Bloggingheads.tv: Science Faction

Pavlov's science—more than just dogs! ... Pavlov and free will ... What would it mean to say we understand consciousness? ... E.O. Wilson's vision of creating a paradise on earth ... John: Climate change probably doesn't lead to war ... Has Obama been a failure on nukes? ...

John wonders why his End of War message isn't getting across ... Are humans biologically programmed for war? ... War begets war (except when it ends war) ... How long until all international relations are like US–Canada? ... Does emphasizing life's contingency make you a creationist? ... Why more physicists than biologists may be attracted to SETI ... Can we ever know what’s happening on an exoplanet? ...

Prominent physicists bash philosophy ... Can materialism explain consciousness? ... The problem with Lawrence Krauss's "universe from nothing" ... Why "mathematical mysticism" leaves John cold ... Are mathematical truths discovered or invented? ... Environmentalists who want more energy usage ...

John speaks at a literary festival in England ... Rupert Sheldrake's evolutionary parapsychology ... Did Jesus die for E.T.'s sins? ... Psychic dogs and pigeons ... New ways to explain consciousness ... Does big data mean we don't have to think anymore? ...

George visits Ukraine ... John accuses Putin-bashers of hypocrisy ... The news from Chernobyl ... Did space-time expand faster than the speed of light? ... John: Cosmic inflation is ironic science ... Lumpy space and cosmic inflation ...

Is science reaching the limit of what humans can grok? ... Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy explains some cancer clusters ... Gorilla Illusion: We're blind to what we’re not looking for ... Maybe we won't boldly go where no man has gone before ... Can Neil deGrasse Tyson fill Carl Sagan’s shoes? ... The militarization of research: How worried should we be? ...

Why most scientific research results are wrong ... Is competition making fudged data more likely? ... John: Science is not a triumphal march ... Can academic publishing be reformed? ... Essential (and inessential) skills for young science writers ... The Big Bang and the case against falsifiability ...

George's new book, "The Cancer Chronicles" ... Are Komen and the NFL over-hyping cancer screenings? ... Holodecks and ancient Hindu temples ... George's war on tumbleweeds ... John reflects on skepticism and enthusiasm in science ... Debunking pseudoscience at dinner parties ...

Why Fukushima wasn't so bad ... Are fossil fuel companies gaming the system? ... Rod: Nuclear energy can compete on the free market ... The nuclear boom in Russia and China ... The problem of radioactive waste ... Pro-nuclear environmentalists ...

Back-to-school anxiety and stage fright ... Useful life lessons from psychopaths ... How Jane Austen was like a scientist ... Tao Lin's druggy, revelatory new novel ... Susan Sontag and cancer ... Cancer as a consequence of entropy ...