Skeptics Guide #887

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #887 July 6th 2022 With Special Guest George Hrab Segment #1. Special Topic Fireworks Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Universal Coronavirus Vaccine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/possible-universal-coronavirus-vaccine/ News Item #2 – Preserving Ukraine’s Landmarks https://www.fastcompany.com/90740180/unesco-project-aims-to-digitally-preserve-ukraine-landmarks-facing-damage-by-war News Item #3 – Detecting Particles with Gravitational Waves https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220607120927.htm News Item #4 – Who Owns the Moon https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/china-rejects-nasa-accusation-will-take-moon-rcna36656 Segment #3. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: What Is a Skeptic A sceptic is defined as someone who questions “factual” evidence and maintains a “doubting” attitude. This is contrary to what I believe your show is about in terms of convincing people that their belief in pseudo-science is invalid. My question is what is the best way to overcome the conventional attitude associated with the word sceptic when trying to make a valid argument with someone who questions the foundation upon which the argument is built? Questioning the questioner? Nicholas O'Meara Australia Segment #4. Interview with Dave Stanton https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01551-z https://www.popsci.com/science/dna-wolves-dogs-domestication-evolution/ @Nibbledtodeath Segment #5. 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: Weird Science #1) Shortly after Alfred Wegner proposed his theory of continental drift in 1912, English geologist, Henry Peckingham, proposed that the primary mechanism was the prevailing wind and ocean currents pushing the continents, a theory that enjoyed substantial, although minority, support into the 1930s. #2) Dr. Henry Cotton became the famous superintendent of the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital from 1907 to 1933, during which time he and his assistants removed 11,000 teeth and performed 645 surgeries to remove organs in the belief this would cure mental illness. #3) In 1894 Hanns Hörbiger developed his World Ice Doctrine, the notion that ice is the fundamental building block of the universe, a theory that remained popular until 1945, and was even officially adopted by Hitler and his government. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week " ... don’t keep your minds so open that your brains fall out!" A speech by Walter Kotschnig, given on November 8, 1939


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