Skeptics Guide #1026

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1026 March 5th 2025 Segment #1. Quickie with Bob Atlantic Shutdown https://phys.org/news/2025-02-simulations-nightmare-atlantic-current-shutdown.html Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Measles Outbreak https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/health/texas-measles-outbreak-kennedy.html News Item #2 – Reintroducing Wolves https://tinyurl.com/expusrnx News Item #3 – TIGR-Tas Gene Editing https://theness.com/neurologicablog/the-new-tigr-tas-gene-editing-system/ News Item #4 – Blood Donor Who Saved Millions Dies https://gizmodo.com/james-harrison-the-man-with-the-golden-arm-is-dead-at-age-88-2000570772 News Item #5 – Star Mergers https://phys.org/news/2025-03-theory-star-mergers-universe-highest.html Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Intricate Web I agree with Steve's assessment about the fragility of this beautiful crystal we call human society. Which is one of the reasons I went to school to learn about food production when I was a young man. A resilient society has local food (etc.) capability. A resilient society is much less efficient than the large corporate model - I grow enough fruit on our small farm for only about 3 or 4 dozen households. But, if I go down, there is another orchard 10 miles away that can take up the slack, disperse scion wood, offer classes in fruit tree care. I am certain the value of community resilience will continue to gain traction as time goes on. Thanks for what you do. 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: Hydrogen Item 1: Hydrogen makes up about 10% of the human body by mass. Item 2: Only about 10% of global hydrogen production is considered green hydrogen. Item 3: There are about 17,000 hydrogen-powered cars on US roads, but more than 50,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric forklifts operating in the US. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week "Dictators seek to control men’s thoughts as well as their bodies and so they attempt to dictate science, education and religion. But dictated education is usually propaganda, dictated history is often mythology, dictated science is pseudoscience." — Edwin Grant Conklin, 1937