Skeptics Weekly Newsletter - Thursday, October 29, 2015

Top new questions this week: Is this a photo of the result of a kamikaze attack on a ship in WWII? A Reddit user titled this photo "Kamikaze hit on HMS Sussex" and it currently has 5,532 points (96% upvoted). Here is a cropped version of that photo: Another user cites Wikipedia: On 26 July ... aviation japan world-war-ii   asked by imallett 10 votes answered by George Chalhoub 5 votes Does masturbation increase self-esteem? BetterHealth writes about Masturbation: Some of the general health benefits of masturbation may include that it: [...] enhances self-esteem. 2KnowMyself writes in Why masturbation lowers ... sexuality masturbation   asked by Christian 10 votes Is it possible to increase the breast size of a woman through massage? Caitlin MacKenna writes in Increase a Cup Size in 30 Days with Breast Massage: If you massage your breasts for 20-30 minutes a day, they should grow one cup size larger in 30 days. Massage ... sexuality   asked by Christian 8 votes Did Exxon suppress its own scientific results on climate change? Some environmentalists have recently claimed that Exxon did research on global warming and then suppressed the results. For example, Bill Mckibben writes this in the Guardian: Exxon knew all that ... politics climate-change climatology   asked by matt_black 8 votes answered by Avery Morrow 5 votes Did 4 patent holders die in MH370? http://www.chiptatum.com/index.php/articles/18-debunking-the-rumor It's been reported that Peidong Wang, from Suzhou, Zhijun Chen, from Suzhou, Zhihong Cheng, from Suzhou and Li Ying, from ... politics   asked by Sharen Eayrs 8 votes answered by denten 14 votes Do most women who lose their virginity between 15 and 19 years of age wish they had waited longer? EnkiVillage writes in Weird Sex Facts: Most women who lose their virginity between ages fifteen and nineteen actually wish they had waited a bit longer. Is that claim mainly propaganda to get ... sexuality   asked by Christian 8 votes Is the Stockholm Syndrom a real effect? BusinessInsider writes in Stockholm Syndrome could be a Myth: The New Yorker's new profile of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart makes an intriguing point about Stockholm Syndrome: It isn't a ... psychology   asked by Christian 6 votes answered by Sim 0 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: Are over 20 of the US Navy SEALs who killed Bin Laden now dead? This is making the rounds on social networks: DID YOU KNOW Over 20 Navy SEALs who (allegedly) "killed" Osama Bin Laden are now dead. Is there any truth to this (today as in 8 May 2015) united-states osama-bin-laden   asked by Jan Vladimir Mostert 37 votes answered by MMM 61 votes What is the origin of this photo of an unexploded bomb? The viral image below purports to show three TV screenshots of the same photo of a bomb, with the source of the being attributed to three different sources: First image: Ukrainian Channel 5. The ... war television russia ukraine   asked by danpetruk 66 votes answered by March Ho 75 votes Can you answer these? Is up to 95% of the human population genetically safe from leprosy? In This article about armadillos spreading leprosy they state that "Even more reassuring: up to 95 percent of the population is genetically unsusceptible to contracting it." Is this true? ... medical-science healthcare public-health   asked by Himarm 4 votes Does the E-Kaia device harvest electrical power from small plants? The E-Kaia device claims to be able to harvest electricity released into soil by small plants. Here's a Daily Mail article describing it. And because not all of the electrons are needed, ... consumer-products botany   asked by Matt Lyons 4 votes Which typically comes first: basic science or technological advance? Matt Ridley claims in his latest book (and also in an article in the Wall Street Journal): In his book he argues: Again and again, once you examine the history of innovation, you find scientific ... history technology research   asked by matt_black 1 vote

Subscribe to more Stack Exchange newsletters Unsubscribe from this newsletter or change your email preferences by visiting your subscriptions page on stackexchange.com. Questions? Comments? Let us know on our feedback site. If you no longer want to receive mail from Stack Exchange, unsubscribe from all stackexchange.com emails. Stack Exchange, Inc. 110 William St, 28th Floor, NY NY 10038 <3