Skeptics Guide #794

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #794 September 23rd, 2020 Segment #1. COVID-19 Update https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/airborne-transmission-of-sars-cov-2/ Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Better Batteries https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/the-story-of-cheaper-batteries-from-smartphones-to-teslas/ News Item #2 – Perovskite Solar Cells and Better Copper https://phys.org/news/2020-09-highly-efficient-perovskite-solar-cells.html https://phys.org/news/2020-09-composite-material-revs-pursuit-advanced.html News Item #3 – Perception of Time https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/how-you-perceive-time-may-depend-on-income-memory-formation/ News Item #4 – Rewiring the Brain https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/third-thumb-human-augmentation-rewires-the-brain/ News Item #5 – 2020 IgNobels https://www.improbable.com/ig-about/winners/ 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: Follow up #1) Researchers have demonstrated the cause of Australian fairy circles – a reaction-diffusion pattern of water dynamics following a mathematical pattern first proposed by Alan Turing. #2) A new analysis finds that the amount of life necessary in the clouds of Venus to produce the phosphine signature is several orders of magnitude less than the biomass in Earth’s clouds, making life a more plausible answer. #3) Scientists have identified the first confirmed “Murder Hornet” nest in Washington state. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week “An informed appraisal of life absolutely requires a full understanding of life’s arena – the universe. By deepening our understanding of the true nature of physical reality, we profoundly reconfigure our sense of ourselves and our experience of the universe.” — Brian Greene