The European Skeptics Podcast

This week we can't help but mention the Polish presidential elections and Susan Gerbic's latest interview with Pontus. We commemorate Ignaz Semmelweis on his birthday before moving on to deliberating over the future of the papacy.In the news:- Was the Tönnies incident with COVID19 due to a church service- Didier Raoult doubles down on hydroxychloroquine- Hungary's new curriculum and history textbooks full of folk legends and misleading claims- Measles update- The latest and most sophisticated fake of the Loch Ness Monster- Large wildfires in Sibera as reminder of climate change- ARP-SAPC's Sergio Lopez Borgonoz research grant now open for applicationsThis week's Really Wrong Price goes to a Swedish elementary school for investing in bogus "protective equipment" against Wi-Fi.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Pontus and András bring you the latest from all over Europe mixed with some history and a little bit of Poking the Pope(s).This week marks the 646th anniversary of the onset of the Aachen Dancing Plague. After exploring that phenomenon, we move on to how Pope Francis regards women and weather Palpatine is up to no good on his visit to his homeland Germany.Then, in the news:- COVID-19 superspreading centre in Gütersloch, Germany now in lockdown- Swedish coronavirus quack bites the dust- The Guardian's article on revised climate models deemed misleading by experts- Spanish authorities finally publish COVID-19 statistics- ARP-SAPC's Skeptical Magnifier Award announced- Novartis stops Hydroxychloroquine study for lack of participants- New survey in University of Oxford's Digital News Reports shows how much people care about climate change- Political consensus in Norway to remove VAT exemption status for SCAM practitioners- European Commission identifies Russia and China as origins of disinformation camp

This week we first learn about how the 1854 cholera outbreak led to advances in the knowledge about diseases and outbreaks thanks to the clever and rigorous work by the physician John Snow, now regarded as one of the founders of modern epidemiology. Pope Francis is getting closer to his vision of “a poor church for the poor”, perhaps just a little bit faster than he bargained for as the pandemic is hitting the Catholic finances. Then Andras delves into how we can begin to measure the success of covid-19 related restrictions.In the news this week:– Swedish Snake Oil advertisement is struck down– Archaeologist sentenced for faking Basque finds– Climate more sensitive to CO2 emissions than thought?– Who killed the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme?– Szekesfehervar budget cuts – nonessential vaccines are first to go– The Aspen Institute’s ‘Good10 – The Pandemic Issue’ discussing many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic– The return of the Mayan calendar – some myths refuse to die– University of Vienna found a way to

A bit less COVID-19-heavy episode this week with the news that May 2020 saw the highest concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere ever recorded and it was also the hottest May ever.6 years ago, creationism as science in schools was banned in the UK and hallelujah, the Vatican is launching their new channel 'VatiVision' and a documentary series 'The Great Popes'.In the news this week:- Nicotine replacement therapy is the new craze among possible COVID-19 treatments lacking evidence of efficacy- The bad science story of Hydroxychloroquine that shook the world- Millions seem to believe the Treaty of Trianon expires after 100 years- People fall for the story of dozens of give-away TVs by Curry's- The German Medical Student Association issues a declaration against homeopathy- Let's see behind the curtain regarding the 'Swedish Model' once again- Massimo Polidoro launches his Patreon page - with a twist.This week's Really Right price goes to Dutch anaesthesiologist Gerald Woerlee for publishing a free book 'Anesthesia

On this week's episode we celebrate the new era of commercial space flight brought about by SpaceX, then a bit of skeptical history, talking about Gérard Sède and the Priory of Sion hoax.After poking the Pope we bring you an update on the latest issues with COVID-19, including vaccine hesitancy on the rise, the fear from the second wave versus those who deny the existence of the pandemic, survaillence making people suspicious, how the development of a vaccine is doing and France banning the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.In the news this week:- A new craze lacking any evidence and called "Lightning Process"- The truth revealed about the 5GBioShield USB key- "What Doctors Don't Tell You" off the shelves in the UK- New study to show how confidence drives confirmation bias- Austrian homeopaths trying to build distrust in GWUP- A low quality study into the role of alternative medicine in the advance of vaccine hesitancyItalian doctor Alberto Zangrillo gets this week's Really Wrong price for cla

This week Pontus and Andras try their best to keep your spirit up while talking about the saddening advent of conspiracy theories and an ever growing antivaccination sentiment.We talk about the great and controversial scientist, the father of glaciology, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, try to make sense of the Pope's latest actions as part of the Vatican's financial reform, bring you a bit of the latest analyses of the COVID-19 situation and lots of news:- A church congregation in Frankfurt becomes a virus hotspot- Sweden's approach looks very different when under the microscope- Are we loosing against the antivaccination movement?- Homeopathy International sneakily advises people to take homeopathic products- Italian MP calls for the arrest of Bill Gates- Nearlf half of tweets about COVID-19 likely come from bots- "5GBioShield" hits the market- WHO report says 80 million children not vaccinated because of COVID-19- Hungarian snake oil salesman under scrutiny by Competition AuthorityThe Romanian Ministry of Heal

On this week's episode we start by the funny PA of Deutsche Bahn then turn towards the story of psychic Peter Hurkos who was born on this day.The latest from the Catholic Church reveals conspiracy theories and Pope Benedict XVI. trying to influence current affairs.We talk about how grounded aeroplanes mean less reliable weather forecasts, the Czech government trying to outrun COVID-19 by themselves under the leadership of a homeopath and how Stephen Lewandowsky's team helps all of us identify and fight conspiracy theories.In the news:- Russia fails to provide measles vaccines during the COVID-19 crisis- Sweden's health minister admits failure to keep elderly citizens safe- Hungarian government subsidises a TCM unit at Semmelweis University- Multiple legal cases shaking European countries amid 5G concerns- Good Magic Awards winners announced- Germany bans conversion therapies for minors- Homeopathy not found to be effective for psychiatric disordersThe Swedish company marketing the bogus product 'Mendi' gets t

This week our team welcomes Susan Gerbic back to the show to talk about her and Mark Edward's sting operations to reveal psychics and their techniques in conning people and why Wikipedia is probably the most important asset in the hands of skeptics in the never-ending fight against pseudoscienc and quackery. And this is also a call for new editors from around the world to join the international team she leads, Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The three of us are back to bring you the latest from Europe. We're saddened by the (not so surprising) news that QED 2020 is now postponed to 2021, but whenever it is, we are looking forward to it. In the meantime check out Christian Lehmann's series of guest posts on Edzard Ernst's blog about the hydroxychloroquine controversy.Jelena tells us the story of an alleged alien abduction in Poland more than 40 years ago, now commemorated with a stone memorial.Pontus delves into the question of whether Pope Pius XII was indeed "Hitler's Pope" and then a selection of news from Europe:- A scientist in the UK allegedly dies in a COVID-19 trial- Follow-up on David Icke's YouTube channel - now suspended- Countries faced with challenges in immunization programs while in lockdown- Spanish beach sprayed with bleach to prevent coronavirus infections- A patent from the Pasteur Institute that does NOT prove the alleged artificial origin of SARS-CoV-2- The Heinz Oberhummer Award goes to German science populariser Mai Thai Ngu

This week, in the absence of Jelena, Annika Harrison joins us to bring you news and curiousities from all over Europe.We start by mentioning Pontus guest-hosting The Skeptic Zone with Richard Saunders, then move on to discuss what an idiot Trump is and how Satanic Ritual Abuse is on the rise in Germany.Annika then investigates whether women are indeed better leaders with special regards to how they cope in the time of the pandemic.Then the Vatican's Rosary App is looked into as a tool to engage catholic believers while the church has really nothing to offer in this crisis.In the news:- Some businesses to reopen in Germany, including churches while schools remain closed- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) warns people not to self-medicate with chloroquine and its derivatives to avoid serious side effects- YouTube seems incapable of keeping 5G-Corona conspiracy theory videos at bay- A new survey suggests UK public supports a long lockdown- Yet another crucial WHO action as experts assess the situation in Belar

This week Deborah Hyde joins us to bring you news and interesting topics to cover with us. We start by mentioning how VoF (Sweden), the GWUP (Germany), ComCept (Portugal) and ARP-SAPC (Spain) make efforts to provide their readers with accurate and reliable information in the times of COVID-19.Then Deborah gives us a brief overview of the history of quarantines, before we turn into discussing Cardinal Pell's Right-Wing conspiracy coockoo and the Pope being useless.A separate segment of COVID-19 update is followed by the news that include a UK holistic doctor recommending homeopathy against the novel coronavirus, a somewhat questionable study that claims to show the prevalence of TCM in different countries in the fight against the pandemic, how the Spanish Science Network Programme 2020 goes completely online, Danish researchers finding no benefit from treating asthma patients with homeopathy and reflexology alongside conventional treatments, how Facebook aims to warn users about coronavirus hoaxes, Swedish doc

This week we bring you news and topics from all over Europe again.We start by talking about the unfortunate death (probably of Covid-19) of a board member of VoF.After that we're looking back at the history of LSD and how 19 April marks a special day in it, before we discuss how Cardinal Pell walks freely after the High Court of Australia overturns the previous verdict on his child abuse case.In the news: Covid-19 update followed by details of some other stuff related to the pandemic, including: OfCom, the British media authority helping confused media consumers, a Policy Paper of the NHS release a few days after the publication of Sense About Science's call for transparency over testing. Colloidal Silver seems to be a big sell in Finland these days, while Hungary's response to the pandamic can only be described as chaotic, something that a petition might not be able to change. Religious liberty restrictions across Europe are also in focus as countries are trying to fight the disease, while British homeopaths

ECSO President Claire Kraulik-Klingenberg joins us for this week's episode to bring you news and topics from all over the continent.Skeptics in the Pub Online is now a thing, popping up everywhere, while power grabbing by authoritarian governments seems to be the new, concerning trend.We talk about whether Alfred Nobel read his own premature obituary, prompting him to start the awards named after him.Then poor Pope Francis' struggles are discussed while more Covid-19 magic is coming from Turin.In the news, religious bullshit spread by the government in Israel, President Lukashenko of Belarus claiming a vodka a day keeps the virus away, Prince Charles not using homeopathy as a cure against COVID-19, Sense About Science calling upon the government for more transparency in their actions against the pandemic, extra caution needed in times of increased online activities, plus the Portugese skeptics' Flying Unicorn Award categories explained. Also, conspiracy theories linking 5G to COVID-19 on the rise, while the G

This week an old friend of ours Brian Eggo from Glasgow Skeptics joins us to bring you a show packed with news, thoughts and curiousities.We talk about how Skeptics in the Pub events are going online, that one time Rupert Sheldrake got stabbed and how Pope Francis has nothing to offer to help with the pandemic.After the usual COVID-19 update we talk about how Sweden takes a different approach to the disease than most, why the Royal Astrologer should not be trusted, and how a German consumer reported homeopaths for offering sugar pills to avoid infection.We also talk about Massimo Polidoro's new video series, "OK Scienza", Britt Marie Hermes' law suit and the Skeptics Legal Defence initiative by the Australian Skeptics Inc. We mention how French skeptics at AFiS respond to a fake treatment Trump and Bolsonaro both promote, Fullfact brings you a list of guidelines to fact-checking and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences translates the mythbusting site of WHO.Unfortunately, the WHO also gets the prize for being Re

We are bringing you a selection of topics this week, some Corona-related and some aren't:QED organisers ask you to hold your travel arrengements at this time...The Vatican issues a decree that makes confessions obsolete, the Good Thinking Society convinces the PSA to impose strict conditions on the Society of Homeopaths, they also team up with Richard Wiseman to support magicians with the Good Magic Awards. A new project aiming at spreading the word of science in the Spanish speaking communities, how the global fight against disinformation is doing, Snopes and their need for help in keeping up their fact-checking work, a Hungarian foundation running an online course to teach children critical thinking skills in the times of COVID-19, GWUP pledging to stay on track with science in their reportings, quacks in the time of Corona, a possible connection between blood type and COVID-19 infections, and Spanish skeptics providing you with enough to read while you're in quarantine.The VtdK and the Royal Dutch Medical

The three of us finally reunite for yet another show featuring an update on the COVID-19 situation and the GWuP cancelling SkepKon 2020. Then, after an interview with Annabel Bligh of the Anthill Podcast, we return with Pontus poking the Pope again for worsening the pandemic with his irrational approach to church-going.Our news segment covers all sorts of topics including a distant world where it's raining iron, the Strasbourg Court rejecting case of anti-abortion midwives, homeopathy suggested as a valuable asset in times of crisis and Boiron closing down 13 sites, firing a quarter of their employees in the process.If you want to help ongoing research into fighting SARS-CoV-2, you can try Folding@Home, then you can turn your eye towards Sweden where the acupuncturer who killed a client is back to court after having been acquitted. And finally, we mention a few social media awards that went to skepticism related contents in Germany.Our Really Wrong award goes to Andrzej Dziega, Archbishop of Szczecin-Kamien f

This week we have no less than two separate interviews, both of which we’ve been looking forward to for some time.First, we talk to Šarūnas Bačiliūnas, the founder of the rather new “Lithuanian Skeptic Youth” Organisation. Started from scratch in 2018 they organize events, workshops international exchanges and educate both the public and even teachers on critical thinking. Impressively they have already had the Lithuanian health minister as speaker on one of their skeptics in the pub and on top of that they are also doing charity work and are setting up a play about Polish-Lithuanian 17th century atheist Kazimieras Leščinskas (aka Kazimierz Łyszczyński), perhaps the first enlightenment man in Europe.In our second interview we catch up again with Turi Munthe, founder of Parlia, “the Encyclopedia of Opinion”. Formerly known as Parli (see episode #154), Parlia is a wiki-type of database and website which aims to cover all existing opinions and all arguments for and against those opinions. During the Brexit debat

This week it cannot be helped that a lot of the episode is about different aspects on the Coronavirus and Covid-19. But we also want to remind everyone about our SkepKon raffle where we have one ticket to hand out to the conference in Berlin 21 - 23 May! Just send us an email to participate.After the greetings we hear about holocaust denier David Irving, who was declared bankrupt This Week in History in 2002 after he sued a writer for libel and lost the subsequent trial. Pontus Pokes the Pope and tells about the new papal “task force” that will try to get all local and national Catholic organizations to handle sex abuse scandals better.In the news, nonsense Coronavirus information is peddled by Hungarian authorities, a TV channel in Norway says that you will be protected if you donate to them while in other places, homeopaths think empty sugar pills are better. We discuss why the outbreak is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories and hear that in the UK, the PSA reaccredits the Society of Homeopaths but un

This week we talk about the John Maddox Prize, the BBC’s new show series about Greta Thunberg and about Darren Brown, born on this day in 1971. Pontus Pokes the Pope and finally we get Francis’ take on celibacy in the Amazon (or do we?), and of course the highlights from the latest sex abuse scandals.In the news we hear the latest regarding the CoViD-19 Coronavirus, more details about dangerous measles complications and check how much of the climate change debate that are driven by twitter-bots. The latest mass shooting in Germany shows that conspiracy theories are not something to take lightly, the Hungarian government sponsors creationist nonsense, Jeff Bezos finally announces some philanthropic activity and Scandinavian tele company Telenor launches HiperSchool in Hungary, a tool to teach young people how to handle Internet misinformation.We end by handing a Really Right Award to the DA! art competition, arranged by Giordano Bruno Foundation and Natalie Grams.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pon

On this episode we interview Australian cognitive scientist and founder of the Skeptical Science website John Cook about his upcoming book 'Cranky Uncle vs Climate Change' that showcases typical climate science denial situations in a cartoon format. We also talk about other projects John has been busy with, including the Cranky Uncle app, The Debunking Handbook and a lot more. Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.