Skeptics Guide #1105

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1105 September 5th 2026 With Special Guest Christian Hubicki Segment #1. Updating the Matrix If you could change the laws of physics to make one sci-fi technology possible and feasible, what would it be? (With special appearance by Julia Novella) Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 - Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope https://theness.com/neurologicablog/nasas-new-roman-telescope-launches/ News Item #2 - Training Robot Babies https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.aed4106 News Item #3 - Testing Gravity In Space https://www.sciencenews.org/article/atoms-gravity-space-galileo-einstein Segment #3 - Science or Fiction Item 1) In an 1865 novel an it’s sequel, Jules Verne described launching a manned capsule from Florida, which flew around the moon, altered its course with retro rockets, splashed down in the Pacific, and was recovered by the US Navy. Item 2) Mark Twain anticipated the internet in 1898, imagining the “telelectroscope”- a global network of telephone lines people could use to access news in real time and chat with others from their own home. Item 3) In his 1888 utopian novel, Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy predicted the “credit card”, a small card that would electronically track transactions for a rolling line of credit. Segment #4 - Skeptical Quote of the Week “AI doesn’t have to become conscious to change civilization. It only has to become competent.” “OpenAI ChatGPT, GPT-5.6 Sol, generated September 5, 2026.”


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What Foucault Pendulum Measurements Actually Show #Shorts

The important result is not simply that a Foucault pendulum moves. Pendulums at different latitudes precess at specific measurable rates, and those measured rates match the predictions for a rotating spherical Earth. That is the power of a quantitative scientific prediction: calculate what should happen, then compare it with reality. Science You Can Test. To Learn More: How a Foucault Pendulum Demonstrates Earth’s Rotation https://youtu.be/9SdIBzZl5WA Using a Foucault Pendulum to Measure Gravity and Earth’s Rotation https://youtu.be/BN1u6lkoujM The Foucault Pendulum: Measuring Earth’s Rotation in Real Time https://youtu.be/eJxTfYJrTuM #Science #Physics #FoucaultPendulum #EarthRotation #ScientificMethod #Shorts


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How Do Fossils Form?: Crash Course Geology #18

Everybody dies, but few fossilize. In this episode of Crash Course Geology, we’ll learn how fossils form and why they’re so rare. Although very few living things ever become fossils, those that /do/ help us understand Earth’s history and how life came to be as it is today. Introduction: Nodosaur 00:00 What's a Fossil and How Do They Form? 0:31 Why are Fossils Rare? 5:15 What Can We Learn from Fossils? 6:30 Review and Credits 9:38 Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RpwM8ZQPFk_DkzMJjMdtRrNGrJSNJ7FbgmQybSZ2Cqo/edit?tab=t.0 Check out our CC Geology Extracurricular Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOmqnkvEtNVOrm0eaIjFjJ7 *** Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourse Or support us directly: https://complexly.com/support Join our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/email Get our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhY Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: Jennifer Wiggins-Lyndall, Leah H., Michael Maher, Allison Wood, NassauLinda, Emily Beazley, Katrix , AThirstyPhilosopher ., Elizabeth LaBelle, Andrew Woods, Kevin Knupp, Roger Harms, Ken Davidian, Stephen Akuffo, DexcilaDou, Johnathan Williams, b.sav, Barbara Pettersen, Toni Miles, Chelsea S, oranjeez, Quinn Harden, Shruti S, Steve Segreto, Jason Terpstra, Marcus Bruun, David Fanska, Rie Ohta, Chuck Smith, Brandon Thomas, UwU, Matthew Fredericksen, Dalton Williams, Gina Mancuso, Martin G. Diller, Mike Cumings, Jr., Scezumin, ., Nathan Taylor, Stephen McCandless, Perry Joyce, Barrett, John Lee, Joseph Ruf, Laurel Stevens, Jennifer Killen, Tandy Ratliff, Krystle Young, Constance Urist, Katie Dean, Thomas, Trevin Beattie, Breanna Bosso, Rizwan Kassim, Kristi Wallace Knight, Jason Buster, team dorsey, Siobhán, Samantha, Evol Hong, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Indija-ka, Alan Bridgeman, Ian Dundore, Pietro Gagliardi, Luke Sluder, Scott Harrison, Eric Koslow, Les Aker, Wai Jack Sin, Erminio Di Lodovico, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Alex Hackman, Emily T, Caleb Weeks, Matt Curls, Bernardo Garza, Triad Terrace, Tanner Hedrick, Ken Penttinen, Jason Rostoker __ Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet? Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/ Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourse Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/thecrashcourse.bsky.social CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids


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Why do some people have a better sense of direction than others? - Oliver Baumann

Dig into the neuroscience behind our sense of direction and find out why some people are better at navigating than others. -- Whether you identify as a wayfinding whiz or get lost returning from the grocery store, your brain has a built-in navigation system that facilitates spatial skills, from sensing which direction is north to map-reading and route-learning. So, why do we still struggle to find our way? And why do some of us find ourselves lost more often than others? Oliver Baumann digs into our sense of direction. Lesson by Oliver Baumann, directed by Anton Bogaty. This video was made possible in collaboration with Nobel Prize Outreach, and with support from the Sloan Foundation Learn more about how TED-Ed partnerships work: https://bit.ly/TEDEdPartner Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-some-people-have-a-better-sense-of-direction-than-others-oliver-baumann Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-some-people-have-a-better-sense-of-direction-than-others-oliver-baumann/digdeeper Animator's website: https://antonbogaty.com Music: https://www.wonderboyaudio.com ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Conder Shou, ntiger, Noname, Hansan Hu, David D, Mac Hyney, Keith Ellison, robin valero walters, Lynne Truesdale, Gatsby Dkdc, Matthew Neal, Denis Chon, Julian Oberhofer, Monte Carroll, Eddy, Jay M, Constantino Victor Delgado, Andrea Galvagni, Andrew Tweddle, Laurel-Ann Rice, Fernando A. Endo, Helen Lee, pam morgan, sarim haq, Gerardo Castro, Michel-Ange Hortegat, Enes Kirimi, Amaury BISIAUX, ND, Samyogita Hardikar, Vanessa Graulich, Vandana Gunwani, Abdulmohsin Almadi, AJ Lyon, Geoffrey Bultitude, Mi Mi, Thomas Rothert, Brian Elieson, Oge O, Weronika Falkowska, Nevin Spoljaric, Sid Chanpuriya, Anoop Varghese, David Yastremski, Noah Webb, Roberto Chena, Oliver Koo, Luke Pisano, Andrea Gordon, and Aleksandar Donev.


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The Scariest Chart In Engineering

Why is the Smith Chart one of the scariest charts in electrical engineering? We printed the largest one in the world to explain how it works and why it's so terrifying (to engineers at least).


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Why Foucault Pendulums Reverse at the Equator #Shorts

A Foucault pendulum behaves differently depending on which hemisphere it is in. Its apparent precession is clockwise in one hemisphere, counterclockwise in the other, and goes to zero at the equator. That change in direction is a measurable consequence of latitude and Earth’s rotation. Science You Can Test. To Learn More: https://youtu.be/9SdIBzZl5WA https://youtu.be/BN1u6lkoujM https://youtu.be/eJxTfYJrTuM #Science #Physics #FoucaultPendulum #Equator #EarthRotation #Shorts


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