SGU Episode 658

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SGU Episode 658
February 17th 2018
A depiction of presbyopia
SGU 657                      SGU 659
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
You look at science (or at least talk of it) as some sort of demoralising invention of man, something apart from real life, and which must be cautiously guarded and kept separate from everyday existence. But science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.
Rosalind Franklin, British chemist
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Water ruins Tuesday recording

Voice-over: 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]

Win Against Homeopathy (10:40)

• Ontario College Plans Program in Homeopathy

Life Beneath the Ice (19:57)

• Scientists Rush to Explore Underwater World Hidden Below Ice for 120,000 Years

Aside: Door-opening Robot (25:34)

New dog-like robot from Boston Dynamics can open doors

Illuminati (27:27)

• The 'Illuminati' is REAL and secretly running our world claims former Defense Minister

Cancer-Fighting Nanorobots (39:20)

• Cancer-fighting nanorobots programmed to seek and destroy tumors

What's the Word? (49:03)

• Presbyopia

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_

Who's That Noisy? (1:02:14)

Answer to previous Noisy:

MIDI file of piano-interpolation of "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees

J:

New Noisy (1:06:52)

[hissing and crackling in the foreground; intermittent whooping-metal tone in the background]

J: It could be a lot of different things, Steve.

Science or Fiction (1:09:38)

Item #1: MIT engineers present a new neural network computer chip that is up to 7 times faster and uses 95% less energy than an equivalent conventional digital chip. Item #2: A new study finds that couples where either partner drinks one or more sugar-sweetened beverage per day have a decreased chance of getting pregnant. Item #3: An analysis of the last 25 years of data shows that safe-sleep recommendations have not decreased the rate of sudden infant death in the neonatal period.

Answer	Item
Fiction	New neural network chip
Science	Sugary drinks & pregnancy
Science	Safe sleep recs mystery

Host	Result
Steve	sweep

Rogue	Guess
Evan	Sugary drinks & pregnancy
Bob	Safe sleep recs mystery
Cara	Safe sleep recs mystery
Jay	Safe sleep recs mystery

Voice-over: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Steve Explains Item #2

fecundability

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:27:57)

You look at science (or at least talk of it) as some sort of demoralising invention of man, something apart from real life, and which must be cautiously guarded and kept separate from everyday existence. But science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.
– Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958), British chemist and X-ray crystallographer

Signoff

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.

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Today I Learned

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

References

Vocabulary