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 Vaccines saved 2.5 Million lives in the first 4 years of the pandemic
• UK: Has the government learned the lessons from the Southport riots?
• UK: Funding to promote anti-LGBT conversion practices surges
• INTERNATIONAL: Happy 15th anniversary, Retraction Watch!

The Really Wrong award goes to the Swedish fundamentalist evangelical Genesis organisation and the Really Right award to Prof. Dan Larhammar for his excellent take down of creationist nonsense.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-491.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:08:06 TWISH

0:24:29 News

0:53:34 Really Wrong / Really Right

0:59:19 Quote

1:01:16 Outro

1:02:39 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 crack down on political disinformation
• UKRAINE: Zelensky’s new law mandates regular lie detector tests
• SCOTLAND: Trump caught on tape cheating in golf?
• DENMARK / INTERNATIONAL: No link between aluminum in vaccines and chronic disease
• UK / INTERNATIONAL: Nominations for the Ockham Awards are now open!

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and general spreader of disinformation, is demonstrably lying about the crime situation in the UK, and for that he gets this week’s award for being Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-490.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:14:50 TWISH

0:29:34 News

1:01:11 Really Wrong

1:07:30 Quote

1:09:17 Outro

1:10:39 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

0:57:34 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 declaration on AI and human values
• INTERNATIONAL: Grok & Troll
• SWEDEN: New UFO-movie out

Wales Online is this week’s receiver av the Really Wrong Award after publishing an article about cancer “cures” with no regard for science.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-488.html

Segments:

0:00:25 Intro

0:00:56 Greetings

0:06:16 TWISH

0:18:56 News

0:51:52 Really Wrong

1:04:26 Quote

1:07:43 Outro

1:09:05 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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?
• INTERNATIONAL: Several problems with viral paper on black plastic kitchen utensils
• NORWAY / EUROPE: How misinformation affects efficiency of energy transition
• INTERNATIONAL: Does AI make people stupid? It’s complicated
• HUNGARY: University disciplines three psychologists for claiming love is more important for children than the gender of their parents

Is it wise to filter your blood to get rid of microplastics? The Clarify Clinic in London does not wait for the science to find out, but instead turn it into an expensive product. Naturally, they receive this weeks award for being Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-487.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:52 Greetings

0:05:00 TWISH

0:12:28 News

0:45:09 Really Wrong

0:50:10 Quote

0:51:11 Outro

0:52:33 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 next three days’
• SLOVAKIA: Government official and antivaxxer Peter Kotlár’s paper condemned by Slovakian Academy of Sciences
• DENMARK: Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features
• UK: Weight-loss jabs potentially harmful?
• FRANCE: ‘A supermarket for sexual predators’: abuse scandal at French Catholic boarding school
• US / EUROPE: Are people being denied entry to US for contents critical towards Trump administration?

For Who’s Quacking? this week we have UK spreader of deadly nonsens, Kate Shemirani.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-486.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:07:15 TWISH

0:14:56 News

0:46:27 Who's Quacking?

0:51:39 Quote

0:53:18 Outro

0:54:41 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 set to become law in England and Wales after MPs pass bill
• ISRAEL / IRAN: Disinformation to look out for
• INTERNATIONAL: Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says
• SWITZERLAND: Government tries to hide expert report on the carbon footprint of electric vehicles
• AUSTRALIA / EUROPE / USA: Australian SCAM promoter Barbara O’Neill is planning a European tour

Statins is the subject for both the Really Wrong and Really Right Awards this week. One goes to Aseem Malhotra and the other to Full Fact. Can you guess who gets which?

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-485.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:09:52 TWISH

0:17:12 News

0:41:10 Really Wrong / Really Right

0:45:01 Quote

0:46:14 Outro

0:47:36 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 happen to be there too, let us know! In TWISH we hear about a mysterious moon observation from 1178, and then it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN / FINLAND / NORWAY: ‘Life’ files for bankruptcy
• INTERNATIONAL: New toolkit makes post-publication peer-review available for everyone
• USA / SWEDEN: RFK jr. appoints Swedish vaccine advisor
• UK: Levels of cheating using AI in academic programs on the rise

Instead of a Really Wrong Award this week we have a Who’s Quacking? segment about Swedish ‘psychic’, Benny Rosenqvist.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-484.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:53 Greetings

0:12:16 TWISH

0:21:23 News

0:43:29 Who's Quacking?

0:50:35 Quote

0:52:19 Outro

0:53:42 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.