The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe | |
---|---|
Presentation | |
Hosted by | Steven Novella Jay Novella Bob Novella Evan Bernstein Cara Santa Maria |
Genre | Science and skepticism |
Updates | Weekly |
Production | |
No. of episodes | 1,572 |
Publication | |
Original release | May 4, 2005 |
Ratings | 4.53125/5 |
Related | |
Website | http://www.theskepticsguide.org |
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe (SGU) is an American weekly skeptical podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, along with a panel of contributors. The official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society, it was named to evoke The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The show features discussions of recent scientific developments in layman's terms, and interviews authors, people in the area of science, and other famous skeptics. The SGU podcast includes discussions of myths, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, the paranormal, and other forms of superstition, from the point of view of scientific skepticism.
The SGU podcast was first released in May 2005. The original lineup of the podcast consisted of the Novella brothers, Steven Novella, Robert "Bob" Novella and Jay Novella, along with Evan Bernstein, and Perry DeAngelis. DeAngelis contributed until his death in 2007, shortly before his 44th birthday. Rebecca Watson joined in 2006 and later left the podcast in 2014. [1] Cara Santa Maria joined the cast in July 2015.
The podcast is affiliated with the New England Skeptical Society and with the SGU Productions LLC. [2]
Until 2018 there were no full-time employees of the podcast, although that was in part due[ according to whom? ] to a defamation lawsuit filed by Edward Tobinick that consumed financial resources that would have otherwise been available. [3] In 2018 Jay Novella, who had previously both been one of the cast and managed the podcast's website, was employed full-time as a result of reaching a Patreon target of 3,000 donors. [3]
Segments include interviews, discussions of significant but largely unknown figures in science, short games and puzzles played with the audience or between the panellists, and accounts of relevant events in the news that relate to skepticism.[ citation needed ] Shows last about 80 minutes, although on September 23, 2011, SGU produced a 24-hour-long podcast with contributions by skeptics from around the world. It was referred to as SGU-24.[ citation needed ]
The show's theme music is "Theorem" by the San Francisco rock band, Kineto. [4] The theme was acquired from the Podsafe Music Network. Prior to the November 2, 2005 show, Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science" was the show's theme.[ citation needed ]
Many Skeptics' Guide episodes contain interviews. Often the interviews feature well-known scientists or skeptics, for instance Massimo Pigliucci or Joe Nickell. Rarely the guests are proponents of fringe or pseudoscientific views. Some episodes have guest rogues, such as Bill Nye, participating in the entire podcast. Notable guests include the following: [5]
Show date | Episode | Guest | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Frequent guest | --- | James Randi | A Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic, founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation |
Frequent guest | --- | Phil Plait | An American astronomer and skeptic, former president of the James Randi Educational Foundation, known as "The Bad Astronomer" |
Frequent guest | --- | George Hrab | Musician, skeptic podcaster |
Frequent guest | --- | Richard Saunders | An Australian skeptic, podcaster and professional origamist [6] |
June 29, 2005 | 5 | Michael Shermer | Founder of The Skeptics Society, author of Why People Believe Weird Things [6] |
September 7, 2005 | 12 | Steve Milloy | Founder of junkscience.com |
October 6, 2005 | 15 | Chris Mooney | Author of The Republican War on Science [6] |
July 5, 2006 | 50 | Gerald Posner | Author of Case Closed [6] |
July 12, 2006 | 51 | Neal Adams | A proponent of the hollow and expanding earth hypotheses [6] |
October 4, 2006 | 63 | Michael Shermer | Founder of The Skeptics Society, author of Why People Believe Weird Things [6] |
December 13, 2006 | 73 | B. Alan Wallace | The president and founder of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies [6] |
January 31, 2007 | 80 | Teller | One-half of the illusionist team Penn and Teller [6] |
February 7, 2007 | 81 | Adam Savage and Tory Belleci | From the Discovery Channel show MythBusters [6] |
February 15, 2007 | 82 | Christopher Hitchens | Journalist and literary critic, author of God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything [6] [7] |
February 15, 2007 | 82 | Matt Stone | Co-creator of South Park [6] |
February 21, 2007 | 83 | Julia Sweeney | Former Saturday Night Live cast member [6] |
April 18, 2007 | 91 | Susan Blackmore | PhD in parapsychology, skeptic, and author [8] |
July 25, 2007 | 105 | Jimmy Carter | 39th President of the United States, Nobel laureate [6] [9] |
September 5, 2007 | 111 | Bill Nye | "The Science Guy" [6] |
November 14, 2007 | 121 | Paul Kurtz | Committee for Skeptical Inquiry founder and chairman of the Council for Secular Humanism |
July 16, 2008 | 156 | Neil deGrasse Tyson | An American astrophysicist and science communicator |
August 26, 2008 | 162 | Richard Saunders | An Australian skeptic, podcaster and professional origamist |
October 8, 2008 | 168 | PZ Myers | An American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) and the author of the Pharyngula science blog |
January 15, 2009 | 182 | Michio Kaku | Theoretical physicist |
April 22, 2009 | 196 | Seth Shostak | An American astronomer and senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute |
May 13, 2009 | 199 | Rusty Schweickart | An American Apollo astronaut |
October 28, 2009 | 219 | Mark Edward | Mentalist |
March 25, 2010 | 245 | George Hrab | Musician, skeptic podcaster |
August 11, 2010 | 265 | Rhys Morgan | Teenage consumer advocate |
May 9, 2011 | 304 | Jon Ronson | Author of The Psychopath Test |
November 19, 2011 | 331 | Neil deGrasse Tyson | An American astrophysicist and science communicator |
December 3, 2011 | 333 | Rhys Morgan | Teenage consumer advocate |
September 8, 2012 | 373 | Billy West | Voice actor on Futurama and other shows |
September 29, 2012 | 376 | Pamela Gay | Astronomer and podcaster |
October 20, 2012 | 379 | Jamy Ian Swiss | Close-up magician |
November 17, 2012 | 383 | Bruce Hood | Psychologist and author |
December 1, 2012 | 385 | Banachek | Mentalist and director of the JREF Million Dollar Challenge |
January 5, 2013 | 390 | Massimo Pigliucci | Philosopher and author |
January 26, 2013 | 393 | Zack Kopplin | Educational activist |
March 2, 2013 | 398 | Jon Ronson | Journalist and documentary film maker |
May 11, 2013 | 408 | Don McLeroy | Creationist and former member of the Texas State Board of Education |
June 22, 2013 | 414 | Daniel Loxton | Illustrator and editor of Junior Skeptic magazine |
June 13, 2013 | 417 | Paul Offit | Pediatrician and vaccine advocate |
August 10, 2013 | 421 | Michael E. Mann | Climatologist |
August 24, 2013 | 423 | Sanal Edamaruku | Author and founding president of Rationalist International |
August 31, 2013 | 424 | Cara Santa Maria | Science communicator |
October 12, 2013 | 430 | Marty Klein | Sex therapist and author |
November 9, 2013 | 434 | Chris Mooney and Indre Viskontas | Science writers and Podcasters |
November 16, 2013 | 435 | Gerald Posner | Journalist and author [10] |
December 7, 2013 | 438 | Susan Gerbic & Tim Farley | Founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia & The creator of WhatsTheHarm.net [11] |
January 11, 2014 | 443 | Mark Crislip | Medical doctor and podcaster |
January 25, 2014 | 445 | Karen Stollznow | Linguist and podcaster |
March 1, 2014 | 451 | Michio Kaku | Physicist and science communicator |
March 15, 2014 | 453 | Jennifer Ouellette | Science writer |
April 5, 2014 | 456 | James Marsters | Actor and musician |
May 3, 2014 | 460 | Elise Andrew | Founder and maintainer of the "I Fucking Love Science" Facebook page |
September 27, 2014 | 481 | Daniel Dennett | Philosopher and cognitive scientist |
July 21, 2018 | 680 | Bill Nye | "The Science Guy" [12] |
December 15, 2018 | 701 | Susan Gerbic | Founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia discussing that project [13] |
March 9, 2019 | 713 | Susan Gerbic | Founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia discussing New York Times coverage of psychic sting operation on Thomas John [14] [15] |
The Skeptics' Guide won the 2009 Podcast Awards in the "Education" category, and the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 Podcast Awards in the "Science" category. [16]
It was also a 2014 "Dose of Rationality" Top 10 Podcast, [17] and a 2010 Physics.org Best Podcast nominee. [18]
On July 30, 2013, Steven Novella announced that the SGU would begin offering membership and airing sponsors. Novella went on to say that the money raised would go into funding skeptical activities, including but not limited to, development of skeptical educational content and web-series such as "Occ The Skeptical Caveman". The addition of sponsors is not permanent, according to Novella, they shall be removed "if 4% of listeners support the SGU through membership at an average of the $8 per month level." [19] Though membership has begun, the SGU continues to publish a free weekly sponsored podcast. Membership entitles one to an ad-free version of The SGU, extra content, and discounts to NECSS (The Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism). Membership range from $4/month to $200/month. [20]
Additional financial support from listeners is provided through Patreon. The SGU has established several goals after achieving a certain number of financial supporters. A major benchmark was reached in 2018 with 3,000 Patreon supporters that sustained enough predictable income for a full-time employee. [3] Other benchmarks include a 12-hour and 24-hour live show after reaching 4,000 and 5,500 supporters, respectively. These live shows may be located on the most complete and accurate reproduction of the Starship Enterprise Star Trek: The Original Series set, which was built by James Cawley and can be seen on the SGU Patreon page introduction video. [3]
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake is a 2018 book written by Steven Novella and co-authored by the other current co-hosts of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast—Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein. It also contains posthumous material from former co-host Perry DeAngelis. The book is meant to be an all-encompassing guide to skeptical thinking. In an interview with The European Skeptics Podcast, Jay Novella describes their approach to writing the book from the "point of view of an alien species observing the earth from a skeptical perspective using critical thinking," reminiscent of the podcast's namesake The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. [3]
Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: The Magazine for Science and Reason.
Skepticality is the official podcast of The Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. Beginning in May 2005, the podcast explores rational thought, skeptical ideas, and famous myths from around the world and throughout history. Each episode is an audio magazine featuring regular segments by contributors who are specialized in specific areas of critical thought followed by featured content which is usually in the form of an interview with a researcher, author, or individual who is helping promote skeptical thought and/or science in an effective way. It has featured interviews with James Randi, and scientists, such as authors and astronomers Phil Plait and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Greg Graffin from Bad Religion, Adam Savage from the MythBusters, songwriter Jill Sobule, author Ann Druyan and science communicator Bill Nye.
The New England Skeptical Society (NESS) is an American organization dedicated to promoting science and reason. It was founded in January 1996 as the Connecticut Skeptical Society, by Steven Novella, Perry DeAngelis and Bob Novella. The group later joined with the Skeptical Inquirers of New England (SINE) and the New Hampshire Skeptical Resource to form the New England Skeptical Society.
Steven Paul Novella is an American clinical neurologist and associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. Novella is best known for his involvement in the skeptical movement as a host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast and as the president of the New England Skeptical Society. He is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI).
Richard Ian Boldsworth, previously known by the stage name Ray Peacock, is an English comic performer, best known for The ParaPod, The Peacock and Gamble Podcast and The Ray Peacock Podcast. He came to prominence in the Big and Daft comedy trio.
Daniel Loxton is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic. He that wrote or co-wrote several books including Tales of Prehistoric Life, a children's science trilogy, and Abominable Science!. As editor of Junior Skeptic, Loxton writes and illustrates most issues of Junior Skeptic, a children's science section in the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine.
Rebecca Watson is an American atheist blogger and YouTuber. She is the founder of the blog Skepchick and former co-host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast. She also previously co-hosted the Little Atoms podcast.
Death from the Skies!: These Are The Ways The World Will End is a book by the American astronomer Phil Plait, also known as "the Bad Astronomer". The book was published in 2008 and explores the various ways in which the human race could be rendered extinct by astronomical phenomena.
Richard Saunders is an Australian scientific skeptic and podcaster. In 2001, he was awarded a life membership by Australian Skeptics and has twice served as their president. He has presented on skepticism, represented the Australian Skeptics on television and radio shows, and is the co-host of The Skeptic Zone podcast.
Desiree Schell is the host of the live Canadian call-in radio talk show and podcast, "Science for the People". An advocate for scientific skepticism, Schell is a strong advocate of critical thinking and is strongly interested in the promotion of skepticism publicly. In her work as a labour organizer Schell creates curricula and teaches courses on effective activism, drawing on the experience of other social movements.
Cara Louise Santa Maria is an American science communicator. She hosts the podcast Talk Nerdy and co-hosts The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast, and was a co-host of TechKnow on Al Jazeera America.
Timothy Patrick Farley is a computer software engineer, writer and instructor who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an expert in computer security and reverse engineering as well as a skeptic. He was a research fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Tim Farley is the creator of the website What's The Harm?, a resource where stories are documented and categorized about the damage done when people fail to use critical thinking skills. Farley was also instrumental in the apprehension of spammer "David Mabus."
Sharon A. Hill is an American science writer and speaker known for her research into the interaction between science and the public, focusing on education and media topics. Hill's research has dealt mainly with paranormal, pseudoscience, and strange natural phenomena and began at the University at Buffalo, where she performed her graduate work in this area. Hill attended Pennsylvania State University, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in geosciences and working as a Pennsylvania geologist.
Perry J. DeAngelis was an American podcaster. He is best known for co-hosting the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast, which he helped found. DeAngelis is known for his and Steve Novella's investigation into Ed and Lorraine Warren's ghost hunting claims. He was also co-founder and executive director of the New England Skeptical Society, and was very active in the skeptical movement and paranormal investigations until his death from scleroderma in 2007. He posthumously contributed to a book, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, released in 2018.
The Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism is a four-day conference focusing on science and skepticism founded in 2009 and held annually in New York City. NECSS is jointly run by the New York City Skeptics (NYCS) and the New England Skeptical Society (NESS). The Society for Science-Based Medicine joined as a full sponsor of the conference in 2015. As of 2016, attendance was estimated at approximately 500 people.
Michael "Marsh" Marshall is a British skeptical activist and the editor of The Skeptic magazine since September 2020. He is the co-founder and vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-host of its official podcast, Skeptics with a K, project director of the Good Thinking Society, and has occasionally written for The Times, The Guardian and New Statesman. As of 2022, Marshall is a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
The European Skeptics Podcast (TheESP) is a weekly podcast recorded in English and hosted by three skeptics from several different European countries: András Gábor Pintér from Hungary, Pontus Böckman from Sweden and Annika Harrison from Germany who joined the team in July 2020. The main goal of the podcast is to "support European level actions within the skeptical movement and build bridges among skeptics" all over the continent. The show is often jokingly referred to by other podcasters and people interviewed on the show as "the REAL ESP experience" referring to a namesake pseudoscientific concept.
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake is a 2018 book meant to be an all-encompassing guide to skeptical thinking written by Steven Novella and co-authored by other hosts of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast – Bob Novella, Cara Santa Maria, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein. It also contains material from former co-host Perry DeAngelis.