SGU Episode 402

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SGU Episode 402
30th March 2013
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 401                      SGU 403
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
R: Rebecca Watson
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
KW: Karl Withakay
Quote of the Week
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.
Søren Kierkegaard
Links
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SGU Podcast archive
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

This Day in Skepticism ()

March 30: Happy birthday to Mary Whiton Calkins and happy death day to Ellen Swallow Richards. Two BAMF ladies for the price of one.

News Items

Homeopathy Debate ()

• Debating Homeopathy Part I
• Debating Homeopathy Part II

Small Pterosaur ()

• Crow-Size Pterosaur Named After 9-Year-Old Fossil Hunter

Fracking Earthquakes ()

• Oklahoma's biggest quake tied to fracking

Never Eat Again ()

• This Man Thinks He Never Has to Eat Again

Voyager at the Edge ()

• Voyager 1 has entered a new region of space, sudden changes in cosmic rays indicate

Who's That Noisy? ()

• SGU Forums: Who's That Noisy? Episode #402
• Why Worry? Answer to last week: Amanda Peet

Questions and Emails ()

Question 1: More than Gravity ()

I'm a friend of Rebecca's, a former CFI employee, and a huge fan of SGU, so let me start by thanking you for all that you do! My editor at Buffalo Spree magazine sent me a press release about two local scientists affiliated with Ecology and Environment, Inc. just outside of Buffalo, New York. They have apparently established something called the "More than Gravity" theory. I did some Googling and had trouble finding anything about this that didn't seem to come right from the press release; if two local scientists are using a prominent Buffalo company to promote woo, I want to know about it and write about it; that said, if there's something to this I am obviously interested in covering that as well. Have you heard anything about this? Having no physics background I don't have a lot of frame of reference, but the lead to the press release prickled my skeptic senses: "Through 50 years of research and observation, scientific and engineering experts, Gerhard and Kevin Neumaier, have developed a new theory that refutes the 400-year old assumptions currently held by the scientific community." Any help you could give me would be much appreciated! Thanks, Julia Burke

Science or Fiction ()

Item #1. Scientists report the discovery of new lizard species, tetrahymena, that exists in seven distinct sexes. Item #2. Nature recently reported that two counterfeit scientific journals successfully scammed hundreds of researchers out of author fees. And item #3. New genetic evidence suggests that primates evolved trichromatic color vision while still nocturnal, rather than as an adaption to diurnal living, as previously believed.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.

Søren Kierkegaard

References