A bit of a correction first, regarding earthquakes. Then we get some Vatican news with speculation about a Swedish ‘papabile’, plus idiotic statements about genders. In TWISH we hear about Paolo Frisi, an Italian university dropout who in the 18th century went on to become a polymath. Then we have a look at the news: EUROPE: Whooping cough on the rise – due to covid BELGIUM: Alternative medicine and god hindering willingness to vaccinate? FRANCE: Didier Raoult and his unethical research Long time charlatan Thomas Erikson finall ..read more

There are two great European skeptical events to sign up for this year – European Skeptics Congress in Lyon (30 May- 2 June) and QED in Manchester (18 – 20 October) – there is still time to catch the Early Bird discounts for both! In TWISH we hear about the earthquake in L’Aquila in Italy in 2009, that not only shook the ground but also the trust in science. Of course, we also give our take on the news: UK: Rumours about King Charles III’s illness on the rise RUSSIA: Russia linked to ’Havana Syndrome’. We’re not convinced… NETHERLAND ..read more

Who knew that Hungarian intellectuals where numerologists – András reveals all! We have correction from last week and also reflect over the illness of Princess Kate, naturally we wish her well. In this weeks TWISH we hear about Percy Shelley and how his atheism ruined his academic career – to the benefit of mankind. Then, it’s time for the news: INTERNATIONAL: Nordic people are the happiest in the world RUSSIA / UKRAINE: Russian TV channel using deepfake to blame Moscow attacks on Ukraine ICELAND: Did Iceland ban covid 19 vaccinations? UK: It’s Acupuncture ..read more

Flying unicorns exist in Portugal and you can vote for your favorites on the Portuguese Skeptics’ web site (COMCEPT) before 1 April. By coincidence this is also the deadline for getting the Early Bird discount for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon, so sign up in time! On a sadder note, Annika will have to take a few months off from the podcast, but she promises to return in June. But before that, we have a whole lot of news to go through: INTERNATIONAL: AI will increase energy use and climate misinformation INTERNATIONAL: Is rapamycin a cure ..read more

Brian Eggo is certainly bo no stranger to this podcast. Relentless in his quest to spread the skeptical world, he is known as the main force behind the Glasgow Skeptics, one of the great people behind Skeptics in the Pub - Onlin and a frequent speaker and guest on several podcasts. This week we interview him about the time when the big C came to his family and he decided to find out what the internet would have to recommend someone in his position. While a lot of the advice he got was likely given in good faith, it was nevertheless pretty bad. Hear him tell all about everything from ..read more

Brian Eggo is certainly bo no stranger to this podcast. Relentless in his quest to spread the skeptical world, he is known as the main force behind the Glasgow Skeptics, one of the great people behind Skeptics in the Pub - Onlin and a frequent speaker and guest on several podcasts. This week we interview him about the time when the big C came to his family and he decided to find out what the internet would have to recommend someone in his position. While a lot of the advice he got was likely given in good faith, it was nevertheless pretty bad. Hear him tell all about everything from ..read more

We start with some listener feedback and corrections regarding Tridentinosaurus Antiquus – the origin of its name was wrong and despite what we said, it wasn’t a a dinosaur. In TWISH we hear about Gerardus Mercator, the man behind most world maps. Then we get to the news: SWEDEN: Companies exploit fear of war to sell pretty useless and expensive “emergency equipment” RUSSIA: Rumors surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny INTERNATIONAL: How harmful are ultra-processed foods? UK: Cochrane UK closing shop The UK government gets this week’s ..read more

This week we’ve had some feedback regarding AI – always glad to hear from our listeners! In TWISH we hear about Charles Clermont-Ganneau, famous French archeologist with a flare for spotting fake artifacts. Then we turn to the news: INTERNATIONAL: Fossil forgery – famous specimen shown to be fake, and it is not alone FRANCE: Experts identify Moscow-based disinformation network GREECE: Legalization of same sex marriage Good news for once! The French National Assembly has adopted a new law aimed at charlatans, and sects or sect leaders who tries to influence their followers to reject science b ..read more

Luna sits in for András(!) and we talk about conspiracy theories regarding the earthquake in Turkey last year, a new study about peoples worldview and in TWISH we get into the curse of Tutankhamun – what really was going on? Then we have a look at the news: UK: Sexual harassment anyone? Chiropractic council is there for chiropractors, not for patients EU: EU won’t use dental amalgam anymore EU: EU parliament votes to ease regulation of gene edited crops GERMANY: Tiktok proves harmful again INTERNATIONAL: Paper rejected for using ChatGPT – author says it ..read more

King Charles III is ill and although we seldom agrees with him we still whish him a speedy recovery. Marcus Wandt, the Swedish astronaut, took time off his busy schedule and gave a called via link with students at a Swedish school – the teacher setting it up is active in VoF, the Swedish skeptics. Well done, Philippe! Marcus has been stuck on the ISS for several days but as this episode comes out he is finally on his way back to Earth. We remind everyone to sign up for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon, France, 30 May – 3 June! Speakers include Massimo Polidoro,&n ..read more