Serious Inquiries Only

Dr. Bryan Gillis breaks down some bad astrophysics in The Last Jedi, and we have some fun trying to reconstruct it to make sense!

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Ok I know how this sounds but like, it might actually happen. And it all links back to, no shit, Stormy Daniels. Having been a little preoccupied lately, I'm very lucky to have expert Matt Cameron on to catch me up and explain which of the eleventy billion crimes Trump has committed might actually come with consequences. Matt is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, serves on the board of the Student Immigrant Movement ("SIM"), and is an adjunct lecturer at Northeastern University.

Hey go to patreon.com/seriouspod for the Star Wars episode and more to come asap!

Hey folks, I'm excited to get the show going again! In this update, I talk about my plans with it, and I put out a call for people to be on the show. Also, let's get the Facebook group active again!

Thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me and my family in these times. You're the absolute best. Heart emojis and heart eyes emojis.

Andrew Torrez, Thomas's 50/50 partner in Opening Arguments Media, LLC has been accused of sexual misconduct and unwanted/uncomfortable behavior by many women and 1 Thomas. Thomas's allegations are here, major content warning. Here's Since then Andrew has gone off the deep end and completely stolen control of the show and company assets. Here's a drive link with tons of info. I talk about all that, how you can support me if you choose, and give a heartbreaking update: Lindsey Osterman has left SIO. So much heartbreak these past weeks.

Please, pretty please, support this feed at patreon.com/seriouspod. Thank you so much, truly.

Science person and apparent druggy drug person Lindsey Osterman took us through what the science says on microdosing!

Links: Cavanna et al (2022) Microdosing with Psilocybin Mushrooms, Lea et al (2020) Microdosing Psychedelics: Motivations, Subjective Effects and Harm Reduction, Goldberg et al (2021) Post-Acute Psychological Effects of Classical Serotonergic Psychedelics, Yu et al (2021) Psilocybin for End-of-Life Anxiety Symptoms

Mason et al (2021) Spontaneous and Deliberate Creative Cognition During and After Psilocybin Exposure

Amoroso & Workman (2016) Treating PTSD with MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy

This is perhaps the final part in our series on the Turnaway Studies. The last part focuses on what happens when women are made to undergo an unneccesary ultrasound as a condition to get an abortion. And also, another perhaps under-covered way that abortion care is even more unaffordable for many people. These are all things that are perpetrated on uterus havers by Republicans. So... I guess what I'm saying is VOTE THEM OUT

Links: Kimport et al (2014) Beyond Political Claims: Women's Interest In and Emotional Response to Viewing Their Ultrasound Image in Abortion Care, Roberts et al (2014) Out-of-Pocket Costs and Insurance Coverage for Abortion in the United States , Guttmacher Institute: State Policies Regulating Abortion Coverage

It's a 3rd edition of turnaway studies!

Links: Gould et al. (2012) Patient Education and Emotional Support Practices in Abortion Care Facilities in the United States, Gould et al. (2013) Predictors of Abortion Counseling Receipt and Helpfulness in the United States, Foster et al (2013) Effect of Abortion Protesters on Women's Emotional Response to Abortion, National Abortion Federation Releases 2020 Violence & Disruption Statistics

Would I go so far to call this qna spooktacular? I don't know. We report, you decide.

Another very fascinating science thingy, in the realm of politics. This one is about how the right and the left perceive political consensus among their ranks and among the other side. It always feels harder to organize on the left... but should it?

Links: Stern et al. (2014) Ditto Heads: Do Conservatives Perceive Greater Consensus Within Their Ranks Than Liberals?, Ondish & Stern (2018) Liberals Possess More National Consensus on Political Attitudes in the US: An Examination Across 40 Years

Science denialism kills. Anti-vax conspiracy theory kills. This was obvious. But what are the numbers? How many more Republicans died of COVID than might have anyway? A new study has done a rigorous job answering that question, and the answer is grim. Very grim.

Links: Wallace et al. (2022) Excess Death Rates for Republicans and Democrats During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Pink et al. (2021) Vaccine endorsement from Republican leaders increases vaccine intentions in Republicans, Allcott et al (2020) Partisan differences in social distancing and transmission rates, KFF poll on partisan gap in COVID-19 vaccination status, Estimates of unnecessary deaths due to unvaccinated adults (Brown School of Public Health)