…and UK politicians orders police to go full on racistThere are several skeptical events to look forward to! In chronological order we recommend Skeptics in the Pub in Cologne, SkepKon in Frankfurt and QED in Manchester. No TWISH this week, but we look into Pope Francis‘ latest health problems and how the Vatican after more than five hundred years still refuses to own up on its role in the terrible conquest and enslavement of the Americas. Then, it’s time for the news:SWITZERLAND: Swiss court ca...
Apr 07, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast … please don’t eat like Gwyneth PaltrowThe IPCC is out, but of course we all new it would be bad. We have listener feedback about acupuncture, SkepKon 2023 is announced and both Pontus and András are out there talking to the public. In TWISH we hear about Ludwig Büchner and the Pope has trouble getting heard. After that, we look into the news:GERMANY: Reichsbürger extremist sentenced to 10 years in prisonRUSSIA: Russian whose daughter drew anti-war picture flees jail termPORTUGAL: Voting for the...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast … also, Orgone energy is utter nonsenseFancy a coffee in Singapore with András? If you are quick you may get lucky! In TWISH this week we hear about Wilhelm Reich, infamous for his so-called “orgone theory“. No pope today, so we dive right into the news:INTERNATIONAL: New DNA find points to raccoon dogs as potential covid originNORWAY: Norwegian footballer gets her lung acu-puncturedGERMANY: Private TV channel tries to produce a show with an antisemitic Covid denier and failsSWEDEN: Confounderer...
Mar 24, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast … and it’s time to start planning your QED trip!We are in the latest issue of the Australian Skeptics Magazine – thanks again dear friends for inviting us to Skepticon last year! New adventures are waiting in the new year with QED dates just announced, so it’s time to start planning for a trip to Manchester in September. We renew our call for Word of the Week and Who’s Quacking, please send in your contributions. In addition we note that the ISS astronauts made it back OK to Earth and that popes...
Mar 17, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast … also, maybe “the Swedish Experiment” wasn’t such a bad idea after allThis week we start by acknowledging two skeptical initiatives: András is part of the new Hungarian podcast “Hogy is van ez?”, and SkepKon 2023 is coming up in Germany in May. Then we have two challenges for our listeners – please send in you contributions for the new segments “Word of the Week” and “Who’s Quacking?”. In TWISH we hear how “America” got its name via a cartographer born in 1451, and then Pontus wishes Pope Franc...
Mar 10, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast … and German bishops openly defies the popeWe’re all back together again and urge you to help out with translations and nominate people for the John Maddox Prize. In TWISH we learn about the Index and how you’re not supposed the challenge the Catholic Church. Speaking of which, pope Francis interferes with the Trial of the Century and also gets totally ignored by the German bishops. Then we take a look at the news:INTERNATIONAL: CFI doubles international Paranormal Challenge Prize to $500kSWEDEN...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast We start this episode with talking about why earthquakes can not be predicted then ponder on the issues of resigning female leaders, before we move on to TWISH where this week we commemorate the 152nd anniversary of the publication of Darwin's The Descent of Man.Because Pontus is away, Pàpa Francesco (AKA Frankie) gets another week off the hook.On the news this week:UK - The first woman appointed the government's chief science adviserUK - Treasury takes back £ 1.6 billion previously promised for...
Feb 24, 2023•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast … and religious zealot insists he’s needed at schoolThis week we have some listener feedback and hear about Annika’s WTF project before we dive into the history of planet X. No pope today, so then we get into news:INTERNATIONAL: Macchiarini earns “expressions of concern” from the LancetTURKEY: False images of the earthquake shared onlineSWEDEN: No FOIA for free schoolsGERMANY: Money is more important than science communicationEnoch Burke, aka the Irish school teacher zealot, comes back from pris...
Feb 17, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast … and Francis strikes against the rebel nuns of RavelloThis week Brian and Pontus takes the lead and talks about the Turkish-Syrian earthquake as well as looking forward to Annika’s new WTF adventure (stay tuned!). In TWISH we look at the shenanigans of Elizabeth Holmes who was born this week in 1984, while pope Frankie is busy fighting rebels nuns(!). Then we also have the news:FRANCE: Naturopathy under fireTURKEY: Did someone on Twitter predict the earthquake?INTERNATIONAL: Do face masks work?...
Feb 10, 2023•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast … and Frankie stands firm: no sex for gay peopleThis week the three hosts are finally back together. We start by congratulating Edzard Ernst on his 75th birthday, yippie! In TWISH we hear about the first tele-evangelist / remote healer of Hungary before diving into pope Francis’ terrible take on gay sex which for some reason is being hailed as very progressive (it is not). Then we get into the news:UK: Medical tribunal ends with 9 months ban from practicing for doctor Sarah Myhill spreading fals...
Feb 03, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast – but all’s well that ends PellThis week we start by recommending that you check out Annika’s Skeptical Inquirer’s article about our trip down under, we hear about the Swedish Skeptic’s annual awards, the Hungarian Skeptics appearance on radio and a little bit about the fascinating art of art forensics. In TWISH it’s all about the high flying ancestors of Jean Luc Piccard – August and Jean Felix Piccard and the invention of the bathyscaphe and then Pontus catches up with the state of affairs in ...
Jan 27, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast ... and nobody puts Greta in the corner!We start this week by commemorating Harriet Hall AKA "The SkepDoc" and talk about what a great loss her passing is for the international skeptic movement.On TWISH András talks about the London Institution, a major body for the public understanding of science in the 19th century, then with the Pope remaining un-poked this week, we are turning over to the news:- In the UK the British False Memory Society not to be dissolved after all- In HUNGARY, Hungarian-C...
Jan 20, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast ... and someone please tell Prince Harry to act more responsibly.This week we start by lamenting over the launch failure of Virgin Orbit from Cornwall Spaceport, then praise Wikipedia that soon turns 22 and we also have a lot to thank Susan Gerbic, the "Wikipediatrician" for.Then in Pontus' absence we leave the pope alone and turn to the News:NETHERLANDS: Alleged nazi treasure map keeps people excitedHUNGARY: Far right MP appears on the pseudodocumentary 'Died Suddenly' and antivaxers promote th...
Jan 13, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast – also, never think with your royal penis!This week start with some listener feedback regarding the new Swedish Spaceport Esrange, look at the value of New Year’s resolutions and discuss the crazy weather situation. In this week in Skepticism we celebrate the birth of Isaac Asimov who was born on 2 January 1920 (or was he?) and then Pontus reflects on the life and death of Joseph Ratzinger, aka. Pope Benedict XVI, aka, Senator Palpatine. Then we go through the news:INTERNATIONAL: European Humani...
Jan 06, 2023•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast – also be prepared for next year’s Christmas!We start by reflecting on Putin’s “war” against Ukraine now that he (by accident?) admitted that that is what it is. In TWISH we hear about Vlad the Impaler (aka Vlad III or Dracula) and to what extent Bram Stoker used him as inspiration for his famous book. Also, some recent pseudohistory is making the rounds about Vlad III “Dragulya”. Pope Frankie has a new legal issue now that the Italian Senate has grown tired of his lack of action in the Orlandi ...
Dec 30, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast – however, the other 1063 predictions failedThis week all the hosts are back from their adventures in foreign lands to record just before Christmas. We revisit the topic of Twitter and we hear about Pontus’ trip to New Zealand. After a few short interviews with skeptics in Australia we go to TWISH for the birth of Uri Geller and to the Vatican for the latest mishaps of pope Frankie. Then we turn to the news:GERMANY: Fortune teller was right – the Queen passed awaySWEDEN: Woman suffers paralysis ...
Dec 23, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week in Pontus' absence we lament overt the possible future of Twitter and the stupidity behind the Reichsbürger movement before being joint by Ralf Neugebauer who enlightens us about the legal situation of homeopathic remedies in Germany with special regard to Meditonsin.We commemorate the birthday of the late British star astrologer (pun intended)Jonathan Cainer before moving on to the news:SWITZERLAND/UK: Springer publishes Edzard Ernst's new book that lists 202 modalities of SCAM.FRANCE...
Dec 16, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast - with the Bent Spoon Award & a happy birthday to VoF!We start by exploring the anthroposophic connections of the Griffins, the founders of Canberra, then move on to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Swedish skeptical organisation Vetenskap och Folkbildning.Then Pontus Pokes the Pope for all the mess his minions like Becciu have caused in the Vatican Bank before we turn to the news:GERMANY: Court prohibits homeopathic manufacturer from advertising product with false health cl...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast – Brisbane Skeptics in the Pub!Our two-week long tour to Australia is soon coming to an end, but we have been lucky enough to be welcomed by lovely people in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast.On this week’s episode we are releasing a recording we made before a lovely audience in Brisbane, where we had a panel discussion about our thoughts on the present and future of the skeptic movement, based on our experiences and actives as skeptics in our respective countries.Enjoy!Segments: Intro;...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast – Sydney Skeptics in the Pub!Our two-week long tour to Australia has begun, the main event of which will be the Australian Skeptics National Convention (SkeptiCon) in Canberra between 3rd and 4th December. But beforehand, we will have a few stops along the way where local branches organised events for us that we can’t wait to attend.The first event of our tour has now concluded. It was a Skeptics in the Pub event in Sydney, with short talks as well as an interview with Australia’s most popular s...
Nov 25, 2022•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast – plus, the Princess who will never be Queen – and why that’s a good thingShould we all abandon Twitter and move to Mastodon? Call us contrarians, but we’ll wait and see! Preparing for our Australian trip to Skepticon we may need an umbrella or two due to the severe weather, but if you are based in Europe and like to go to a great conference, why not head down to Leiria in Portugal for ComceptCon 2022 that opens this weekend! In TWISH we hear about another great Hungarian skeptic, Mihály Beck, b...
Nov 18, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast – Czech / Slovak Skeptical TV-series ‘Investigátori’ renewed for second season!The gang is reunited and there’s so much to talk about – memories of QED, the Ockham Award, the Rusty Razor and our upcoming Australian Tour. With sadness we note the passing of Kendrick Frazier and then we talk to Claire Klingenberg and Peter Pokorný regarding the second season(!) of their skeptical TV series ‘Investigátori‘ (‘The Investogators’). In TWISH we remember the Hungarian scientific communicator and TV pers...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast – Claire and Brian joins us, while Luna fills in for AndrásAs we are joined by Claire Kroulik-Klingenberg and Brian Eggo, Luna steps up to fill the shoes of András who to everyone’s deep disappointment had to cancel at the last minute. To celebrate our 350th show and enjoy our live recording at QED in Manchester, we take some liberty with the normal format.So, brace yourself for mythical tales of papal pasts as well as the long awaited Eurovision WRONG Contest:GERMANY: Annika – ‘Riceburger lady’...
Nov 04, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast – and BTW, Elvis really has left the building – no matter what psychic mediums sayThis week we first chat about a “psychic medium” who is friendly with Elvis and touch on the Tories in the UK who apparently is friendly with no one, not even themselves. Then Kevin Davies of the Canberra Skeptics joins us and tells all about the Australian Skeptics National Convention 2022 where we will be in December! In TWISH we hear about Tycho Brahe and his achievements and Pope Frankie is still infallible and...
Oct 28, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast – and get your flu shot, people!This week the full crew is back and we urge you to take the flu seriously. We recommend a video of a presentation by Germany skeptic Amardeo Sarma about critical thinking, find out how to pronounce ‘that town’ in the Netherlands and feel sad that Robbie ‘Hagrid’ Coltrane passed away. In TWISH we celebrate 100 years with the BBC, and then it’s time for the news:RUSSIA: The online guide Russians use to escape Putin’s warGERMANY: 75-year-old conspiracy theorist woman...
Oct 21, 2022•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast – Lauterbach takes on pseudoscienceBrian Eggo steps in to save the day as he covers for both András and Annika this week. We talk about listener reactions to last week’s episode and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the last of this year’s Nobel prizes in the natural sciences. In TWISH we reminisce about QED 2018 as we prepare attending the next one. Pontus Pokes the Pope for his failure to handle the relations to Russia but give’s him a broken clock award for taking a stand for refugees. Then it is...
Oct 14, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast – 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 si...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast – 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...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast – 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 ...
Sep 23, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast – 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:GE...
Sep 16, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
