Skeptics Guide #1036

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe Skepticast #1036 May 12th 2025 Segment #1. Dumbest Word of the Week moxibustion Segment #2. News Items News Item #1 – Cold Plunges https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cold-water-plunge-workout-muscle News Item #2 – The End of Life https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/ever-wondered-when-life-on-earth-will-end-a-supercomputer-has-the-answer/articleshow/120957014.cms News Item #3 – Floating Nuclear Power https://theness.com/neurologicablog/floating-nuclear-power-plants/ News Item #4 – Visualizing Special Relativity https://phys.org/news/2025-05-snapshot-relativistic-motion-special-visible.html News Item #5 – Brainspotting Pseudoscience https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-brain-on-food/202505/brainspotting-is-pseudoscience Segment 3. Who’s That Noisy Segment #4. Your Questions and E-mails Question #1: Ethics of Pig Hearts Question #2: Are Flat Earthers Real Love the show, don't change a thing. Q: I am convinced that Flat Earthers don't really exist. In the year 2025 with today's technology and education there is no way Flat Earther philosophy can thrive. Instead, those who are self proclaimed Flat Earthers or conspiracy theorists continue to advocate for what they believe in because they benefit somehow or in some way such as receiving attention or monetary gain. Think about all the tv shows, podcasts, news clips, blogs, or whatever - those who proclaim to be a Flat Earther just do it for some reason other than that is what they truly believe and everyone is giving way too much attention to this non sense. Would you agree to this? Have a great skeptic day, Mathew 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: Researchers find that the parasite, Entamoeba histolytica, evades the host immune system by crawling inside white blood cells. Item 2: A new analysis finds that atmospheric mercury has decreased by about 70% since 2000. Item 3: A recent study finds that the universe will end (heat death) much sooner than previously calculated, in 10^78 years rather than the previous estimate of 10^1100 years. Segment #6. Skeptical Quote of the Week “The difference between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil.” - Mon Mothma, Andor