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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 188 - 2/26/2009
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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is produced by SGU Productions, LLC - dedicated to promoting critical thinking, reason, and the public understanding of science through online and other media. The first episode of the SGU podcast went online on May 4th, 2005. It soon became a popular science/skeptical podcast, and remains one of the most popular science podcasts on iTunes.
SGU Podcasting Awards: SGU on XM: You can listen to the SGU on America's Talk XM 166 every Saturday night from 8-9pm Eastern.
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Podcast
188
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February 26, 2009
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News Items: Virtual Snowflakes, Evolution of Sex, Revenge of Titanoboa, Google Atlantis, Catboy
Your Questions and E-mails: Missing Moon, Moon and Sun
Randi Speaks
Whos That Noisy
Science or Fiction
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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Question # 1 - Missing Moon
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I realize this may be in the running for stupidest question ever asked of the show, if you leave out Neal Adams that is, but I was watching the second Austin Powers movie and started wondering about this.
Late in the movie Dr. Evil is threatening President Tim Robbins, President Robbins desperately wishes to be able to use a "nuke" against Dr. Evil who is based on the moon. A military official asks if the president is seriously suggesting blowing up the moon. President Robbins asks the assembled group if they would miss it if it were gone.
All that leads to my question, (finally) would we miss the moon if it did not exist? I'm not asking what crazy improbable situation would be needed to remove the moon, just what the observable differences upon the Earth would be if there was no moon? Obviously there would be tidal differences, but would we have any other major effects I'm not aware of?
Please advise Jay that I will be severely disappointed if this question does not generate a Dr. Evil impression, or at least a bad English accent.
Matt Allex
Minneapolis
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Question # 2 - Sun and Moon
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Hi guys,
Avid fan of the show etc etc
Question for you, sure there is super easy answer but I have never heard it yet.
So here goes...
What are the odds that from our perspective on Earth the moon and the sun appear exactly the same size?
The two bodies are unrelated apart from our looking at them...
Interesting... be great to hear your comments
Matt
London
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Segment: Randi Speaks
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Randi Speaks
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The Uncompromising Observations of a Veteran Skeptic
James Randi returns to give his skeptical commentary in his own unique style.
Topic - Impossible to Fool?
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Segment: Who's That Noisy
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Whos That Noisy
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Answer to last week's clue - New England Ghosthunter, Ed Warren.
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote of the Week
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“Long experience has taught me this about the status of mankind with regard to matters requiring thought: the less people know and understand about them, the more positively they attempt to argue concerning them, while on the other hand to know and understand a multitude of things renders men cautious in passing judgment upon anything new.”
- Galileo
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