SGU Episode 167

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

Dust and Snow on Mars

 * http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080929/sc_nm/us_mars_phoenix_1 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080930172328.49u1qw9x&show_article=1

PETA Nonsense

 * http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/09/animal_rights_activists_impossible_to_pa.php http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/09/peta_even_more_impossible_to_parody_than.php#more

Calorie Restriction for Life Extension

 * http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=385

Question #1 Corrections and Extensions
"Hi guys, Bob seemed very upset that the LHC won't be back up until spring because they need to do the winter maintenance. I thought it might make him feel better to know that, according to the Scientific American podcast, the LHC has their yearly maintenance during the winter because the LHC draws so much power; apparently, the power grid it runs off can either heat/run Geneva or cool/run the LHC. So, if we really want the LHC up for winter, we just have to convince Geneva to invest heavily in extra sweaters. Your adoring fan, Amanda Mason Lansing MI Dear Skeptical Rogues, I must first say that I am devoted listener and fan of the show. I have shared it with several friends, one of whom can barely go a single conversation without mention of something skepticentric. I am writing because I thought y'all's discussion of the gamer profile study missed an important point. While gamers may very well be healthier or otherwise better off than the general population, it is also important to consider how they compare to their demographic peers, especially those who are non-gamers. The study showed that gamers tended to have higher educational and socioeconomic attainment than the general population. There is strong evidence that these same factors are correlated with better health. (www.hhs.gov/news/press/1998pres/980730.html Granted this article is somewhat old, but I know of nothing that has since contradicted its general finding.) Given this, the question we must really ask is: How does the health of gamers compare to that of their non-gaming counterparts with similar demographic parameters (income, education, race). I'm sure you guys considered this sort of potential common cause issue, but thought it bore an explicit mention on the show. Thanks a bunch for the weekly escape to reality. Take care and keep up the great work! Regards, Eric Panzer Berkeley, CA"

Interview with Matthew Chapman

 * http://matthewchapman.us/ Matthew Chapman is the great great grandson of Charles Darwin, a journalist, author, and filmmaker. Sciencedebate2008 was discussed during the interview – here is the link to their website, including the presidential candidates’ answers to 14 science questions. http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php

Science or Fiction
Item #1: Scientists discover the world’s oldest fossilized organisms, which date to about 4 billion years old. Item #2: A new study shows that the HIV epidemic actually began around 1900, much earlier than previously thought. Item #3: Scientists demonstrate that the limit of how far away you can read text is determined by the spacing between letters, not the size of the letters.

Quote of the Week
"'The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.” - Charles Darwin"

== References ==