Squaring the Strange Ben Radford, Celestia Ward and Pascual Romero

This freebie bonus is us shooting the breeze, thanking folks who deserve kudos, asking some questions about skepticism today, and generally having a good time.

We chat about several topics in the news recently, from a bright streak of burning space junk over Los Angeles to a very realistic crucifixion reenactment in the Philippines. Ben unravels a weeping Madonna story in the tabloids that also casts some shade on a prominent Italian skeptic, then he gives us his review of "Late Night with the Devil," set in the 1970s and complete with a nod to the late Amazing Randi. Pascual and Celestia talk about DEI's increasing role as a boogeyman, and try to figure out how some legislators seem to believe it brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge. And we can't ignore the skeptical holiday of April Fools' Day, a day everyone practices more skepticism and when some creative people unveil some clever hoaxes.

After some current events involving Brazilian ex-president Bolsonaro, a new study on Havana Syndrome, and migrants with measles in Chicago, we are joined by Curt Anderson. A career magician turned academic researcher, Curt tells us about his pivot to deception studies. Piggybacking on our recent episode about Truth Default Theory, we explore more about how well humans (think we can) detect lies. What can a scientific approach to deception tell us about human communication, and what practical applications does the field have? We hit on many topics, from creating better magic shows to dissecting poker strategies, as well as -- of course -- what it all means for skepticism.

First, Pascual and Celestia hit recent science news -- a sideways lunar landing, some male-on-male humpback whale action, and recent cell outages. Then Ben and Celestia look at weather modification, from prayer and superstition to very real cloud-seeding efforts. Though in practice almost everywhere for generations, this technology still surprises and confuses people, who lump it in with conspiracies about precise weather control by some all-powerful cabal . . . using a decommissioned array of antennas in Alaska?

First, Ben and Celestia have several tidbits to discuss, from Micheal Mann's court win to chemtrails popping up in social media. Ben is watching another cult docuseries, and we get into the unfortunate trend of obituary pirating. For our main segment, we are joined by the delightful Daniel Loxton, illustrator, author, editor and longtime skeptic luminary. He takes us on a tour of the long-debunked story about a 15-foot penguin in Florida. But a simple debunking is only the surface of this tale, which has much to teach us about modern popular paranormal culture, the mixing of sci-comm with mystery-mongering, and the different levels of investigation. This leads us into a conversation on the nature of skepticism itself, and where our future lies. 

After some chit-chat about vaccine misinfo on X and "phrogging" on Netflix, the gang tackles truth default theory. Coined by researcher Timothy Levine, truth default theory explains that human beings generally believe what we're told. Why? This seemingly simple concept plays a part in anchoring bias, first impressions, stereotypes, confirmation bias, and why it's so difficult to change one's beliefs. The "truth bias" is a blind spot that we need to be aware of, especially as skeptics, because although people aren't great at figuring out when they're being lied to, people THINK they can spot a lie a mile away.