Skeptics Guide #1029

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1029 March 26th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob https://phys.org/news/2025-03-survivors-spanned-globe-earth-biggest.html#google_vignette Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Constructed Languages https://theness.com/neurologicablog/the-neuroscience-of-constructed-languages/ News Item #2 – Exercise and Brain Health https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250325115849.htm News Item #3 – Curiosity Rover Finds Long Carbon Chains https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/longest-molecules-ever-found-on-mars-may-be-remnants-of-building-blocks-of-life News Item #4 – Nanotech Lightsails https://phys.org/news/2025-03-scalable-nanotechnology-based-lightsails-generation.html News Item #5 – Vaccines and Autism Again https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/david-geier-hired-to-study-vaccines-and-autism/ Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Technology vs Magic Thank you for 20 years of excellent journalism and discussion. I remember where I was the day I listened to your first episode on my clunky iPod and twisted white headphones. The Skeptics Guide is only one of a few podcasts I listen to on a weekly basis. I've been thinking about a quote that comes up frequently on your show: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I wonder, is this still true? Can you imagine anything that would appear "magic" after everything we know about the nature of the universe? Things appearing out of the air could be manipulated matter, something floating could be warped gravity, faster-than-light travel could be warped space, etc. Is it possible to be technologically advanced enough to understand physical possibilities, no matter how unlikely, and still understand something to be supernatural? Of course, it’s impossible to imagine the unimaginable, but is there anything we could witness that is inconceivable? Keep up the good work, I look forward to the discussion. Thank you, David Segment #5. 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: A new study finds that deep sea ecosystems have not yet fully recovered following mining of polymetallic nodules in a test bed 44 years ago. Item 2: Computer scientists have produced certified randomness using a 56-bit quantum computer. Item 3: Researchers find that as bicycle and e-scooter use increases in an urban setting, the relative risk of collisions with vehicles increases significantly. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "People of good will may be misled by bad information, but people of ill will deliberately spread misinformation." Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, - Merchants of Doubt