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/