SGU Episode 371

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Introduction

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

This Day in Skepticism ()

• August 25, 1835 Great Moon Hoax.

News Items

The Sun is Round ()

• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120817-sun-shape-round-science-space-nasa/

DNA Storage ()

• http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/134672-harvard-cracks-dna-storage-crams-700-terabytes-of-data-into-a-single-gram

FDA and Homeopathy ()

• http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1807-fda-ensures-magic-rituals-are-done-properly.html

Final Week for Kickstarter Campaign ()

• http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sgu/occ-the-skeptical-caveman-a-new-webseries

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week: Adam Savage

Questions and Emails ()

Pregnancy from Rape ()

As you all are probably aware by now GOP senate candidate & current congressman Todd Akins said today that in cases of "legitimate rape" women's bodies don't allow them to be impregnated. Grass roots conservatives have begun to trot links like this out to support this belief: http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/492/26/, could you guys put out an analysis of GOP claims on this issue? a non-supporting study being tossed around in the last few hours: http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378%2896%2970141-2/abstract clearly the real case they're making is more along the lines of "pregnancies by rape are in a small enough minority no one should care about them", as if we don't care about other human healthcare issues in cases of extremely rare infections and diseases that only inflict a small handful of people per year. regardless, i really think it would be great to have a skeptical analysis of all the data on this issue on the public record for current & future reference. i expect this to be a hot topic for the next couple of days in political circles and on cable news.

E-bay and Magic ()

Hi guys, love the show! Have you seen this? It caught my attention because you have discussed the sale of "magic spells" on one of your shows (I am currently making my way through the back catalog). http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_bn1#/video/bestoftv/2012/08/17/exp-point-get-real-ebay.cnn Keep up the excellent work! Agnes Lech-Nunenkamp

Interview with Chris Ford ()

• Interview with Chris Ford, Business Director for Pixar http://macanimationpro.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=32718

Science or Fiction ()

S: Item number one. Astronomers have discovered the first evidence of a planet being devoured by its aging star. Item number two. A new study demonstrates that peanut butter can be used as an effective oil dispersant for large environmental oil spills. And item number three. Researchers find that artificial platelet-like nanoparticles nearly double survival after severe trauma with internal bleeding.

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:16:58)

Hence the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.

J: Frederich Nietzsche!

References