SIO528: The Marshmallow Test Is Mostly BS, and It's Not the Only Classic Psych Test Like That
Release Date: 09/29/2026
SIO531: Your Brain Is Actually Two Separate Organs, According to a New Stanford Study
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We welcome back Dr. Eric Jaffe to help us understand a really cool, groundbreaking scientific discovery! Our brains are not one organ! Turns out your forebrain and your hindbrain might be two completely separate lineages that never actually came from each other, more like two kids in a trench coat than one continuous evolution. Why does that matter for ALS research? And how far back in evolution does the split actually go? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show at ! You get ad-free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO530: Did AI Actually "Solve" That Famous Math Problem?
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You've seen the headline: AI "solved" one of math's Millennium Prize problems. Thomas and Jenessa (here as a friend, not an expert) are joined by David Souther, a software engineer and LLM researcher, who's SO annoyed about it. Why did he answer Jenessa's text in all caps? And what's the deal with a rushed phone call between OpenAI and a math professor? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show at ! You get ad-free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO529: AI in Schools Makes Students Feel Smarter. The Tests Say Otherwise.
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How does AI use affect learning? You’d be surprised how much we already know. Dr. Jenessa Seymour takes us through the research on screen use, metacognition, cognitive offloading, and some recent papers Sources: Clinton, V. (2019). . Journal of Research in Reading, 42, 288-325. Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L.S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). . PNAS, 116, 19251-19257. Risko, E.F. & Gilbert, S.J. (2016). . Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20, 676-688. Bastani, H., Bastani, O., Sungu, A., Ge, H., Kabakci, O., & Mariman, R. (2025). . Economic Sciences, 122, 1-8. Tian, J....
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SIO528: The Marshmallow Test Is Mostly BS, and It's Not the Only Classic Psych Test Like That
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Kids are weird, like really weird, but in a fun way? Dr. Jenessa Seymour is back to tell us about some classic child development paradigms that really need to be reevaluated. Depending on when you learned about these experiments, you were either taught that they were the gospel truth, with established ages where kids can and cannot pass these tests, and major consequences for late development, or maybe you heard that recent studies show it’s a bit more complicated. Still makes for some cute and funny demonstrations either way. Sources: Passing the theory-of-mind test with implicit...
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SIO527: The Science of Why We Ask Why, with Dr. Tania Lombrozo
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Dr. Tania Lombrozo, professor of psychology at Princeton University (affiliated with its philosophy and cognitive science departments), joins Thomas to discuss her forthcoming book : The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand. Why are humans so driven to explain things, but only some things? Why does understanding go beyond just being able to predict? And what happens when asking why makes you the social liability in the room? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show on Patreon! You get ad-free episodes, early episodes, and other...
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SIO526: Why Is College So Expensive?
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David O'Brien, higher education policy scholar with the California Community Colleges System, is back to answer the question Thomas posed last time: why is college so expensive? They get into tuition vs. total cost of attendance, the dirty little secret of private university pricing, administrative bloat, the amenities arms race, and why the people loudest about college costs are likely well-off, but getting very little financial aid. Mentioned: Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show on Patreon! You get ad-free episodes, early...
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Some More News Is COMPLETELY WRONG About Spider-Man Brand New Day
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I cannot stop thinking about Cody from Some More News's video in which he could not stop thinking about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Cody is INCREDIBLY sure that you're an idiot incapable of watching movies or consuming art if you don't agree with his conception of what the ending of Brand New Day meant. The problem is... Cody gets about a billion things wrong and his arguments are terrible. This was going to be just a Patreon bonus of Serious Inquiries Only but I wanted to put it up on YouTube so it's going out to everyone! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the...
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SIO525: Dude Who Said Autism Is "Extreme Male Brain" Walks It Back
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... and other autism/ADHD research! So pleased to have Dr. Jenessa Seymour back - this time with a variety of studies in the Autism and ADHD realms. Jurek, L., Duchier, A., Gauld, C., Henault, L., Giroudon, C., Fourneret, P., … Nourredine, M. (2025). . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 64, 1132-1147. Le Cunff, A., Russell, C. & Dommett, E.J. (2026). . BMC Psychology, 14, 1-11. White, R.C. & Remington, A. (2018). . Autism, 23, 1042-1045. Botha, M. & Cage, E. (2022). . Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-22. Devlin, H. (July 5, 2026). ....
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SIO524: Why We Haven't Cured Cancer Yet, Part 2 (with Dr. Eric Jaffe)
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Part 2! Dr. Eric Jaffe returns to actually treat the cancer this time: why radiation is basically catching your kid smoking and making him finish the carton, how CRISPR turns your own T cells into an assassin squad, and why oncolytic viruses are just Jurassic World Dominion for tumors. Haven't heard Part 1 yet? Start there or you'll be lost. Mentioned: Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show on Patreon! You get ad-free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO523: What Cancer Actually Is, Part 1 (with Dr. Eric Jaffe)
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Part 1! Dr. Eric Jaffe, the biology teacher who keeps naming proteins after cartoon characters, returns for a two-part cancer deep dive. Today: what cancer actually is at the cellular level, why elephants barely get it, why whales get it even less, and why the "they're hiding the cure" conspiracy falls apart the second you learn who actually funds the research. Mentioned: Part 2, the cure, is already up for Patreon supporters! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please support the show on Patreon! You get ad-free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus...
info_outlineKids are weird, like really weird, but in a fun way? Dr. Jenessa Seymour is back to tell us about some classic child development paradigms that really need to be reevaluated. Depending on when you learned about these experiments, you were either taught that they were the gospel truth, with established ages where kids can and cannot pass these tests, and major consequences for late development, or maybe you heard that recent studies show it’s a bit more complicated. Still makes for some cute and funny demonstrations either way.
Sources:
- The marshmallow test is really about trust
- The “curse of knowledge”
- Autistic kids pass theory-of-mind tests on a computer
- Passing the theory-of-mind test with implicit looking measures at 15-months-old and 13-months-old
- Kids pass the conservation test sooner when they do it themselves
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