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The Skeptics' Guide To The Universe - Podcast 247 - 4/7/2010
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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
247
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April 07, 2010
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News Items: Area 51 Declassified, Ununseptium, SBM visits NCCAM, Copper Magnetic Jesus Bracelet
Who's That Noisy
Your Questions and E-mails: Human Population, Dutch Psychic Follow up
Name That Logical Fallacy: The Genetic Fallacy
Science or Fiction
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Segment: News Items
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Segment: Who's That Noisy
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Who's That Noisy
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Answer to last week: Vladimir Zworykin
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Segment: Questions and E-mails
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Question # 1 - Human Population
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In episode #246 either Bob or Jay (I can't tell which is which) said (paraphrased) "there are more people alive today than ever existed before". This is incorrect.
Conservative estimates put the total number of Homo sapiens that have existed in total at just over 100 billion - not including Neanderthal or Homo erectus, etc. There are just under 7 billion people alive today, so we represent approximately 7% of the total human population to have ever existed.
The "there are more humans alive today than ever existed before" bit is a common misconception.
Steve
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Question #2 - Dutch Pyschic Follow Up
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I'm Dutch so I have access to more sources on the story of the psychic Paul van Bree who is supposed to work for the Dutch justice department. Well, the department of justice claims not to know mr. Van Bree. One journalist did call Van Bree for clarification. Van Bree told him he last visited a prison 1,5 years ago.
The whole story seems to go back to a 'one-off' gig Van Bree did in prison several years ago, on invitation of that particular prison (Scheveningen). The Dutch justice department does not hire psychics on a structural base. Of course Van Bree is boasting on his website he is working for the department of justice. It's not true.
The source of the story is the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf, which is the Dutch 'The Daily Mail' (see: Dan and Dan). I'm very surprised the British The Telegraph copied the story without checking the story. Not very skeptical, right?
Love,
Peter Jan Haas
Amsterdam
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Segment: Name That Logical Fallacy
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Name That Logical Fallacy
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Giles Corey
The Genetic Fallacy
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Segment: Science or Fiction [ Click Here to Show the Answers ]
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Segment: Quote of the Week
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Quote of the Week
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"Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the idea is quite staggering."
- Arthur C. Clarke
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