SGU Episode 963

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SGU Episode 963
December 23rd 2023
"A prominent extraterrestrial-hunting scientist thinks that more than 50 tiny, metal spheres pulled from the Pacific Ocean might be the work of intelligent aliens. Others are skeptical."
SGU 962                      SGU 964
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
EB: Eli Bosnick, American comedian & podcaster
Quote of the Week
It's all about being a part of something in the community, socializing with people who share interests and coming together to help improve the world we live in.
Zach Braff, American actor and filmmaker
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Live from NotACon

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

Quickie with Steve (3:59)

• 'Anomalous' metal spheres unlikely to be alien technology, despite Harvard scientist's claim 

• Anthropogenic Coal Ash as a Contaminant in a Micro-meteoritic Underwater Search
   (Note: These two articles are not from the SGU show notes page, but Steve mentions the second one in the show.)

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Making Lunar Roads with Sunlight (6:12)

• Scientists want to make moon roads by blasting lunar soil with sunlight

(click to create redirect page)

...gets everywhere.

Misinformation vs Disinformation (15:50)

• [url_from_show_notes _article_title_]

Gravitational Waves As Fast As Light (33:20)

• Light and gravitational waves don’t arrive simultaneously

(click to create redirect page)

Fluoride and IQ (43:43)

• Fluoride and IQ

(click to create redirect page)

Homeopathy Article Retracted (1:01:22)

• Paper on homeopathy for ADHD retracted for "deficiencies"

(click to create redirect page)

Dark GPT (1:10:40)

• Combatting ChatGPT's Evil Spawn: How Fraud Tools Like WormGPT, WolfGPT And FraudGPT Make Phishing Easier And Malware More Powerful

(click to create redirect page)

...500-something transcripts...

Special Segment: "That was definitely paranormal!" (1:23:18)

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Science or Fiction (1:28:11)

Theme: Extinction Item #1: After the Permian extinction 252 million years ago, the land was dominated by large amphibians, until late in the Triassic when dinosaurs rose to prominence. Item #2: The T-rex lifespan was only about 28 years, with the oldest specimen being 29 years old. Item #3: The Pyrenean Ibex was the only animal ever to be brought back from extinction.

Answer	Item
Fiction	Large amphibians dominated until the late Triassic
Science	T-rex's lifespan
Science	Extinct ibex brought back

Host	Result
Steve	sweep

Rogue	Guess
Eli	Extinct ibex brought back
Cara	T-rex's lifespan
Jay	T-rex's lifespan
Bob	T-rex's lifespan
Evan	Extinct ibex brought back
Audience	Extinct ibex brought back

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

Steve Explains Item #3

S: ...it's a pretty animal...

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:39:19)

It's all about being a part of something in the community, socializing with people who share interests and coming together to help improve the world we live in.  – Zach Braff (1975-present), American actor and filmmaker

Signoff

S: —and until next week, this is your Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. (applause)

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