Skeptics Guide #870

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #870 March 8th 2022 Segment #1. Special Report Ukraine update Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Solid State Batteries https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/solid-state-li-ion-batteries/ News Item #2 – Are Coronal Loops Real? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220302092742.htm News Item #3 – COVID Anosmia https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/health/covid-smell.html News Item #4 – Alcohol and the Brain https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/alcohol-is-bad-for-the-brain/ Segment #3: Special Report Update on String Theory with Brian Wecht Segment #4: Quickie with Bob https://scitechdaily.com/3d-printed-nano-skyscrapers-help-bacteria-convert-sunlight-into-electricity/ Segment #5. Who’s That Noisy Segment #6. Science or Fiction Each week our host will come up with three science news items or facts, two genuine, one fictitious. He will challenge our panel of skeptics to sniff out the fake – and you can play along. Theme: #1) A new study calculates that the addition of lead to gasoline in the 20th century resulted in the loss of 824 million IQ points from more than 170 million Americans alive today. #2) The oldest Vampyropod squid fossil discovered, 328 million years old, indicates that the common ancestors between squid and octopuses had only two arms.` #3) A study of linguistic convergence finds that people imitate speech they hear, even parts of speech they do not hear but anticipate, such as imitating parts of a Southern American accent they were not exposed to in the experiment. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Our Richie? The world's smartest man? God help us!" - Richard Feyman’s Mom


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