The speaker of the house recently opened congress by telling an outright lie about Thomas Jefferson. The saddest part of that is how many people believe him.

#science #skepticism

Skeptical:  The Watchmaker Argument

Skeptical:  The Sunk Cost Fallacy

Environment:  Mysterious Gooey Blobs on Canada's East Coast

Environment 2:  New Hajpshire Distillery Makes Whiskey out of Invasive Crabs

Wildlife:  Whale Poop; neon green, red, sparkly

Positive:  Creepy Doll Contest

References:

https://www.philosophycubed.com/the-watchmakers-self-defeat/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/02/god-watchmakers-and-the-short-half-lfe-of-technology-metaphors/385408/

https://www.answers-in-reason.com/religion/atheism/dismantling-the-watchmaker/

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmaker_analogy#:~.text=The%20Watchmaker%20analo

https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/sunk-cost-fallacy/

https://hbr.org/2021/07/how-susceptible-are-you-to-the-sunk-cost-fallacy

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-sunk-cost-fallacy-7106851

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost

Skeptical / Researched:  Homeopathy

Environment:  Slurry spill last year may have killed most of this years spawners

Wildlife:  Why horseshoe crabs are crucial to our ability to safely inject fluids and why we should be finding other sources

Positive:  High School Student creating a future with less invasive and less expensive prosthetics

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-invented-a-low-cost-mind-controlled-prosthetic-arm-180979984/

Skeptic:  State of California suing Catholic hospital for refusing to care for a woman dying from a miscarriage

Environment:  Wildfire Tornadoes

Wildlife:  73% Decline in Wildlife in 50 Years

Positive:  Colorado protecting patients by forcing ALL hospitals to be public about what they will not do

References: 

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/california-sues-catholic-hospital?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=23igpb&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Skeptic:  See Wayback Machine Under Researched

Environment:  Making Great Use of Banana Agriculture Waste

Wildlife:  Mysterious Whalefalls by California

Researched:  The Internet Archive

Positive:  Banning Conversion Therapy in Kentucky

References:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-make-stunning-breakthrough-turning-banana-peels-into-textiles-and-renewable-fuels/#

phttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-have-so-many-whale-remains-been-found-on-the-ocean-floor-near-los-angeles-180984694/#:~:text=The%20basins'%20deep%20troughs%20plunge,proceed%20very%20slowly%2C%20Smith%20says

Skeptic:  The Conservative Case That Says Trump Lost

Environment:  Heat Domes

Researched:  Algae Based Proteins

Positive:  School District Safe From Losing Counselors to Chaplains...for now

References:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/18/what-are-heat-domes-the-phenomenon-driving-record-us-temperatures#:~:text=The%20pressure%20pushes%20air%20down,temperatures%2C%20adding%20to%20a%20heatwave.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/intense-heat-dome-will-bring-record-breaking-temperatures-to-the-east/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/best-food-forward-are-algae-the-future-of-sustainable-nutrition

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833522000454

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9892066/

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/breaking-after-satanists-and-humanists?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=24v1p5&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Skeptic:  Scammers Target The Easily Fooled; MAGA Cultists

Environment:  Finally!  Recyclable PCBs

Plant Life:  Mysteries of the Giant Trees Dying Worldwide

Positive:  Michigan's Renewable Energy Progress

References:

https://www.wired.com/story/maga-crypto-scammers-donald-trump/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2024/06/18/trump-2024-campaign-fund-fraud-warning-as-crypto-scammers-strike/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-are-giant-ancient-tropical-trees-dying-180984812/#:~:text=Research%20suggests%20human%2Ddriven%20climate,warming%20as%20a%20likely%20cause.

Skeptic:  Election Deniers & Those Who Plan to Overthrown are Full Speed Ahead

Environment:  Climate Change Could Make Fungi More Dangerous

Wildlife:  Magpies Use Anti-Bird Spikes to Build Nests

Positive:  6 Types of Depression and Anxiety

References:

https://www.wired.com/story/election-deniers-efforts-disenfranchise-voters/

Skeptic:  The Clever Hans and Ideomotor Effects

Environment:  Micro Plastics in Penises

Wildlife:  Sea Lions Helping Science

Article:  The Secret to Better Sex? Have it With Yourself

Positive:  Getting Rid of Genetic Blindnes in Dogs

References:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Clever-Hans

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3921203/

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clever_Hans#:~:text=It%20is%20used%20in%20psychology,animals'%20intelligence%20or%20human%20intelligence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideomotor_phenomenon#:~:text=The%20ideomotor%20phenomenon%20is%20a,in%20hypnosis%20and%20psychological%20research.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858027/

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Ideomotor_effect

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/microplastic-found-in-penis-infertility-sperm-count-erectile-dysfunction#:~:text=Now%2C%20new%20research%20published%20in,25%2C000th%20of%20an%20inch).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/06/27/microplastics-penis-study/74222430007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/19/microplastic-discovery-in-penises-raises-erectile-dysfunction-questions

https://www.deccanherald.com/environment/wildlife/move-over-robots-sea-lions-with-cameras-can-map-the-ocean-floor-3142111#:~:text=Scientists%20usually%20map%20parts%20of,can%20be%20challenging%20and%20expensive.&text=Scientists%20use%20Sea%20Lions%20With%20Cameras%20Can%20Map%20the%20Ocean%20Floor.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02546-8

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/07/australia-sea-lions-cameras-ocean-floor

https://www.vox.com/even-better/23854229/better-sex-masturbation-benefits-solo-pleasure

Environment:  Zombie Fires

Plant Life:  The Deadly Angels' Trumpet Flower

Researched:  Facilitated Communication

Positive:  Basset Hound Saves Dozens of Other Animals

Show Notes: