Skeptics Guide #1107

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1107 September 24th 2026 Segment #1. What’s the Word Application Segment #2. Whatever Happened To Lab Grown Meat Segment #3. News Items News Item #1 – The Brain is a Composite Organ https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-brain-is-a-composite-organ/ News Item #2 – The Independence of Science Grants https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/us/politics/trump-nih-science-grants.html News Item #4 – NYT Shills for Fake Psychics https://theness.com/neurologicablog/nyt-dont-shill-for-fake-psychics/ Segment 4. Who’s That Noisy Segment #5. Name That Logical Fallacy Motte and Bailey Fallacy Thanks for the great show. I've been a listener for a number of years, and love the time-to-time segment where logical fallacies are broken down. I was watching this video describing when Jordan Peterson appeared on Jubilee's Surrounded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrdOamPIRGY And at the 1:50 mark he describes the Motte & Bailey fallacy, which I've never heard of before, but as soon as he described it, I realized it's been hiding in plain sight this whole time. Where a person makes a controversial claim, then retreats to a more defendable position. Though it might be a good one to discuss on the show. Segment #6. Interview with Adam Kall and Troy Morris Kall Morris Inc Segment #7. 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: Pharmaceutical companies are now using agentic AI to fully automate drug development, orchestrating multistep workflow from beginning to end. Item 2: Scientists have developed a contact lens that can monitor biomarkers like serotonin continuously and in real time for over 28 days at a time. Item 3: Researchers find that blacktip sharks are able to detect and respond to low frequency sounds up to 620 meters away. Segment #8. Skeptical Quote of the Week “I would like to be remembered as someone who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks along the way in order to achieve her goals.” - Sally Ride