Bench Talk | Is Life a Simulation? - 'Earth Wind' Alters the Moon - Slow Dinos - Friendly Orcas | Nov 17, 2025

Have you seen the 1999 movie 'The Matrix'? Is it possible that humanity could actually be trapped in a simulated universe created by intelligent machines? Physicists recently weighed in on this question. And do you know about the phenomenon called 'earth wind' that blows charged ions from our atmosphere to the moon? We also discuss new research on how fast dinosaurs actually walked, and about killer whales (Orcas) in the wild who offer gifts to humans. This week's show features the fun, toe-tapping music of Tom Lehrer, renown mathematician/musician/comedian who delighted audiences worldwide with his rendition of 'The Elements'. Tom passed away in July at the age of 97, but leaves behind an exuberant songbook for us to enjoy. We play three of his songs on this episode! ‘Bench Talk: The Week in Science’ is a weekly program that airs on WFMP Louisville FORward Radio 106.5 FM (forwardradio.org) every Monday at 7:30 pm, Tuesday at 11:30 am, and Wednesday at 7:30 am. Visit our Facebook page for links to the articles discussed in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/BenchTalkRadio All music on this episode is written and performed by Tom Lehrer who placed it into the public domain in 2022: https://tomlehrersongs.com/