SGU Episode 801

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SGU Episode 801
November 14th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 800                      SGU 802
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
There's a certain comfort that comes from knowing a fact. The sun is up in the sky; there's nothing you can say that's going to change that. You can't say, "The sun's not up there, there's no sky." There is reality, and there's nothing wrong with accepting reality. It's when you try to distort reality, to maneuver it into accommodating your particular point of view, your particular bigotry, your particular whatever — that's when you run into problems.
Alex Trebek, Canadian-American game show host
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Show Notes
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Introduction

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

News Items

S:

B:

J:

E:

C:

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

3D Printing with Bacteria ()

• Scientists use bacteria as micro-3D printers

"Pre-bunking" ()

• Pre-Bunking Game

Real Cause of Light Pollution ()

• Most light pollution isn’t coming from streetlights

Physics Paradox Solved ()

• The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End

New Nuclear Thermal Engines ()

• The Thermal Nuclear Engine That Could Get Us to Mars in Just 3 Months

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Sounds from mushrooms' electric current

New Noisy ()

[Whirring and crackling, then whirring and squeaking]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_ with_reduced_spacing_for_long_chunks –

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	Abandoned properties
Science	Mean thermal energy
Science	Once-mistaken pterosaurs

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Jay	Mean thermal energy
Cara	Abandoned properties
Bob	Abandoned properties
Evan	Abandoned properties

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: Astronomers find that the mean thermal energy density of gases in the universe has been increasing, and is now 2 million Kelvin, 10 times hotter than 10 billion years ago.
Item #2: A new study finds that programs which demolish abandoned properties reduces nearby crime rates.
Item #3: A paleontology student has discovered that a fossil collection of ancient sharks in two UK museums are actually pterosaurs, including a previously unknown species.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

There's a certain comfort that comes from knowing a fact. The sun is up in the sky; there's nothing you can say that's going to change that. You can't say, "The sun's not up there, there's no sky." There is reality, and there's nothing wrong with accepting reality. It's when you try to distort reality, to maneuver it into accommodating your particular point of view, your particular bigotry, your particular whatever — that's when you run into problems.
– Alex Trebek (1940-2020), Canadian-American game show host

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.

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Today I Learned

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

References

Vocabulary