SGU Episode 922

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SGU Episode 922
March 11th 2023
T-rex stalking a pair of Torosaurus. Artist: Luis V. Rey
SGU 921                      SGU 923
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Science is magic that works.
Kurt Vonnegut, American writer
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Cara's trip to Jordan and Covid

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

Dumbest Thing of the Week (12:47)

• Want more money? Need better sleep? Try feng shui?

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Blood Test for Anxiety (24:02)

• Blood Test for Anxiety Developed

Mars Sample Return (43:05)

• The big reveal: What's ahead in returning samples from Mars?

Dinosaurs' Colors (51:02)

• Dinosaurs like T.rex could have resembled brightly coloured birds, says palaeo expert

Cosmic Rays and the Pyramids (1:04:47)

• Scientists have mapped a secret hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza

Who's That Noisy? (1:12:09)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Simon game

New Noisy (1:15:05)

[Repetitive, whirring, buzzing, and beeping of various intervals]

short_text_from_transcript

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups

Correction #3: BetterHelp concerns (1:24:02)

• FTC: Online counseling service BetterHelp pushed people into handing over health information – and broke its privacy promises
  • BetterHelp's Response to the Recent FTC Settlement

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Science or Fiction (1:32:26)

Theme: COVID-19 pandemic news Item #1: A new analysis finds that if California did not shut down during the pandemic, and kept business as usual, unemployment would still have risen, to 5.4% from 3.9% pre-pandemic, instead of the 8.4% actual unemployment rate, but an additional 120,000 deaths from Covid would have occurred. Item #2: A systematic review of 137 studies worldwide finds that symptoms of anxiety and depression significantly rose during the pandemic, especially among women. Item #3: A new study finds that New York City rats are susceptible to and have been exposed to the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Anxiety, depression rose significantly
Science	California with no shut down
Science	NYC rats get Covid

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Cara	Anxiety, depression rose significantly
Bob	Anxiety, depression rose significantly
Evan	Anxiety, depression rose significantly
Jay	California with no shut down

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:50:10)

Science is magic that works.  – Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007), American writer and humorist

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