Episode #115

News Items

    Interview with Jon Blumenfeld

    • Jon is the former Chairman of the CT chapter of the NESS, he has also joined the SGU team as a contributing blogger for the Rogues Gallery blog, and discusses his research into the life and science of Isaac Newton

    30 Year Battery

    • As a heavy laptop user, the following article linked on digg.com piqued my interest, and I am curious as to the validity. The article even seems to contradict itself, saying the batteries ‘do not produce any radioactive or hazardous waste’ while later stating ‘when they eventually run out of power they are totally inert and non-toxic.’ The article gives no citation, and the mere fact that the website features a section on ‘free energy’ which includes perpetual motion machines makes is all suspect to me. What is your take, and is a long-lasting battery like this out of the realm of possibility?

      Thanks,

      Mike Kolodoski
      Texas
      www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html

      Blog discussing this story
      community.zdnet.co.uk/blog/0,1000000567,10006069o–000331777b,00.htm

      Nuclear battery
      www.answers.com/topic/nuclear-battery?cat=technology

    • Dear Dr. Novella,

      I’ve been meaning to see an endocrinologist and I ran across what is, to me, a new field: orthomolecular medicine.

      I looked into it some, but the little information I could find was ambiguous and seemed a somewhat fishy to me. I was wondering if you had any additional info and could shed some light on the matter.

      Thanks a lot!

      -Fernanda Abdala
      Brazil

    Science or Fiction

    • Item #1 Fiction

      Astronomers have discovered a brief extra-galactic radio-wave burst so powerful it defies natural explanation, causing some leading astronomers to speculate that it may be of artificial origin.

    • Item #2 Science

      Researchers estimate that one human language goes extinct about every two weeks.

    • Item #3 Science

      New fMRI study shows that doctors are less empathic toward their patient’s pain than matched controls.

    Skeptical Quote of the Week.