Skeptics Guide #941

The Skeptics Guide To The Universe

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #941 July 20th 2023 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Early Woodworking https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230719145940.htm News Item #2 – Genetic Engineering to Fight Malaria https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/using-genetic-engineering-to-fight-malaria/ News Item #3 – How We Determine What’s True https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/how-we-determine-what-to-believe-as-true/ News Item #4 – Killing Bacteria https://phys.org/news/2023-07-dual-wavelengths-shown-effective-antibiotic-resistant.amp https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-supercomputer-cicada-wings-bacteria.amp News Item #5 – Nanopatch Pseudoscience https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/07/13/what-to-know-about-djokovics-nano-patch-and-why-some-experts-call-it-pseudoscience/?sh=63af145578ae Segment #2. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Fisher Cat or Red Fox Question #2: Thorium Reactors A friend of mine is kind of a thorium enthusiast and recently sent me this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IntvWo4mo This company is working on thorium-based modular reactors and claims they will have commercial reactors ready by 2028. What's the state of thorium reactors? Supporters say that they're a better source of nuclear energy, that thorium is more abundant than uranium and produces more manageable nuclear waste. What do the skeptics have to say? Thanks and keep up the great work. Max Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. 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: Animal Tropes #1) The famous sound made by Flipper the dolphin is actually a recording of a kookaburra bird sped up. #2) The only species of frog that makes the “ribbit” noise is the Pacific tree frog, which is native to Hollywood, CA. #3) Horses make a variety of sounds, but they don’t whinny like in the movies, which is a sound recorded from a donkey. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Science is not about building a body of facts. It is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes them feel good." Terry Pratchett from his book "Science of Discworld"