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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 341 - 1/28/2012

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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.

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Podcast 341 - January 28, 2012

Interview with Sean Carroll
This Day in Skepticism
News Items: Stem Cells for Blindness, Chiropractic Neurology, Mass Psychogenic Illness
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Sounds in the Sky
Science or Fiction



Segment:   This Day in Skepticism     
January 28th, 1887      In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.

Segment:   News Items     
Stem Cells for Blindness     http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/stem-cells-for-blindness/
Chiropractic Neurology     http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/chiropractic-neurology/
Psychogenic Illness     http://bethelbuzznews.com/2012/01/19/updated-cause-of-sick-leroy-ny-teens-remains-a-mystery-with-poll/

Segment:   Who's That Noisy     
Who's That Noisy     Answer to last week: the psychic Criswell played by actor Jeffrey Jones from the movie 'Ed Wood'

Segment:   Questions and Emails     
Sounds in the Sky     Hello Skeptics guide, during my daily science news story search on the internet I came across a couple of stories about "strange apocalyptic sounds coming from the sky from canada to budapest..." Having some critical thinking I began to inspect the videos to try and discern what they were. After much failed research on more worthy sites I could not find a good answer. To me it sounds like it could be something simple like a plane flying overhead to something more atmospheric. But these are wild guesses. I thought you may want to look in to it so that you may have better luck than me finding out what it actually is. Here is the original link I came across that brought this to my knowledge http://io9.com/5876369/what-are-these-bizarre-sounds-coming-from-the-sky-in-countries-from-hungary-to-canada p.s. We all hope that it is as one commenter commented, the cthullu shai-hulud movie! Thanks for all your good work! Michael Ohio

Segment:   Interview     
Interview with Sean Carroll     http://preposterousuniverse.com/

Segment:   Science or Fiction     [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
Item #1     Chemists have created the first completely synthetic cell membrane. http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressreleases/envelope_for_an_artificial_cell/
Item #2     Physicists have created the first atomic X-ray laser. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125132819.htm
Item #3     New computer models show that adding sulphate particles to the stratosphere to reflect the sun's light could completely compensate for the effects of man-made global warming. http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-sulfate-particles-stratosphere-wont-fully.html

Segment:   Skeptical Quote of the Week     
Skeptical Quote of the Week     “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” ― Isaac Asimov
 
 
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