SI July August 2011_SI JF 10 V1 5/25/11 12:20 PM Page 1 2012 Doomsday Pseudoscience | What Is Acupuncture? | Popper vs. Kuhn | Women in Science Vol. 35 No. 4 | July/August 2011 THE MAGAZINE FOR SCIENCE & REASON Conspiracy Theories Ten Years Later The Top Theories A Bestiary of ‘Truthers’ Jesse Ventura’s Conspiracies ‘Messages’ from the 9/11 Dead Published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry SI July August 11_SI new design masters 5/25/11 12:15 PM Page 2 AT THE CEN TERFOR IN QUIRY –TRANSNATIONAL Paul Kurtz, Founder Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Richard Schroeder, Chairman Massimo Polidoro, Research Fellow Ronald A. Lindsay, President and CEO Benjamin Radford, Research Fellow www.csicop.org Bar ry Karr, Ex ec u tive Di rect or Richard Wiseman, Research Fellow James E. Al cock*, psy chol o gist, York Univ., Tor on to Thom as Gi lov ich, psy chol o gist, Cor nell Univ. Lor en Pan kratz, psy chol o gist, Or e gon Health Mar cia An gell, MD, former ed i tor-in-chief, Wendy M. Grossman, writer; founder and first editor, Sci en ces Univ. New Eng land Jour nal of Med i cine The Skeptic magazine (UK) Robert L. Park,professor of physics, Univ. of Maryland Kimball Atwood IV, MD, physician; author; Sus an Haack, Coop er Sen ior Schol ar in Arts and Jay M. Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Newton, MA Sci en ces, professor of phi los o phy and professor Astronomy and director of the Hopkins Steph en Bar rett, MD, psy chi a trist; au thor; con sum er of Law, Univ. of Mi ami Observatory, Williams College ad vo cate, Al len town, PA Harriet Hall, MD, family physician; investigator, John Pau los, math e ma ti cian, Tem ple Univ. Willem Betz,MD, professor of medicine, Univ. of Brussels Puyallup, WA Massimo Pigliucci, professor of philosophy, Ir ving Bie der man, psy chol o gist, Univ. of C.E.M. Han sel, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Wales City Univ. of New York–Lehman College South ern CA David J. Helfand, professor of astronomy, Stev en Pink er, cog ni tive sci en tist, Harvard Univ. Sandra Blakeslee, science writer; author; New York Columbia Univ. Philip Plait, astronomer; lecturer; writer Times science correspondent Doug las R. Hof stad ter, pro fes sor of hu man Mas si mo Pol id oro, sci ence writer; au thor; ex ec u tive Sus an Black more, vis it ing lec tur er, Univ. of the West un der stand ing and cog ni tive sci ence, In di ana Univ. di rect or of CI CAP, It a ly of Eng land, Bris tol Ger ald Hol ton, Mal linc krodt Pro fes sor of Phys ics and Anthony R. Pratkanis, professor of psychology, Univ. of Mark Boslough, physicist, Sandia National Laborato- pro fes sor of his to ry of sci ence, Har vard Univ. California, Santa Cruz ries, Albuquerque, New Mexico Ray Hy man*, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Or e gon Benjamin Radford, investigator; research fellow, Hen ri Broch, phys i cist, Univ. of Nice, France Le on Jar off, sci en ces ed i tor emer i tus, Time Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Jan Har old Brun vand, folk lor ist; pro fes sor emer i tus Stuart D. Jordan, NASA astrophysicist emeritus; James “The Amazing” Randi, magician; CSICOP of Eng lish, Univ. of Utah science advisor to Center for Inquiry Office of founding member; founder, James Randi Mar io Bunge, phi los o pher, McGill Univ., Montreal Public Policy, Washington, DC Educational Foundation Robert T. Carroll, emeritus professor of philosophy, Ser gei Ka pit za, former ed i tor, Rus sian edi tion, Mil ton Ro sen berg, psy chol o gist, Univ. of Chic a go Sacramento City College; writer Sci en tif ic Amer i can Wal la ce Sam pson, MD, clin i cal pro fes sor of med i cine, Sean B. Carroll, molecular geneticist; vice president Barry Karr, executive director, Committee for Stan ford Univ.; ed i tor, Sci en tif ic Re view of for science education, Howard Hughes Medical In- Skeptical Inquiry, Amherst, New York Al ter na tive Med i cine stitute, Madison, WI Law rence M. Krauss, foundation professor, School Am ar deo Sar ma*, chairman, GWUP, Ger ma ny John R. Cole, an thro pol o gist; ed i tor, Na tion al of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics Dept.; Richard Saunders, vice president, Australian Cen ter for Sci ence Ed u ca tion director, Origins Initiative, Arizona State Univ. Skeptics; educator; investigator; podcaster; K.C. Cole, science writer; author; professor, Harry Kroto, professor of chemistry and Sydney, Australia Univ. of Southern California’s Annenberg biochemistry, Florida State Univ.; Nobel laureate Eu ge nie C. Scott*, phys i cal an thro pol o gist; ex ec u tive School of Journalism Ed win C. Krupp, as tron o mer; di rect or, di rect or, Na tion al Cen ter for Sci ence Ed u ca tion Fred er ick Crews, lit er ary and cul tur al crit ic; pro fes sor Grif fith Ob ser va to ry, Los Angeles, CA Rob ert Sheaf fer, sci ence writer emer i tus of Eng lish, Univ. of CA, Berke ley Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus of philosophy, El ie A. Shne our, bi o chem ist; au thor; president and Rich ard Dawk ins, zo ol o gist, Ox ford Univ. SUNY at Buffalo research director, Bi os ys tems Re search In sti tute, Ge of frey Dean, tech ni cal ed i tor, Perth, Aus tral ia Law rence Kusche, sci ence writer La Jol la, CA Cor nel is de Ja ger, pro fes sor of as tro phys ics, Le on Le der man, emer i tus di rect or, Fer mi lab; Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute, Univ. of Utrecht, the Neth er lands No bel lau re ate in phys ics Mountain View, CA Dan i el C. Den nett, Aus tin B. Fletch er Pro fes sor Scott O. Lil i en feld*, psy chol o gist, Emory Univ., Simon Singh, science writer; broadcaster; UK of Phi los o phy and di rect or of Cen ter for Cog ni tive Atlanta, GA Dick Smith,film pro duc er; pub lish er; Ter rey Hills, Stud ies, Tufts Uni v. Lin Zix in, former ed i tor, Sci ence and N.S.W., Aus tral ia Ann Druyan, writer and producer; CEO, Tech nol o gy Dai ly (Chi na) Keith E. Stanovich, cognitive psychologist; Cosmos Studios, Ithaca, NY Je re Lipps, Mu se um of Pa le on tol o gy, Univ. of CA, professor of human development and applied Sanal Edamaruku, president, Indian Rationalist Berke ley psychology, Uni v. of Toronto Association and Rationalist International Eliz a beth Loft us*, pro fes sor of psy chol o gy, Rob ert Stein er, ma gi cian; au thor; El Cer ri to, CA Edzard Ernst, professor, Complementary Medicine, Univ. of CA, Ir vine Vic tor J. Sten ger, emer i tus pro fes sor of phys ics Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Da vid Marks, psy chol o gist, City Univ., Lon don and as tron o my, Univ. of Ha waii; ad junct pro fes sor Plymouth, Exeter, UK Mar io Men dez-Acos ta, jour nal ist and sci ence writer, of phi los o phy, Univ. of CO Ken neth Fed er, pro fes sor of an thro pol o gy, Mex i co City Karen Stollznow*, linguist; skeptical investigator; Cen tral Con nec ti cut State Univ. Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology, writer; podcaster Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy, Brown Univ. Jill Cor nell Tar ter,as tron o mer, SE TI In sti tute, SE Louisiana Univ. Marv in Min sky, pro fes sor of me dia arts and sci en ces, Moun tain View, CA An drew Fra knoi, as tron o mer, Foot hill Col lege, M.I.T. Car ol Tav ris,psy chol o gist and au thor, Los Ange les, CA Los Al tos Hills, CA Da vid Mor ri son, space sci en tist, NA SA Ames Re search Da vid E. Thom as*, phys i cist and math e ma ti cian, Kend rick Fra zi er*, sci ence writer; ed i tor, Cen ter Per al ta, NM SKEP TI CAL IN QUIR ER Rich ard A. Mul ler, pro fes sor of phys ics, Univ. of CA, Neil de Gras se Ty son, as tro phys i cist and di rect or, Christopher C. French, professor, Department Berke ley Hay den Plan e tar i um, New York City of Psychology, and head of the Anomalistic Joe Nick ell, sen ior re search fel low, CSI Ma ri lyn vos Sa vant, Pa rade mag a zine Psychology Research Unit, Goldsmiths con trib ut ing ed i tor College, Univ. of London Jan Willem Nienhuys, mathematician, Waalre, Yv es Gal i fret, executive secretary, The Netherlands Stev en Wein berg, pro fes sor of phys ics and as tron o my, l’Union Rationaliste Lee Nis bet, phi los o pher, Med aille Col lege Univ. of Tex as at Aus tin; No bel lau re ate Luigi Garlaschelli, chemist, Università di Pavia Steven Novella, MD, assistant professor E.O. Wil son, Univ. pro fes sor emer i tus, organismic and (Italy); research fellow of CICAP, of neurology, Yale Univ.