Episode #874

News Items

Who's That Noisy

  • Answer to last week: Spider web

Dr. John Z. Kiss

  • Professor of Biology Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at UNC-Greensboro

Question #1: Evolution and Racism

  • Hi! I saw this article and thought it was interesting. https://www.umass.edu/news/article/disbelief-human-evolution-linked-greater-prejudice-and-racism Normally you hear from religious fundamentalists that accepting evolution leads to genocide and all of that nonsense, but it’s nice to have confirmation that that is not the case, and in fact accepting evolution is related to less bigotry. Makes me wonder then, how much less bigotry there could be if everyone accepted evolution? Here is the related abstract https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35175082/ Thanks for everything you do! Jacob Tracy, California

Science or Fiction

  • Item #1 Fiction

    Carbon intensity (CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes per unit primary energy) decreased by 3% per year since 2010, mostly due to rapid increases in wind and solar energy.https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf

  • Item #2 Science

    In 2019 22% of worldwide GHG emissions came from agriculture and forestry, greater than the transportation sector at 15%.

  • Item #3 Science

    83% of cumulative CO2 emissions since 1850 were produced prior to 1990.

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

‘I simply wish that, in a matter which so closely concerns the wellbeing of the human race, no decision shall be made without all the knowledge which a little analysis and calculation can provide.’ Daniel Bernoulli