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...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 an...
May 21, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 mo...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 wheth...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 u...
Apr 23, 2020•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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:...
Apr 16, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.I...
Apr 09, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 repo...
Apr 02, 2020•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Mar 26, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 19, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 12, 2020•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 an...
Mar 05, 2020•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Feb 27, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Feb 20, 2020•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast This week before we get into the meat of the show, we talk Corona, Greta Thunberg and look forward to Adam Rutherford’s new book, “How to Argue with a Racist”. We also have two good news for our German friends: Natalie Grams have launched her podcast “Grams’ Sprechstunde” and we have a ticket raffle for SkepKon 2020 in Berlin. Tune in to find out how you can win a free ticket!In this week in history we celebrate Charles Darwin who was born on 12 February 1809. Pontus Pokes the Pope for hypocriti...
Feb 13, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we interview Finnish activist Iida Ruishalme and talk about nuclear power and green energy. Iida is a biologist specialised in biomedical research, an environmentalist, a writer and a science communicator. She also a mum, taking the future of her children very seriously. She blogs at Thoughtscapism.com.We first met her at the 2019 European Skeptics Congress in Ghent where she gave a fascinating talk about the importance of critical thinking when it comes to green energy and decarbonisa...
Feb 06, 2020•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we first get the record straight and correct our position on Ocean Cleanup - while we appreciate the sentiment, the whole idea is both damaging and unscientific. Two great Skeptical events are coming up this spring Skepkon 2020 in Berlin 21 - 23 May and the 4th Conference on Science and Pseudoscience 13 -1 4 March in Alicante.In this week in history we hear about Russia’s own Roswell incident, the Height 611 UFO crash. Pontus Pokes the Pope and gives us the latest on the celibacy contr...
Jan 30, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we note that the Swedish Skeptics’ article from last week concerning Thomas Erikson’s nonsense personality book “Surrounded by Idiots” has gotten some attention from other skeptics, among other things Pontus was a guest on the last episode of the Skeptic Zone podcast to talk about it.In history this week we talk about Desmond Morris and his role in the Aquatic Ape hypothesis and then Pontus Pokes the Pope about the fact that the two living popes are at odds regarding celibacy and also ...
Jan 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we note that at the time of recording, American-Swedish astronaut Jessica Meir is busy preparing and conducting the second ever all-female spacewalk.In history this week in 1964, Italian philosopher, author and skeptic Massimo Pigliucci was born, and we discuss some of his contributions and influences.Pontus Pokes the Pontus to note that old Benedict comes out of retirement to fight for celibacy, potentially creating a headache for poor Francis, who is supposed to say the final word on...
Jan 16, 2020•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week András is back and we start by philosophizing a bit about what a new decade really means and look forward to a few nice skeptics meetings coming up. We also talk about the future for Golden Rice and why it is so important despite what Greenpeace and EU politicians think.From history we hear about the so-called ‘psychic’ Doris Stokes who was born this week in 1920 and Pontus Pokes the Pope for telling others to show restraint while he himself lost his temper just a few days ago. Should ...
Jan 09, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week Brian is back again and we look forward to the new year. One thing to note about 2020 is the Ratio conference in Sofia in Bulgaria in June and that the super early bird tickets already are released. Chris French is going, so why don’t you? Then Jelena tells us a ghost story from this week in 1762 that took place in Cock Lane, believe it or not.In Pontus Pokes the Pope we hear about shady monetary shenanigans involving two sitting popes and how the Catholic church is now struggling to l...
Jan 02, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we wrap up the year and wish all our listeners a Happy Holiday. We revisit something we got wrong about Das Goldene Brett last week and celebrate the birthday of Johannes Kepler.For Pontus Pokes the Pope we examine what the Pontifical Secret is all about and what it may mean when Francis now has declared it cannot be used to hide sex abuse. We also deliver our first ever film review, on the rather nice but totally fictional movie ‘The Two Popes’.In the news we talk about Chemophobia, H...
Dec 26, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we start our journey towards episode 300 and first reflect on climate change with Greta Thunberg as Time Magazine’s person of the year and Australia heading for a sever heatwave just in time for Christmas.Johan Nevil Maskelyne, skeptic, magician (and inventor of the pay toilet) was born on 22 December 180 years ago. Pontus Popes the Pope who has been very busy over the year and seems to have big plans also for 2020.Then there is some more climate change news, with the European Green De...
Dec 19, 2019•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we celebrate our 200th episode and that we continue our journey into our fifth year!We re-unite with our first ever guest, Gábor Hraskó (president of the Hungarian Skeptics) to philosophize a little about Skepticism and what has changed over time. And throughout the show we hear fantastic congratulation greetings from dear friends from across the world!We go on to bring up the eradication of Smallpox and Pontus Pokes the Pope to examine a potential $4 billion threat to the Catholic Chu...
Dec 12, 2019•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week Claire Kroulik-Klingenberg joins Jelena and Pontus for the 199th episode – we’re into our fifth year, folks!In This week in Skepticism, Jelena tells the story of how a young pre-Sherlock-Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle fictionalized the real story of a ghost ship, creating a modern legend. Pontus Pokes the Pope and goes through some of the main on-going abuse scandals, while Francis himself celebrate with lasagne.In the news we learn about good news for Skeptic Pepijn van Erp, we also hear t...
Dec 05, 2019•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we have a very interesting interview with Lydia Finch, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness turned skeptic. As a sort of a follow-up from two weeks ago, we felt we wanted to dive a little more into what it really means to grow up as a JW and then eventually leave. Leaving voluntarily is difficult enough, but in Lydia’s case she was kicked out for “behaving badly” and for a long while she lived in fear, convinced that she had brought eternal damnation on herself.Eventually she managed to figure out ...
Nov 28, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we welcome Brian back for an unprecedented two-weeks-in-a-row appearance and then we dive into how the Piltdown-man hoax went undetected for many years, but was revealed this week 66 years ago. Then we poke the pope for trying to put the blame for his sex abuse scandals on Facebook, Apple and Microsoft, while Cardinal Pell, believe in or not, may get one more day in court.In the news we find we still have to explain why you should NOT go to a chiropractor because not only is chiropract...
Nov 21, 2019•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week it’s the return of Brian as we have sent András on a field trip to Malaysia. We celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Glasgow Skeptics and then explore signs that some bishops in the Catholic Church at least seem to be trying do the right thing regarding the abuse scandals, however without much help from Francis. He may instead worry that he has opened Pandora’s box by allowing discussions about married priests and female deacons.In the news ‘Trick or Treatment’, the book by Edzard Ern...
Nov 14, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week pope Francis is all talk and no show, there was a secret love affaire between a Cardinal and a Queen of Sweden in 1654 and Massimo Polidoro’s book Il Mondo Sottosopra is now in the shops.New study finds that measles resets your whole immune system in a very bad way, homeopathic nonsense should absolutely not have a Royal warrant of appointment and Swedish CAM proponents claim CAM is safe despite obvious examples that it is not.Facebook and Twitter have totally opposite views in politic...
Nov 07, 2019•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
