The Reality Check

Darren explores whether the recent 22 Push-up Challenge making the rounds actually helps veterans. Pat tests the panel's knowledge on hoaxes with another edition of Name That. Finally, Adam looks into whether parents are really naming their babies after Pokémon.

It's TRC's 8th birthday! This week, Darren digs into recent headlines that suggest science has confirmed our canine friends understand us. Cristina examines the controversy swirling around the canonization of Mother Teresa. Finally, Adam looks at how a study came up with the 10 most common childhood dream jobs.

Is helium infused beer really a thing? Pat looks into the science behind a video making the social media rounds. Our favo(u)rite astronomer stops by to answer our questions about the recent exoplanet discovery, mysterious SETI signal, and the latest on New Horizons. Finally, Adam dives in to determine whether Scrooge McDuck could swim in his money bin.

Cheers!

Cristina looks into some research asking whether people share articles that they haven't actually read. Next Darren check into recent headlines suggesting that maybe you shouldn't bother flossing your teeth. Lastly, Adam examines whether cancer is a modern disease.

Darren looks into who is really winning the Olympics and whether the way we count medals is fair. Pat tests the panels knowledge of the Olympics with a game of name that. Adam checks out the idea that air conditioning is sexist.

Pat takes a look into the history of the ADE-651 bomb detectors used in Iraq. Next, Darren explores whether people with read hair feel more pain. Lastly, those wacky celebrities are at it again! Cristina fact checks Khloe Kardashian's advice that you should put vitamin E on your V.

Cristina takes us back to high school to explore the probability that Melania Trump plagiarized part of Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech. Adam travels across the land searching far and wide to debunk recent news stories about Pokémon Go. Finally, Darren takes an in depth look at the non-fiction book Our Mathematical Universe by Swedish-American cosmologist Max Tegmark.

Darren explores the idea that you should drink eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and healthy, Cristina looks at whether 2016 has been atypically bad for celebrity deaths and Adam checks into whether cell phones cause cancer.

With the full crew on vacation, we bring you a special mashup episode featuring honorary TRC panelist Dr. Stuart Robbins of the Exposing PsuedoAstronomy blog and podcast. First Stu takes the panel through the history of what we call planets and also addresses a listener email about the decision to reclassify Pluto. Next he breaks down news headlines that claim astronomers have found a 9th planet in our solar system.