Skeptics Guide #1111

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1111 October 22nd 2026 Guest Rogue: Alice Howarth Segment #1. What’s the Word Centripedal / Centrifugal Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Christina Applegate’s MS Misdiagnosis https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/mass-general-doctor-explains-why-christina-applegates-ms-diagnosis-was-reconsidered/NA76ICQNMJDMXKR5KNMBCA2YSE/ News Item #2 – Ultraprocessed Food and Cancer Risk https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261020085014.htm News Item #3 – Superworms Clean Skeletons https://phys.org/news/2026-07-superworms-future-skeleton.html News Item #4 – Goodbye Leap Second https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/science/leap-second-abolished-vote.html AND https://theconversation.com/leap-seconds-have-helped-keep-clocks-synchronized-with-earths-rotation-but-their-time-is-now-over-heres-why-291017 News Item #5 – Wellness and Hyperoptimization Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. 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. Item 1: Researchers find that face specialists are able to correctly identify faces with over 90% accuracy, with only one or two facial features revealed. Item 2: A new study finds that preschoolers on average were rated as more creative than adults on a variety of creative tasks. Item 3: A new extensive review of whole genome sequencing finds that on average people have about 5 million genetic variants, including 13,000 protein changes, 229 of which cause a loss of function. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction." — Rachel Carson, Marine Biologist


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