Serious Inquiries Only
Science & Ideas
About
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.
Episodes
- SIO515: A Vast, Global Network! ... of 3 Guys
Continuing the discussion of the CNN Rape Academy article. It gets even worse. And also, how our information environment is ruined and getting ruineder.
- SIO514: No Part of the "62 Million Men Enrolled In Online Rape Academy" Claim Was Correct
You might have seen the CNN article from a while back entitled Exposing a global ‘rape academy’ . While most of the article is technically true, the broad takeaway that virtually everyone had (including me) was wildly, irresponsibly false.…
- SIO513: Debunking Butler Conspiracy Theories in Descending Order by Scope
We continue the pruning of idiotic Butler Shooting conspiracy theories. Once we establish the facts using actual sources, what room is there left for a conspiracy or staging theory?
- SIO512: NO It Was Not Staged. Stop Being Joe Rogan.
It wasn't staged. None of them were staged. Yes Trump was shot in the ear. I thought you all were doing a bit, but apparently you weren't. This isn't good and you should stop doing it, please. In discussing this current shooting, I found t…
- SIO511: What a Recent Chappell Roan Incident Teaches Us About Sexism
Well, what do you know - it's a day that ends in y so the internet has a woman to hate. You might have seen some of the chatter about child-hating Chappell Roan lately, and it's just so depressing every single time one of these hate campai…
- SIO510: Digging Into the Science of the Placebo Effect
Popular media will tell you that placebos, inert inactive substances taken as if they’re medication, can work miracles. …Placebos don’t “work”. But what does that even mean? And if that’s true, why would we include a placebo group in a stu…
- SIO509: What Project Hail Mary Gets Right (And Very Wrong...) About Biology
Everyone's favorite biologist and dinosaur enthusiast Dr. Eric Jaffe is back! Project Hail Mary is a very fun, and quite good, sciency movie that is cleaning up at the box office right now. You should see it! Eric is going to take us throu…
- SIO508: The Data Shows That Authoritarianism Is Very Often Successfully Reversed. Yes, Really.
“Yes we can” vote and protest our way out of authoritarianism. It’s a classic case of academic literature never making it to mainstream consumption. Hang around social media long enough and you’ll hear that we’re basically screwed. A compl…
- SIO507: Shirley You're Joking, Minnesota Fraud Man!
It's part 2 of the Minnesota fraud stuff. We get a little more Nick Shirley, dumbest person ever to testify in congress. And then I debunk the main claims against Gov. Walz and AG Ellison. Did Walz un-stop the payments to Feed Our Future?…
- SIO506: Minnesota Fraud and the Death of Information
So now that we've covered a real hearing with brave whistleblowers that got NO attention, it's time to look at what happens over on the other side of the aisle.
- SIO505: The ICE Whistleblower Hearing Was Astonishing. It Needs More Attention.
Last month, there was a devastating hearing featuring a victim of ICE, an ICE whistleblower, and a previous DHS attorney. It revealed what, in any other time, would have been a massive scandal likely resulting in multiple firings. But we l…
- SIO504: The Other Kind of Nut Allergy. Well, Both Kinds, I Guess?
Part 2! Even more fun Quibbies. Allergies Bansal, A.S., Chee, R., Nagendran, V., Warner, A., & Hayman, G. (2007). Dangerous liaison: Sexually transmitted allergic reaction to Brazil nuts . Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinica…
- SIO503: Viral Post Claims Texas Has More Democrats Than Republicans. Is That True?
It's Quibi Time (tm) with Jenessa! (Don't worry, I'll explain...) It's 2 debunks for the price of 1, or actually 5 debunks for the price of 2, because this is a two-parter! Here are the first two: AI girlfriend Caramela, S. (2025, January…
- This Is The Dark Place. Why Aren't We Acting Like It?
I had a lot I needed to say about the ICE murders of Rene Good and Alex Pretti. And about the fascists who lie to our faces and know we can't do anything about it. And the concentration camps we already have. I did video because there was…
- SIO501: What Pluribus Gets Right about Neuroscience
Subject of much sci-fi media and philosophy discussions, the "hive mind" is also a key element of Vince Gilligan's ( Breaking Bad , Better Call Saul ) new show, Pluribus . Dr. Jenessa Seymour joins the pod to walk us through examples that…
- SIO500: A New Study Suggests Brain Imaging Might Have Significant Flaws
Brain pics, or they didn't happen? There's a recent study that demonstrates that some brain region activity might interact differently with oxygen than previously assumed. This could upend significant neuroscience research spanning decades…
- SIO499: Trump Is Weaponizing Government Against Political Enemies. Nick Fish, President of American Atheists, on How to Be Prepared
In late September, shortly after declaring antifa a "domestic terrorist", Trump issued a memorandum directing the IRS to investigate tax-exempt organizations that could be "directly or indirectly financing political violence or domestic te…
- SIO498: The Science of Hallucinations, Ear-worms, and Phantom Limbs
Dr. Jenessa Seymour is on to teach us more about the brain! What do hallucinations, ear-worms, and phantom limbs have in common? And is "hallucinating" really a good term for what AI does when it makes something up?
- SIO497: The Mamdani Machine Exposed! Part 2
Part 2 of Asra Nomani's insanely terrible Fox News article . Make sure you listened to part 1! This is big, folks. Think Watergate combined with Deflate-gate combined with Christina Applegate combined with the Bowling Green Massacre. THAT'…
- SIO496: Asra Nomani Has EXPOSED the Mamdani Machine!
Part 1. This is big, folks. Think Watergate combined with Deflate-gate combined with Christina Applegate combined with the Bowling Green Massacre. THAT's how big of a scandal this is. You thought Zohran Mamdani was just an innocent 34 year…
- SIO495: Can AI Chatbots Make You Delusional? A Psychologist Explains
Stormy Decisis AKA Dr. Alan Smerbeck is back! With multiple stories in the news of AI Chatbots potentially driving people to delusion or psychosis, Stormy wanted to explain to us what's going on and what the actual differences are between…
- SIO494: Autism and ADHD, Part 2
***This is a two-parter. Listen to part 1! Previously, the leading theory was that kids with autism and/or ADHD had mental health struggles due to emotional regulation issues or other direct elements of their neurodivergence. But what if i…
- SIO493: Kids with ADHD/Autism Struggle with Mental Health. New Study Says Maybe It's the Stress of Being Different
Previously, the leading theory was that kids with autism and/or ADHD had mental health struggles due to emotional regulation issues or other direct elements of their neurodivergence. But what if it's actually that they have to deal with mo…
- SIO492: How Radicalized Was Kirk's Killer, Really?
Part 2 of my thoughts and observations based on all the info I could gather on Tyler Robinson. I think there's an aspect to him that isn't being emphasized enough that might help explain why he did what he did.
- SIO491: What Do We Actually Know About Tyler Robinson? Why Did He Kill Charlie Kirk?
The public has gone through several phases of evolution on what the shooter's motive was. At first, it was assumed he was a leftwing terrorist. Then it seemed clear he was on the right. Or maybe nihilist. Then, the charging documents were…
- SIO490: The "Leaky Pipeline" of Academia
Dr. Bryan Gillis is back after far too long! But instead of space, he's here to talk about the problems in academia that lead to women and minority groups being underrepresented at astonishing and depressing levels.
- SIO489: TikTok Banned #Skinnytok and It Was Right to Do So
Dr. Jenessa Seymour joins to discuss why TikTok's move here is aligned with what we know about eating disorders from the literature, and what happens when the internet doesn't draw a line like this. Are you an expert in something and want…
- SIO488: She Filmed Her Harassment and It Went Viral on TikTok
Lydia and I invite one of our good friends, Holly, to share her recent viral story of harassment at a public park in Glendale, California. We discuss what happened that day, the spread and impact of the video, as well as the broader issue…
- SIO487: How Close Is Iran Actually To Nuclear Weapons?
We had like, a mini war over Iran's nuclear situation and it is barely even a memory in today's news cycle. But what happened there? Did Iran have nuclear weapons? What does it take for them to make some? Was Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal good…
- SIO486: Good News! According to The Economist, College Is Totally Affordable!
... what? Yep that's right. They say there is no college affordability crisis. And I guess then, presumably no student debt crisis as well? You can read for yourself here , and/or you can sit back and let Dr. Jenessa Seymore break down why…
- SIO485: It's Not Rocket Science
Part 2: The Data Dr. Jenessa Seymour continues her breakdown of the supposed voting discrepancies that a New York organization has "discovered". Her expertise in statistics gets the spotlight in this episode! Be sure to check out the graph…
- SIO484: Lawsuit Alleges Voting Irregularities in 2024. Is There Any There There?
Part 1: The Legal Stuff Dr. Jenessa Seymour is here to break down something that even our moms are spreading on social media: a group in New York claims to have uncovered discrepancies in the vote count for the 2024 election, and they're s…
- SIO483: Jordan Peterson Debated a Bunch of Atheists. So... How Did That Go? Part 2
We're going to take a look at Jordan Peterson's debate techniques and his arguments for God and have some fun along the way!
- SIO482: Jordan Peterson Debated a Bunch of Atheists. So... How Did That Go?
We're going to take a look at Jordan Peterson's debate techniques and his arguments for God and have some fun along the way!
- SIO481: Ok What Was the Deal With the Direwolves
Was that whole thing legitimate? Was it BS? Or something in between? Dr. Eric Jaffe is the perfect expert to give us the objective facts on this and help us understand everything going on!
- SIO480: Abortion Legislation Gets Embryonic Terminology and Facts All Wrong
Inspired by an Opening Arguments episode during the heartbeat bills, Dr. Nathan Thompson and soon-to-be-Dr. Rachel Feltman embarked on research where they collated "facts" from abortion legislation across the country and examined its medic…
- SIO479: Does Speaking Your Partner's "Love Language" Foster a Happier Relationship?
Gary Chapman's model of five love languages has been well-embraced by people as they navigate dating, marriage, and other relationship moments. Dr. Sharon Flicker joins the show to discuss what exactly they are, how Chapman came up with th…
- SIO478: This AI Is Not My Girlfriend, It's My... Social Agent...
It's part 2 with Alejandro and Julia from theluddite.org ! We get the worst AI "research" of all, we talk big picture, and then Alejandro and Julia give us some tools for spotting bad AI research and coverage on our own! Are you an expert…
- SIO477: Debunking Bad AI Research, and Bad Coverage of AI Research
Alejandro and Julia of theluddite.org join us to debunk some terrible AI research, and the bad reporting compounding the problems on top of that. Also, what is AI? Can it ever think for itself? Are you an expert in something and want to be…
- SIO476: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work. PART 2
This is a part 2! Make sure to catch the previous episode in the feed. If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called " Trump Lost. Vote Suppression Won ." Here's the first bit: "Tr…
- SIO475: Greg Palast Claims the Election Was Stolen. Let's Check His Work.
If you're on the left and at all active on the internet, you have probably seen this shared. It's called " Trump Lost. Vote Suppression Won ." Here's the first bit: "Trump lost. That is, if all legal voters were allowed to vote, if all leg…
- SIO474: They've Been Telling Us They'd Do This for a Long Time. Many Just Weren't Listening
Katherine Stewart joins us again ( she was on episode 439 ) to talk about her new book, Money, Lies, and God ! Katherine's books have been vital to understanding the Right. This book tackles different factions - the billionaires, Christian…
- SIO473: A Strange Man Is Inside Our Government
And the unending moral cowardice of Republican politicians means he gets to do what he wants. It's a Thomas needs to say things one again, sorry.
- SIO472: Anti-woke Crybabies Call ASL Interpreters Unnecessary. Here's the Fascinating Science Behind Why They Are Vital
The absolute man-babies who make up the anti-woke movement are always crying about some very minor thing that makes other people's lives better and is no actual burden to them, but is different than the past. This week, that thing happens…
- It's 2025. Please Stop Playing Dumb. It Was A Nazi Salute.
SIO471 - I just can't anymore with this. It's so fucking pathetic that mainstream media and a whole bunch of pundits, even on the left, have to do this thing where they play dumb and pretend people like Elon have any sort of credibility. T…
- Trump’s Health Nominees Are a Steaming Pile of Grift
Buckle up because we have so many Health and Human Services nominees to get into on this episode, and surprisingly nearly all of them are actually doctors of medicine! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here !…
- Dr. Rick on Trump’s Terrible HHS, Continued; and, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee
We're back with Dr. Rick to continue our discussion of what we might be facing with the next Trump administration's HHS, but he refuses to leave the recording without giving us something to feel happy about! Then we kick off Lydia's cabine…
- Trump's Health and Human Services Agency, with Dr. Rick Sullivan
Lydia has spread Opening Arguments' fashwatch to SIO, and we're calling in a doctor to keep it under control! Dr. Rick Sullivan joins us to walk through the Health and Human Services Agency, its various entities, and what kind of impact we…
- You Don’t Actually Need to Condemn the Murder of the CEO Guy
I've felt like I wanted to say a ton about this since day 1, but keep holding back. I finally hit brain saturation and just need to share. I think I have a useful way of looking at this whole thing, hope you'll consider it. Oh and also, f-…
- Epidemiologist Claims MAGA Is An Epidemic Caused By "Brain Flaws." Only Problem Is, That's Completely Unscientific and Based On Almost Nothing.
SIO466 - Dr. Gary Slutkin has been cited in Salon and other outlets as an expert epidemiologist who runs an impressive NGO that helps reduce violence. While he may be an epidemiologist, almost everything else about him and his claims seems…