SGU Episode 984

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SGU Episode 984
May 18th 2024
"Researchers utilize Nvidia’s Eureka platform, a human-level reward design algorithm, to train a quadruped robot to balance and walk on top of a yoga ball."
SGU 983                      SGU 985
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Science is the only self-correcting human institution, but it also is a process that progresses only by falsification.
Allan Sandage, American astronomer
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, aurora viewing from solar CME

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

Special Report: Steorn Free Energy Update (3:42)

• [url_from_show_notes _article_title_] 

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Chat GPT 4o (15:42)

• AI Chat Using GPT 4o Power 

• Hello GPT-4o 
   (Note: this article is not from the SGU show notes page)

2023 hottest summer in 2000 years (31:06)

• Tree rings reveal summer 2023 was the hottest in 2 millennia 

Spotting Misinformation (40:33)

• Spotting Misinformation 

AI Training Robots (48:38)

• Nvidia's Eureka helps robot dog perfect yoga ball balance  

B: ...like giving a meatball for a reward.

Reincarnated Son of Buddha (59:59)

• Complaint against 'reincarnated son' of Lord Buddha 

Who's That Noisy? (1:07:56)

Answer to previous Noisy:

A Brazilian porcupine, named "Kemosabe"

New Noisy (1:12:20)

[Rapid mechanical whirring]

J:...If you know the sound this week

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:15:18)

Email #1: Protecting Bigfoot

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Science or Fiction (1:20:43)

Theme: Battery materials Item #1: By weight the most prevalent element in current production lithium ion batteries is nickel, followed by cobalt, and then lithium. Item #2: A recent analysis concludes that the world will not be able to mine enough copper to make the green transition between now and 2050. Item #3: A new study finds that extracting lithium from shale wastewater in Pennsylvania could produce 40% of current annual US demand.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Lithium third-most prevalent
Science	Not enough copper to mine
Science	Lithium from shale wastewater

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Evan	Not enough copper to mine
Bob	Lithium from shale wastewater
Jay	Lithium third-most prevalent
Cara	Lithium third-most prevalent

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

Evan's Response

Bob's Response

Jay's Response

Cara's Response

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:37:55)

Science is the only self-correcting human institution, but it also is a process that progresses only by showing itself to be wrong.  – Allan Sandage (1926-2010), American astronomer

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