Skeptics Guide #1084

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1084 April 16th 2026 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Artemis Recap https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-record-setting-artemis-ii-moonfarers-back-to-earth/ News Item #2 – AI Biology Research https://theconversation.com/ai-can-design-and-run-thousands-of-lab-experiments-without-human-hands-humanity-isnt-ready-for-the-new-risks-this-brings-to-biology-279191 News Item #3 – AI Security Disruption https://theness.com/neurologicablog/ai-may-disrupt-the-internet/ News Item #4 – Superconductivity Breakthrough https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-capture-superconductivity-pairs-revealing.html News Item #5 – Red Light Therapy https://www.gq.com/story/the-skeptics-guide-to-red-light-therapy-4 Segment 2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Corrections Mach speed Question #2: Missing or Dead Scientists The talk around my Tuesday morning pickleball games often revolves around conspiracy theories (aliens on earth, UFO talk, etc). I haven't seen concrete evidence to take any of this seriously, although any help from aliens would be welcome. This week the discussion was around the missing or strange deaths of US scientists tied to NASA JPL or nuclear/space departments. A 9th scientist was just announced who passed a few years ago. I've seen reporting from the Daily Mail and most recently this week on Fox News. My Skeptical antennas are raised; however, the numbers do seem higher than coincidence. Would love to get your take, as this subject touches on both science and critical thinking regarding conspiracy theories. Love your work, thanks for all you do! Adam Pesche (pronounced like Joe) Segment #4. 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 comprehensive review finds that stingers, horns, and teeth across a broad swath of the plant and animal kingdoms share a similar shape largely due to remarkable convergent evolution. Item 2: A new technique can simultaneously improve the strength and ductility of titanium alloys in just milliseconds, using less than 50% of the energy of heat treating. Item 3: Researchers have put the final nail in the coffin of MOND by demonstrating stable gravitational force laws at vast intergalactic distances. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week “We will explore. We will build ships. We will visit again. We will construct science outposts. We will inspire—but ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.” - Christina Koch, Artemis II astronaut