Episode #330

News Items

Who's That Noisy

  • Answer to last week: Mantis Shrimp

Science or Fiction

  • Item #1 Fiction

    The top four sources of electricity generation in the US are coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, and nuclear, in that order, followed distantly by wind, geothermal, and solar. reference for all items: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/content/energy/energy_archive/energy_flow_2007/LLNL_US_EFC_20071.png

  • Item #2 Science

    Total energy use in the US is down from its peek of 101.5 quads in 2007 to 98.0 quads in 2010; likewise carbon dioxide emissions have decreased from 6,022 million metric tons to 5,632 over the same period.

  • Item #3 Science

    Fossil fuels represent 83% of total energy production in the US, while renewable sources represent 3.8%.

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

‘Questioner: As a scientist, would you deny the possibility of water having been changed into wine in the Bible? CS: Deny the possibility? Certainly not. I would not deny any such possibility. But I would, of course, not spend a moment on it unless there was some evidence for it.’ Sagan, Carl. The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. Ed. Ann Druyan. New York: Penguin, 2006, p. 251.