Episode #600
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Monkey
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
In 1835, James Bowman Lindsay demonstrated the first incandescent light bulb, 43 years before Thomas Edison began work on his bulb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb
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Item #2
Fiction
Both the Franklin Stove and bifocals were not original to Benjamin Franklin, but French inventions he popularized in America. http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/10-ben-franklin-inventions9.htm
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Item #3
Science
Ernest Duchesne presented for his PhD thesis in 1897 his research finding that Penicillium molds produced a substance which killed bacteria and could be used to treat bacterial infections, 31 years prior to Alexander Fleming’s discovery. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Duchesne
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘We (skeptics) want to teach kids that it’s through science the true wonder and beauty of nature can be revealed. But it’s vital they learn how we all can be fooled and tricked. That’s where a skeptical approach comes in. Teaching kids not to always believe everything they are told and teaching them how to put claims to the test.’ – Richard Saunders, The Skeptic Zone Podcast