SGU Episode 790

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SGU Episode 790
August 29th 2020
(brief caption for the episode icon)
SGU 789	SGU 791
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
Open-mindedness is about being open to changing your mind in light of new evidence. It’s about detaching from your beliefs and focusing on unbiased thinking void of self-interest. It’s about being open to constructive criticism and new ideas. People who are sceptical do all of this as well—they challenge ideas and they withhold judgment until sufficient evidence is provided—they are open to all possibilities until sufficient evidence is presented.
Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D., author of Critical Thinking: Conceptual Perspectives and Practical Guidelines
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Topic

Introduction

Voiceover: You're listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, your escape to reality.

COVID-19 Update ()

• Science-Based Medicine: Does convalescent plasma work against COVID-19? Who knows?

News Items

S:

B:

C:

J:

E:

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

Recyclable Plastic ()

• New Scientist: A new type of plastic may be the first that is infinitely recyclable

Honey Cure ()

• Live Science: Is honey really a miracle cure for coughs and colds?

Super Endurance ()

• SlashGear: Known enzyme may be key to unlocking super endurance in humans

Supernova and Mass Extinction ()

• Neurologica: Supernova Mass Extinction

Who's That Noisy? ()

• Answer to last week’s Noisy: _brief_description_perhaps_with_link_

New Noisy ()

[_short_vague_description_of_Noisy]

Questions/Emails/Corrections/Follow-ups ()

Question #1: Apolloneuro ()

• Apollo: How it Works

Lately I've been seeing ads for this product plastered all over my social media. It claims to help you fall asleep by vibrating the skin on your ankle? They also make a lot of claims about being developed by top neuroscientists and being backed by research and clinical trials (that they’re conveniently not allowed to share just yet). Is there any plausibility to this at all or is it total BS? – Matthew

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	digesting rice
Science	southern penguins
Science	backward ankle

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Jay	southern penguins
Evan	digesting rice
Bob	southern penguins
Cara	digesting rice

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Theme: Bird Misconceptions
Item #1: Birds' knees do not bend backward relative to humans; the backward bending joint is, in fact, their ankle.
Item #2: Birds are unable to digest rice, which will collect and expand in their GI system, potentially leading to death.
Item #3: Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere, but in many locations, including in the Galapagos near the equator.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

Open-mindedness is about being open to changing your mind in light of new evidence. It’s about detaching from your beliefs and focusing on unbiased thinking void of self-interest. It’s about being open to constructive criticism and new ideas. People who are sceptical do all of this as well—they challenge ideas and they withhold judgment until sufficient evidence is provided—they are open to all possibilities until sufficient evidence is presented.
– Christopher Dwyer, Ph.D., author of Critical Thinking: Conceptual Perspectives and Practical Guidelines

Signoff/Announcements ()

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.

Today I Learned

• Fact/Description, possibly with an article reference
• Fact/Description
• Fact/Description

References

Vocabulary