Episode #1029
News Items
- Constructed Languages
- Exercise and Brain Health
- Curiosity Rover Finds Long Carbon Chains
- Nanotech Lightsails
- Vaccines and Autism Again
Quickie with Bob
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-survivors-spanned-globe-earth-biggest.html#google_vignette
Questions and Emails
Thank you for 20 years of excellent journalism and discussion. I remember where I was the day I listened to your first episode on my clunky iPod and twisted white headphones. The Skeptics Guide is only one of a few podcasts I listen to on a weekly basis. I’ve been thinking about a quote that comes up frequently on your show: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I wonder, is this still true? Can you imagine anything that would appear ‘magic’ after everything we know about the nature of the universe? Things appearing out of the air could be manipulated matter, something floating could be warped gravity, faster-than-light travel could be warped space, etc. Is it possible to be technologically advanced enough to understand physical possibilities, no matter how unlikely, and still understand something to be supernatural? Of course, it’s impossible to imagine the unimaginable, but is there anything we could witness that is inconceivable? Keep up the good work, I look forward to the discussion. Thank you, David
Science or Fiction
-
Item #1
Science
A new study finds that deep sea ecosystems have not yet fully recovered following mining of polymetallic nodules in a test bed 44 years ago. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08921-3
-
Item #2
Science
Computer scientists have produced certified randomness using a 56-bit quantum computer. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08737-1
-
Item #3
Fiction
Researchers find that as bicycle and e-scooter use increases in an urban setting, the relative risk of collisions with vehicles increases significantly. https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2025/03/12/ip-2024-045569
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘People of good will may be misled by bad information, but people of ill will deliberately spread misinformation.’ Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, – Merchants of Doubt