Skeptics Guide #876

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #876 April 19th 2022 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Vaping and Brain Inflammation https://neurosciencenews.com/vaping-brain-inflammation-20401/ News Item #2 – Projectile Fusion https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10687117/Nuclear-fusion-achieved-new-technique-fuel-accelerated-156-586mph.html News Item #3 – Facilitated Communication Still Pseudoscience https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/facilitated-communication-is-still-pseudoscience/ News Item #4 – Gamma Rays and Gravitational Waves https://gizmodo.com/cosmic-lighthouses-that-beam-gamma-rays-could-reveal-gr-1848765497/amp News Item #5 – AI Emotion Detection https://www.biometricupdate.com/202204/reported-ai-based-emotion-recognition-by-zoom-irks-rights-advocates Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Communicating Skepticism I work at a not-for-profit (https://www.digitalpublicsquare.org/) and one of things we try to create are interventions when it comes to things like public health. In terms of vaccine misinformation, we have a site that offers information in a quiz-like format (https://knowitornot.com/). Now I know you all have discussed the efficacy of these types of interventions and wanted to know your thoughts. I've heard that sometimes these types of true/false paradigms might not be the best and don't do well to "vaccinate" folks against mis/disinformation. Personally I can see how such a paradigm "talks down" to someone who's deep in the hole, and it might not communicate the "skeptical" mindset. I'm wondering what the skeptics think of strategies like these, and if there are any particular insights you could offer based on your experiences. Love the show, thanks! Wahid Shafique Toronto Segment #4. 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: Bermuda #1) There are no native mammals in Bermuda, only introduced species such as mice, rats, and feral cats. #2) There are more than 300 shipwrecks in the waters off Bermuda, making it the shipwreck capital of the world. #3) When Bermuda was first discovered in the 1500s and later settled by Europeans, it had no native or indigenous population. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Stupid entropy ruins everything.” ― Jennifer Ouellette, The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse


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