The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

Hi, Long time listener and loved the show. Had a comment on your science or fiction this week though. I suspected the article on mammalian jaws was the fiction but for a silly reason not related to why it was fiction. In your description you kept saying mammal jaw changes occurred in therapsids prior leading to the cynodonts. Well, cynodonts are therapsids. Drove me up a wall. Almost wanted it to be science if only to expose my taxonomic obstinance. Anyway, thanks for a good show. Patti

I have appreciated how your comments have helped me to understand and respond better to people who have touted fake science. I miss Randy too.

This show needs to consider adopting some desperately needed humility, ironically given the word skeptics in the show name. There’s this Dunning Kruger issue where they are more than happy to critique others for inability to think critically about subjects they are SMEs about and yet use their own platform to be ideologues about other subjects making hand wavy claims like “research and studies show”. The multitude of complaints on their misrepresentation of NEM for example are just continually disregarded as coming from shills for the utilities instead of they themselves maybe thinking they could be wrong then and to truly question their own beliefs instead of just consistently saying they were surprised by the pushback. I’ve been in the renewables industry for my entire life and am more a proponent of DERs and a sustainable and equitable energy transition than almost anyone on this planet and NEM is clearly regressive in the majority of jurisdictions. So it is irresponsible of the hosts to use their platform as a megaphone to throw any other expert opinion under the bus and inform a wide audience who are not able to discern otherwise that their own opinions are ground truth. I have unsubscribed after weeks of this tirade and this is unfortunate given I have listened to this show for years now with an open mind after a Bill Nye vote of confidence on another podcast. I am aware you will take this comment as more internet vitriol but it would behoove you to take this as unsolicited but well meaning advice if you want to prevent more podcast defections. This is the first time I have ever used the comments section and only less than a. handful of times I have ever unsubscribed from a show

This has been my favorite podcast for more than a decade. They are great at explaining concepts in plain English and giving actionable ways to think issues through. They also demonstrate how to disagree and learn from one another.