Life, the Universe & Everything Else

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Lauren, Ashlyn, and Laura talk scams and con artists: Gem reads from a novel that somehow topped the New York Times bestseller list without anyone ever buying it, Laura covers a gang of thieves trying to make an end-run around Canada’s maple syrup monopsony, … Continue reading Episode 175: Grifters, Scamps, and Thie...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn introduces everyone to the most famous monster from West Virginia not named “Joe Manchin”, Lauren talks about colonialist brontosaurus-hunters, Gem reminds everyone of that time a used car salesman murdered Bigfoot, and Laura gives a low key defence of cryptozoology. Life, the Universe & … Continue reading Ep...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem is joined by Ashlyn, Laura, and Lauren to talk about social contagion and unpack the sociological, psychological, and sometimes pseudoscientific history of “hysteria”. Topics include the Tanganyika laughter epidemic, the Dancing Plague of 1518, and the Seattle windshield pitting epidemic. Life, the Universe & …...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Gem, Lauren, and Laura engage in a battle of wits over today’s most important scientific topics: eels, climate change, and… Jim Henson movies? Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Eels: Surprised Eel Historian, … Continue reading Episode 172...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura is joined by Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren to discuss Morgellons syndrome, adrenal fatigue, Wilson’s temperature syndrome, and candida overgrowth, four medical diagnoses with dubious supporting evidence. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Morgellons … C...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren revisit Seaspiracy and discuss transnational organized crime in the international fisheries industry with returning guest Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, Director of Research for Oceans Asia. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and … Continue reading Ep...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Ashlyn, and Lauren speak with Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the Research Coordinator for the BC Humanist Association, about his research into unconstitutional governmental prayer in Canada. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Links: … Continue reading Episo...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem watch the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, and find that they have more to say about it than they expected! Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Additional Music: This episode includes … Continue reading Episode 168: “Seaspir...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Ashlyn, Lauren, and Laura swap tales from medical history, including the story of Ben Carson’s separation of the Binder twins, the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, and the “tainted blood scandal” that led to the formation of Canadian Blood Services. Life, the Universe & Everything … Continue reading Episode 167...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura leads Ashlyn, Gem, and Lauren in a discussion of the wellness industry, including a brief detour into QAnon conspiracies, and together the panel tries to figure out what wellness even is, anyway. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the … Continue reading Episode 166: The Wellness Industry...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Laura, Gem, and Lauren discuss soup’s history as a religious conversion tool, the science of bone broth, and the discredited claim that bat soup was responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, then everyone attempts (and fails!) to define what, exactly, makes something a soup. Life, … Continue reading Episode 165: SoupCast...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura leads the panel in a discussion of food aid, both foreign and domestic, and the ways in which the global pandemic has influenced the delivery of services. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. … Continue reading Episode 164: Food Aid →

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Laura, Lauren, and Gem discuss people who push their bodies to the limit, including saturation divers, ultramarathoners, mountaineers, and stratospheric skydivers. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Additional Music: “Friends” by Dragon Sound, &...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura leads the panel on a discussion of several nutrition myths that just won’t die. Topics include expiry dates, nightshades, and pink salt. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Expiry Dates: Expiration Dates Don’t … Continue reading Episode 162:...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Laura, and Lauren lead Gem on a whirlwind tour of various prophecies and prophets, including the caged prophet of St. Lambert’s Church, the Prophecy of the Popes, and blind soothsayer who supposedly predicted that Trump would get COVID-19. Life, the Universe & Everything Else … Continue reading Episode 161: Prophe...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren discuss the plausibility of hauntings, then do a deep dive on the true (and not-so-true) stories behind the Amityville Horror and the Coventry University Ghost. Then Ashlyn brings the show home with her thoughts on why COVID quarantine seems to … Continue reading Episode 160: Hauntings →

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem is joined by Ashlyn, Lauren, and Laura to discuss the history of policing in Canada. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police: Historical events in RCMP-Indigenous relations (Royal Canadian … Continue reading Episode 159: Polic...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Gem, Laura, and Lauren discuss the history of several public health initiatives: handwashing, toothbrushing, and nutrient fortification of food. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Updated: During his segment, Gem mistakenly said “postpartum … Co...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem is joined by Ashlyn, Laura, Lauren, and special guest Ian James to discuss several famous UFO sightings that turned out (in large part) to be hoaxes. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Past … Continue reading Episode 157: UFPhonies →

With their usual trivia night cancelled due to COVID quarantine, on this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren put together one of their own. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society. Computers: B (programming language) (Wikipedia) | C … Continue reading Episode 156: Wrath of...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Gem, and Laura discuss the charlatans and snake oil salesmen trying to profit off of the COVID-19 pandemic. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism. Links: Researchers are tracking another pandemic, … Continue reading Episode 1...

Lauren hosts and Laura edits on this topsy-turvy episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else! The gang discusses New Religious Movements: Lauren relates their experience with Discordianism, Laura is over the moon for the Moonies, Gem expresses his disgust for the Internet’s own Cult of Kek, and Ashlyn provides a primer on Pastafarianism. Then … Continue reading Episode 154: New...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren are joined by Dave Bonwick to discuss The Game Changers, a Netflix documentary that advocates for the healthfulness of a vegan diet. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and … Continue reading Episode 153: “The Game Cha...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Laura leads Ashlyn, Lauren, and Gem in a discussion of the history and science of sandwiches, then everyone attempts (and fails!) to define what, exactly, makes something a sandwich. On this episode: Ashlyn maintains that open-faced sandwiches do not exist, Gem argues that soup in … Continue reading Episode 152: SandwichCast! &#859...

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem escape winter briefly to talk about summery things: sunscreen, butterflies, the summer solstice, and whether drinking hot tea can really cool you down. Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, … Continue reading Episode 151: July at&#...