SGU Episode 920

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SGU Episode 920
February 25th 2023
Ghost hunting devices & gadgets you can use to track paranormal activity 🤦‍♂️
SGU 919                      SGU 921
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Of the many other so-called "disciplines" taught here, Divination is perhaps the most feeble, especially in its nonsensical practice of Astrology. Do not confuse Astronomy and Astrology: one is concerned with mysteries stellar and lunar, the other is mere lunacy.
Professor Satyavati Shah from the game Hogwarts Legacy
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction

Voice-over: You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

Quickie with Steve (10:06)

• Serial Dependence Bias

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

The 4-Day Work Week (13:09)

• The 4-Day Work Week and Health

Infants vs AI (24:55)

• Infants Outperform AI in “Commonsense Psychology”

Black Holes and Dark Energy (34:47)

• Black holes may be the source of mysterious dark energy that makes up most of the universe

Paranormal Gadgets (45:35)

• Ghost Hunting: 5 Devices & Gadgets You Can Use to Track Paranormal Activity

Superalloys (1:01:21)

• 3D Printing Superalloys

Who's That Noisy? (1:14:49)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Treadle ("TREH-duhl") sewing machine

New Noisy (1:19:12)

[hissing with low and high guttural animal honking/humming]

J: ... But anyway, what is making that noise? If you think you know, or if you heard something cool, email me at WTN@theskepticsguide.org. ...

Announcements (1:20:38)

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Science or Fiction (1:22:02)

Theme: Life Item #1: The Atlas Blue butterfly has the most chromosomes of any eukaryotic diploid creature, at between 448 and 452. Item #2: About two-thirds of all people who have ever been over 65 years of age are alive today. Item #3: Despite claims of living fossils, there is no evidence for any extant species existing for more than about 3 million years.

Answer	Item
Fiction	⅔ all people to live >65 years are alive today
Science	No extant species >3 M.y.o.
Science	Atlas Blue butterfly

Host	Result
Steve	sweep

Rogue	Guess
Bob	No extant species >3 M.y.o.
Cara	No extant species >3 M.y.o.
Evan	No extant species >3 M.y.o.
Jay	No extant species >3 M.y.o.

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:36:42)

Of the many other so-called "disciplines" taught here, Divination is perhaps the most feeble, especially in its nonsensical practice of Astrology. Do not confuse Astronomy and Astrology: one is concerned with mysteries stellar and lunar, the other is mere lunacy.  – Professor Satyavati Shah (late 19th century), from the video game Hogwarts Legacy. She was a British or Irish professor of Astronomy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Signoff

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.

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Today I Learned

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

References

Vocabulary