The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

We start by wishing for fast trains and maglev transportation in Europe – much better for the environment than air travel. Because even if we have had a rather cold January here in Europe, Copernicus tells us that we are still warming the globe in a reckless pace. In TWISH we remember István Vágó on what would have been his 77th birthday. Vágó was the first president of the Hungarian Skeptics and also a TV personality specializing in quiz shows and a famous promoter of the virtue of facts. Then, we turn to the news:UK: Only 4 of 66 ‘statin side effects’ are actually from the drug itselfHUNGARY: Meta fails to filter political ads, Tisza fails to use statistics correctlySWEDEN: Exorcism in SwedenUK: Young people fearful of false claims and AI misleading votersSWEDEN: Murder of Olof Palme: Attorney General has some explaining to doRussia is now so short of labor and soldiers due to their invasion of Ukraine that they use any means to lure foreigners to sign up as cannon fodder. For that, and for ruining not just Ukraine but also Russia itself, Vladimir Putin (again) gets the Award for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-518.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:07:46 TWISH0:18:34 News0:52:11 Really Wrong0:54:53 Quote0:57:05 Outro0:58:27 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is an oddly positive episode with a lot of good news, who could foresee that? But do us a favor and help Skeptical Science with your translation skills (link in the show notes)! In TWISH we dig into the cannibalism that is Christianity with a look into the legend of St Agatha.Then, it’s time for the news:SWEDEN: Gaming addiction risk greatly exaggeratedEUROPE: Council of Europe calls for ban on conversion therapiesUK: Gen Z churchgoing is actually still decliningPOLAND: MMS use strongly discouraged by scientist based on latest researchSWEDEN: COVID-19 vaccination carries no association with childbirth rates in SwedenINTERNATIONAL: AI safety report indicates we’re not doing enoughJaved Love is a teacher in Northern Ireland who is exercising his right not to spread religious beliefs in the classroom. For that he is Really Right!Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-517.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:06:22 TWISH0:17:40 News0:54:17 Really Right0:57:32 Quote0:59:21 Outro1:00:44 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s Mark Carney could possibly be a role model for our European leaders, and the Swedish Bar Association agrees with our criticism of putting children in prison. In TWISH we hear of Emanuel Swedenborg, a great polymath of the Enlightenment who somehow turned into a religious mystic. Then it’s time for the news:RUSSIA: The Ukraine war has given rise to an ‘exorcism economy’ in RussiaUK: The current status and concerns of the proposed ban on social media for under 16sSPAIN / SWEDEN: More immigrants, please!Spain to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrantsSwedish Communes say they want more immigrants – for the community and added workforceINTERNATIONAL: So, where do we actually stand on microplastics?UK: Bigfoot has crossed the pondThe Really Wrong Award goes to the UK House of Lords, where a few unelected persons are somehow allowed to filibuster the Assisted Dying Bill.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-516.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:53 Greetings0:10:45 TWISH0:28:07 News1:00:57 Really Wrong1:05:35 Word of the Week1:06:54 Quote1:08:18 Outro1:09:40 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

English may not be our first language but we are willing to learn! Hungarian nuts with a nationalist agenda would like you to believe in made up history, including that Jesus spoke Hungarian, and other nonsense. And they are getting a foot in at schools… In TWISH we hear about Joseph Justus Scaliger who took on historical chronology in a revolutionary way back in the 16th century. Then, it’s time for the news:SWEDEN: Religious teacher used exorcism against special needs studentsUK: Fake AI doctors endorse weight loss patches on social mediaGERMANY: Changes in German beliefs in pseudoscienceTÜRKIYE: Technobabble papers by professor and editor under scrutinyThe Faculty of Law in Lund gets a Really Right Award for speaking up against an unscientific and fact resistant new legal reform.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-515.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:58 TWISH0:21:47 News0:46:48 Really Right0:53:02 Quote0:54:20 Outro0:55:42 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2025 was the third hottest year on record, but that hardly even makes the news. In TWISH we hear about the science communicator Jacob Bronowski, and then it’s time for the news:VATICAN / RUSSIA / USA: The Vatican offered Maduro safe way to RussiaSWITZERLAND: Erich von Däniken dead at 90AI: Followup from last week: Google removes some AI overviewsEU: Authorities do not even open international alerts about medical misconductSWEDEN: Linda Karlström, Confounderer of the year 2020, loses court appealSWEDEN: Enlightener and Confounderer of the year 2025UK: Vaccination schedule changed for the betterThe Really Wrong Award goes to WHO for continuously promoting the idea that traditional “medicine” should be integrated in modern health care.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-514.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:02:43 TWISH0:11:11 News0:44:30 Really Wrong0:49:49 Quote0:50:58 Outro0:52:20 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have to rant about Trump and Venezuela for a bit, but to take our minds off that, we turn to TWISH and hear about the discovery of the Galilean moons, found by (who could have guessed?) Galileo.Then it’s time for the news:UK: Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health adviceHUNGARY: University of Pécs course on gene therapies lists mRNA COVID vaccines as such – that’s wrong!UK: Hot-reading Psychic Medium DeanSusanne Bügel of Copenhagen University gets the Award for being Really Right for her work to inform the public about the issues with multi-vitamin pills. Then we get two different Words of the Week – Besserwisser and Lagom.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-513.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:49 Greetings0:10:19 TWISH0:23:14 News0:39:14 Really Right0:44:38 Word of the Week0:47:08 Quote0:48:44 Outro0:50:06 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the new year! Obviously we start with some reflections on 2025 and we also give a shout-out to Haley Stevens and her article about Wikipedia in the Skeptic UK. In TWISH we learn that the practice of New Year’s resolutions is ancient although each resolution seldom lasts longer than a week or two. Then we look into the news for this week:INTERNATIONAL: Five lessons from fact checking in 2025ITALY: Lega only party refusing to agree not to use deepfake to attack political opponentsSWEDEN: Fact check: How Sweden uses imported trash to produce electricity and heat homesINTERNATIONAL: Review of Autism Therapies finds they don’t hold upUK: Robin Ince quits The Infinite Monkey CageUK: Use of AI for emotional support alarmingly widespreadThe EU Chat Control 2.0 regulation is meant to prevent the spread of child abuse material but gets the Really Wrong Award for being ineffective and because it would have very serious effects on integrity. It’s a well meaning by bad idea.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-512.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:22:32 TWISH0:27:56 News0:59:16 Really Wrong1:02:39 Quote1:05:02 Outro1:06:25 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas everyone! This is an episode unlike any other in the ESP history, hope you will enjoy it!See you again in 2026!Segments:0:00:27 INTRO0:00:50 GREETINGS0:05:11 FACT CHECKERS0:08:39 REASON TELLS0:12:11 FAREWELL0:14:11 OUTRO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s TWISH we take a look at the most skeptical saint, Doubting Thomas – not that we feel that he got everything right. In the news today we take a look at the following:INTERNATIONAL / SWEDEN: Rising nicotine addiction in teensHUNGARY: GP about to leave practice due to harassment from antivaxxersSWEDEN: Breast cancer patients turn away from conventional treatment despite 93% survival ratesINTERNATIONAL: Liam Neeson narrates anti-vaccination pseudo-documentaryA bunch of contrarians that call themselves BMTIG insists that there must be a conspiracy behind the sinking of the MS Estonia – no matter how much the facts say otherwise and for that they ar Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-510.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:05:33 TWISH0:17:29 News0:52:12 Really Wrong1:07:40 Quote1:09:17 Outro1:10:40 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rage bait is the Oxford Word of the Year and that cannot be a a good sign of the times we live in. In TWISH we acknowledge the genius of Ada Lovelace while recognizing that she had some flaws as well, especially when it came to phrenology and mesmerism… Then we take a look at the news:EU: Proposal to allow plants modified using CRISPRHUNGARY: Government campaigns against opposition party with fake election programINTERNATIONAL: Influencers promote bogus health adviceUK: Persuasion through chatbots leads to inaccurate assessmentsThis week’s Really Right Award goes to researcher Rebecca Sear for her commitment in tracking down all studies based on the infamous National IQ database.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-509.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:11:45 TWISH0:24:03 News0:53:12 Really Right0:59:37 Quote1:01:56 Outro1:03:18 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss science communication by the ECDC re vaccinations and have some listener feedback about Dr Who, before with dive into TWISH which this week is about a pioneer of modern chemistry, Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Then of course, there’s the news:INTERNATIONAL: E-trade via dropshipping – the scam has many levelsUK: ChatGPT’s dangerous mental health guidance raises skeptical red flagsSWEDEN: So-called ‘virginity checks’ now finally illegalTÜRKIYE: Case study shows risks with chiropracticThe Green alliance in Germany reverses their stance on homeopathy thanks to the work by Cedrik Schamberger and for that, he deserves the Really Right Award. Well done!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote; Outro; Outtakeshttps://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-508.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start by noting that COP30 was pretty disappointing although we are not too surprised. On another, more positive side, Michael Frass‘ terrible study claiming that homeopathy can help in cancer treatment finally has been retracted! Also, get your flu vaccines, everyone.In TWISH we hear how António Egas Moniz invented lobotomy and was awarded one of the most controversial Nobel prizes for it, but also why it cannot be retracted. Then, we go to the news:SWEDEN: People die of breast cancer after choosing alternative treatmentsEUROPE: Eurobarometer Survey 2025: science, skepticism, and the battle against misinformationINTERNATIONAL: Freebirthing is a deadly scam and a griftHUNGARY: Political ads on Google and Facebook are over – or are they?The Really Wrong Award goes to Steiner schools, that thankfully are in decline. A Really Right Award goes to the EU Court of Justice for affirming that also same-sex marriages have to be recognized throughout the union.Enjoy!Segments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:12:40 TWISH0:22:27 News0:59:46 Really Wrong / Really Right1:03:33 Quote1:05:06 Outro1:06:28 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week celebrates the launch of Dr Who way back in 1963, the longest running TV-show in history, and a special favourite for many skeptics. For the news we look into the following:INTERNATIONAL: Updated evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and influenza vaccinesHUNGARY: Parliament votes to issue general ban on artificial meat productsRUSSIA / UKRAINE: Every fifth Russian believes the sun revolves around the earthNETHERLANDS: Vaccine skepticism linked to trust in institutions and susceptibility to misinformationWe hand out a Really Right Award to the Swedish Government for removing state support for Jehovah’s Witnesses and in Who’s Quacking? we examine the pseudoscience of Spanish neuroscientist Álex Gómez Marín.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-506.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:07:11 TWISH0:22:28 News0:44:01 Really Right0:47:55 Who's Quacking?0:55:37 Quote0:57:05 Outro0:58:28 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Watson died, and brilliant as his contribution to science was, he also had some very problematic views on race and women. The Church of Scientology seems to be in decline even if they try their best to deny it, claiming huge (but questionable) numbers on their recent big conference. We are happily surprised to see a very nice article about ourselves in the Skeptical Inquirer (thanks Susan!) and in TWISH we hear about the founding of the Pasteur Institute and what an impact it has had on science. Then, let’s look at the news:UK: TikTok trend makes men seek unnecessary testosterone treatmentsUK: The BBC crisisINTERNATIONAL: Paracetamol revisited – still not linked to autismFRANCE: Climate disinformation goes mainstreamINTERNATIONAL: Trolls and narcissismWatch out for ‘Black Fraud Day’ whose many scammers get this week’s prize for being Really Wrong.https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-505.htmlEnjoy!Segments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:15:16 TWISH0:23:11 News0:52:10 Really Wrong0:57:37 Quote1:01:11 Outro1:02:33 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back home after QED and boy was it great! Last one, we know, but next year will see the European Skeptics Congress in Liverpool and it will largely be following the template of QED. Save the dates, 16-18 October 2026!We note the lessons learned from hurricane Melissa and in TWISH we hear about two milestones of European history, the ECDC and the European Convention om Human Rights. Then, we catch up on the news:UK: The Ockham awards for 2025AUSTRIA: The Golden Board for 2025SWEDEN: Populistic repatriation support meets local pushbackITALY: Senate hosts presentation of bogus deviceGERMANY: Student at the Free University of Berlin develops useful tool for spotting fake referencesHUNGARY: Over a hundred political ads financed by Orbán’s Digital Citizen Circles slip through Facebooks filtersIn Finland the nonsense of DISC personality tests are inexplicably popular and the company MLP gets the Really Wrong Award for promoting it, while philosopher of science Inkeri Koskinen gets the Really Right Award for speaking up about it.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-504.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:12 TWISH0:24:02 News0:56:51 Really Wrong / Really Right1:01:48 Quote1:03:20 Outro1:04:43 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Note! You can find the video of this live recording here on our Youtube channel! (special thanks to the fantastic SitPO team for the video!)We were live from QED! Best time ever! Joining us for the recording were the fabulous Claire Klingenberg, Deborah Hyde and Brian Eggo, as well as huge crowd of happy QED attendees. We had a TWISH about phrenology and also a line of positive(!) news:INTERNATIONAL: UN demands asylum protection for the non religiousSWEDEN: The Great Pill-ScandalUK: ULEZ is improving people’s healthCZECHIA: Beaver engineered dam saves lots of money for governmentSpecial thanks to friend of the show Rob McDermott for the great photos!Enjoy!Show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-503.htmlSegments:0:00:50 Intro0:01:43 Greetings0:05:44 TWISH0:18:21 News0:47:17 Quote0:49:29 Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Warming up for QED, we dive directly in to TWISH and talk about – QED(!) and how this weekend will be an historic event as the last one of them all. We’re going to make the most of it!But before we pack our bags, we have some news to talk about:UK: The Conversation seems to endorse spiritual psychic meetingsAUSTRIA: Finalists of the Golden Board in Front of the Head announcedCZECHIA: Another European country goes populistEUROPE: Plug-in hybrids seems to be much worse polluters than previously thoughtNot all influencers are bad, so this week’s Really Right Award goes to the Instagram account Kvinnokliniken that keeps fighting for good and science-based information regarding women’s health issues.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-502.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:04:03 TWISH0:14:38 News0:36:53 Really Right0:41:37 Quote0:43:42 Outro0:45:05 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To begin with with remember Jane Goodall and we mark that the Dutch Master Kackadoris Award has been awarded to the VU University of Amsterdam – serves them right! In TWISH we hear about the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582 (in some places much later!) and then, we dig into the news:INTERNATIONAL: Shingles vaccination associated with lower risk of dementiaVATICAN: Pope Leo stands up for science and humanityGERMANY / DENMARK / SWEDEN / EU: Drones, drones, dronesUK: Nigel F Farage spreads nonsense as hardcore as his American counterpartUK: Cut your energy bills by a third with a gadget?INTERNATIONAL: Here’s the Snopes app!The Really Wrong Award goes to Meta and the EU for their inability to handle political ads.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-501.htmlSegments:0:00:26 Intro0:00:53 Greetings0:11:23 TWISH0:20:12 News0:48:39 Really Wrong0:53:26 Quote0:54:31 Outro0:55:53 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s official boys and girls, we made it to Episode 500!We celebrated this with a live recording and joining us from all over the world were a whole bunch of the best skeptics you can imagine: Michael Marshall, Chris French, Claire Klingenberg, Susan Gerbic, Deborah Hyde, Adrienne Hill and Richard Saunders. Good friends all! Annika Harrison and Brian Eggo unfortunately couldn’t make it, but went out of their way to record their greetings in advance. What a wonderful time!Enjoy!PS. The edited recording is available on our YouTube channel!Show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-500.htmlSegments:0:00:29 INTRO0:03:02 GUESTS0:03:02: Michael Marshall0:16:55: Chris French0:33:02: Claire Klingenberg0:48:26: Susan Gerbic1:02:29: Deborah Hyde1:19:11: Adrienne Hill1:34:37: Richard Saunders1:58:10: Annika Harrison2:04:02: Brian Eggo2:15:12 OUTRO Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next week we’ll livestream our 500th episode (but stick around for this one first!), and also we remind all non-UK QED participants to get their ETAs before they go to Manchester later this month. In TWISH we learn about Alice Stewart and her work for awareness of the risks with radiation. Then we go to the news:INTERNATIONAL: No longer any question: alcohol is bad for your bodyEU: EU transition to electromobility is better than many make it out to beMOLDOVA / RUSSIA: Moldova election results subject to Russian disinformationGERMANY: New podcast of GWUP launchedDENMARK: Drones over Denmark – what are they?Dick Erixon of the Sweden Democrats wants to investigate George Soros only because that’s what daddy Trump wants, and for that he is Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-499.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:06:41 TWISH0:16:16 News0:45:26 Really Wrong0:50:45 Quote0:52:20 Outro0:53:43 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.