Episode #997

Episode #997

News Items

• Childhood Vaccines
• Alien Solar Panels
• Stuck in the ISS
• Framing and Global Warming
• Promoting Homeopathy

Science or Fiction [ Show Answers ]

• Item #1 Science

  A new analysis concludes that large language model AIs do not display any truly emergent abilities and therefore do not pose a novel risk. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.01809

• Item #2 Science

  Researchers modeling data from the InSight Mars lander conclude that the mid crust of Mars is saturated with liquid water. https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/presence-liquid-water-most-probable-explanation-data-collected-mars-lander

• Item #3 Fiction

  Scientists have demonstrated that a set of routine biological markers can diagnose long COVID with over 90% sensitivity and specificity. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M24-0737

Skeptical Quote of the Week.

‘It is important to promote a scientific attitude. This is much more important than really understanding all concepts about science. If you understand how science works and you develop a scientific attitude towards the world, you are going to be a skeptic.’ Natalia Pasternak – microbiologist, author, and science communicator