Episode #814
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Elephant
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
A new study finds that some Coronaviruses can steal genes from an organism they infect in order to learn how to evade their immune system. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-02-coronavirus-hosts-genes-elude-immune.html
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Item #2
Fiction
Scientists calculate that a tiny crustacean, the amphipod Dulichiella cf. appendiculata, has the fastest moving body part of any animal, a claw that can close 10,000 times faster than the blink of an eye – averaging 93 μs. https://today.duke.edu/2021/02/tiny-crustacean-redefines-ultra-fast-movement
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Item #3
Science
A new analysis of the star Betelgeuse finds that it is about 25% closer to Earth than previously thought, 530 light years instead of the previous estimate of 724. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210208100536.htm
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘We have to be prepared, always, for the possibility that each new discovery, no matter what science furnishes it, may modify the conclusions we draw.” ― Alfred Wegener, The Origin of Continents and Oceans