The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

Mixed messages from QED – new dates announced but we hear this is the last one(!) and we have a hard time accepting it. At least we’ll do our best to be there and meet (among others) Chris French whose audiobook is currently on sale. In TWISH we hear about Leonardo da Vinci and specifically about some of the myths surrounding him. Then, it’s time for the news:UK: Christian missionary group YWAM accused of public shaming and rituals to ‘cure’ sexual sinPOLAND: Sanal Edamaruku’s case: what do we know?INTERNATIONAL: Shadowy market for weight-loss drugs has emerged onlineSERBIA: A wave of disinformation surrounding the demonstrationsSWEDEN: Debunked personality test (DISC) refuses to dieINTERNATIONAL: The Global Listening Project on how attitudes towards vaccines have changed since CovidNorwegian-Swedish fundamental Christian zealot Runar Søgaard announces Trump to be God’s gift to the US and himself as God’s gift to Sweden, and for that receives this week’s Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-475.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:05:32 TWISH0:17:43 News0:54:22 Really Wrong0:58:55 Quote1:00:09 Outro1:01:32 Outtakes

We first rant a bit about Viktor Orbán and examine some psychic horsing around at the Grand National. In TWISH we hear about the Dead Sea Scrolls and then we dive into the news:UKRAINE / USA: Zelenskyy and Trump look for leaks using lie detectorsINTERNATIONAL: Snopes’ toolkit to guard against online misinformationITALY: AI beats lottery?SWEDEN: Test of phishing attack goes awfully wrongEndometriosis is a serious condition and the topic deserves so much better than this recently published so-called study. Therefore Edinburgh University receives this week’s award for being Really Wrong as they are only raising false hope while wasting valuable time and resources.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-474.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:11:08 TWISH0:19:04 News0:38:35 Really Wrong0:46:58 Quote0:48:33 Outro0:49:55 Outtakes

We explore the source of April Fool's day in this week’s TWISH, before we get into the news:UK: Three-quarters of UK fertility patients using unproven add-on treatmentsGERMANY / INTERNATIONAL: Rudolf Steiner’s legacy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his deathINTERNATIONAL: More people leave religion than joinUK: Tory’s U-turn on climate policies attributed to ties with major climate denierFRANCE / RUSSIA: French anti-vaxxer feeds Russian disinformationAnother Nordic princess, Madeleine of Sweden, goes of the rails and announces that she will market Anthroposophic beauty products and that naturally earns her this week’s Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-473.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:33 TWISH0:14:41 News0:39:16 Really Wrong0:43:34 Quote0:48:32 Outro0:49:54 Outtakes

Science takes an interest in Pontus’ body (who would’ve thought?) and in TWISH we hear about Comenius who got a whole lot of things right already on the 16th century. Of course there are also more current news to take a look at:INTERNATIONAL: Tretinoin, the holy grail in skin care, is dangerousINTERNATIONAL: Are there any nations taking commitments to tackling climate change seriously?UK: Supplements and garlic won’t cure the common cold, despite what the BBC sayINTERNATIONAL: Why do we miss autocratic red flags?UK: Faithful? Tax loophole turns old pubs into places of worshipINTERNATIONAL: New trends in vaccine skepticismScientology is involved in both the Really Wrong and Really Right Awards this week. Guess which one they got?Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-472.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:04:56 TWISH0:10:55 News0:45:29 Really Wrong / Really Right0:51:36 Quote0:54:29 Outro0:55:52 Outtakes

Pontus is back from skiing, Orbán is worse than ever, and an astronaut will photograph the turtle that carries the Earth on its back – just a normal week in skepticism. In TWISH we hear about the successful ban on CFCs to save the ozone layer, and then it’s time for the news:EUROPE: Measles in Europe highest in 25 yearsITALY: Higher levels of spirituality and CAM use increases likelyhood of vaccine skepticismUK: Psychological ‘booster shots’ can strengthen resistance to misinformation over timeUK: Poor sleep could fuel belief in conspiracy theoriesINTERNATIONAL: Press freedom watchdog says Russia ‘stealing’ its identityRUSSIA: Russian network changes tactics to ‘groom’ AI bots with disinformationPORTUGAL: ComCept’s Flying Unicorn Awards are here again, voting is on!The Really Wrong Award goes to Dutch minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, for ignoring expertise, and we send a Really Right to Sense About Science for their work to teach researchers how to communicate.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-471.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:14:14 TWISH0:22:35 News0:49:53 Really Wrong / Really Right0:56:55 Quote0:58:57 Outro1:00:19 Outtakes

With Brian sitting in for Pontus while he’s doing some skiing, we talk events to start with. The Hungarian Skeptic Society just handed out two awards for those enlightening the public by either speaking up directly against pseudosciences and disinformation or choosing to provide detailed analysis on controversial topics. So, we congratulate Professor of molecular biology Zsolt Boldogkői on getting the first ever László Orosz Lifetime Achievement Award, and biologist, PhD candidate Zsófia Tauber who received the first László Orosz Award from the Hungarian skeptics at and all-day event of talks and panel discussions in Budapest.Brian promotes an evening of presentations about misinformation and conspiracy theories in Edinburgh and we finish off the opening segment by commemorating one of the most acclaimed skeptics, Joe Nickell, who passed away recently.On TWISH, we talk about a milestone of modern science, the discovery of Uranus by a German immigrant to the UK, William Herschel. And then we turn to the news:UK: Plan to make phone use safer for teens watered downINTERNATIONAL: Phone bans in school not really helpingRUSSIA: The country seems to be flooded with esoteric nonsenseThe Really Wrong Award this week goes to the Royal Society for still holding on to Elon Musk’s fellowship. On the opposite side, the owner of a soft-play centre for gets this week’s Really Right award for fending off an attempted chickenpox party.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-470-html.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:19:03 TWISH0:28:14 News0:45:37 Really Wrong / Really Right0:53:44 Quote0:55:04 Outro0:56:21 Outtakes

We are still fascinated by the on-going planetary alignment and this week is an even better opportunity to watch it. And if it’s cloudy and a Thursday, go back inside and join the SITP Online virtual pub, it’s highly recommended!In TWISH we hear about Émile Coué who popularized autosuggestion which in a way paved the way for all self-help books that we are still riddled with today. Then of course, we have the news:NORWAY: Heat record blown away in northern NorwayGERMANY: Election resultsAUSTRIA / SWITZERLAND: Shaman on the runINTERNATIONAL / WALES: Trust in politics on the declineEU: The European economy needs immigration – that’s science!INTERNATIONAL: Nominations for the John Maddox Prize now openThe Really Wrong award goes to education in general in the EU – lots of people are still creationists and believe that early humans lived along dinosaurs…Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-468.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:09:04 TWISH0:19:29 News0:42:02 Really Wrong0:47:43 Quote0:49:44 Outro0:51:06 Outtakes

We talk a little bit of the upcoming Germany federal elections this weekend and in TWISH we hear about Carl von Rokitansky the Austrian physician, pathologist, humanist philosopher and liberal politician and founder of the Viennese School of Medicine of the 19th century. How he managed to dissect tens of thousands of bodies is baffling and just a little bit scary…Then, we turn to the news:UK: Prof. Jim Al-Khalili gets Darwin Day MedalSWEDEN: Murder of Quran burnerFRANCE: Didier Raoult can’t stop spreading bullshitITALY: Italian ‘mystic’ may face trial after DNA match with blood on Virgin Mary statueINTERNATIONAL: Elisabeth Bik Science Integrity Fund launchesWe hand out a Really Right Award (for once) and a little surprisingly it goes to the UK government for an ambitious project to spot climate change tipping points. We also have a Norwegian Word of the Week, tune in to find why Elon Musk may not be thrilled about it.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-467.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:09:28 TWISH0:17:35 News0:38:12 Really Right0:41:13 Word of the Week0:47:25 Quote0:49:05 Outro0:50:27 Outtakes