Episode #720
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Telescope
Question #1: Journal Reliability
- I’ve been listening to the show for about a year now and have started referring back to original studies when I read things in the news. I only have a high school education though and have no idea how to tell if a journal is of high quality with publications that can be relied on. Is there a quick way to know for beginners or do I just need to scroll through weeding out the bad ones by looking for ESP papers? Thanks for sharing your expertise. If you’re ever in romote Western Australia and need a bull dozer fixed I’d be happy to return the favour (I’m a diesel mechanic). Adam Western Australia
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Fiction
Despite their reputation, the average size of an adult dinosaur was about the size of a human, and most known species were smaller. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3526529/
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Item #2
Science
There are over 700 known and named species of non-avian dinosaurs. https://www.newdinosaurs.com/types-of-dinosaurs/
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Item #3
Science
Microraptors, small feathered dinosaurs, had four wings. https://www.thoughtco.com/microraptor-the-four-winged-dinosaur-1093811
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘People should adopt a healthy lifestyle, which includes appropriate exercise, food choice, and weight control, and safety behavior. Beyond that, they should have an appropriate level of skepticism toward health information in the media and be skeptical of anyone who says he’s practicing ‘alternative’ or ‘complementary’ medicine.’ Stephen Barrett, MD – Quackwatch