SGU Episode 655

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SGU Episode 655
January 27th 2018
Duck-sized "rainbow dinosaur" had iridescent plumage
SGU 654                      SGU 656
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Guest
RS: Richard Saunders, Australian skeptic
Quote of the Week
The borderlines between genuine science and pseudoscience may be fuzzy, but this should be even more of a call for careful distinctions, based on systematic facts and sound reasoning. To try a modicum of turtle blood here and a little aspirin there is not the hallmark of wisdom and even-mindedness. It is a dangerous gateway to superstition and irrationality.
Massimo Pigliucci and Maarten Boudry, Italian and Belgian philosophers and skeptics, respectively
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Discussion

Introduction, Back-to-back recordings, Hawaii, "Blue Planet"

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

What's the Word? (3:12)

• Altricial

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Consumer Electronics Show 2018 (7:10)

• Top 18 Tech Trends At CES 2018

Space Lasers (19:48)

• Lasers In Space: Debris Removal, Power Supply To Moon Among Proposed Applications

Rainbow Dinosaur (28:25)

• New 'Rainbow' Dinosaur May Have Sparkled Like a Hummingbird

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups (37:04)

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_
with_reduced_spacing_for_long_chunks –

Interview with Richard Saunders (56:16)

• Skeptical podcasting and conspiracy theories

Science or Fiction (1:22:58)

Theme: The Milky Way Item #1: If you viewed the Milky Way edge on it would appear like a perfectly straight band about 10 thousand light years thick with a bulge in the middle. Item #2: The Milky Way has three rings, comprised of streams of millions of stars. Item #3: The Milky Way is estimated to be 13.6 billion years old, almost as old as the universe itself at 13.7 billion years.

Answer	Item
Fiction	On edge a straight band
Science	Three rings of star streams
Science	Almost as old as universe

Host	Result
Steve	clever

Rogue	Guess
Evan	Almost as old as universe
Jay	Three rings of star streams
Cara	On edge a straight band
Bob	Almost as old as universe

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

Skeptical Quote of the Week (1:43:25)

The borderlines between genuine science and pseudoscience may be fuzzy, but this should be even more of a call for careful distinctions, based on systematic facts and sound reasoning. To try a modicum of turtle blood here and a little aspirin there is not the hallmark of wisdom and even-mindedness. It is a dangerous gateway to superstition and irrationality.
– Massimo Pigliucci and Maarten Boudry, Italian and Belgian philosophers and skeptics, respectively

Signoff

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

S: The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. For more information on this and other episodes, please visit our website at theskepticsguide.org, where you will find the show notes as well as links to our blogs, videos, online forum, and other content. You can send us feedback or questions to info@theskepticsguide.org. Also, please consider supporting the SGU by visiting the store page on our website, where you will find merchandise, premium content, and subscription information. Our listeners 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