Episode #769
News Items
- Don’t Drink Poison
- Decoding Speech from Brainwaves
- Using Urine to Build a Moon Base
- Evolution of Land Plants
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: machine
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
The oldest living vertebrate is a Greenland shark, which is at least 272 years old. Females of the species do not reach breeding age until about 150 years old. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2100823-worlds-oldest-vertebrate-is-a-shark-that-may-live-for-500-years/
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Item #2
Fiction
The Australian mulga snake has the most potent venom known. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/g/geography-cone/
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Item #3
Science
The European rabbit has the highest fecundity of any mammal. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160304-one-animal-has-more-babies-than-any-other
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘Having equal rights does not mean having equal talents, equal abilities, or equal knowledge. It assuredly does not mean that ‘everyone’s opinion about anything is as good as anyone else’s.’ And yet, this is now enshrined as the credo of a fair number of people despite being obvious nonsense.’ Tom Nichols, ‘The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters’