Warming up for  QED , we dive directly in to  TWISH  and talk about – QED(!) and how this weekend will be an historic event as the last one of them all. We’re going to make the most of it! But before we pack our bags, we have some news to talk about: UK : The Conversation seems to endorse spiritual psychic meetings AUSTRIA : Finalists of the Golden Board in Front of the Head announc...

To begin with with remember  Jane Goodall  and we mark that the Dutch  Master Kackadoris Award  has been awarded to the  VU University of Amsterdam  – serves them right! In  TWISH  we hear about the adoption of  the Gregorian calendar  in 1582 (in some places much later!) and then, we dig into the news: INTERNATIONAL : Shingles vaccination associat...

It’s official boys and girls, we made it to  Episode 500 ! We celebrated this with a live recording and joining us  from all over the world  were a whole bunch of the best skeptics you can imagine:  Michael Marshall, Chris French, Claire Klingenberg, Susan Gerbic, Deborah Hyde, Adrienne Hill  and  Richard Saunders . Good friends all!  Annika Harrison  and&nb...

Next week  we’ll livestream our 500th episode  (but stick around for this one first!), and also we remind all  non-UK QED participants  to  get their ETAs  before they go to Manchester later this month. In  TWISH  we learn about  Alice Stewart  and her work for awareness of the  risks with radiation . Then we go to the news: INTERNATIONAL : No...

Swedish glaciers are disappearing  and in  TWISH  we hear about the triumph for science when  discovering Neptune . After that, it’s the news: INTERNATIONAL : This year’s Ig Nobel prizes FRANCE : Macrons finally push back on rumors regarding first lady’s gender UK / INTERNATIONAL : Does solving puzzles prevent dementia? EU : Meta and Google to block political ads under new regu...

Make sure to check out  András' Skeptics in the Pub Online talk  next week on 25 September! In TWISH we meet  Ötzi the Ice Man , and a mystery death from 5300 years ago and a invaluable source of archeological science. Then we look to the news: ALBANIA : Albania appoints AI-created ‘minister’ ITALY : Arson attack in Sardinia linked to climate misinformation SWEDEN : Princess Madelei...

In the Netherlands ,  trust in science is increasing  which is unexpected good news. We have some thoughts on the  election results in Norway , plus you can now hear us  on YouTube ! In  TWISH  we hear about a  close encounter in France  and then it’s time for the news: INTERNATIONAL : Microdosing on weight loss drugs neither proven safe nor effective GERMAN...

After some  listener feedback  regarding  green energy  and Pontus reporting back from Lithuania, we go to  TWISH  where we hear about  Wilhelm Ostwald , one of the fathers of physical chemistry. Then, we get to the news: UK : MHRA is cracking down on unlicensed anti-wrinkle products after spate of botulism IRELAND : Equal Memory Fallibility in ‘He Said, She Said...

We’re already looking forward to QED and nominations for  the Ockham Awards  are still open – if you know someone who deserves it nominate them! After some  listener feedback  we go to  TWISH  and hear about the  Swing Riots . Then, it’s time for the news: EUROPE : Spread of mosquitoes in Europe UK / EUROPE : Country on a bumpy road of climate U-turns… SWEDEN / I...

In  TWISH  this week we look into the achievements of  James Watt  who made  a whole lot of things , despite  not inventing the steam engine . Then of course, there’s the news: ITALY : Government reverses appointment of vaccine hesitant members to National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group ITALY : The Natural Trap: How Conspiracy Beliefs Shape Our Health Choices S...

Ever realized that there are  three types of conspiracy theorists  and a  clear link between them and terrorism ? Catch the new book by  Steen Svanholm  and  Claus Larsen  and hear them talk about their findings in this week’s interview! Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-492.html Segments : 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:49 Greetings 0:02:56 Interview 0:52:4...

We’ve got some  listener feedback  about the popularity of  lie detectors in Ukraine , and in  TWISH  we hear about the man behind the number,  Amedeo Avogadro . Of course, we then get into this week’s news: NORWAY : Russian disinformation regarding made up ecological catastrophe RUSSIA / EU : Putin’s disinformation efforts are changing for the worse GLOBAL : COVID Va...

Congratulations to friend of the show  Deborah Hyde  who has been appointed  patron of Humanists UK ! In  TWISH  we hear about to unsolved mystery of  the disappearance of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  and after that, we dig into the news: IRELAND : Excavation of mass grave of infants in Irish “mother and baby home” INTERNATIONAL : YouTube and Meta seem to finally cr...

It’s the episode  nobody could expect!  Least of all András, who in Pontus’ continued absence gets put  on the spot  by  the hot Scot  known as  Eggman . Can you match the skills of the Magyar Man? Tune in and find out. Enjoy! Segments : 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:57 Greetings 0:03:18 Quiz 0:05:32 round 1 0:20:58 round 2 0:40:40 round 3 0:54:02 Farewell 0:56:11 Outro 0:5...

As Pontus is off on som some mysterious quest or whatnot,  Brian Eggo  (Eggman) sneaks back into the driver's seat of the show. In  TWISH  we hear about the myths surrounding the death of the  last tsar of Russia  and his family back in 1918. Then we take a look at the news: UK : Child dies at Alder Hey after contracting measles INTERNATIONAL : Humanists pass global d...

The  heat wave in Europe  is back, and in  TWISH  we learn about the  Russell-Einstein Manifesto  which was published 70 years ago this week, and we wonder why we haven’t come any further than we have. Then, it’s time for the news: SWEDEN : Scammers using fake AI videos of politicians and scientists DENMARK / INTERNATIONAL : Are ADHD diagnoses misleading millions? INT...

Viktor Orbán  got his behind handed to him when trying to ban  Budapest Pride  and that makes us very happy! In  TWISH  we learn about  Attila Pataky  who can not only sing but has also repeatedly been  abducted by aliens  – maybe they just like his music? Then, it’s time for the news: EUROPE : Current heat wave in Europe set to ‘kill 4500 people in the...

Is  the virus metaphor  for  spreading misinformation  really as good as we have been led to think? Some psychologists disagree. We again ask everyone to show support their support for  the Naked Scientists podcast  and then in TWISH we hear about George Orwell whose dark visions of society seems ever relevant. Then, we go to the news: ENGLAND / WALES : Assisted dying...

URGENT!  The great podcast  the Naked Scientists  is in great danger of being cancelled by  Cambridge University  and we urge everyone to  protest this!  Information about how to do that is here:  https://www.thenakedscientists.com/sos . In other news  Pontus will be in Lithuania 29-30 August  to participate in  the Būtent festival . If you ha...

As  Eggman  sits in for András, we look forward to  SkeptiCamp at QED  and  Mike Hall’s Skeptics in the Pub Online talk  and are happy to note that not only do we follow the  ECDC , but they follow us back. In  TWISH  we hear about one of the forgotten(?) super villains of  the Theosophy movement ,  Alice Bailey , and then we take a look at th...

We have some  listener feedback  about the name of  ‘Grok’  and a tip to sign a very important  petition regarding NASA . In  TWISH  we hear how a timely letter kicked  Darwin  into action and made him finally publish ‘that book’. We then dig into the news: UK : ‘Notable increase’ in scammers tricking people into sending money abroad INTERNATIONAL : Ret...

Deborah Hyde  joins us this week, it’s been far too long. We recommend her Youtube series ‘ The Green Children of Woolpit ‘! The  Romanian presidential election  is still contentious, and we congratulate  Ian Dunt  to his position as editor for  the New Humanist . In  TWISH  we learn about the first observational evidences for  Einstein’s Theory of Gene...

Viktor Orbán  is coming down hard on  free speech  and  Romania  seems to (maybe) avoid chaos after their second attempt on  presidential elections . In  TWISH  we get into classical skepticism and have a look at the Plauen UFO incident . Then it’s time for  the news , with a little bit of  Word of the Week : INTERNATIONAL : Overshooting 1.5°C...

So,  the conclave elected ‘Papa Bob’  a.k.a.  Leo XIV  – who is he, and will that bring back the  ‘Pontus Pokes the Pope’  segment? Time will tell! In other news, If you catch this episode in time, please consider signing the  European petition to ban conversion therapy , last day is May 17th. Inge Lehmann  is one of  forgotten heroes of science , hear...

QED tickets  are available everyone, so we start our count-down to October in Manchester!  The papal conclave  is currently on-going and we bring you the latest news. In  TWISH  we hear about  John Strachey , the almost forgotten pioneer in the field of basic  geology . Then of course, we have the news: INTERNATIONAL / EUROPE : Measles update EU : Press freedom u...