Skeptics Guide #979

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #979 April 7th 2024 Live from Dallas With special guest Dustin Bates from Starset https://starset.fandom.com/wiki/Dustin_Bates Segment #1. Science of Eclipses https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/nasa-research/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Designed Drugs https://theness.com/neurologicablog/ai-designed-drugs/ News Item #2 – AI Music https://www.shootonline.com/spw/new-study-ai-music-production-pits-human-against-machine https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-ai-music-songwriting-tennessee-eb95c850f13fd78f9e65abce2ee45091 https://completemusicupdate.com/icmp-launches-rights-reservations-portal-setting-out-the-legal-and-moral-obligations-of-ai-companies/ News Item #3 – Music Getting Simpler https://theness.com/neurologicablog/is-music-getting-simpler/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/song-lyrics-really-are-getting-simpler-and-more-repetitive-study-finds/ News Item #4 – Aphantasia Spectrum Exploring Aphantasia: The Mind Without a Mental Picture - Neuroscience News News Item #5 – Nova and Comet Compete with Eclipse https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240322-visible-nova-explosion-is-coming https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/04/02/solar-exclipse-horned-devil-comet-april-8/73147667007/ 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. Theme: Texas Item 1: Texas has the road with the highest speed limit in the US, at 85 mph. Item 2: The largest single employer in Texas is Amazon. Item 3: Six Flags amusement park gets its name from the fact that Texas has been part of six nations throughout its history. Segment #4. Skeptical Quote of the Week "As the sun eclipses the stars by his brilliancy, so the man of knowledge will eclipse the fame of others in assemblies of the people if he proposes algebraic problems, and still more if he solves them." — Brahmagupta


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