SGU Episode 805

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SGU Episode 805
December 12th 2020
SGU 804	SGU 806
Skeptical Rogues
S: Steven Novella
B: Bob Novella
C: Cara Santa Maria
J: Jay Novella
E: Evan Bernstein
Quote of the Week
That which parents should take care of (here) is to distinguish between the wants of fancy, and those of nature.
John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education
Links
Download Podcast
Show Notes
Forum Topic

Introduction

Voiceover: 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]

Chuck Yeager Dies at 97 ()

• Chuck Yeager, first pilot to break the sound barrier, dies at 97

The Smellicopter ()

• 'The Smellicopter,' an obstacle-avoiding drone that uses a live moth antenna to seek out smells

COVID Anti-Vaxxers ()

• Anti-Vaccine Doctor Has Been Invited to Testify Before Senate Committee

Are We Ready for Aliens ()

• I Think We’re Ready for Aliens

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 ()

_consider_using_block_quotes_for_emails_read_aloud_in_this_segment_ with_reduced_spacing_for_long_chunks –

Name That Logical Fallacy ()

• More on "Slippery Slope"

Science or Fiction ()

Answer	Item
Fiction	dog language ability
Science	honey bees use a tool
Science	inherited eye disorder

Host	Result
Steve	win

Rogue	Guess
Evan	dog language ability
Bob	dog language ability
Jay	inherited eye disorder
Cara	dog language ability
'

Voiceover: It's time for Science or Fiction.

Item #1: In the first instance of honey bees using a tool, they have been found to deliberately cover their nest entrance with animal feces in order to repel giant hornets.
Item #2: In a new study of canine language ability, dogs demonstrated the ability to differentiate even words that differ by a single phoneme.
Item #3: In a breakthrough study, a genetic therapy for an inherited mitochondrial eye disorder found that injecting the gene vector into one eye improved vision in both eyes.

Skeptical Quote of the Week ()

That which parents should take care of (here) is to distinguish between the wants of fancy, and those of nature.
– John Locke (1632-1704), from Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1693

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.

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Today I Learned

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

References

Vocabulary