MYSTERY VIDEOS DEBUNKED • ‘JOHN OF GOD’: HEALER OR HOAX? • THE TROUBLE WITH MEMES THE MAGMAG A ZINE FOR SCI ENCE AND REA SON Vol ume 31, No. 5 • September/October 2007 • INTRODUCTORY PRICE U.S. $4.95 • Canada $5.95 STORMSTORM WORLDWORLD Hurricanes,Hurricanes, Science,Science, andand GlobalGlobal WarmingWarming ChiropracticChiropractic QuackeryQuackery GlobalGlobal WarmingWarming Follow-UpFollow-Up ConspiracyConspiracy TheoriesTheories 09> HowHow toto SurviveSurvive thethe ApocalypseApocalypse Pub lished by the Commit tee for Skeptical Inquiry 0556698 80575 COM MIT TEE FOR SKEPTICAL INQUIRY FORMERLY THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS OF THE PARANORMAL (CSICOP) AT THE CENTER FOR IN QUIRY/TRANSNATIONAL (AD JA CENT TO THE STATE UNI VER SI TY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFA LO) AN IN TER NA TION AL OR GAN I ZA TION Paul Kurtz, Chair man; pro fes sor emer i tus of phi los o phy, State University of New York at Buffa lo Bar ry Karr, Ex ec u tive Di rect or Joe Nick ell, Sen ior Re search Fel low Mas si mo Pol id oro, Re search Fel low Rich ard Wis e man, Re search Fel low Lee Nis bet, Spe cial Pro jects Di rect or FEL LOWS James E. Al cock,* psy chol o gist, York Univ., Tor on to C. E. M. Han sel, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Wales Stev en Pink er, cog ni tive sci en tist, Harvard Jer ry An drus, ma gi cian and in vent or, Al ba ny, Or e gon David J. Helfand, professor of astronomy, Columbia Mas si mo Pol id oro, sci ence writer, au thor, Mar cia An gell, M.D., former edi tor-in-chief, New Univ. ex ec u tive di rect or CI CAP, It a ly Eng land Jour nal of Med i cine Doug las R. Hof stad ter, pro fes sor of hu man un der- Mil ton Ro sen berg, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Chic a go stand ing and cog ni tive sci ence, In di ana Univ. Steph en Bar rett, M.D., psy chi a trist, au thor, Wal la ce Sam pson, M.D., clin i cal pro fes sor of con sum er ad vo cate, Al len town, Pa. Ger ald Hol ton, Mal linc krodt Pro fes sor of Phys ics and med i cine, Stan ford Univ., ed i tor, Sci en tif ic Willem Betz, professor of medicine, Univ. of Brussels pro fes sor of his to ry of sci ence, Har vard Univ. Re view of Al ter na tive Med i cine Ir ving Bie der man, psy chol o gist, Univ. of South ern Ray Hy man,* psy chol o gist, Univ. of Or e gon Am ar deo Sar ma, manager NEC Europe Ltd., Cal i for nia Le on Jar off, sci en ces ed i tor emer i tus, Time ex ec u tive di rect or, GWUP, Ger ma ny. Sus an Black more, Vis it ing Lec tur er, Univ. of the West Ser gei Ka pit za, former ed i tor, Rus sian edi tion, of Eng land, Bris tol Sci en tif ic Amer i can Ev ry Schatz man, former pres i dent, French Phys ics Hen ri Broch, phys i cist, Univ. of Nice, France Law rence M. Krauss, au thor and pro fes sor of phys ics As so ci a tion Jan Har old Brun vand, folk lor ist, pro fes sor and as tron o my, Case West ern Re serve Uni ver si ty Eu ge nie Scott, phys i cal an thro pol o gist, ex ec u tive emer i tus of Eng lish, Univ. of Utah Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, di rect or, Na tion al Cen ter for Sci ence Ed u ca tion Mar io Bunge, phi los o pher, McGill Uni ver si ty Florida State University; Nobel laureate Rob ert Sheaf fer, sci ence writer Sean B. Carroll, professor of molecular genetics, Ed win C. Krupp, as tron o mer, di rect or, Grif fith El ie A. Shne our, bi o chem ist, au thor, president and Univ. of Wisconsin–Madison Ob ser va to ry research director, Bi os ys tems Re search In sti tute, John R. Cole, an thro pol o gist, ed i tor, Na tion al Cen ter Paul Kurtz,* chair man, Cen ter for In quiry La Jol la, Ca lif. Law rence Kusche, sci ence writer for Sci ence Ed u ca tion Dick Smith, film pro duc er, pub lish er, Ter rey Hills, Le on Le der man, emer i tus di rect or, Fer mi lab; Fred er ick Crews, lit er ary and cul tur al crit ic, N.S.W., Aus tral ia pro fes sor emer i tus of Eng lish, Univ. of No bel lau re ate in phys ics Rob ert Stein er, ma gi cian, au thor, El Cer ri to, Ca lif. Cal i for nia, Berke ley Scott Lil i en feld, psy chol o gist, Emory Univ. Vic tor J. Sten ger, emer i tus pro fes sor of phys ics and Rich ard Dawk ins, zo ol o gist, Ox ford Univ. Lin Zix in, former ed i tor, Sci ence and Tech nol o gy Dai- as tron o my, Univ. of Ha waii; ad junct Ge of frey Dean, tech ni cal ed i tor, Perth, Aus tral ia ly (Chi na) pro fes sor of phi los o phy, Univ. of Col o ra do Cor nel is de Ja ger, pro fes sor of as tro phys ics, Univ. of Je re Lipps, Mu se um of Pa le on tol o gy, Univ. of Utrecht, the Neth er lands Cal i for nia, Berke ley Jill Cor nell Tar ter, as tron o mer, SE TI In sti tute, Moun- Dan i el C. Den nett, Uni ver si ty Pro fes sor and Aus tin Eliz a beth Loft us, pro fes sor of psy chol o gy, Univ. of tain View, Ca lif. B. Fletch er Pro fes sor of Phi los o phy, Di rect or of the Cal i for nia, Ir vine Car ol Tav ris, psy chol o gist and au thor, Los Ange les, Ca lif. Cen ter for Cog ni tive Stud ies at Tufts Uni v. Paul Mac Cready, sci en tist/en gi neer, Da vid Thom as, phys i cist and math e ma ti cian, Ann Druyan, writer and producer, and CEO, Cosmos Aer o Vi ron ment, Inc., Mon rov ia, Ca lif. Per al ta, New Mex i co John Mad dox, ed i tor emer i tus of Na ture Studios, Ithaca, New York Steph en Toul min, pro fes sor of phi los o phy, Univ. of Da vid Marks, psy chol o gist, City Uni ver si ty, Lon don. Ken neth Fed er, pro fes sor of an thro pol o gy, South ern Cal i for nia Cen tral Con nec ti cut State Univ. Mar io Men dez-Acos ta, jour nal ist and Neil de Gras se Ty son, as tro phys i cist and di rect or, Hay- An to ny Flew, phi los o pher, Read ing Univ., U.K. sci ence writer, Mex i co City, Mex i co den Plan e tar i um, New York City Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy, Marv in Min sky, pro fes sor of me dia arts and Ma ri lyn vos Sa vant, Pa rade mag a zine Southeastern Louisiana Univ. sci en ces, M.I.T. con trib ut ing ed i tor An drew Fra knoi, as tron o mer, Foot hill Col lege, Los Da vid Mor ri son, space sci en tist, NA SA Ames Al tos Hills, Ca lif. Re search Cen ter Stev en Wein berg, pro fes sor of phys ics and Kend rick Fra zi er, sci ence writer, ed i tor, SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER Rich ard A. Mul ler, pro fes sor of phys ics, Univ. of as tron o my, Univ. of Tex as at Aus tin; Yv es Gal i fret, executive secretary, l’Union Rationaliste Ca lif., Berke ley No bel Lau re ate Mar tin Gard ner, au thor, crit ic Joe Nick ell, sen ior re search fel low, CSI E.O. Wil son, Uni ver si ty Pro fes sor Emer i tus, Mur ray Gell-Mann, pro fes sor of phys ics, San ta Fe Lee Nis bet,* phi los o pher, Med aille Col lege Har vard Uni ver si ty In sti tute; No bel lau re ate Bill Nye, sci ence ed u ca tor and tel e vi sion host, Nye Labs Rich ard Wis e man, psy chol o gist, Uni ver si ty of Thom as Gi lov ich, psy chol o gist, Cor nell Univ. James E. Oberg, sci ence writer Hert ford shire Hen ry Gor don, ma gi cian, col um nist, Tor on to Irm gard Oe pen, pro fes sor of med i cine (re tired), Benjamin Wolozin*, professor, department of pharma- Saul Green, Ph.D., bi o chem ist, pres i dent of ZOL Marburg, Ger ma ny cology, Boston University School of Medicine Lor en Pan kratz, psy chol o gist, Or e gon Health Con sult ants, New York, NY Marv in Zel en, stat is ti cian, Har vard Univ.