SGU Episode 800

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SGU Episode 800
November 7th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 799                      SGU 801
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.
Zora Neale Hurston, American anthropologist
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Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

COVID-19 Update ()

• Superspreading Events

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Amulets and COVID-19 ()

• Magic Amulets Do Not Prevent COVID

Right to Try and COVID ()

• Beware Political Hype over the ‘Right to Try’ COVID Drugs

Earth-Sized Rogue Planet ()

• Earth-Sized Rogue Planet Discovered

Forest Regrowth ()

• Is It Better to Plant Trees or Let Forests Regrow Naturally?

Lava Growth ()

• Supersonic winds, rocky rains forecasted on lava planet

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Barcode scanners synthesizing sounds

New Noisy ()

[pulsating sounds with some echoing]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

Correction #1: Bee Balls ()

I was just listening to podcast #799 and your discussion on the murder hornet. Cara briefly mentioned the bee ball as a defensive measure honey bees can take. But that is incorrect. Only the Japanese honey bees can form the bee ball as a defensive measure to surround and cook the invading Asian giant hornet. The European honey bee does not and is therefore completely defenseless against the Asian giant hornet. That is why there is such a huge concern, as all the commercial honey bees in the US are the European honey bees. Here are some references: Japanese bees' protective behaviors; Meet the "hot defensive bee ball," one of the craziest tactics in the animal kingdom Love the podcast! Stay safe, wash your hands, and wear a mask.

– Albert from Seattle

Dumbest Thing of the Week ()

• Magic Lamp

Science or Fiction (1:31:30)

Answer	Item
Fiction	2000+ known craters
Science	Largest is oldest
Science	Largest diamond dep

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Bob	Largest diamond dep
Evan	Largest diamond dep
Cara	2000+ known craters
Jay	2000+ known craters

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Theme: Impact Craters
Item #1: The largest impact crater on Earth, Vredefort Crater, South Africa, at 300km wide, is also the oldest, over 2 billion years.
Item #2: The largest single diamond deposit in the world was formed by a meteorite impact, and contains a greater volume of diamonds than all other deposits combined.
Item #3: There are over 2,000 known impact craters on Earth.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.
– Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), American anthropologist

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