Last week we talked about fallible vs. infallible futurism. We demonstrated how predictions can be phrased in such a way that they are never wrong.
That can be an important skill, what with the future being so difficult to predict. But it isn’t just the future — sometimes we can’t even predict the present.
To demonstrate, Phil has put together five groups of headlines taken from recent news stories about science and technology. All of these headlines have to do with some scientific or technological breakthrough. Each of the five groups contain three headlines, two of which are real and one of which is fake.
In each instance, Stephen will attempt to identify the fake.
Sound easy? Listen along and see how well you do!
Here’s the list of headlines. (Answers are here, but it’s more fun to listen along with the show.)
Newly Discovered “Monster Planet” Rewrites Rules for Gas Giants, Rocky Worlds
Soviet Moon Lander Discovered Water on The Moon in 1976
SpaceX capsule has ‘new car’ smell, astronauts say
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Face-reading software to judge the mood of the masses
Modified Nintendo Wii System Provides Oil Rig Management Interface
Mind-controlled video games become reality
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Avengers Inspires Real-Life “Iron Man”
New adhesive device could let humans walk on walls
Teenager finds solution to 350 year old math and physics problem
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New stem cell technique promises abundance of key heart cells
Electronic implants restore, enhance sense of smell
Nanomedicines on their way through the body
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3D blood vessels could aid artificial organs
Robotic jellyfish could one day patrol oceans, clean oil spills, and detect pollutants
Linux could soon replace Mac OS on select laptop models
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