SGU Episode 873

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SGU Episode 873
April 2nd 2022
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 872                      SGU 874
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
AJR: Andrea Jones-Rooy, political, social, and data scientist and professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the NYU Center for Data Science
Quote of the Week
I beg of you, do not jump to the conclusion that certain things you see are necessarily "supernatural" or the work of "spirits" just because you cannot explain them.
Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, stunt performer
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Live from NYC

Voice-over: You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

Special Report: Political Science of War (4:36)

• James D. Fearon: "Rationalist Explanations for War"

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

S: All right. Let's move on to some news items. We have a few news items to get to.

Transgenic Plants and Space Travel (22:55)

• Transgenic Plants and Space Travel

S: We're going to start with one about transgenic plants in space.

Homeopathy Trials and Publication Bias (37:13)

• Reporting bias makes homeopathy trials look like homeopathy works

Anti-Universe (52:34)

• Our universe may have a twin that runs backward in time

Psychedelic Treatments (1:04:49)

• AI maps psychedelic ‘trip’ experiences to regions of the brain – opening new route to psychiatric treatments

Plastic in our Blood (1:21:00)

• The Guardian: Microplastics found in human blood for first time

Science or Fiction (1:30:55)

Theme: Ancillary skills of U.S. presidents Item #1: President Nixon was an accomplished musician who could play the piano, clarinet, violin, accordian, and saxophone. Item #2: President Lincoln was a champion wrestler, being almost undefeated and holding a regional title for several years. In 1992 he was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Item #3: Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair, inspired by the long hours spent in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Lincoln into Wrestling h.o.f.
Science	Nixon accomplished musician
Science	Jefferson's swivel chair

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Andrea	Lincoln into Wrestling h.o.f.
Bob	Lincoln into Wrestling h.o.f.
Jay	Nixon accomplished musician
Cara	Jefferson's swivel chair
Evan	Lincoln into Wrestling h.o.f.

Voice-over: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:41:35)

I beg of you, Sir Arthur, do not jump to the conclusion that certain things you see are necessarily "supernatural" or the work of "spirits" just because you cannot explain them.
– Harry Houdini (1874-1926), in a 1922 letter to Arthur Conan Doyle after Doyle visited Houdini at his apartment in New York City to partake in a slate-writing session.

Signoff

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