On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Dave watch C Me Dance , 2009’s hit Christian film about a ballerina with cancer who gets magic powers. Then Gem answers some questions about AI. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. C Me Dance: C Me Dance (IMDb) | C Me Dance (Wikipedia) | C Me Dance Review (Eric D. Snider) Large Language Models and “AI” Panic: The AI hype bubble is ...
Apr 03, 2023
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Lauren, Ashlyn, Laura, and Gem are skeptical about historical claims large and small. Was there really a secret Roman emperor named Sponsianus? Did the Dutch really go wild for tulips in the seventeenth century? Are you in a black hole right now? Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Emperor Sponsianus: fact or forgery?: Gold coin proves ‘fake’ Roman emperor was re...
Mar 13, 2023
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Lauren, Gem, and Laura talk about more scams and scam artists, featuring a famous surgeon, a wine counterfeiter, a Canadian investment fund, and of course that Republican politician everyone’s talking about. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Paulo Macchiarini: Dr Con Man: the rise and fall of a celebrity scientist who fooled almost everyone (The Guardia...
Feb 13, 2023
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Lauren, Ashlyn, and Laura discuss the most important news of the twelve months. Who died? What were tech companies up to? And most importantly: Who brought snacks? Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Update: Shortly after this episode was recorded, vote tallying was completed and QA workers at ZeniMax announced that their union drive was a success. Microsoft...
Jan 16, 2023
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , it’s cancel or be cancelled! Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, Gem, and special guest Kyle Joseph discuss a few people who really deserve a good cancelling. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Wednesday Night Wallop Podcast: Wednesday Night Wallop Mother Theresa, Missionary of Misery: Criticism of Mother Teresa (Wikipedia) | Aroup Chatterjee (Wikipedia) | Mother Teresa (Wik...
Dec 21, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem subjects Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Dave to a documentary of questionable quality. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Links: Sasquatch Unearthed: The Ridge – The Sinister Truth Revealed (YouTube) Contact Us: Email | Twitter | Facebook Listen: Direct Link | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed http://media.blubrry.com/luee/winnipegskeptics.fi...
Nov 14, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Ris test each other’s knowledge of creation myths, fall foods, historical clocks, anthropology, and medicine. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Creation Myths: Enuma Elish: The Oldest Written Creation Myth | Accounts of creation (BBC Bitesize) | Chaos (cosmogony) (Wikipedia) | Creation myth (Wikipedia) | Emergence (Wikipedia) | Z...
Oct 11, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Lauren, and Laura discuss scientific advances that give them hope for the future, and Gem issues a correction. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. The HIV Vaccine: NIH launches clinical trial of three mRNA HIV vaccines (National Institutes of Health (NIH)) | HIV Vaccines (HIV.gov) | Zidovudine (Wikipedia) | HIV vaccine development (Wikipedia) | HIV/AIDS (...
Sep 12, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, Lauren, and Laura give a primer on some astronomical pseudosciences, including astrology, the expanding Earth theory, the hollow Earth hypothesis, and the effects of the full moon on human health. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Astrology: Is Astrology Real? Here’s What Science Says (Scientific American) | Astrology and Horoscopes Uncloaked (Rela...
Aug 08, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn is joined by Lauren, Gem, and Laura to discuss the amazing hidden science behind common objects and phenomena, including coloured glass, toilets, foam, and placebos. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Coloured Glass: Chemistry of Colored Glass (Science Notes) | The Chemistry of Coloured Glass (Compound Interest) | Bottle Colors (Society for Historical Arc...
Jul 18, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , LUEE editor Ris leads Lauren, Ashlyn, Laura, and Gem on an exploration of ideas as “icebergs”, with layers of hidden secrets just below the surface. Topics of discussion include US cities, the sinking of the Titanic, artificial sweeteners, and the curse of the pharaohs. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Correction: This year marks Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th year...
Jun 13, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Lauren, Gem, and Laura share things that they wish they had never learned. Warning: this episode contains parasites! Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. The Curse of Knowledge: Curse of knowledge (Wikipedia) | The Curse of Knowledge (Digital Learning) | The Curse of Knowledge | The Curse of Knowledge and How to Avoid It (All About Learning) | The Curse of...
May 02, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem introduces the panel to Dr. Henry Cotton, a pioneer in the field of “psychiatric surgical bacteriology”, Lauren provides a biographical sketch of Magnus Hirschfeld and his Institute of Sex Research, Laura discusses the supposed health consequences of eating “fried foods”, and Ashlyn does a deep dive on a common way the medical system makes people’s lives just a little bit more miserable. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is...
Apr 11, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn and Gem are joined by Kennadie Chaudhary and Teale Phelps Bondaroff to discuss the AccessBC’s campaign for free contraception and some of the arguments made by critics of the campaign. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Links: AccessBC: Campaign for Free Prescription Contraception in BC | AccessBC (Twitter) | Birth Control Access for Manitoba (Twitter) | ...
Mar 14, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Lauren, Ashlyn, Laura, and Gem discuss medical scams, including Miracle Mineral Solution, urine therapy (i.e., drinking your own pee), Trina Health’s dubious treatment for diabetes, and Dr. Zamboni’s Liberation Therapy for multiple sclerosis. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Miracle Mineral Solution: Danger: Don’t Drink Miracle Mineral Solution or Similar Prod...
Feb 07, 2022
Life, the Universe & Everything Else is taking the month of January off, but here’s a little Something Nice to tide you over! Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Contact Us: Email | Twitter | Facebook Listen: Direct Link | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed https://media.blubrry.com/luee/winnipegskeptics.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/175-january-update.mp3...
Jan 13, 2022
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Lauren, Ashlyn, and Laura talk scams and con artists: Gem reads from a novel that somehow topped the New York Times bestseller list without anyone ever buying it, Laura covers a gang of thieves trying to make an end-run around Canada’s maple syrup monopsony, Ashlyn explains why a semi-famous skeptic went to jail for fraud, and Lauren talks about an ex-Mormon forger who dabbled in bomb-making. Then Gem just rants semi-coherently a...
Dec 06, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn introduces everyone to the most famous monster from West Virginia not named “Joe Manchin”, Lauren talks about colonialist brontosaurus-hunters, Gem reminds everyone of that time a used car salesman murdered Bigfoot, and Laura gives a low key defence of cryptozoology. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Crytpozoology on LUEE: Episode 108: Cryptozoology &...
Nov 01, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem is joined by Ashlyn, Laura, and Lauren to talk about social contagion and unpack the sociological, psychological, and sometimes pseudoscientific history of “hysteria”. Topics include the Tanganyika laughter epidemic, the Dancing Plague of 1518, and the Seattle windshield pitting epidemic. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Social Contagion: Contagion: a theo...
Oct 11, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Gem, Lauren, and Laura engage in a battle of wits over today’s most important scientific topics: eels, climate change, and… Jim Henson movies? Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Eels: Surprised Eel Historian, PhD (Twitter) | European eel (Wikipedia) | Interesting facts about eels (Just Fun Facts) | Trust Us, These 9 Slithery Facts About Eels Are The Real...
Sep 06, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Laura is joined by Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren to discuss Morgellons syndrome, adrenal fatigue, Wilson’s temperature syndrome, and candida overgrowth, four medical diagnoses with dubious supporting evidence. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Morgellons Syndrome: Delusional infestation: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, assessment and diagnosis (UpToDate) | The M...
Aug 02, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren revisit Seaspiracy and discuss transnational organized crime in the international fisheries industry with returning guest Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Director of Research for Oceans Asia. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Links: Teale Phelps Bondaroff | Oceans Asia | LUEE Episode 168: “Seaspiracy” Contact Us: Email | Twitter | Facebook L...
Jul 05, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren speak with Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the Research Coordinator for the BC Humanist Association, about his research into unconstitutional governmental prayer in Canada. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Links: The Duty of Neutrality Beyond Saguenay (BC Humanist Association) | Legislative Prayer Across Canada (BC Humanist Association) | H...
Jun 21, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem watch the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, and find that they have more to say about it than they expected! Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Additional Music: This episode includes The Mariner’s Revenge Song by The Decemberists and So Long and Thanks for All the Fish performed by the Tenebrae Choir from the soundtrack to The Hitch...
May 28, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Gem, Ashlyn, Lauren, and Laura swap tales from medical history, including the story of Ben Carson’s separation of the Binder twins, the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, and the “tainted blood scandal” that led to the formation of Canadian Blood Services. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Ben Carson: The story of the surgery that made Ben Carson famous and its complic...
Apr 19, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Laura leads Ashlyn, Gem, and Lauren in a discussion of the wellness industry, including a brief detour into QAnon conspiracies, and together the panel tries to figure out what wellness even is, anyway. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Additional Music: In addition to original music by Ian James, this episode also features Cavatina performed by the Mangoré Duo....
Mar 22, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Laura, Gem, and Lauren discuss soup’s history as a religious conversion tool, the science of bone broth, and the discredited claim that bat soup was responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, then everyone attempts (and fails!) to define what, exactly, makes something a soup. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Souperism: Souperism (Wikipedia) | Origins of th...
Feb 22, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Laura leads the panel in a discussion of food aid, both foreign and domestic, and the ways in which the global pandemic has influenced the delivery of services. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. International Aid: Food Aid for the Hungry? (Global Policy Forum) | Understanding food assistance (Global Affairs Canada) | Aid (Wikipedia) | When Food Isn’t the Answer...
Jan 25, 2021
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Ashlyn, Laura, Lauren, and Gem discuss people who push their bodies to the limit, including saturation divers, ultramarathoners, mountaineers, and stratospheric skydivers. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Additional Music: “Friends” by Dragon Sound, “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service Saturation Diving: The Weird, Dangerous, Isolated Life of the Saturat...
Dec 25, 2020
On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else , Laura leads the panel on a discussion of several nutrition myths that just won’t die. Topics include expiry dates, nightshades, and pink salt. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Expiry Dates: Expiration Dates Don’t Mean What You Think (Adam Ruins Everything) | This man ate ‘expired’ food for a year. Here’s why expiration dates are practically meaningless. (The W...
Nov 23, 2020
