Caption: Skeptic Check: Energy Vortex, Credit: Seth Shostak
Image by: Seth Shostak 
Skeptic Check: Energy Vortex 

Skeptic Check: Energy Vortex

Series: Big Picture Science
From: Big Picture Science
Length: 00:54:00

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The science behind “mysterious energy,” from magnetic poles to haunted houses, and just what the heck is an “energy vortex” anyway? Read the full description.

Vortexenergymed_small "I feel your vibe!” Well, that describes a number of fabled locales that claim to pulse with mysterious energy – perhaps prompting books to fly across the room or airplanes to vanish into thin air. But what’s the science behind it?

We examine spots marked with an X, for “extraordinary” – from a haunted house to the Bermuda Triangle – to sort out natural from supernatural phenomena.

Plus, what causes the aurora borealis… a haywire Russian space probe… and just what the heck is an “energy vortex,” anyway?

Guests:

  Phil Plait – Skeptic and keeper of Discover Magazine’s blog: badastronomy

  Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, Los Angeles

  Peter Williams – Hydrodynamicist at Agilent Technologies

  Guy P. Harrison – Writer and business owner in Southern California, author of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

  Rob Lillis – Space and Planetary Physicist, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

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Piece Description

"I feel your vibe!” Well, that describes a number of fabled locales that claim to pulse with mysterious energy – perhaps prompting books to fly across the room or airplanes to vanish into thin air. But what’s the science behind it?

We examine spots marked with an X, for “extraordinary” – from a haunted house to the Bermuda Triangle – to sort out natural from supernatural phenomena.

Plus, what causes the aurora borealis… a haywire Russian space probe… and just what the heck is an “energy vortex,” anyway?

Guests:

  Phil Plait – Skeptic and keeper of Discover Magazine’s blog: badastronomy

  Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, Los Angeles

  Peter Williams – Hydrodynamicist at Agilent Technologies

  Guy P. Harrison – Writer and business owner in Southern California, author of 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True

  Rob Lillis – Space and Planetary Physicist, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

Broadcast History

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Additional Files

Additional Credits

Seth Shostak – Host and Producer
Molly Bentley – Co-Host and Executive Producer
Gary Niederhoff – Producer
Barbara Vance – Production Assistant
Jay Weiler – Volunteer
Marissa Fesssenden - Intern

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