SGU Episode 405

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SGU Episode 405
20th April 2013
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 404                      SGU 406
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guests
JR: Jon Ronson
SS: Simon Singh
Quote of the Week
Still our knowledge of the planets was meager, and where ignorance lurks, so too do the frontiers of discovery and imagination.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Links
Download Podcast
SGU Podcast archive
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Today is Saturday, April 6th, 2013, and this is your host, Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella...

B: Hey, everybody.

S: Rebecca Watson...

R: Hello, everyone.

S: Jay Novella...

J: Hey, guys.

S: Evan Bernstein.

E: Good evening.

S: And, we have two very special guest with us this week. Simon Singh...

SS: Hello.

S: Simon, welcome back. And Jon Ronson.

JR: Hey.

(transcribed until 0:35)

This Day in Skepticism ()

• April 20, 1535: First sundog painting

Special Report ()

• Simon Singh's New Book: Mathematics of the Simpsons

News Items

Bitcoins ()

http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/13/beyond-the-bitcoin-bubble/

Internet Criminals ()

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jonronson

BRAIN Project ()

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/science/project-seeks-to-build-map-of-human-brain.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Evidence of Dark Matter ()

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/14apr_ams/

Hallucinating Music ()

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/04/04/hallucinations.musical.notation.new.paper.neurology.journal.brain.oliver.sacks

Science or Fiction ()

Item #1: A new cancer treatment being tested on mice shows no side effects – the treatment attacks only cancer cells and leaves the neighboring healthy cells alone. Item #2: A comparative biology study shows the life expectancy of a mouse can double from 4 years to 8 years with an infusion of stem cells from the naked mole rat. Item #3: Scientists have developed a means of allowing the thoughts of a person to control the movements of a mouse.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Still our knowledge of the planets was meager, and where ignorance lurks, so too do the frontiers of discovery and imagination.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Announcements ()

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners are what make SGU possible.

References