Serious Inquiries Only
Join Thomas for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way! This is not your typical interview podcast; it’s a friendly dialogue, conducted thoughtfully and with plenty of humor. It's Serious Inquiries Only; but like, not boring or anything.
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SIO450: From Trump Voter in 2016 to Progressive Making a Real Difference in 2024
06/18/2024
SIO450: From Trump Voter in 2016 to Progressive Making a Real Difference in 2024
I was speaking with an OA listener the other day, and she mentioned a few things that made me reallllly want to interview her on this show. First off, she said she is a progressive working in a prosecutor's office in an extremely conservative area. That's already interesting enough, but then she said thing 2 which is: she voted for Trump in 2016! So, I just had to get her on to find out how she made that journey, and how she makes a difference in people's lives as a progressive prosecutor. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO449: The Northern Lights Went South for the Summer
05/27/2024
SIO449: The Northern Lights Went South for the Summer
And also... maybe the Southern Lights went North? Earlier this month, an incredible thing happened. The Aurora Borealis was visible to folks much further south than usual. Dr. Bryan Gillis is with us to talk about what exactly the Aurora is, what makes it happen, and how in the world it was recently seen down in my neck of the woods. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO448: How To Build A Dinosaur
05/21/2024
SIO448: How To Build A Dinosaur
Dr. Eric Jaffe joins the show and walks us through the dream so many of us have had - building a dinosaur! With his expertise in molecular biology, we learn if this is even possible, and how exactly it would work. Would we use mosquitoes for this project like Jurassic Park tells us is totally possible and sound? Actually, what even is a dinosaur anyway? Lots of fascinating dino-talk in this one from a great science communicator! Building a Dinosaur Is a project spearheaded by the Paleontologist Jack Horner. He has worked with the labs of numerous scientists including but not limited to: Hans Larsson, Dana Rashid and Mary Schweitzer. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO447: Steve Vladeck on the Shadow Docket
05/01/2024
SIO447: Steve Vladeck on the Shadow Docket
Today's guest, or should I say last year's guest, is Steve Vladeck! He holds the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law, and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice. Last year, he released the New York Times bestselling book, "." We spoke about the book and about the state of our horrible Supreme Court. Steve will be appearing on Opening Arguments soon for a sequel to this conversation! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO446: Believe It Or Not, The Right Has An Effective Youth Movement
04/29/2024
SIO446: Believe It Or Not, The Right Has An Effective Youth Movement
Author and journalist Kyle Spencer knows - she wrote the book on it. It's called , soon to be out in paperback. She spent extensive time with Charlie Kirk, among others, and saw how he built an effective right wing youth movement. How did he do it? Who is funding it? Do these people really believe what they say? She answers those questions and more. We're also big fans of Kyle's newsletter. Check it out! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO445: The Science of 3 Body Problem with Paul Sutter
04/28/2024
SIO445: The Science of 3 Body Problem with Paul Sutter
We welcome back cosmologist and science communicator ! Previously, he had come on to talk about his book, Rescuing Science. This time, he's here to take us through some of the science of the super cool new Netflix show 3 Body Problem. What does it get right and what does it get wrong? Or does that even matter? Paul takes us through it! Make sure to check out his podcast ! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO444: Climate Change Made "the Blob." It Killed Tons of Marine Life
04/28/2024
SIO444: Climate Change Made "the Blob." It Killed Tons of Marine Life
Everyone's favorite marine biologist, Dr. Heidi Pearson is back! This time, we're talking about a new, large scale study just out about the massive loss of marine life caused by "the blob." It's another tale of man-made climate change wreaking havoc on the world. But, we've also got some more fun stories to talk about! Gay whales caught in the act, a solo orca that didn't wait for its pod to hunt and kill a Great White Shark, and menopause in whales. You can upload photos and follow your favorite whales here: Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO443: Dr. Jo Boaler Tried To Improve Math Education. Then An Anti-woke Mob Came For Her
04/25/2024
SIO443: Dr. Jo Boaler Tried To Improve Math Education. Then An Anti-woke Mob Came For Her
Dr. Jo Boaler is a leading math education expert and one of the writers of the California Mathematics Framework, a set of guidelines focused on improving equity in California's math classrooms. We first talk about her upcoming book, , and the beauty of pursuing more "ish" in our lives. Then, we discuss a recent anonymous that was filed with Stanford University, accusing Dr. Boaler of misrepresenting research to serve her own agenda. Update: Shortly after recording with us, Stanford University they would not be pursuing a formal investigation of Dr. Boaler, and that "...the allegations reflect scholarly disagreement and interpretation.” Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO442: Is Quantum Technology Actually Better?
04/23/2024
SIO442: Is Quantum Technology Actually Better?
In honor of World Quantum Day (April 14th), Quantum Anne is here to discuss when quantum is better, when it's worse, and when it could honestly go either way. For ideas on how to celebrate World Quantum Day, check out: Anne made cake (), that represents a Hadamard gate. It turns a |0> or a |1> into a (|0> +|1>)÷2 - a qubit into a superposition of two states. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO441: Elon Musk's Neuralink - Real Or Just Hype? Part 2
04/18/2024
SIO441: Elon Musk's Neuralink - Real Or Just Hype? Part 2
Here's Part 2 of our deep dive into neural implants with Dr. Jenessa Seymour! The brain is still completely amazing, and so are the folks who are creating innovative technology to help people do things that have been otherwise out of reach. And then there's Elon. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO440: Elon Musk's Neuralink - Real or Just Hype?
04/18/2024
SIO440: Elon Musk's Neuralink - Real or Just Hype?
We've got an expert to take us through it! Dr. Jenessa Seymour is a former neuroscientist currently working in disability rights and she has looked through the history of neural implant efforts to investigate Elon's Neuralink claims. Just how full of it is he? And how in the world does any of this even work? What is clear is that the brain is insanely amazing. There's so much to talk about that this ended up being a two-parter! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO439: God and Country with Katherine Stewart
03/30/2024
SIO439: God and Country with Katherine Stewart
Author and journalist Katherine Stewart joins us today to discuss her reporting on religious nationalism, as well as the organization and structure behind these efforts, and what we can do in the face of it all. Be sure to check out the recent film which is based on her 2020 book, ! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO438: That's Absurd Please Elaborate
03/28/2024
SIO438: That's Absurd Please Elaborate
I'm joined by Trace and Julian from the podcast, That's Absurd Please Elaborate! It's an incredibly fun and cool science show where they take questions that might seem weird or crazy but answer them using science! They're here to talk science communication, and what some of their favorite questions they've answered have been. Could vampires evolve through natural processes? Could x-rays cook soup? Could we teach aliens left and right? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO437: Zoë Schiffer on Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover
03/26/2024
SIO437: Zoë Schiffer on Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover
Elon Musk accidentally buying Twitter and then ruining it is a story so absurd and wild that someone should write a book about it. Lucky for us, Zoë Schiffer has! It's called Extremely Hardcore, and it's extremely good! She joins us to discuss the book. Be sure to buy Zoë's book, ! You can also follow Zoë's reporting on . Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO436: They’re Retconning George Floyd’s Murder, but Radley Balko Is Fighting Back
03/21/2024
SIO436: They’re Retconning George Floyd’s Murder, but Radley Balko Is Fighting Back
Radley Balko is the guest today as we discuss the Right's efforts to retcon George Floyd's murder and Derek Chauvin's responsibility in a "documentary" from Alpha News, The Fall of Minneapolis. We walk through some of the debunks together, and chat about the broader systemic circumstances that lead for calls of police reform. Radley has done an absolutely incredible series covering this in meticulous detail on his (linked below as well). Be sure to check it out and subscribe; supporting independent journalism is critical! The retconning of George Floyd - - - Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO435: The Radical Idea That We Shouldn’t Work Ourselves to Death
03/19/2024
SIO435: The Radical Idea That We Shouldn’t Work Ourselves to Death
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced to change the standard 40-hour workweek to 32 hours with no loss in pay and held a on March 14th. Naturally the right doesn't love this. But what do the studies say? And where did the 40-hour week even come from? SeriousPod colleague Lydia Smith explains how this particular issue highlights ways in which we can combat rhetoric from the right and move towards something that is, on every metric, better than what we have now. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content
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SIO434: Biden Is Failing On Israel-Palestine. So What Do We Do?
03/14/2024
SIO434: Biden Is Failing On Israel-Palestine. So What Do We Do?
It feels like this comes up precisely every 4 years, but once again I find myself having to point out that the way to make things better isn't to make them worse. That math just doesn't work. But what should we do? A campaign to vote "Uncommitted" for the Democratic Primary Election went viral. Lydia Smith from Where There's Woke joins as we discuss what this movement is, what kind of impact it could have, and whether or not a vote can be a "message". Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO433: The Robot at the End of the Universe
03/12/2024
SIO433: The Robot at the End of the Universe
We're focusing in on some sci-fi with Dr. Bryan Gillis, astrophysicist to the stars! We take you through one of Ted Chiang's incredible short stories, , and Dr. Gillis teaches us about entropy and the Laws of Thermodynamics. What is the heat death of the universe? Can we avoid it by turning up the AC a bit or are we just plain effed? Find out! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO432: How 13 Reasons Why Killed Kids
03/04/2024
SIO432: How 13 Reasons Why Killed Kids
CW: Discussion of suicide; please skip this episode if it's better for your mental health After a long hiatus, Dr. Alan Smerbeck AKA Stormy Decisis is back to cover a topic we've been talking about discussing for a while. What does the research tell us is the responsible way to cover death by suicide? What kind of impact can the media have on the greater population if they get it wrong? And how many different ways did 13 Reasons Why completely screw up? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO431: The Em Drive Is Supposed To Be Impossible. So Why Did Experiments Say It Worked?
02/29/2024
SIO431: The Em Drive Is Supposed To Be Impossible. So Why Did Experiments Say It Worked?
Dr. Bryan Gillis is back to walk us through a space travel concept that would have upended Physics as we know it if it had worked. But, wait a second - turns out there were quite a number of studies that actually successfully demonstrated its effect so why aren't we using it to zip through the universe these days? We also learn a bit of statistics in this discussion to help us uncover what happened here and what this means for the broader understanding of statistical significance when evaluating scientific findings. Check out on YouTube! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO430: Real or Bullshit: Quantum Products Edition!
02/27/2024
SIO430: Real or Bullshit: Quantum Products Edition!
Quantum Anne is back! She had a fantastic idea to quiz us all on some quantum products she has come across. Here's the thing though, mixed into the bull shit is the real stuff that she actually uses in her lab! Can you pass the test? It's not as easy as you might think! This one was lots of fun. Don't forget about the Patron Hangout Tuesday 2/27 at 3pm pacific 6pm eastern! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO429: Artists Punished More Than Scientists for Same Misconduct
02/26/2024
SIO429: Artists Punished More Than Scientists for Same Misconduct
This was a really fun one! and join to walk us through their findings from a series of studies in their recent , which explored the differences in how artists and scientists are punished following news of misconduct, and the mechanism for why this may be the case. Be sure to check out the too! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO428: Regret After Gender-Affirming Surgery Is Virtually Nonexistent
02/22/2024
SIO428: Regret After Gender-Affirming Surgery Is Virtually Nonexistent
out of Johns Hopkins University recently co-authored a in JAMA Surgery, examining postoperative regret for those people seeking gender-affirming care. We talk about how many people *actually* regret receiving surgery, how that compares with general postoperative regret in the cisgender population, the politics and misinformation influencing the bad science in this area of study, and what we can do about it. Another piece by Dr. Barbee advocating for sanctuary locations for gender-affirming care: Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO427: Rescuing Science, with Dr. Paul Sutter
02/13/2024
SIO427: Rescuing Science, with Dr. Paul Sutter
We speak with cosmologist and science communicator about his upcoming book, Rescuing Science. Dr. Sutter thinks (Capital S) Science has made some significant errors, and that people do not trust science because of the very system it has created for itself. Where has the discipline gone wrong, why is academia such a mess, and how do we fix it? Be sure to buy his book when it comes out on March 5th; you can also check out his podcast ! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content! Graphic generated by Dall-e.
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SIO426: In Defense of Virtue Signaling
02/09/2024
SIO426: In Defense of Virtue Signaling
First off... I'M BACK ON OPENING ARGUMENTS!!! Good court thingies! Please please please go check it out! patreon.com/law! OK after that announcement, I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind for a few months, ever since the NHL announced they were banning pride tape. While I used to be way more cynical back in the day about corporatized pride and that kind of virtual signaling, I now feel completely differently and I wanted to talk about the evolution. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO425: Can Science Be Spiritual?
02/06/2024
SIO425: Can Science Be Spiritual?
, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Warwick, joins to discuss a recent she published regarding whether or not science may serve as a spiritual experience for nonbelievers. Could loving science offer similar psychological benefits that the literature has demonstrated for those in religion? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO424: Semen Caught Violating Newton's 3rd Law? (the one about cum)
02/01/2024
SIO424: Semen Caught Violating Newton's 3rd Law? (the one about cum)
Astrophysicist Dr. Bryan Gillis is back! And here's here to talk about... sperm? Well, when a science headline claims that sperm is violating Newton's 3rd Law, that's when the science police have to lay down the law, no matter how weird the topic. But before you think this is just a bad journalist, the paper may actually be where the problem is... Bryan explains the whole damn thing. Public articles: Original publication: (and on ArXiV)
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SIO423: Bill Maher Gets Owned By Peter Griffin On COVID Nonsense
01/31/2024
SIO423: Bill Maher Gets Owned By Peter Griffin On COVID Nonsense
For the Bonus this month, Dr. Rick Sullivan, SIO's resident synthetic biologist, joined me to comment on the recent "debate" between Bill Maher and Seth MacFarlane on the COVID vaccine. The right says Bill pWnEd Seth, but what do you all think? Will Dr. Rick's PhD in immunology be enough to stand up to Maher's COVID "facts"? There was so much important information here that I wanted to be sure the normies got to hear some of it as well. So check out the first part of our conversation, but for the full episode, you'll need to pledge on Patreon! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO422: Tucker Carlson, Space Genius
01/30/2024
SIO422: Tucker Carlson, Space Genius
On a recent episode of Tucker Carlson's show, fossil fuel shill Dr. Willie Soon came on to discuss ... friggen... dinosaurs on Saturn's moon. I mean, not quite but close. It's nonsense. Too bad for Tucker, cause we have a resident expert on space resource acquisition over here on SIO! J.D. Menges is currently working towards his PhD in Space Resources at Colorado School of Mines with a focus in Planetary Geology, Remote Sensing, and Resource Acquisition Strategy. He's here to break down what Tucker and Dr. Soon get wrong in this interview... Who is Willie Soon? 2009 Abiogenic Study (Kolesnikov et al., 2009) Oil formation theories (Hook et al., 2010) TITAN Abiogenic Oil Theories (Mousis et al., 2009) Total Solar Irradiance, TSI (Schmutz, 2021) Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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SIO421: More Technological Anti-Solutions
01/26/2024
SIO421: More Technological Anti-Solutions
he 2nd half of my conversation with Alejandro Ruiz! We get deeper into examples of technological anti-solutions. If you work for a self-driving car company, should you quit? Also why are people burying trees to save the planet? Alejandro's experience in the tech industry, including his time at CERN, led him to creating the engineering co-operative , as well as that he manages with the irreplaceable co-author/illustrator Julia Zimmerman and editor Dr. Christina Iglesias. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? ! Please please pretty please ! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!
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