The European Skeptics Podcast

This week we first explore the magnetic properties of covid-19 vaccines and ponder the political meltdown of Alexander Lukashenko's Belarus. Then we celebrate the first publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula, published this week in 1897. We strongly recommend you check out Deborah Hyde's Dracula video on Youtube! After that it's time to check out the news:Portugese MD in need of help from skeptics around the globeHealing practicioner certificate was done on government levelThe problem with non replicable papers being cited more oftenCoViD denier makes songFor continuing to spread misinformation about COVID-19, Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier gets today's prize for being Really Wrong.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Swedish vaccinations are not too well organised, András has debated homeopaths and the Swedish Skeptics have some cool events coming up. Ranga Yogeshwar (check him out!) celebrates his birthday and then we check out the news: - Looks like we’re very selfish after all… Personal benefit is better driver than greater good - Virtual exhibition in Nuremberg - Edzard Ernst strikes again: Paper on ‘energy medicine’ retracted after reader complaints - Hungarian Competition Authority fines snake oil salesman’s firm - Long-lost letter by Einstein reveals his special insight, making him the predictor of something cool - Accelerated climate change - What’s going on in Chernobyl?The Danish People’s Party think that mandatory prayers in schools and Danish meatballs are something that will “save Danish culture” and for that they are Really Wrong.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we wish Annika all the best in recovering from her first vaccine shot, we learn how to properly pronounce Cardinal ‘Becchiu’ and hear about this week’s birthday boy, Edward Jenner. Pope Francis tries to fight the pandemic with a totally pointless marathon and then we proceed on to check out the news:Instead of a Covid update: watch the latest episode of Last Week Tonight With John OliverCounterfeit covid-19 certificates – digitally signed without doctor’s knowledgeThe Heinz Oberhummer Award goes to…Facebook to warn you when you’re about to share something you haven’t readASA: Homeopaths are not suitably qualified health professionals and claims for homeopathy are improperBefore we go, we hand out an unusual Really Right to members of the German Catholic ‘Leibe Gewinnt’ initiative.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we get to hear Marie Curie’s birthname properly pronounced, curtesy of listener Max (thanks!). One more of us are getting the vaccine and so do pregnant women in Germany. We hear about Pope Francis’ battle against corrupt cardinals and then we get into the news: - Discussions about rules for vaccinated and vaccination jealousy - Ferngespräch – Shirt for charity! - Priest gives school lesson on “treating” homosexuals with electroshock therapy and more - The Risks of Thread Embedding Acupuncture - Whale penises behind sea monster stories?To wrap things up the ‘Schloss-Apotheke’ in Koblenz gets this week’s prize for being Really Wrong after marketing homeopathic Pfizer vaccine.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we first chat a bit and celebrate that we finally have new dates for QED, the fantastic skeptical conference in Manchester, before we mark that it is 35 years this week since the Chernobyl disaster. We hear about Pope Francis’ impossible gig and then we have a Covid-19 update before we dig into the news: - Study explores AstraZeneca vaccine disinformation on Twitter - German actors protest against CoViD rules with weird satire - Pfizer confirms fake versions of vaccine in Poland and Mexico - First ever Flat Earth Award goes to… - Anthroblogger nominated for Grimme online award - Think like Da Vinci and understand the world’s problems betterThe Tobacco Industry gets this week's award for being Really Wrong for continuing to pay for fake science.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we first celebrate the flight of Ingenuity on Mars, the first ever powered flight on another planet. In This week in Skepticism we hear about how Pierre and Marie Curie isolated radium for the first time and what a significant achievement that was. Then we have a Covid-19 update before we dig into the news:Adverse events in children linked to SCAMResearchers investigating AstraZeneca vaccine side effects had undisclosed ties to PfizerHerbal product behind Salmonella outbreak, three dead5G does not present “any new risks” according to ANSESThe Norwegian self-appointed “independent health researcher”, Hans Kristian Gaarder, gets the first ever posthumously award for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we start by reflecting on the death of Prince Philip and just can’t help mention languages again since a listener sent us sound files to help us with the pronunciations of last week’s Polish names. In This week in Skepticism we hear about the ancient astronaut fantasies of Erich von Däniken, followed by a Covid-19 update before we dig into the news:Popular marionette theatre targeted for COVID test explanation videoTendency to take up vaccine is really highWe are fucked – carbon-dioxide levels at all time high despite lockdownsECHR rules obligatory vaccination may be necessaryOnline hatred against Jews are upClare Relton, senior lecturer in clinical trials at Queen Mary University of London, teaches homeopaths how to cheat in randomized control trials. For that she gets this week’s prize for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; OutroThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com

This week we first continue to ponder the strange topic of language and we congratulate the Portuguese Skeptics on the anniversary of founding their organization ComCept. Then we have a Covid-19 update before we dig into the news:Analysis of excess mortality in Europe in 2020NEW BOOK: Missing Minimum DistanceSpooky Martian spider shapes explainedFirst helicopter on another planet to go on first mission soonThe 2020 Flying Unicorn Award goes to… Doctors for Truth (Nominations open for 2021)Nominations for the 2021 Maddox Prize now openThe success story of pharmacy students bringing vaccine science to classroomsThe veterinarian Geert Vanden Bossche gets a Really Wrong for discrediting covid-vaccines using pseudoscientific misinformation.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Pontus is still mad at English spelling but we hope our listeners will forgive him. In history René Descartes was born this week, the pope cuts the payroll for his cardinals and we have a Covid-19 update before we check out the news: - Court case against SCAM practitioner - NEW BOOK – the Cheaters, about Macchiarini and fraudulent research - NEW BOOK – The great bazaar of irrational - Cheap wine tastes better with a higher price tag - Old-growth forest effect in climate mitigation overestimatedThe Czech Cardinal and Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka gets a Really Wrong this week using the pandemic as an excuse to peddle anti-abortion propaganda.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just a quick update to give you three extra news items: - Darwin was a misunderstood fantasy author - The famous drop bears in Austria not extinct after all - Skepticism has won and is no longer neededThanks for everything! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we we mention the Icelandic volcanic eruptions and then a bit randomly reflect upon languages and spelling. Pontus asks people to check out the VoF web site and András informs us about the Hungarian Skeptics’ Flat Earth-prize. In history Wilhelm Röntgen was born this week the pope gets poked for congratulating the Philippines for being so gloriously invaded and oppressed 500 years ago. We take a new look at the covid vaccine situation, before we check out the news: - Middlesex University gets rid of homeopathy training - Spain adopts euthanasia law despite conservative opposition - Follow-up: Doctor who facilitated death may lose his license, although he was aquitted - Russian scientists looking for the tiniest particles (from under Lake Baikal) - Adverse effects of low level mm wave radiations could not be found (5G) - Conspiracy theories in small print on soda bottles - New lawsuit against Facebook for being a hub of misinformation - New book (available online for free in Spanish): The Office of D

This week we we start by checking out some science: travel faster than speed of light(?) and the wonderful 3D-model of the Antikythera mechanism. We look back at the birth of the Hungarian Skeptic Society and we poke the pope for being a bigot about gay marriage. We look at the covid vaccine situation and especially if the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine appears safe, before we check out the news:New book: Fake news a threat to democracy?New tool to help students detect fake images and videosPeople with high emotional intelligence less susceptible to fake news?Water ‘vitalizer’ banned for possible interference with radio devicesSocial media watchdog: Instagram highly responsible for the spreading of misinformation?New book out: ‘Don’t get mixed up with food’Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid-19 Update; News; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesThe Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we geek out some more about space, mention the demonstrations in Stockholm and the upcoming Cologne virtual skeptics in the pub. Some German children’s stories from the past are absolutely horrible and then we celebrate the birthday of Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space. Pope Francis went to Iraq endangering the public and himself and reported back that there was “a woman on the plane”. Then we have a covid-19 update before we get into the news:Order of Physicians sanctions doctors who spread antivax misinformationNew book: Fact-checking vaccinationsFacebook struggles with checking non-English contentElectric cars do not produce more particle pollutantsLatest study reveals more about the placebo effectThe Good Magic Award 2021 winner announcedSkeptiker Schweiz changes name to Kritisch DenkenThe UK General Chiropractic Council gets the prize for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Ou

This week we first marvel at the on-going Mars missions, mention Germany’s need to get a new haircut and are fascinated by the Mount Etna eruptions. If you want to know where to find the French skeptics or the Observatoire Zététique, we tell you how, before we celebrate Brian Cox’ birthday. Pope Frances have double troubles with his trip to Iraq and that the Vatican finances are bleeding. Then, of course, we take look at the news: - COVID-19 – So, are we gonna win this?- -Cancer and cardiovascular diagnoses missed during pandemic - Wodarg (CoViD denier) is filing a lawsuit against Volksverpetzer - Vaccines scams emerge as rollout continues - Over 60% of Russians do not want the Sputnik vaccine – virus is created as biological weapon - Conspiracy theories start to take hold at age 14? - All the talks of ESC 2019 are now on YouTube - Freshwater fish in catastrophic decline - Swedish MD not charged for assisted death - Edzard Ernst shares some of the content from his latest book in EnglishGwyneth Paltrow claims

This week we geek out a bit about the landing of Perseverance on Mars, we (again) ponder the chances to become an ESA astronaut. Facebook stupidly believes Europe is a place in Australia and takes it out on this podcast. Idiots. (Speaking of Downunder, you should check out the Skeptic Zone and their logical fallacies series). We talk about Dolly the sheep who was presented to the public this week 24 years ago, and then Pontus reluctantly admits that the Pope did something good, sort of. Then, of course, we look at the news:Early results show an 85% drop in symptomatic cases after first vaccine doseExcess deaths in Sweden lower than European AverageStudy says: Everyone believes at least one conspiracy theoryViral video doesn’t show what it saysVitamin D-COVID-19 preprint removed from Lancet serverThe COVID Cube – to help you make the right decision about a COVID vaccineHomeopaths’ hardships aboundAre Extremists less able to do complex mental tasks?Fake medicine – New book outWell, Facebook definitely needs a g

This week we are happy that the Covid-19 Communication Handbook have been translated into German. A Swedish translation is underway and hopefully many more. We then celebrate Copernicus birthday before we look at the news:Secret Facebook group of academics, researchers and opinion-formers spreads misinformation about Swedish corona responseResearchers study the link between practicing alternative medicine and attitude towards vaccinationsFacebook finally bans misinformation about all vaccinesMarketer of alkalizing drops could go to jail for potentially dangerous fraudGuy launches GoFundMe campaign to launch his flat-earther friend into spaceThe guy (Edzard Ernst) is not just sitting around – publishes a book every few months nowPolish women should have “a room to cry in” in Church after abortionApostolic remains lying in Rome?To round off the episode the Romanian Orthodox Church gets the Really Wrong Award for continuing to kill people in the name of religion.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; News;

This week we talk to Philipp Schmid about the COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook. Philipp is a behavioural scientist at the Psychology and Infectious Diseases Lab at the University of Erfurt in Germany. He is also an Interim Lecturer for Statistics and Methods at the university’s Department of Psychology. Philipp is an expert in the psychological background of vaccine hesitancy, which is one of the hot topics for skeptics due to the ongoing pandemic. He has worked a lot with the World Health Organization and other intergovernmental institutions like the Robert Koch Institute. He recently took part of the international team behind the brilliant and extremely important booklet, The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook, but he also worked on the updated version of the Debunking Handbook.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we note that Martin Moder (see ep. #236) are making videos so well that anti-vaxxers want them taken down. The Swedish Skeptics has a great video up from their (English-speaking) Skeptics in the Pub on-line. Pope Francis keeps absolutely quiet regarding the abuse scandals in Spain and then we get a Covid-19 update before we look at the news:Facebook still making money out of anti-vax sitesNew book out in Portugal: ‘Caught by the virus’Eustoquio Molina award for standing up for scienceLargest global opinion poll yet shows great support for climate emergency actionsEurope created more energy from renewables than fossil fuels last yearThere might not be phosphene in Venus’ atmosphere after all…Dyatlov Pass incident put in new context thanks to latest snow dynamics studyTory MP Sir Desmond Swayne gets the Really Wrong Award for fueling sentiments against covid restriction .Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-

This week we get nostalgic about the days when we could travel. We marvel over the fact that some people still thinks it is okay to do so, since the Swedish ski resorts report they are as busy as ever. Nothing new about the pope today, we get a Covid-19 update and then it's time for us to look at the news:Study wants to show who is turning to the Covid-denying Querdenker movementBacklash for French Covid19 vaccinesThe Good Magic Awards are backStudy shows the neccessity of big visual signs to warn people about fake newsColloidal silver and other pseudoscientific therapies potentially dangerousHungarian media using a hoax about the NetherlandsStudy on the use and confidence in therapies not based on scienceIt has come to light that a Swedish company has sold fake covid-19 certificates to unknowing customers and of course that earns them a Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f

This week Annika has got some real nutty advice in the mail. She has also made a cameo on the Skeptic Zone, check it out!. Things are flying in the air, in Norway it was a meteor (landing as a meteor-ite, thank you very much) and in Sweden it was a real(?) UFO!Rudolph II (“Holy Roman Emperor, Batman!”) died in 1612, but his contribution to our understanding of the universe lives on. Pope Francis’ bishops are dropping like flies as if God doesn’t exist, we get a Covid-19 update and then it’s time for us to look at the news:The COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook by S. LewandowskyAntivaxxers minority but very loudThe journal Nature retracts paper linking BMI with honestyTalk to me – Corona Edition, App launched in English and GermanWikipedia just turned 20EFSA approves mealworms as human foodConsultation launched over gene edited food in EnglandOur forests on track to reaching a tipping pointFake doctor withdraws from lawsuitWe finish with a Really Wrong Award going to the Irish Commission to investigate th