Best of the Web

1. Science and Pseudoscience
http://www.csicop.org/
	Web site for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSIOP) and its journal, the Skeptical Inquirer. Online articles from the magazine, a newsletter, and an annotated bibliography are all useful elements of this site. ( http://www.csicop.org/ )
http://www.skeptic.com
	Web site for the Skeptic Society and Skeptic magazine. ( http://www.skeptic.com )
http://www.skepdic.com
	Voluminous dictionary of terms, concepts, and claims defined and explained with a skeptical perspective, from acupuncture to zombies. Includes many of the claims discussed in this book. ( http://www.skepdic.com )
http://www.skepticfriends.org
	The Web site for the aptly named Skeptic Friends Network. A series of fun one-liners about various pseudoscientific claims and, even better, a concise description of the scientific method. ( http://www.skepticfriends.org )
http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/skeptoc.htm
	Online version of the magazine of the Australian Skeptics. Some terrific articles applying a skeptical approach to topics like Egyptian pyramids and Noah’s Ark. ( http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/skeptoc.htm )

2. Epistemology: How You Know What You Know
http://www.windsor.igs.net/~nhodgins/retrospective_semmelweis.html
	A brief presentation about childbed fever, with a series of statements taken directly from The Etiology, Concepts and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever, written by Ignaz Semmelweis, the Hungarian doctor who solved the mystery. ( http://www.windsor.igs.net/~nhodgins/retrospective_semmelweis.html )
http://www.csicop.org/bibliography/home.cgi
	Extensive bibliography and reviews by skeptics of numerous topics related to the occult and the paranormal, as well as examination of fringe claims, including those made about the field of archeology. ( http://www.csicop.org/bibliography/home.cgi )
http://www.skepticfriends.org
	Click on the links for The Scientific Method and A Field Guide to Critical Thinking. Wonderfully concise discussions to supplement Chapter 2. ( http://www.skepticfriends.org )

3. The Goliath of New York: The Cardiff Giant
http://www.cardiffgiant.com/cardiff.shtml
	Nicely done page on the Cardiff Giant, including the full text of Mark Twain’s take on the fraud in his short story titled “A Ghost Story.” ( http://www.cardiffgiant.com/cardiff.shtml )
http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cardiff.htm
	Chapter from Andrew White’s autobiography detailing the author’s experiences in upstate New York when the Cardiff Giant was discovered. ( http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cardiff.htm )
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NYCOOgiant.html
	Very cool site dealing with offbeat tourist sites, here discussing the Cardiff Giant. ( http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/NYCOOgiant.html )
http://www.farmersmuseum.org/cardiff.htm
	Web site of the Farmers’ Museum; home of the Cardiff Giant. ( http://www.farmersmuseum.org/cardiff.htm )

4. Dawson's Dawn Man: The Hoax at Piltdown
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/piltdown.html
	Timeline and detailed discussion; assessment of most of the possible perpetrators. ( http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/piltdown.html )
http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/piltdown.html
	Detailed discussion of the hoax, enormous bibliography is linked. ( http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/piltdown.html )
http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/drawhorn.html
	Gerrell Drawhorn’s paper presenting the argument that Arthur Smith Woodward was the perpetrator of the Piltdown hoax. ( http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/drawhorn.html )
http://www.autopen.com/piltdown.shtml
	( http://www.autopen.com/piltdown.shtml )
http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/winslow.html
	Two sites that present the argument that Conan Doyle was the Piltdown “perp.” ( http://www.tiac.net/users/cri/winslow.html )
http://www.tiac.net/users/cir/drawhorn.html
	Gerrell Drawhorn’s paper presenting the argument that Arthur Smith Woodward was the perpetrator of the Piltdown hoax. ( http://www.tiac.net/users/cir/drawhorn.html )
http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/piltdown.htm
	Web site arguing that Martin Hinton was perpetrator of the Piltdown Hoax. ( http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/piltdown.htm )

5. Who Discovered America?
http://www.anthro.org/paleo98.htm
	Web site with the latest information about the potentially pre-Clovis Topper site in South Carolina. ( http://www.anthro.org/paleo98.htm )
http://www.discoveringarcheology.com/0699toc/6special-mv1.shtml
	Though the controversy concerning the pre-Clovis site of Monte Verde is complex, you can see how a number of archeologists—skeptics and supporters—weigh in on the site’s age and significance. ( http://www.discoveringarcheology.com/0699toc/6special-mv1.shtml )
http://www.peak.org/csfa/mt15-1.html
	Online articles from Mammoth Trumpet, the journal published by the Center for the Study of the First Americans. Lots of information about the archeology of the oldest archaeological sites in the New World. ( http://www.peak.org/csfa/mt15-1.html )
http://www.nps.gov/bela/html/history.htm
	Site produced and maintained by the U.S. National Park Service devoted to the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Obviously, most of Beringia is underwater (for the time being), but this site briefly summarizes the ecology of the region when it was a broad land bridge. ( http://www.nps.gov/bela/html/history.htm )
http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/special/paleo/paleoind.html
	Description and map of the distribution of more than 11,000 Paleo-Indian fluted projectile points in the United States. Exhibits and discusses the interesting if poorly understood concentration of the points in eastern North America. ( http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/special/paleo/paleoind.html )

6. After the Indians, Before Columbus?
http://parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/Parks/Newfoundland/anse_meadows/anse_meadows_e.htm
	Parks Canada Web devoted to the late-tenth-, early-eleventh-century Norse site L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. View diagnostic Norse artifacts recovered at the site and replicas of the Norse structures that were built at the site close to one thousand years ago (click on the link labeled “Virtual Tours”). ( http://parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/Parks/Newfoundland/anse_meadows/anse_meadows_e.htm )
http://home.sol.no/~anlun/tipi/gruppe5.htm
	Not an extensive site, but includes a useful map displaying the various routes of exploration followed by the Norse both within Europe and to Iceland, Greenland, and the New World. ( http://home.sol.no/~anlun/tipi/gruppe5.htm )
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/vinland.html
	Site with many links to photographs of Norse artifacts in the New World. ( http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/vinland.html )
http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000511/history_viking.html
	Short piece on recent analysis of the Norse artifact found in northern Canada; included is a photo of the spun wool found in pre-Columbian archaeological context on Baffin Island. ( http://www.discovery.com/news/briefs/20000511/history_viking.html )
http://www.viking-2000.com
	Official site of the replica voyage of a Norse vessel from Iceland to Greenland, Newfoundland, and points beyond. Included are maps and a voyage diary. It must have been quite a sight when the beautiful replica of a Norse sailing vessel entered the harbor at L’Anse aux Meadows. ( http://www.viking-2000.com )
http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage
	This is the official Web site for the spectacular museum exhibit Vikings, the North Atlantic Sage, produced by the Smithsonian Institution. Among the cities the exhibit will visit are New York (its location as this book goes to press), Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and Ottawa (dates are listed on the Web site). ( http://www.mnh.si.edu/vikings/voyage )

7. The Myth of the Moundbuilders
http://medicine.wustl.edu/~mckinney/cahokia/cahokia.html
	The official page of the Cohokia Mounds State Historic Site. View photographs, read about the archaeology of the site, and see a listing of events open to the public at the site of the museum. ( http://medicine.wustl.edu/~mckinney/cahokia/cahokia.html )
http://www.ua.edu/academic/museums/moundville
	Visit the Moundville site in Alabama, by some measurements second only to Cahokia among temple mound sites in terms of size of the community—and size of the earthen pyramids. ( http://www.ua.edu/academic/museums/moundville )
http://www.cartersville.k12.ga.us/mounds2.html
	Home page of the impressive moundbuilder archaeological site, Etowah, in Georgia. ( http://www.cartersville.k12.ga.us/mounds2.html )
http://cas.memphis.edu/chucalissa/
	Take a virtual tour of Chucalissa mound site in Tennessee. ( http://cas.memphis.edu/chucalissa/ )
http://www.mississippian-artifacts.com/
	A wonderful resource, loaded with photographs—accompanied by thoughtful discussions—of some of the fine art and craft of Mississippian Moundbuilder stone, ceramic, shell, and beadwork. ( http://www.mississippian-artifacts.com/ )
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/feature/feature.htm
	Lengthy discussion of Moundbuilder culture. ( http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/feature/feature.htm )

8. Lost: One Continent - Reward
http://www.geo.aau.dk/palstrat/tom/santorini_homepage/atlantis.htm
	An informative Web site that presents the argument that the volcanic eruption on Thera and the devastation it wrought on the island of Santorini was Plato’s inspiration for Atlantis. ( http://www.geo.aau.dk/palstrat/tom/santorini_homepage/atlantis.htm )
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/critias.html
	An English translation of the Critias dialogue. ( http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/critias.html )
http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Atlantis/index.html#Top
	Though not the most skeptical Web site there is some valuable summary information here about the lost continent. Vital statistics for the lost continent, an Atlantis history timeline, and some background on Plato are found here. Also, versions of the Timaeus and Critias dialogues are located here. ( http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/Atlantis/index.html#Top )

9. Prehistoric E.T.: The Fantasy of Ancient Astronauts
http://guardians.net/egypt
	About as all-inclusive as you can get in a Web site devoted to as broad a topic as ancient Egypt culture. Great graphics, terrific discussion, links to everything from the official Egyptian Supreme Court of Antiquities to tour groups to online catalogs of Egyptian goods, and chat groups. If you visit one Web site on Egypt, this is the one. ( http://guardians.net/egypt )
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~ahm/history.htm
	The University of Pennsylvania Egypt Web site. There are lots of links to Web sites on the culture of ancient Egypt, online tutorials on hieroglyphic writing, an encyclopedia of Egyptian deities, and much more. ( http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~ahm/history.htm )
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/textindex.html
	Web site on ancient Egypt produced by PBS. Features an online interview with framed Egyptologist Mark Lehner and virtual tours of pyramids at Giza. ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/textindex.html )
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html
	Especially useful for an extensive series of links to East Island Web sites as well as breaking news about archaeological work on the island and potential threats to the Maoi as a result of recent plans to develop parts of the island. ( http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html )
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter
	PBS companion Web page to the Nova “Secrets of Easter Island” documentary. ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter )
http://barsoom.MSSS.com/education/facepage/face.html
	Web page dating to 1995 presenting a discussion of the Mars Face based on the 1976 Viking Orbiter 1 photograph. ( http://barsoom.MSSS.com/education/facepage/face.html )
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/4_6_face_release
	1998 NASA Web page revisiting the Mars Face phenomenon on the basis of new, high-resolution photographs taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera. ( http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/4_6_face_release )

10. Good Vibrations: Psychics, Dowsers, and Photo-Fields
http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/earth/waton/dowsing.html#dowsing
	Brief, skeptical commentary about dowsing by the late Robert N. Farvolden of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo, Canada. ( http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/earth/waton/dowsing.html#dowsing )
http://www.lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/dowsing.html
	Fantastic and very thorough discussion—and debunking—of dowsing. There is even a brief mention of the application of dowsing to archaeology. ( http://www.lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/dowsing.html )

11. Old Time Religion - New Age Harmonics
http://www.natcenscied.org
	Web site of the National Center for Science Education, an organization devoted to defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. A good source for current events concerning the creation/evolution debate. ( http://www.natcenscied.org )
http://www.talkorigins.org
	Fantastic site devoted to the creation/evolution debate. A great place to find specific and detailed responses to creationist claims. ( http://www.talkorigins.org )
http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-flood.html
	A wide range of evidence explaining why the biblical Flood was an impossibility. ( http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-flood.html )
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html
	A Web page at the talkorigins site providing an enormously detailed enumeration of the impossibility of the biblical Floor. ( http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html )
http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/paluxy.htm
	The Web site of Glen J. Kuban, probably the most knowledgeable person concerning the actual dinosaur and misidentified giant human footprints at Paluxy. The claims of those few creationist who still maintain that the Paluxy “mantracks” are genuine are thoroughly debunked here. ( http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/paluxy.htm )
http://www.mcri.org/Shroud.html
	A brief, skeptical note regarding the shroud. Click on the link to the carbon 14 graph to see how unlikely it is that recent contamination has contributed to its late-thirteenth-early-fourteenth-century radiocarbon date. ( http://www.mcri.org/Shroud.html )
http://humanist.net/skeptical/shroud.html
	Its name says it all. Discussion, links, and books that take a skeptical approach to the shroud of Turin. ( http://humanist.net/skeptical/shroud.html )

12. Real Mysteries of a Veritable Past
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html
	Official Web page of the French Ministry of Culture focusing on Chauvet Cave. The site includes a photo album, map, history, and links to Web sites devoted to other Upper Paleolithic painted caves. ( http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html )
http://www.culture.fr/arcnat/lascaux/en
	Splendid Web site devoted to Lascaux cave. Take a virtual walk through the cave and gaze upon most of the major works of art. ( http://www.culture.fr/arcnat/lascaux/en )
http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth3618/mamaya.html
	Web site with many links to Web pages that discuss the culture of the Maya people, both ancient and modern. ( http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/troufs/anth3618/mamaya.html )
http://www.halfmoon.org
	Wide range of material related to the Maya. ( http://www.halfmoon.org )
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc01eng.html
	Site that accompanies the IMAX film, Mysteries of the Maya. Lots of background about Maya culture. ( http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmc01eng.html )
http://www.stonepages.com/england/england.html
	If you want a virtual visit to almost any Megalithic site in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, or Italy, go to this Web site. Lots of photographs and detailed information. ( http://www.stonepages.com/england/england.html )
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/eng/index.htm
	A photo guide to the Megalithic monuments of England. May be the best place on the Web for photographs of Megalithic sites, aerial shots, and even audio tours. ( http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/eng/index.htm )
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick/
	U.S. Department of the Interior official Web site devoted to federally mandated research related to the Kennewick remains. ( http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick/ )
http://www.kennewick-man.com
	Web site produced by the Tri-City Herald newspaper that includes every article it has published on the Kennewick Man/The Ancient One from the announcement of the initial discovery of what was presumed to be a white settler’s remains to the most recent news concerning the government’s decision toe repatriate the bones to local Native Americans. ( http://www.kennewick-man.com )