The Rational View podcast with Dr. Al Scott

Dr. Michael Shermer, a college professor and definitive skeptic, discusses scientific experiments influenced by social factors, the challenges of defining intelligence and success, replication crisis in social sciences, belief in paranormal phenomena, competition and cooperation in science and society, and a casual conversation about Scooby-Doo and Neil deGrasse Tyson

In this episode I want to follow up on last week’s podcast regarding the announcement of the discovery of a room temperature ambient pressure superconductor, how scientists addressed the claim, and compare it with the cold fusion announcement and ongoing scientific controversy from the 1980’s. Help me spread The Rational View at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView 'X' @AlScottRational Instagram @The_Rational_View #TheRationalView #podcast #superconductors #science #verification #falsification #coldfusion

In this episode I provide a round-up review of current events in science, and the popular controversies surrounding these issues. The recent announcement of room temperature superconductivity promises to be the biggest scientific breakthrough of the century if verified. We should know in days if it is true. The US congress heard testimony that UFOs are actually aliens visiting us from other worlds. There has been a recent surge of interest in the possibility that COVID-19 was caused by a lab leak in the Wuhan institute of virology. In addition to all of this, surface temperatures in the North Atlantic ocean are hotter than we've ever seen at this time of year. What should we take from all of this? This is a job for The Rational View Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Find The Rational View on Youtube if you like videos. 'X' @AlScottRational #TheRationalView #podcast #UFOs #climatechange #lableak #superconductivity

This episode is a special treat and a bit of a throwback to when I achieved one of my podcast goals. In honour of The Rational View blowing past 100,000 downloads this month, this is a re-release of my interview from almost two years ago with the famous Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium. I hope you can sit back and relax and enjoy it with me. Thank you for supporting the podcast! Famed astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson was named the Sexiest Astrophysicist alive in 2000 by People magazine. Selected as one of the 100 most influential persons in the world by Time magazine in 2007, Dr. Tyson was awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication in 2017. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Register for my newsletter at www.TheRationalView.ca Twitter @AlScottRational TikTok @TheRationalView #TheRationalView #podcast #NeildeGrasseTyson #science #communication #outreach #polarization  

In this episode I have an interview with a leading scientist specializing in gut microbiota. These are the microbes that live in your intestine and help you digest your food. Our DNA does not have all the enzymes we need to break down food into the vitamins and minerals we need. We live in a symbiotic relationship with this microbial ecosystem.  We provide the microbes a home and they provide us with nutrients. When the ecosystem gets out of whack we can get sick. Sometimes we take anti-biotics to cure an infection and that throws a huge wrench into this ecosystem. I’ve seen a lot of folks saying probiotics help to build a robust microbiome, and I’ve also heard a lot of folks saying that anything you eat gets killed in the stomach. I’d like to hear what the experts have to say. Professor Jack Gilbert joined UCSD in 2019 where he is a Professor in Pediatrics and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Associate Vice Chancellor for Marine Science, and Director of both the Microbiome and Metagenomics Center and the Microbiome Core Facility. He uses molecular analysis to test fundamental hypotheses in microbial ecology. He cofounded the Earth Microbiome Project and American Gut Project, has authored over 400 peer reviewed publications and book chapters on microbial ecology, co-authored the book “Dirt is Good,” and is the founding Editor in Chief of ASM mSystems journal. He founded BiomeSense Inc to produce automated microbiome sensors. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Add your two cents on Facebook @TheRationalView Twitter @AlScottRational Instagram @The_Rational_View #TheRationalView #podcast #microbiome #gut #probiotics #health #nutrition

In this episode I am digging into the topic of ‘fake news’ and the risk of weaponized disinformation campaigns on social media.  To enlighten us on this topic I have a returning guest who provided us with a great perspective last year on how he reached out across the aisle by going to a pseudo-science conference and talking directly with science deniers.  Returning guest Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University. Formerly Executive Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University.  McIntyre is the bestselling author of POST-TRUTH (MIT Press, 2018) along with thirteen other works of fiction and nonfiction, including DARK AGES (2006), and THE SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE (2019). McIntyre has had appearances on CNN, PBS, NPR and the BBC -- and has spoken at the United Nations, the Aspen Institute, and the Vatican. He starred in the docu-series INFODEMIC: Global Conversations on Science and Misinformation. In November, 2018, McIntyre went undercover at the Flat Earth International Conference in Denver, Colorado, as research for his newest book, HOW TO TALK TO A SCIENCE DENIER (2021). and he is just about to publish a new book ‘On Disinformation’. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Give me you opinions on Facebook @TheRationalView Twitter @AlScottRational Instagram @The_Rational_View #TheRationalView #podcast #disinformation #socialmedia

In this episode I have an interview with a doctor who advocates nutritional treatments for autoimmune diseases. On her website she claims to have become Lupus-free by avoiding foods that cause inflammation. She provides testimonials of full recoveries from Rheumatoid arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and many more. This is particularly interesting for me as I have family members with autoimmune diseases. This give me hope, but the biggest question on my mind is that if this works why isn’t this mainstream medicine? What is going on? I’ve heard it stated by Dr. Joel Furhman that the medical establishment doesn’t want nutritional cures, and one could get the impression that big pharma would be motivated to suppress, or at least not promote nutritional cures for autoimmune disorders.  I’m skeptical, let’s get a Rational View. Dr. Brooke Goldner is a board certified medical doctor and the author of 3 best-selling books, Goodbye Lupus, Goodbye Autoimmune Disease, and Green Smoothie Recipes to Kick-Start Your Health & Healing. She has been featured in multiple documentaries such as Disease Reversal Hope and Eating You Alive, has been featured on TV news and the Home & Family Show, as well as many radio shows and podcasts, and is a highly sought after keynote speaker. She has been featured on the front cover of Vegan Health & Fitness Magazine 3 times, including the cover of Fit Over Forty. She was featured in the Journal of Disease Reversal reversing  lupus in herself, as well as publishing multiple case studies in reversing end stage lupus nephritis (kidney failure) with her hyper-nourishing nutrition protocol for autoimmune disease-reversal.  She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with honors for genetic  research in leukemia and neurobiology, was a graduate of the  Temple University School of Medicine, was Chief Resident at UCLA-Harbor Residency, and is the sole autoimmune professor for the Plant-Based Nutrition Certification from Cornell University. She is a member of the Forbes Health Advisory Board, the founder of GoodbyeLupus.com and creator of the Hyper-nourishing Protocol for Autoimmune Reversal. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Chat with me on Facebook @TheRationalView

This episode is a special treat, not only for listeners, but also for me.  I will be talking to a popular Canadian media icon and long time host of CBC’s Quirk’s & Quarks show, science journalist Bob McDonald. We will be talking about his new book The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technologies. In the book, Bob brings an upbeat we can do it message to a world in need of hope. BOB McDONALD has been the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks for over 30 years. He is a regular science commentator on CBC's News and a science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National. His previous book, Measuring the Earth with a Stick was shortlisted for the Canadian Science Writers Association Book Award. He has been honoured with the 2001 Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; the 2002 Sandford Fleming Medal from The Royal Canadian Institute; and the 2005 McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science from the Royal Society of Canada. In 2011, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. His recent book, THE FUTURE IS NOW: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today's Technologies is a national bestseller. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView Twiiter @AlScottRational #TheRationalView #podcast #bobmcdonald #quirksandquarks #energytransition #cleanenergy #greenenergy #nuclearenergy #atomicenergy

On this episode I have a returning guest, Dr. Andy Norman, who’s group CIRCE is taking on a new challenge to fight the world’s disinformation problem.  As an ally of The Rational View, Andy’s group of dedicated experts is looking for ways to boost society’s mental immunity against parasitic memes and the ever growing threat of misinformation. Returning guest Andy Norman is the award-winning author of Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think. His work has appeared in Scientific American, Psychology Today, Psychiatric Times, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and The Humanist. He has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, NPR, and The BBC’s Naked Scientist. His research illuminates the evolutionary origins of human reasoning, the norms that make dialogue fruitful, and the workings of the mind’s immune system. He champions the emerging science of mental immunity as the antidote to disinformation, propaganda, hate, and division. He is the founder of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative (CIRCE), a global think-tank leading the effort to inoculate humanity against cognitive contagion. Support the podcast at patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView #TheRationalView #podcast #disinformation #alternativefacts #polarization #cognitiveimmunity

This episode summarizes my investigations to date on nutrition and health. I will share what I have learned and what I remain skeptical about. In other podcast news I just had a major milestone for The Rational View! We broke 100,000 downloads!  Thank you for continuing to listen and download, and helping us to get exposure. To support the podcast go to patron.podbean.com/TheRationalView Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView Twitter @AlScottRational