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PODCAST

The Reality Check

The Reality Check

Canada"s weekly podcast that explores a wide range of controversies and curiosities using science and critical thinking.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

36:31

TRC #624: COVID Vaccine Risk & Critical Thinking +...

The Reality Check ·

2021/04/18

Darren kicks off the show with an important segment that examines the benefit of getting the COVID vaccine versus any potential risks, using critical thinking. Cristina takes a ride down the MLM highway and explores Truth In Advertising’s recent scrutiny of Mary Kay’s deceptive pinky promises. Finally, Adam really does a deep dive to find out, what does the fox say?

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39:01

TRC #623: The Neuroscience Of Addiction with Dr. Kim...

The Reality Check ·

2021/04/10

This week we bring you a fascinating interview with Dr. Kim Hellemans about the neuroscience of addiction which originally aired in 2019. Kim is an award-winning neuroscientist and the chair of the department of neuroscience at Carleton University. She is also a co-host of Minding The Brain podcast. Enjoy!

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32:17

TRC #622: Suez Canal Conspiracies + Are Maps Racist?...

The Reality Check ·

2021/03/28

Cristina kicks off the show by diving hip deep into the conspiracy theories swirling around why the massive container ship Ever Given is blocking the Suez Canal. Adam ponders whether maps are racist after seeing an angry online commenter suggest as much when replying to a post featuring a world map. Darren really did read or listen to more than 100 books last year and he’s here to tell you which titles he thinks are worth your while.

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28:25

TRC #621: Subtitles and Reading Skills + Biased...

The Reality Check ·

2021/03/13

After seeing a viral video featuring Stephen Fry, Cristina examines the practice of turning on same-language subtitling and its surprising effect on reading skills, particularly in children. Adam looks at examples of recent cases where Google and Twitter algorithms are being accused of bias.

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27:51

TRC #620: Does COVID-19 Kill More Men? + Potatoes and...

The Reality Check ·

2021/03/06

Darren looks into whether COVID-19 kills more men than women after a friend shares an article suggesting women are more adversely affected by the pandemic. When toy maker Hasbro announced they are rebranding Mr. Potato Head with a gender-neutral name, Adam ponders, how do potatoes actually reproduce?

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28:38

TRC #619: Hands at 10 and 2? + Anti-Asian Hate Crime...

The Reality Check ·

2021/02/27

The mantra when Pat was learning to drive was ‘hands at 10 and 2 o’clock’ when gripping the steering wheel. Turns out, all of us Gen X’ers may need a driver refresher course. Adam does a deep dive into recent headlines citing a huge increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in North America. Our favourite planetary scientist, Dr. Stuart Robbins, tells us about the fascinating rules around naming stuff in space.

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25:30

TRC #618: McDonald’s Eggs Frozen? + Good News in...

The Reality Check ·

2021/02/21

Cristina’s back this week asking the important questions...are McDonald’s eggs frozen? If you’re still reeling from the gut punch that was 2020, Darren brings us a delightful segment on “Good News in 2020’ you probably missed, Conservation edition. Our pal, planetary scientist Dr. Stu, fills us in on the work he is doing related to doublet craters formed by binary asteroids and why it’s important.

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25:13

TRC #617: Vaccines and the Post Hoc Fallacy + Monoliths

The Reality Check ·

2021/02/13

Adam and Darren are reunited and happily hijack this week’s show. Darren breaks down the post hoc fallacy, aka ‘after this, therefore because of this’, and examines it in the context of COVID vaccines. Adam goes deep on the mysterious so-called monoliths making headlines over the last year, giving new meaning to the saying, ‘What’s up, Cuboids?’

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28:44

TRC #616: The Annual Prediction Show

The Reality Check ·

2021/02/06

In what has become a yearly ritual to highlight the futility of ‘predictions’, Adam, Producer Pat, and Cristina guess at what might happen in 2021 and revisit the panel’s 2020 predictions to see how we did. Spoiler: no one had ‘pandemic’ on their list.

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57:13

TRC #615: Live Your Best Life with Dr. Stuart Farrimond

The Reality Check ·

2021/01/24

Aaand...we’re back! This week we dedicate an entire show to chat with our good mate and frequent guest, Dr. Stuart Farrimond, medical doctor turned science communicator and food scientist. Stu joins Pat and Cristina to chat about his latest, and top-selling book, “Live Your Best Life: 219 science-based reasons to rethink your daily routine,” (or “The Science Of Living” if you live outside of North America).

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30:17

TRC #614: Why 2 High Tides? + Dangers Of Double Male...

The Reality Check ·

2020/12/20

Planetary scientist and Hall of Famer guest Dr. Stuart Robbins joins Pat and Cristina to respond to a listener who asks why the Earth experiences two high tides instead of just one. Adam brings us a PSA on the dangers of double male end adapters, known as ‘suicide cords’. Dr. Stu rounds out the show with a follow-up to Adam’s ‘Life On Venus?’ segment from September by addressing the accuracy of a recent study published by astronomers claiming phosphine - a potential marker of life - was discovered

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24:39

TRC #613: Brussel Sprouts + 12 Days Of Christmas...

The Reality Check ·

2020/12/12

Adam wonders if brussel sprouts deserve their bad rap for tasting horrible and makes an interesting discovery in the process. Cristina looks into whether the song ‘12 Days Of Christmas’ is coded so persecuted Christians could pass down the tenets of their faith under the radar. Lastly, Darren brings us a roundup of recent additions to his book shelf: “The Ethics of Influence”, “The Science of Evil”, “The Quest for Cosmic Justice”, “What Algorithms Want” and “Is This Anything?”

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36:06

TRC #612: ‘The Village Effect’ + Is There A...

The Reality Check ·

2020/12/05

Adam discusses themes from ‘The Village Effect’ by author and psychologist Susan Pinker who posits that face-to-face contact is crucial for learning, happiness, resilience and longevity. In a related segment, Darren looks at data to determine if there is evidence to support reports that we’re currently experiencing a loneliness epidemic.

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35:36

TRC #611: Why Are Albums So Long Now? + Antarctica...

The Reality Check ·

2020/11/29

Cristina kicks off the show with a look into why so many music albums run much longer than back in the day. Adam explores whether enormous pyramids were discovered in Antarctica. Lastly, we rerun a segment from Darren with tips on donating to charities effectively, ahead of Giving Tuesday on December 1st.

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26:31

TRC #610: Who ‘Caused’ Biden to Win? + Rules Around...

The Reality Check ·

2020/11/21

Darren kicks off the show by exploring how to talk and think about causality for something as complicated as 2020’s U.S. election. Next, Cristina takes a fascinating look into the rules around naming babies worldwide and what can happen if parents don’t give their baby a name.

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26:56

TRC #609: COVID-19 Testing in Canada + 2000 Year Old...

The Reality Check ·

2020/11/08

Cristina kicks off the show with an overview of how the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory tests for COVID-19. After archeologists discover a 2000 year old feline geoglyph carved into the hillside in Nazca Lines, Peru, Adam asks, “Is it really a cat?” Darren rounds out the show with a look at Coca-Cola and whether long-time reports of the beverage containing cocaine hold up.

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31:46

TRC #608: Is ‘Sexual Preference’ Offensive? + Book...

The Reality Check ·

2020/10/31

After negative reaction and backlash to Amy Coney Barrett using the term, Adam digs into whether ‘sexual preference’ is offensive. Next, Darren brings us another book review roundup including some titles that recently spawned several headlines: ‘Rage’ by Bob Woodward, ‘Disloyal’ by Michael Cohen, ‘Rules for Radicals’ by Saul Alinsky and ‘What We Say Goes’ by Noam Chomsky.

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33:37

TRC #607: Trust U.S. Election Polls? + What Is The...

The Reality Check ·

2020/10/26

With the U.S. election on the horizon, can we really trust the election polls? Darren does a deep dive to find out. Next, Adam wonders what it means to ‘take the red pill’ after seeing a tweet by Elon Musk. Lastly, after Producer Pat wins a Raptors jersey in a scratch-and-win contest, Cristina ponders why he has to answer a skill-testing question before claiming the prize.

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19:08

TRC #606: James Randi

The Reality Check ·

2020/10/22

Yesterday we lost a giant in the critical thinking community. James Randi died at the age of 92. This is an interview with him from August 2010. Randi began his career as a magician and later devoted his life to investigating paranormal, occult and supernatural claims. He will be missed.

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26:16

TRC #605: Calculating The Mass Of Earth + Subway...

The Reality Check ·

2020/10/09

This week we bring you two fascinating segments. First our resident planetary geophysics expert, Dr. Stuart Robbins, is back to help us with a listener email about how we calculate the mass of the earth. We also dig into the difference between weight and mass. Adam rounds out the show with a deep dive into whether an Irish court has ruled that Subway bread is not bread asking, ‘what is a sandwich anyways’?

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442 results

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