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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 257 - 6/14/2010
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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, LLC - dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science through online and other media. The first episode of the SGU podcast went online on May 4th, 2005. It soon became a popular science/skeptical podcast, and remains one of the most popular science podcasts on iTunes.
SGU Podcasting Awards: SGU on XM: You can listen to the SGU on America's Talk XM 166 every Saturday night from 8-9pm Eastern.
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Podcast
257
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June 14, 2010
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News Items: Hayabusa Returns, Einstein's Brain, Largest Radio Telescope Array, Amityville Horror House for Sale
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Cursed Cell Phone Number, Soy, Magic Bee Juice
Name That Logical Fallacy
Science or Fiction
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Who's That Noisy
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Who's That Noisy
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Answer to last week:
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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Question #1 - Cursed Cell Phone Number
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The cursed cell phone number
Thought you guys might like this story of truly stupid superstitious thinking that misses the glaringly obvious.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7763578/Mobile-phone-number-suspended-after-three-users-die-in-10-years.html
Danforth France
Glendale, CA
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Question #2 - Soy
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Steve - You made the offhand comment that there are "serious concerns" that soy milk is producing an estrogen type hormonal effect.
I am a vegan bodybuilder who drinks a quart of soy milk everyday. I am concerned your offhand comment will scare people away from switching to a healthier milk alternative with no saturated fat.
I've looked in the past when people have made these claims, and all I can find is that there may be some very mild effect, but nothing that rises to the level of your "serious concern" comment. If there was, there would be serious estrogen related issues throughout Asian countries.
Since you felt it necessary to scare people away from soy by telling them about the "serious concerns" science has with soy milk, I hope you will provide the research on you next show that proves soy milk causes serious estrogen like effects.
I do love the show, and I thank everyone for the time and effort you guys put into it every week.
Michael Wilson
Prescott, AZ
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Question #3 - Magic Bee Juice
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One of the branches of the company I work for in Japan has started selling Propolis as a means to make more money in a bad economy. This branch has repeatedly tried to get me to buy some of this magic bee juice. Many of my Japanese co-workers have taken the bait. They are putting bee juice in their drinks and swallowing magic bee juice pills. When I ask them if they feel any better, they all say they aren’t sure. Hmm… I think the company I work for has a snake oill division. Do you know of any scientific evidence that shows any benefit to taking Propolis? All the information I found say that Propolis may contain lead and other garbage bees pick up while flying around the city. Thank you for your time.
David Gardner
Osaka, Japan
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Segment: Name That Logical Fallacy
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Question #2 - Personality Tests
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Steve,
I'm trying to figure out the difference between the Incorrect Cause fallacy and the Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc fallacy? Skepticwiki is telling me that Post Hoc is a type of Incorrect Cause Fallacy, but I'm just not getting the difference. They seem to be one and the same. Any help would be appreciated.
I'm trying to complete a 5x5 recording we did a few months ago and I'm recording a missing part which was about the "Incorrect Cause" fallacy. The topic of the 5x5 was Chemtrails and it seems to me that the Post Hoc fallacy would work better here.
Mike Lacelle
Canada
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote of the Week
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"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened."
- Sir Winston Churchill
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