Skeptics Guide #897

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #897 September 14th 2022 Segment #1. Is It Real? Ear Snake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvmTOpXcSnE Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – What Children Believe https://neurosciencenews.com/children-belief-21393/ News Item #2 – Health Effects of Gas Stoves https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/09/is-your-gas-stove-bad-for-your-health/ News Item #3 – Neanderthal Brains https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/neanderthal-brains/ News Item #4 – Synthetic Microbiome https://phys.org/news/2022-09-complex-synthetic-microbiome.html News Item #5 – UFO Videos Classified https://www.vice.com/en/article/4axn8p/navy-says-all-ufo-videos-classified-releasing-them-will-harm-national-security Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Climate Doom Hi long long time fan I have been listening since (2008/09) as an early podcast adopter. SGU was my first and longest running podcast. I own a hard copy and audio book copy of your first book, and have preorder for the second. I have purchased merch from your store (back when Rebecca was on the show) I believe in science and climate change. I am a DINK (dual income no children), with a comfortable household income. We will not be having children (I had a vasectomy to be sure). I fully appreciate the doom that will come to future generations as a result of climate change, and with the strong political divides and ineffective global politicking, I do not believe that people will ever address the climate issue. With weak government and strong business lobbying - I don't believe we will ever address climate change. In Australia we could have been the first to put into place a carbon emission trading scheme over 10 years ago, instead we elected subsequent governments that unwound all sensible climate policies. With all that said. Why should I care about climate change? Honestly. My household is well off enough to get through it without too much discomfort. We won't ever have children so we don't really have to be concerned with the welfare of future generations. And even if we tried to do pro-social activities to address our individual 'foorprint' would amount to next to nothing in addressing the issue. Without overall structural changes which won't ever occur anything we do as individuals would result in less than rounding errors. (I understand the fallacy of composition). Are all individual actions to reduce our own carbon footprints - nothing but self gratification? (i.e. smugness ala South Park). So, to sum up. Why should someone who knows that nothing they do would have any meaningful impact on addressing the climate issue bother with addressing their own carbon footprint? Since nothing I do matters at an individual level, why don't I enjoy my life and fuck up the planet with total abandonment? PS. I honestly believe that the best thing and individual can do to reduce their carbon footprint is to not procreate. Cutting off a lineage would reduce demand for carbon more than meaningless faff such as printing double sided or not using single use platsics etc. in my opinion. But that is neither here nor there. Big fan and apatheticly and nihilistically yours Siris 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: Golden Goose Awards 2022 #1) The development of laser LASIK surgery was inspired by a case of accidental laser injury to the eye, producing precise perfectly circular damage. #2) Researchers developed a powerful microscope out of paper that folds like origami, with total material costs less than $1. #3) While examining the properties of cone snail venom, researchers accidentally discovered that it is a potent inhibitor of HIV replication. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “If I want to know how we learn and remember and represent the world, I will go to psychology and neuroscience. If I want to know where values come from, I will go to evolutionary biology and neuroscience and psychology, just as Aristotle and Hume would have, were they alive.” ~ Patricia Churchland - Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego and Adjunct Professor at the Salk Institute


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