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The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is your weekly reality check, in a world drowning in misinformation. Hosted by Dr. Steven Novella and his elite squad of critical-thinking rogues, SGU cuts through the noise of pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and sensationalized headlines with sharp analysis, smart humor, and fearless skepticism. But it's not just about debunking myths—we celebrate the wonder of science, exploring the latest discoveries, breakthroughs, and the profound ways science sha ...
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1062 November 15th 2025 Live from Kansas; Special Segment: Nightmares; News Items: The NeuroWorm, Ant Gives Birth to Different Species, Primordial Black Holes, Cultish, Tooth Eye, Snake Oil, Flowing Water on Asteroid; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions, LLC
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1061 November 8th 2025 Quickie with Bob: Nanotech Cancer Drug; News Items: NEO Robot, UN Climate Report, Human Toolmaking, Worst Panspermia Headline Ever, AI-Powered Wound Healer; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Horse Evolution, Stranded Taikonauts; Science or Fiction…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1060 October 30th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Therapeutic Nanoparticles https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251029100154.htm News Item #2 – What Killed Napoleon's Forces https://www.sciencealert.com/dna-finally-reveals-what-really-killed-napoleons-forces News Item #3 – Making …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1059 October 23rd 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word Peristalsis Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Dimming the Sun https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251021083631.htm News Item #2 – LLMs Will Lie to be Helpful https://theness.com/neurologicablog/llms-will-lie-to-be-helpful/ News Item #3 –…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1058 October 16th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Why People Believe Misinformation https://theconversation.com/winning-with-misinformation-new-research-identifies-link-between-endorsing-easily-disproven-claims-and-prioritizing-symbolic-strength-265652 News Item #2 – Measles on the Rise htt…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1057 October 9th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Liver Xenograft https://www.journal-of-hepatology.eu/article/S0168-8278(25)02497-3/fulltext Segment #2. News Items Nobel Prizes 2025 News Item #1 – Physiology or Medicine https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2025/press-release/ News Item #2 – …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1056 October 2nd 2025 With Special Guest: Lee Mosbacker Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Giant wave moving through our galaxy https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/a-great-wave-is-rippling-through-our-galaxy-pushing-thousands-of-stars-out-of-place Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Redrawing the …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1055 September 24th 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word Autism Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – New NASA Mission Control https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-debuts-new-orion-mission-control-room-for-artemis-2-astronauts-journey-to-the-moon-photos News Item #2 – Element 120 https://w…
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News Items: Conspiracy Physics, Cancer Misinformation, Improved Nuclear Thermal Propulsion, Oldest Mummies, Not The Screwworms; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Ethics in Research; Name That Logical Fallacy; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions, LLC
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1053 September 10th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Evan Earth Quasi-moon https://earthsky.org/space/earth-quasi-moon-2025-pn7/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Guiding Tiny Robots https://www.science.org/content/article/microscopic-robots-navigate-artificial-spacetimes News Item #2 – Tylenol and A…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1052 September 3rd 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Real Interstellar Technosignatures https://phys.org/news/2025-09-technosignatures-interstellar.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Sexless Seeds https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02753-x News Item #2 – Spouses Share Psychiatric Disor…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1051 August 27th 2025 Segment #1. Why Didn't I Know This First Portable Computer https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/the-worlds-first-laptop-weighed-24-pounds-and-had-a-five-inch-screen-but-it-changed-computers-forever/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Brightest Fast Radio Burst https…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1050 August 20th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Fusion to Make Gold https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.13461 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Older Americans Using AI https://theconversation.com/older-americans-are-using-ai-study-shows-how-and-what-they-think-of-it-262411 News Item #2 – Semi-Solid S…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1049 August 13th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Jim Lovell Dies at 97 https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/acting-nasa-administrator-reflects-on-legacy-of-astronaut-jim-lovell/ News Item #2 – Music Anhedonia https://neurosciencenews.com/music-anhedonia-auditory-neuroscience-29546/ News Item #…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1048 August 6th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Drinking Water from Air https://news.mit.edu/2025/window-sized-device-taps-air-safe-drinking-water-0611 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Depleted Uranium Batteries https://theness.com/neurologicablog/depleted-uranium-batteries/ News Item #2 – Russ…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1047 July 30th 2025 Segment #1. From TikTok More on 3I/ATLAS Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Artery Calcium Scan https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/health/coronary-artery-calcium-heart.html News Item #2 – Microwave Beam for Geothermal Drilling https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/superhot-geothermal-…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1046 July 23rd 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word Fossil Words Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – New Supermaterial https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250721223831.htm News Item #2 – Avi Loeb and the Alien Hypothesis https://theness.com/neurologicablog/avi-loeb-and-the-alien-technology-hyp…
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Quickie with Bob: Weird Exoplanet; News Items: Voyager Thrusters Brought Back to Life, Space Tourism, Global Temperature and Ice Sheet Melting, Robots Learn Physical Tasks 60 Times Faster, Most Powerful Solar Storm; Your Questions and E-mails: EV Charging, Off the Hook; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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Dumbest Word of the Week: Orthomolecular; News Items: Ban Left Turns, Bird Flu Shenanigans, Interstellar Comet, Artificial Blood, Beekeeping Benefits; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: AI Tech Support; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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Quickie with Bob: Quantum Electronics; News Items: AI Research Collaborators, AI Carbon Footprint, Curing Deafness, Food Myths, AI Enzyme Engineering; Who's That Noisy; Why Didn't I Know This: The Great Attractor; Your Questions and E-mails: Why Scientists Fall for Woo; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions, LLC
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1042 June 25th 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word Eco Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Vaccinating the World https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-life-childhood-vaccination-coverage-stalled.html News Item #2 – How Children vs AI Acquire Language https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/full…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1041 June 18th 2025 Guest Rogue Justin Daab Segment #1. From TikTok Mysterious Moon https://www.tiktok.com/@filspixel/video/7507104277635026182 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Scopes 100 Year Anniversary https://www.sciencenews.org/article/scopes-trial-anniversary-science-attack News Item #2 – S…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1040 June 11th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Thing of the Week Premium Water https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/dining/fine-water-mineral-sommeliers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Nk8.N-6X.DQISJdAFR79V&smid=url-share Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – NASA Budget https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87jq0dj…
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Interview with Emily Schoerning; Quickie with Bob: Prepping for Q-Day; News Items: Seed Oils, Lead into Gold, American Lysenkoism, The Screwworm is Coming, Galactic Collision; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Dream Learning; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1038 May 29th 2025 Guest Rogues: George Hrab and Andrea Jones Roy Segment #1. Quickie with Steve AMOC Time https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01709-0 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Night Vision Infrared Contact Lenses https://gizmodo.com/infrared-contacts-let-you-see-in-the-dark-even-wi…
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Live from NotACon with Guest Rogue Adam Russell; News Items: New Cambrian Fossil, Best Archaeopteryx Specimen, Chimps Using First Aid, Treatment for Baldness, New Color - Olo, The Next Theranos, Bespoke Genetic Therapy; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1036 May 12th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Word of the Week moxibustion Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Cold Plunges https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cold-water-plunge-workout-muscle News Item #2 – The End of Life https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/ever-wondered-when-life-on-earth-will-e…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1035 May 7th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Nuclear Fusion Rocket https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/pulsar-fusion-unveils-nuclear-fusion-rocket-for-space-travel Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Falling Space Debris https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/scientists-chased-…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1034 April 30th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Internet Fakes Precede Violence https://theconversation.com/memes-and-conflict-study-shows-surge-of-imagery-and-fakes-can-precede-international-and-political-violence-233055 News Item #2 – Lab Grown Teeth https://www.livescience.com/health/lab…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1033 April 23rd 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Game Transfer Phenomenon https://theness.com/neurologicablog/game-transfer-phenomenon/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Geoengineering https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/uk-scientists-outdoor-geoengineering-experiments?utm_sourc…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1032 April 16th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Thing of the Week https://knewz.com/world/an-encounter-with-a-ufo-turned-russian-soldiers-into-stone-alleged-cia-report-contains-its-details/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Where Did Water Come From https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250416135…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1031 April 9th 2025 Segment #1. From TikTok Flat Earthers Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – De-Extincting the Dire Wolf https://theness.com/neurologicablog/de-extincting-the-dire-wolf/ News Item #2 – What Experts Really Think About AI https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01123-x News Item #3…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1030 April 2nd 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word enantiodromia Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Protein Sequencing https://www.science.org/content/article/ai-revolution-comes-protein-sequencing News Item #2 – Solving the Bat Cocktail Party Problem https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.240781012…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1029 March 29th 2025 Quickie with Bob: Extinction Survivors; News Items: Constructed Languages, Exercise and Brain Health, Curiosity Rover Finds Long Carbon Chains, Nanotech Lightsails, Vaccine and Autism Again; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Technology vs Magic; Science or Fiction…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1028 March 19th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – NASA Delays Artemis Again https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-delays-artemis-missions-again-what-could-this-mean-for-the-moon-mars-and-space-leadership News Item #2 – Punishing AI https://www.livescience.com/technology/artific…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1027 March 12th 2025 Segment #1. What's The Word Psionic Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Screen Time and Mental Health https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250310131816.htm News Item #2 – US Mass Shootings https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/society/us-mass-shootings-impact/ News Item #3 …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1026 March 5th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Atlantic Shutdown https://phys.org/news/2025-02-simulations-nightmare-atlantic-current-shutdown.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Measles Outbreak https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/health/texas-measles-outbreak-kennedy.html News Item #2 – Rein…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1025 February 26th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Congestion Pricing https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-widening-highways-doesnt-fix-traffic-but-congestion-pricing-can/ News Item #2 – AI Therapists https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/health/ai-therapists-chatbots.html News Item …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1024 February 19th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Bird Brain Evolution https://theness.com/neurologicablog/birds-separately-evolved-complex-brains/ News Item #2 – Air Pollution Inside Homes https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/02/250213144623.htm News Item #3 – Abortion Bans Drive In…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1023 February 12th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Demographics of Misinformation https://theness.com/neurologicablog/who-believes-misinformation/ News Item #2 – The Toll of Fake Research https://www.livescience.com/human-behavior/fake-studies-are-slowing-slowing-lifesaving-medical-research…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1022 February 5th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nuclear-x-rays-deflect-earth-asteroids Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Asteroid Chance of Hitting Earth https://www.space.com/180-foot-asteroid-1-in-83-chance-hitting-Earth-2032 News Item #2 – Does the Internet Affect…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1021 January 29th 2025 Segment #1. What's the Word Geyser Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Self Replicating AI https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/ai-can-now-replicate-itself-a-milestone-that-has-experts-terrified News Item #2 – DeepSeek https://theness.com/neurologicab…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1020 January 22nd 2025 With Guest Rogue, Andrea Jones Rooy Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Unexpected Scientific Results https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00161-9 News Item #2 – Trust In Scientists https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5 News Item #3 – FDA Bans Red Dye No. 3 …
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1019 January 15th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Does Fact-Checking Work https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00027-0 News Item #2 – Nuclear Electric Propulsion https://phys.org/news/2024-12-strategic-alliance-high-energy-nuclear.amp News Item #3 – The LA Fires https://www.nytimes.co…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1017 January 2nd 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Primate Twins https://www.livescience.com/animals/our-ancient-primate-ancestors-mostly-had-twins-humans-dont-for-a-good-evolutionary-reason Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Mars Sample Return https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-overhauls…
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Segment #1: Psychic Predictions 2024 Segment #2: News Items Item #1: Space Exploration in 2025 https://www.planetary.org/articles/calendar-of-space-events-2025?utm_s... Item #2: Most Likely Emerging Diseases https://theconversation.com/which-infectious-disease-is-likely-to-be-t... Item #3: Dark Energy May Not Exist https://academic.oup.com/mnras/ar…
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2024 Year End Review; Best of 2024; Science Hero and Jackass of the Year; In Memoriam; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1015 December 7th 2024 Live from DC Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – The Science of Tipping https://www.sciencealert.com/experiment-reveals-how-pressure-to-tip-can-unexpectedly-backfire News Item #2 – JonBenet Ramsey Case https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/27/us/jonbenet-ramsey-killing-netflix-documenta…
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The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1014 December 11th 2024 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Have We Achieved AGI https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/10/ai-openai-sora-video-new-frontier News Item #2 – Bird Flu https://www.livescience.com/health/flu/a-single-gene-mutation-could-enable-h5n1-to-spread-between-people-st…
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Quickie with Bob: Atomic Scale Precision; News Items: Innate Morality, New Space Station, Climate Hot Spots, Orcas Wearing Hats, Evidence Against Water on Venus; Who's That Noisy; Your Questions and E-mails: Fisher Scream, CT UFO; Science or Fictionโดย SGU Productions
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