We start out with a few things from the world of skepticism – in Belgium,  SKEPP turns 35  next week with special appearance by  Chris French  (don’t miss it!), and we link to an article about skeptic  history in Hungary . Speaking of Hungary, in  TWISH  we talk about the  prominent Hungarian skeptic  and science communicator  Aurél Ponori Thewrewk...

It’s time for  the last Poking of Francis  but before we get into that and the other news, we go to  TWISH  to hear about this week’s birthday boy,  Guglielmo Marconi , the  pioneer of radio transmissions  and his  wireless telegraph system . The news list contains the following: INTERNATIONAL : Medical cannabis shows potential to fight cancer, largest-ever...

Mixed messages from  QED  –  new dates announced  but we hear  this is the last one(!)  and we have a hard time accepting it. At least we’ll do our best to be there and meet (among others)  Chris French  whose audiobook is currently on sale. In  TWISH  we hear about  Leonardo da Vinci  and specifically about  some of the myths  ...

We first rant a bit about  Viktor Orbán  and examine some  psychic horsing around  at  the Grand National . In  TWISH  we hear about the  Dead Sea Scrolls  and then we dive into the news: UKRAINE / USA : Zelenskyy and Trump look for leaks using lie detectors INTERNATIONAL : Snopes’ toolkit to guard against online misinformation ITALY : AI beats lottery?...

We explore the source of  April Fool's day  in this week’s  TWISH , before we get into the news: UK : Three-quarters of UK fertility patients using unproven add-on treatments GERMANY / INTERNATIONAL : Rudolf Steiner’s legacy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death INTERNATIONAL : More people leave religion than join UK : Tory’s U-turn on climate policies attributed to...

Science  takes an interest in  Pontus’ body  (who would’ve thought?) and in  TWISH  we hear about  Comenius  who got a whole lot of things right already on the 16th century. Of course there are also more current news to take a look at: INTERNATIONAL : Tretinoin, the holy grail in skin care, is dangerous INTERNATIONAL : Are there any nations taking commitments to...

Pontus is back from skiing,  Orbán is worse than ever , and an astronaut will photograph  the turtle that carries the Earth on its back  – just a normal week in skepticism. In  TWISH  we hear about the successful  ban on CFCs to save the ozone layer , and then it’s time for the news: EUROPE : Measles in Europe highest in 25 years ITALY : Higher levels of spirituality...

With  Brian  sitting in for Pontus while he’s doing some skiing, we talk events to start with. The  Hungarian Skeptic Society  just handed out two awards for those enlightening the public by either speaking up directly against  pseudosciences  and  disinformation  or choosing to provide detailed analysis on controversial topics. So, we congratulate Professor...

Believe it or not, there are more  skeptical podcasts  out there than ours – check out  the Skeptic podcast  for example, the newest one out there from the  Skeptic UK .  Pierre -Simon Laplace  is this week’s topic for  TWISH , and then we get into the news: SWEDEN : New study confirms: Tens of thousands of lives in Sweden saved by covid vaccines HUNGARY : S...

We are still fascinated by  the on-going planetary alignment  and this week is an even better opportunity to watch it. And if it’s cloudy and a Thursday, go back inside and join the  SITP Online virtual pub , it’s highly recommended! In  TWISH  we hear about  Émile Coué  who popularized  autosuggestion  which in a way paved the way for all  self-he...

We talk a little bit of the upcoming  Germany federal elections  this weekend and in  TWISH  we hear about  Carl von Rokitansky  the Austrian physician, pathologist, humanist philosopher and liberal politician and founder of the Viennese School of Medicine of the 19th century. How he managed to  dissect tens of thousands of bodies  is baffling and just a lit...

Lots about  guns and politics  this week, as well as  science ,  homeopathy  and a little bit  about lost pants . In  TWISH  we hear about  Descartes  and his suspicious death in 1650. Was it murder? Here is a list of the news: SWEDEN : Mass shooting in Örebro GERMANY : Is this the descent of Homeopathy? SWEDEN : Government wants stricter laws rega...

This week we interview  Marcel-Jan Krijgsman , Dutch  amateur astronomer ,  data engineer  and  science communicator . Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-465.html Segments : 0:00:33 Intro 0:00:56 Greetings 0:11:04 Interview 0:45:58 Farewell 0:50:08 Outro 0:51:30 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After discussing  Nazi salutes ,  placebo surgery ,  scientology follow-up ,  Massimo Polidoro’s new book  and  several recommendations for other podcasts , we eventually get down to the meat of the show. In  TWISH  we hear about  Delta , the science TV program that aired 61 years ago on 31 of January. Then, we look to the news: SWEDEN : Swedish Skeptic...

The ECDC has declared January  cervical cancer awareness month  which we support 100%. We also want encourage  local skeptical actions  such as speaking up when companies promote nonsense and  Pontus gives us an example  of how easy it can be, if you just take a few minutes and speak up. We also mention that the  planets are lined up in a cool way  at the mo...

Happy to be back again and we start by welcoming some new publications by Brian Eggo and Edzard Ernst . In TWISH we wonder if 13 January is Skeptics Day and then we dig into the news: FRANCE : Godfather of modern far-right movement Jean-Marie Le Pen dies aged 96 UK / ESTONIA : Nurosym – an example of scam health device UK : Poll shows more than half of UK voters dislike Elon Musk and his medd...

Quite a few things to dive into this week:  the Medici popes , some  listener feedback ,  cool dinosaur tracks  and some  sad news from France . In  TWISH  we we have an  epiphany  and then we go through the news: NORWAY / UK : Who Believes in Alternative Medicine? RUSSIA : Cancer vaccine announced, with no published evidence UK : Over 40% of cancer pat...

With András unavailable, we drag  Annika  out of retirement to launch the new year! In  TWISH  we hear about  Martin Luther’s excommunication  and while Pontus always enjoy seeing someone stand up to the Pope, Martin Luther himself was far from flawless. Then we have the news-round: SWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL : Multi supplements are at best unnecessary and at worst danger...

We close the year with some topical items related to the season. Happy New Year! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-459.html Segments : 0:00:25 Intro 0:00:49 Greetings 0:05:28 TWISH 0:21:13 Special segment 0:39:37 Quote 0:41:35 Outro 0:42:50 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A little correction to start with, and then in  TWISH  we hear about the Jesuit and scientist  Tommaso Ceva . Of course, we also have the news: SWEDEN : Private clinics on public contracts promoted nonsense cures, denied sick patients and cheated HUNGARY : Government’s own fact checkers cause for concern in Europe UK : Boycott against Arla for trying to reduce methane emissions INTE...

We start with the sad news that  this is Annika’s last episode  as a regular host. Over the last four years she has brought her unique perspective and insights (and puns!) to the show. But being part of a weekly podcast is tough commitment while at the same time balancing a fulltime job, raising a family and participating in other skeptical activities.  We will miss her!  And w...

After the usual pre-amble, we hear about the first prediction of  a transit of Venus  in  TWISH . Calculated by  Kepler himself  you can only go go “Yay, science!”, and salute the guy. Then we get to the news: INTERNATIONAL : Company linked to cloned journals of major publishers denies cloning journals of major publishers AUSTRIA : The Golden Board in front of the head goe...

We start with some reflections on  COP29  and then we send our big congratulations to  Richard Saunders  on receiving his  Lifetime Achievement Award  from the Australian Skeptics. Well deserved indeed! Another well deserved but shameful award goes to  King Charles  who received  the New Zealand Skeptics’ Bent Spoon Award . In  TWISH  we look...

As everyone else these days we are  moving from X to Bluesky , any help in driving traffic our way is much appreciated. The  Humanists UK  has published a new exciting book called  What I Believe , named after podcast by the same name. You should check it out! In  TWISH  we hear about how the (then)  Prince of Wales  got his favorite charity for  SCAM (...

It’s  one election after another . The same day that the US voted orange,  Germany  decided on a  snap election  after the current coalition fell apart. Let’s hope people over here are better informed than the American voters. In  TWISH  we hear about ‘Doctor Universalis’  Albertus Magnus  whose scientific mindset in the 13th century helped Europe begin...