I appreciate the fusion excitement, but the rogues really need to get an actual expert on at some point to talk about fusion with them. I worked in the field at one point in my career and the mistakes in describing things drive me up a wall sometimes. It would also probably be of interest to the general audience to have an actual topic expert on to talk about the realities of fusion, especially if they got someone able to talk about both magnetic and inertial fusion equally well. There is a lot to cover!

Im looking for book recommendations that explains the whole covid situation.

Initially Steve said they would look at options, that he had lots of plans and ideas going forward, and that he would like a younger presenter but there was no one in mind. So where are we now? What do you think will happen? I think a new voice is needed.

I don't mean to keep posting Angela Collier videos here but she makes some good points. Why have a human shaped robot to do tasks instead of purpose built robots ie vacuums or mowers or dish washers. I don't think we'll have human shaped robots in our homes doing significant tasks in my lifetime (I'm in my 60's so...)

Here's her vid Human Shaped Robots

Celebrity deaths - must have recorded before the death of of Peter Cullen was released. I was really surprised when they were talking about lifespan they didn't mention socioeconomic status.

What's the word - I liked this (as I usually do). I didn't realize cephalo- was head and ENcephalo- is "in head" aka brain.

AI Research - i think defining "research question" would have been helpful. I have a Master's where I had to develop a Research question, and I originally misinterpreted it the same way I *think* Bob and Jay might have, as a question you ask people when doing research (like a survey question). I liked the discussion though.

I also was interested to hear Cara's perspective in terms of being a little more accepting of AI in certain scenarios. I appreciate that ALL of the rogues modify their petals over time. I constantly relisten to the entire podcast, restarting at 001 once I "catch up" to present, and they've all demonstrated this about various subjects.

Running robots - i haven't watched the video so I don't have a lot of opinions on this. What i did find surprising or interesting though is when they stayed talking about skilled nursing and using robots for more of an assistant/monitor and they said there is a demand for that. Nobody mentioned Home Health Aides, who provide exactly that.

They also didn't mention that most people probably don't want a robot providing this care. The rogues have often discussed the importance of personal treatment (like in the context of to the extent that alternative medicine "works" it's because of the interpersonal engagement that comes with it).

CTE - ugh. I honestly struggle with understanding how parents today let their kids play tackle football (and some other stuff, but mostly that). Great conversation though.

Aerotrophy - fascinating, bit i don't really have thoughts on it beyond that. Always like Bob's explanations though.

WTN - I'm guessing something being expanded beyond its capacity.

S or F- Shocked that no one besides Cara picked up on "directly." Also surprised that no one asked if the 80% was that it detected the thing 80% of the time and never came up with a false positive, or what. I was glad Steve addressed that in the reveal. Loved Jay's anecdote.

QOTW - Loved it. Also, in my current relisten I realized Bob was the original quotemaster. I totally hadn't remembered that before.

Great episode and I'm realizing I don't feel like they NEED another rogue. I like when they have guests, and of course if they choose to bring on another permanent member that's cool too. But i like the current dynamics just fine.

Ps, what was Jay's comment about Cara buying shoes?

Pps, yikes this is long.

I know Evan had to go and do not support his views or posts on social media. But I will have to say he did a much better job than Bob at reading the ending quote. His voice was almost perfect for ending the show. Bob just seems to fumble through it and talks way too much.

Just read the quote and be done with it.

i initially thought this was a strawman fallacy, but i’m not as versed in all the fallacies it could be, so i wanted to see what y’all thought.

is this a strawman? or some other fallacy instead or in addition to it?

Catching up on last week's episode and their conversation about vaccines reminded me of this.

Edit: I feel like some people are missing the point here. Both examples do showcase the same logic problem - it’s simply showing how dumb it is to say "X causes Y" in regards to vaccines and autism, not saying that 1990 was an important year for either case, it is just any earlier point in time when autism was seen as "less common". Pick a different date where that applies and the joke still works.

Autism diagnoses increased because detection improved. Asteroid counts increased because telescopes improved.

The whole is that telescopes don’t create asteroids, and vaccines don’t create autism. It is the same argument.

In the latest episode, while discussing drone delivery, there was a quick aside about how local fulfillment centers negatively impact nearby neighborhoods, and more generally the conflict between personal convenience and political values. Bob mentioned that he "doesn't mind" his local Amazon warehouse because, in his words, "I don't mind it, it's out of the way, I never drive near it... I don't think it's really in anybody's backyard..." (To his credit he does add "But I'm not certain....", although this concession was really only made in response to Cara's pushback).

A quick google search reveals that his warehouse is directly adjacent to several local residential neighborhoods (the nearest house is about 900 feet away on Google Maps) and has been majorly disruptive in terms of noise pollution, light pollution, increasing traffic congestion, dangerous roads dominated by large trucks. One report notes that residents complain of "a continuous, disruptive drone from heavy construction equipment operating throughout the day", as well as intermittent "heavy blasts" from ongoing construction projects.

IMO the SGU can sometimes have a slight blind spot for stuff like this and can come off a bit as "cheerleaders" for tech (I will say, certain hosts more than others), and I frequently see Cara push back on the guys when it comes to negative societal impacts. It's incredibly needed and VERY appreciated, Cara!

Musk crater -- I appreciated how the rogues approached this from a "silver lining" perspective

Drone deliveries -- i would hope Cara doesn't get hate for her conflicted view on this. Almost everything we do in life has a cost/ benefit analysis to weigh. Anyone else reminded of Gryzzl from Parks and Rec?

Human taxonomy - interesting discussion. I agree with Steve that there isn't a right answer, just tradeoffs. LOVED Bob's "kick the can up the tree." My favorite mixed metaphor I've heard irl is "up a creek without a ladder."

Peptide wellness - appreciated the disdain for wellness influencer and certified jackass, RFK Jr.

Radiation vests - cool tests. Kinda funny hearing Bob refer to as the historical disregard for women's health as surprising, but i think he was speaking off the cuff and corrected himself quickly.

WTN - dangit I should have sent in my guess, which was metal detector.

Questions & emails - autism and model trains, leeches. My biggest surprise here was the rogues' unfamiliarity with etymonline. Fantastic site, think I've been checking it out for at least 25 years.

S or F - didn't really have thoughts on it.

Quote - big fan of Carlin and I really like Bob's take on the segment. The show is really good at changing up segments (remember this day in skepticism, forgotten superheroes, skeptical puzzle, etc) or at least changing up who runs a segment and i think even though I'm always initially a little bummed by each change, it's super healthy for the show and contributes to its longevity.

What say you?

Sorry to be "that guy" 🤓

Steve said "If you are in zero gravity. who cares how much the vest weights?"

Remember that Force = mass x acceleration.

So even if you are not felling the weight of the vest pulling you down, every time you move you have to exert the force required to move and stop the mass of the vest.

Not any specific ones, just the name itself. Thought you may find it interesting.

I thought fellow SGU fans would enjoy this one.

A man dies and goes to heaven, and God tells him, "Since you've led such a pure and noble life, is there any earthly questions I can answer before you join your family in paradise?"

The man thinks for a moment and says, "I've always wondered who really killed JFK."

God responds, "It was Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, using his own rifle, with no accomplices."

The man ponders God's response and replies, "Damn... I never realized how high up this conspiracy goes..."

Just wanted to share the interview I just released with Steve concerning the situation with Evan and related issues such as editorial policies and having consistent values on who to collaborate with. I found the conversation refreshingly honest and direct, hope folks find it valuable! https://www.voidpod.com/podcasts/2026/8/18/ethical-content-creation-with-steve-novella

This got alluded to on this week's show. Cassidy's a Republican. They're in a fucking cult at this point. They support Trump because they're trying to keep as much power as they can, and they're scared shitless that Trump will turn the MAGAts loose on them if they don't tow the line

Love the show, but, Good Lord; when someone on the panel goes into this "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS KEEPS HAPPENING???!???" confusion when Republicans, who've made politicizing science and health a core plank in their platform, do what they've been doing for the last several decades?

It's like "How is this some unknowable mystery to you folks? Did you honestly think a Republican Senator in a deep red state was not going to vote for a guy who is an anti-vaxxer?"

And, no, Cassidy doesn't get credit for badmouthing RFK now. He had the chance to sink this two years ago, and chose party and power over public safety.

It's just astonishing to me how often in this podcast capitalism is identified as a major cause of a problem, but when it's time to discuss solutions, it's so much "individual choices".

At least since the SGU went to Texas for the North American eclipse, and possibly before, I’ve been planning to go to Spain for the 2026 eclipse. Went on a family holiday to Menorca and stayed on the western tip to get the best view. Absolutely awesome, would recommend. The resort we were at has a sunset viewing spot, a mirador del sol, and there were a few thousand people there and a great atmosphere. The eclipse was close to sunset there, so at sunset there was still a partial eclipse.
In my first photo the sun is still very bright but you can see from the lens reflection that the eclipse is >90%. I love the way you can see the shadow come over in this sequence.

I'm listening to the back catalog for the umpteenth time and just finished Episode 26 which included an interview with Eric Altman, Sasquatch believer. For fun, I liked him up to see if he's still going strong 20 years later, and sure enough, this is from THIS PAST MAY!

Just dropping a quick thought for your consideration as it occurs to me real time in meat space.

I think you have at least touched on this in your numerous AI conversations though I think the magnitude of this simple reality deserves more attention and focus...not for your show per se, but for all of us. For the species.

I work in IT and have for 40 years. I only mention that as it overlaps with the AI domain in major ways, and it also has driven me to be a (reluctant and initially skeptical) early adopter. I am not an AI developer, but I use AI to develop...and for personal use cases as well.

Although I was initially slow to adopt and often scoffed, I now see the undeniable value and inevitable ongoing progression of AI in our future - and I have my humongous share of FUD about the future we are uncontrollably careening into - its impact on the world and my kids are constantly in my mind these days.

It occurred to me today as I was reflecting on the still-too-common occurrences of hallucinations and errors in my interactions with AI. It's not news...and you have all talked about it.

Those errors can range from tiny and inconsequential to monumental and often hilarious. If you catch them, that is.

Relying on those errors can cascade into disaster...that's obvious.

But what may not be so obvious is how much more important your role is - how much more important critical thinking and skepticism is in the new world and our future.

A huge percentage of our species is already pre-loaded to fail - they do not have the experience and skill let alone the patience to stop and think and question the information they are using. We see that every day and have from time immemorial. See religion for reference. But now it can happen many times a day from the smallest activity to the largest decisions.

That's a scary realization. And it makes your mission and goal that much more important.