You're listening to the skeptics guide to the universe.

Your escape to reality.

Hello and welcome to the skeptics guide to the universe.

Today is Thursday, December 17th, 2025, and this is your host, Stephen Novella.

Joining me this week are Bob Novella.

Hey, everybody.

Kara Santa Maria. Howdy? Jay Novella. Hey, everybody. Kara Santa Maria.

Howdy?

Jay Novella. Hey, guys. Evan Bernstein. Good evening, everyone. And we have a special guest, Ian Callan. Ian, thanks for joining us again. Ian. Hello. Hello, everyone. How are you? You know they can see you. Good, man. has become a regular

on our year-end

wrap-up show.

This is it.

The last show. This is it, the last show of 2025. Oh, my gosh. What a year. What a good year. I think we'll have one or two things to say about this year coming up. I mean, yeah, how much worse can it get? Don't even. Wait a couple hours. Yeah, right. Yeah, right. I would not assume. I'll break the ice here by letting everyone know that I'm sick with the flu. Yeah, we told them last week. Okay. I just want people to know because I'm still sick with it. But also, it hasn't been a week since we recorded. It's been two days. Yeah. It's been a week in podcast time. It's been two days in reality. That means the week really flew. It's forever. Okay. Thanks, Ian. Now, does anyone remember me being sick last year at this time? I was sick last Christmas. Were you sick last Christmas or the before also? I remember it's right around this time of year like the the pattern is my

daughter goes to school apparently his best friends or whoever the most sick kid is.

Yep. And then she comes home and infects me and then I infect my wife. Yeah, that's that's having

kids. They are petri dishes.

Is that good for us as no parents?

Okay.

Thank you.

It's not good to be exposed to deadly illnesses all the time.

Oh.

Well, my uncle on Facebook said otherwise.

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