The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

INSIDE SKEPTIC

in this issue

• Mindless Enemies
• Plagues of the Ancients
• Empires and Epidemics
• Scientific Facts about Bubonic Plague
• The Black Death
• Fighting the Plague
• Fighting Smallpox on American Soil
• The Spanish Flu
• Fighting Diseases Today
• Defeating Covid-19

By Daniel Loxton. This issue’s cover features a digital painting by Daniel Loxton, with thanks to Cal and Karla K.

from the Introduction

Hello!

In this issue of Junior Skeptic we’ll confront one of humanity’s scariest enemies: epidemic disease. Are we brave enough to face this horror? You bet we are! We’ve done it every day during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid is new. Other diseases have plagued our ancestors since ancient times. Mighty civilizations have been devastated by the invisible invaders we call “germs.” But people are not helpless! Over centuries, we learned how to fight back against disease. Our strongest weapons are science and critical thinking. However, germs have a powerful ally: misinformation! How do ignorance and bad ideas help the germs win—and what can we do about that? Let’s find out!