Skeptics Guide #909

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #909 December 8th 2022 Guest Rogue Brian Newell Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Square Kilometer Array https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/square-kilometer-array/ News Item #2 – Mantle Plume on Mars https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/mars-more-volcanically-active-than-we-thought/ News Item #3 – Swimming Dinosaurs https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/swimming-dinosaur-new-fossil-natovenator News Item #4 – Ancient Environmental DNA https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/ancient-environmental-dna/ News Item #5 – Cat Domestication https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221205121616.htm Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Potent Quotables Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Artemis So can't seem to find a good explanation. Feels like you might have a good answer. Was listening to this week's show. I am excited by Artemis and the mission but for a rocket launching over 50 years since Saturn it seems we are talking 15% more power. And the payload to moon is maybe 10% more. With CAD/CAM, computerized systems, materials science etc. feels like this is the least impressive "improvement" for any technology over the last 50 years I can think of. Even cars are far better and they added way more safety equipment. Is this really that impressive or just a nice since it is a commitment to science? 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 Diseases #1) Translucent fibrodysplasia is a genetic connective tissue disease in which the skin and connective tissue become progressively translucent over time. In advanced cases muscle can be seen through the skin. #2) Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) includes an altered sense of body image, where one’s own body parts seem disproportionately large, and may also include a sense of time passing either very slowly or rapidly. #3) Auto-brewery syndrome results from bacteria or fungi in the GI system fermenting food into alcohol, causing persistent intoxication. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “Scientific results are always preliminary. No good scientist will believe that they have offered the last word on a given subject." Brian Cox


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