On Friday's broadcast of HBO's “Real Time,” astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said whether Scientific American's claim that the differences between male and female athletes are due to bias is wrong. “Let's talk about science,” he declared when asked about the issue. .
Host Bill Maher said: [relevant exchange begins around 13:50] Although he disagrees with former editor-in-chief Laura Helmut's recent post about the 2024 election, he said it wasn't actually a scandal: “What I think is a scandal is the fact that this is true.” scientific americanless than a year ago, said, “Inequity between male and female athletes is not the result of any inherent biological difference between the sexes, but rather the result of bias in the way they are treated in sport.” It was announced. That's strange. And it's certainly not scientific, and it's in Scientific American. And that's why Democrats lost the election. That's true. “
Tyson said Maher always comes up with different reasons why Democrats lost.
Maher then asked Tyson to “work on the idea here. What I want to hear is, what Scientific American is basically saying is, why can't an NBA or WNBA team beat the Lakers?” This is due to social prejudice.”
Tyson said, “What you're saying is not what Scientific American is saying. It's being said by the editor of Scientific American, who is no longer in that position.'' ” So don’t indict a 170-year-old magazine just because someone…wades into the cesspool that is social media and participates in that conversation. …Let’s talk about science. ”
Maher countered, “Why can't we say this is not scientific and that Scientific American should do better?”
Tyson asks if Helmut still has a job, to which Maher replies that it's not because of the sports claims, and takes issue with claiming society is to blame for the differences between male and female athletes. I asked Tyson if there was one.
Tyson responded that women may have an advantage in long-distance swimming, which Maher acknowledged, but also said Tyson was “part of the problem.”
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