SGU Episode 946

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SGU Episode 946
August 26th 2023
An illustration of the Chandrayaan-3 lander and rover duo on the surface of the Moon. Illustration: ISRO
SGU 945                      SGU 947
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.
David Letterman, U.S. late night TV host
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Dragon Con 2023, Crocs

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

S: Hello and welcome to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Today is Thursday, August 24^th, 2023, and this is your host, Steven Novella. Joining me this week are Bob Novella...

B: Hey, everybody!

S: Cara Santa Maria...

C: Howdy.

S: Jay Novella...

J: Hey guys.

S: ...and Evan Bernstein.

E: Good evening, folks.

S: So guys are a week away from DragonCon.

B: Oh, I can't wait.

C: You guys excited?

E: Yes.

S: I haven't been in several years because of the pandemic.

E: It's four or five years for me.

C: It's going to be hot and sticky. Welcome to the South.

S: Four years. It was 2019.Last time we were there.

E: That was our last.

J: I'm expecting intense heat. For sure.

B: Yeah, for sure.

J: I don't think since the pandemic, I've been to anything this people dense, and it's been a very long time.

S: Yeah, I know. We've been talking about, even though we're going and et cetera, should we wear masks? And I think if I'm going to be in, not going to wear it all the time, but I'm going to be in intense crowds, I think I'm going to wear a mask.

C: I would. I mean, if I'm being honest, I'm not going, of course, but I would wear a mask. I just got a text yesterday from a new therapist who was supposed to come to one of my sessions with a client for a warm handoff, and he texted me and was like, can't come. Just tested positive for COVID. He had been in my office the day before, and I was like, no. But it's still happening, you guys.

S: Every single year that we've gone to DragonCon, you get the con crud, but now the con crud is COVID. That's basically what's going to happen.

B: Not me.

J: Don't say that, Bob.

E: Don't say that, man. You could catch it at any time.

C: Tempting fate.

S: Bob, you've got tricky stuff coming up.

B: I'll be wearing N95, man.

C: Yeah, if you do that.

B: N95.

C: Yeah, N95. And keep that handy sanny in your pocket the whole time.

E: I will not touch a damn thing.

J: Yeah, it's good that you said that, Bob. I've got to order some masks.

B: I've got too much stuff going on in November. If I miss Disney because of COVID, people will die.

C: I can't believe. We had a whole conversation offline, but I can't believe you're going to Disney two weeks after I go.

B: I know.

C: This is very exciting. We have to share notes.

B: Yes. I told Steve's daughter and future son-in-law are going to be there when Liz and I are there, so we're going to cross our paths one day.

E: Wow.

C: Oh, that's exciting.

S: Yeah, my daughter just got engaged last weekend.

C: Wow. She's so young. I guess that's normal.

S: Yeah, I know.

E: I was anticipating that was going to happen down in Atlanta, but okay.

S: No.

C: Oh.

E: I had a vibe. I had a feeling, but I was just off by a week. Okay.

S: They got engaged at a ren faire.

C: That's so cute.

E: Oh, no.

J: Her fiance is literally perfect for our family.

S: Yeah, he can stay, this guy.

C: That's so sweet.

S: So speaking of DragonCon, though, just want to make sure everybody knows, if you're going to be there, and if you haven't been to DragonCon, it's a hoot. You really should consider going. If you're going to be there, we have a private show on Sunday, Jay, it's 4.30?

J: Yes.

S: Yes. So just go to the website. You can see all the details, buy tickets. Our DragonCon private shows, there's a live recording at SGU, and we have time to hang out and have fun. Those are always the most off-the-hook episodes that we record. They're always a lot of fun.

J: Yeah. Just go to [theskepticsguide.org homepage, and you'll see a link on there.

S: Yeah. Just go to the events page.

J: Cara, when do you move home?

C: So I've got another week, technically, of work, but I'm not seeing clients. I'm just doing all the final paperwork, and then I go to Disney, and then I start driving across the country, but I will not go all the way to LA because I've been invited to speak at QED. So I will make it to Texas, visit my folks for a while, and then fly to Manchester and speak at QED, and stay in Europe for a few weeks and really enjoy the fruits of the PhD labor. Just take a proper trip. Then I'll come back and make the rest of the trip to LA. So I'm probably actually not going to get back to the West Coast until late October/November, but I'm done here in a couple of weeks, and then I'm just going to go on some adventures. Did I tell you guys what I did? I think I might have already told you this. I wore a hole in my Crocs. Did I tell you this?

J: No.

E: Is that even possible?

B: Wow.

C: Yes. One year of walking a mile to and from work every day wears a hole in your, physical hole.

E: Try walking a mile in her Crocs.

C: That's amazing.

B: That's a good cardio, man.

C: Pretty symbolic right there.

E: Did you come to? No blisters? Nothing?

C: No, not with Crocs. Crocs are the best.

E: Okay.

C: I've become like a full convert. They're super comfortable.

J: I wouldn't wear them.

E: Socks with Crocs?

C: No socks.

J: If they were the last pair of shoes on the planet, I would not put Crocs on.

E: I wouldn't wear those wooden clogs.

C: Crocs are, I mean, there's a reason that like Steve, you see this in the hospital. There's a reason that healthcare professionals wear them. There's a reason that chefs wear them. They are so comfortable. And for me, being in Florida, where you never know if it's going to pour down rain or be super humid and sticky, like they're the most brilliant shoes to walk around in. Step in a puddle, the water just flows right out. And then they're just dry. They're brilliant. And you can put them in sport mode. I might have to get a new pair for Disney.

B: Wow.

E: Wow.

J: Do you wear those things that people stick in their Crocs?

C: Oh, the um. The little badges. That sounded dirty. Yeah, the little charms. I know. I don't have any charms on my Crocs, but people do it.

E: You can buy them at the Peter Pan exhibit and they'll be the TikTok Crocs.

C: They probably have like Disney Crocs. I can probably get some custom Crocs there for sure.

S: We should get SGU things to go in those little Croc holes.

C: Oh, that would be so cute. Little SGU Croc charms. Oh, you guys, I'm going to convince you.

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Releasing Fukushima Radioactive Water (6:15)

• Should Japan Release Radioactive Water Into The Pacific?

Online Gaming and Mental Health (17:53)

• Online gaming communities could provide a lifeline for isolated young men − new research

Quickies with Steve (30:02)

• Gradient Nanostructured Steel

Supernova and Neutrinos (41:59)

• A nearby supernova could reveal the secret lives of ghostly neutrinos. Here's how.

Recent Lunar Missions (49:29)

• India's Chandrayaan-3 Lander Successfully Launches on Mission to Moon's South Pole

Who's That Noisy? (59:47)

Answer to previous Noisy:

Pufferfish puffing up

New Noisy (1:04:14)

[_short_vague_description_of_Noisy]

what this week's Noisy is

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (1:08:34)

Email #1: Gender Affirming Care and Regret

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Science or Fiction (1:26:03)

Theme: Proteins Item #1: "Hero" proteins in humans are heat-resistant long-lived proteins that have no direct function themselves but help keep other proteins from clumping and causing cell aging. Item #2: The longest known protein in vertebrates is called titin, which can be 350,000 amino acids long. Item #3: The median half-life of human proteins is 8.7 hours.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Longest known protein
Science	"Hero" proteins
Science	Median half-life

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Jay	Median half-life
Evan	Longest known protein
Bob	Longest known protein
Cara	Longest known protein

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:38:30)

America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.  – David Letterman (1947-present), American television host, comedian, writer and producer

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