The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe

The Skeptics Guide #988 - Jun 15 2024

June 15, 2024

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  • A mysterious, long-period radio signal (53.8 minutes) detected from a neutron star, designated ASKAPJ193505.1+214841.0, challenges current understanding of neutron star rotation rates, suggesting it might be an older magnetar. 
  • Recent studies linking high consumption of ultra-processed food to increased all-cause mortality are likely flawed due to massive confounding lifestyle factors (like socioeconomic status, smoking, and exercise) rather than the food itself being an independent risk factor. 
  • NASA's Artemis III mission to return humans to the Moon is now targeted for September 2026, with progress on new spacesuits (AxEMU) and Starship HLS being tested, though the timeline remains dependent on resolving issues with the Orion spacecraft's heat shield. 
  • The lawsuit against Poppy soda highlights skepticism regarding the meaningful health benefits of prebiotics (like inulin) when consumed in the low quantities found in fortified sodas, especially given the sugar content. 
  • Noninvasive deep brain stimulation can be achieved by using two intersecting electrical fields whose frequencies destructively interfere in the superficial brain tissue, leaving only the desired therapeutic frequency (80 Hz) at the deep target. 
  • The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or frequency illusion, is primarily attributed to selective attention, where increased awareness of a concept causes one to notice its previously existing frequency in the environment. 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and The Boys
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(00:00:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe for this episode are Stephen Novella, Bob Novella, Jay Novella, and Evan Bernstein, with Kara absent.
  • Summary: The episode of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe begins with the hosts introducing themselves, noting Kara is unavailable. The hosts briefly discuss the TV show The Boys, noting its realistic portrayal of superheroes as often being psychopaths or douchebags due to unchecked power. The third season premiere of The Boys is noted to be airing on June 13th, two days before this episode’s release.
Evan’s Quickie: Mysterious Signal
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(00:06:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Scientists have identified a mysterious, irregular 53.8-minute radio signal as originating from a neutron star named ASKAPJ193505.1+214841.0, which is challenging existing models of neutron star rotation.
  • Summary: The signal, classified as a long-period radio transient, exhibits three phases: strong pulses, weak pulses, and no pulses, making it rare. The 53-minute period is inconsistent with known neutron star rotation speeds, which are typically seconds or fractions of a second. Researchers hypothesize the source may be an older population of magnetars that possess the necessary magnetic fields to produce coherent radio emissions.
News: Ultraprocessed Food Mortality Data
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(00:12:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Observational studies linking high consumption of ultra-processed food to increased all-cause mortality are heavily confounded by lifestyle factors associated with low socioeconomic status, and the correlation disappears when controlling for pre-existing illness.
  • Summary: Ultra-processed food is loosely defined, sometimes by having five or more additive ingredients, which can include common items like store-bought bread. The primary weakness of the data, often derived from the French Nutrinet Sante survey, is confounding factors such as low income, low education, and lack of exercise, which correlate strongly with consuming these foods. Furthermore, the correlation vanishes when excluding participants who were already sick at the study’s outset, suggesting the food itself is a marker for an unhealthy lifestyle, not an independent risk factor.
News: Artemis Program Update
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(00:28:27)
  • Key Takeaway: NASA has postponed the Artemis III Moon landing to September 2026 due to necessary re-engineering and fixes required for the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield and life support systems.
  • Summary: Astronauts recently tested Axiom Space’s new spacesuits (AxEMU) inside a full-scale mock-up of the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System (HLS) to ensure compatibility with controls and airlock procedures. The suits are designed to function both in flight and on the lunar surface, a significant upgrade from the single-use Apollo suits. The overall Artemis timeline remains in flux, heavily dependent on the readiness of SpaceX’s Starship, which recently showed significant progress in its fourth test flight.
News: Interstellar Cloud Encounter
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(00:44:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Models suggest that 2 to 3 million years ago, the solar system may have passed through a dense interstellar cloud, causing Earth’s protective heliosphere to shrink drastically, potentially exposing Earth to radiation and influencing climate and evolution.
  • Summary: The Sun is currently within the Local Interstellar Cloud, but researchers suggest a past encounter with a much denser cloud (3,000 particles per cubic centimeter, 10,000 times denser than the current cloud) could have shrunk the heliosphere from 130 AU to just 0.22 AU for centuries. This loss of protection could have allowed radioactive particles like iron-60 to embed in Earth’s surface materials and potentially depleted the ozone layer, leading to cooling. This event is speculatively linked to selective pressures that shaped the evolution of Homo sapiens.
News: Prebiotic Soda Concept
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(00:58:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The concept of ‘prebiotic soda’ attempts to combine the unnecessary consumption of soft drinks with purported health benefits, challenging the old adage that one cannot have their cake and eat it too.
  • Summary: Soda is defined as an unnecessary, carbonated beverage containing sweeteners, acids, and flavors. Brands like Olipop are attempting to market sodas infused with healthy components, suggesting consumers can enjoy the drink while gaining measurable health benefits. This marketing strategy plays on consumer desires but contrasts with the reality that excessive sugar intake from soda remains a known health risk.
Prebiotic Soda Lawsuit Details
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(00:59:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Poppy soda faces a class action lawsuit alleging its prebiotic fiber content (2 grams per can) is too low to provide meaningful gut health benefits.
  • Summary: The lawsuit claims a consumer would need to drink four or more Poppy sodas daily to approach potential prebiotic benefits, which would likely be negated by the resulting high sugar intake. Prebiotics like inulin pass undigested to the bowels where they feed beneficial bacteria, potentially creating short-chain fatty acids that affect inflammation and blood sugar. Experts suggest that for healthy individuals, prebiotics offer little benefit, and most people already consume sufficient fiber through a normal diet.
Noninvasive Deep Brain Stimulation Update
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(01:10:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Researchers achieved noninvasive deep brain stimulation by using two intersecting electrical fields (2000 Hz and 2080 Hz) whose destructive interference creates a functional 80 Hz field only at the point of convergence.
  • Summary: This technique bypasses the challenge of stimulating deep brain structures without affecting overlying tissue, as the individual 2000 Hz beams are too fast to affect brain activity. The resulting 80 Hz frequency influences brain function precisely where the two fields meet. Potential applications include treating seizures, migraines, and Parkinsonian tremor without implanting physical devices.
Who’s That Noisy Reveal
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(01:14:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The sound played in the ‘Who’s That Noisy’ segment was identified as the servos controlling the exhaust nozzle aperture on a Pratt & Whitney jet engine, such as those found on F-15 or F-16 aircraft.
  • Summary: The noise heard was the high-pitched sound of servos adjusting the engine’s exhaust opening, which uses finger-like components to narrow or widen the aperture. This adjustment directs the flow of exhaust, likely affecting compression or thrust vectoring. Two listeners, Brandon Binzak and Mike Dreyer, correctly identified the sound source.
Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon Explained
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(01:25:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or frequency illusion, occurs because selective attention causes individuals to notice information they have recently learned, which was already present in their environment.
  • Summary: The phenomenon is not a cosmic coincidence but a cognitive bias where awareness of a new concept, word, or name triggers heightened noticing of its subsequent appearances. This is distinct from confirmation bias, as the core mechanism is simply noticing what one is now primed to look for. The split category effect suggests that breaking a large category into subcategories can inflate the perceived size of the whole.
Science or Fiction Results
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(01:35:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The claim that physicists isolated true magnetic monopoles was fiction; however, the report that NASA successfully tested a 1.2 Gbps data link to the ISS using infrared lasers was science.
  • Summary: The magnetic monopole claim was false because while ‘virtual’ or analog monopoles have been observed in quantum matter, true, isolated magnetic monopoles remain undiscovered. The successful NASA test utilized infrared lasers shooting between Earth, geosynchronous satellites, and the ISS to achieve high-speed communication, which is crucial for future cislunar operations.