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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 330 - 11/12/2011
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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
330
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November 12, 2011
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This Day in Skepticism
News Items: Stroke Turns Man Gay, Asteroid YU55, Pox Parties, US Government Denies UFOs, Man Confuses Moon for UFO, NASA's Orion Program
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Intercessory Prayer
Science or Fiction
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Segment: This Day in Skepticism
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November 12 1935
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The first modern surgery on the frontal lobes for treatment of mental disorders was performed by Egas Moniz at Santa Marta Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal.
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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: Mantis Shrimp
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Segment: Questions and Emails
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Question #1: Intercessory Prayer
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This is a weird one. Half of a randomised group gets intercessionary prayer four years after the illness that landed them in hospital and appears to exhibit better recovery than those who didn't receive the "intercessionary prayer."
I'm just guessing here ...
1. Is the effect large enough to be considered statistically significant?
2. Does evidence based medicine hold itself to the same standards that other branches of the sciences do? (typically 5-sigma confidence) ... ok - I doubt that is practical or financially viable.
3. How can we distinguish cause and effect if causality is denied by the nature of the study?
Here's a link to the article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC61047/?tool=pubmed
Clearest skies
Bruce, Toronto
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Item #1  Fiction
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The top four sources of electricity generation in the US are coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, and nuclear, in that order, followed distantly by wind, geothermal, and solar.
reference for all items: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/content/energy/energy_archive/energy_flow_2007/LLNL_US_EFC_20071.png
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Item #2  Science
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Total energy use in the US is down from its peek of 101.5 quads in 2007 to 98.0 quads in 2010; likewise carbon dioxide emissions have decreased from 6,022 million metric tons to 5,632 over the same period.
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Item #3 Science
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Fossil fuels represent 83% of total energy production in the US, while renewable sources represent 3.8%.
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Item #4 Science
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91% of solar power in the US is self-generated residential.
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Segment: Skeptical Quote of the Week
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Skeptical Quote of the Week
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"Questioner: As a scientist, would you deny the possibility of water having been changed into wine in the Bible?
CS: Deny the possibility? Certainly not. I would not deny any such possibility. But I would, of course, not spend a moment on it unless there was some evidence for it."
Sagan, Carl. The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. Ed. Ann Druyan. New York: Penguin, 2006, p. 251.
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