Skeptics Guide #1025

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1025 February 26th 2025 Segment #1. News Items News Item #1 – Congestion Pricing https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-widening-highways-doesnt-fix-traffic-but-congestion-pricing-can/ News Item #2 – AI Therapists https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/health/ai-therapists-chatbots.html News Item #3 – Redefining Dyslexia https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/redefining-dyslexia/ News Item #4 – Small Modular Reactors for Cargo Ships https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/korean-smr-powered-container-ship-design-revealed Segment 2. Who’s That Noisy Segment #3. Interview with Adam Russell 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. Item 1: Researchers successfully used mRNA which produces a tardigrade protein to protect surrounding tissue from radiation damage during cancer treatment. Item 2: Studying a new database of 8.9 million observations of 445 mammalian species found that only 39% had correct diel classification (what time of day they are active). Item 3: A new analysis finds that the vast majority of rogue planetary mass objects form as ejected planets rather than failed stars. Segment #5. Skeptical Quote of the Week "One of the few universal characteristics is a healthy skepticism toward unverified speculations. These are regarded as topics for conversation until tests can be devised. Only then do they attain the dignity of subjects for investigation." Edwin Hubbel, The Realm of the Nebulae (Yale University Press: 1936)