The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

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more positive side, Michael Frass‘ terrible study claiming that homeopathy can help in cancer treatment finally has been retracted!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.

Swedish glaciers are disappearing and in TWISH we hear about the triumph for science when discovering Neptune. After that, it’s the news:INTERNATIONAL: This year’s Ig Nobel prizesFRANCE: Macrons finally push back on rumors regarding first lady’s genderUK / INTERNATIONAL: Does solving puzzles prevent dementia?EU: Meta and Google to block political ads under new regulationsRFK jr. (or little Bobby) claims that he has a ‘cure for autism’ and that’s such a face plant that he get’s a new Really Wrong Award, just two weeks after his previous.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-498.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:05:56 TWISH0:14:42 News0:46:07 Really Wrong0:50:15 Quote0:51:19 Outro0:52:41 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Make sure to check out András' Skeptics in the Pub Online talk next week on 25 September! In TWISH we meet Ötzi the Ice Man, and a mystery death from 5300 years ago and a invaluable source of archeological science. Then we look to the news:ALBANIA: Albania appoints AI-created ‘minister’ITALY: Arson attack in Sardinia linked to climate misinformationSWEDEN: Princess Madeleine launches her brand of Weleda based cosmeticsAUSTRIA: Nominations now open for the Golden Board 2025SWITZERLAND: Switzerland didn’t ban mammogramsViktor Orbán has done it again, and gets his sixth(!) Really Wrong Award, this time for doubling down on crime information.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-497.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:07:29 TWISH0:21:06 News0:51:22 Really Wrong0:56:33 Quote0:57:55 Outro0:59:18 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Netherlands, trust in science is increasing which is unexpected good news. We have some thoughts on the election results in Norway, plus you can now hear us on YouTube! In TWISH we hear about a close encounter in France and then it’s time for the news:INTERNATIONAL: Microdosing on weight loss drugs neither proven safe nor effectiveGERMANY: Mysterious deaths among AfD candidates prior to election?ITALY: Bad news for the Shroud of TurinUKRAINE: Europe’s largest paper mill identified?RFK jr. may be American but the dangerous nonsense that “His Wrongness” is spreading reach us world wide. This time he has decided that paracetamol (aka Tylenol) is causing autism and for that he is Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-496.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:09:15 TWISH0:19:05 News0:38:42 Really Wrong0:42:58 Quote0:44:01 Outro0:45:24 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After some listener feedback regarding green energy and Pontus reporting back from Lithuania, we go to TWISH where we hear about Wilhelm Ostwald, one of the fathers of physical chemistry. Then, we get to the news:UK: MHRA is cracking down on unlicensed anti-wrinkle products after spate of botulismIRELAND: Equal Memory Fallibility in ‘He Said, She Said’ CasesGERMANY: INH urges new government to ban homeopathyUK: Farage argues for withdrawal from Human Rights ConventionPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain is planning to tackle climate change straight on, and for that he is Really Right.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-495.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:49 Greetings0:12:47 TWISH0:22:42 News0:46:48 Really Right0:50:09 Quote0:52:17 Outro0:53:39 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re already looking forward to QED and nominations for the Ockham Awards are still open – if you know someone who deserves it nominate them! After some listener feedback we go to TWISH and hear about the Swing Riots. Then, it’s time for the news:EUROPE: Spread of mosquitoes in EuropeUK / EUROPE: Country on a bumpy road of climate U-turns…SWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL: Crying nurse goes viral and get tons of support – she doesn’t existINTERNATIONAL: Duolingo calls JK Rowling mean, then backs down and apologisesThe UK government has still not acknowledged their part in the tragedy of forced abortions from British ‘Mother and Baby homes’, and for that the get this week’s Award for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-494.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:09:23 TWISH0:19:07 News0:50:48 Really Wrong0:55:03 Quote0:56:42 Outro0:58:04 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In TWISH this week we look into the achievements of James Watt who made a whole lot of things, despite not inventing the steam engine. Then of course, there’s the news:ITALY: Government reverses appointment of vaccine hesitant members to National Immunisation Technical Advisory GroupITALY: The Natural Trap: How Conspiracy Beliefs Shape Our Health ChoicesSWEDEN: Renewed warning – Insulin instead of Ozempic in online ordersSWEDEN: Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson under fire for using AI in roleEUROPE: Hot summer: Deaths, fires and evacuationsThe Center for Trial and Error gets this week’s Really Right Award for encouraging the publishing of negative studies.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-493.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:04:39 TWISH0:13:26 News0:41:18 Really Right0:45:11 Quote0:47:12 Outro0:48:35 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever realized that there are three types of conspiracy theorists and a clear link between them and terrorism? Catch the new book by Steen Svanholm and Claus Larsen and hear them talk about their findings in this week’s interview!Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-492.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:49 Greetings0:02:56 Interview0:52:40 Farewell0:54:02 Outro0:55:25 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got some listener feedback about the popularity of lie detectors in Ukraine, and in TWISH we hear about the man behind the number, Amedeo Avogadro. Of course, we then get into this week’s news:NORWAY: Russian disinformation regarding made up ecological catastropheRUSSIA / EU: Putin’s disinformation efforts are changing for the worseGLOBAL: COVID Vaccines saved 2.5 Million lives in the first 4 years of the pandemicUK: Has the government learned the lessons from the Southport riots?UK: Funding to promote anti-LGBT conversion practices surgesINTERNATIONAL: Happy 15th anniversary, Retraction Watch!The Really Wrong award goes to the Swedish fundamentalist evangelical Genesis organisation and the Really Right award to Prof. Dan Larhammar for his excellent take down of creationist nonsense.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-491.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:08:06 TWISH0:24:29 News0:53:34 Really Wrong / Really Right0:59:19 Quote1:01:16 Outro1:02:39 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congratulations to friend of the show Deborah Hyde who has been appointed patron of Humanists UK! In TWISH we hear about to unsolved mystery of the disappearance of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and after that, we dig into the news:IRELAND: Excavation of mass grave of infants in Irish “mother and baby home”INTERNATIONAL: YouTube and Meta seem to finally crack down on political disinformationUKRAINE: Zelensky’s new law mandates regular lie detector testsSCOTLAND: Trump caught on tape cheating in golf?DENMARK / INTERNATIONAL: No link between aluminum in vaccines and chronic diseaseUK / INTERNATIONAL: Nominations for the Ockham Awards are now open!Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and general spreader of disinformation, is demonstrably lying about the crime situation in the UK, and for that he gets this week’s award for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-490.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:14:50 TWISH0:29:34 News1:01:11 Really Wrong1:07:30 Quote1:09:17 Outro1:10:39 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the episode nobody could expect! Least of all András, who in Pontus’ continued absence gets put on the spot by the hot Scot known as Eggman. Can you match the skills of the Magyar Man? Tune in and find out.Enjoy!Segments: 0:00:27 Intro0:00:57 Greetings0:03:18 Quiz0:05:32 round 10:20:58 round 20:40:40 round 30:54:02 Farewell0:56:11 Outro0:57:34 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.