Skeptics Guide #915

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #915 January 19th 2023 Segment #1. Quickie with Jay Intermittent Fasting Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Tech Devices and Brain Development https://neurosciencenews.com/brain-development-tech-communication-22285/ News Item #3 – Latest Cancer Statistics https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/2023-cancer-statistics-report/ News Item #2 – Short Sleeper Syndrome https://www.livescience.com/does-short-sleeper-syndrome-really-exist News Item #4 – Hungriest Black Hole https://www.universetoday.com/146842/theres-a-black-hole-with-34-billion-times-the-mass-of-the-sun-eating-roughly-a-star-every-day/ News Item #5 – Webb’s First Exoplanet https://www.engadget.com/nasa-jwst-webb-telescope-exoplanet-confirmation-193422325.html Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Coffee Pods I read a BBC article today that suggests that the use of coffee pods might actually be less damaging to the environment that more traditional ways of making coffee. They mention filter coffee and french presses being 2 examples of methods that might be more damaging than using coffee pods. I've always hated coffee pods, assuming the waste to be a significant problem. The result of the study suggests that the tendency to use more coffee than required during brewing is a bigger problem than the pods themselves due to the high environmental cost of coffee production. Coffee pods tend to use no more coffee than required. My first thought was to reject this news because it went against what I had long held to be true. My second thought was that I shouldn't reject science just because I don't like it. Being very science positive I found it interesting to be on the other side of the fence. My third thought was that I could thank the Sceptics Guide for being able to take that step so quickly. Having had no serious formal science training, it's not something that came naturally to me before listening to the show. What are your thoughts on this and the coffee industry in general? I knew the industry to be huge, but had never seen it mentioned before that it might be so damaging. Apologies that I havn't got round to being a patron yet. My experience today has made me realise what an asset you have been in my life and I'm now committed to signing up. You guys deserve it. All the best! https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64293750 Giles 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: Technological Advances #1) A Japanese company will market MRAM memory chips this year that use new technology to achieve terahertz switching speeds, 1000 times faster than existing RAM. #2) Researchers have created a hybrid cultivar of cotton that is naturally fire resistant, and under testing will self-extinguish if ignited. #3) A California company announced it will roll out the first mass produced solar-powered car this year. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "You cannot reason someone out of something he or she was not reasoned into." Johnathan Swift


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