Meeting up with fellow skeptics is always a blast. We recommend reading the recent article in  Skeptic UK  about the  history of European skepticism  and ECSO –  the ESC (European Skeptics Congress)  is only two weeks away! Pontus reports from last week’s annual meeting with  VoF (the Swedish Skeptics)  and in  TWISH  we hear about  Pierre Cur...

Tickets for  QED in Manchester  (19-20 October) are now on sale and don’t forget  Skepticamp  on the day before! If all goes to plan, both András and Pontus may be among the speakers. But first we are looking forward to  the European Skeptics Congress 2024 , less than a month from now, 31 May – 2 June in Lyon, France! In  TWISH  we hear about how  smallpox w...

Every Swede has celebrated  Valborg  (Walpurgis / Walpurga) this week although no one really knows why, and András reports from  Sicily  on  volcanic activities . In  TWISH  we hear about  Pierre Teilhard de Chardin , a theologian so controversial that popes nowadays still cannot agree on what to think of him. Then it’s time for this week’s news: INTERNATION...

It is  European Immunization Week!  Get your boosters and jabs folks, and make you and the people around you are safe! In  TWISH  this week we hear about  John Oliver , British comedian who (whether you like him or not) understands science and the need for healthy skepticism. Then we of course take a look at the news: ITALY : Italy passes measures to allow anti-abortion ac...

The report on  DISC  analysis and  Thomas Erikson  from last week generated some good feedback, it’s time for the  John Maddox prize  again and  Susan Gerbic  has a new YouTube channel that you should definitely check out. Don’t forget to book your ticket for  the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon!  In  TWISH  we hear about  Norbert...

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 : W...

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 groun...

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: INTERNATI...

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 p...

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 wh...

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 expens...

This week we have the great pleasure to interview our friend  Prof. Chris French!  We hear a lot about his research into the paranormal – or  Anomalistic Psychology  as he prefers to call it. Chris has a  new book coming out on 19 March . It’s called  “the Science of Weird Shit”  and we cannot recommend it enough! (we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek) Enjoy!...

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 : Legalizat...

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 patien...

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 thi...

We start with some  listener feedback  and ponder the wonders of  European languages  before we turn to  TWISH , where we hear about  Bertrand Russell and his teapot . Then we go into the news: INTERNATIONAL : Measles update SWITZERLAND : Homeopathy in Switzerland AUSTRIA : The Austrian Medical Academy exposed for peddling pseudomedicine INTERNATIONAL : Funding, not t...

This week we interview the fabulous  Anja Harrison  (no relation to any of the hosts) about a great initiative –  The Collaborative Library . Having met Anja at QED last year, we decided we just had to get her on the show. The ambitious plan of the Collaborative Library is to make scientific research much more accessible for the public, by making sure that there is a lay summary of...

By the time this episode comes out,  Sweden  hopefully has its  third and latest astronaut in space!   Marcus Wandt  is schedule for launch on  Wednesday , (nope) Thursday evening, European time. For a little more down-to-Earth skeptical fun, sign up for the  European Skeptics Congress , 30 May – 2 June, in Lyon, France.  Registrations  are now open! No...

Sorry for the delay guys, but we’re back! We have a host of  tips for our listeners  to get engaged in in the new year. In this week’s  TWISH  we hear about  the Basel Massacre  in 1349, gruesome stuff. Then we look at the news: ROMANIA : Measles declared an epidemic after infant death INTERNATIONAL : Large language models validate misinformation UK : King Charles’ “A...

Suddenly Poland emerges as a possible example against  populism in Europe  – strange times indeed. In  TWISH  we hear about  Marconi ‘s groundbreaking  radio transmission over the Atlantic  – not very long ago when you think about it, and pretty cool since he didn’t really know how radio waves work! In the news this week we look at these items: SWEDEN : Supreme C...

First we mention that the prestigious  Heinz Oberhummer Award  has just been given to  Die Sendung mit der Maus  which we recently called out for being  Really Wrong . Annika puts that into perspective for us. It is time to plan the trip to next year’s  European Skeptics Congress , this time  in Lyon France, 30 May to 2 June . We then ask if  Pope Frankie &n...

In  TWISH  this week we hear about  Claude Lévi-Strauss  who put together a structuralist theory to analyze myths. We also hear that  Pope Frankie is sick  but still plans to attend the  COP-28 meeting in Dubai  – we cannot help wondering why. Then it’s time for the news: ISRAEL : Most common rumors related to the  Israel-Hamas war GERMANY : Court dismi...

In this week’s  TWISH  we hear about  Trofim Lysenko  before we look into the news: EU : Glyphosate update INTERNATIONAL : Nostalgia in politics UK : The Good Law Project supports the General Medical Council taking action against harmful misinformation NORTHERN IRELAND : ‘The Hum’ is back! Naturopaths selling  Miracle Mineral Supplements  (MMS) are promoting a life th...

Despite the numerology, this episode CAN be found wherever you get your podcasts. We will give you tips about  The Conspiracy Test ,  the Humanist UK 2024 Convention , the latest  Skeptical Inquirer interview  and  Skepticon 2023 in Australia  – all good things to check out! In  TWISH  we hear about one of Darwin’s buddies, the groundbreaking (pun intended)...

After the normal meet and greet, we have an interview with  Norbert Aust  – German skeptic and one of the initiators of  INH, Information Network Homeopathy . He brings us up to date on what’s going on and reports on the fight to get  fraudulent and incorrect ‘scientific’ papers  retracted. We later get a  ‘TWISH’  about the  ‘Festival of Reason’ , a failed...