Polygraph

A polygraph, popularly referred to as a lie detector, measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions. The belief underpinning the use of the polygraph is that deceptive answers will produce physiological responses that can be differentiated from those associated with non-deceptive answers; the polygraph is one of several devices used for lie detection.

The polygraph was invented in 1921 by John Augustus Larson, a medical student at the University of California at Berkeley and a police officer of the Berkeley Police Department in Berkeley, California. The polygraph was on the Encyclopædia Britannica 2003 list of greatest inventions, described as inventions that "have had profound effects on human life for better or worse."

The efficacy of polygraphs is debated in the scientific community. In 2001, a significant fraction of the scientific community considered polygraphy to be pseudoscience. In 2002, a review by the National Academies of Science found that in populations untrained in countermeasures, polygraph testing can discriminate lying from truth telling at rates above chance, though below perfection. These results apply only to specific events and not to screening where it is assumed that polygraph would work less well. Effectiveness may also be worsened by countermeasures.

Technology in Stargate

In the fictional universe of Stargate, a number of technologically advanced races and societies have produced a variety of highly advanced weapons, tools, and spacecraft. By liaising with these races and learning from them, Earth too has begun to create its own futuristic technology. All such technology is SCI-classified top secret, and is used solely by the SGC and its SG teams, or in Atlantis.

Fictional materials and elements

Space Heater (album)

Space Heater is the fifth album by Reverend Horton Heat, released by Interscope Records in March 1998. It charted on the Billboard 200, reaching number 187. "Pride of San Jacinto" appears in the videogame Hot Wheels Turbo Racing.

Album art

The front-cover album art is a parody of 1950s horror movie posters. It plays on a double entendre, turning 1950s-era space heaters into alien spacecraft invading from outer space, complete with search lights or tractor beams.

Track listing