Episode #895
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Zelda
Interview with Dr. Seema Yasmin
- https://seemayasmin.com/speaking/
Science or Fiction
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Item #1
Fiction
The notion that humans have as many hair follicles as chimpanzees, on average, is false, with our closest cousins having 2-3 times as many as humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6289065/
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Item #2
Science
Bagpipes do not have their origin in Scotland, but are rather an ancient instrument. In fact, Nero was more likely to play the bagpipes than the fiddle while Rome burned (although that is also a myth). https://www.hendersongroupltd.com/resources/history-of-bagpipes/
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Item #3
Science
Contrary to common lore, the QWERTY keyboard layout was not created to limit jamming but rather was designed for convenience. https://hackaday.com/2016/03/15/the-origin-of-qwerty/
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘If you have an effect that nobody can replicate, then your phenomenon fades away. So if you want to have a legacy, then you jolly well better have an effect that replicates’ Susan Fiske, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs – Department of Psychology, Princeton University