Episode #634

Episode #634

News Items

• 40 Years of Voyager
• Ichthyosaurs
• Strongest Resistive Magnet
• GMO and Dunning Kruger
• Banning Mention of Global Warming

Who's That Noisy

• Answer to last week: Doppler Effect

Science or Fiction [ Show Answers ]

• Item #1 Science

  A new study finds that eating a bland meal resulted in the release of greater endorphins in the brain than eating a delicious meal. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/37/34/8284

• Item #2 Fiction

  A new analysis finds that ancient Roman drinking water, despite the widespread use of lead pipes, was likely perfectly safe. http://www.sdu.dk/en/om_sdu/fakulteterne/naturvidenskab/aktuelt/2017_08_16_antimon_water

• Item #3 Science

  Researchers find that 80-year-olds are as street savvy (able to determine how threatening someone is likely to be) as 18-year-olds. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170828093743.htm

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

‘Bias is strong. It is in us, in our families, in our communities. It is in our institutions. It feels safe, but bias is very dangerous. It cannot only skew the results of a test, it can undermine our conclusions and the policies we make based upon those conclusions. It is imperative that each one of us confront our own personal as well as institutional bias and prejudice and to excise them in any way that we can.’ -Adam Savage