SGU Episode 425

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SGU Episode 425
September 7th 2013
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 424                      SGU 426
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
'Science is the only thing that disproves science, and it does it all the time.'
Matt Dillahunty
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
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 Wednesday September 4th 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: And Evan Bernstein.

E: Lashanatova for a good year, happy new year to all of our SGU friends out there.

R: Yeah, happy new year. What year is this?

E: 5774.

S: 5774.

E: Which is proof that the world is less than 6000 years old.

J: I always though it was funny where people just said, OK this is year one. Right now we're in year one.

R: Did they start out with year one or year zero?

B: It should be zero (laughs)

J: Oh please, I don't want to have that conversation again.

R: Oh. Fair enough.

S: Yeah, they totally screwed up. But yeah, our calendar, they didn't decide until hundreds of years later, I think it was getting close to the first millennium before it was in wide use.

R: Yes, so nobody even got the joy of living in year one.

S: Or year zero.

R: Because they didn't know it at the time.

S: Right, that's correct.

B: Or year negative one.

S: Yeah, could you imagine? Year negative 3! Something big is going to happen in three years! Alright.

This Day in Skepticism (1:54)

• September 7th 1936: the last Tasmanian Tiger died at the Hobart Zoo.

R: Hey, happy National Threatened Species Day, everybody.

J: Threatened species?

E: Exactly which species? All of them?

R: Well this is a date primarily commemorated in Australia. Maybe even exclusively commemorated in Australia. But the date was chosen because, and this is kind of a sad one, I apologise. September 7th 1936 is the date when the last known Tasmanian tiger died at Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.

S: But Rebecca, those things were killing machines, they were sheep killers.

News Items ()

NASA Spiders ()

• http://www.dezeen.com/2013/08/30/nasa-develops-3d-printing-factory-in-space/

Chicken Wings and Penis Size ()

• http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/08/30/peta-eating-chicken-wings-during-pregnancy-could-affect-sons-penis-size/

TCM for Flu ()

• http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/tcm-for-flu/

Who's That Noisy ()

• Answer to last week: Seal

Questions and Emails ()

Question #1: Pox Parties ()

Have you guys ever talked about intentionally infecting kids with chicken pox? As a small child I remember my mother doing this when my childhood friend. She took my brother and I over to play with him and tried to get us infected. My brother broke out, while I only had three actual pockmarks. I never challenged this idea and figured that all parents did this. I mentioned this at work and my co-worker was flabbergast; citing that that was ”a stupid practice”. He went on to say that there is a vaccine for chicken pox and that purposely infecting your child just opens them up to get shingles later.I personally haven’t had a memory this old brought up and challenged. I would like to believe that I am analytical and not subject to wives tales, but I personally never challenged the memory and practice. Maybe you guys could talk about this as I’m sure other have had similar experiences.Thanks,Andrew MartinezRochester, NY

Question #2: Aromatherapy ()

I’m a new fan of the show and a budding skeptic so if this topic has already been covered maybe you can point me in the right direction for some good info.My brother’s wife has recently been selling essential oils and she is absolutely in love with them. Any and all problems you may have can be helped with the use of the proper oil. It sounded a little shady to me so I tried doing some research and I found plenty of people talking about how its a scam but I also seemed to find some studies to back up some small claims of oil users. Nothing earth shattering but maybe some use in helping with headaches, stomachaches, and relaxation.So, I’m asking you guys to help me understand this once and for all. Did I find bogus info? Is there perhaps some small benefit to this? Or is it straight pseudo science and quackery all the way thru.RobertTexas

Science or Fiction ()

Item #1: A thorough review of published studies in Psychology found that only 5% of published replications confirm the prior results. Item #2: Studies have found that as many as 50% of published peer-reviewed research contains statistical errors, sometimes changing the conclusions of the study. Item #3: In surveys, 34% of researchers admitted to questionable research practices themselves, and up to 72% in their colleagues.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

'Science is the only thing that disproves science, and it does it all the time.'- Matt Dillahunty

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