Skeptics Guide #1074

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1074 February 5th 2026 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Death of 8K TVs https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/lg-joins-the-rest-of-the-world-accepts-that-people-dont-want-8k-tvs/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Faith-Based Addiction Programs https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/health/hhs-rfk-faith-based-addiction-programs.html News Item #2 – Noise and Sleep https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsag001/8452884 News Item #3 – A Fully Renewable Grid https://theness.com/neurologicablog/a-fully-renewable-grid/ News Item #4 – Moltbook for AI Agents Only https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moltbook Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Corrections Apollo 8 The yellow sun Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A new study by dream researchers demonstrates the ability to solve puzzles during REM sleep. Item 2: An international team of researchers have proposed that the Milky Way galaxy may not have a supermassive black hole at its core, but instead has a compact object made of dark matter. Item 3: Scientists have presented evidence for the first time that suggests that chimpanzees are able to imagine pretend objects. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Technology is a tool, but its impact depends on how we use it for the betterment of society." Margaret Hamilton, computer scientist, credited with coining the term "software engineering"