The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

The Skeptics Guide #1071 - Jan 17 2026

January 17, 2026

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  • Jay Novella is confronting his daughter's fifth-grade science teacher, who explicitly taught the class that the moon landing was a hoax, and the teacher subsequently admitted his belief in the hoax to Jay via email. 
  • The claims surrounding the Donut Lab solid-state battery—including 400 Wh/kg energy density, 100,000 cycle life, and low cost—present numerous red flags suggesting it is either a scam or premature marketing vaporware, especially due to the lack of patents or peer-reviewed data. 
  • The EPA is reportedly changing its regulatory calculation methodology to stop monetizing the health benefits (lives saved) from reducing PM 2.5 and ozone pollution, which critics argue effectively assigns a zero value to human life in cost-benefit analyses for industry regulation. 
  • A recent study suggests that complex, multicellular life like Earth's is less likely to evolve around red dwarf stars, which comprise 70% of Milky Way stars, because the lower energy wavelengths of light significantly slow down the Great Oxygenation Event necessary for aerobic life. 
  • The search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has resumed in late 2025, contracted to Ocean Infinity using modern autonomous underwater technology in a refined target zone. 
  • New policies from RFK Jr. as HHS secretary, including a non-evidence-based food pyramid and plans to decimate the vaccine schedule, indicate a relentless effort to destroy the U.S. vaccine infrastructure. 
  • The Who's That Noisy segment revealed the sound of friction welding, where two spinning metal parts fuse due to frictional heat, and a science fact confirmed that birders exhibit superior memory for novel bird word pairs by offloading cognitive load to long-term memory. 

Segments

Teacher Promotes Moon Landing Hoax
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(00:00:03)
  • Key Takeaway: A fifth-grade science teacher explicitly taught students that the moon landing was fake, citing common hoax talking points like the lack of stars in photos.
  • Summary: Jay Novella’s daughter reported that her science teacher presented arguments against the moon landing, including the absence of stars in photographs and the supposed impossibility of passing through the Van Allen radiation belt. The teacher admitted his belief in the hoax to Jay Novella via email, confirming his intent was not to teach critical thinking but to assert the hoax theory. This situation prompted Jay and his wife to schedule a meeting with the principal due to concerns over the teacher’s judgment and the misinformation spread to elementary students.
Debunking Moon Hoax Talking Points
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(00:08:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The Van Allen radiation belt argument against the moon landing is easily refuted by the short transit time, as radiation exposure depends on intensity multiplied by time.
  • Summary: The argument that astronauts could not survive the Van Allen Belt is an old, easily debunked talking point because the spacecraft travels through the radiation quickly, minimizing exposure time. Astronauts are also shielded, and the actual increased radiation exposure does not equate to instant death, as evidenced by the long lives of the Apollo astronauts. The teacher’s lack of judgment in presenting this misinformation to fifth graders is considered a significant failure in his role as a science educator.
Donut Lab Solid State Battery Claims
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(00:17:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Donut Lab claims to have a solid-state battery in production with a specific energy of 400 Wh/kg, far exceeding current lithium-ion capabilities, but lacks patents or peer review.
  • Summary: Donut Lab claims their new solid-state battery is in production today, boasting an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, which is significantly higher than current commercial batteries (175-250 Wh/kg). The claims also include a 100,000 cycle life, fast charging, and structural battery capabilities, presenting a ‘battery wet dream’ scenario with no apparent trade-offs. Skepticism is warranted because the company has no patents, no white papers, and did not even display a physical battery at CES, suggesting it is either a massive fraud or relying on extreme stealth marketing.
Artemis II Mission Update
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(00:37:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Artemis II, the first crewed mission, will be a 10-day lunar flyby testing life support and systems, accepting revised risk models for the heat shield erosion found on Artemis I.
  • Summary: Artemis II is a crewed mission analogous to Apollo 8, involving a lunar flyby trajectory over approximately 10 days to validate crewed systems, life support, and navigation. The mission crew includes Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian assigned to lunar space. NASA is proceeding with Artemis II despite unexpected heat shield erosion on Artemis I, accepting a revised risk model rather than redesigning the shield before the crewed return.
EPA Stops Monetizing Health Benefits
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(00:44:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Internal EPA documents suggest the agency is ceasing the monetization of health benefits from reducing PM 2.5 and ozone pollution, which critics argue equates to valuing human life at zero for regulatory purposes.
  • Summary: The EPA is reportedly changing its methodology by no longer assigning a monetary value to the lives saved by curbing air pollutants like PM 2.5 and ozone, a practice historically used in cost-benefit analyses. While the EPA administrator publicly denied the reports as ‘fake news’ and claimed they are still ‘considering’ health impacts, official documents state they are removing monetization until modeling is deemed sufficiently confident. This shift prioritizes economic costs for industry over quantifiable societal benefits, contradicting the EPA’s core mission of protecting public health.
Sponsor Break Conclusion
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(00:58:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Quince offers luxury essentials at affordable prices, often a third of traditional retail costs, with free shipping and 365-day returns using the code SGU.
  • Summary: Quince sells affordable luxury essentials made from premium materials sourced from trusted factories. The speaker gifted a Mongolian Cashmere Full Zip sweater at a significantly reduced price. Listeners can receive free shipping and 365-day returns by visiting quince.com/SGU.
Life Around Red Dwarfs
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(00:59:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Complex multicellular life is less likely around red dwarf stars because their lower-energy light spectrum drastically extends the time required for the Great Oxygenation Event from 700 million years to potentially 63 billion years (or 3 billion years with refined models).
  • Summary: Red dwarf stars are the most common stars, comprising 70% of the Milky Way, but their infrared-heavy light output is inefficient for Earth-like photosynthesis. This inefficiency extends the time needed for atmospheric oxygen buildup, potentially preventing the evolution of complex aerobic life like the Cambrian explosion. Furthermore, early chaotic stellar activity might strip atmospheres, making red dwarf systems generally unfavorable for Earth-type life.
Malaysia Air Search Resumes
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(01:11:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The Malaysian government has approved a renewed deep-sea search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, contracted to marine robotics company Ocean Infinity, utilizing modern autonomous underwater technology.
  • Summary: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014, with 239 people aboard, last pinging south into the remote Indian Ocean. Ocean Infinity, which previously searched in 2018, is conducting the new 55-day mission without upfront fees, only charging if a success is declared. The mystery has spawned numerous conspiracy theories, including claims of black holes or secret landings.
RFK Jr. Policy Critique
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(01:20:32)
  • Key Takeaway: RFK Jr., acting as HHS secretary, is implementing non-evidence-based policies, including a new food pyramid and plans to decimate the vaccine schedule, following a ’trust me, bro’ process rather than expert review.
  • Summary: The speaker points to RFK Jr.’s new food pyramid and proposed vaccine schedule cuts as blatant examples of replacing science-based policy with personal conspiracy beliefs. This behavior is documented as part of a relentless plan to dismantle the country’s vaccine infrastructure. Listeners are directed to science-based medicine blog posts for detailed analysis of these two specific policy actions.
Who’s That Noisy Segment
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(01:23:11)
  • Key Takeaway: The sound played for ‘Who’s That Noisy’ was friction welding, a process where two metal parts fuse after being spun against each other until they reach critical, liquefying temperatures.
  • Summary: No listener correctly identified the sound, which was friction welding, a manufacturing technique involving intense frictional heat causing metal parts to bond. The sound features a spin-up phase followed by a sharp noise indicating the moment the two components fuse. The segment also featured several incorrect guesses related to clay pigeon throwers and video game sounds.
SGU Announcements and Events
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(01:30:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is launching a video/audio podcast called Political Reality and is selling tickets for Skepticon 42/Nauticon Australia in Sydney in July 2026, with Dr. Carl confirmed to attend.
  • Summary: The new video podcast, Political Reality, is available on YouTube and at politicalrealitypodcast.com, with audio versions accessible in standard podcast apps. Tickets are now available for the Australian conference in Sydney, featuring board game events, VIP sessions, and live SGU podcast recordings. Planning is also underway for a New Zealand conference soon.
Birding and Memory Study
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(01:35:10)
  • Key Takeaway: A study comparing birders and non-birders found that birders’ superior memory for novel bird word pairs is achieved by offloading the cognitive load from finite working memory to established long-term memory.
  • Summary: Expertise, such as birding, facilitates easier learning and memory retention by providing more associations for new information. Specifically, when birders encounter a bird name already stored in long-term memory, their working memory is freed up to process new information more effectively. This demonstrates a specific neuroanatomical correlate for how deep knowledge enhances cognitive function.
Science or Fiction: New Discoveries
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(01:38:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The fiction item was the claim of an entirely gynomorphic (half-male, half-female) spider species in Thailand, whereas predatory sponges and box jellyfish with 24 eyes are scientifically confirmed discoveries.
  • Summary: The predatory sponge, Chondrocladia species nova, uses spicules to ensnare crustaceans, though it is not the first known predatory sponge. Box jellyfish (Tripedalia myopoensis) possess four clusters of six eyes, providing 360-degree vision. The gynomorphic spider specimen, Demarcus inazuma, was real but represented an anomalous individual, not an entire species characteristic.
Merton Quote on Scientific Truth
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(01:52:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Scientific truth is defined not by individual belief but by the provisional acceptance of an idea into the common fund of knowledge by the vast majority of the scientific community, as consensus reflects the best current evaluation of evidence.
  • Summary: Robert K. Merton, a founding father of sociology, argued that scientific consensus is the operational definition of scientific truth within the community. Denying the importance of consensus ignores that non-experts cannot independently verify complex evidence. The scientific process, culminating in consensus, is the only reliable method available for determining what is currently known.