Annika and András talk a bit about the EP elections again, mostly reacting to listener feedback. We also mention the Belgian skeptical organisation SKEPP's Skeptical Awards and in TWISH we commemorate evolutionary biologist, humanist, eugenicist and internationalist extraordinaire Sir Julian Huxley . Then in the news: SCOTLAND : Parliament votes to implement abortion safe access zones INTERNATIONAL : How to help health care professionals on the forefront of vaccinat...
Jun 22, 2024•37 min•Ep 432•Transcript available on Metacast In Pontus' absence we talk a bit about EP elections and in TWISH we commemorate the Italian heroine of science and skepticism Margherita Hack . Then it is time to check out the news: UK : Zero hour for climate action NORTHERN IRELAND : NI Assembly passes motion to ban conversion therapies INTERNATIONAL : Edzard Ernst finds SCAM research to be in decline INTERNATIONAL : Intervention against misinformation might increase skepticism... against reliable sources, too The...
Jun 15, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pontus comes back from the European Skeptics Congress with a new title , applications to talk at Skepticamp QED is now open and Evidence Week is postponed by UK elections . In TWISH we hear about James Hutton , the father of modern geology, and then it is time to check out the news: INTERNATIONAL : The Catholic church’s first ‘millennial saint’ INTERNATIONAL : Edzard Ernst did it again INTERNATIONAL : ‘Foolproof’ gives us vaccinat...
Jun 07, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast We start with some listener feedback and also worry if Neil DeGrasse Tyson and his Star Talk show are falling for some alternative medicine. On the good side Skeptical Science , led by John Cook , is continuing their quest for science literacy and has a new online quiz you can take to check your “bullshit detector”. In TWISH we hear about the trial against Joan of Arc in 1431. Then we turn to the news: SWEDEN : H...
May 31, 2024•53 min•Ep 429•Transcript available on Metacast In Pontus' absence Annika is back for a quick visit before her planned return next month. We mention the terrible assassination attempt against Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico and how it's a new source of fake news. On TWISH you can hear about Franz Anton Mesmer, who was the foremost proponent of "animal magnetism". Then, we look at the news: GERMANY: GWUP has a new leadership - Congratulations! VATICAN CITY : The Inquisition introducing new rules for the...
May 24, 2024•35 min•Ep 428•Transcript available on Metacast Meeting up with fellow skeptics is always a blast. We recommend reading the recent article in Skeptic UK about the history of European skepticism and ECSO – the ESC (European Skeptics Congress) is only two weeks away! Pontus reports from last week’s annual meeting with VoF (the Swedish Skeptics) and in TWISH we hear about Pierre Curie who, apart from being a brilliant scientist also was intrigued by spiritualism . Then...
May 17, 2024•46 min•Ep 427•Transcript available on Metacast Tickets for QED in Manchester (19-20 October) are now on sale and don’t forget Skepticamp on the day before! If all goes to plan, both András and Pontus may be among the speakers. But first we are looking forward to the European Skeptics Congress 2024 , less than a month from now, 31 May – 2 June in Lyon, France! In TWISH we hear about how smallpox was announced eradicated this week in 1980 and then we take a look at the news: INTERNATIONAL :...
May 10, 2024•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every Swede has celebrated Valborg (Walpurgis / Walpurga) this week although no one really knows why, and András reports from Sicily on volcanic activities . In TWISH we hear about Pierre Teilhard de Chardin , a theologian so controversial that popes nowadays still cannot agree on what to think of him. Then it’s time for this week’s news: INTERNATIONAL : How local communities shaped ‘Cranky Uncle Vaccine’ game SWEDEN / UK : Computer game in school ...
May 03, 2024•42 min•Ep 425•Transcript available on Metacast It is European Immunization Week! Get your boosters and jabs folks, and make you and the people around you are safe! In TWISH this week we hear about John Oliver , British comedian who (whether you like him or not) understands science and the need for healthy skepticism. Then we of course take a look at the news: ITALY : Italy passes measures to allow anti-abortion activists to enter abortion clinics HUNGARY : The Flat Earth Award goes to the Hungarian Association o...
Apr 26, 2024•48 min•Ep 424•Transcript available on Metacast The report on DISC analysis and Thomas Erikson from last week generated some good feedback, it’s time for the John Maddox prize again and Susan Gerbic has a new YouTube channel that you should definitely check out. Don’t forget to book your ticket for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon! In TWISH we hear about Norbert Schobert , the Hungarian fitness guru that seems to keep asking for a Flat Earth ...
Apr 19, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast A bit of a correction first, regarding earthquakes . Then we get some Vatican news with speculation about a Swedish ‘papabile’ , plus idiotic statements about genders . In TWISH we hear about Paolo Frisi , an Italian university dropout who in the 18th century went on to become a polymath . Then we have a look at the news: EUROPE : Whooping cough on the rise – due to covid BELGIUM : Alternative medicine and god hindering willingnes...
Apr 12, 2024•45 min•Ep 422•Transcript available on Metacast There are two great European skeptical events to sign up for this year – European Skeptics Congress in Lyon (30 May- 2 June) and QED in Manchester (18 – 20 October) – there is still time to catch the Early Bird discounts for both! In TWISH we hear about the earthquake in L’Aquila in Italy in 2009, that not only shook the ground but also the trust in science. Of course, we also give our take on the news: UK : Rumours about Ki...
Apr 05, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who knew that Hungarian intellectuals where numerologists – András reveals all! We have correction from last week and also reflect over the illness of Princess Kate , naturally we wish her well. In this weeks TWISH we hear about Percy Shelley and how his atheism ruined his academic career – to the benefit of mankind. Then, it’s time for the news: INTERNATIONAL : Nordic people are the happiest in the world RUSSIA / UKRAINE : Russian TV channel using deepf...
Mar 29, 2024•51 min•Ep 420•Transcript available on Metacast Flying unicorns exist in Portugal and you can vote for your favorites on the Portuguese Skeptics’ web site (COMCEPT) before 1 April . By coincidence this is also the deadline for getting the Early Bird discount for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon , so sign up in time! On a sadder note, Annika will have to take a few months off from the podcast, but she promises to return in June. But before that, we have a whole lot of news to go throu...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brian Eggo is certainly bo no stranger to this podcast. Relentless in his quest to spread the skeptical world, he is known as the main force behind the Glasgow Skeptics, one of the great people behind Skeptics in the Pub - Onlin and a frequent speaker and guest on several podcasts. This week we interview him about the time when the big C came to his family and he decided to find out what the internet would have to recommend someone in his position. While a lot of the advice he got wa...
Mar 16, 2024•49 min•Ep 418•Transcript available on Metacast We start with some listener feedback and corrections regarding Tridentinosaurus Antiquus – the origin of its name was wrong and despite what we said, it wasn’t a a dinosaur. In TWISH we hear about Gerardus Mercator , the man behind most world maps. Then we get to the news: SWEDEN : Companies exploit fear of war to sell pretty useless and expensive “emergency equipment” RUSSIA : Rumors surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny INTERNATIONAL : Ho...
Mar 08, 2024•48 min•Ep 417•Transcript available on Metacast This week we have the great pleasure to interview our friend Prof. Chris French! We hear a lot about his research into the paranormal – or Anomalistic Psychology as he prefers to call it. Chris has a new book coming out on 19 March . It’s called “the Science of Weird Shit” and we cannot recommend it enough! (we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek) Enjoy! Segments : Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...
Mar 01, 2024•57 min•Ep 416•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’ve had some feedback regarding AI – always glad to hear from our listeners! In TWISH we hear about Charles Clermont-Ganneau, famous French archeologist with a flare for spotting fake artifacts. Then we turn to the news: INTERNATIONAL : Fossil forgery – famous specimen shown to be fake, and it is not alone FRANCE : Experts identify Moscow-based disinformation network GREECE : Legalization of same sex marriage Good news for once! The French National Assembly has adopted a new law aime...
Feb 23, 2024•40 min•Ep 415•Transcript available on Metacast Luna sits in for András(!) and we talk about conspiracy theories regarding the earthquake in Turkey last year, a new study about peoples worldview and in TWISH we get into the curse of Tutankhamun – what really was going on? Then we have a look at the news: UK : Sexual harassment anyone? Chiropractic council is there for chiropractors, not for patients EU : EU won’t use dental amalgam anymore EU : EU parliament votes to ease regulation of gene edit...
Feb 16, 2024•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast King Charles III is ill and although we seldom agrees with him we still whish him a speedy recovery. Marcus Wandt , the Swedish astronaut, took time off his busy schedule and gave a called via link with students at a Swedish school – the teacher setting it up is active in VoF, the Swedish skeptics . Well done, Philippe! Marcus has been stuck on the ISS for several days but as this episode comes out he is finally on his way back to Earth. We remind everyone to sign up for ...
Feb 09, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast We start with some listener feedback and ponder the wonders of European languages before we turn to TWISH , where we hear about Bertrand Russell and his teapot . Then we go into the news: INTERNATIONAL : Measles update SWITZERLAND : Homeopathy in Switzerland AUSTRIA : The Austrian Medical Academy exposed for peddling pseudomedicine INTERNATIONAL : Funding, not talent, is the problem in the skeptical sphere UK : Dragons’ Den: BBC defends show after ME criticism...
Feb 02, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we interview the fabulous Anja Harrison (no relation to any of the hosts) about a great initiative – The Collaborative Library . Having met Anja at QED last year, we decided we just had to get her on the show. The ambitious plan of the Collaborative Library is to make scientific research much more accessible for the public, by making sure that there is a lay summary of as many papers as possible. Enjoy! Segments : Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro Hosted on...
Jan 26, 2024•52 min•Ep 411•Transcript available on Metacast By the time this episode comes out, Sweden hopefully has its third and latest astronaut in space! Marcus Wandt is schedule for launch on Wednesday , (nope) Thursday evening, European time. For a little more down-to-Earth skeptical fun, sign up for the European Skeptics Congress , 30 May – 2 June, in Lyon, France. Registrations are now open! No TWISH today in this slightly shorter than usual episode, but we still take a look at the news: SWED...
Jan 19, 2024•30 min•Ep 410•Transcript available on Metacast Sorry for the delay guys, but we’re back! We have a host of tips for our listeners to get engaged in in the new year. In this week’s TWISH we hear about the Basel Massacre in 1349, gruesome stuff. Then we look at the news: ROMANIA : Measles declared an epidemic after infant death INTERNATIONAL : Large language models validate misinformation UK : King Charles’ “Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence” turns out to be an embarrassing failure GERMANY : Nikil Mukerji appoi...
Jan 12, 2024•53 min•Ep 409•Transcript available on Metacast Suddenly Poland emerges as a possible example against populism in Europe – strange times indeed. In TWISH we hear about Marconi ‘s groundbreaking radio transmission over the Atlantic – not very long ago when you think about it, and pretty cool since he didn’t really know how radio waves work! In the news this week we look at these items: SWEDEN : Supreme Court awards damages to persons exposed to PFOS EU : EU regulating AI HUNGARY : Nutrivigilancia – a n...
Dec 15, 2023•52 min•Ep 408•Transcript available on Metacast First we mention that the prestigious Heinz Oberhummer Award has just been given to Die Sendung mit der Maus which we recently called out for being Really Wrong . Annika puts that into perspective for us. It is time to plan the trip to next year’s European Skeptics Congress , this time in Lyon France, 30 May to 2 June . We then ask if Pope Frankie is planning his ‘Endgame’; some things point in that direction. After that we take a look at the...
Dec 08, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast In TWISH this week we hear about Claude Lévi-Strauss who put together a structuralist theory to analyze myths. We also hear that Pope Frankie is sick but still plans to attend the COP-28 meeting in Dubai – we cannot help wondering why. Then it’s time for the news: ISRAEL : Most common rumors related to the Israel-Hamas war GERMANY : Court dismisses lawsuits over alleged coronavirus vaccination damage INTERNATIONAL : Things you can do to...
Dec 01, 2023•48 min•Ep 406•Transcript available on Metacast In this week’s TWISH we hear about Trofim Lysenko before we look into the news: EU : Glyphosate update INTERNATIONAL : Nostalgia in politics UK : The Good Law Project supports the General Medical Council taking action against harmful misinformation NORTHERN IRELAND : ‘The Hum’ is back! Naturopaths selling Miracle Mineral Supplements (MMS) are promoting a life threatening substance with no possible benefit. This came to a class call recently when a toddler coud...
Nov 24, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite the numerology, this episode CAN be found wherever you get your podcasts. We will give you tips about The Conspiracy Test , the Humanist UK 2024 Convention , the latest Skeptical Inquirer interview and Skepticon 2023 in Australia – all good things to check out! In TWISH we hear about one of Darwin’s buddies, the groundbreaking (pun intended) geologist Charles Lyell , born this week in 1797. Pope Frankie has been given a fr...
Nov 17, 2023•52 min•Ep 404•Transcript available on Metacast After the normal meet and greet, we have an interview with Norbert Aust – German skeptic and one of the initiators of INH, Information Network Homeopathy . He brings us up to date on what’s going on and reports on the fight to get fraudulent and incorrect ‘scientific’ papers retracted. We later get a ‘TWISH’ about the ‘Festival of Reason’ , a failed and misguided attempt to get rid of religion during the French revolution . Then, it’s time fo...
Nov 10, 2023•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast 
