Illusionist Makes Magic a Science

D.J. Grothe, an illusionist and director of the Center for Inquiry, recently delivered a lecture at the University of Buffalo where he discussed methods of deception used by magicians like Houdini and David Copperfield.

His slideshow suggested that the paranormal does not exist, but is the product of imagination. “I'm open-minded, and I'm skeptical,” Grothe says in the article. “And I think you can be both of those things at the same time."

When asked about Blaine and his abilities to produce butterflies from his mouth, Grothe stated that he knew how it was done. “Now if there was someone in the world who could really produce butterflies out of thin air, he wouldn't be on a TV show, he'd be in a laboratory somewhere being studied," Grothe says in the article.