Episode #865

Episode #865

News Items

• Machine Learning and Mental Health
• Hardy Tardigrades
• DNA Microfossils
• Belief in the Paranormal and Credibility
• Tesla Robots

Who's That Noisy

• Answer to last week: Volcano

Science or Fiction [ Show Answers ]

• Item #1 Science

  For the first time scientists have been able to create a two-dimensional polymeric material, that is six times stronger than bullet-proof glass, and twice as strong as steel at one-sixth the density. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04296-3

• Item #2 Science

  MIT engineers have created a biological “duct tape” that can be applied to internal organs, adhering in seconds and lasting for months. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abh2857

• Item #3 Fiction

  Scientists have engineered a cultivar of cotton that creates fibers with almost the tensile strength of Kevlar. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04296-3

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

‘Officials, educators, media personalities and opinion makers must do everything they can to educate the public, assuage people’s fears and show that the pandemic is being handled fairly and rationally. Lives and people’s well-being are at stake, for years to come.’ Nidhal Guessoum, professor, American University of Sharjah, UAE