SGU Episode 46

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

The World Survives June 6th, 2006 (00:50)

 * Times Online (Link expired)
 * NBC News: 6/6/06: The Date is Near

Skepchick infiltrates Christian Scientists (5:00)

 * Skepchick: Rebecca Infiltrates Enemy Territory

Altruism and Evolution
Great show. Absolutely one of my favorite podcasts! My wife eagerly awaits my lobbing the "science or fiction" her way after each show. Speaking of the fact or fiction segment, I have a question about the altruism gene discovery as studied in the multicellular organism Volvox. You defined altrusim as "you do something which sacrifices your own Darwinian fitness in order for your relatives to survive." I was viewing this gene as somehow increasing fitness, such as by increasing the overall percentage of like genes passed on to future generations since the individuals in a simple multicellular organism are highly related. So while you don't reproduce, your overall fitness is still higher than had you "gone it alone." Otherwise the altruism gene would be selected against, right? An analogous, though far more complex, situation might be the "altruism" of non reproducing individuals in social insect species. Please set me straight if I'm looking at this incorrectly. Thanks! Marty Steitz Minnesota, US

Interview with Phil Plait (24:16)
Bad Astronomy

Science or Fiction (1:03:21)
Question #1    	This week military surgeons are testing a system for remote mobile robotic "telesurgery." Question #2    	New study suggests that phantom limb pain is psychosomatic. Question #3    	Drinking caffeine makes us more susceptible to persuasion.