chosen to serve on these commit- • Fabrizio Benedetti (University of A newly published independent study tees from the ranks of the standard med- Turin Medical School, Italy) described of grants and reports from the first ical science community." studies of the neurobiology of the nine years of existence of the Office "Considering the total amount of grant placebo effect in sensory and motor sys- of Alternative Medicine and its suc- funding awarded by both the OAM and tems. He said studies provide diree lines cessor agency the National Center die NCCAM," says Green, "few research of evidence that the placebo effect is for Complementary and Alternative papers containing results that can be inde- physiologically real and that placebo Medicine (NCCAM) has found that pendendy reproduced have been written."

6 May/June 2002 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT

"Of interest," he says, "was the finding NCCAM-funded grants. But he said scientific support is questionable or that ten individuals who were awarded that in the early years many of the stud- weak. These and other unproven tech- NCCAM grants accounted for nearly 20 ies were too small in scale to be useful niques may be harmful in certain cases, percent of the total funding granted to all and that larger studies were needed and as evidenced by the tragic death two recipients in the period between 1998 and now being done. years ago of ten-year-old Candace 2000. Of the total number of reports "I do agree that the kinds of things Newmaker in Colorado. Still other tech- written by recipients of these grants, most [studied] in the early years were not the niques, although perhaps not harmful were not original research results but kind to get good results. We need larger per se, may deprive mental health con- appeared to be reviews of the results of studies." sumers of valuable time and resources or their previous studies or commentary on —Kendrick Frazier lead them to forgo effective treatments. the work of others. Nevertheless, until now there has "To my knowledge and based on a existed no journal dedicated to distin- review of abstracts published by the New Journal Dedicated guishing scientifically unsupported from OAM/NCCAM, no report stated that a to Distinguishing scientifically supported claims in mental treatment did not work." He says the health practice. I his spring, Prometheus agency's mandate, originally given by Science from Books (the publisher of The Scientific Sen. Tom Harkin, D-lowa, who w;s in Review of Alternative Medicine) will fill largely instrumental in setting up the Mental Health this void with the launching of a new OAM in 1992, was to determine, by rig- journal, The Scientific Review of Mental orous scientific research, whether corr- Health Practice, which will be edited by plementary or alternative treatments Scott Lilienfeld of Emory University's were worthless and if worthless shoulJ Department of Psychology. This peer- be discarded. reviewed journal, which will initially "In the past nine years," says Green, appear twice a year, will be (he first peri- "no negative result has been published, odical devoted exclusively to critically nor have any of the methods studied examining novel, controversial, and been shown to work to the satisfaction unorthodox claims in clinical psychol- of the medical science community." ogy, psychiarry, social work, and related Concludes Green: "Between 1993 disciplines. The journal will focus on and 2000, close to $110 million ii evaluating psychotherapeutic, assess- grants have been awarded" by OAM ment, and diagnostic techniques that arc- and NCCAM. "So far, few basic science either unsubstantiated or largely experiments and clinical trials have untested, and will publish both literature been performed. Reports in the litera- reviews and controlled investigations. It ture are mainly reviews and commen- will also highlight novel treatments and taries, and no method has been deter- assessment methods that are either mined to be either useful or ineffective promising or that have demonstrated on the basis of OAM or NCCAM As regular readers of the SKEPTICAL strong empirical support. Articles slated grants. . . . On the basis of grants and INQUIRER are well aware, increasing for the 2002 issues of the journal include reports from the first nine years of exis- concerns have been voiced over the past scientific investigations of EMDR, tence, the NCCAM awards have not decade regarding the widening gap and related techniques (e.g., produced useful information." between science and practice in clinical ), fringe treatments for infan- NCCAM Direcror Stephen E. Straus psychology, psychiatry, social work, tile autism, Munchausen's by proxy (a M.D., was asked about Green's SRAM counseling, and allied disciplines. controversial psychiatric diagnosis that study conclusions during a February 16, Suggestive techniques (e.g., hypnosis) describes the behavior of parents who 2002, news conference at the annus 1 for "recovering" purported early memo- intentionally produce illnesses in their meeting of the American Association for ries of abuse, facilitated communica- children), and neurotherapy (a popular the Advancement of Science in Boston, tion, eye movement desensitization and but latgely unsubstantiated treatment tor the day before a session devoted to th: reprocessing (EMDR), Thought Field childhood psychiatric disorders that is science underlying alternative medicine Therapy, "rebirthing" therapy, and the based on brain wave biofeedback). (see article on page 5). Rorschach Inkblot Test are merely a The Scientific Review of Mental Straus acknowledged that no defini- handful of the mental health methods Health Practice has been endorsed by the tive results have emerged as yet from featured in SKEPTICAL INQUIRER whose newly formed Council for Scientific

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER M.iy/June 2002 7 NEWS AND COMMENT

Mental Health Practice, an umbrella causes. While a virus may be causing both bad science and bad . It group of over seventy distinguished psy- some of the incidents, a national study appears mat wiser heads among the state's chologists, psychiatrists, and social of the rashes concluded, "With 53 mil- politicians may have prevailed. On workers from numerous countries, lion young people attending 117,000 March 12, the Ohio House said the issue including the United States, Canada, schools every day in the United States, it wasn't for the legislature to decide, effec- Australia, the United Kingdom, the is expected that rashes from a wide vari- tively killing three bills pro-creationist Netherlands, Italy, and Israel. The mem- ety of causes will be observed." legislators had produced. As with odier bers of this Council include many Health officials have ruled out the states, vigilance and action by scientists prominent researchers and authors possibility of environmental causes (sol- and science educators must be kept up. familiar to the readers of SKEPTICAL vents, bacteria, etc.), widi the exception In Washington, D.C., a White House INQUIRER, such as Elizabeth Loftus, of one school which had high levels of Commission on Complementary and Carol Tavris, Robert Baker, Barry skin and dust particles. The rash of Alternative Medicine Policy appointed Beyerstein, Wallace Sampson, and Susan rashes began during the anthrax scare, during the closing days of the Clinton Blackmore. and it's possible that they have always administration was about to turn over its To order by credit card call (800) 421 - existed in the school system, but during final report. The commission is made up 0351, or write to The Scientific Review of the present bio-terror concern, students almost entirely of alternative medicine Mental Health Practice, 59 John Glenn have been paying more attention to advocates; few if any of them have done Dr., Amherst, NY 14228-2197. their skin and school nurses are more any published scientific research. likely to report such incidents. Dry skin Nevertheless the commission was —Scott Lilienfeld and itching are notorious duting the expected to recommend expanded federal Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D., is the founder winter months in the U.S. as people spending and other major policy initia- and editor of The Scientific Review of spend more time indoors and the air is tives to promote taxpayer support of Mental Health Practice, a CSICOP typically dry from the heating system. alternative medicine. The hope here too was that cooler heads would prevail. Fellow, and a SKEPTICAL INQUIRER con- —Robert Bartholomew and Efforts were underway in die corridors of sulting editor. Benjamin Radford power to encourage the Bush administra- Robert Bartholomew is a sociologist and tion to shelve the report as a bad idea Rash of Mysterious freelance writer living in Vermont; from a previous administration. The out- Rashes May Be Linked Benjamin Radford is a writer and man- come will be watched closely. aging editor of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. to Mass Hysteria —Kendrick Frazier For the past six months, a mystetious Ohio and Washington: skin rash affecting thousands of mainly in the Oil primary schoolchildren has been re- Agendas Push ported at widely separated locations in Questionable Science Patch: Microlepton fourteen states. The first outbreak Fields, Again occurred in Indiana in October 2001. As this issue was nearing publication, The rashes tend to last anywhere from a two major disputes involving the inter- Finding oil and gas is a process mat com- few hours to two weeks, are not accom- jection of questionable science, or bines physics and geology with a lot of panied by other symptoms, and usually worse, into the political system were engineering technology. Potential drilling go away when the students leave school. coming to a head. sites are located using 3D seismic data In at least a few cases, students faked the In Ohio, scientists and educators were and a deep understanding of geology and rash by rubbing themselves with sand- battling the latest efforts of creationists geophysics. Evaluating a potential site paper in an effort to shut down the and diose with hidden ideological agen- requires drilling a well and recovering school. das to introduce in the guise actual rock cores. Since recovering rock Health investigator Dr. Norman of "" into Ohio schools' cores is very expensive and at times risky, Sykes stated that "For something like science curricula. Proponents of good sci- various physics-based measurements must this to occur almost simultaneously in ence brought out big guns like physics be made while the drilling is going on or different parts of the country is, to my professor and author Lawrence Krauss after me well is drilled to provide addi- knowledge, unprecedented." According (The Physics of Star Trek) and Brown tional necessary information. These mea- to the Centers for Disease Control and University biologist Kenneth Miller surements consist of acoustic travel time, Prevention in Atlanta, the rashes appear (Finding Darwin's God) to strongly con- neutron scattering, and gamma-ray scat- to be different kinds with different demn the efforts and to show how ID is tering to determine the rock properties

8 May/lune 2002 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT

(especially the porosity), and various elec- minerals deep within the earth The Academic Department of tromagnetic and NMR measurements to through a process called GeoVision. General Physics and Astronomy at a special session on July 9, 1991, char- determine the properties of the fluids in Their starting point is a thorough study acterized this case as "organized activ- the rock pores. of satellite imagery, followed by a heli- ity of pseudosciencc with specific fea- Although the physics of these mea- copter-borne . They claim that this tures of large-scale bluff." surements is straightforward, the fact is combination can reduce the uncertainty The next link in the search was even that many of the properties of the rocks to nearly zero. The brochure goes on to more revealing. The link was to spir- that are needed by the petroleum engi- describe the economics of drilling with itweb.org. This was an article by a neer to evaluate the reservoir cannot be certainty of success rather than uncer- Russian author describing deriving directly measured in situ. These inter- tainty. The mechanism of the GeoVision equations related to those of Schro- esting properties have to be inferred method is given as "microlepton radia- dinger and Dirac and relating these to through very empirical relationships tion." To quote from the Alkor Web site, karma (Iskakov 1994): (which change from field to field) to the "The most important point of properties that can be measured. This Microlepton GeoVision Technology is The study of psychic phenomena process of inference requires highly the fact that all physical objects have their dictated the need to define the con- trained people, and, as one might imag- cept of the information- field. own microlepton field. The method is ine, is expensive. It also does not always Its material medium, according to based on the analysis of microlepton find oil. The uncertainty of success contemporary notions, may be a emissions of Earth and allows to make global lepton gas, consisting of from even the best science-based explo- accurate forecasts on the existence of var- extremely light particles, microlep- ration methods, combined with the tons, with a mass of lO^-lO"' ious minerals, with the use of space pho- huge amounts of money at stake, opens grams. Microlepton arc much the door to methods that are somewhat tos and field expeditions results, treated lighter than electrons and arc capable less than pure in their science. on special equipment." of freely penetrating any body in the Now, to a physicist involved in oil Universe. A recent example surfaced from a con- and gas exploration for many years, this The only other links were to other tact in the Middle East. A Russian com- sounded much too good to be true. spiritweb.org sites. pany, Alkor (www.Alkorlnternational. Leptons are, of course, physical—a So much for the science in the com), is offering to find oil, gas, and familiar example is the electron. GeoVision method. My company main- However, "microlepton" was a new term tains a research liaison group in Moscow, to me. Searching the Web for "microlep- and I asked the head of that group if he ton" gave very interesting results. The had heard of Alkor. His reply is enlight- first few entries were from Alkor and ening: "1 have been offered that stuff two other companies representing them. some time ago already. I met some of the One link was to a group in England guys: it is hard to believe but tficy even opposing local drilling for oil. Sure seem of good faith; I managed to decline enough, the rationale for drilling was politely without laughing. You can find that the Alkor people had tun a survey. plenty about it on the Web. Also hard to The next link was surprising—it was to believe: they do have a real (Russian) a past issue of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER! patent!" This was from an article on science in So, in oilfield exploration, as in all post-Soviet Russia (Shmakin 1996). other endeavors, Caveat Emptor! This article states A well-known scandal happened References in 1991, when physicists of the USSR Academy of Sciences Iskakov. B.. Hatonn. and Glenda Stocks. 1994. demanded that government Quantum mechanics and some surprises of cease to support work- creation. At www.spiritwcb.org/Spirit/religion- ing on "microlepton fields" (distant eq-scicncc.html. biological influence of army and Shmakin, B. 1996. A view from Russia: Popular- ization of science as a cool against antisctence. civil inhabitants with "torsion SKEPTICAL INQUIRER 20 (4). radiation"). About $500 million had been spent on such "investi- — Tom Barber gations." Fortunately, the Supreme Soviet Committee Tom Barber is a physicist working in the field stopped this waste of money. of borehole geophysics in Houston, Texas.

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER May/June 2002 9 NEWS AND COMMENT

Archaeological Institute hand, ignores that complexity, propos- Each of die invited workshop partici- ing simpler—though certainly quite pants provided short presentations about Hosts Workshop remarkable—scenarios of the human a number of elements of pseudo- Session on Combating past that present the inconvenient . These presentations served as Pseudoarchaeology additional problem of having catalysts for discussion among the presen- absolutely no evidence in their support. ters as well as with members of die audi- So, instead of the development and ence. The sizeable number of workshop evolution of ancient societies being the attendees, and the robust discussions diat result of complex cultural evolutionary characterized the entire session, is a reflec- processes, it is proposed by the "alter- tion of the seriousness widi which die native" archaeologists that the human archaeological community views the issue past can be understood only if one of pseudoarchaeology. Though diere were accepts: varying perspectives expressed concerning the best strategies for response, it is fair to 1) The crucial role in human his- tory of catastrophically colliding state that most of those in attendance The annual meeting of the Archaeological planets—in the workshop, Egyptol- were in agreement that pseudoarchaeol- Institute of America (AIA) was held at die ogist Donald Redford of Penn State ogy aimed at a mass audience poses a gen- University discussed the claims of uine danger to a field of study diat Philadelphia Marriott Hotel on January Immanucl Velikovsky as these relate 3—6, 2002. Tucked in among the fascinat- to the history of ancient ; depends on public interest and support ing symposia on Greek architecture, 2) The visitation of Earth in the for its work. It is hoped diat diis work- ancient iconography, Bronze Age ideol- mists of antiquity by peripatetic shop will lead to additional discussions ogy, and Roman sculpture was a work- extraterrestrial aliens—archaeologist and a coordinated response to the non- Ken Feder of Central Connecticut shop titled "Combating Pseudo- sense diat dogs our discipline. State University discussed, among a archaeology." Organized by Garrett number of issues, acceptance by uni- —Kenneth L. Feder Fagan, assistant professor of classics and versity students of the claims of Erich ancient Mediterranean studies and history von Daniken that the development of Kenneth L. Feder is an archaeologist at ancient resulted from the at Penn State University, die session was Central Connecticut State University and visits of such aliens; or, devoted to die issue of so-called "alterna- author of Frauds, , and Mysteries: 3) The existence of an extraordi- tive" prehistory and history. Along with narily precocious and now lost ancient Science and Pseudoscience in Archae- defining, enumerating, and discussing die which single-handedly ology. He is a CSICOP Fellow. many guises of pseudoarchaeology, one of inspired the development of all of die die workshop's aims was to begin a con- "derivative" ancient civilizations with which we are familiar—television sci- versation widiin die archaeological com- ence documentary producer Chris Astronomers Respond munity concerning strategies diat might Hale related his experiences producing be developed in response to popular but a documentary diat addressed claims to Claims Universe is unsubstantiated claims made about die like these offered by popular writer Young with Material human past. for Classroom Teachers As Fagan pointed out in his intro- Oceanographer Nicholas Flemming, ductory remarks, pseudoarchaeology is of the European Global Ocean In several U.S. states diere have been predicated on the assertion that, in Observing System at Southampton demands diat discussions of die Big Bang essence, everything we archaeologists Oceanographic Observatory, provided and the vast age of the cosmos be think we know about the human past is a broad context for the claims of die excluded from science curricula in K-12 wrong. Having deconstructed tradi- pseudoarchaeologists and addressed classrooms. In response, die Astronomy tional archaeological interpretations as the vexing question: Should profes- Education Board of die American entirely comprised of conjecture, the sional archaeologists respond to the Astronomical Society (AAS) has put pseudoarchaeologists provide alternative claims of pseudoarchaeologists or does togedier an article for teachers on how versions of the human past. For exam- such a response provide an air of legiti- astronomers know that die universe is old ple, traditional archaeologists view macy to the claimants? Flemming and diat it changes widi time. human antiquity as explicable by refer- maintained that it is an abrogation of The illustrated article has been ence to a complex interplay of culture professional responsibility to let invalid posted on the Web at www.astrosociety. and the physical and social environ- claims about the human past stand org/education/pubIications/tnl/56/. It ments in which human beings live. without response by the scientists who is a special issue of The Universe in the Pseudoarchaeology, on the other study that past. Classroom, a newsletter on teaching

1 2 May/June 2002 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT astronomy in grades 3-12, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The article explains the evidence UFOs Over Hollywood showing that we live in a universe that is between 10 billion and 15 billion years A production company working for old and that both the universe and its the British Broadcasting Corporation contents undergo evolutionary change. spent the day at the Center for It is designed to help teachers explain Inquiry-West in early December to do these ideas to their classes and concerned a piece on UFO belief in Hollywood. community members. A list of written As a part of their story. At It and Web resources is also included. Productions wanted to see how diffi- cult it would be to fake a UFO photo. The article grew out of a formal It turns out that it's not difficult at statement on behalf of the astronomical all. Three members of CFI-West's community issued by the Council of the Independent Investigations Group used AAS in 2000, when the Kansas State a coffee pot lid, some invisible string, Board of Education in 1999 adopted and a $9 disposable camera to capture state standards that eliminated both evo- the accompanying pictures. They were lution and Big Bang cosmology. taken from (and made on) the roof of While those standards have now the new CFI-West building in Holly- been repealed, following the election of wood. The 35mm camera needed no new Board of Education members, the alteration to chronicle the Mr. Coffee scientific perspective continues to be —James Underdown That Almost Ate Hollywood. (Thanks questioned in states and communities to Milt Timmons and Bob Gelfand of James Underdown is Executive Director around the U.S. Both the AAS Council the IIG for their help.) for the Center for Inquiry—West. and the Society's Astronomy Education Board believe that astronomers have an obligation to assist teachers in sorting out the evidence supporting the modern Recent Deaths view of an ancient universe. Thomas A. Sebeok, CSICOP Fellow —Andrew Fraknoi and professor of , linguis- tics, and semiotics at Indiana Univer- Andrew Fraknoi is an astronomer active sity from 1943 to 1991, a prolific au- in astronomy education at Foothills thor (Animal Communication, Speak- College, Los Altos Hills, California. He is ing of Apes are among his sixty books) a CSICOP Fellow. who debunked theories that apes and facility in the U.S west of the Miss- chimpanzees could learn and commu- nicate in human language, pioneer Dec. 15 Party Features issippi River. The Center for Inquiry owns this building, which will remain a of the field of semiotics, of leuke- Editors to Celebrate fixture on the landscape of ideas in mia, at the age of 81, at his home CFI-West Occupancy Southern California. in Bloomington, Indiana, on Decem- On December 15, 2001, the Center ber 21, 2001. The offices of the Center for Inquiry- for Inquiry-West hosted two luminaries Grover Kautz., controversial Wash- West were officially transferred to the of the publishing world. Free Inquiry ington State University anthropologist organization's new building at 4773 magazine editor Tom Flynn and who became strongly identified with Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Cali- SKEPTICAL INQUIRER editor Kendrick attempts to find scientific evidence of fornia, on October 18, 2001. T h e CFI- Frazier visited Los Angeles from New Bigfoot or sasquatch, author of several West staff. Secular Organizations for York and New , respectively, for books on the subject and advocate of Sobriety, New Horizons, and Atheists a party to launch the building. James bringing forensic techniques to the United now occupy the second floor of Underdown, Executive Director of CFI- study of these still-undiscovered this new facility. The first floor will be West, hosted and also spoke. After the bipedal creatures, of pancreatic cancer renovated when funding permits. brief presentations, the 100+ attendees at his home in Port Townsend, This move inaugurates the first full- stayed for music, food, and refreshments Washington, on February 14, 2002, at time, fully staffed, skeptic and humanist to celebrate the occasion. the age of 71.

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