Skeptics Guide #1055

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1055 September 24th 2025 Segment #1. What’s the Word Autism Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – New NASA Mission Control https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-debuts-new-orion-mission-control-room-for-artemis-2-astronauts-journey-to-the-moon-photos News Item #2 – Element 120 https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a67947951/scientists-discover-pathway-element-120-holy-grail-of-chemistry/ News Item #3 – Scalable Quantum Computer https://theness.com/neurologicablog/scalable-quantum-computer/ News Item #4 – Using AI Increases Lying https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09505-x News Item #5 – Scams and Fraud https://theconversation.com/scams-and-frauds-here-are-the-tactics-criminals-use-on-you-in-the-age-of-ai-and-cryptocurrencies-264867 Segment #3 Who’s That Noisy Molten metal poured into cold water Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Hydrogen as Propellant Hydrogen is a great propellant if you are optimising for ISP. With a combustion chamber at a given temperature the average kinetic energy of the molecules is equal irrespective of the type of gas. If the gas is made up of lighter molecules those molecules will be moving faster. Faster molecules leads to faster exhaust velocity. Faster exhaust velocity leads to higher ISP. Higher ISP leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Matthew Oelkers Segment #5. Name That Logical Fallacy Hi, SGU! I came across the following fallacy used by Douglas Murray and Mosab Yousef in debates against critics of the IDF: "Unless you've been there, you cannot express an opinion on the issue, and since I've been there, I have more credibility than you." Someone made fun of that argument by saying: "Katy Perry therefore knows more about space than Stephen Hawking, because she's been there and he hasn't." I can't quite pinpoint if this just an argument from authority, or if there's something else to it. Max 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. Item 1: In the first such study in Germany in almost 50 years, a mandatory speed limit of 75 mph would result in a 26% decrease in crashes with severe injuries. Item 2: Scientists have demonstrated a quantum sensor that is able to determine linked properties, such as position and momentum, to great precision, bypassing the limits of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Item 3: A recent study finds that, despite advances, people are still able to distinguish in many cases between AI generated voices and human voices. Segment #7. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Inductive reasoning is, of course, good guessing, not sound reasoning, but the finest results in science have been obtained in this way. Calling the guess a “working hypothesis,” its consequences are tested by experiment in every conceivable way." — Joseph William Mellor


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