Join Alex and guest host Dr. Jacob Miranda as they explore the metascience, confirmation bias, and the nature of faith vs. science in the sci-fi epic, Contact (1997). The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and cowrote by Carl Sagan himself, stars Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway, a SETI scientist who helps discover a message from the stars. The film also stars Matthew McConaughey, a religious person who acts as a foil for Ellie's scientifically-oriented mind. Confirmation bias reins in all aspects of this film, but the commentary also includes a a healthy dose of metascience and the open science movement, especially what is part of the current discussion in Psychology — the replication crisis. Take a trip to the stars, or another dimension, and ask yourself the question: do you believe Ellie?

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Legal stuff:1. All film clips are used under Section 107 of Title 17 U.S.C. (fair use; no copyright infringement is intended).2. Intro and outro music by half.cool ("Gemini"). Used under license.3. Film reel sound effect by bone666138. Used under license CC-BY 3.0.