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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 98 - 6/6/2007
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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
98
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June 06, 2007
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News Items: Creation Museum in Canada, NASA on Global Warming, Chiropractic in VA Hospitals, Death by Pseudoscience, UFO Drone CGI, New Loch Ness Video; Your E-mails and Questions: Lunar Effect, Herxheimer Reaction, Chemtrails; Name That Logical Fallacy; Science or Fiction; Skeptical Puzzle
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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Correction
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Dear Skeptics,
On Episode #97 Perry incorrectly attributed the quote of the week to George Bernard Shaw, British playwright of some note. The quote would instead have been more correctly attibuted to George Bernard Shaw, IRISH playwright of some note. (And, interestingly, the only person ever to be awarded both a Nobel prize and an Oscar.)
Thanking Perry in advance for his correction,
Liam Kidney (An outraged Irish listener)
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Lunar Effect
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Fox news just reported that police presence will be increased in Brighton because of increase in violent crimes during the full moon. This was reiterated in reports in BBC news (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6723911.stm) which site a 1998 study and another German study in 2000... I am still a bit skeptical (A 3 month study seems a little too short to come to any conclusions).
I thought this 'lunacy theory' was all bunk... what do you think?
B. Baggott
USA
Good skeptical overview of the lunar effect
skepdic.com/fullmoon.html
Study referenced in BBC article
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16407788&ordinalpos=10&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Recent negative study of lunar effect on behavior
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=12131634&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
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Herxheimer Reaction
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Hello,
I just found the podcast and I love it. I haven't had time to hear all of them so if this has already been covered then please dismiss. I've been reading about several "healing" techniques and almost all of them come with the possible side effect of what's called a "Healing Crisis" or "Herxheimer Reaction". The claim is that your body is flushing out so many toxins that you become ill because of it. I would love to hear what you think of this.
Keep up the good work,
Eric Kemp
Houston Area, Texas
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Chemtrails
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Hey guys (and gal),
I found your pod cast three months ago and I have been avidly listening since my first download. Congratulations on the outstanding content. You are all very entertaining.even Perry. The reason for this e-mail is that I'm hoping you could address the issue of Chemtrails. Unfortunately, I am dating a woman who has two brothers in their 20's who spend most of their day combing the web for more information on how "The Government" is trying to take over the.government? I guess Chemtrails are one of the many things our corrupt government is trying to do to kill people and assume control over the world (and we vote for these guys!). I've never heard of Chemtrails before and from what I can gather, they are caused by "The Government's" attempts to control the weather and global warming. I can already hear new reasons for Katrina.
While researching the subject on the web, I found a Contrail vs Chemtrail argument. Unfortunately the skeptic becomes confused and looses the judged argument, which was surprising because he did use a solid skeptical approach. I've attached the link and I was hoping you could share your thoughts: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread77252/pg1
Anyway, thanks for the great hours of listening.
Eric Cattani
Wyattstorch
Las Vegas
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory
http://www.nmsr.org/chemtrls.htm
Funny pro-conspiracy article
http://www.rense.com/general54/blatantABCchemtrail.htm
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Segment: Name That Logical Fallacy
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Logical Fallacies
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Dear Dr. Novella:
Could you and your colleagues help me name all the logical fallacies
in the following?
"Today" show June 1st, 2007:
A woman after 13 failed in vitro fertilizations finally gets a surrogate who gives birth to a pair of twins. She gets interviewed and thanks God for the twins and says "God told me that this time was the right time,
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Question #1  Science
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Researchers have successfully turned a mature skin cell into a stem cell that is identical to an embryonic stem cell.
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Question #2 Science
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Once thought impossible, researchers have captured the motion of a single electron on a home video camera.
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Question #3  Fiction
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In order to address faculty shortages, a nursing institute has recently employed a robotic instructor to teach some classes.
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Segment: Skeptical Puzzle
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Puzzle
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This Week's Puzzle
Name the former world leader that used to laugh at UFO believers, but later became a believer himself when he himself witnessed one.
Last Week's Puzzle
Finish the last 5 characters in this sequence:
F 2 2 F 3 E 7 2 E 6 G 2 2 G 4 ? ? ? ? ?
Answer: D82H4
Winner: J Day
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote
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"Skepticism, like chastity, should not be relinquished too readily."
- George Santayana (Spanish born American Philosopher, Poet and Humanist 1863-1952)
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