The European Skeptics Podcast

This week we interview veterinarian Dr. Stefanie Handl from Vienna, Austria. Her special fields are nutrition and diets for pets. She is a member of the “Gesellschaft für kritisches Denken” (“Society for Critical Thinking”) which is the local chapter of the German skeptical organization, GWUP. Stefanie is very actively working to inform the public about nutrition woo and so called alternative medicine, especially when it comes to veterinary medicine. She is the owner of a veterinarian nutrition consultation service called “food ambulance” and helps pet owners with their little friends’ diets.Veterinary medicine, and the pseudomedicine we often encounter there, are important for pet owners which is why we were so happy to get Stefanie on the show.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 first chat about András lending his voice acting skills to a sketch in the Skeptic Zone, Pontus teases the coming release of his sci-fi novel the Dooma and then we talk about the upcoming Italian CICAPFest. This year the conference takes place online for the three weeks(!) between 25 September and 18 October. There will be over 150 meetings and 185 speakers, and it will all be for free!After that we get into the news:No, dozens of countries didn’t order COVID-19 tests in 2018Life on Venus?Warmest summer ever for Northern hemisphereThe world’s troubling hotspots of vaccine hesitancyNHS issued 2,000 homeopathic prescriptions in 2019 despite banA healthy diet more important than weight?Ig Nobel Prizes 2020The prize for being Really Wrong goes to Richard Gamble for “the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer” near Birmingham, England.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe H

This week we interview Hungarian researcher and virologist Gábor Kemenesi. He is a research fellow at the Virological Research Group within the Szentágothai Research Centre of the University of Pécs in Hungary, specializing in zoonoses, or viral diseases that spread from animals to humans. He’s also a member of Hungary’s COVID-19 Task Force for the research of the virus and in the last few months. He has become the number one go-to expert in the field for the country’s media, working hard to educate the public, debunking myths and fighting misunderstandings along the way.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we start off with having a quick chat with our old buddy Michael (“Marsh”) Marshall regarding the relaunch of the UK magazine called the Skeptic.In this week’s history segment we talk about the LHC that powered up 12 years ago this week without the world vanishing into a black hole, and then Pope Francis gets poked for several things, including his claim that gossip is worse than covid.Speaking of covid-19, the pandemic gets a separate segment about the latest developments, before we get into the news:The 1st randomised clinical trial of a Chinese herbal medicine for COVID-19Medical Chamber issues statement condemning COVID-19 denier membersUniversity of Kiel distances itself from infamous COVID-19 denier professor Sucharit Bhakdi30% of people in Spain have doubts about covid-19 vaccineSo, are women leaders really doing better in tackling COVID-19?Survey – Young adults tend to take food supplements as replacement for drugsDanish advocacy group against heart disease ends program involving healerGrape

This week we interview none other than Brian Deer, the investigative journalist that spent years digging up how the discredited ex-doctor Andrew Wakefield misled the public about the safety of vaccines. We dig deep into how Wakefield through dishonesty and deceit became the poster boy of the anti-vaxx movement and how his misinformation made it as big as it is today.Deer’s new book “The Doctor Who Fooled the World: Andrew Wakefield’s war on vaccines” is out this week! Make sure to check it out!Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week András returns to the mothership to hear us discuss the UFO sighting in Cussac in France. Francis gets a pass this week and then we dive into the news:- Covid-19 update- Children in Germany are falling behind their vaccination schedules- Does flu claim more deaths the covid-19?- People who react negatively to rules and recommendations use more SCAM (so-called alternative medicine)- Does homeopathy “also” work for women (spoiler: it does not work, period)- Why is there a priest in the Swedish Corona commission?- Unprecedented levels of CO2 rise caused by humans- European Commission's educational page tackling conspiracy theoriesThe prize for being Really Wrong goes to the producers and distributers of the dangerous and misleading (and idiotically named!) film “Plandemic: inDOCTORnation”.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we interview molecular biologist, science communicator and overall cool guy Martin Moder, who is one of the Austrian “Science Busters” and who is also active in the Austrian “Society for Critical Thinking”. We found ourselves discussing everything from the dangers of farting Coronavirus to GMO, philosophy, designer babies, how to make booze out of toilet paper and the optimal way of cutting a birthday cake. There were unexpected turns at every corner of this interview…Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Brian is back(!) as András has gone missing(?) We chat again about the wonderful online events out there: you should definitely check out the Edinburgh Skeptics on the Fringe productions. We then talk about the Wow! signal that was recorded this week in 1977 and also find that Francis seems to have done something good for once.In this week’s news:- Two outbreaks in Mamming, Bavaria- Danish abattoir closed over COVID-19 cluster- Disinformation not only consumed by young or uneducated- Countries with mandatory BCG vaccination might actually be better off in the fight against COVID-- 19- 10 Coronavirus scams to be weary of- WHO calls for caution about Russian vaccine roll-out- No need to celebrate: 0.01 degrees less global warming by 2030 due to the pandemic- NHS hiring a spiritual healer- No positive outcomes at all from having free-schools in Sweden- UK government may intervene to curb dangerous 'cancer cure' propagandaThe prize for being Really Wrong goes to NICE in the UK (the National Institute f

This week we first chat about some of the great current skeptical online events, like NECSS and Skeptics in the Pub. We also enjoy the good news that the worlds largest fusion reactor is now being assembled in the South of France.In this week in history we learn about “Lysenkoism” which Stalin decided should replace all other science. In current affairs Pope Francis has issues with Chinese infiltrators and French women who demands to be bishops.In this week’s news:- What’s the truth about face masks and covid-19?- What lies behind conspiracy theories- Misleading claims on pre-existing conditions and Covid-19 deaths go viral- Hungarian company selling bogus 'pro-insulin c-peptide' product banned from advertising- COVID conspiracy theories skyrocket in Romania and number of cases increase- Use of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) by French cancer patients- Update - Retraction Watch gets a response from editor-in-chief of journal that published worst paper of 2020- Chronic back pain and spinal manipulation -

This week starts with the wonderful news that Annika is now a full time ESP member and co-host. We couldn’t be happier!We start with a minor correction to a story from last week and then chat a bit about the latest astronomy news before we celebrate this week in history: Happy birthday to the great skeptic and parapsychology researcher Susan Blackmore! (Also see our episode #088 when we had her as a guest)Giving the Pope more or less a pass this week, we then dive into the news:- Covid-19 update- Austrian Science Busters- (Not so) scientific paper on covid and 5G is withdrawn- Another misleading “letter from a doctor” regarding covid19 is making the rounds- How to engage conspiracy theorists- Climate change CO2 sensitivity- Heatwave in Siberia melts ice in the Arctic Ocean- German homeopathy study criticized- Orbán keeps winning the fight against Hungarian free press- UK to fight obesity by banning junk food adsThe prize for being Really Wrong goes to the scientific journal “Journal of Public Health: From The

This week we welcome Annika back and first chat a bit about comets and astronomy and about some of the excellent online skeptical events there now is to follow, like the UK Skeptics in the Pub Online, the new Cologne events and Susan Gerbic’s About Time project.In this week in history we hear about Carl Jung, who was born on 26 July in 1875. Just like Freud he got a lot of things terribly wrong, but his ideas still inspired a lot better psychology later on and they continue to be part of the present-day culture. Then we poke the pope and find that even though Francis appears to want to fight the sex abuse scandals, last week’s new guidelines confirm that the Church continues to get most of their priorities completely backwards.Lots of corona in the news this week:- The COVID19 infodemic re Western Europe- Corona conspiracy myths in Germany- Andrew Wakefield and other anti-vaxxers mobilising against a future corona vaccine and unfortunately it is working- Hungarian guy gets convicted for coronavirus misinforma

This week we are joined by the brilliant British geneticist, broadcaster, science journalist and author, Dr Adam Rutherford.He’s written several books of international acclaim like “Creation: The Origin of Life and the Future of Life”, “A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived”, “The Book of Humans: The Story of How We Became Us” and “Humanimal: How Homo Sapiens Became Nature’s Most Paradoxical Creature”.Avid podcast listeners might know him from the BBC Radio 4 shows ‘Inside Science’ and ‘The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry’, but he also frequently appears on TV both as presenter and as an expert in genetics. Adam frequently appears as a speaker at Skeptics in the Pub events and on the same day this interview goes out he will be giving a talk on Skeptics in the Pub Online that bears the same title as his latest book, How to Argue With a Racist: History, Science and Reality.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe Hosted o

This week Europe has lost a star in the sky and we hear about how Louis Pasteur managed to create a rabies vaccine back in 1885 (he wasn’t even a medical doctor). Pope Francis seizes even more control about the Vatican’s finances and appoints an “extraordinary commissioner” to raid the entity looking after St Peter’s Basilica. Apparently, someone has been cooking the books.In the news this week:– After a new outbreak the German authorities suggest people stay at home for vacation– Was SARS-CoV-2 really present in Barcelona in March 2019? – WHO stops Hydroxychloroquine tests– WHO launches new podcast - Health in Europe– High risk for polio outbreak in Ukraine– Russian disinformation operations revealed– Swedish actor from "Fargo" creates documentary TV-series promoting bogus rune stone in Minnesota– What's happening with Facebook?- 5G towers burning in Limassol- Climate change denier loses bet - has to pay up- National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition bans most homeopathic products from claiming specific th

This week we can't help but mention the Polish presidential elections and Susan Gerbic's latest interview with Pontus. We commemorate Ignaz Semmelweis on his birthday before moving on to deliberating over the future of the papacy.In the news:- Was the Tönnies incident with COVID19 due to a church service- Didier Raoult doubles down on hydroxychloroquine- Hungary's new curriculum and history textbooks full of folk legends and misleading claims- Measles update- The latest and most sophisticated fake of the Loch Ness Monster- Large wildfires in Sibera as reminder of climate change- ARP-SAPC's Sergio Lopez Borgonoz research grant now open for applicationsThis week's Really Wrong Price goes to a Swedish elementary school for investing in bogus "protective equipment" against Wi-Fi.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Pontus and András bring you the latest from all over Europe mixed with some history and a little bit of Poking the Pope(s).This week marks the 646th anniversary of the onset of the Aachen Dancing Plague. After exploring that phenomenon, we move on to how Pope Francis regards women and weather Palpatine is up to no good on his visit to his homeland Germany.Then, in the news:- COVID-19 superspreading centre in Gütersloch, Germany now in lockdown- Swedish coronavirus quack bites the dust- The Guardian's article on revised climate models deemed misleading by experts- Spanish authorities finally publish COVID-19 statistics- ARP-SAPC's Skeptical Magnifier Award announced- Novartis stops Hydroxychloroquine study for lack of participants- New survey in University of Oxford's Digital News Reports shows how much people care about climate change- Political consensus in Norway to remove VAT exemption status for SCAM practitioners- European Commission identifies Russia and China as origins of disinformation camp

This week we first learn about how the 1854 cholera outbreak led to advances in the knowledge about diseases and outbreaks thanks to the clever and rigorous work by the physician John Snow, now regarded as one of the founders of modern epidemiology. Pope Francis is getting closer to his vision of “a poor church for the poor”, perhaps just a little bit faster than he bargained for as the pandemic is hitting the Catholic finances. Then Andras delves into how we can begin to measure the success of covid-19 related restrictions.In the news this week:– Swedish Snake Oil advertisement is struck down– Archaeologist sentenced for faking Basque finds– Climate more sensitive to CO2 emissions than thought?– Who killed the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme?– Szekesfehervar budget cuts – nonessential vaccines are first to go– The Aspen Institute’s ‘Good10 – The Pandemic Issue’ discussing many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic– The return of the Mayan calendar – some myths refuse to die– University of Vienna found a way to

A bit less COVID-19-heavy episode this week with the news that May 2020 saw the highest concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere ever recorded and it was also the hottest May ever.6 years ago, creationism as science in schools was banned in the UK and hallelujah, the Vatican is launching their new channel 'VatiVision' and a documentary series 'The Great Popes'.In the news this week:- Nicotine replacement therapy is the new craze among possible COVID-19 treatments lacking evidence of efficacy- The bad science story of Hydroxychloroquine that shook the world- Millions seem to believe the Treaty of Trianon expires after 100 years- People fall for the story of dozens of give-away TVs by Curry's- The German Medical Student Association issues a declaration against homeopathy- Let's see behind the curtain regarding the 'Swedish Model' once again- Massimo Polidoro launches his Patreon page - with a twist.This week's Really Right price goes to Dutch anaesthesiologist Gerald Woerlee for publishing a free book 'Anesthesia

On this week's episode we celebrate the new era of commercial space flight brought about by SpaceX, then a bit of skeptical history, talking about Gérard Sède and the Priory of Sion hoax.After poking the Pope we bring you an update on the latest issues with COVID-19, including vaccine hesitancy on the rise, the fear from the second wave versus those who deny the existence of the pandemic, survaillence making people suspicious, how the development of a vaccine is doing and France banning the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.In the news this week:- A new craze lacking any evidence and called "Lightning Process"- The truth revealed about the 5GBioShield USB key- "What Doctors Don't Tell You" off the shelves in the UK- New study to show how confidence drives confirmation bias- Austrian homeopaths trying to build distrust in GWUP- A low quality study into the role of alternative medicine in the advance of vaccine hesitancyItalian doctor Alberto Zangrillo gets this week's Really Wrong price for cla

This week Pontus and Andras try their best to keep your spirit up while talking about the saddening advent of conspiracy theories and an ever growing antivaccination sentiment.We talk about the great and controversial scientist, the father of glaciology, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz, try to make sense of the Pope's latest actions as part of the Vatican's financial reform, bring you a bit of the latest analyses of the COVID-19 situation and lots of news:- A church congregation in Frankfurt becomes a virus hotspot- Sweden's approach looks very different when under the microscope- Are we loosing against the antivaccination movement?- Homeopathy International sneakily advises people to take homeopathic products- Italian MP calls for the arrest of Bill Gates- Nearlf half of tweets about COVID-19 likely come from bots- "5GBioShield" hits the market- WHO report says 80 million children not vaccinated because of COVID-19- Hungarian snake oil salesman under scrutiny by Competition AuthorityThe Romanian Ministry of Heal

On this week's episode we start by the funny PA of Deutsche Bahn then turn towards the story of psychic Peter Hurkos who was born on this day.The latest from the Catholic Church reveals conspiracy theories and Pope Benedict XVI. trying to influence current affairs.We talk about how grounded aeroplanes mean less reliable weather forecasts, the Czech government trying to outrun COVID-19 by themselves under the leadership of a homeopath and how Stephen Lewandowsky's team helps all of us identify and fight conspiracy theories.In the news:- Russia fails to provide measles vaccines during the COVID-19 crisis- Sweden's health minister admits failure to keep elderly citizens safe- Hungarian government subsidises a TCM unit at Semmelweis University- Multiple legal cases shaking European countries amid 5G concerns- Good Magic Awards winners announced- Germany bans conversion therapies for minors- Homeopathy not found to be effective for psychiatric disordersThe Swedish company marketing the bogus product 'Mendi' gets t