SGU Episode 886

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SGU Episode 886
July 2nd 2022
A polymetallic nodule
SGU 885                      SGU 887
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
Quotes of the Week
-- Healthy skepticism is the basis of all accurate observation. -- We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers.
first: Arthur Conan Doyle, British writer second: Carl Sagan, American astronomer
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Snake Rescue, Mice, Cats & Dogs

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

Quickie with Bob (21:34)

• Gamma Ray Burst [link_URL TITLE]

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Mining the Sea (24:33)

• Mining the Sea

osmolarity

Science of Pregnancy and Abortion (46:04)

• After Roe v. Wade: US researchers warn of what’s to come

More Galaxies (1:11:35)

• There are more galaxies in the Universe than even Carl Sagan ever imagined

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:21:44)

Email #1: Can Dogs Talk? ()

Before I started listening to the show, I heard about this woman who has taught her dog to speak in sentences. It played into my environmentalist and vegetarian biases, and I was totally taken in. Reviewing it again though, I think it is possible that this is a combination of facilitated communication (she takes big liberties in her interpretation of the sentences), the Clever Hans effect, and cherry picking (she probably only shares the really compelling examples, when there may be many more failures). Would love it if you could comment on the current status of communication with animals, and whether you think the Clever Hans effect is at play here. Thanks for all you do, and this is just one example of how my thinking has started to improve thanks to your work.

Sincerely,
Bart T. Cubrich

Science or Fiction (1:31:39)

Theme: Snakes Item #1: Brazil has the most number of identified snake species of any nation, currently totaling 412. Item #2: There were an estimated 1.2 million snake bite deaths in India between 2000 and 2020. Item #3: Cobras have extreme accuracy when spitting venom, able to hit there targets consistently at up to 30 feet.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Cobras' 30-foot range
Science	Brazil is most snaked
Science	1.2m snake bite deaths

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Bob	1.2m snake bite deaths
Cara	Cobras' 30-foot range

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

Skeptical Quotes of the Week (1:41:01)

Healthy skepticism is the basis of all accurate observation.
– Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), British writer

We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers.
– Carl Sagan (1934-1996), American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator

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.

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Today I Learned

• Fact/Description, possibly with an article reference
• Fact/Description
• Fact/Description

References

Vocabulary