Skeptics Guide #1095

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1095 July 2nd 2026 Segment #1. Back to Basics What Is Scientific Skepticism I'm a long-time listener to your podcast, and I always listen to you when I commute to and from work - which is about a 45-minute drive in each direction. I believe I have a fairly good understanding of the scientific method, and I do believe I understand, and practice, a skeptical view of things regularly in life. I work as a correctional officer, and I find the skeptical principle very useful when I deal with inmates' often strongly biased views on many topics. I have recommended the show to a lot of friends and co-workers, and many have followed those recommendations. But, and this is the main point of this letter, I feel that many simply don't understand the basic concepts, the very foundation, of what you're doing. Terms like skepticism and your adherence to concepts like the scientific method are not that widely known, and I believe that could be easily remedied. I would suggest that you every now and then take some time on the show to explain these basic concepts to retain any new listeners, to make them up to speed with what the show is really about. I am aware of your recurring segment on cognitive bias, logical fallacies and the like (and I do appreciate it). But I feel those discussions require knowledge of the more basic concepts - which I find mostly omitted. I strongly believe your work is extremely important, probably more so in our bubble-ridden, AI-advised, TikTok-brainrot present. Especially, I'd guess, for U.S. listeners given the almost oppressive stance from your government on science in general. With that said, thank you so much for your hard work! When writing this I noticed I wasn't a Patreon member. So I remedied that. I can't access my private e-mail account from work, so I can't start a paid membership right now. I will though, as soon as my job stint is up this weekend. Best regards, Fredrik Granlund, Sweden Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Synthetic Cell https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/science/spud-cell-what-to-know.html News Item #2 – Trust in Science https://theness.com/neurologicablog/how-the-brain-pays-attention/ News Item #3 – Geothermal Update https://theness.com/neurologicablog/where-are-we-with-geothermal/ News Item #4 – Solar Corona Heating https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cosmic-play-key-role-mystery.html Segment #3. Quickie with Cara Radiation Eating Fungus https://www.sciencealert.com/this-chernobyl-fungus-seems-to-have-evolved-an-incredible-ability Segment #4. Who’s That Noisy Segment #5. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Responses to Evan Segment #6. 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. Theme: American History Item 1: George Washington, while a lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia, committed an epic blunder which was responsible for starting the French and Indian War. Item 2: During part of the Revolutionary War, Abigail Adams was a spy for the Continental Congress, engaging in espionage to gather intelligence and plant misinformation. Item 3: Thomas Jefferson popularized Macaroni and Cheese in America, and even designed his own pasta-making machine. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Asking the right questions is as important as answering them.” – Benoit Mandelbrot