Serious Inquiries Only-logo

Serious Inquiries Only

Education Podcasts

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.

Location:

United States

Description:

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.

Language:

English


Episodes

SIO438: That's Absurd Please Elaborate

3/28/2024
I'm joined by Trace and Julian from the podcast, That's Absurd Please Elaborate! It's an incredibly fun and cool science show where they take questions that might seem weird or crazy but answer them using science! They're here to talk science communication, and what some of their favorite questions they've answered have been. Could vampires evolve through natural processes? Could x-rays cook soup? Could we teach aliens left and right? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content

Duration:00:55:20

SIO437: Zoë Schiffer on Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover

3/26/2024
Elon Musk accidentally buying Twitter and then ruining it is a story so absurd and wild that someone should write a book about it. Lucky for us, Zoë Schiffer has! It's called Extremely Hardcore, and it's extremely good! She joins us to discuss the book. Be sure to buy Zoë's book, Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter! You can also follow Zoë's reporting on Platformer. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content

Duration:00:55:30

SIO436: They’re Retconning George Floyd’s Murder, but Radley Balko Is Fighting Back

3/21/2024
Radley Balko is the guest today as we discuss the Right's efforts to retcon George Floyd's murder and Derek Chauvin's responsibility in a "documentary" from Alpha News, The Fall of Minneapolis. We walk through some of the debunks together, and chat about the broader systemic circumstances that lead for calls of police reform. Radley has done an absolutely incredible series covering this in meticulous detail on his Substack (linked below as well). Be sure to check it out and subscribe; supporting independent journalism is critical! The retconning of George Floyd Part 1 - Part 2 - Interim Update/Response to Coleman Hughes - Part 3 Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content

Duration:00:48:32

SIO435: The Radical Idea That We Shouldn’t Work Ourselves to Death

3/19/2024
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced Senate Bill 3947 to change the standard 40-hour workweek to 32 hours with no loss in pay and held a hearing on March 14th. Naturally the right doesn't love this. But what do the studies say? And where did the 40-hour week even come from? SeriousPod colleague Lydia Smith explains how this particular issue highlights ways in which we can combat rhetoric from the right and move towards something that is, on every metric, better than what we have now. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content

Duration:00:46:06

SIO434: Biden Is Failing On Israel-Palestine. So What Do We Do?

3/14/2024
It feels like this comes up precisely every 4 years, but once again I find myself having to point out that the way to make things better isn't to make them worse. That math just doesn't work. But what should we do? A campaign to vote "Uncommitted" for the Democratic Primary Election went viral. Lydia Smith from Where There's Woke joins as we discuss what this movement is, what kind of impact it could have, and whether or not a vote can be a "message". Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:50:44

SIO433: The Robot at the End of the Universe

3/12/2024
We're focusing in on some sci-fi with Dr. Bryan Gillis, astrophysicist to the stars! We take you through one of Ted Chiang's incredible short stories, Exhalation, and Dr. Gillis teaches us about entropy and the Laws of Thermodynamics. What is the heat death of the universe? Can we avoid it by turning up the AC a bit or are we just plain effed? Find out! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:59:08

SIO432: How 13 Reasons Why Killed Kids

3/4/2024
CW: Discussion of suicide; please skip this episode if it's better for your mental health After a long hiatus, Dr. Alan Smerbeck AKA Stormy Decisis is back to cover a topic we've been talking about discussing for a while. What does the research tell us is the responsible way to cover death by suicide? What kind of impact can the media have on the greater population if they get it wrong? And how many different ways did 13 Reasons Why completely screw up? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:48:50

SIO431: The Em Drive Is Supposed To Be Impossible. So Why Did Experiments Say It Worked?

2/29/2024
Dr. Bryan Gillis is back to walk us through a space travel concept that would have upended Physics as we know it if it had worked. But, wait a second - turns out there were quite a number of studies that actually successfully demonstrated its effect so why aren't we using it to zip through the universe these days? We also learn a bit of statistics in this discussion to help us uncover what happened here and what this means for the broader understanding of statistical significance when evaluating scientific findings. Bryan's Notes Check out Up and Atom on YouTube! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:01:01:20

SIO430: Real or Bullshit: Quantum Products Edition!

2/27/2024
Quantum Anne is back! She had a fantastic idea to quiz us all on some quantum products she has come across. Here's the thing though, mixed into the bull shit is the real stuff that she actually uses in her lab! Can you pass the test? It's not as easy as you might think! This one was lots of fun. Don't forget about the Patron Hangout Tuesday 2/27 at 3pm pacific 6pm eastern! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:45:09

SIO429: Artists Punished More Than Scientists for Same Misconduct

2/25/2024
This was a really fun one! Dr. Joe Siev and Dr. Jake Teeny join to walk us through their findings from a series of studies in their recent article, which explored the differences in how artists and scientists are punished following news of misconduct, and the mechanism for why this may be the case. Be sure to check out the Academic Sexual Misconduct Database too! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:53:55

SIO428: Regret After Gender-Affirming Surgery Is Virtually Nonexistent

2/22/2024
Dr. Harry Barbee out of Johns Hopkins University recently co-authored a meta-analysis in JAMA Surgery, examining postoperative regret for those people seeking gender-affirming care. We talk about how many people *actually* regret receiving surgery, how that compares with general postoperative regret in the cisgender population, the politics and misinformation influencing the bad science in this area of study, and what we can do about it. Another piece by Dr. Barbee advocating for sanctuary locations for gender-affirming care: Transgender Youths and Sanctuaries for Gender-Affirming Care Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:47:24

SIO427: Rescuing Science, with Dr. Paul Sutter

2/13/2024
We speak with cosmologist and science communicator Dr. Paul Sutter about his upcoming book, Rescuing Science. Dr. Sutter thinks (Capital S) Science has made some significant errors, and that people do not trust science because of the very system it has created for itself. Where has the discipline gone wrong, why is academia such a mess, and how do we fix it? Be sure to buy his book when it comes out on March 5th; you can also check out his podcast Ask A Spaceman! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content! Graphic generated by Dall-e.

Duration:00:55:46

SIO426: In Defense of Virtue Signaling

2/9/2024
First off... I'M BACK ON OPENING ARGUMENTS!!! Good court thingies! Please please please go check it out! patreon.com/law! OK after that announcement, I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind for a few months, ever since the NHL announced they were banning pride tape. While I used to be way more cynical back in the day about corporatized pride and that kind of virtual signaling, I now feel completely differently and I wanted to talk about the evolution. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:33:26

SIO425: Can Science Be Spiritual?

2/6/2024
Dr. Jesse Preston, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Warwick, joins to discuss a recent paper she published regarding whether or not science may serve as a spiritual experience for nonbelievers. Could loving science offer similar psychological benefits that the literature has demonstrated for those in religion? Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:43:17

SIO424: Semen Caught Violating Newton's 3rd Law? (the one about cum)

2/1/2024
Astrophysicist Dr. Bryan Gillis is back! And here's here to talk about... sperm? Well, when a science headline claims that sperm is violating Newton's 3rd Law, that's when the science police have to lay down the law, no matter how weird the topic. But before you think this is just a bad journalist, the paper may actually be where the problem is... Bryan explains the whole damn thing. Public articles: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2397442-sperm-caught-breaking-newtons-third-law-of-motion/ https://www.iflscience.com/sperm-caught-breaking-the-law-newtons-third-law-of-motion-that-is-71245 Original publication: https://journals.aps.org/prxlife/abstract/10.1103/PRXLife.1.023002#fulltext (and on ArXiV) https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.07162

Duration:00:48:41

SIO423: Bill Maher Gets Owned By Peter Griffin On COVID Nonsense

1/31/2024
For the Bonus this month, Dr. Rick Sullivan, SIO's resident synthetic biologist, joined me to comment on the recent "debate" between Bill Maher and Seth MacFarlane on the COVID vaccine. The right says Bill pWnEd Seth, but what do you all think? Will Dr. Rick's PhD in immunology be enough to stand up to Maher's COVID "facts"? There was so much important information here that I wanted to be sure the normies got to hear some of it as well. So check out the first part of our conversation, but for the full episode, you'll need to pledge on Patreon! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:40:47

SIO422: Tucker Carlson, Space Genius

1/30/2024
On a recent episode of Tucker Carlson's show, fossil fuel shill Dr. Willie Soon came on to discuss ... friggen... dinosaurs on Saturn's moon. I mean, not quite but close. It's nonsense. Too bad for Tucker, cause we have a resident expert on space resource acquisition over here on SIO! J.D. Menges is currently working towards his PhD in Space Resources at Colorado School of Mines with a focus in Planetary Geology, Remote Sensing, and Resource Acquisition Strategy. He's here to break down what Tucker and Dr. Soon get wrong in this interview... Who is Willie Soon? https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/smithsonian-climate-change-scientist-180954380/ 2009 Abiogenic Study (Kolesnikov et al., 2009) https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo591 Oil formation theories (Hook et al., 2010) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2010.06.005 TITAN Abiogenic Oil Theories (Mousis et al., 2009) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2009.07.040 Total Solar Irradiance, TSI (Schmutz, 2021) https://www.swsc-journal.org/articles/swsc/full_html/2021/01/swsc200108/swsc200108.html Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:01:03:33

SIO421: More Technological Anti-Solutions

1/26/2024
he 2nd half of my conversation with Alejandro Ruiz! We get deeper into examples of technological anti-solutions. If you work for a self-driving car company, should you quit? Also why are people burying trees to save the planet? Alejandro's experience in the tech industry, including his time at CERN, led him to creating the engineering co-operative Interstitial Technology, as well as The Luddite that he manages with the irreplaceable co-author/illustrator Julia Zimmerman and editor Dr. Christina Iglesias. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:41:45

SIO420: Technological Anti-Solutions

1/25/2024
We have a guest expert today! Alejandro Ruiz, a graduate of MIT, joins us to discuss a topic that he refers to as "technology anti-solutions." It's a really useful and fascinating framework that explains a lot about today's world, including why Substack sucks, for example. Or Patreon. And even, the Paris Climate Accords. Also, Elon Musk is basically the king of tech anti-solutions. It's way too much for a single episode so we'll have to close it out in a Part 2! Check it out - Alejandro's experience in the tech industry, including his time at CERN, led him to creating the engineering co-operative Interstitial Technology, as well as The Luddite that he manages with the irreplaceable co-author/illustrator Julia Zimmerman and editor Dr. Christina Iglesias. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:46:31

SIO419: Men Are From App and Women Are From Browser

1/18/2024
Lydia Smith of Where There's Woke joins us to break down a fascinating online dating study that featured an experiment in which men and women viewed online dating profiles on either a mobile device or standard PC and rated the individual's attractiveness. The findings are very interesting! We discuss what the implications could be, and we also have a little classic WTW fun too because why not. Are you an expert in something and want to be on the show? Apply here! Please please pretty please support the show on patreon! You get ad free episodes, early episodes, and other bonus content!

Duration:00:43:05