The European Skeptics Podcast

– we’re back in the Dark AgesWe start this week with commenting on the winners of the two first Nobel Prizes this year – Svante Pääbo who won the prize in Medicine or Physiology and the trio of Aspect, Clauser and Zeilinger who shares the Physics prize. We also celebrate the first ever female European commander of the ISS, Samantha Cristoforetti, before we travel back in time with our TWISH-machine and acknowledge this week’s birthday bay, Denis Diderot. Then we dig into the news:UK: The dark side of social media? The Molly Russell caseUK: Children’s digital resilience to be approached as a collective effort to prepare young people for the futureSWEDEN: MD who assisted man to die loses his licenseGERMANY: Voting now open for the ‘Heroes of Facts Awards‘UKRAINE: Four regions of the country annexed by Russia following sham referendumPOLAND: New-born babies are handed over through a hole in the wallThe Prize for being Really Wrong goes to Jacob Rees-Mogg, British minister of Business, Energy and Industrial Strat

– don’t listen to the fish and chips physicianThis week we have several things to get through before the actual show – the Swedish Skeptics at the international book fair in Gothenburg, the Hungarian Skeptics at the upcoming HungaroCon, the new book from the SGU (The Skeptic’s Guide to the Future), a listener question about organic farming and reactions to the Italian elections. In TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) we hear about the Voronezh UFO incident.Then it’s time for the news:CONFLICT IN EUROPE: Sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines – watch out for the conspiracy theoriesGERMANY: SkepKon 2023 – Call for papersUK / GERMANY: UK and German politicans behind American counterparts in tweeting misinformationGERMANY: Eurocom press release for the promotion of quackerySWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: The new second vice speaker of the parliament is a science denier – do we need to name her party?UK: As was expected: government lifted ban on frackingThe Award for being Really Wrong goes to German-Swedi

– Frankie has found his own 007!This week we reveal further plans about our travels and about Skepticamp at QED. We also have listener feedback about air quality in planes regarding last week’s Really Wrong. No TWISH this week, but Pope Frankie has found a super Cardinal to drop behind enemy lines for covert operations. And then we look into this week’s news:GERMANY: Honorable mention of HomöopaTeaUK: Charles feels vindicated for going organic. He is wrong.UKRAINE: UFOs above KievSWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: Winning parties of the election advocate irrational actions in fighting criminalityThe WHO gets another Really Wrong Award for their failed logic around NSS (non-sugar sweeteners)Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

– but at least the bees were informed of the death of their queenWe’re back from ESC in Vienna! Thanks to all who came up and said hi to us, that was a blast! This week we reflect on what Charles III, the king of SCAM, may mean for skepticism and what there is to say about the Swedish election results. For TWISH we get to learn about Foucault and his pendulum, a simple but brilliant demonstration of the rotation of the Earth. We leave the poking-of-the-Pope for next week and dig into the news:GERMANY: Prominent figure of New Germanic Medicine Helmut Pilhar diesUK / INTERNATIONAL: Madness around the Queen’s deathUK: Celebrity Russel Brand admits spreading falsehoodsEUROPE: Europe’s hottest summer on recordRUSSIA: Anti-censorship tool lets Russians read Blocked NewsGERMANY: Study shows behavioral studies got the sampling all wrongFRANCE: Didier Raoult‘s lab under investigationGerman party FDP and airlines get the Really Wrong Award for campaigning against masks on planes.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH;

– a carnival of Cardinals says it’s permittedThis week we are packing our bags for the ESC Vienna – hope to see you there! But we also have plans for QED – András and Pontus will both talk at Skepticamp, and BREAKING NEWS! – live recording of the ESP has now been announced! In TWISH we celebrate 200 years of “cardinal” permission of the heliocentric model and in more current Vatican news, Pope Frankie elevates a predecessor who is now on his way to full sainthood. Then there is the news:GERMANY: New book out – Science Matters!INTERNATIONAL: Cranky Uncle Game now available in Spanish and Portuguese, too (Swedish soon out as well)UK: New prime minister on the Horizon… Or not so much.RUSSIA: Die for the Motherland – Indoctrination in Russian schoolsFRANCE: Medical service Doctolib under attack for promoting SCAMUK: Kate Moss – yet another supermodel who turns to selling bogus productsA Really Wrong Award goes to an Irish transphobic teacher who doesn’t know when to quit.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv

– and Francis flips the birdAndrás is back and we chat about next week’s upcoming European Skeptics’ Congress in Vienna – the ESC, and we’re looking forward to go! Mikhail Gorbachev died and we comment a bit on what he meant for Russia and the contrast Putin is compared to him. Going back to the autumns events there is also QED where the winners of the Ockham Award and the Rusty Razor will be announced. Listeners can now put in their nominations for the best Skeptical activism and the most prominent promoter of unscientific ideas, respectively. There is more developments in to last week’s Really Wrong Award to cover, and breaking news! Annika has got a book out of short stories for children! (in German). In TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) Pontus is in for a surprise, and Pope Frankie seems to have had it with Kirill’s shenanigans. Then it’s time for the news:ISRAEL: Antivax doctor’s medical licence gets revokedSLOVAKIA: Study shows 41% of students cannot tell true online health information from fakeUK:

– speaking of cults, Mother Teresa wasn’t much of a saintTurns out the “hunger stone” found in Elbe is not a photo from this year. It’s almost like you cannot trust the internet any more… Climate change is here to stay, regardless. In TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) we hear about Mother Teresa, probably the best known modern saints of all, and we learn that she was in fact pretty mean and cruel. The guy who made her a saint (Francis) gets a poking for messing with the on-going “trial of the century” when he suddenly makes up with the main suspect Cardinal Becciu – or did he? Not even the Vatican seems to know. Also, Pontus predicts that Kirill may back out of meeting with Frankie. (BREAKING NEWS! Confirmed by orthodox official the day after the recording). Then it’s time for the skeptical news:INTERNATIONAL: The cult of Ivermectin refuses to dieSWEDEN: More science denial from Sweden DemocratsUK: NHS Fund looking for Reiki healersRUSSIA / UK: The assassination of Darya Dugina: Which conspiracy theory

– nepotism, bribes and orgies in the Vatican!We start the episode with some listener feedback that led us to look a bit deeper into Mindfulness and find that it’s worse than we thought. We share the sad news that the great Italian science communicator and skeptic super hero, Piero Angela, has passed away at the respectable age of 93. In TWISH we take a look at pope Alexander VI who was an intriguing figure and who also has a legacy that pope Francis has to deal with to this day. Speaking of Frankie, he really demonstrates appalling lack of leadership when it comes to the ongoing scandal in the Archdiocese of Cologne. Then we have the news:UK / US: Polio in London (and New York)POLAND / CZECHIA / GERMANY: What is killing the fish in river Oder?SWEDEN: Sweden Democrats wants to rename The Prison and Probation Service to “the Agency for Punishment”FRANCE: Homeopathy in France is in steep declineAnthroposophs in Germany gets today Prize for being Really Wrong after trying to sue critics and taking them to court.E

– a look into the Vatican’s hidden financesWe start by revisiting last week’s sad news about Dr Kellermayr and explore the reactions of other skeptical activists. In TWISH we learn about Peter Atkins, professor extraordinaire in physical chemistry. A deep dive this week in the busines of Pope Francis, both regarding his recent apology and trip to the indigenous peoples of Canada (did he do enough?), and also then into the hidden finances of the Vatican which we suddenly know much more about than before. Then we have a look at the news:US / UK: Harriet Hall‘s children’s book promotes critical thinking (with illustrations by a fan from the UK)UK / US / AUSTRALIA: Olivia Newton-John dies at age 73 – another victim of SCAM?UK: School-based Mindfulness training proves not beneficial compared to teaching-as-usualRUSSIA / UKRAINE: Anti-vax Twitter accounts pushing food crisis disinformationTo round off, Viktor Orbán and his regime gets the Really Wrong Award for allowing clear-cutting of native forests in Hungary.En

– also, climate change is a ‘total meltdown’More confusion regarding the collaboration between Roscosmos and NASA, Tantra is back on the menu and (on a not so skeptical note) today marks the release of the Beatles ‘Revolver’ album. Pope Frankie finally went to Canada, which was a literal ‘feather in is cap‘. Then we have a look at the news:DENMARK: Russian oil and gas supply issues could drive green transitionUK: Heatwave basically impossible without climate changeINTERNATIONAL: Total climate meltdown cannot be stoppedAUSTRIA: Austrian medical doctor and science communicator commits suicide after relentless bullying from anti-vaccine activists and conspiracy theoristsA number of companies sells totally unnecessary blood tests to healthy people and for that the are Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

– student writes bill for UK Parliament re climate change educationThis week we mention that Eurovision will be held in UK next year, that Steven Pinker makes clear that ESP is not real (but WE are!) and Annika clarifies how the police system is organised in Germany. No TWISH or Pope this week so we skip right into the news:UK: TikTok is fastest growing source of news for adultsUKRAINE: Google to be banned in Donetsk and LuhanskGERMANY: Manual on climate communication publishedUK: Students write bill on climate change educationThe UK National Lottery gets the Really Wrong award for funding homeopathy.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

– with special guests Alice and MarshThis week we have celebrity company in the form of Alice Howarth and Michael “Marsh” Marshall of Skeptics with a K fame! Before they tell all about QED in October, we chat a bit about the LHC firing up again, EU law suits against Hungary, homeopathy against the heath wave and the brand new interview with Claire Klingenberg on Skeptical Inquirer conducted by Annika. In TWISH we here about Sir Richard Owen and his role in in founding the Natural History Museum in London. Pope Frankie is going to Canada next week to make his apologies, but we suggest he bring a big bag of money as well. Then it’s time for the news:INTERNATIONAL: Record child vaccinations setback, due to covidINTERNATIONAL: Stronger democracies have seen fewer excess deathsSWEDEN: Anti-vaxxer site publishes names of 800 covid-vaccinated childrenGERMANY: The ‘Europol ploy’ that scammed thousands of GermansUK: Tory leadership contestant supporter of homeopathySPACE: More info on space collaboration between Russi

– propaganda is for petty dictatorsThis week we celebrate the news of the return of QED Skepticamp, courtesy the lovely SITP online team. Space is fascinating as demonstrated by the new images from the James Webb telescope. In TWISH we also talk about space and the Apollo – Soyuz Test Project, which launched this week 47 years ago. It made us think that space was out-of-bounds for politics (ah, we were naïve…). Pope Frankie cannot help hinting that he may resign some day while still being busier than ever. Then we take a look at the news:GERMANY: Freilerner group are opening illegal schoolsSWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL: Conversion therapy promoted by religious global networkSPAIN: Research shows that gender identity is not something that you chooseUK: Nature’s true value is overlookedUK: Recycling plastic doesn’t workUK: BMJ article issues Vitamin D overdose warningGermanic New Medicine is both pseudoscientific and antisemitic and for that its practitioners get the week’s Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Gr

How was your day, fellow Skeptic?We’re half-way to hell (666), but not only is Pontus back, but we also have that lovely Queen of European Skeptics Claire Klingenberg with us, so what’s to complain about? Pontus explains why he has been absent lately and Claire talks about a very disconcerting incidence at a recent science fair. In TWISH we celebrate Newton’s ‘Principia’ which lay the ground for much of modern science, over three hundred years ago. The Pope gets a poking for not knowing his DNA from his ABC and then we have a look at the news:UK: One in six adults doubt human link to climate changeGERMANY: Thousands could have died because of heat waves in GermanyUK: Legislation aims to shield UK internet users from state-backed online disinformationNORWAY: Steep decline in the trust towards alternative medicineSWEDEN: Macchiarini gets off scot-free. Prosecution has appealedINTERNATIONAL: ECDC and WHO team up to tackle the public communication and engagement tasks related to monkeypox for health authoritiesTh

Nope. But he gets a Really Right!We have a rare third host today! Luna is part of this episode.Starting with sad news about the Oslo shooting, we then talk about Scotland's discussion about independence.This week's TWISH congratulates Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to his birthday on the 1st of July 1646. They discuss what a Staffelwalze is (aptly named Leibniz wheel) and András mentions important facts about the mathematician's life.The news this week were the following:GERMANY: Could Sucharit Bakhdi's professorship be revoked?INTERNATIONAL: ECDC launches online course into how to address online vaccine misinformationUK: New study into why people hear voices of the deadToday's prize for being Really Wrong would go to the US Supreme Court if we were US-based, but instead we keep up the good mood and give out a Really Right- award! Pope Francis ordered for Pope Pius XII.'s archive to be made accessible online. Pius is often referred to as the "War Era Pope" and was reluctant to interfere on behalf of persecuted peo

What is humour allowed to do?Despite us still missing a cheery Hejsan Hejsan, we are back with a new episode! We talk about Nikil Mukerji (interviewed in Episode 252), who wrote a paper about Bullshit with his colleague Adriano Mannino. If you want to meet skeptics like Nikil Mukerji, then European Skeptics Congress in Vienna is the right place for you. Early bird prices still apply until the 30th of June! Another ESC we talk about is the Eurovision Song Contest, which will not take place in Ukraine in 2023 after all.This week's TWISH celebrates Ricky Gervais' birthday on the 25th of June 1961. András and Annika discuss what jokes and humour can do to not discriminate against minorities without being censored and hence talk about the comedian's jokes in particular. (Picture credit: Wikimedia Commons; Raph_PH 2019).The news this week were the following:INTERNATIONAL: European researchers are critical about UN sustainable development goalsINTERNATIONAL: Only 1 in 20 medical treatments have clear benefits suppor

András and Annika are back and tell us all about upcoming events! The European Skeptics Congress in September in Vienna is sure exciting to go to, as is QED in October in Manchester! To round our number of conferences up, we have also been invited to go to Australia! Check your drop bears!To celebrate this momentous chain of events, we issue a competition: If you can meet us at all three conferences, we will give you a beer (or beverage of your choice)! Come see us!In TWISH András tells us all about Padre Pio (Picture credit: Manfrediona // After Elia Stelluto), who got canonised on 16th of June 2002.Then, we hop over to the news:UKRAINE: A polio outbreak further threatens the war-stricken countryINTERNATIONAL: EP fails to pass key climate proposalINTERNATIONAL: Covid-19 conspiracy theories associated with depressionINTERNATIONAL: Documenting and responding to climate dis- and misinformation at COP26UNITED KINGDOM: Scotland and UK government split over GM foodAUSTRIA: The real dangers of homeopathy - a case s

An unusually short episode this week brought to you by Annika and András, featuring the first record of a ball-lightning observation in the English speaking world from 1195 AD, then we talk about a prison sentence over a fake diagnostic tool in Germany. And of course, we finish on a fitting quote from Plato. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frankie appoints a carnival of CardinalsAndrás is back and tells us not how to stand on a volcano, we have some listener feedback about YouTube banning videos and the QED conference release their tickets on 13 June. Mark you calendars for 28-30 October! We then interview Jelena Lenka Příplatová from the Czech Skeptics (Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos) about their Erratic Boulders Awards the was announced on 27 May. In TWISH we celebrate the founding of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences way back in 1739(!). Pope Frankie breaks the rules and elevates 21 of his closest cronies to be cardinals. Then, we look into the news:INTERNATIONAL: Is monkeypox a Covid vaccine side effect?POLAND: Country offers free vaccinations to Ukrainian refugees, but uptake is lowGERMANY: More bad news for homeopathsINTERNATIONAL: Humanity faces a new era of risksGERMANY: Fake doctor sentenced to life in prisonINTERNATIONAL: New tool: Retraction Watch Hijacked Journal CheckerUK: Edzard Ernst appointed member of the Academy of EuropeWe f

We need to fight for abortion rights – againMonkeypox is coming – is that the new pandemic? Our favourite ESC is the European Skeptics Congress in Vienna in September and we’re counting on seeing you there. The DA! Awards are coming and if you live in Germany you should register your nominations. Then we have an error correction from last week regarding horses and snails… No TWISH today so we jump right into Pope Francis meeting with Bono (of U2 fame) and a pretty remarkable exchange between the two. Then it’s time for the news:SWITZERLAND: Climate DoomSPAIN: Facebook fails to stop Spanish language anti-abortion disinformationEU: Lobby group for ‘integrative medicine’ in the EUUKRAINE: YouTube removes more than 9,000 channels relating to Ukraine warUK: Gene edited tomatoes could soon be sold in EnglandAnthroposophic quack doctor Harald Matthes gets his second Really Wrong Award this month, tune in to find out what he has been up to this time!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Reall