The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

Pontus report back from the bookfair and András has apparently also been struck by the numbers curse. In TWISH we look back at the first TAM London conference in 2009 and find that it can been seen as a milestone for European Skepticism.

Then we take a look at the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Rare pregnancy infections may triple the risk of autism
• NORTHERN IRELAND: What do 16-year-olds believe?
• UK: UK will set up a new agency to fight ‘information warfare’

Supplements for menopause are unreasonably expensive as well as ineffective and for that they deserve the Really Wrong Award.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-551.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:08:07 TWISH

0:17:15 News

0:35:03 Really Wrong

0:40:30 Quote

0:41:53 Outro

0:43:16 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start by Pontus correcting himself on numbers he uttered, then we contemplate whether the recent Russian election results hold water. In TWISH we celebrate the real giant of science Michael Faraday commemorating his brilliant method to prove the ideomotor phenomenon. Then we turn to the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: a 'Godzilla level' el Niño coming up?
• UK: Meta deepfake safeguards deemed “fundamentally inadequate” by own Oversight Board
• UK: 'Blade runners': Conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scanners

This week's Really Wrong Award goes to Kent Ekeroth of Sweden Democrats for blaming election defeat on 'voting cattle'

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-550.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:15:52 TWISH

0:27:30 News

0:44:02 Really Wrong

0:51:32 Quote

0:53:30 Outro

0:54:45 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over a decade we have mispronounced a certain publisher’s name (duh!) but it’s never too late to learn… The Swedish election results are more or less in, and hopefully it’s a sign of reason that the party spreading the most disinformation lost almost 15% of their seats in parliament. In TWISH we hear the mesmerizing story about Jean Sylvain Bailly who was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution.

Then we turn to the news:

• SWEDEN: Measles outbreak
• AUSTRIA: Michael Frass gets his retracted article re-published
• INTERNATIONAL: New site has started to measure imbalance in media

We then have a Who’s Quacking? from AfD in Germany and hand out a Really Wrong Award to the UK parliament.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-549.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:08:18 TWISH

0:17:35 News

0:36:33 Who's Quacking?

0:41:14 Really Wrong

0:46:00 Quote

0:47:46 Outro

0:49:09 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurry up to get the early bird price for ESC Liverpool! You have until 14 September!

Isar Aerospace achieves first launch to orbit from continental Europe and in TWISH we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, a show that brought humanism into science fiction. Then, it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN: General elections update plus early voting screwup
• GERMANY: AfD wins in Saxony-Anhalt
• INTERNATIONAL: IgNobel prizes of 2026
• UK: Discrepancy between public perception of crime rates and actual statistics

This week’s Who’s Quacking? award goes to Fredrik Paulún, self-proclaimed Swedish health guru.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-548.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:06:14 TWISH

0:16:44 News

0:47:25 Who's Quacking?

0:54:01 Quote

0:55:20 Outro

0:56:43 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nominate candidates both Das Goldene Brett and the Ockham Award (including the Rusty Razor!), links are in the show notes. In TWISH we hear about that Russian space visionary Konstantin Tsiolkovsky who over a 100 years ago established still valid theories about space rockets and more, needed for space flight. Then we have the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Elsevier to ‘soon investigate’ two Macchiarini papers more than a year after retraction request
• ITALY: Unvaccinated child dies of diphteria

Germany has finally(!) removed funding for both homeopathic and anthroposophic remedies, and for that they deserve the Really Right Award!

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-547.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:07:49 TWISH

0:14:55 News

0:28:39 Really Right

0:35:09 Quote

0:38:32 Outro

0:39:55 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With András back in the saddle, we advice against climate doom and also encourage listeners to nominate for the Ockhams Awards. In TWISH we go back almost 2500 years for an example of how superstition can ruin your quite innocent Sicilian expedition, and then we head for the news:

• SWEDEN: Elections coming up fast, rife with AI fakes and populistic opportunism
• SPAIN / INTERNATIONAL: Investigation into the fake doctor industry
• FRANCE: End of Life law implemented
• GERMANY: Follow-up on Bavarian Study – Massive failure

The Channel 4 documentary ‘The Great ADHD Myth?‘ is loaded with pseudoscience and conspiracy theories and so is a worthy recepient of the Really Wrong Award.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-546.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:13:31 TWISH

0:22:56 News

0:46:51 Really Wrong

0:51:34 Quote

0:54:22 Outro

0:55:44 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ESC Liverpool speakers announced, Wasp-watch big reveal and listener feedback about Triodos Bank. The bulk of the episode is a trip down memory lane with a rebroadcast of our interview with James the Amazing Randi from ten years ago. It’s really worth a listen!

The Really Wrong Award goes to Richard Tice of Reform UK for saying people should “enjoy the heat” of the recent climate crisis.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-545.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:54 Greetings

0:14:30 Interview

1:14:35 Really Wrong

1:17:12 Quote

1:18:15 Outro

1:19:37 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we have a special solar eclipse report (video available!) and two tips of UK free tourist tours relevant for skeptics. In TWISH we hear about Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology.

Then, it’s time for the news:

• EUROPE: Warmest summer ever in Western Europe, warmest global sea temperatures on record – and the economy suffers too
• HUNGARY: Fake AI ads exploit Semmelweis University to sell miracle weight loss patches
• INTERNATIONAL: Scam targets film fans with fake streaming sites
• ROMANIA: TikTok hoax leads to violent ambulance attack in Romania

The Really Wrong Award goes to Google for its stupid idea of letting users create fake AI maps on Google Earth.

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-544.html

Segments: 

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:16:48 TWISH

0:28:40 News

0:52:46 Really Wrong

0:56:11 Quote

0:58:40 Outro

1:00:03 Outtakes

Enjoy!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Super packed episode this week, with four of Annika’s Skepticon interviews and Brian Eggo sitting in for András. We talk about the upcoming SkeptiCamp in Liverpool, the on-going Edinburgh Fringe and its skeptical series of events, and next week’s solar eclipse in Europe. After interviews with Cara Santa Maria, Eran Segev, Lara Benham, Steve and Bob Novella, we get into TWISH where we hear about the unlikely adventures (and ultimately tragic end) of Lord Gordon Gordon, a man who almost made the US invade Canada. Then, we turn to the news:

• SWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: Seven years later – chickenpox vaccination to finally be included in Swedish vaccination program – next year
• EU / CHINA: AliExpress fined record €550m by EU for allowing sale of illegal goods
• ITALY: Con artist jailed for charging tourists to visit ‘world’s oldest and largest amphitheater’ – which he built himself, 20 years ago

This week’s Really Wrong Award goes to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway who cannot seem to stop using her royal title for esoteric nonsense.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-543.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:56 Greetings

0:09:05 Interviews

0:09:09 Cara Santa Maria

0:19:57 Eran Segev

0:28:21 Lara Benham

0:32:52 Steve and Bob Novella

0:40:29 TWISH

0:47:42 News

1:06:19 Really Wrong

1:13:42 Quote

1:16:25 Outro

1:17:47 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we mention World Hepatitis Day (28 July) and new study that (again) finds no relationship between mobile cellphones and cancer. We also have two short interviews by Annika(!) from Skepticon Australia, with Richard Saunders and George Hrab! In TWISH we hear about John Tyndall, Irish physicist and great science communicator.

Then we take a look at the news:

• SWEDEN: Quackery round-up: Frequency therapy
• AUSTRIA: Kneipp Therapy: Popular tradition, still very little evidence
• FRANCE / SPAIN: Wildfires in France and Spain
• INTERNATIONAL: Snopes’ AI detection toolkit

The Really Wrong Award goes to the new phenomenon of ‘Agentic AI’.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-542.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:12:04 Interviews

0:21:19 TWISH

0:29:38 News

0:50:42 Really Wrong

0:56:27 Quote

0:58:53 Outro

1:00:16 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.