The European Skeptics Podcast

The first line of the Ukraine national anthem translates to ‘Ukraine is not dead yet’This episode is a special about the Russian war and invasion of Ukraine. No TWISH, no Pope and no surprise as to who gets the Really Wrong award*). We do urge anyone who can to support the people of Ukraine, and provide links to some of the charities you can donate to. Topics we discuss are:UKRAINE: DW Fact Check – Do any of Putin’s claims hold water?INTERNATIONAL: Media giants clamp down on Russian state-own propaganda channels, RT and SputnikRUSSIA: Partial restriction on access to Facebook to Protect Russian mediaRUSSIA: Thousands of people arrested at anti-war protestsCZECHIA: Chief prosecutor warns against public support for Russian aggression (what about free speech?)UKRAINE: Fake videos showing Russian invasionUKRAINE: Chernobyl radiation levels increase significantly after heavy fighting around the areaUKRAINE: Is the Ghost of Kyiv real?UKRAINE: World’s heaviest aircraft confirmed destroyedSPACE: Franklin Mars rover l

Also, Benedict works in mysterious waysWe talk about the great new CFI fellows announced, wonder what happens to Ukraine (please note that we recorded this episode one day before the invasion…) and welcome the fact that the Philippines plan to roll out production of Golden Rice. In TWISH we hear about Gutenberg and his bible that was published this week way back in 1455. Pontus pokes both popes and then we look at the news:FRANCE: Djokovic keeps being wrong…GERMANY: Association of Catholic Doctors and homeopathic conversion therapyINTERNATIONAL: Scientists call for science collaboration to be put before politicsINTERNATIONAL: New study: The Einstein Effect – how people believe weird shit if they think it was said by scientistsEUROPE: Black death not as devastating all over Europe as previously thought?UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK: Great response to call for skeptical translators! Join them!Meta gets today’s Really Wrong Award for keep saying that they don’t allow misinformation when in fact they promote it, and the

Translating the works of Skeptical ScienceBärbel Winkler is the project coordinator for the translation projects at Skeptical Science and has been organising the translation of documents like the two consecutive versions of The Debunking Handbook, the Uncertainty Handbook, The Conspiracy Theory Handbook and the COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Handbook, to mention only a few. And now she’s busy coordinating the translation of the Cranky Uncle game, an awesome tool, which we have mentioned on several occasions on this podcast.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edzard Ernst joins us to tell all about his new book.Before we get into the interview with Edzard Ernst we are a bit nostalgic about hearing that the end of the ISS is getting closer. András has an update to the Favipiravir controverse from last week and then we get to hear from the horses mouth how Prince Charles became the ‘Alternative Prince’. IN TWISH we learn about Dmitri Mendeleev and his periodic table. After that, we get into the news:SWEDEN: Agency to tackle foreign misinformation re-establishedROMANIA: 2/3 people believe COVID was imposed on the world by global elite for control, 1/3 thinks microchips are being implanted with vaccinationSWITZERLAND: Man in Geneva hears God after antibiotic treatmentINTERNATIONAL: Cranky Uncle game now available in Dutch and GermanEnjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; TWISH; News; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are all animalsAnnika is back in Europe and for unclear reasons we may all move to an uninhabited island in Sweden (don’t hold your breath). The German Informations­-Netzwerk Homöopathie (INH) is sending an open letter to the new German health minister Karl Lauterback – we should all retweet about this to make sure he reads it! In TWISH we hear about how one of the worst fraudulent scientific(?) papers ever, authored by Andrew Wakefield, was finally retracted in 2010. No pope to poke today, so we then head for the news:EUROPE: WHO – 732 days in 15 figuresEUROPE: WHO – End of pandemic in sight?FINLAND: Biodiversity-loss denial is the new craze?HUNGARY: The Hungarian Medicines Agency files official complaint over misleading claims about FavipiravirGERMANY: The bright side of having pseudosciences around?UK: Measles warning for children as jab rate falls in EnglandUK: People’s preference for honesty is key for a working democracySeveral awards to hand out today: Eric Clapton gets a dishonorable mention, the P

Djokovic wrong again, and both popes get pokedWe start with the fact that everyone and his uncle seems to have covid nowadays, and access to testing is hard. As mentioned last week, the episode of the Skeptic Zone with Pontus is now out. In other news anti-restriction demonstrations are all around and the Nazis somehow always seem to show up. In TWISH we learn about the birth in 1900 of Theodosius Dobzhansky, who was very important for the field of evolutionary biology. Double whammy for the popes this week, both Benedict and Francis have some explaining to do as Pontus Pokes the Popes. Then we look into the news:CZECH REPUBLIC: Folk singer Hana Horka dies after catching COVID intentionallyUK: Link found between trust in public figures and vaccine hesitancyGERMANY: Many lost faith in God over pandemicUK: Prof Sir Paul Curran Award for Excellence in Academic Journalism 2021 goes to Caitjan GaintyWe end with another double hitter when Novak Djokovic gets the first ever twice-in-a-row Really Wrong Award. His fri

No mercy for No-vaxx DjokovicSweden had some unusual northern lights last weekend (which Pontus missed) and the Tonga volcanic eruption had an impact on Annika’s plans. Don’t miss Pontus on next week’s Skeptic Zone with Richard Saunders! In TWISH we hear about Baron d’Holbach who created an important encyclopedia and organised great Skeptics in the Pub meetings back in the 1700s. Pope Francis hates that people are getting pets instead of generating new baby Catholics, totally missing the irony of himself opting out of parenthood. Then we take a look at the news:EUROPE: Increase in attacks against journalists for reporting on COVIDITALY: Nurse in Palermo arrested for administering fake jabsWORLD: 2021 was the fifth warmest year on recordINTERNATIONAL: YouTube called on by factcheckers to tackle misinformationINTERNATIONAL: Homeopaths urging WHO to begin training homeopathsSWEDEN: Tik Tok – Children get bombarded with news of imminent Russian invasionSWITZERLAND: Publisher Frontier in crisis?UK: Edzard Ernst di

Watch out researchers!This week we have a special treat for you – we’re joined by the one and only Elisabeth Bik! Our interview with her takes us into the wonders of how to expose fraudulent (or just sloppy) science.Elisabeth Bik is a Dutch-American microbiologist, whose specialty is spotting photo duplications in scientific publications. As a result of her efforts, hundreds of papers have been retracted due to evidence of misconduct. She’s a founder of the Microbiome Digest Blog and the Science Integrity Digest Blog. Her work is also frequently featured on Retraction Watch and she’s a regular contributor at PubPeer. She has received several prizes for her outstanding work in science popularisation and science integrity. In November 2020 she received the the Peter Wildy Prize by the Microbiology Society for communication of microbiology in education and to the public. In 2021 she was awarded two prizes, both very highly regarded by skeptics, the John Maddox Prize and the Ockham Award, both of which we reporte

Special report: Large Study Released by the Swedish Skeptics (VoF)We start out welcoming the new year and chatting about the James Webb telescope, Omicron and that the Swedish King and Queen just tested positive. Also, András got caught on tape singing on New Year’s Eve! In TWISH we hear about a famous (but not too convincing) UFO encounter in Trans-en-Provence in France. No pope today, so we go directly into the news:INTERNATIONAL: Retraction statistics show an increased rate of publishing questionable contentINTERNATIONAL: Vaccine hesitancy and how to deal with itAUSTRIA: The level of education is a booster for the willingness to vaccinateEU: Some gas and nuclear to be listed as green energyInstead of a Really Wrong we get a Special Report about a Swedish study conducted by VoF. The VoF-study presents all about what the Swedish public actually believes in, from ghosts and homeopathy to 911 conspiracy theories and racism.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Special Report; Quote And Farewell; Outro

With Eggman at the helm, we close the year.We hear about Brian’s adventures at “Scotland’s most haunted hotel“, hear about the passing of biologist E O Wilson and rejoice at the (so far) successful journey of the James Webb telescope. In TWISH we learn why New Year’s Eve is known as “Sylvester” in many countries and then we look into truth behind Pope Francis’ families values. Then it is time for the year’s last news round:GERMANY: Covid demonstration strollsINTERNATIONAL: WHO weighs in on plant-based nutrition issuesINTERNATIONAL: Aliens and what we learned about them in 2021?GERMANY: Natalie Grams latest fellow of CSISCOTLAND: Scottish Independence / SNP conspiracy theories. Most notably, the ongoing conspiracy theories about the death of Willie MacraeA young dealer called Jack Finney illustrates just why you should never buy diet pills on the dark web and gets a Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hoste

Who was that Jesus-guy anyway?We get into the holiday season even as Sweden, Italy and other countries implement new covid measures. In TWISH we try to sort out if and when Jesus was born and Pope Francis comes back for a poking, one week after turning 85. Then we dig into the news:GERMANY: How did fortune-tellers do in 2021?GERMANY: Hundreds of ineffective corona vaccinations administered by homeopathNETHERLANDS: 5G protection necklaces could be potentially harmfulLa Conferencia Episcopal Española (CEE), the Spanish Bishops Conference, is Really Wrong for taking no action against child abuse scandal. The Italian President Sergio Mattarella on the other hand, takes a stance against false balance and for that he is Really Right.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong / Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Also, Santa is not real and Annika pokes Christmas treesThe Ockham Awards have been announced, ESA helps a Chinese rover and the Belgian Skeptics, SKEPP, finally wins against a SLAPP*) suit filed by a multimillionaire. In TWISH we hear of the gruesome death of a Scottish witch and then we dig into the news:INTERNATIONAL: Time magazine names vaccine scientists Heroes of the Year 2021FRANCE: Swedish artist Anna von Hausswolff harassed by Catholic fundamentalsINTERNATIONAL: Tackling COVID disinformation with empathy and conversationSIBERIA: WMO confirms highest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic: 38CITALY: Noto’s bishop tells children Santa doesn’t existINTERNATIONAL: Buying guide for christmas trees?The German “Corona Ausschuss” spreads dangerous nonsense about the vaccine and pandemic and gets today’s award for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!*)SLAPP = Strategic lawsuit against public participationSegments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See ac

Also, Pope Francis is a hereticIt’s farewell to Jens Spahn and welcome to the new German health minister Karl Lauterbach – will he be the one to defund homeopathy? Let’s hope so! The a new European space telescope Ariel will help us look for other planets (if we grow tired of this one), but before we go we should learn how to pronounce the name of the Polish Health Minister – listener Przemek shows us how! Also if you missed us on the Skeptic Zone you should check out their episode #685. TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) teach us about the Norwegian Spiral Anomaly and Pope Francis is told he should stay out of Greece. After all that, we get into the news:GERMANY: Homeopaths promote vaccinations?SLOVAKIA: Ivermectin overdose leads to serious intoxicationSWEDEN: Expert group: Sweden should have face mask requirementsHUNGARY: COVID-related conspiracy theories continue to riseITALY: Italian man wears fake arm to dodge vaccinationGERMANY: Virologist gets the title Man of the Year 2021 in survey commissioned b

Conspiracy theories are hazardous to your healthIn this episode we first reflect a little over the new governments in Germany and Sweden. Pontus had Richard Saunders (of the Skeptic Zone fame) at a Swedish Skeptics in the Pub Online event this week and the talk is available on Youtube. In the newly renamed TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) we celebrate the birth of Dutch atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen. Pope (aka Primate) Francis is not happy with the Italian bishops and he forms a commission to keep them in line. Then we look into the news:AUSTRIA: Vaccination denier fails to cure himself of coronavirusAUSTRIA / INTERNATIONAL: The weird history of a photo shows how fake news spreadSWITZERLAND: Swiss voters back law behind Covid vaccine certificateNETHERLANDS: Study shows conspiracy beliefs predict health behavior and well-being during the pandemicSWEDEN: Christian foundation not allowed to take over free schoolGERMANY: New study about Querdenker movementUK / RUSSIA: Empress Catherine the Great’s let

We’re back in the saddle for another 300!Before we start today we reflect on the COP26 fiasco, celebrate the recent golden thin-foil hat award and the Russians’ latest adventures in space. Also don’t miss next week’s SiTP Online with Richards Saunders! (Pontus to moderate). This week marks the 162nd anniversary of Darwin’s On the Origins of Species and Joe Biden can still it the holy crackers. Then we go into the news:AUSTRIA: Country goes on a nationwide lockdown and announces the coming of vaccine mandatesGERMANY: Covid numbers soaringGERMANY: Jens Spahn says Germans will be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by the end of winterGERMANY: Bayer president wrongly calls mRNA vaccines GeneTherapy, feeding new avalanche of misinformationSWEDEN: Cough syrup is hocus-pocus according to researcherAUSTRIA: Ivermectine is sold out in AustriaITALY: Homeopath dies after refusing vaccinationFRANCE: French couple wins legal fight over wind ‘turbine syndrome’INTERNATIONAL: Warning against fake shops during Black WeekINTERNATIONA

And if you didn’t know, Luna can be a bit of a DrongoFor six years and 300 episodes we’ve been doing this, and we won’t stop anytime soon!In this week’s special Listener Q/A episode you will learn all you need to know about us and about skepticism in general. From serious to silly, we do our best to tell you everything you ever wanted to know, and then some. Thanks to everyone who sent in their questions!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Listener Q&A; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“If it looks like medicine, but it has ‘supplement’ written on it, it’s fraud!”In the episode we interview Petra Schling who is a biochemist and a teacher at the “Biochemie Zentrum” of the University of Heidelberg. We talk about how so-called “natural plants” are actually out to hurt us, how food supplements are normally a waste of money, the misconceptions about “superfoods”, and how important it is to teach critical thinking in schools.In other news, if you are a listener living in the UAE you could catch up with András, just send us a mail! And also, please send us your questions for episode 300 by 15 November!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Also, it's time for some #Metoo in the Vatican…This week we catch up with the fabulous Susan Gerbic whose Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia has hit a fantastic milestone. But we also have a full episode, so we start out by mentioning the Australian and New Zealand Skeptics joint annual convention and then look back at what happen this week in 1459 and Pontus pokes the Poke and his meeting with Joe Biden and the need for him to start believing the abuse victims. Later we get into the news: • EUROPE / INTERNATIONAL: Record summer impossible w/o Global Climate Change • FRANCE: Fossil fuel giant Total has known about climate change since 1971 • GERMANY: Report about conspiracy theories ready to download • ROMANIA: Harder corona restrictions • SWEDEN: Is Sweden “the most dangerous country in Europe”? • AUSTRIA: Homeopathy excluded from reimbursed health care treatments • RUSSIA: Anti-evolution paper finally retracted, 25 years after being debunkedWe end with a Really Wrong Really Right combo regarding a midwife wh

Which pill would you take?We start this week with handing Pontus a Really Wrong award for something he said last week. András is back and among other things he describes his experience with the green pass in Italy. QED has been moved to October next year, but what hasn’t moved is our determination to be there. And please send us your questions for episode 300!This week’s interview with Iris Hinneburg is all about trying to communicate the importance of distinguishing the good from the bad. How can we educate the public on which “medicines” you can trust? Turn to your latest copy of Gute Pillen – Schlechte Pillen, i.e “Good pills – bad pills”!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How hard can it be to get people to do the right thing?We start out with some exiting news about Annika’s upcoming online talk, a huge milestone for Susan Gerbic and Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia and a good legal ruling for Snopes. And our friend Holm Hümmler doesn’t only have a new book out, he also one of the select guests at FerngesprächCon last week, together with Martin Moder and many others.A special feature this week is our interview with Ovidiu Covaciu about the vaccination situation in Romania and Eastern EuropeThen, we get into the news: • GERMANY: Homeopathy is out for Bavarian health education system (not supported anymore!) • ITALY: Big protests over mandatory covid green passes • INTERNATIONAL / GERMANY: Natalie Grams in English media • RUSSIA: Population crises worse, due to covid deaths • RUSSIA: Huge methane gas leak discovered by European Copernicus satelliteSegments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; News; Really Wrong; Patreon And Episode 300; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on