SGU Episode 306

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

This Day in Skepticism

 * May 28, 585 BCE: A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse, leading to a truce. This is one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated.

Rapture Rationalizations

 * http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110524/ap_on_re_us/us_apocalypse_saturday

Fake Moon Rock

 * http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385731,00.asp

Dark Energy Confirmed

 * http://techie-buzz.com/science/dark-energy-confirmed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+techiebuzz+%28Techie+buzz%29

Religious Right vs Women's Rights

 * http://skepchick.org/2011/05/womens-intuition-and-other-fairytales/

Preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse

 * http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/preparing-for-a-zombie-apocalypse/

Who's That Noisy

 * Answer to last week - screaming frog

Banning Marmite
"Dear Steven and fellow sceptics, Having discovered the show a few weeks ago I have now become somewhat addicted, gradually working my way through the back catalogue of episodes. Please keep up the good work. I never realised that I was a critical thinker/sceptic until listening to this podcast but would now put myself firmly in this bracket. Listening to the radio this morning, I heard a story that had all the hallmarks of pseudoscience, scaremongering and political ignorance and wondered what your take on it was. Denmark have banned Marmite, along with Ovaltine, Rice Crispies and Shreddies (apologies if any of these don’t exist in the USA but I’m sure you can find out what they are), on the grounds that they have added vitamins and that fortification poses a public health risk. An interviewee from Denmark said that other mothers had approached her and warned her not to give her children Ovaltine as it had “too many vitamins”. This sounds like the sort of nonsense peddled by cranks so I was amazed to hear it has been enacted as law in a developed, western nation. Is there any scientific basis for these claims? Best Regards, Jez Morris, 26, UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/24/denmark-bans-marmite"

Science or Fiction
Item #1: New research finds that electrons, rather than being spherical as previously thought, are distinctly egg-shaped. Item #2: Researchers find that women find expressions of happiness less attractive than expressions of pride or shame in men. Item #3: Biologists discover a bacterium that uses caffeine as its sole food source.

Skeptical Quote of the Week
"'The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. Without this special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would be no music.' ~Lewis Thomas"