Skeptics Guide #919

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #919 February 15th 2023 Segment #1. Quickie with Jay Shooting Down UFOs https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-731667?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – On-Demand Male Contraceptive https://www.sciencealert.com/on-demand-male-contraceptive-pill-could-switch-your-sperm-off-for-a-day News Item #2 – Mask Update https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/masks-revisited/ News Item #3 – Rogue Blackhole https://www.universetoday.com/160072/astronomers-spot-a-rogue-supermassive-black-hole-hurtling-through-space-leaving-star-formation-in-its-wake/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Interview with Richard Wiseman 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: Death #1) The six foot standard for grave depth dates to 1665 when the Lord Mayor of London ordered all graves to be dug “at least six feet deep” as an anti-plague measure. #2) The term “mortician” was invented by the funeral industry in 1895, to replace “undertaker”, based on a contest in Embalmer’s Monthly. #3) Lincoln was the first public figure in the US to be embalmed, and is responsible for the popularity of this process, which is now mandated (with exceptions) in 48 states. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "A reliable way to make people believe in falsehoods is frequent repetition, because familiarity is not easily distinguished from truth." - Daniel Kahneman


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