SGU Episode 472

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SGU Episode 472
26th Jul 2014
LunarPits2.jpg
(brief caption for the episode icon)

SGU 471                      SGU 473

Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella

B: Bob Novella

J: Jay Novella

E: Evan Bernstein

Quote of the Week

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.

John Kenneth Galbraith

Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion


Introduction

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

This Day in Skepticism ()

July 26, 1895 Pierre and Marie Curie Married http://wiki.answers.com/Q/When_did_Marie_Curie_and_Pierre_Curie_get_married

News Items

SGU Gets Sued ()

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/another-lawsuit-to-suppress-legitimate-criticism-this-time-sbm/

Mike Adams and Monsanto ()

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/mike-adams-is-a-dangerous-loon/

Malaysia Flight MH17 Conspiracy Theories ()

Ken Ham Denies Aliens ()

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/aliens-are-sinners/

Pits on the Moon ()

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/the-surface-of-the-moon-is-the-pits-unless-youre-in-a-pit

Who's That Noisy? ()

  • Answer to #469: Janov
  • #470: Benny Hinn

Questions and Emails ()

Humor in Science ()

Love the show – long time listener and so forth. I look forward to meeting you all at the upcoming Australian Skeptic's conference. This question may be of particular interest to Jay, as he strikes me as a Weird Al fan… I was listening to the new Weird Al Yankovic album Mandatory Fun earlier today and it got me thinking (always a good thing) – do you think humour is a good introduction to skepticism? Weird Al's song 'Word Crimes' is a good example of this – it attacks common grammatical and linguistic errors via a catchy (if somewhat disposable) song. George Hrab also skirts the line between education and piss-taking in some of his songs, but humour can be a double edged sword, particularly if people think you're making fun of them. What do you think? Is humour a good way to get around mental barriers that a logical argument may not? On a totally different note, I am a hot air balloon pilot and would like to offer you a flight when you're in Australia. Hopefully the finer details of the trip are starting to come together – please let me know if you're at all interested as there are some logistics involved in arranging crew. I gave Geo a flight the last time he was out here so he should be able to vouch for my comparative safety. Keep up the good work, Cheers, John Turnbull Sydney Australia ps. forgive the constant misspelling of the word 'humour' – I am Australian and that is how it is spelt ;)

Science or Fiction ()

Item #1: A new study finds that mouse-eared bats use the polarization of light in the evening sky to calibrate their magnetic sense of direction. Item #2: Researchers find that worker honey bees keep their hives cool by using their bodies to absorb heat and then transfer the heat to cooler parts of the hive. #3: A 15-year study of blue whale feeding behavior finds that their feeding grounds have been moving steadily north.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.

John Kenneth Galbraith

Announcements ()

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


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