SGU Episode 436

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SGU Episode 436
November 23rd 2013
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SGU 435                      SGU 437

Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella

B: Bob Novella

R: Rebecca Watson

J: Jay Novella

E: Evan Bernstein

Guest

PP: Phil Plait

Quote of the Week

Although scientific revolutions in how we see the world do occur, the bulk of our scientific understanding comes from the cumulative impact of numerous incremental studies that together paint an increasingly coherent picture of how nature works.

Michael E. Mann

Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion


Introduction[edit]

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

This Day in Skepticism ()[edit]

  • Nov 23 1963: 50th Anniversary of Dr. Who

News Items[edit]

Earth-Like Planets ()[edit]

Image of Saturn ()[edit]

6-Tailed Asteroid ()[edit]

Chopra Attacks Skeptics ()[edit]

Typhoon Haiyan ()[edit]

Who's That Noisy ()[edit]

  • Answer pending

Name That Logical Fallacy ()[edit]

  • Name That Logical Fallacy

I can’t seem to categorize what fallacy this might be: Lets say Jay tells Bob that Steve is going to lie to him tonight, then Steve tells Bob something which is true, but Bob says, ”Ah-hah! I know not to believe you, because Jay already told me you were going to lie!”For me, this came in the form of childhood indoctrination and being told that my religious views were the truth, and that people who believed other things had been deceived, therefore I ”knew” not to believe them. It wasn’t until my twenties that I began to realize I actually had no idea which side of that fence I was on. I had been trusting my peers, so I might say it was something like an appeal to authority, but I feel like it has more to do with thinking that you have advanced knowledge of an oncoming lie, and that causing you to disregard the contradictory information without pause. I think that there are many variations of this, from conspiracy theories to the tactics of con artists. I just don’t know how to classify it.Side note* You guys have some of the most naturally flowing advertisements I’ve heard on a podcast (not sarcasm). You often move through them like natural conversation which is more pleasant than some of the more abrupt and forced sounding ads I’ve heard hosts do on other podcasts.Albany NY

Questions and E-mails[edit]

Question #1. Do Animals Get Cancer Follow Up ()[edit]

http://www.nature.com/news/simple-molecule-prevents-mole-rats-from-getting-cancer-1.13236

Science or Fiction ()[edit]

Item #1: A new study suggests that a bacteria found in the turnip might prevent the flu, and human clinical trials are happening right now. Item #2: Scientists have reportedly succeeded in killing a bacteria using a protein taken from a virus. Item #3: Researchers have shown that bacteria released from the scent glands of a hyena leaves detailed information about the hyena, information equivalent to what you would read on a person’s Facebook profile.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()[edit]

“Although scientific revolutions in how we see the world do occur, the bulk of our scientific understanding comes from the cumulative impact of numerous incremental studies that together paint an increasingly coherent picture of how nature works.”- Michael E. Mann

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners are what make SGU possible.


References[edit]


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