Science Myths A Lot of People Still Believe & The Strange Story of the Polygraph

Can trees fight crime? Apparently so - at least some types of crime. Although no one is exactly sure how. Listen and I’ll explain. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/04/trees-crime-cincinnati-philadelphia-ida-b-wells-chicago/ Is it true that a goldfish has a 3 second memory? Or that lightning never strikes the same place twice? Of course, you know water conducts electricity, right? Actually no. In fact none of those things are true. There are so many myths in science that people believe and we are going to debunk several of them with my guest science writer Brian Clegg. Brian has written over 40 science books, one of which is titled Lightning Often Strikes Twice: The 50 Biggest Misconceptions in Science (https://amzn.to/41sY3jK) I’m sure you’ve seen a polygraph machine in movies or television shows. It is supposed to be able to tell if someone is lying. But does it really work? If it is so accurate, why are the results of polygraph tests not admissible in court? If it is so inaccurate, why is it still used? The story of the polygraph or lie detector is an interesting one. Joining me to explain it is Amit Katwala an award winning journalist, a senior writer at Wired and author of the book Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector (https://amzn.to/3Zngu7C) Are men better drivers than women? I guess it depends on how you define “better.” But in terms of accidents, moving violations and parking ability, there is a difference between men and women. Listen and I’ll reveal which one scores higher. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/well/live/car-accidents-deaths-men-women.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices