A discussion with James Randi: His legacy and his thoughts on dying TheSkepticsGuide 2020-10-25 | We interviewed James Randi in 2013 at TAM and had a discussion with him about his career, accomplishments, and activism. We ended up having a much deeper discussion with him about his legacy and what he thought about death.
Skeptics Guide #1006 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-19 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1006 October 16th 2024 Segment #1. From TikTok Fake Space Station tiktok.com/@james.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/video/7415844279718776097?_r=1&_t=8qa2MthYQIQ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Common Sense nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03262-z News Item #2 – Malnutrition in Children nytimes.com/2024/10/14/health/children-malnutrition-africa-unicef.html News Item #3 – Latest Starship Launch theness.com/neurologicablog/latest-starship-launch News Item #4 – New Metasurface miragenews.com/kaist-unveils-janus-metasurface-responsive-to-1336942 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Myopia Hey there, I just caught up on the recent episode where you talked about the myopia epidemic. I’m an optometrist, so I’m dealing with myopia every single day. As a public service announcement, I thought you might mention a few points: 1. There are methods and treatments available now that help control (slow down) the progression of myopia (spectacle lenses, contact lenses, eye drops, or combinations thereof) 2. Other than the treatments noted above, other recommendations are: a) kids should be outside a minimum of 2 hrs per day (sunlight seems to have a positive effect) b) frequent breaks from screens (5 minutes of break per 30 minutes of screen time) c) kids should avoid the use of LED lights while studying/reading in the evening One final point: Cara mentioned that it’s not so bad to be myopic, which I suppose is true until you become a strong myope. An increased degree of myopia is directly correlated with medical/eye health problems such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, myopic degeneration etc, so everything should be done to minimize the degree of myopia. Cheers Randy Segment #5. Interview with Christian Hubicki Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Good News Item 1: The US Geological Survey released a report that conservatively estimates there is enough commercially accessible geological hydrogen to meet current global demand for 1000 years. Item 2: A new review finds that aquaculture reduces demands on ocean fishing and therefore benefits local communities dependent on pelagic fish. Item 3: Researchers have demonstrated bedside rapid quantitative blood biomarker detection using an acoustic pipette to purify and label biomarkers in just 70 minutes. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "One of the beautiful things about science is that it allows us to bumble along, getting it wrong time after time, and feel perfectly fine as long as we learn something each time." - Martin A. Schwartz
Bobs Halloween Spooktacular!! (IRL) TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-18 | Bob's Halloween Spooktacular!! (IRL)
What is NASA hiding?... or is it somehow undermined by reality TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-18 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Maps, how do they work? And I dont wanna talk to a scientist. Cartographers lying getting me pissed TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-18 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Who left the lights on? TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-17 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Solipsistic much? TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-16 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Wilford Brimley would like a word TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-15 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Free energy isnt free and it isnt possible TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-14 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Skeptics Guide #1005 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-12 | EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ nordvpn.com/skepticsguide Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1005 October 9th 2024 Segment #1. Another Loch Ness Claim msn.com/en-gb/news/world/sailor-finds-loch-ness-monster-on-ship-s-sonar/ar-AA1rHqJE Segment #2. News Items Nobel Prizes 2024 News Item #1 – Physiology or Medicine nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2024/press-release News Item #2 – Chemistry nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2024/press-release News Item #3 – Physics nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2024/press-release News Item #4 – Fruit Fly Connectome theness.com/neurologicablog/fruit-fly-connectome-completed News Item #5 – Shroud of Turin christianpost.com/news/shroud-of-turin-stains-consistent-with-christs-torture-study.html Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Hydrogen Cartridges Saw this and thought of you... msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/toyota-s-portable-hydrogen-cartridges-look-like-giant-aa-batteries-and-could-spell-the-end-of-lengthy-ev-charging/ar-AA1rY28d Segment #5. Name That Logical Fallacy I've been reading "The Art of Thinking Clearly" by Rolf Dobelli, and I came across something that (I think) is questionable. This book is a cumulation of chapters about logical fallacies and issues in clear thinking that is right up your alley (although there is a book about that topic I like better, something like The Questioner's Map to the World, or something like that.....). The chapter is about the "Neglect of Probability". He details evidence that people basically discount probabilities. Studies of telling people they have a 50% chance of getting an electric shock, those in the study have the same amount of anxiety and fear as those being told they have a 5% chance of getting the shock, and so on down to 0% (where people's anxiety finally becomes zero). My issue is with one of the examples that he uses (at least I believe it to be his own example). I want to quote the whole paragraph because I think it's important. "To test this, let's examine two methods of treating drinking water. Suppose a river has two equally large tributaries. One is treated using method A, which reduces the risk of dying from contaminated water from 5 percent to 2 percent. The other is treated using method B, which reduces the risk from 1 percent to 0 percent, that is, the threat is completely eliminated. So, method A or B? If you think like most people, you will opt for method B-which is silly because with measure A, 3 percent fewer people die, and with B, just 1 percent fewer. Method A is three times as good! This fallacy is called the 'zero-risk bias.'" It could be that I'm missing something here, but is this not a terrible example? First, I'll be clear this is a hypothetical thought experiment. Nothing in the world is actually this clear-cut, so let's set that aside for a second. I completely understand that method A reduces the risk by 3 percent, which is a bigger decrease than method B, which is a one percent decrease, but is it not better to end at 0% than 2%? Getting cut off.... Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A new study finds that adrenaline autoinjectors are not effective in preventing death due to allergic anaphylaxis. Item 2: A recent review finds that atmospheric mercury pollution has increased by 20% in North America from 2005 to 2020. Item 3: Researchers find evidence that persistent viral infection with SARS-CoV-2 following clinical COVID may be responsible for some cases of long COVID. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Albert Einstein
SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday October 11th 2024 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-11 | SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday October 11th 2024
Death doesnt exist...or the media doesnt read. TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-10 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
dead scientists society TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-08 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Skeptics Guide #1004 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-05 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1004 October 1st 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Lunar Mantle Partially Molten phys.org/news/2024-09-lunar-gravity-hint-partially-molten.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Heart Function in Space space.com/heart-cells-iss-space-medicine News Item #2 – Schizophrenia Drug nytimes.com/2024/09/26/health/fda-schizophrenia-drug.html News Item #3 – Wood Vaulting theness.com/neurologicablog/wood-vaulting-for-carbon-sequestration News Item #4 – AI Finds Nazca Lines livescience.com/archaeology/knife-wielding-orca-and-alien-looking-figures-among-300-nazca-lines-discovered-in-groundbreaking-ai-study News Item #5 – LISA Gravitational Telescope gizmodo.com/lisa-gravitational-wave-observatory-how-it-works-2000499746 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Religious Skepticism Message: Dear SGU, Theo-bros came to my attention as JD Vance adjacent/aligned phenomen. I then found christian's on Reddit arguing against this highly conservative, anti-women, homophobic branch of theology. My question is where might/does/could critical thinking sit in helping religious people push back against extremist religious ideology (but without making an atheist argument). Is this something humanists should be encouraging non-extreme religious people to do. Campbell Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: In a recent survey, 86% of climate experts expressed belief that we will experience >2.0 C of warming by 2100, with a median estimate of 2.7 C, a level projected to have catastrophic consequences. Item 2: A CRISPR-like gene editing system, once thought exclusive to prokaryotes, was recently identified in eukaryotic cells. Item 3: A recent AI-powered simulation based upon current exoplanet data finds that F-type stars, which are slightly more massive than our sun, are likely to host the greatest number of Earth-like planets in our galaxy. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance”. - George Bernard Shaw
Something here is a parasite TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-03 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Whats the deal with pork? TheSkepticsGuide 2024-10-01 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Skeptics Guide #1003 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-28 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1003 September 25th 2024 with guest Rogue Andrea Jones Roy Segment #1. What’s the Word Pitch Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Crystal Genome Storage smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-case-humans-go-extinct-this-memory-crystal-will-store-our-genome-for-billions-of-years-180985114 News Item #2 – How Reliable are Presidential Forecasts osf.io/preprints/osf/6g5zq News Item #3 – Myopia Epidemic sciencebasedmedicine.org/myopia-epidemic News Item #4 – Biotwang Explained livescience.com/animals/whales/mysterious-sound-coming-from-the-mariana-trench-has-finally-been-explained Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A recent analysis finds that mammal-like jaw anatomy evolved first in therapsids, at least 20 million years before the first cynodonts, which were mammalian ancestors. Item 2: Scientists have recently demonstrated that single bacterial genes can flip a portion of their genetic sequence so that they code for a different protein. Item 3: A recent clinical trial shows that a single infusion with gene therapy was able to effectively treat hemophilia B for at least 15 months of follow up. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion." L Ron Hubbard
SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday September 27th 2024 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-27 | SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday September 27th 2024
We dont have an immune system...? TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-27 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Mass poisoning or better diagnoses TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-26 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
What to know about Drinking 10 Glasses of Water a Day TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-26 | 🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
My Brain Votes TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-25 | (Add description here)🪐 SUBSCRIBE / 🚀 LIKE / 👽 COMMENT The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWebsite & Podcast: theskepticsguide.orgPatreon: patreon.com/SkepticsGuideFacebook: facebook.com/theskepticsguideInstagram: instagram.com/theskepticsguide Twitter: twitter.com/SkepticsGuideTikTok: tiktok.com/@skepticsguide ✉️ Send your questions to:info@theskepticsguide.orgCheck out Our Books:📘 The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake📙 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future: What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrowtheskepticsguide.org/our-book #SGU #SkepticsGuide #Science
Skeptics Guide #1002 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-21 | Check out Surfshark!surfshark.com/sguThe Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1002 September 18th 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Earth’s Minimoon sciencealert.com/earth-welcomes-a-new-mini-moon-later-this-month Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Dead Internet Theory livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/what-is-the-dead-internet-conspiracy News Item #2 – Classroom CRISPR phys.org/news/2024-09-kit-classroom-crispr-accessible.html News Item #3 – SCAM Market globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/09/13/2946197/0/en/Complementary-and-Alternative-Medicine-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-664-Billion-by-2033-Says-The-Brainy-Insights.html News Item #4 – ADHD Increasing sciencebasedmedicine.org/why-is-adhd-on-the-rise Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Changing Names Dear Skeptics Guide cast, Congrats on 1000 episodes! I’ve listened to about 1-2 hundred of them but haven’t emailed before. In the 1000th episode, there was some discussion about fringe movements changing their name in an attempt to legitimize themselves, such as UFOs changing to UAPs or cold fusion becoming “low energy nuclear reactors.” It was mentioned that this is a good giveaway that something fishy is going on. I agree with this, but it did remind me of a part of climate denialist rhetoric. I know some would respond that this is exactly what happened when “global warming” changed to “global climate change.” Some would say global warming was unpopular so they changed it just to be more palatable. Or they’d say “global warming wasn’t happening, so they had to change the name,” equating that with “UFOs weren’t real, so they had to change the name.” I think we as skeptics have a good idea why the climate name change is different, but I would love to hear it vocalized on the show why exactly this is different from, e.g., UFOs changing to UAPs. Congrats again on 1000 episodes! Best, Kolton Question #2: Net Metering Follow Up Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Extinct Birds Item 1: Pelagornis sandersi was the largest flying bird to ever live, with a wingspan of 6.4 meters, more than twice as long as a modern albatross. Item 2: Kelenken guillermoi, a member of the terror bird family of South America, is the largest bird to have ever lived, at up to 10 feet tall and 350 kg. Item 3: Homo floresiensis, the hobbit-sized human cousins, shared the island of Flores with a giant meat-eating stork that would have towered over them at 6 feet tall. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Quackery gives birth to nothing; gives death to all things." Thomas Carlyle
Skeptics Guide #1001 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-14 | Check out Surfsharksurfshark.com/sguThe Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1001 September 11th 2024 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Embryo Models nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02915-3 News Item #2 – Carbon Fiber Battery onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202409725 News Item #3 – Zeta Class Supercomputer livescience.com/technology/computing/japan-to-start-building-1st-zeta-class-supercomputer-in-2025-1000-times-more-powerful-than-todays-fastest-machines’ News Item #4 – UFOs A Societal Problem theconversation.com/belief-in-alien-visits-to-earth-is-spiralling-out-of-control-heres-why-thats-so-dangerous-237789 Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Net Metering I was a little disappointed with discussion regarding net metering on this week’s show. I feel you were unfair in your portrayal of those evil power companies and their poor net metering policies. Full disclosure I am director for a rural electric power cooperative and I’m also an electrical engineer. I’m also obligated to say I’m emailing as an individual not as a representative of my cooperative. The part you left out of the net metering discussion is the consumer is asking the power company to act as their battery. When they have excess power they “charge” the battery by pushing the power to the grid. When they need power they “discharge” the battery by pulling from the grid. And if the battery is exhausted then they purchase power from the “battery”. Acting as a battery costs the power company money. So now the electric rates of your neighbors must go up to cover this cost. It’s easy to say that these are big companies and that little bit from a person here or there shouldn’t matter. But at scale it does matter. I’d also like to point out that when the solar panels are over producing and pushing power back to the grid this is generally “junk” power. It’s power that is not needed and push around until its sold at a very low rate. Net metering policies also encourage consumers to over size their solar panels which has its own set of issues. Using more materials that are necessary and all that. Long story short, I feel net metering was over promoted. It’s not a good thing for states to force policies on companies. My state, ND, is mostly ran by electric cooperatives not big investor owned utilities (IOUs). We are trying to get the best product we can to our members without policies like net metering artificially running up the rates. Thank you for hearing me out. Love the show, long time listener (since 2008), first time emailer. Best Regards, Kalvin Segment #4. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Extinction Item 1: A recent genetic analysis concludes that the Rapanui population was not in decline prior to contact with Europeans in 1722. Item 2: New evidence pegs the Y-chromosomal most recent common ancestor in humans to just 20,000 years ago. Item 3: A new DNA analysis of a 45,000 year old Neanderthal specimen finds that they were genetically isolated from other Neanderthal groups for about 60,000 years, a fact that may have contributed to their extinction. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "You must be ready to give up even the most attractive ideas when experiment shows them to be wrong." Alessandro Volta, - 1745 –1827, the inventor of the electric battery -
SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday September 13th 2024 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-14 | SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday September 13th 2024
Skeptics Guide #1000 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-09-07 | Want to restore the planet's troubled ecosystems and see your impact in monthly videos? The first 150 people to join Planet Wild with our code SKEPTICS9 will get their first month for free – and you will already have an impact on protecting the environment: Go to planetwild.com/skeptics and the code will automatically be applied.If you feel down about the state of our planet, check out this video about protecting Europe’s cutest bird from extinction: planetwild.com/skeptics/m18The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1000 August 18th 2024 Segment #1. SGU 1000 Episodes The Rogues celebrate the recording of their 1000th episode, live in Chicago, with George Hrab. Segment #2. A Skeptical Retrospective News Item #1 – Global Warming News Item #2 – Solar Panel Technology News Item #3 – Fusion Hot and Cold News Item #4 – Medical Quackery News Item #5 – UFOs Segment #3. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: 1000 Item 1: There are roughly 1000 stars within 45 light years of Earth. Item 2: A recent census of a 430 m^2 urban property (in Brisbane AU) found over 1000 macroscopic species. Item 3: In 2021 the median household income in the world was just over $1,000. Segment #4. Skeptical Quote of the Week "At the heart of science is an essential balance between an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive they may be, and the most ruthless skeptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense." - Carl Sagan
Skeptics Guide #999 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-08-31 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #999 August 28th 2024 Segment #1. What’s the Word Bunk Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Starliner Update space.com/nasa-boeing-starliner-astronauts-will-return-on-spacex-dragon-2025 News Item #2 – Therapeutic Roleplaying theness.com/neurologicablog/roleplaying-games-may-help-autistic-people News Item #3 – The Search for Gravitons phys.org/news/2024-08-capture-physicists-particle-gravitons.html News Item #4 – Dinosaur Footprints https://www.sci.news/paleontology/gondwana-dinosaur-footprints-13201.html News Item #5 – Schools vs Cell Phones phys.org/news/2024-08-schools-cell.html#google_vignette Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Slippery Slope The "Slippery Slope" is technically an informal logical fallacy, but in American politics has it become more like a tactic? In the early 1990s, I considered myself in the center of the political spectrum. Without moving my own thinking much I am now leaning far out to the left. The point of that is that I have watched certain issues and it does seem that both sides (with the right being more successful) have used wedge issue laws and rulings to move the acceptable point of view, then pushed for stronger, more partisan laws. So is the Slippery Slope becoming an intentional tactic? Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A new study finds that substituting “team nursing”, substituting lower-wage staff for some RNs, can save hospitals significant operating costs without any adverse effect on outcomes. Item 2: Researchers find that pet dogs trained on soundboards are able to recognize and respond appropriately to spoken words, even if produced by a soundboard or someone who is not their owner, without any non-verbal cues. Item 3: NASA scientists have demonstrated for the first time the existence of a global electrostatic field. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Sometimes scientists change their minds. New developments cause a rethink. If this bothers you, consider how much damage is being done to the world by people for whom new developments do NOT cause a rethink." - Terry Pratchett
SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday August 30th 2024 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-08-30 | SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday August 30th 2024
Skeptics Guide #998 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-08-24 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #998 August 21st 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve phys.org/news/2024-08-mammoths-ice-age-people-pikes.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Water on Exoplanets eurekalert.org/news-releases/1054813 News Item #2 – Mpox sciencenews.org/article/mpox-global-health-emergency-again News Item #3 – Darkling Beetles phys.org/news/2024-08-masters-shifting-darkling-beetles-conquered.html News Item #4 – Moon Gravity Assist forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2024/08/20/in-photos-first-ever-moon-earth-flyby-from-jupiter-bound-spacecraft News Item #5 – Luminescent Solar Concentrators theness.com/neurologicablog/luminescent-solar-concentrators-for-solar-power Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. From Tik Tok The Sage Wall tiktok.com/@mysterymaven_1/video/7402640457135607073?_r=1&_t=8p345eSJvSM Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Item 1: A recent study finds using a mixture of 50% crushed glass in potting soil results in faster growth rates than using 100% potting soil. Item 2: Astronomers have identified a near-Earth asteroid rich in lithium, estimated to have enough lithium to meet current demand for over 200 years. Item 3: MIT engineers have developed the first comprehensive mathematical model of wind turbine aerodynamics. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “The real trouble begins when confirmation bias distorts your active pursuit of facts.” ― David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself
Skeptics Guide #995 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-08-03 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #995 August 1st 2024 Segment #1. Special Segment Olympic Controversy Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Progeria Treatment nytimes.com/2024/07/24/health/progeria-dna-base-editing.html News Item #2 – Solid State Battery interestingengineering.com/energy/samsungs-ev-battery-600-mile-charge-in-9-mins News Item #3 – The Cass Review chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://law.yale.edu/sites/default/files/documents/integrity-project_cass-response.pdf News Item #4 – Mammoth DNA yahoo.com/news/scientists-reconstructed-52-000-old-123000545.html Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Bacterial Flagella I'm a long time listener and fan of the SGU. I came across this video about the "electric motor" that propels the flagella of bacteria. The structure of this rotating "motor" made of proteins was amazing to me. youtube.com/watch?v=VPSm9gJkPxU The video provides a detailed explanation but unfortunately concludes by hinting at the idea of intelligent design and irreducible complexity. Could you provide a better explanation of the evolution of such a structure rather than just saying it's God's work. Cheers, Dave. Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Olympics Item 1: The first modern Olympic games in 1896 involved only 14 nations, with only 241 male and 64 female athletes. Item 2: The ancient Olympic games were banned in 393 AD by the Roman Emperor because they were considered pagan and conflicted with Christian values. Item 3: The 1908 Olympic games featured pistol dueling in which competitors fired wax bullets at each other. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Scientists think that just regurgitating science is going to cut it. It's not going to cut it. You have to realize people are bringing their backgrounds, their experiences, their personal encounters, their fears, their hopes, their dreams, all of those things. Unless we factor those things in, we're going to fail and we'll just continue to get trampled by the misinformation space." - Jessica Steier
SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday August 2nd 2024 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-08-03 | SGU COMMUNITY Livestream // Friday August 2nd 2024
Skeptics Guide #994 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-07-27 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #994 July 24th 2024 Segment #1. What’s the Word Calculus Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Water Harvesting sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240723182005.htm News Item #2 – Chimp Conversation Speed cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/chimpanzees-gestures-speed News Item #3 – Dark Oxygen npr.org/2024/07/24/nx-s1-5049587/scientists-dark-oxygen-without-photosynthesis News Item #4 – Nuclear Clock iflscience.com/we-just-took-a-step-closer-to-building-the-first-nuclear-clocks-69115 News Item #5 – New Creationism Poll news.gallup.com/poll/647594/majority-credits-god-humankind-not-creationism.aspx Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Name That Logical Fallacy Dr. Steve - You’ve had emails conversations in the past with a Tim Dowling. That’s my dad. 🙂 Long time listener, first time writer. Thanks for all you do. You’ve beee a big influence in my life and how I look at the world. But to the point. I had a big religious conversation with my sister this evening. Much of the discussion was about if God (evangelical Christian interpretation) is logical. She was back and forth, but eventually settled on God being logical. She then qualified that by saying, “we just don’t always understand it.” The example we were anchoring one was how God could be in control of everything yet let things happen that are not of his will. That sounds illogical to me. You’re either in control of everything, and everything that happens is your will, or you aren’t and it’s not. But that’s a discussion for another day. First question, but not the real one I’m asking, what logical fallacy is “we just don’t understand it?" Maybe moving the goal posts? Now for the real question. It seems to me that she is really just conflating the words “logic” and “reasons.” I'm 100% happy with the statement “we just don’t understand the reason God does things.” But “God is logical, we just don’t always understand it” doesn’t sit right. Isn’t the very nature of logic knowable? If you don’t follow someone’s logic, it isn’t because it’s a mystery or unknowable. You just need more info to understand it. Granted, we can’t ask God questions, but we can look at the Bible and get that knowledge - to a degree at least. I don’t think my sister would say, “we can’t know God’s logic because there isn’t enough information in the Bible.” Bottom line - what is the nature of logic? Can it be unknowable? I know there is probably a lot of unstated baggage with this question. I’m not trying to ask a religious question. For the record, I’m a diest at best. And I don’t find the Christian God terribly logical. Or if he is, it’s not a logic I want any part of. Thanks! Tim. Segment #5. Your Questions and E-mails Hey gang, I really enjoyed episode 993 but I wanted to make a small correction to something that was said regarding piling up regolith on top of lunar habitats to protect from space radiation: "...if you made a protective structure on a moon base with two to three feet of mooncrete on the outside, that would go a long way towards protecting you from radiation." It turns out that when incoming radiation enters shielding around a habitat, it can react with atoms in the shielding and produce secondary radiation. The counter-intuitive thing is that this secondary radiation can actually be more penetrating and harmful to the occupants of the habitat than the original primary radiation. So in order to effectively shield a habitat, you don't just need sufficient shielding to stop incoming cosmic rays and what-not, but you also need enough shielding to shield against the spallation neutrons and other secondary nasties that the cosmic rays generate within the shielding. Some folks working on NASA's In Situ Resource Utilization efforts estimated that the *break-even* point for piled up lunar regolith (where the effective dose within the habitat was the same as if there were no habitat shielding at all) could be as high as 7-9 METERS of regolith. After that, your shielding starts to actually be effective. GO LAVA TUBES! Thanks for everything you do, -Mouser Nuclear Engineer, Los Alamos National Laboratory Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Item 1: A recent analysis finds that the teeth of Komodo dragons are coated with iron to help maintain their strength and cutting edge. Item 2: An extensive study finds that for about half of the sites analyzed, the cost per ton of carbon removal is lower when just letting the land naturally regenerate than planting trees. Item 3: A recent study finds that the ability to recognize a previously heard piece of music significantly decreases with age in older...
Numerology, Neurosurgeons, and Nincompoops TheSkepticsGuide 2024-07-25 | Numerology, Neurosurgeons, and Nincompoops
Skeptics Guide #993 TheSkepticsGuide 2024-07-20 | The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #993 July 17th 2024 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Conspiracy Theories Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Lunar Cave theness.com/neurologicablog/evidence-suggests-lunar-cave News Item #2 – AI Love theconversation.com/computer-love-ai-powered-chatbots-are-changing-how-we-understand-romantic-and-sexual-well-being-234054 News Item #3 – AI Scams bitdefender.com/blog/labs/deep-dive-on-supplement-scams-how-ai-drives-miracle-cures-and-sponsored-health-related-scams-on-social-media News Item #4 – Solar Clams https://news.yale.edu/2024/06/28/giant-clams-may-hold-answers-making-solar-energy-more-efficient Segment #3. From TikTok Antimony and Air Friers tiktok.com/@moonloopsco/video/7384918755828075818 Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Climate Change Expert I’m a long time listener and fan of the SGU. I have been reading more about climate change scientists and came across Dr Judith Curry and her testimony on the subject that sounds straight out of the SGU critical thinking and following the data approach to skepticism. What is your take and shouldn’t this be open for discussion? https://x.com/jamesmelville/status/1812815450905989300?s=42 Daniel K LA Segment #5. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: Item 1: A new study finds that the risk of long COVID decreased over the course of the pandemic, and this was mostly due to vaccination. Item 2: A recent analysis of primate genomes finds that shared viral inclusions reduce overall cancer risk by stabilizing the genome. Item 3: Researchers find that global sea ice has decreased its cooling effect on the climate by 14% since 1980. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "In effect, we're all guinea pigs for the dietary supplement industry. The vast majority of these supplements don't deliver on their promises." Nick Tiller, author, The Skeptics Guide to Sports Science: Confronting Myths of the Health and Fitness Industry
Conspiracies, the power of the clam!, and tiktok time TheSkepticsGuide 2024-07-18 | Conspiracies, the power of the clam!, and tiktok time
