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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 61 - 9/20/2006
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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
61
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September 20, 2006
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News Items: James Randi Joins the Skeptics Guide, Male-Female Intelligence, Exorcism rape; Interview with Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomer, about Eris, Pluto, NASA and more; Your E-mails and Questions: OBE's, More on 9/11, Denial; Randi Speaks; Science or Fiction; Skeptical Puzzle
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Interview
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Interview with Phil Plait
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The Bad Astronomer joins us to discuss the new naming of UB313(Xena) as Eris, the whole planet definition hubbub, and other astronomical news.
Article about Eris and its moon Dysnomia: http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~mbrown/planetlila/
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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OBE's and Lucid Dreaming
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Hi guys.
Love the show.
I have a question concerning out of body experiences. I have had two experiences with OBE's, one was when I was seriously ill with malaria, yes I was having really disturbing hallucinations, but at one point during the illness I had a very tranquil and lucid episode. When I opened my eyes the ceiling was about half a meter from my face, and when I turned around I saw myself lying in the bed beneath me. Obviously this gave me a fright
and caused me to go back into my now uncontrollably shivering body. The second case was when while sleeping I sat up in bed and turned around to still see my body there sleeping.
Now I don't believe in a soul or any supernatural occurences, but I was wondering what natural explanation could there be. Possibly lucid dreaming? or am I just nuts? (that another story involving mercury poisoning)
Thanks again for the best podcast on the net.
Oh before I forget monkey's rule!! and Rebecca gets another marriage proposal.
Thanks
Hamish Law
South Africa
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More 9/11 nonsense
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So I've been browsing the web and i've found a theory that I haven't heard before, that israel (or the jews) did the world trade center (9/11). They offer as evidence that not a single jew died in the attack, and a cubic time theory, have you heard this one? And what do you think about it?
Gary Adair
California
Cubic time theory: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube
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The Denial Industry
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Thought this might make an interesting topic for you:
environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1875762,00.html
Dave Machin
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Segment: Randi Speaks
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James Randi
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The Uncompromising Observations of a Veteran Skeptic
Each week, beginning with this debut segment, James Randi gives a skeptical commentary in his own unique style.
This week's topic: Exorcism
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Question #1  Fiction
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The Cassini probe to Saturn has discovered a new ring around Saturn, but more significantly this new ring is rotating in the opposite direction of Saturn's rotation.
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Question #2  Science
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Canadian study shows that women who have breast
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Question #3 Science
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In a newly published survey, 10% of men who describe themselves as "straight" also reported having sex with a man within the last year.
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Segment: Skeptical Puzzle
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Puzzle
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Last week's Puzzle:
You meet a woman and ask her if she has any children. She replies, "two." You ask if she has any sons and she says, "yes." So now you know she has exactly two children and at least one of them is a boy. What is the probability that her other child is also a boy, and therefore that she has two sons?
Answer: 1/3 (or maybe 1/2 - see the forums for a lively discussion on this puzzle)
New Puzzle:
To use a marine lock, like those of the Panama Canal, a boat enters the lock and the gates are closed. Water is then allowed to flow into (or out of) the lock to raise (or lower) the boat to a new level. Consider two different boats cycling through the lock: a cruise ship which barely fits into the lock and a kayak. Which requires more water to flow into or out of the lock to cycle the vessel to the new level?
Alden Johnson
Port Ludlow, Washington
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote
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"Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by examination of the best available evidence and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence. What's left is magic. And it doesn't work." - James Randi
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