Skeptics Guide

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #972 February 21st 2024 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 - Pesticides in Oats sciencebasedmedicine.org/pest... News Item #2 - AI Video openai.com/sora News Item #3 - University Rankings Flawed phys.org/news/2024-02-univers... News Item #4 - Mewing and Looksmaxxing www.theguardian.com/lifeandst... News Item #5 - Titan Uninhabitable phys.org/news/2024-02-saturn-... Segment #2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Interview with Chris Smith from The Naked Scientists www.thenakedscientists.com/me... 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: Eclipses Item 1: All four gas giants in our solar system experience total solar eclipses, from the perspective of their gassy surfaces. Item 2: On average, any spot on Earth will see a total solar eclipse every 375 years. Item 3: The first recorded accurate prediction of a solar eclipse was in 2300 BC, by Chinese astronomer, Li Shu, for Emporer Zhong Kang. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "The spirit of Plato dies hard. We have been unable to escape the philosophical tradition that what we can see and measure in the real world is merely the superficial and imperfect representation of an underlying reality." (The Mismeasure of Man, p. 269)

[@nicholaicheck]

[0:27] Winter arrives [1:10] Eclipse glasses clarification [9:03] News Item #1 - Pesticides in Oats [21:35] News Item #2 - AI Video [36:55] News Item #3 - University Rankings Flawed [46:15] Sponsor - Factor meals [47:12] News Item #4 - Mewing and Looksmaxxing [58:37] News Item #5 - Titan Uninhabitable [1:11:49] Who’s That Noisy [1:17:14] Dallas extravaganza tickets [1:18:09] Chicago show & extravaganza (1000th show) [1:18:55] Guest Chris Smith [1:49:57] Science or Fiction [2:02:30] Minor Dallas extravaganza spoilers [2:02:51] Quote of the Week

[@WholeCosmos]

great show as usual

[@mistabone3899]

I was to wear an appliance as a teenager, complete with headgear, It would slip out of place while sleeping and I'd damn near swallow it, which created some trauma. That said with my overbite I have sleep apnea issues as my tongue will block my airway. CPAP was of no use to me, see the trauma from the headgear 35 years ago above. about 5 years later when having my four impacted wisdom teeth being removed, I came too slightly. Having the ortho surgeon basically standing on the chair with a huge pair of vice grips trying to rip my teeth out....yeah not fun. Love the show as always, esp. on youtube now as I can play it on my Roku as I fall to sleep.

[@dalilou541]

Is there really light pollution even without public lights during a total eclipse? I would like to understand the point that was raised by Cara

[@slianyong7550]

Hah! I recognized the name Thales of Miletus from a sci fi/fantasy book by Michael Anderle _Death Becomes Her_ !

[@majikthise110]

Why is this a short 😓

[@TheMe9595]

1:27:30 There is a good video by the channel Three Arrows about how easy it is to fall down a specifically right wing rabbit hole on KZbin.

[@PlayingMantis]

I hate the new Lincoln project ad using Trump's father. It's creepy and obviously AI but it crossed a line. And I'm no Trump fan.

[@dickhsv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHikaZ56edh8iJI This was my neighbor’s and my experience of the total solar eclipse at MTSU in Tennessee. Don’t miss April’s if you get a chance. Thanks SGU.

[@dickjoe]

Please let's not make the "shorts" thing a thing