Skeptics Guide #1006

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1006 October 16th 2024 Segment #1. From TikTok Fake Space Station https://www.tiktok.com/@james.1.1.1.1.1.1.1/video/7415844279718776097?_r=1&_t=8qa2MthYQIQ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – AI Common Sense https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03262-z News Item #2 – Malnutrition in Children https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/health/children-malnutrition-africa-unicef.html News Item #3 – Latest Starship Launch https://theness.com/neurologicablog/latest-starship-launch/ News Item #4 – New Metasurface https://www.miragenews.com/kaist-unveils-janus-metasurface-responsive-to-1336942/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Myopia Hey there, I just caught up on the recent episode where you talked about the myopia epidemic. I’m an optometrist, so I’m dealing with myopia every single day. As a public service announcement, I thought you might mention a few points: 1. There are methods and treatments available now that help control (slow down) the progression of myopia (spectacle lenses, contact lenses, eye drops, or combinations thereof) 2. Other than the treatments noted above, other recommendations are: a) kids should be outside a minimum of 2 hrs per day (sunlight seems to have a positive effect) b) frequent breaks from screens (5 minutes of break per 30 minutes of screen time) c) kids should avoid the use of LED lights while studying/reading in the evening One final point: Cara mentioned that it’s not so bad to be myopic, which I suppose is true until you become a strong myope. An increased degree of myopia is directly correlated with medical/eye health problems such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, myopic degeneration etc, so everything should be done to minimize the degree of myopia. Cheers Randy Segment #5. Interview with Christian Hubicki Segment #6. 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: Good News Item 1: The US Geological Survey released a report that conservatively estimates there is enough commercially accessible geological hydrogen to meet current global demand for 1000 years. Item 2: A new review finds that aquaculture reduces demands on ocean fishing and therefore benefits local communities dependent on pelagic fish. Item 3: Researchers have demonstrated bedside rapid quantitative blood biomarker detection using an acoustic pipette to purify and label biomarkers in just 70 minutes. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "One of the beautiful things about science is that it allows us to bumble along, getting it wrong time after time, and feel perfectly fine as long as we learn something each time." - Martin A. Schwartz


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