From Savanna to Smartphones: Reflections on the Past Fifteen Seconds

Right, Let's Talk about AG1

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-(--header-height)" dir="auto" data-turn-id="8af77e6c-8847-4499-ad9a-01b0d3592c7a" data-turn-id-container="8af77e6c-8847-4499-ad9a-01b0d3592c7a" data-testid="conversation-turn-87" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="user"> *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-699c9d8e-8998-8329-94d7-4ba726badcc0-0" data-turn-id-container= "request-699c9d8e-8998-8329-94d7-4ba726badcc0-0" data-testid= "conversation-turn-88" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn= "assistant"> Nick Tiller examines the marketing and scientific claims behind AG1. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/right-lets-talk-about-ag1/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/right-lets-talk-about-ag1/] About the Author: Nick Tiller is an exercise scientist and writer covering health, performance, and wellness misinformation. He's the author of The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science (Taylor & Francis, 2020) and The Health and Wellness Lie (Bloomsbury/Hopkins Press, 2026). He's been a Skeptical Inquirer columnist since 2021 and is an elected Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. www.nbtiller.com [https://www.nbtiller.com] Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/]

Surviving the Information Chaos Storm

David Weinberg reviews The Certainty Illusion: What You Don't Know and Why It Matters (2025). By Timothy Caulfield. Allen Lane, 2025. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/surviving-the-information-chaos-storm/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/surviving-the-information-chaos-storm/] About the Author: David Weinberg, MD, is a recently retired physician who has contributed to Science Based Medicine and The Skeptic magazine (UK). He was a speaker at the Sunday Papers session of the 2024 CSICon. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/]

A Jane Goodall among the Spiritualists

Terence Hines reviews The Ghost Lab: How Bigfoot Hunters, Mediums and Alien Enthusiasts Are Wrecking Science (2025). By Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. PublicAffairs. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/a-jane-goodall-among-the-spiritualists/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/a-jane-goodall-among-the-spiritualists/] About the Author: Terence Hines is professor of psychology at Pace University and adjunct professor of neurology at New York Medical College. He is author of The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience (2025) and a CSI fellow. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/]

Do We Have Physics in Common with Aliens?

Daniel Whiteson argues that while humans hope for communication and shared understanding with extraterrestrial intelligence, we have no solid evidence that aliens would use the same mathematics or physics to describe the universe. By examining the mixed history of scientific development on Earth and philosophical challenges to the universality of math and physics, he concludes that alien science may be fundamentally different from ours—making contact both more uncertain and potentially more intellectually transformative than we usually imagine. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/do-we-have-physics-in-common-with-aliens/ About the Author: Daniel Whiteson is a particle physicist, a professor at UC Irvine, and cohost of the podcast Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe. He is the coauthor, with Andy Warner, of Do Aliens Speak Physics? Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/]

From Savanna to Smartphones: Reflections on the Past Fifteen Seconds

Melanie Trecek-King reflects on how the explosion of digital information in just the "last fifteen seconds" of human history has overwhelmed brains evolved for a much simpler world, making us highly vulnerable to misinformation. She argues that surviving the modern information landscape requires recognizing our cognitive biases and actively developing critical thinking and media literacy skills to counter them. Read this article and find accompanying references at: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/04/from-savanna-to-smartphones-reflections-on-the-past-fifteen-seconds/ About the Author: Melanie Trecek-King is an associate professor of biology at Massasoit Community College. Her website is www.ThinkingIsPower.com [https://www.ThinkingIsPower.com]. Subscribe to Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/subscribe/]