Really? no, Really? with Jason Alexander & Peter Tilden

We now know that microplastics are literally everywhere! In our water, in our food, even in the organs of wild animals - found in the most remote places on Earth! But wait! Now scientists are discovering that there are even smaller fragments, called nanoplastic…so small… we consume them, potentially, with every breath we take. Really, no really! These tiny particles and the chemicals that make pla...

We’re in the golden age of finding and recovering trillion-dollar shipwrecks. These high-stakes, highly dangerous expeditions have been supercharged thanks to revolutionary deep ocean technologies. But… it’s not just the good guys searching through sunken Spanish galleons for gold doubloons; the rush to be first can sometimes get you killed. Really, no really! Jason and Peter became aware of this...

Dungeons & Dragons, the legendary tabletop role-playing game featuring elves, dwarves, wizards, fighters, and legions of nerds is currently observing… its 50th anniversary! Really, no Really! Over the five decades, the game has had its fair share of infamy with stories of “Satanic panic” and more recently, a resurgence after being featured on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” But what is this game real...

We’ve all seen videos of stage-hypnosis shows where seemingly random audience members are put to sleep, hypnotized and then… in no time, they’re clucking like chickens, dancing like ballerinas, or swatting away imaginary pests.  Jason and Peter had to find out if this was something staged or “real” hypnosis. Today’s guest, Dr. David Spiegel had the answer and reveals whether hypnotism can make peo...

We’ve all heard of The Nobel Peace prize and the Nobel Literature prize, Science, and Medicine prizes. Well, this episode has absolutely nothing to do with any of that! But! If you come up with an idea that is an unusual or trivial or a bizarre achievement in scientific research, well then…we have an award for you. It’s called the Ig Nobel Prize, and anyone can win it, if their idea makes you laug...

Does your dog truly love you or are they faking it? A recent Newsweek cover story posed that very question and revealed that scientific research provides an answer! Really, no Really! But can science really prove how your dog feels about you? Or for that matter, can it prove TRUE love, between animals or people? Fascinated by the scientific inquiry, Jason and Peter turned to Dr. Gregory Berns…the...

We’ve all seen them…white streaks emanating from behind commercial airliners. Is it water vapor or is there something more nefarious being released at 30,000ft? Tennessee legislators were so alarmed by these white plumes, they just passed legislation banning so-called “chemtrails” and any other form of geoengineering. Really, no Really! Chemtrails have been linked to conspiracies about secretive g...

There is an entire world - just below our feet - that defies our conventional understanding of intelligence. It’s a superhighway of fungal interconnectedness, trillions of miles of fungal networks that enable trees to recognize their families, communicate with each other and even share resources. And those fungi, which may be hundreds of millions of years old, may just be the key to saving our pla...

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is a medical condition with symptoms that include difficulty focusing and staying on task, impulsivity and self-control issues. Worldwide over 336 million people live with ADHD including our own Peter Tilden – and they view it as a daily burden that makes simple tasks challenging and often anxiety-ridden. But one family, wildly famous throughout the...

Post-COVID, we are all living under evolved or flat-out different protocols. And many of us may be unsure which societal rules have changed and what new rules have emerged. Thankfully, New York magazine reformulated and clarified the guidelines concerning how we should all behave in a post -pandemic world. Really, no Really! In this episode we discuss and analyze some of the “194 Modern Etiquette...

Psychics. We see their tiny storefront shops in some of the most exclusive zip codes; Beverly Hills, Uptown Manhattan, the fanciest streets in your town – with sun-faded curtains and neon signs promoting palm readings, cures for curses and prophecies from your future. But there’s a much darker side hidden behind the tarot cards and crystal balls. In this episode, Bob Nygaard, a private detective w...

Over the past several years people’s belief in ghosts, hauntings, and the supernatural have steadily crept up and recent studies reveal that 67% of Americans believe in the paranormal. Really, no really! With the occult being one of Jason’s favorite topics, he and Peter wanted to examine the phenomenon with today’s hottest ghost hunters. Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej  host Ghost Files – the popular...

When Jason and Peter heard about a study suggesting that children in The Netherlands were the happiest kids in the world, their reaction was naturally…Really, no really! They were determined to find out how The Netherlands was able to lay claim to having the happiest children in the world! And more importantly…if their claim was true, what could be learned from their child rearing techniques. They...

The pandemic thrust millions of us into remote work, and the consensus for most of us is – we love it! Reduced commutes, getting deliveries, our own bathrooms, and the ability to hang out with our pets! So then why are major employers increasingly pushing back against remote work while bemoaning quiet quitting and the degradation of office culture? And their biggest corporate complaint…less produc...

Like most people, you’ve probably heard of Mike Rowe because of his willingness to do over 300 strange, disgusting and unique jobs like – sewer inspector – cow inseminator and shark suit tester as the creator and host of Discovery Channel’s popular show “Dirty Jobs”. But when Jason and Peter heard about his unusual start in the entertainment business, they invited him to discuss that…AND…the secre...

Sleep deprivation can lead to hypertension, compromised immunity, stroke, obesity, premature death, and a whole host of other serious maladies. Between 25 and 30 million Americans have insomnia at any given time; no wonder the newest trend in wellness is… “Sleep Tourism”.  Really, no really! But what exactly is “Sleep Tourism”? Jason and Peter were determined to find out, so they sought out global...

In the United States, the airline industry loses an estimated 2 million bags annually. Now you might be wondering, where do all those lost bags end up? Well Jason and Peter were able to get a definitive answer to that question. The majority end up in Alabama! Really, no Really! Our guest Bryan Owens discusses his unique family business…which has been dealing with lost and unclaimed luggage for ove...

You can now rent a professional bridesmaid for your wedding! Really, no really! Before you ask the inevitable and logical question…why anyone would need to rent somebody to be their bridesmaid, consider this: twenty two percent of Americans say that it has been at least five years since they’ve made a new friend and nearly one-third say they have three or fewer close friends. With friendship in de...

A man attempted suicide by overdosing on a drug he was given in a clinical trial. He was rushed to a hospital in bad shape…shaking, breathing rapidly with a dangerously low pulse, and blood pressure that had bottomed out. He was eventually stabilized, but not by anything the staff at the hospital did. The treatment and cure?  He was informed that the overdose he had taken was a placebo. He had dow...

Have you heard about Wally the 5-foot-long, 60-pound emotional support alligator? Wally’s owner sleeps with him, walks him on a leash, and even hosts children’s pool parties featuring the supposedly docile reptile. With their inhuman eyes, prehistoric looks, razor sharp teeth, and propensity to eat small dogs (and sometimes their owners), most of us have concluded that alligators are mindless, agg...

Today’s episode is all about our frustration with customer service… which by anyone’s standards is getting worse and worse! You experience it every time you encounter a phone tree, interact with a chatbot, or deal with increasingly longer hold times. The truly shocking fact, the apparent ineptitude of most customer service departments is by design. Really, no Really! Jason and Peter had to find ou...

Dr. Robert Sapolsky a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant winner and professor of biology and neurology at Stanford University has rankled the scientific and philosophic communities by arguing one simple point: There is no free will! We only THINK we’re making our own decisions. Really, no really! When Jason and Peter heard this, they realized that they had absolutely no choice but to contact Dr....

The cannabis available today is much, much stronger than the weed grandma was smoking back in her day and the effects on our brains are much more significant than previously thought. Really, no really!  Jason and Peter sought out Dr. Ryan Sultan an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University to understand the underlying reasons for our growing inability to get along but when...

It’s becoming impossible to ignore the epidemic of public incivility. Tirades in supermarkets, performers pelted with projectiles, drunken movie goers brawling, tantrums on airplanes, and of course, the Oscar slap seen around the world! This can’t all just be coincidence. Social media constantly churns out evidence of this growing trend which begs the question: Which came first, the incivility or...

Harvard is teaching a course on…Taylor Swift? Yes! Harvard University, the one in Cambridge, Massachusetts has a new course about T-Swizzle whose Eras Tour has earned over 1 billion dollars so far. And whose latest album just broke multiple streaming records within hours of its release. Really, no Really! Our initial reaction was to poo-poo the Harvard course because we happen to be congenital bor...