Skeptics Guide #1078

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1078 March 5th 2026 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob The Thatcher Effect https://www.iflscience.com/what-is-the-thatcher-effect-and-why-is-it-so-terrifying-and-cool-82628 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Lunar Chickpeas https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-just-grew-chickpeas-in-moon-dirt/ News Item #2 – Sea Level Rise https://www.sciencenews.org/article/studies-missed-sea-level-rise-oceans News Item #3 – Latest Study Shows Reiki Does Not Work https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229925001542 News Item #4 – Brain Cells Playing Doom https://www.iflscience.com/they-are-learning-cortical-labs-makes-200000-living-human-brain-cells-play-doom-82732 Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Glyphosate Safety Could you do an update on the status of glyphosate/Roundup safety? I recall you were previously mostly positive to it and skeptical to the claims of its dangers. I was therefore surprised by [this episode] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxVXvFOPIyQ) of Veritasium (which I generally consider to be trustworthy), repeating both the carcinogenicity claims and the claims about Monsanto's seed practices (which you have to some level defended as well, if I remember correctly). Perhaps most importantly, they claim (with some evidence) that the most important paper showing glyphosate safety was ghost-written by Monsanto employees I expected you to react to the episode, but then forgot about it. However, now I have listened to [this episode](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-science-historian-tackles-ghostwriting-in/id73329284?i=1000747165290) of Science Friday, which repeats the claim that the Williams, Kroes & Munro paper has been ghost-written by Monsanto. It would be nice to have your opinion on the current status. Best regards, Michal Kaut Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Medieval Times Item 1: It was standard practice to dispose of waste in the streets or in piles of hay, with the first municipal sanitation systems or regulations not appearing in Europe until the Renaissance. Item 2: Chronic infestation with fleas and lice was more the norm than the exception, and was considered just a part of daily life. Item 3: It was a common and widespread practice to divide sleep into two shifts, first sleep and second sleep, with 1-3 hours of activity in between, the practice not ending until the industrial revolution. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.” -Carl Sagan


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