SGU Episode 629

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SGU Episode 629
July 29th 2017
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 628                      SGU 630
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
When you discover new information or a broader context you have to throw out the old understanding, no matter how much sense it made to you. Getting it right in the future is more important than the feeling of understanding you had in the past.
Dr. Ben Tippett
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Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

News Items

NFL Brains ()

• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/100000005247170.app.html?_r=0

Supersonic Flight ()

• http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-speed-of-commercial-jets/

Soft Engines ()

• https://phys.org/news/2017-07-elastic-leidenfrost-effect-enables-soft.html

Measles Vaccination ()

• http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-measles-vaccine-children-idUSKBN1A92DJ

Moon Express ()

• https://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2017/07/moon-express-lunar-outpost/

What's the Word ()

• Parsimony

Science or Fiction ()

Item #1: A new study finds that humans are able to identify emotions from the vocalizations of all air-breathing vertebrates. Item #2: Researchers have genetically modified human skin cells to make them 100 times more resistant to damage from UV light without a change in pigment. Item #3: A new review of studies finds that sperm count has decreased by 50% in Western males in the last 40 years.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

'When you discover new information or a broader context you have to throw out the old understanding, no matter how much sense it made to you. Getting it right in the future is more important than the feeling of understanding you had in the past.' - Dr. Ben Tippett

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners are what make SGU possible.

References