The Reality Check

Latest Episodes:

TRC #472: Blue Moonlight In Movies? + Halloween Myths + Fake Melania Trump? Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

On this week's show, Darren wonders: why do filmmakers colour grade moonlight to be blue? Next, Cristina explores Halloween folklore vs Halloween facts. Lastly, Adam asks: is there a Melania Trump double or doppelganger out there pretending to be her at press events?

TRC #471: McGurk Effect + Britt Wray & Rise Of The Necrofauna 2 + Sharks Vs Vending Machines Oct 20, 2017

Show notes

On this week's show, Pat explains an illusion known as the McGurk Effect which demonstrates the interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception. We bring you part two of Darren and Adam's discussion with author Britt Wray about her book 'Rise Of The Necrofauna.' Cristina checks into the clickbait headline 'you're more likely to be killed by a vending machine than a shark.'

TRC #470: Vegas Shooting Conspiracies + Britt Wray & Rise Of The Necrofauna + Enchroma Glasses Oct 15, 2017

Show notes

On this week's show, Pat checks into some of the more prevalent conspiracy theories related to the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. Next up, the first of a 2 part interview featuring a fascinating conversation with Britt Wray, author of Rise Of The Necrofauna, about bringing extinct species back to life. Lastly, Adam takes a look into the validity of viral videos featuring Enchroma glasses for colour blindness

TRC #469: Can A Computer Program Tell If Someone Is Gay? + Name That: World's Largest + Nuclear Myths Oct 07, 2017

Show notes

On this week's show, Adam looks into an article suggesting that deep neural networks are more accurate than humans at detecting sexual orientation from facial images. Pat gives us another episode of everyone's favourite mostly guessing game, name that: the world's largest. Lastly, Darren addresses some commonly believed myths about nuclear weapons.

TRC #468: Human Swallowed By Whale? + Breast Thermography + The Voynich Manuscript Sep 27, 2017

Show notes

Aaaaand we're back! On this week's show, Pat dives into whether a human could survive being swallowed by a whale. Cristina takes a serious look at dangerous claims made by clinics popping up promoting thermography for breast cancer screening. Finally, Adam schools us on whether a history researcher has cracked the code of The Voynich Manuscript.

TRC #467: Truth In Advertising Vs Goop + Boil Hot Or Cold Water? + Cuba And Classic Cars Sep 16, 2017

Show notes

This week Cristina tells us about a nonprofit called Truth in Advertising who have conducted an investigation into Gwyneth Paltrow's site, Goop. Darren asks: is it better to boil hot water or cold water? Adam wonders why Cuba has so many classic cars.

TRC #466: Science Of Summer + Biased Algorithms + Lord Of The Flies Plausibility? Sep 09, 2017

Show notes

This week, Darren looks into the science of late summer and why we get that sudden feeling that summer is gone. Honorary TRC'er and resident machine learning expert Dallas Card joins the Toronto crew in-studio to dissect whether algorithms can be biased. Finally, after hearing a female adaptation of Lord of the Flies is in the works, Adam asks whether the movie's concept is even plausible. PS. If you 'get' this week's photo, you win the internet.

TRC #465: Hurricanes, Typhoons & Cyclones + Climate Change vs Hurricanes + Hurricane Evacuation Sep 02, 2017

Show notes

With Hurricane Harvey shaping up to be one of the most damaging natural disasters in U.S history, the panel dedicate this week's show to learning more about hurricanes. First, Darren gives us a quick overview of what a hurricane is and the differences between it, typhoons, and cyclones. Adam looks at the impact of climate change on hurricanes. Lastly, Cristina digs into why and when evacuation orders are implemented during natural disasters after the recent criticism around Harris County.

TRC #464: Glyphosate In Food? + Average Female & Male Interests Differ? + Is Laughter The Best Medicine? Aug 26, 2017

Show notes

Pat digs into a listener request about a report that found 'ALARMING' amounts of the herbicide glyphosate in food. Next, Darren takes a closer look at the data on whether female and male interests differ, on average. Lastly, Cristina checks the science behind the saying that laughter is the best medicine.

TRC #463: Google Memo + Eclipse Myths + Do Twins Run In the Family Or Skip A Generation? Aug 19, 2017

Show notes

Darren is back and he has some thoughts about the ongoing reporting and discussions related to the Google memo. In preparation for the solar eclipse on August 21, Cristina checks into some commonly held beliefs about eclipses. Lastly, Adam looks into the ideas that twins run in the family and skip a generation.

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