SGU Episode 852

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SGU Episode 852
November 6th 2021
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 851                      SGU 853
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
We must learn to set our emotions aside and embrace what science tells us. GMOs and nuclear power are two of the most effective and most important green technologies we have. If – after looking at the data – you aren’t in favour of using them responsibly, you aren’t an environmentalist.
Ramez Naam, American technologist
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Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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]

Organic Fail (13:41)

• The Sri Lanka Organic Experiment

Are Viruses Alive? (32:58)

• Are viruses alive, not alive or something in between? And why does it matter?

Memes Ease Stress (47:20)

• Go ahead, enjoy your memes – they really do help ease pandemic stress

Extragalatic Planet (54:01)

• Possible Extragalactic Planet

Superconducting New State of Matter (1:00:40)

• Superconductor reveals new state of matter involving pairs of Cooper pairs

Who's That Noisy? (1:08:50)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Bees bumping into each other

New Noisy (1:13:15)

[air horn-like squeaks/squawks of different lengths and pitches]

J: Alright. So if you think you know what this week's Noisy is, or if you heard any Noisys, please do send those in to me at WTN@TheSkepticsGuide.org.

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:15:23)

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_ with_reduced_spacing_for_long_chunks –

Science or Fiction (1:28:34)

Answer	Item
Fiction	Government didn't poison booze
Science	Cowboy's derby hat
Science	Tall medieval Europeans

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Bob	Tall medieval Europeans
Evan	Tall medieval Europeans
Cara	Cowboy's derby hat
Jay	Government didn't poison booze

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

Item #1: The iconic cowboy hat was introduced in 1865 and did not become popular until the 20th century. The most popular hat for cowboys in the 19th century was the derby. Item #2: The US government never actually poisoned alcohol during prohibition. Poisonings were due to contamination from poor quality stills. Item #3: The average height of Europeans in the Middle Ages was actually greater than in the 16th-19th centuries, with average height not returning to Middle Age average until the late 20th century, and still only slightly less (about 1 inch) than modern Europeans.

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:45:22)

We must learn to set our emotions aside and embrace what science tells us. GMOs and nuclear power are two of the most effective and most important green technologies we have. If – after looking at the data – you aren’t in favour of using them responsibly, you aren’t an environmentalist.
– Ramez Naam, American technologist and science fiction writer

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