Skeptics Guide #940

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #940 July 12th 2023 Guest Rogues George Hrab and Andrea Jones Roy Segment #1. Dumbest Thing of the Week Alien Spheres https://theconversation.com/physicist-who-found-spherical-meteor-fragments-claims-they-may-come-from-an-alien-spaceship-heres-what-to-make-of-it-209101 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Leqembi for Alzheimer’s https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/fda-approves-leqembi-for-alzheimers/ News Item #2 – Jeffrey Epstein Not Murdered https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf News Item #3 – When Will Betelgeuse Supernova https://nationalpost.com/news/astronomer-predicts-that-a-red-supergiant-star-nearby-could-go-supernova-very-soon News Item #4 – Can AI Solve Math Problems https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/02/science/ai-mathematics-machine-learning.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Science Segment #3. 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. #1) A new paper estimating the number of planets in the Milky Way with liquid water increases the estimate by 100 fold from prior estimates, up to one planet per system on average. #2) A new bionic arm for an above-the-elbow amputation allows the user to control individually each finger of the hand using only connections with the remaining muscles. #3) In an example of convergent evolution, new DNA analysis finds that the pygmy right whale is actually a porpoise. Segment #4. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Every time you perform a magic trick, you're engaging in experimental psychology. If the audience asks, 'How the hell did he do that?' then the experiment was successful." - Teller


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