/oss/taxonomy/term/1427/all en /oss/article/health-pseudoscience-history/there-any-validity-claim-some-people-are-human-magnets-their-bodies-able-attract-assortment-objects <p>Leonid Tenkaev and his wife claim that the nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine transformed them into human magnets. Pictures of the couple show spoons, keys and even irons sticking to their bodies as if they were glued there. Perhaps they were. From the photos, one cannot tell. The Tenkaevs, however, are not the only ones to claim to have such magnetic powers. Indeed the web is ablaze with pictures and videos of “human magnets” plastered with everything from coins to cell phones. But for these living curiosities, cutlery, especially spoons, seems to have a particular appeal.</p> Fri, 24 Sep 2021 19:12:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8862 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/paper-argues-amulet-may-protect-covid-should-it-have-been-published <p>“It’s not a hoax! It’s not a hoax!” Dr. Moses Turkle Bility, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, told me over Zoom. And I believe him.</p> Thu, 05 Nov 2020 17:25:59 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8474 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-news/encompassing-dogs <p>Because my wife and I had a wonderful dog for nearly 9 years and since I give a lecture on human waste in our Environment course at ���ϲ�����, I was most interested to see the article that is making quite a number of headlines around the world with the title “Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field”.  It appears canines align themselves for defecation and urination aligned along the North-South axis.  This directional positioning seems to be associated most strongly when the magnetic field conditions are said to be “stable”.</p> Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:12:32 +0000 David Harpp PhD 2068 at /oss