TheESP – Ep. #540 – It’s a Dog’s Life

The heatwave continues and analysis finds that most news reporting fails to mention climate change. In TWISH we hear about the founding of Accademia del Cimento, in many ways the start of scientific experimentation during the enlightenment. Then we go into the news:

• UK / RUSSIA / US: Musk family foundation funded Tommy Robinson’s trip to Moscow
• GERMANY: IGeL Monitor rates osteopathy for non-specific low back pain as unclear
• SWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL: Quackery round-up: Excessive testosterone usage, and pointless IVF supplements

So-called ‘pet whisperers’ are all around us, making money by pretending to talk to our dogs and cats. Of course, they are Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:50 GREETINGS

• Heatwave continues, but the news rarely mentions climate change
  • EuroNews: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/07/13/europe-records-10000-excess-deaths-during-june-heatwaves-new-data-shows
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/14/most-coverage-june-heatwave-did-not-mention-climate-crisis
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/europe-heatwave-impossible-without-climate-crisis-scientists

0:07:16 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 14 July 1610: Grand Duke of Florence, Ferdinando II de Medici, co-founder of the Accademia del Cimento was born
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accademia_del_Cimento
  • Museo Galileo: https://www2.museogalileo.it/images/novita/2015/JonServello_Report.pdf

0:16:09 NEWS

• UK / RUSSIA / US: Musk family foundation funded Tommy Robinson’s trip to Moscow
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/12/tommy-robinson-musk-russia-trip-defend-uk-democracy-ed-davey
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/11/elon-musk-family-foundation-took-tommy-robinson-to-russia-says-musks-father
• GERMANY: IGeL Monitor rates osteopathy for non-specific low back pain as unclear
  • Igel Monitor: https://igel-monitor.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2026-06-18-igel-monitor-bewertet-osteopathie-bei-unspezifischen-kreuzschmerzen-mit-unklar.html
• SWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL: Quackery round-up: Excessive testosterone usage, and pointless IVF supplements
  • NA: https://www.na.se/familj/svaga-kopplingar-mellan-testosteron-och-valmaende/
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/granskning-tillagg-vid-ivf-ar-bortkastade-pengar/

0:33:03 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: A dog’s life: four dog whisperers hear four different stories from one dog
  • Sydsvenskan: https://www.sydsvenskan.se/skane/de-sager-sig-kunna-tala-med-djuren-vi-testar-djurkommunikatorerna/

0:42:03 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“The beauty of science is that it’s a self-correcting process. You don’t need to believe in it.
You just need to be willing to test it. If you’re wrong, that’s okay-that’s how you learn. The universe doesn’t care about your ego. It only cares about what’s true.
And the closer we get to that truth, the more incredible everything becomes.”
/ Prof. Brian Cox (3 March 1968 – ), English physicist and musician. He is a professor of particle physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester and the Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science. /

0:43:33 OUTRO

0:44:56 OUT-TAKES