Episode #652
News Items
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
A new study finds that the double rate of Type II diabetes in African Americans compared to whites is entirely due to increased obesity. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/january/blacks-high-diabetes-risk-is-driven-by-obesity-not-mystery/
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Item #2
Fiction
Researchers find that using prenatal vitamins are associated with a higher risk of having a child diagnosed with autism. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2667432
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Item #3
Science
Scientists have developed a technique for speed breeding, allowing for crops to grow up to 3 times faster, allowing for 6 crops of wheat per year, for example. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180101144758.htm
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
“Human memory is a marvelous but fallacious instrument. The memories which lie within us are not carved in stone; not only do they tend to become erased as the years go by, but often they change, or even increase by incorporating extraneous features.” Primo Levi