Skeptics Guide #888

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #888 July 13th 2022 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Green Steel https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/06/the-race-to-produce-green-steel/ News Item #2 – T-Rex Arms https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/t-rex-arms/ News Item #3 – Experimental research on getting out the vote https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21565503.2022.2092015 News Item #4 – James Webb Images https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/science/james-webb-telescope-images-nasa.html Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Quote Quiz 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. #1) A new study finds that smart thermostats, designed to save energy through efficiency, can increase strain on the electricity grid and worsen peak demand. #2) Researchers find that intranasal oxytocin is effective in improving emotional sensitivity and relationship satisfaction in couples undergoing therapy. #3) A new analysis finds that the probability of one or more human casualties from rocket body reentry is about 10% over the next decade. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Anyone who attempts to generate random numbers by deterministic means is, of course, living in a state of sin." John von Neumann


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