SGU Episode 782

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SGU Episode 782
July 1st 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 781                      SGU 783
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Pulling bad science apart is the best teaching gimmick I know for explaining how good science really works.
Ben Goldacre, British physicist
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

COVID-19 Update ()

• Neurologica: Face Mask War

What's the Word? (m:ss)

• Caustics

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Raw Milk ()

• Neurologica: Raw Milk is Bad

Monster Quasar ()

• Sci News: Astronomers Find Monster Quasar in Early Universe

Asteroid Killed the Dinosaurs ()

• ZME Science: Asteroid impact, not volcanoes, doomed the dinosaurs

Visualizing Data ()

• Quartz: How bad Covid-19 data visualizations mislead the public

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Pinball Machine

New Noisy ()

[brief, vague description of Noisy]

Name That Logical Fallacy ()

• Unoriginal Arguments

Hello, Rogues! I believe this is a question for Steve. Often when arguing on the Internet, I see arguments dismissed as unoriginal, regardless of how well thought out it is. It always feels to me like a way of avoiding making any real counter-argument, rather than a legitimate criticism. I don't think I've ever heard this subject handled on the SGU, and I'm very interested in what Steve, the SGU's resident authority on logical fallacies, has to say about dismissing arguments as unoriginal. Keep it up! - Noel

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	Mouse lungs
Science	Pancreas slices
Science	Hair cells

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Bob	Pancreas slices
Evan	Mouse lungs
Cara	Hair cells
Jay	Mouse lungs

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Theme: Regenerative Medicine
Item #1: Scientists were able to keep pancreas slices alive in culture for up to 10 days and demonstrate regeneration of the insulin-producing cells when stimulated by a growth factor.
Item #2: Medical researchers successfully coaxed damaged adult mouse lungs to grow new air sacs, increasing lung capacity and oxygen exchange.
Item #3: Researchers were able to reprogram adult cells normally present in the inner ear into sound-sensing hair cells using only four transcription factors.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Pulling bad science apart is the best teaching gimmick I know for explaining how good science really works.
– Ben Goldacre, British physicist, I Think You'll Find it's a Bit More Complicated Than That.

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