All Episodes
Previous Next
Plain Text
March 2, 2010 - Skeptoid
15:58
Skeptoid #195: Student Questions: Mosquito Repellent and Einstein's Gestation

Skeptoid answers more questions sent in by students all around the world. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
|

Time Text
Debunking Climate Change Petitions 00:09:10
It is time for another delightfully fun episode where we answer student questions.
This is a show about urban legends and strange beliefs that contradict the science.
So it's important that we cover such things that people are actually thinking about and wondering about.
And most particularly, that we do so for tomorrow's generation.
Student questions are right now on Skeptoid.
Hi, I'm Alex Goldman.
You may know me as the host of Reply All, but I'm done with that.
I'm doing something else now.
I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed.
On every episode of HyperFixed, listeners write in with their problems and I try to solve them.
Some massive and life-altering and some so minuscule it'll boggle your mind.
No matter the problem, no matter the size, I'm here for you.
That's HyperFixed, the new podcast for Radiotopia.
Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or at hyperfixedpod.com.
You're listening to Skeptoid.
I'm Brian Dunning from skeptoid.com.
Student questions, mosquito repellent and Einstein's gestation.
Today we have some really cool questions sent in by students.
First, we're going to look at electronic mosquito repellents, then at the validity of the petition project signed by over 30,000 scientists who say anthropogenic climate change, meaning caused by humans, isn't happening.
Next, what are the real facts about whether or not you can get sick from someone sitting near you in class?
Finally, we're going to look at a couple of really interesting biological questions.
One is the explosive issue of athletes of different races.
Is it true that some races are good at some sports?
Because it sure seems like it.
And last, the urban legend that Einstein spent an extra month in his mother's womb, which is what made him so smart.
Let's get started with an important question on health that affects people all over the world.
Hi, Brian.
This is Rohan from the University of Cambridge.
I'd like to know what your thoughts on these new contraptions that claim to repel mosquitoes by using ultrasound.
Has anyone tested them?
Yes, they've been tested, and no, they don't work.
Field trials of electronic mosquito repellents conducted in 10 different parts of the world where mosquito-borne malaria is a problem found no evidence that they repel mosquitoes at all.
And this includes those that are said to simulate the sound of a dragonfly's wingbeat.
If you want to repel mosquitoes, you've got to turn to chemical repellents.
Since malaria is such a major cause of death in some parts of the world, a lot of money has been thrown at trying to solve this.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, you can't do much better than DEET.
Generally, synthetic repellents work better than natural repellents, although some plant-based compounds do work just as well.
The old folk remedy of taking vitamin B has been conclusively shown to have no effect whatsoever as a mosquito repellent.
Citronella oil does work almost as well as DEET, but its shortcoming is that it must be reapplied every 30 to 60 minutes.
The best repellent of all, of course, is a properly closed mosquito net.
Hi, I'm Eric from the University of Oklahoma, and I was wondering what your take is on the claim that 32,000 scientists supposedly refute anthropogenic climate change.
Thank you.
You're referring to the Petition Project, which has collected over 30,000 signatures of people worldwide who, supposedly, reject anthropogenic climate change.
In a moment, I'll explain why I say supposedly reject it.
Understand two things about this petition.
First, 30,000 is only about 0.3% of degree holders in the relevant fields, so we can be pretty certain that the vast overwhelming majority of scientists have rejected this petition.
Second, the actual petition is fundamentally flawed in that it requires the signer to agree to three unrelated points, any one of which is debatable.
One, the Kyoto Protocol is deeply flawed.
Two, Humans are not causing a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
And three, a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide has beneficial consequences.
The Kyoto Protocol is a political question that has nothing to do with the climate science itself, placing strangling restrictions on wealthy nations while allowing the largest producers of greenhouse gases, China and India, to continue to do so unchecked.
Plenty of people disagree with this strategy, regardless of their feelings about the science.
The second point that humans are not causing an increase in global warming does contradict the best science that we have, which shows that human activity is a factor.
But there are natural factors as well.
There are some global warming activists who are deeply concerned about climate change, but who dispute the degree to which human activity contributes.
The third point that a rise in carbon dioxide is beneficial is quite true in some cases.
It's great for plants, for one thing.
But the science shows that it will have other negative consequences that more than make up for the few benefits.
So how is the average person to respond when presented with such a schizophrenic petition?
Many climate scientists may well feel conflicted about one or two of these three points.
There's no doubt in my mind that the petition was consciously designed to be ambiguous, and to give as many people as possible some reason to agree with one of its points.
The best example is showcased on the Petition Project's home page, which shows the petition signed by the late Manhattan Project nuclear physicist, Dr. Edward Teller.
Teller was profoundly concerned about global warming and proposed sprinkling aluminum dust into the atmosphere as a much cheaper way to address the problem than the disastrous Kyoto Protocol.
He was pretty much the opposite of a global warming denier.
His being showcased on their home page proves, to me, that their petition project lacks integrity.
Hi, my name is Erica.
My question is, kids at school worry every time someone sitting near them gets sick.
Could they get sick, and what are the chances?
That's a great question, and an important one.
Yes, you can potentially catch a cold from being near someone who has an active cold.
The most likely way you'll catch it is through contact.
We often don't realize how many things we touch.
The doorknob to the classroom, the button on a drinking fountain, books and papers that might be passed around the room, the backs of chairs, etc.
But guarding against this is the easiest thing to do.
Wash your hands frequently.
If you wash your hands throughout the day when you're near someone with an active cold, using soap and water or an alcohol-based cleanser, you have a very good chance of not catching it.
Also, be sure not to touch your face.
The virus usually enters your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth from your hand.
But there's one thing you can't control quite so easily.
If that person is coughing or sneezing into the air, they can put the virus into the classroom's air, and if that happens, then people nearby are indeed at much higher risk.
Students with a cold who are actively sneezing or coughing should stay home.
If they do come to school, they should cough or sneeze into a handkerchief or tissue.
If they're just blasting away, then you may indeed have a problem, and not even a face mask will protect you from particles that fine.
In a world that can feel overwhelming, spreading thoughtful, evidence-based content is one of the best ways to make a positive impact.
Ask your local public radio station to air the Skeptoid Files, a 30-minute radio-friendly version of Skeptoid that pairs two related episodes promoting real science, true history, and critical thinking.
And in these challenging times for public media, we're offering these broadcasts for free to radio stations, available on the PRX Exchange or directly from Skeptoid Media.
It's an easy ask.
Just send a quick message to your station's programming director.
By helping to bring the Skeptoid files to the airwaves, you'll help promote the essential skills we all need to tell fact from fiction.
Just go to your local station's website, find the programming director's email address, or just their general email address.
You can even use the telephone.
I know that might sound crazy.
It's an old legacy device that allows real-time voice communication.
I know that's weird, but hey, it's an option.
The world can feel chaotic, but you're not powerless.
When you promote critical thinking, you can help your community tell fact from fiction.
Einstein's Womb Myth Explained 00:04:39
And that's how we shape a better future.
In uncertain times, spreading good ideas can make you feel helpful, not helpless.
Let's stand up for reason, truth, and understanding together.
Get them to air the Skeptoid files from Skeptoid Media, available on the PRX Exchange, and they'll know what that is.
Hey, Brian, my name is Tate and I'm a high school student in Oregon.
I've heard that all human DNA is practically identical.
Is it true that certain racial groups are significantly more athletic than others?
Yes and no.
Certain populations throughout the world do indeed tend toward different sizes and shapes.
But this doesn't have as much to do with their race so much as with other factors.
A great place to study this is Africa, where we see immense diversity of body proportions among different populations, ranging all the way from the Bambuti pygmies of the Congo, whose men average only 137 centimeters, 4'6, all the way to the Watusi Tutsi, whose men average 193 centimeters, 6'4, with many over 7 feet.
Populations of the same race also differ geographically.
Caucasian men in the Netherlands average 185 centimeters, 6 foot 1, but only 174 centimeters, 5'9, in Romania.
Asian men in Taiwan average 172 centimeters, 5'8, but 163 centimeters, 5'4, in Cambodia.
Worldwide, women average slightly shorter than men.
Since athletic ability is dependent on size more than any other physical characteristic, it's never going to be accurate to correlate race with athleticism.
There are two main factors that determine a given population's physical characteristics.
The first is their haplotype, a group broadly defined by a certain mitochondrial DNA mutation that identifies them as a group.
There are several dozen main haplogroups in the world's human population, each subdivided into more specific groups.
They can be mapped, showing the oldest haplogroups originating in Africa, and then newer haplogroups appearing over thousands of years as populations migrated through Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Mitochondrial DNA is passed on by the mother only, so each of us can be traced back to a genetic land of origin based on our haplotype.
We share many common physical characteristics with other members of our haplo group, wherever they live, including other traits that affect athleticism, like relative lung capacity, tendency toward obesity, and so on.
The second factor is often more dramatic, and that's selection pressure from marriage.
Although the Watusi are probably the world's tallest population, they are not genetically different from the rest of the Tutsi, who average only 170 centimeters, a full 23 centimeters, 9 inches shorter.
The Watusi's height is solely the result of selective marriage.
The true story of human genetic diversity is much richer and far more interesting than simple racial stereotypes, which are A, wrong, and B, obscure the actual science.
It's a fascinating area of study.
Hello, Brian.
This is Zachary Nixon from Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
I go to grade 9 in Westwood Community High School.
And I was wondering, my friend told me about Einstein, and the reason he was so smart was because he had an extra month in his mother's womb.
Is this true or fiction?
You're really asking two questions here.
First, was Einstein born a month late?
And second, are babies born late more likely to be smarter?
The first question is not easy to answer.
Einstein was born in his parents' home in 1879, when prenatal care was both rare and unscientific.
It's unlikely that anyone made records of the date of conception or his mother's menstrual cycles.
However, gestation time was generally understood as 40 weeks.
None of the Einstein biographies I looked at said anything about any prenatal records having been preserved.
So it appears this claim about Einstein is an invented urban legend and is not based on any actual history.
There have been fictionalized accounts in which Einstein gestated longer, but those are dramatic inventions and also not based on historical record.
Supporting Skeptoid Today 00:02:04
The second question is easier.
The relationship between gestation and intelligence has been extensively studied, and we've learned that there is none.
The healthiest babies are born on schedule, as both premature birth and prolonged gestation can result in troubled births.
And so, despite what your friend may have heard, the claim that Einstein spent an extra month in the womb and was smarter because of it is fiction.
Got a student question you'd like Skeptoid to answer?
Students of all ages from anywhere are welcome.
Come to skeptoid.com and click on Student Questions for the easy instructions.
I hope to hear from you soon.
You're listening to Skeptoid.
I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
Hello everyone, this is Adrienne Hill from Skookum Studios in Calgary, Canada, the land of maple syrup and moose.
And I'm here to ask you to consider becoming a premium member of Skeptoid for as little as $5 per month.
And that's only the cost of a couple of Tim Horton's double doubles.
And that's Canadian for coffee with double cream and sugar.
Why support Skeptoid?
If you are like me and don't like ads, but like extended versions of each episode, Premium is for you.
If you want to support a worthwhile non-profit that combats pseudoscience, promotes critical thinking, and provides free access to teachers to use the podcast in the classroom via the teacher's toolkit, then sign up today.
Remember that skepticism is the best medicine.
Next to giggling, of course.
Until next time, this is Adrian Hill.
From PRX.
Export Selection