TRC #684: Aliens in Mexican Congress? + Book Review: Outlive by Peter Attia

I'm not saying it's an alien but it's an alien
I’m not saying they’re aliens but … they’re aliens. Adam uses hard hitting science to evaluate the validity of these allegedly non human mummified remains which were presented to the Mexican Congress in the fall. A shocking discovery which puts into question everything we know about our world or a hoax? Darren gives us a review of Peter Attia’s book Outlive, an exploration of the science behind living a longer and better life.

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TRC #683: AI News: Sora, Gemini 1.5 and Implications + Jailbreaks by Hiding Files in Cakes

Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI’s text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind’s Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on our lives. Adam tries to find out if there was ever anyone who really baked a file into a cake to break out of jail as many children’s cartoons have lead us to believe.

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TRC #682: Oppenheimer Movie Discussion

Oppenheimer (2023)

We try something a little different on the latest episode of The Reality Check. Having recently seen the movie Oppenheimer Darren and Adam have a discussion about this great film. If you haven’t seen the movie already it might be a good idea to check it out before listening to the show!

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TRC #681: Are Poinsettias Poisonous? + Mickey Mouse and the Public Domain

Put down that poinsettia salad, checkers.
Darren looks into a popular myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to animals, including people. Then Adam looks into what’s been going on with Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie as he explores trademark, copyright and what it means to enter the public domain.

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TRC #680: Annual Predictions: 2024 Edition + Down Syndrome Strength + A Special Message From Pat and Cristina

Happy New Year 2024This year we retire our annual prediction segment with a final look back at how accurate, or rather how innacurate, we were in our predictions of what would happen in 2023. Darren examines the validity of a popular claim that people with Down syndrome are stronger. Finally we end the show with a special announcement from Pat and Cristina.

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TRC #679: A Chat With Author Darren McKee: Uncontrollable

The crew gets to interview TRC’s very own Darren McKee, author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World’. We chat about the challenges of writing a first book, some of the key takeaways, and have a few laughs along the way.

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TRC #678: Darren’s AI Book is Out!

Wondering what the heck is going on with AI?  Why are some people so concerned?

Darren’s new beginner-friendly book Uncontrollable: The Threat of Artificial Superintelligence and the Race to Save the World addresses exactly those questions.

In an engaging and easy-to-read style, it explores the promise and peril of advanced AI, why it might be a threat, and what we can do about it. No technical or science background required! 

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TRC #677: Interview with Yoshua Bengio

 

World-renowned AI expert Yoshua Bengio talks with Darren McKee and Adam Gardner about his long career, why advanced AI could be harmful, and whether open-source of powerful AI models is a risk.

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TRC #676: Phenylephrine Ineffective? + Bees Are Doing Fine

Cristina delves into the latest FDA advisory announcement shedding light on the ineffectiveness of phenylephrine, a widely used ingredient in several nasal decongestants. Adam revisits the myriad of news stories and worries surrounding bees and the issue of colony collapse disorder.

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TRC #675: Mashup: The Centrifuge Brain Project + Avril Double + V-Steaming

It’s another mashup where we give you three segments from previous shows.  First we revisit Pat’s deep dive on a viral video of an amusement park ride.  Next Adam takes on an Avril Lavigne conspiracy that she died and was replaced by a double.  Finally, Cristina does what Cristina does… taking on Gwyneth Paltrow. 

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