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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 263 - 7/29/2010
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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.

Podcast 263 - July 29, 2010

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Interview with Jim Underdown
News Items: Homeopathy in the UK, Cosmology with no Big Bang, Ghost Ship, Meat and Weight Control
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Biodynamic Farming, Orgel's Laws
Science or Fiction



Segment:   News Items     
NHS to Keep Homeopathy     http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7910948/Homeopathy-will-not-be-banned-by-NHS-despite-critical-report.html
Cosmology with no Big Bang     http://www.physorg.com/news199591806.html for background: http://www.physorg.com/news89399974.html http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2010/02/22/energy-is-not-conserved/
Lost Ship Found     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/28/hms-investigator-ship-los_n_662813.html
Meat and Weight Control     http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=6332

Segment:   Who's That Noisy     
Who's That Noisy     Answer to last week: Bertrand Russel

Segment:   Your Questions and E-mails     
Question #1 - Biodynamic Farming     Maybe I've missed it but I have not heard you mention Biodynamic Agriculture. This seems like it should be prime fodder for the show and I would love to hear your opinion of this growing fad of hocus pocus. William Welch Birmingham
Question #2 - Orgel's Laws     I've recently encountered Orgel's Laws and found them to be very interesting. You've probably already discussed it but if not, I'd like to find out what, if any, difference there is between the Orgel's premises and Occam's Razor. Is Orgel, who/whatever that means, taking the razor a step further? They seem to have a similar flavor but may be more distinct then I perceive. Then again, for all I know Orgel was a traveling minstrel. LtS! Dallin Bastian Crestview, FL

Segment:   Interview     
Interview with Jim Underdown     Jim Underdown is the director of the CFI West

Segment:   Science or Fiction     [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
Item #1     New research finds that consuming beverages with low-calorie sweeteners such as stevia or aspartame resulted in greater caloric intake overall due to increased hunger. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20303371
Item #2     Researchers outline a method for growing mushrooms into packing material. http://www.physorg.com/news199456046.html
Item #3     A new analysis shows that Michaelangelo hid the image of a brainstem and spinal cord in a depiction of god on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/brainstem_spinal_cord_images_hidden_in_michelangelos_sistine_chapel_fresco

Segment:   Quote of the Week     
Quote of the Week     "The really good idea is always traceable back quite a long way, often to a not very good idea which sparked off another idea that was only slightly better, which somebody else misunderstood in such a way that they then said something which was really rather interesting." - John Cleese
 
 
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