Is our "modern" stress really so special? So many things get blamed on the "stress of modern life" that one has to ask what is so unique about it

So, this week's newsletter is more of a rant than anything else, but bear with me... carlosorsi.substack.com/p/is-our-mod...

Carlos Orsi, Science Journalist - What Science Says About Astrology YouTube video by 502 Conversations

Hi, everybody! I'm proud to announce that the episode of Brian Kerby's amazing 502 Conversations/Podcast about my upcoming @columbiaup.bsky.social book "What Science Says Abous Astrology" has already dropped! youtu.be/sOg-AAoDFqM

The adventure of the monkey testicle When a Sherlock Holmes story commented on a medical craze of the last century

The craziest of the original Sherlock Holmes stories was based on a fringe treatment some doctors were really offering at the time. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-advent...

Why Artemis? What explains the rekindled effort to take humans beyond Earth's orbit

Humans are going back to the Moon! But what for? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/why-artemis

What Science Says about Astrology | Carlos Orsi on Skeptical Inquirer Presents YouTube video by Center for Inquiry

Last night I gave a talk on what science says about astrology, the title of my forthcoming book from @columbiaup.bsky.social , in the @skepticalinquirer.bsky.social Presents YT channel. You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS4k...

The "nasty is good" heuristic The road to rational skepticism is full of potholes

Believing in something just because it's unconventional or disturbing is as silly as believing something just because it's comfortable and convenient. Edginess can also be a kind of conformity. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-nasty-...

The eternal war on science Books arguing that science is under attack have become quite common, even if they disagree on the source of aggression

So, what are all these "War on Science" people complaining about, anyway? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-eterna...

N’O Globo de hoje: oglobo.globo.com/opiniao/arti...

The new era of undaunted belief Is emotional comfort and ego satisfaction valid grounds to hold beliefs?

People have always been prone to believing things just because they make them feel good, but they tried to disguise this with bogus "evidence". Not anymore! carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-new-er...

We live in the Fortean Age In the early 1920s, Charles Fort launched an attack on science that still resonates

A little more than 100 years ago, one man launched an attack on science and reason that influenced multitudes and left an indelible mark on Western culture. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/we-live-in...

Asking all the wrong questions Here are some true and tried ways to keep a pseudoscience alive

Have you ever noticed how researchers in fringe or pseudoscientific fields scrupulously tend to avoid asking the really crucial questions? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/asking-all...

Simplicity can be a very complicated thing Why Occam's Razor sometimes looks like a scalpel, sometimes more like an ax

Why do people say the simplest answer is always the best? Read on to find out! carlosorsi.substack.com/p/simplicity...

Polilaminina e o dano ao letramento científico Brasil não parece ter aprendido nada com a trágica história recente de tratamentos que foram exaltados antes que houvesse evidências confiáveis sobre eficácia e segurança

"A única coisa que a história ensina é que ninguém nunca aprende nada com a história", versão Brasil: o hype da polilaminina. revistaquestaodeciencia.com.br/artigo/2026/...

Scientists who heard a ghost's beating heart When denying the obvious becomes an obsession that overrules all else

When a whole new, revolutionary "scientific theory" was created, and supported even by a Nobel Prize winner, to cover up for a teenage medium who cheated. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/scientists...

The truth about X-ray eyes A delightful movie, tricksters, and the relationship between science and the paranormal

Is there a "right" way for science to approach paranormal claims? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-truth-...

The sciencewashing of religious sentiment There are people who crave for scientific confirmation of their spiritual convictions

There's a whole field of "scientific" research that is nothing more than religious propaganda clumsily disguised. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

Alerta de clichê: depois do "possuir", do "é sobre" e do "não é X, é Y", agora não dá mais para ler três linhas na internet sem tropeçar no verbo "moldar". Parafraseando Churchill: nunca tantos escreveram tão mal, de forma tão parecida.

The mystery of grave 559 When the greatest American medium of the 19th and 20th centuries was proven wrong, "respected researchers" dissembled

When facts collide with faith, the faithful tend to misbehave... and try to rewrite history. A spectral study in confirmation bias. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-myster...

The afterlife of the "science" of the afterlife Attempts to turn a question of faith into one of fact are gaining momentum, and failing... again

The search for scientific "proof" that the soul survives the body has just received a US$ 2.7 million boost. So here we go again... carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-afterl...

Erich von Däniken: an appreciation The prophet of Ancient Astronauts and pseudoarcheology has left planet Earth

Erich von Däniken, the convicted embezzler who became world-famous by lying and spouting bullshit about Earth's past, has died. What is his legacy? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/erich-von-...

Uma noite com óvnis e deuses astronautas

Sobre o recém-falecido Erich Von Daniken, uns anos atrás assisti a um evento com ele em São Paulo: revistaquestaodeciencia.com.br/artigo/2018/...

Menos de 24 horas para o fim da campanha! www.catarse.me/estranho

The Houdini principle Lessons from the great escapologist, one hundred years later

Next Halloween will be 100 years since Harry Houdini's passing. His unrelenting campaign denouncing fake mediums and psychics still has a lot to teach us. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-houdin...

What Science Says About Astrology is coming! My new book, due next spring, looks into the history, psychology, and sociology os the world's oldest surviving superstition

A new series by Columbia University Press starts next year -- with my new science book on astrology: its history, how we can be certain that it's bunk, its impact on society, and why so many people still believe in it. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/what-scien...

The truth, the medium and the nature of evidence When what should have been a scientific investigation becomes a cult

One hundred years ago, after the medium Margery had been exposed as a fraud several times, investigators who supported her kept insisting they still needed more evidence. When does a scientific endeavor become a cult? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/the-truth-...

A meta de financiamento coletivo de meu livro de contos de crimes impossíveis foi atingida! Mas isso nåo impede que as pessoas sigam participando da pré-venda dessa obra pioneira da @bandeirola.bsky.social ! www.catarse.me/estranho

Um ponto de vista sobre o jornalismo sem ponto de vista Mecanismos retóricos de sinalização de objetividade não podem ser álibi para fugir ao dever de bem informar

Ainda sobre o rescaldo da infame edição da BBC para o discurso de Trump: mecanismos retóricos de sinalização de objetividade não podem ser álibis para fugir ao dever de bem informar. revistaquestaodeciencia.com.br/artigo/2025/...

What Science Says About Astrology What Science Says About Astrology - Kindle edition by Orsi, Carlos. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading What Science Says About Astrology.

So it seems you can already pre-order my next non-fiction book, "What Science Says About Astrology" (with lots of interesting stuff on history, psychology, and even media criticism), coming next year from Columbia University Press! www.amazon.com/What-Science...

Coincidences do happen. To discount them to look "smart" is to fall into one rabbit hole after another. carlosorsi.substack.com/p/why-not-be...

Taking a hard look at the view from nowhere Journalism has to stop pretending that performative objectivity is the real thing

The debates over the uses and limits of "objectivity" in journalism easily degenerate into a war of straw men and caricatures. What is really at stake? carlosorsi.substack.com/p/taking-a-h...