SGU Episode 777

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SGU Episode 777
May 30th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 776                      SGU 778
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
Quote of the Week
I’m 13, so I don’t want to rush everything ... I’m still trying to figure it out, but I just want to focus on learning right now. That’s what I love to do.
Jack Rico, youngest graduate in Fullerton College history
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

Voiceover: You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

(laughs) (laughter) (applause) [inaudible]

Loners and Swarms ()

• Quanta Magazine: Out-of-Sync 'Loners' May Secretly Protect Orderly Swarms

Dinosaur Asteroid Impact ()

• BBC News: Dinosaur asteroid's trajectory was 'perfect storm'

Backward Time Universe ()

• Daily Star: NASA scientists detect parallel universe 'next to ours' where time runs backwards

Why Beards? ()

• ScienceAlert: Wild Study Suggests Human Beards Evolved to Absorb Punches to The Head

Solving Space Junk ()

• CIRES: Solving the Space Junk Problem

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Train's Vigilance Control System

New Noisy ()

[brief, vague description of Noisy]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

Email #1: Electrical Treatment for RP ()

First time long time listener (2010, I think). I'm a better thinker as a result of the show, so can't thank you enough. The book was great too. To my question: I have Retinitis pigmentosa (genetic degenerative vision condition). Diagnosed at 14 and now 36, so it's well on its way. Recently my partner found a German clinic advertising the Federov Treatment, link at the end. It claims not to cure but stabilize and, in some cases, improve night vision/peripheral vision. The treatment is electrical stimulation to retinal cells/optic nerve or parts of the brain dependent on the condition. It claims to natural - I don't see electricity to the dome in nature, myself - and the website is full of testimonials. I can't find anywhere else that delivers the treatment, although it's delivered by neurologists (good?) and has been going since '93. I've read a pinned review of the available studies, link at the end. Small studies in animals and humans...the improvements as far as I can see are all assumed markers: thicker this, increased blood flow to that, and the killer quote for me: "Despite several studies showing promising results in both animal experiments and clinical studies, there are presently few reports on the mechanisms of action for ES, making this field still poorly understood." I'd love to be wrong and not wait for CRISPR or the phase 2 stem cell trials, but I'm not optimistic. Thanks for all that you do; you're all wonderful. I don't know who picks these up, but I have to say that although she's part of the furniture now, I'm really happy with the addition of Cara. As much as I like the speculative and exciting potential sciences, I think she applies them to the world as it is: environmentally, socially, etc. I did have a COVID question, but this trumps it for me. Stay safe in these peculiar times and thanks again. - Stephen, Manchester, UK

Science or Fiction ()

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: Scientists find evidence that the mass extinction 359 million years ago was caused by a UV damage resulting from a collapse of the ozone layer.
Item #2: A new study of online clothes shopping using augmented reality showed higher purchase satisfaction than in person shopping.
Item #3: Astronomers have used a new technique to finally identify all the missing baryonic matter in the universe.

[Host] Explains Item #[n]

Answer	Item
Fiction	Online shopping
Science	{{{science1}}}

Host	Result
'

Rogue	Guess

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

I’m 13, so I don’t want to rush everything ... I’m still trying to figure it out, but I just want to focus on learning right now. That’s what I love to do.
– Jack Rico, youngest graduate in Fullerton College history, who earned 4 associates degrees simultaneously over the course of 2 years

Signoff/Announcements ()

S: —and until next week, this is your Skeptics' Guide to the Universe.

S: Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information, visit us at theskepticsguide.org. Send your questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. And, if you would like to support the show and all the work that we do, go to patreon.com/SkepticsGuide and consider becoming a patron and becoming part of the SGU community. Our listeners and supporters are what make SGU possible.

Today I Learned

• Fact/Description, possibly with an article reference
• Fact/Description
• Fact/Description

References

Vocabulary