The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

TheESP.eu
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The European Skeptics Podcast is an independent project run buy individuals from across Europe, to provide a forum for European skeptical activism. Hosts: András Pintér and Pontus Böckman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. TheESP – Ep. #510 – Wat Are They Sinking?

    5D AGO

    TheESP – Ep. #510 – Wat Are They Sinking?

    In this week’s TWISH we take a look at the most skeptical saint, Doubting Thomas – not that we feel that he got everything right. In the news today we take a look at the following: INTERNATIONAL / SWEDEN: Rising nicotine addiction in teensHUNGARY: GP about to leave practice due to harassment from antivaxxersSWEDEN: Breast cancer patients turn away from conventional treatment despite 93% survival ratesINTERNATIONAL: Liam Neeson narrates anti-vaccination pseudo-documentaryA bunch of contrarians that call themselves BMTIG insists that there must be a conspiracy behind the sinking of the MS Estonia – no matter how much the facts say otherwise and for that they ar Really Wrong. Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-510.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:05:33 TWISH 0:17:29 News 0:52:12 Really Wrong 1:07:40 Quote 1:09:17 Outro 1:10:40 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 12m
  2. TheESP – Ep. #509 – Skepticism is Hard – Even For Geniuses

    DEC 12

    TheESP – Ep. #509 – Skepticism is Hard – Even For Geniuses

    Rage bait is the Oxford Word of the Year and that cannot be a a good sign of the times we live in. In TWISH we acknowledge the genius of Ada Lovelace while recognizing that she had some flaws as well, especially when it came to phrenology and mesmerism… Then we take a look at the news: EU: Proposal to allow plants modified using CRISPRHUNGARY: Government campaigns against opposition party with fake election programINTERNATIONAL: Influencers promote bogus health adviceUK: Persuasion through chatbots leads to inaccurate assessmentsThis week’s Really Right Award goes to researcher Rebecca Sear for her commitment in tracking down all studies based on the infamous National IQ database. Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-509.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:52 Greetings 0:11:45 TWISH 0:24:03 News 0:53:12 Really Right 0:59:37 Quote 1:01:56 Outro 1:03:18 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  3. TheESP – Ep. #508 – How Many Lobsters Can You Eat?

    DEC 5

    TheESP – Ep. #508 – How Many Lobsters Can You Eat?

    We discuss science communication by the ECDC re vaccinations and have some listener feedback about Dr Who, before with dive into TWISH which this week is about a pioneer of modern chemistry, Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Then of course, there’s the news: INTERNATIONAL: E-trade via dropshipping – the scam has many levelsUK: ChatGPT’s dangerous mental health guidance raises skeptical red flagsSWEDEN: So-called ‘virginity checks’ now finally illegalTÜRKIYE: Case study shows risks with chiropracticThe Green alliance in Germany reverses their stance on homeopathy thanks to the work by Cedrik Schamberger and for that, he deserves the Really Right Award. Well done! Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote; Outro; Outtakes https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-508.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  4. TheESP – Ep. #507 – Freebirthing 101: 'Dead is Dead'

    NOV 28

    TheESP – Ep. #507 – Freebirthing 101: 'Dead is Dead'

    We start by noting that COP30 was pretty disappointing although we are not too surprised. On another, more positive side, Michael Frass‘ terrible study claiming that homeopathy can help in cancer treatment finally has been retracted! Also, get your flu vaccines, everyone. In TWISH we hear how António Egas Moniz invented lobotomy and was awarded one of the most controversial Nobel prizes for it, but also why it cannot be retracted. Then, we go to the news: SWEDEN: People die of breast cancer after choosing alternative treatmentsEUROPE: Eurobarometer Survey 2025: science, skepticism, and the battle against misinformationINTERNATIONAL: Freebirthing is a deadly scam and a griftHUNGARY: Political ads on Google and Facebook are over – or are they?The Really Wrong Award goes to Steiner schools, that thankfully are in decline. A Really Right Award goes to the EU Court of Justice for affirming that also same-sex marriages have to be recognized throughout the union. Enjoy! Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:12:40 TWISH 0:22:27 News 0:59:46 Really Wrong / Really Right 1:03:33 Quote 1:05:06 Outro 1:06:28 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 7m
  5. TheESP – Ep. #506 – Who?

    NOV 21

    TheESP – Ep. #506 – Who?

    This week celebrates the launch of Dr Who way back in 1963, the longest running TV-show in history, and a special favourite for many skeptics. For the news we look into the following: INTERNATIONAL: Updated evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and influenza vaccinesHUNGARY: Parliament votes to issue general ban on artificial meat productsRUSSIA / UKRAINE: Every fifth Russian believes the sun revolves around the earthNETHERLANDS: Vaccine skepticism linked to trust in institutions and susceptibility to misinformationWe hand out a Really Right Award to the Swedish Government for removing state support for Jehovah’s Witnesses and in Who’s Quacking? we examine the pseudoscience of Spanish neuroscientist Álex Gómez Marín. Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-506.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:07:11 TWISH 0:22:28 News 0:44:01 Really Right 0:47:55 Who's Quacking? 0:55:37 Quote 0:57:05 Outro 0:58:28 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min
  6. TheESP – Ep. #505 – Tough Times for the Beeb

    NOV 14

    TheESP – Ep. #505 – Tough Times for the Beeb

    James Watson died, and brilliant as his contribution to science was, he also had some very problematic views on race and women. The Church of Scientology seems to be in decline even if they try their best to deny it, claiming huge (but questionable) numbers on their recent big conference. We are happily surprised to see a very nice article about ourselves in the Skeptical Inquirer (thanks Susan!) and in TWISH we hear about the founding of the Pasteur Institute and what an impact it has had on science. Then, let’s look at the news: UK: TikTok trend makes men seek unnecessary testosterone treatmentsUK: The BBC crisisINTERNATIONAL: Paracetamol revisited – still not linked to autismFRANCE: Climate disinformation goes mainstreamINTERNATIONAL: Trolls and narcissismWatch out for ‘Black Fraud Day’ whose many scammers get this week’s prize for being Really Wrong. https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-505.html Enjoy! Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:52 Greetings 0:15:16 TWISH 0:23:11 News 0:52:10 Really Wrong 0:57:37 Quote 1:01:11 Outro 1:02:33 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 4m
  7. TheESP – Ep. #504 – Democracy and Science are Inseparable

    NOV 7

    TheESP – Ep. #504 – Democracy and Science are Inseparable

    We’re back home after QED and boy was it great! Last one, we know, but next year will see the European Skeptics Congress in Liverpool and it will largely be following the template of QED. Save the dates, 16-18 October 2026! We note the lessons learned from hurricane Melissa and in TWISH we hear about two milestones of European history, the ECDC and the European Convention om Human Rights. Then, we catch up on the news: UK: The Ockham awards for 2025AUSTRIA: The Golden Board for 2025SWEDEN: Populistic repatriation support meets local pushbackITALY: Senate hosts presentation of bogus deviceGERMANY: Student at the Free University of Berlin develops useful tool for spotting fake referencesHUNGARY: Over a hundred political ads financed by Orbán’s Digital Citizen Circles slip through Facebooks filtersIn Finland the nonsense of DISC personality tests are inexplicably popular and the company MLP gets the Really Wrong Award for promoting it, while philosopher of science Inkeri Koskinen gets the Really Right Award for speaking up about it. Enjoy! https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-504.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:15:12 TWISH 0:24:02 News 0:56:51 Really Wrong / Really Right 1:01:48 Quote 1:03:20 Outro 1:04:43 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 5m
  8. TheESP – Ep. #503 – Live at QED 2025

    OCT 31

    TheESP – Ep. #503 – Live at QED 2025

    Note! You can find the video of this live recording here on our Youtube channel! (special thanks to the fantastic SitPO team for the video!) We were live from QED! Best time ever! Joining us for the recording were the fabulous Claire Klingenberg, Deborah Hyde and Brian Eggo, as well as huge crowd of happy QED attendees. We had a TWISH about phrenology and also a line of positive(!) news: INTERNATIONAL: UN demands asylum protection for the non religiousSWEDEN: The Great Pill-ScandalUK: ULEZ is improving people’s healthCZECHIA: Beaver engineered dam saves lots of money for governmentSpecial thanks to friend of the show Rob McDermott for the great photos! Enjoy! Show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-503.html Segments: 0:00:50 Intro 0:01:43 Greetings 0:05:44 TWISH 0:18:21 News 0:47:17 Quote 0:49:29 Outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
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4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

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The European Skeptics Podcast is an independent project run buy individuals from across Europe, to provide a forum for European skeptical activism. Hosts: András Pintér and Pontus Böckman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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