Episode #794

Episode #794

News Items

• Better Batteries
• Perovskite Solar Cells and Better Copper
• Perception of Time
• Rewiring the Brain
• 2020 IgNobels

Science or Fiction [ Show Answers ]

• Item #1 Science

  Researchers have demonstrated the cause of Australian fairy circles – a reaction-diffusion pattern of water dynamics following a mathematical pattern first proposed by Alan Turing. – https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/09/22/Scientists-confirm-Alan-Turings-explanation-for-Australian-fairy-circles/4001600784948/

• Item #2 Science

  A new analysis finds that the amount of life necessary in the clouds of Venus to produce the phosphine signature is several orders of magnitude less than the biomass in Earth’s clouds, making life a more plausible answer. https://www.universetoday.com/147891/how-much-life-would-be-required-to-create-the-phosphine-signal-on-venus/

• Item #3 Fiction

  Scientists have identified the first confirmed “Murder Hornet” nest in Washington state. https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2020/08/usas-first-male-murder-hornet-has-been-captured-in-washington-state-report.html

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

“An informed appraisal of life absolutely requires a full understanding of life’s arena – the universe. By deepening our understanding of the true nature of physical reality, we profoundly reconfigure our sense of ourselves and our experience of the universe.” — Brian Greene