SGU Episode 784

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SGU Episode 784
July 18th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 783                      SGU 785
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
SA: Stephon Alexander
Quote of the Week
Hopefully, the 27th time’s the charm.
Grant Imahara
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

"Dog Years" Myth ()

• Today: Forget 'dog years' - Scientists say we've been calculating our pups' ages wrong

Fighting Climate Change with Rock Dust ()

• Ars Technica: Spreading rock dust on farms could be a major climate action

Visual Perception and Filtering ()

• Neurologica: Imagining vs. Seeing
• Neurologica: The Brain's Filter

Underused Terahertz Radiation ()

• Phys.org: Underused part of the electromagnetic spectrum gets optics boost from metamaterial

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Drill Cleaner

New Noisy ()

[brief, vague description of Noisy]

Interview with Stephon Alexander ()

• The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	Organic solvent
Science	Energy converter
Science	Sea water fuel

Host	Result
Steve	sweep

Rogue	Guess

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: Scientists have developed an organic solvent that can dissolve any source of cellulose at room temperature, tripling the efficiency of producing biofuel from plant waste.
Item #2: Scientists have demonstrated a solar energy converter with 85% efficiency and project a cost of 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Item #3: Researchers have developed a catalyst that can be used in the conversion of sea water to fuel and calculate that it will function at industrial scale.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Hopefully, the 27th time's the charm.
– Grant Imahara (1970-2020), American electrical engineer, roboticist, television host, and actor.

Signoff/Announcements ()

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.

Today I Learned

• Fact/Description, possibly with an article reference
• Fact/Description
• Fact/Description

References

Vocabulary