Facts are hard to come by in the last few years. Facebook is awash in misinformation, foreign bad actors controlling thousands of zombie accounts, and a general reluctance to combat conspiracy theories and in-your-face lies. Other politically-extreme social media sites regularly dish out misinformation to incite grievance, and encourage political donations.
Since the start of the pandemic, science has battled the forces of intellectual darkness.
That's why a podcast like Science Vs is vital to maintaining an acute sense of logic, reason, and a respect for scientific methods.
Science Vs is now in its 11th season and continues to decipher facts from myths. In an age of rampant misinformation, Science Vs strives for accuracy and scientific credibility while not afraid to sometimes conclude, "the data shows we're not sure."
Hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs is successful because of two primary reasons. First, Zukerman’s good-natured humor topples listener expectations about what a science podcast should sound like. Second, the unique mission of the podcast --using scientific investigative techniques to separate fact from myth – sparks interest, controversy and insight.
In a post-truth world, Zukerman and her team of scientific detectives take on incendiary topics in today’s zeitgeist, such as gun control, vaccinations, climate change, organic food, and even blue balls.
Since launching the Science Vs podcast in 2016, host Wendy Zukerman has built an international audience by reporting and debunking a number of common and spectacular scientific phenomenon.
Season eleven concluded last week, and delved beyond its thorough, useful, and award-winning reporting on all aspects of the coronavirus to cover a variety of topics from blue balls, to how close we are to a real-life Jurassic Park, to revealing interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Joycelyn Elders, and more.
Below are some of the highlights from this season:
● Blue Balls: You’re Wrong About Them
○ Description: We join forces with Sarah Marshall from You’re Wrong About to dive into a question for the ages: Blue balls — are they real? We’ve heard that for people with balls, if you get aroused but don’t ejaculate, it can be incredibly painful. But is that true? Or is it a ball-faced lie, something that men make up to pressure women to have sex with them? Join us for a ball-busting episode that puts blue balls to the ultimate test-es, reaching a gripping conclusion as we ask: If blue balls is in fact real — can people with vaginas get it too?
○ Description: Dr. Anthony Fauci sits down with us to talk about omicron, how this pandemic actually ends — and how he’s fighting back against the haters.
● Jurassic Park: Hold On to Your Butts
○ Description: Could our dreams for a real Jurassic Park come true? Headlines say scientists are closer than ever to resurrecting prehistoric animals like the woolly mammoth. But is this for real!? Can we really bring back long-gone animals from the dead … maybe even the dinosaurs? We speak to paleontologists Professor Jack Horner and Professor Mary Schweitzer, and biologists Professor Beth Shapiro and Robyn Bortner.
● The Moon: Why Are We Really Going Back?
○ Description: The moon race is back! Countries — and billionaires — are lining up to take a crack at returning to the moon. But why are we really going? Some say this is a lunar gold rush, that countries want to mine the moon for resources. Others are saying the real reason to go to the moon today is that it’ll help us get to Mars. To find out, we talk to engineer Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, physicist Prof. Nicolle Zellner, and astronomer Prof. Gregg Hallinan.
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