SGU Episode 936

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SGU Episode 936
June 17th 2023
The Ivory-billed woodpecker isn’t extinct (again!)
SGU 935                      SGU 937
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
KJ: David Kyle Johnson, professor of philosophy
Quote of the Week
All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt.
Susan Sontag, American writer
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, In Memoriam: Bruce Press, preparing for death

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]

Schizophrenia and Auto-Immune Disease (6:09)

• Woman with Catatonia for Years Wakes After Treatment

3D Printing Glass (21:04)

• Nanomaterials: 3D printing of glass without sintering

sintering [discussion about talking about sintering previously]^{[link needed]}

Smoke Blocks Solar Energy (26:02)

• Wildfire smoke slashed solar power generation

Retooling Ribosome Translation (35:48)

• Retooling the ribosomal translation machine could expand chemical repertoire of cells

Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Again) (45:48)

• Ivory-billed woodpecker isn’t extinct (again) 

Who's That Noisy? (54:55)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Tree branch bridging two high-power lines

New Noisy (58:42)

[animal chitting/cackling laugh sounds]

J: ... Well you're just going to have to wait, just have to wait until next week.

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:00:42)

Question #1: UFO Sighting

Been listening since 2006ish, love you guys. Had feet in hot tub with wife and we noticed a string of lights in the sky. Immediately joked it was a UFO but it was something I've never seen in 13 years in Ocean View, Norfolk [Virginia, USA]. To me it reminded me of the speed of a slow plane pulling a sign message. Not sure how how to get images but it would be awesome to share. If you debunk I'll sign up to patreon!

– Very respectfully, Andrew Albertson, Norfolk, VA, USA

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Interview with David Kyle Johnson (1:04:14)

• "The Argument from reason"; Dr. Johnson's biography

S: Joining us now is Dr. David Kyle Johnson. David, welcome back to the Skeptics' Guide.

KJ:

The Evolution argument (1:29:16)

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Science or Fiction (1:40:17)

Item #1: A new study finds that human redistribution of fresh water has caused the Earth's rotational pole to drift 78.48 cm between 1993 and 2010. Item #2: A recent analysis of the Geminids meteoroid stream indicates that it likely originated from the Moon. Item #3: Scientists have developed a wireless muometric navigation system that uses muons from cosmic rays as their reference and can work even deep underground.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Geminids from the Moon
Science	Redistribution of water
Science	Muometric navigation

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Bob	Geminids from the Moon
Cara	Geminids from the Moon
Jay	Redistribution of water
Evan	Geminids from the Moon

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:59:13)

All photographs are memento mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person's mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time's relentless melt.  – Susan Sontag (1933-2004), American writer, philosopher, and political activist

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