SGU Episode 980

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SGU Episode 980
April 20th 2024
"The cicada continues to participate in normal activities, like it would if it was healthy. It tries to mate, it flies around, it walks on plants. Yet, a third of its body has been replaced by fungus."
SGU 979                      SGU 981
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Actual science is the great accomplishment of mankind. The antidote to ignorance, superstition, religious zealotry, and nonsensical beliefs in general. An eclipse exemplifies, to even the lay-est of laypeople, just how advanced modern science is.
John Gruber, technology blogger
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, eclipse reflections

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

verklempt

What's the Word? (18:21)

• Anhedonia

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

New Scams (23:17)

• How AI is revolutionizing Internet fraud and romance scams 
   (Note: this article is not from the SGU show notes page)

Reconductoring (38:04)

• Reconductoring our Electrical Grid 

A typical utility pole in North America, showing the hardware for a residential 120/240V split phase service drop. Click for a list of the labeled parts

A,B,C - The high voltage primary distribution wires; power is transmitted using the three phase system with 3 wires carrying 60 Hz alternating current with phases 120° apart. The wires are supported by standoff insulators on the crossarm, to which they are tied with tie wires.
D - The neutral wire, which is grounded. This is a "Y" connected distribution line, with the distribution transformers connected between a phase wire and this neutral wire.
E - Fuse cutout which disconnects the transformer from the line in the event of an electrical fault. It can also be opened manually.
F - Lightning arrestor conducts voltage spikes due to lightning strikes and other transient events to ground.
G - Single phase distribution transformer. Its primary winding is connected between one of the phase wires and the neutral wire. Its secondary winding is 240V center tapped. The secondary voltage is brought out to the 3 bushings on the side, consists of two 120V phases and one neutral.
H - Ground wire from transformer case to neutral wire carries the return current from the primary winding.
J - "Triplex" service drop cable carries the secondary current to the residence. It consists of the two opposite 120V phase wires and the neutral, which supports the cable.
K - Communications cables, consisting of a telephone and two cable television lines.

ISS Space Junk Crashed Through Home (57:26)

• NASA confirms origin of space junk that crashed through Florida home 

Zombie Cicadas (1:05:40)

• Hyper-sexual "zombie cicadas" that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year  

Death by Wellness (1:13:56)

• A Melbourne woman has died after consuming a drink made with mushrooms at a retreat near Ballarat — here's what we know 

Who's That Noisy? (1:23:57)

Reveal answer

Answer to previous Noisy:

An indri (one of the largest living lemurs)

New Noisy (1:29:14)

["Set" beep sound, loud fluttering, beep]

What this Noisy is

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:34:05)

Correction #1: AI Drug Development

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Science or Fiction (1:35:13)

Item #1: A new economic study finds that by 2050 the economic loss of climate change will be about 19% of the global economy, or 38 trillion dollars ($38T) annually, even without further emissions. Item #2: Scientists have bioengineered a cultivar of corn that has orange stalks and leaves, to make weeding easier for robots. Item #3: Paleontologists have formally described the largest marine reptile, an ichthyosaur estimated at 25 meters, about the size of a blue whale.

Answer	RevealItem
Fiction	Weeding orange corn
Science	Economic loss of climate change
Science	Largest marine reptile

Host	RevealResult
Steve	swept

Rogue	RevealGuess
Evan	Weeding orange corn
Cara	Weeding orange corn
Bob	Weeding orange corn
Jay	Weeding orange corn

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

Evan's Response

Cara's Response

Bob's Response

Jay's Response

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:49:20)

Actual science is the great accomplishment of mankind. The antidote to ignorance, superstition, religious zealotry, and nonsensical beliefs in general. An eclipse exemplifies, to even the lay-est of laypeople, just how advanced modern science is.  – John Gruber (1973-present), technology blogger, UI designer, and co-creator of the Markdown markup language

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