The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

The Skeptics Guide #1060 - Nov 1 2025

November 1, 2025

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  • New research suggests Alzheimer's treatment may focus on restoring the brain's natural waste removal system via engineered nanoparticles rather than solely targeting amyloid plaques. 
  • DNA analysis of remains from Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign suggests paratyphoid fever and louse-borne relapsing fever, not typhus, may have been the primary causes of death among the retreating forces. 
  • Scientists are making progress in engineering carbon-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) from algae into crops to potentially create a 'second green revolution' by drastically increasing photosynthetic efficiency, reducing water, and lowering nitrogen fertilizer use. 
  • The discussion heavily critiques an individual promoting unsubstantiated claims about an interstellar object, labeling their pattern of behavior as descending into 'crank' territory due to shifting claims and accusations of NASA withholding evidence. 
  • The hosts clarify that the apparent 'anti-tail' of a comet is a natural phenomenon explained by heavy particles being slow to be pushed away by the solar wind, consistent with known cometary behavior. 
  • The segment on human instinct concluded that while reflexes, drives, and urges are distinct, humans absolutely possess innate behaviors that fit reasonable definitions of instinct, despite the potential for higher cognitive override. 

Segments

Halloween Traditions and Language Quirks
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(00:00:26)
  • Key Takeaway: American English pronunciation variations, like ‘solder’ versus ‘soulder,’ often stem from historical linguistic influences, and Halloween traditions are shifting toward adult-centric celebrations and ‘Trunk or Treat’ events.
  • Summary: The hosts debated the pronunciation of words like ‘solder’ and ‘herb,’ noting that American English often diverges from etymological origins. They also discussed the decline of traditional neighborhood trick-or-treating in favor of organized events like ‘Trunk or Treat.’ Halloween has become the second most popular holiday for consumer spending, largely driven by adult participation.
Nanoparticles for Alzheimer’s
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(00:10:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Researchers engineered polymerosomes coated with angiopep2 to target the LRP1 protein, successfully restoring the blood-brain barrier’s waste removal function and reducing amyloid beta in mice by 45% within hours.
  • Summary: Alzheimer’s disease complexity involves both amyloid beta buildup and a failing cleanup system mediated by the LRP1 protein at the blood-brain barrier. Scientists created microscopic polymerosomes that attach to LRP1, effectively restarting the clearance of amyloid beta from the brain into the bloodstream. Treated mice showed significant reduction in plaques and improved memory/navigation performance lasting up to six months.
Napoleon’s Army Fatal Pathogens
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(00:22:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Modern ancient DNA analysis of remains from Napoleon’s 1812 retreat suggests that paratyphoid fever (Salmonella enterica) and louse-borne relapsing fever (Borrelia recurrentis) were the primary pathogens, contradicting historical assumptions of typhus dominance.
  • Summary: The catastrophic losses in Napoleon’s army during the retreat from Moscow were historically attributed mainly to typhus and trench fever (Bartonella quintana). New metagenomic analysis of 13 teeth from soldiers who died in Vilnius found no evidence of typhus-causing agents but did detect Salmonella enterica causing paratyphoid fever. This finding, combined with Borrelia recurrentis, suggests a different microbial profile caused the mass fatalities.
Engineering Better Photosynthesis
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(00:34:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Plants utilize the inefficient Rubisco enzyme, solving its limitations by brute-forcing production, whereas algae use CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to boost efficiency; researchers are now engineering these CCMs into crops.
  • Summary: Plant photosynthesis is inherently inefficient because the key enzyme, Rubisco, requires high concentrations of CO2, which plants compensate for by producing massive amounts of the enzyme. Algae and cyanobacteria evolved CCMs, such as carboxysomes, to concentrate CO2 around Rubisco, making the process far more efficient. Researchers have created a proof-of-concept by successfully packaging Rubisco within artificial carboxysome-like structures, promising higher crop yields with less water and nitrogen fertilizer.
Interstellar Object and WOW Signal Link
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(00:59:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Speculation exists linking the trajectory of a current object to the direction of the 1977 WOW signal.
  • Summary: There is speculation that the reversed engineered trajectory of a current object points toward the same direction as the 1977 WOW signal. This connection is being used by some to stir up old controversies and conspiracy theories. The speaker notes that NASA is accused of withholding photographic evidence to support these claims.
Comet Feature Debates
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(01:00:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The presence of a comet’s coma and the formation of an anti-tail are explained by solar heating and the mass of ejected particles, respectively.
  • Summary: An individual claimed an object lacked a coma, but subsequent evidence showed it did have one, leading to the claim that the dust was picked up during interstellar travel. The anti-tail pointing forward is explained by heavy particles not being quickly pushed away by the solar wind, remaining visible as they radiate out from the comet.
Occam’s Razor and Crank Behavior
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(01:02:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Occam’s razor dictates ruling out non-alien interpretations of astronomical observations first, as sensationalizing objects as alien spacecraft is negligible and detracts from real science.
  • Summary: The probability of an interstellar object being an alien spacecraft is negligible, requiring non-alien interpretations to be ruled out first. The individual promoting the alien narrative is described as falling into a ‘crank’ pattern, amplified by publicists and media appearances like being on Joe Rogan.
Who’s That Noisy Segment
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(01:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The sound played in the ‘Who’s That Noisy’ segment was identified as the vocalization of an emu, the second-largest bird globally.
  • Summary: Listeners guessed the noise was Morse code, a woodpecker, or lead shaping, but none were correct. The sound was revealed to be an emu, a large, flightless bird native to Australia, standing up to six and a half feet tall. A new noisy featuring high-pitched tinging sounds was introduced for the next week.
SGU Live Show Announcements
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(01:10:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is launching an ‘Exclusive Rogue Encounter’ (ERE) event for intimate fan engagement alongside scheduled Private Shows and Extravaganza Stage Shows.
  • Summary: Tickets are available for upcoming shows, including an ERE event designed for low-number, intimate interaction with the SGU hosts. Specific dates are noted for shows in January and a future show is planned for New Haven, Connecticut, in the early spring.
Human Instinct vs. Reflexes
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(01:12:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Humans possess innate behaviors that qualify as instincts, despite psychologists sometimes attempting to differentiate them from reflexes, drives, and urges based on operational definitions.
  • Summary: The core definition of instinct involves innate factors affecting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, such as suckling or coughing. While reflexes are often strictly defined as subconscious neurological circuits that cannot be overridden, instincts can be innate or learned heuristics that allow for quick reactions. The parenting instinct is cited as a real, complex instinct, though its expression can vary in individuals like psychopaths.
Logical Fallacy Analysis: Mormonism
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(01:17:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The argument that the absence of evidence for pre-Columbian horses in the Americas is a logical fallacy conflates absence of evidence with proof of absence, ignoring the scientific principle of inference to the best explanation.
  • Summary: A TikTok user claimed that asserting no modern horses existed in the Americas before Europeans arrived is the ‘argument from ignorance’ fallacy because ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.’ Science operates via inference to the best explanation based on the totality of evidence, which strongly supports European introduction of modern horses. The hosts argue that a lack of expected evidence (like fossils) is indeed a form of evidence of absence, though not absolute proof.
Science or Fiction: Good News Edition
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(01:23:59)
  • Key Takeaway: A new neuro-inspired framework for deep learning models drastically reduces energy consumption by employing sparse connectivity and pruning unused connections, mimicking brain function.
  • Summary: The fiction item was the claim of deep learning models using less than 1% of current energy, though the real science involved a framework called Topographical Sparse Mapping. This framework reduces connections between nodes, eliminating ‘over-parameterization’ and speeding up training while cutting energy use significantly. The other confirmed science involved a liposomal delivery system effectively treating drug-resistant cancers by safely delivering highly toxic drugs.