SGU Episode 884

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SGU Episode 884
June 18th 2022
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 883                      SGU 885
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Science is a search for basic truths about the Universe, a search which develops statements that appear to describe how the Universe works, but which are subject to correction, revision, adjustment, or even outright rejection, upon the presentation of better or conflicting evidence.
James Randi, Canadian-American magician and skeptic
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, JWST Hit, Force Fields

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

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Is LaMDA AI Sentient? (11:43)

• Is LaMDA Sentient?

S: That's actually a really good segue to Jay's item, which is also about--

E: --Sex dolls.

S: --the human acceptance of digital, non-human entities.

AI Influencers (29:43)

S: Jay, tell us about AI influencers.

• The rise of computer-generated, artificially intelligent influencers

Kids Don't Get Cancer Because They're Unhappy (52:25)

• Princess Märtha Louise's new fiancé Shaman Durek had his book dropped by publishers in her home country of Norway after claiming 'children get cancer because they're unhappy'

Free Floating Black Hole (1:00:40)

• Astronomers may have detected a 'dark' free-floating black hole

Who's That Noisy? (1:11:27)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Seal chirps and bellows

New Noisy (1:13:32)

[hissing with rising horn sounds]

this week's Noisy

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:15:52)

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_
with_reduced_spacing_for_long_chunks –

Science or Fiction (1:32:23)

Theme: Science Misconceptions Item #1: CO2 is not the greatest cause of recent global warming, but rather shorter-lived molecules such as methane. Item #2: Most of the energy generated by the sun is not caused by the fusion of hydrogen into helium. Item #3: The heating up of a spacecraft as it reenters and descends through the atmosphere is not mostly caused by friction, which is only responsible for a small amount of heat, <5%.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Co2 and global warming
Science	Spacecraft reentry and friction
Science	Sun's energy and h→he fusion

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Jay	Spacecraft reentry and friction
Cara	Co2 and global warming
Bob	Sun's energy and h→he fusion
Evan	Co2 and global warming

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:49:55)

Science is a search for basic truths about the Universe, a search which develops statements that appear to describe how the Universe works, but which are subject to correction, revision, adjustment, or even outright rejection, upon the presentation of better or conflicting evidence.
– James Randi (1928-2020), Canadian-American magician and skeptic

Signoff, SoF Bitterness (1:50:39)

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