SGU Episode 791

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SGU Episode 791
September 5th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 790                      SGU 792
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
Guest
TD: Tim Dodd
Quote of the Week
Certain people – men, of course – discouraged me, saying [science] was not a good career for women. That pushed me even more to persevere.
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist
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 ()

• Science-Based Medicine: COVID in Children

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Nuclear Diamond Batteries ()

• Neurologica: Nuclear Diamond Batteries

Instant COVID Testing ()

• Scientific American: 'Instant Coffee' COVID-19 Tests Could Be the Answer to Reopening the U.S.

'Blanets' ()

• Live Science: Thousands of Earthlike 'blanets' might circle the Milky Way's central black hole

Detecting Alien Biochemistry ()

• Air & Space: A New Tool to Detect Alien Biochemistry

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: _brief_description_perhaps_with_link_

New Noisy ()

[_short_vague_description_of_Noisy]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

Question #1: Star-gazing Permit ()

I was listening to your show mentioning how enjoyable it was to go stargazing and watch the Perseids meteor shower and am aware that some of the hosts live in or near the New York area. New York has a requirement to get a permit for stargazing (maybe only in a few parks and beaches; I'm unsure), and I was wondering what your thoughts are on this. Doesn't this inherently limit stargazers? Is there a benefit to the permit fee, or is it just revenue for the state? Do you know of other states that do this? Is this an 'anti-science' permit for charging people to enjoy the night sky? Thanks for your time!
– Derek Swinamer, British Columbia, Canada

Interview with Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut ()

• Tim's YouTube Channel: Everyday Astronaut

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	Slower traffic
Science	Rust on moon
Science	Political ads

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Cara	Political ads
Evan	Slower traffic
Bob	Slower traffic
Jay	Political ads

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: An extensive study finds that political ads have an insignificant effect on voter choice, regardless of any variable considered, such as political affiliation, location, and positive vs. negative ads.
Item #2: A traffic simulation finds that small numbers of autonomous vehicles (<20%) could significantly slow overall traffic.
Item #3: A new study suggests that oxygen from Earth has been reacting with iron on the surface of the Moon.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Certain people – men, of course – discouraged me, saying [science] was not a good career for women. That pushed me even more to persevere.
– Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, French virologist

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