ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Dr. Shermer received his BA in psychology from Pepperdine University (1976), MA in experimental psychology from California State University, Fullerton (1978), and his PhD in the history of science from Claremont Graduate University (1991). He teaches a transdisciplinary course for PhD students at Claremont Graduate University titled Evolution, Economics, and the Brain, and a critical thinking course for undergraduates at Chapman University called Skepticism 101. He has been a college professor since 1979, also teaching psychology, evolution, and the history of science at Occidental College and Glendale College. As a public intellectual he regularly contributes opinion editorials, book reviews, and essays to the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Science, Nature, and other publications. He has appeared on such shows as the Colbert Report, 20/20, Dateline, Charlie Rose, Larry King Live, Oprah, Unsolved Mysteries, and other shows, as well as interviews in countless science and history documentaries aired on PBS, A&E, Discovery, the History Channel, the Science Channel, and the Learning Channel. Dr. Shermer was the cohost and coproducer of the thirteen-hour Family Channel television series Exploring the Unknown. He is the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, the executive director of the Skeptics Society (www.skeptic.com), and a monthly columnist for Scientific American.