Skeptics Guide #975

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #975 March 13th 2024 Segment #1. Fraud Alert Tax Scams Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Pentagon UFO Report https://theness.com/neurologicablog/pentagon-report-no-ufos/ News Item #2 – Microplastic Risks https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00650-3 News Item #3 – Parasite Cleanse https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/parasite-cleanse/ News Item #4 – Gut Microbe Communication https://today.ucsd.edu/story/molecular-rosetta-stone-reveals-how-our-microbiome-talks-to-us News Item #5 – Interstellar Meteorite https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/deep-space/a60141520/alien-is-a-truck/ Segment #3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mail Question #1: Thou I'm just wrapping up listening to episode 974 when you're discussing how English doesn't have a plural second person, and I have to share this because that same question of why it doesn't used to bug me: English DOES have a plural second person. It's "you." The singular second person in English is "thou." Much like in French with "tu" and "vous," "thou" was exclusively singular and informal while "you" could be plural or formal singular. Obviously we don't use "thou" today, and the leading theory is that because social classes became more complex over time, it was safer to politely address someone as "you" rather than make the social misstep of calling a peer or your better "thou." I would liken this to the modern rise of singular "they." I've only had the pleasure of listening to the SGU for about two years, but I'm looking forward to many more. I will be writing in again to ask some scientific questions that I've never been able to get an answer for that have bothered me for decades. Thanks for doing all you do, Helen Question #2: Mach Effect Drive Hi rogues! Long time listener. Love the work you do! Here's a question you may have covered in the past, but I saw a video about a Mach effect drive and immediately thought it was a scam! A space drive with no propellant??? "Umpossible" I thought!! https://youtu.be/0bp8fk5rosI?si=5ufWN4d63NLEml8g I then Googled it to get more info and came across the NASA website saying it was "credible"!! Wtf?? https://www.nasa.gov/general/mach-effects-for-in-space-propulsion-interstellar-mission/#:~:text=Mach%20Effect%20Thruster%20(MET)%20propulsion,accelerations%20and%20internal%20energy%20changes. Can you folks break this down for me? Scam or science? Waddaya think? Thanks for the amazing podcast, consistently my favourite since the beginning! 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. Theme: Equinoxes Item 1: On the day of each equinox, day and night are of equal length. Item 2: During the equinoxes, solar declination is 0°. Item 3: So-called solar outages, or equinoctial disruptions, refer to the fact that communication satellites are often partially or totally blocked for a few days either before or after the equinoxes. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "If you want to do seismic analysis, it’s ideal if you check with a seismologist first." Benjamin Fernando, planetary seismologist at Johns Hopkins University