Skeptics Guide #968

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #967 January 25th 2024 Segment #1. Swindler’s List AI Fakes Joe Biden Robocall https://apnews.com/article/f3469ceb6dd613079092287994663db5 Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Oxygen Bottleneck https://www.iflscience.com/the-oxygen-bottleneck-astronomers-find-huge-new-problem-for-alien-civilizations-72460#lrlhrh2afpicspwlhwi News Item #2 – NASA Opens Osiris Rex Canister https://www.space.com/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-canister-open News Item #3 – Learning and Longevity https://neurosciencenews.com/longevity-learning-25516/ News Item #4 – DNA Directed Assembly https://theness.com/neurologicablog/dna-directed-assembly-of-nanomaterials/ News Item #5 – Bleach Peddler Going to Prison https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/antivaxxer-roger-blake-jailed-for-selling-bleach-as-covid19-cure-in-new-zealand/news-story/32405deb14c35f03af336903abae19e1 Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: More On Nuclear Batteries 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: Ice Age Item 1: During the last glacial maximum greater than 50% of the Earth’s surface was covered in ice. Item 2: Most of Canada has no native earthworms, because they were wiped out during the last glacial period. Item 3: At the end of the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, the Earth’s tilt (obliquity) was 24.5 degrees, and since then has decreased to its current 23.4 degrees. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter.” - Denis Diderot


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