The Reality Check

Adam discusses themes from ‘The Village Effect’ by author and psychologist Susan Pinker who posits that face-to-face contact is crucial for learning, happiness, resilience and longevity. In a related segment, Darren looks at data to determine if there is evidence to support reports that we’re currently experiencing a loneliness epidemic.

Cristina kicks off the show with a look into why so many music albums run much longer than back in the day. Adam explores whether enormous pyramids were discovered in Antarctica. Lastly, we rerun a segment from Darren with tips on donating to charities effectively, ahead of Giving Tuesday on December 1st.

Darren kicks off the show by exploring how to talk and think about causality for something as complicated as 2020’s U.S. election. Next, Cristina takes a fascinating look into the rules around naming babies worldwide and what can happen if parents don’t give their baby a name.

Cristina kicks off the show with an overview of how the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory tests for COVID-19. After archeologists discover a 2000 year old feline geoglyph carved into the hillside in Nazca Lines, Peru, Adam asks, “Is it really a cat?” Darren rounds out the show with a look at Coca-Cola and whether long-time reports of the beverage containing cocaine hold up.

After negative reaction and backlash to Amy Coney Barrett using the term, Adam digs into whether ‘sexual preference’ is offensive. Next, Darren brings us another book review roundup including some titles that recently spawned several headlines: ‘Rage’ by Bob Woodward, ‘Disloyal’ by Michael Cohen, ‘Rules for Radicals’ by Saul Alinsky and ‘What We Say Goes’ by Noam Chomsky.

With the U.S. election on the horizon, can we really trust the election polls? Darren does a deep dive to find out. Next, Adam wonders what it means to ‘take the red pill’ after seeing a tweet by Elon Musk. Lastly, after Producer Pat wins a Raptors jersey in a scratch-and-win contest, Cristina ponders why he has to answer a skill-testing question before claiming the prize. 

Yesterday we lost a giant in the critical thinking community. James Randi died at the age of 92. This is an interview with him from August 2010. Randi began his career as a magician and later devoted his life to investigating paranormal, occult and supernatural claims. He will be missed.

This week we bring you two fascinating segments. First our resident planetary geophysics expert, Dr. Stuart Robbins, is back to help us with a listener email about how we calculate the mass of the earth. We also dig into the difference between weight and mass. Adam rounds out the show with a deep dive into whether an Irish court has ruled that Subway bread is not bread asking, ‘what is a sandwich anyways’?

This week, we bring in the experts to bring YOU two great interviews! First, Cristina looks at the controversial ‘Benadryl challenge’ on TikTok and has a discussion with Dr. David Stukus about the potential danger of this over-the-counter medication. Dr. Stukus is a Paediatric allergy & asthma specialist and the Social Media Medical Editor for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Next, our resident research scientist who studies planetary geophysics, Dr. Stuart Robbins, tells us some surprising information about the luminosity of the moon.

After the huge backlash around the recent release of coming-of-age drama ‘Cuties’ on Netflix, Pat examines what this film is about. Darren rounds out the show with a deep dive on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ staggering wealth and wonders: is he too rich?