Episode #904
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Forest Xylophone
Question #1: Intermittent Renewable Energy
- Several questions about intermittent energy sources.
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Science
Evolutionarily apples have been around for about 12 million years, but the oldest archaeological evidence of apples being used as food goes back to 3160 BCE. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/364-2001/features/8239-kazakhstan-apple-domestication
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Item #2
Fiction
John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) promoted the process of hybridizing apple cultivars, and his basic process is still used today to produce most commercial apple trees from seeds. https://adamapples.blogspot.com/2014/01/heterozygous.html
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Item #3
Science
Even though the US is the second most apple producing country in the world (after China), only crabapples are native to North America. Edible apples were imported from Europe in the late 16th century. https://historicsites.nc.gov/all-sites/horne-creek-farm/southern-heritage-apple-orchard/apple-history/origins-apples-america
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘Many people seem to confuse cynicism with skepticism, and believe that critical thinking results in a negative attitude about life. However, this opinion rests on a number of mistaken assumptions about the nature of skepticism. Skeptics must correct these misconceptions if they hope for the wider application of critical thinking.’ Phil Molé, columnist, Skeptical Inquirer Magazine (2002)