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1500 questions
67
votes
3 answers
Do "solar panels require 10 times the minerals to deliver the same quantity of energy as a natural gas plant"?
Recently, the Washington Post published an article1 discussing Mark Jacobson's research2 positing that a strategy of 100% wind, water, and solar power can provide all the energy needs of the U.S. with no pollution or emissions.
Many on Twitter have…
LShaver
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67
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3 answers
Is low emotional intelligence associated with right-wing and prejudiced attitudes?
Accordiing to Diply,
Researchers in Belgium have linked a lack of emotional intelligence with right-wing political views, reports PsyPost. The study, published in Emotion, found that those who lack the ability to understand and manage emotions are…
Jerome Viveiros
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67
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1 answer
Was the 45.9°C temperature in France in June 2019 the highest ever recorded in France?
It was widely reported that on 28th June, 2019, a record temperature of 45.9°C was recorded in Gallargues-le-Montueux, France, breaking the previous 2003 record of 44.1°C. Sources: Metéo France, BBC, CNN.
It was then alleged that this was, in fact,…
diwhyyyyy
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67
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1 answer
Antistatic bracelet without a ground connection
Last winter in Japan, some of my friends were buying bracelets like this, that claim to prevent or reduce static shocks:
Here is an advertisement picture describing how it is supposed to be used, please note that unlike ground bracelets, it is not…
nic
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67
votes
4 answers
Is acupuncture an effective treatment?
What evidence is there for or against acupuncture being an effective treatment?
Casebash
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67
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1 answer
Did this Twitter bot predict the Paris shootings 2 days before they happened?
A (now suspended) Twitter bot under the handle PZFeed Ebooks (@PZbooks) posted this tweet on November 11th, at 11:44 AM. Note the date carefully, that's November 11th, 2015.
It reads:
BREAKING: Death toll from Paris terror attack rises to at least…
yuritsuki
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67
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3 answers
Has the Red Cross raised half a billion dollars for Haiti to build 6 houses?
According to this article the Red Cross raised half a billion dollars and yet only built six houses in Haiti while claiming to have housed 130,000 residents.
In late 2011, the Red Cross launched a multimillion-dollar project to transform the…
Himarm
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67
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1 answer
Does having late or heavy dinner make you fat?
Of course, taking calories in general tends to make one fat. My question is whether, relatively speaking, having heavy dinner has more probability of making you fat than, say, heavy lunch. And whether late dinner (closer to your sleep, like 9pm)…
Louis Rhys
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67
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5 answers
Is the placebo effect a purely psychological effect?
The placebo effect plays a crucial role in clinical trials and in our understanding of medicine, but I have always had some difficulty in understanding how exactly it works.
Is it a purely psychological effect, that you feel better because of the…
Mad Scientist
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67
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1 answer
Do sea otters rape baby seals to death?
Popular facebook group
Nature isn’t always kind and cuddly. A study showed that sea otters
will restrain baby seals and then begin copulation; sometimes drowning
it during the 105-minute-long process. Even after the seal is dead,
the otter…
Wertilq
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67
votes
2 answers
Do we need to brush our teeth?
While everyone is telling us that we should brush our teeth twice a day, the human species has evolved for several million years without any teeth brushing. Apes don't brush their teeth, and they don't have a mechanism to change their teeth like…
SIMEL
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66
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5 answers
Has BLM raised over 1 billion dollars but not yet performed any neighborhood cleanup, school funding, food aid or housing services?
This Twitter post by James Woods claims that the Black Lives Matter movement has raised over 1 billion dollars but has not yet performed any neighborhood cleanup, college funding, student economic support, food aid, or housing services. Are these…
tentaclespeak
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2 answers
Did Ohio pass a law granting students the right to give scientifically wrong answers consistent with their religious beliefs?
The Patheos blog and WKRC local12 report:
The Ohio House on Wednesday passed the "Student Religious Liberties Act." Under the law, students can't be penalized if their work is scientifically wrong as long as the reasoning is because of their…
gerrit
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Is there plastic microfiber in 83% of tap water?
I've recently come across this Guardian article which cites a story by Orb Media.
Tests show billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, with 83% of samples found to be polluted
The main point is
In the first…
bangnab
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66
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4 answers
Was there a Bowling Green Massacre in 2011?
A number of news outlets are publishing claims by Kellyanne Conway that the Obama administration put a moratorium on refugee admissions following a "Bowling Green massacre" in 2011.
However, I can't find any reference to such an event in the usual…
GordonM
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