Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [minerals]

for questions about claims based on minerals, naturally occurring inorganic materials.

6 questions
68
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
  • 9,931
  • 6
  • 41
  • 73
40
votes
3 answers

Does drinking distilled water remove needed minerals from your body?

Claim: Drinking distilled water can actually remove needed minerals from the body, due the lack of minerals in the water, and therefore do damage to the body. I have a hard time accepting this due to amount of minerals that can be found in the…
Scott
  • 599
  • 1
  • 5
  • 5
14
votes
1 answer

Are minerals / chemicals absorbed through your skin during bathing?

A friend of mine, in a comment online, recently said: Your body absorbs more minerals through your skin during a five minute shower than it does by drinking 64 oz (about 1.9 liter) of water over the span of a week. That sounds like hogwash to me,…
StriplingWarrior
  • 555
  • 1
  • 5
  • 10
11
votes
2 answers

Does cow urine contain gold?

I stumbled upon a video of a baba (spiritual guru | Baba Ramdev) saying that cow urine contains gold. This belief is widespread in India. I looked it up and many sites saying cow urine contains gold. Does cow urine contain gold? Is it in a…
Dudey
  • 879
  • 9
  • 23
7
votes
0 answers

Is Coltan the main cause of conflict in Congo since 1997?

This PDF (i saw a translated version) has been brought to my attention. it claims that Coltan is the main cause of a conflict which has claimed the lives of four million people since 1997 and as also caused the disappearance of several populations…
Duralumin
  • 1,673
  • 1
  • 15
  • 20
5
votes
0 answers

Does cubic zirconia jewelry get scratched in every day use?

Cubic zirconia (CZ) is an artificially produced gemstone that is similar to diamond. When discussing it as a "diamond replacement", I have often seen the claim that it is inferior because it scratches more easily. For example: Unlike diamonds, CZ’s…
sleske
  • 700
  • 7
  • 17