SGU Episode 649

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SGU Episode 649
December 16th 2017
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SGU 648                      SGU 650
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
Quote of the Week
A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as people often think) but a vice. Every genuine test of a theory is an attempt to falsify it, or refute it.
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, Austrian-British philosopher
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Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

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

Forgotten Superheroes of Science ()

• Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker (1901-1957), British phycologist who single-handedly saved sushi as we know it today

News Items

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

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Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: Kulning, or herding calls

New Noisy ()

[_short_vague_description_of_Noisy]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

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Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction
Science

Host	Result
Steve	swept

Rogue	Guess

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: Scientists report a breakthrough with hydrogen-boron fusion using lasers and predict a working prototype within 10 years.
Item #2: Engineers at Wageningen University have developed a system by which they can harvest electricity directly from plants, and bioengineered a tree that, when mature, several together can produce enough electricity to power a small home.
Item #3: Researchers demonstrate a method they claim can be used to convert 850 million tons of atmospheric CO2 into a mineral each year, using seawater and scrap metal, and producing hydrogen as a side product.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific. Irrefutability is not a virtue of a theory (as people often think) but a vice. Every genuine test of a theory is an attempt to falsify it or refute it.
– Sir Karl Raimund Popper (1902-1994), Austrian-British philosopher

Signoff/Announcements ()

S: —and until next week, this is your Skeptics' Guide to the Universe.

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.

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.

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Today I Learned

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

References

Vocabulary