The Reality Check
Science & Ideas
About
Canada's weekly podcast that explores a wide range of controversies and curiosities using science and critical thinking.
Episodes
- TRC #732: Our Windy Solar System + Classroom Windows on the Left Side
Is it windy on other planets and celestial bodies in our solar system? Darren looks at just what wind is and how much of it occurs on the surface of our various neighbours. Adam looks into whether or not windows are always on the student's…
- TRC #731: Movie Franchise "Use It Or Lose It" Clauses + Anthropic's Mythos
Sometimes movie studios release low quality franchise films and one excuse for this might be that if they don't release a movie every X or Y years, they will lose the rights. Adam looks into these reversion rights, colloquially referred to…
- TRC #730: How Old Are Sharks? + Jim Carrey: Clone, Doppleganger or Mask?
Sharks are so old. How old are they? They're so old that you'll be shocked to hear of all of the things that haven't been on earth as long as sharks. Darren gives us a unique history of the earth by exploring the ages of very old things an…
- TRC #729: Digital Devices in Schools + Books Reviews: Enshittification & Breakneck
What impact do digital devices like laptops, tablets and smart phones, both inside and outside of the classroom, have on childrens' ability to learn? Adam questions the assumption that these devices are always positive, and examines the re…
- TRC #728: Does Moltbook AI Matter? + Family Feud Surveys
There has been a lot of news lately about Moltbook AI, a network of Artificial Intelligence agents who are interacting with each other in great numbers in a virtual space. Darren separates fact from fiction as he explores many fascets of t…
- TRC #727: Things Your Parents Said Were Illegal + Canada's Apology Laws
This week's show is all about the law. Growing up our parents told us all kinds of things were illegal, such as driving with the dome light on in the car, riding in the back of a pickup truck, skipping school or playing Ding Dong Ditch. Ad…
- TRC #726: Are Orange Cats Weird? + What Kind of Cat is Garfield?
After decades of doing the podcast we have finally gotten around to recording an episode entirely dedicated to orange cats. Darren examines just what's going on with orange cats acting weird on the Internet and in real life. Is Orange Cat…
- TRC #725: Infant Simulator Programs + Book Reviews: The Thinking Machine, The Philosopher in the Valley & Peak Human
For our first show of 2026 Adam looks at the efficacy of Infant Simulator Programs, which involves giving a fake baby to high school kids to discourage teen pregnancy. Darren gives us a review of three books, "The Thinking Machine: Jensen…
- TRC #724: Mistletoe + Christmas Tree Lights
As Christmas approaches we bring you the history of two popular decorations you might see this holiday season. Darren looks at the history of the mistletoe as a decoration, symbol of fertility and God killer. Adam looks at the first use of…
- TRC #723: The Introduction to Darren McKee's Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World
With AI safety still underrated yet imperative, in this bonus episode of the show we share the Introduction to "Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World" by Darren McKee.
- TRC #722: Effective Giving + The Mona Lisa
Today, December 2nd, is Giving Tuesday. Darren gives an overview of the concept of Effective Giving, with some tips on how your charitable donations could will lead to the most good in line with your own priorities. Adam tackles a few clai…
- TRC #721: Our 2023 Interview with Yoshua Bengio
Two years ago we interviewed Yoshua Bengio, the prominent AI researcher, about his long career in AI where he helped build the foundations for the tools millions use around the world every day. We discussed the future of AI systems, includ…
- TRC #720: Diabetes and DKA + Name That: Spot The Fake
We've got two special guests on the latest show! TRC alumni Pat and Cristina join us with a couple of great segments. First Critina tackles a number of myth about diabetes, including her own recent serious experience with DKA or diabetic k…
- TRC #719: The Disney Point and Smoking + Book Reviews: Shadow Cell and Algospeak
Is the "Disney Point" the bizarre result of certain images of Walt Disney around Disney Parks with cigarettes edited out to give the illusion of a unique pointing style? Adam weighs the evidence. Then Darren gives us a couple of book revie…
- TRC #718: Philosophical Zombies + Vampires and Tuberculosis
With Halloween coming up we bring you some spooky segments on zombies and vampires! Darren looks at the thought experiment about philosophical zombies also known as p-zombies. Does this idea make that much sense? Then Adam looks at cases o…
- TRC #717: Air Conditioning in Europe + Book Reviews: Privacy and Surveillance and Quantum Mechanics
Why does air conditioning seem to be more common in North America than in Europe or other places around the world? Adam looks at the many factors that can encourage or hinder adoption of AC in various places. Darren gives us book reviews o…
- TRC #716: Depicting Intelligence in Fiction
How is intelligence portrayed in works of fiction? In books, films and TV, we often see depictions of very smart of sometimes less intelligent people, but it's never totally realistic. Darren leads a conversation about various fictional po…
- TRC #715: Mashup: Trees
Wood you believe that it's all about trees on the latest episode of The Reality Check podcast? Here are two classic segments about trees. First up is an interview with tree expert Owen Clarkin who gets to the root of many tree facts. That…
- TRC #714: Superman Movie Discussion
It's a different kind of show this week as Darren and Adam discuss the recently released Superman film. The movie, directed by James Gunn, stars David Corenswet as Superman. The discussion includes a look at box office results and factors…
- TRC #713: Testosterone Replacement Therapy + Book Review Roundup: Apple in China, An Immense World, Canada Alone, Pronoun Trouble, Rise Above
This podcast is not sponsored by anyone selling testosterone and its hosts aren't on T, but there are a many who are! Adam looks into testosterone replacement therapy, TRT, and its connection to some podcasts which are popular with men. Da…
- TRC #712: AI Make Brain Dumb? + Mentalism
Is AI making us dumber? Darren looks into a recent study, which spawned some less than great press coverage, trying to assess where or not using LLMs is making us less intelligent. We didn't really come to very good conclusions because we'…
- TRC #711: Are Dire Wolves Back? + Book Review Roundup: Nexus, Stoicism, CBT Made Simple, Philosophers in 90 Minutes
Could it be that dire wolves are no longer extinct? Researchers at Colossal Biosciences claim to have accomplished de-extinction of these long extinct wolves. Adam looks at the authenticity of their claims and examines what exactly they di…
- TRC #710: Remembering Dr. Stuart Farrimond
Sadly, we recently got the news that our friend and frequent TRC contributor Dr. Stuart Farrimond passed away. Stuart was a medical doctor who had a brain cancer diagnosis at age 25. His treatment and side effects meant he had to stop prac…
- TRC #709: 100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla + Evidence of Alien Life on an Exoplanet?
Who would win in a fight, 100 men or 1 gorilla? If you're thinking that question is too vague then you'll love Darren's analysis of the situation. Adam looks at claims that we've found evidence of alien life on an exoplanet called K2-18B.…
- TRC #708: The Telepathy Tapes + AI Cheating At Chess?
The Telepathy Tapes is a popular podcast that tells the story of non verbal people showing evidence of psychic abilities and logging on to a psychic virtual chat room called The Hill. Adam looks into how realistic these claims are given wh…
- TRC #707: Is Tim Hortons Canadian? + Mysterious Structures Under The Great Pyramid
Is Tim Hortons Canadian? Darren takes a look at the history of the popular coffee and donut chain to see just how Canadian it is and what it even means to be a Canadian company. Adam dives into some recent news which suggests that there ar…
- TRC #706: An AI Generated Podcast by NotebookLM
Could Artificial Intelligence do a better job of recording a podcast than Darren and Adam? For this bonus episode we try something a little different. Darren gave Google's NotebookLM the introduction Uncontrollable, his book on AI safety,…
- TRC #705: Book Round Up: Family Unfriendly and One Billion Americans + Is The 401 The Busiest Highway In The World?
After reading two books touching on the theme of birth rates Adam gives us an overview and discussion on Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be by Timothy Carney and One Billion Americans: The…
- TRC #704: Remembering Joe Nickell
Joe Nickell, the world renowned paranormal investigator, died earlier this week at the age of 80. He was a great inspiration to us here at The Reality Check and it was a great pleasure for some of us to have met him back in 2009 at The Ama…
- TRC #703: Jevons' Paradox + American vs. Canadian ingredients in food
Darren revisits a topical segment from the past looking at Jevons' Paradox which suggests that as a resource becomes more efficient, it may paradoxically be consumed more. Then Adam looks at some recent controversies about artificial colou…
- TRC #702: Talking Close Relationships with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk
With Valentines Day coming up we are taking this opportunity to revisit a romantic segment we did five years ago with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk. In this interview she discusses the work she does in the Positive Activities in Intimate Relation…
- TRC #701: How Many Birds Do Cats Kill? + Book Review Roundup
It is often said that cats are responsible for the death of countless birds. Adam looks at where these numbers come from and wonders whether they are all that accurate. Darren gives a review of four books which he recently read. He'll shar…
- TRC #700: The Rise of Podcasts + Are False Beliefs More Common?
It's the 700th episode of The Reality Check podcast! On this special show we look back at the last 16 years to see how much things have changed since way back in 2008. Darren looks at the history of podcasts and how far we've come and then…
- TRC #699: Was Lamarck That Wrong? + What Do Animals See On A TV?
When it comes to evolution many focus on what Jean-Baptiste Lamarck got wrong with his model of inheritance. Darren looks at what he got right and considers his discoveries in light of the scientific understanding of the world of his time.…
- TRC #698: Converting Office Space to Housing + Book Review: The Singularity is Nearer
Why don't they just convert all of the unused office space to housing? Adam looks at the challenges involved in converting office buildings to residential space. Then Darren gives us a review of Ray Kurzweil's recent book The Singularity I…
- TRC #697: Did Hedy Lamarr Invent Wi-Fi? + Name That: Spot the Fake
We have some very special guests on this week's episode as TRC alumni Pat and Cristina join us with some great segments. Cristina looks at the truth behind a viral meme that says that famous actress Hedy Lamarr invented Wi-Fi, and gives us…
- TRC #696: Did Sakana AI Change Its Own Code? + Who is Margaret Hello?
Could an AI rewrite its own code? Has it perhaps already done so? Darren looks at the story which suggests that an AI Scientist, developed by Sakana AI, was able to change its own source code. What exactly happened and are you worried enou…
- TRC #695: The Science of Sharknado + Book Review: Invisible Rulers by Renée DiResta
After having watched all six Sharknado films Adam decides to do some research into the science of these not at all ridiculous films, uncovering the truth about the plausibility and historical precedent for a tornado filled with living shar…
- TRC #694: Can Meditation Be Harmful? + Did Cavemen Live in Caves?
Could meditation ever be harmful? Darren examines the evidence to determine if meditation, which can have many benefits, might sometimes have a negative impact on people's lives. Adam looks at the idea of cavemen and wonders if, as their n…
- TRC #693: When Is Soap Not Really Soap? + Book Review: Determined
What's the difference between a bar of soap and the stuff we use to clean dishes, laundry and cars, and can you just use any of those in the shower? Adam tries to find out whether the stuff that's fit for baby ducks if good enough for you…
- TRC #692: Cultivating Critical Thinking + Letting Food Cool Before Refrigerating It
We look at some fundamental ways of cultivating critical thinking on the latest show. Darren looks at some common cognitive biases and logical fallacies and how to use these in order to have a better more accurate understanding of the trut…
- TRC #691: Why Can't AI Do Laundry and Dishes?
Can we say that AI is going in the wrong direction, as it does our art and writing while we suffer doing laundry and dishes? It's just Adam on the show this week as he overanalyzes a viral tweet by looking at how much the time and way we d…
- TRC #690: Early Mammals + Would You Rather Encounter a Man or a Bear in the Woods?
What were the first mammals like? Darren examines what characterizes a mammal and explores the world of early mammals, who coexisted with the dinosaurs. Adam investigates the discourse around a viral question which asks "Would you rather b…
- TRC #689: The Science of Dune's Sandworms + AI Personal Assistants
Could the huge Sandworms in Frank Herbert's Dune really exist? Adam looks at how scientifically plausible these odd creatures might be. In light of recent news about Open AI's GPT-4o and Google's Project Astra, Darren look at the latest ad…
- TRC #688: Interview with Spencer Greenberg
Spencer Greenberg is the founder Clearer Thinking, a web site which provides tools for critical thinking, as well as Transparent Replications, which does rapid replications of papers in psychology and behavioural studies. In this interview…
- TRC #687: Remembering Daniel Dennett
This past Friday, April 19th, philosopher Daniel Dennett passed away at the age of 82. Throughout his life he has impacted many people through his work. On this week's show Darren shares some of his thoughts on this great man and gives an…
- TRC #686: The Stanford Prison Experiment + Is AI Taking Over Creative Jobs?
Adam looks at evidence that the popular Stanford Prison Experiment was not as well run as we've heard which raises concerns about the conclusions we make from it. Darren considers some recent events in the world of AI and wonders whether o…
- TRC #685: AI More Creative Than Humans? + Safe Solar Eclipse Viewing
Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Creativity? Can an AI be more creative than a human? Darren looks at a study which attempts to answer this question. With the upcoming solar eclipse occurring in North America on April 8th, Adam examin…
- TRC #684: Aliens in Mexican Congress? + Book Review: Outlive by Peter Attia
I'm not saying they're aliens but … they're aliens. Adam uses hard hitting science to evaluate the validity of these allegedly non human mummified remains which were presented to the Mexican Congress in the fall. A shocking discovery which…
- TRC #683: AI News: Sora, Gemini 1.5 and Implications + Jailbreaks by Hiding Files in Cakes
Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI's text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind's Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on our…