Skeptics Guide #918

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #918 February 9th 2023 Segment #1. Quickie with Steve Dwarf Planetary Ring https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/dwarf-planet-ring-mystery/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Lucky Girl Syndrome https://www.livescience.com/lucky-girl-syndrome-trending-on-tiktok-is-just-old-school-magical-thinking-psychologists-say News Item #2 – More on Space Debris https://www.space.com/fallen-space-junk-help-fight-orbital-debris News Item #3 – Earthing Update https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/earthing-update/ News Item #4 – AI and Technosignatures https://www.space.com/machine-learning-seti-technosignatures News Item #5 – Paranormal Beliefs and Sleep https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsr.13810 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Quotables 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: Proposed Solutions #1) Scientists propose ejecting dust from the Moon to act as a shield between the Earth and Sun in order to mitigate global warming. #2) As mountain lion numbers increase, conservationists have proposed setting up traps that will dye their fur pink, or another bright color, to reduce their risk to humans and pets. #3) Neuroscientists propose using fMRI scanning to quantify subject reaction to a copycat trademark to see if it is too similar to an established trademark. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Not all lucid dreams are useful but they all have a sense of wonder about them. If you must sleep through a third of your life, why should you sleep through your dreams, too?" Stephen LaBerge, - American psychophysiologist specializing in the scientific study of lucid dreaming.


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