Episode #083

This week Pontus and András are joined by Brian Eggo who sits in for Jelena while she’s on a European motorbike trip.
We talked about Karl Popper’s philosophical system of scientific discovery, how much of what we think of suicide is actually true, why simplicity is not the ultimate goal in understanding science, how the Tories in the UK just sent a crackpot to the EP, why news regarding the dangers of chemotherapy are probably untrue, how much of the Italian demonstrations against the new vaccination strategies are exaggerated and why caution is required when talking about new research on the Shroud of Turin.
Segments
Intro; Greetings & Feedback; This Week in Skepticism; Skeptical News; Really Wrong; Quote

Show notes:
00:00:00
INTRO music

00:00:27
Greetings & feedback

• If you’re interested in the events happening across Europe, please visit our calendar page.
• Don’t forget to cast your vote before 31st July for the John Maddox Prize 2017 for standing up for science.

00:14:19
This Week in Skepticism
Sir Karl R. Popper (Born 28th July 1902 in Vienna) Philosopher of Science

• The Logic of Scientific Discovery

00:18:52
Skeptical News

1. INTERNATIONAL: Myths about suicide
   • Samaritans Suicide Myths page: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/myths-about-suicide
   • WHO Suicide Rates by Country: http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDE?lang=en
2. SPAIN: New book recommended by Spanish Skeptics
   • Escepticos: Against simplicity in Science and Pseudoscience (in Spanish)
3. UK: New Tory MEP a crackpot?
   • https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/07/new-tory-mep-is-an-expert-on-ufos-and-claimed-the-eu-could-send-panzers-into-london-to-stop-brexit/
4. INTERNATIONAL: Is chemotherapy really proven to help cancer spread in your body? (Not)
   • http://themindunleashed.com/2017/07/chemotherapy-proven-spread-cancer-cause-lethal-tumors-groundbreaking-new-study.html
   • Rebuttal in Science Based Medicine: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-chemotherapy-cause-cancer-to-spread/
5. ITALY: Demonstration attendance numbers against new Italian vaccine regulations exaggerated
6. ITALY: New research concerning the Shroud of Turin?
   • https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/07/15/new-research-shroud-turin-bears-blood-torture-victim/
   • http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/shroud-turin-blood-torture-victim-research-elvio-carlino-jesus-tomb-a7850621.html
   • http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0180487#sec004

00:57:02
Really Wrong:
The Catholic Church for abusing children

• http://www.dw.com/en/regensburg-domspatzen-choir-more-than-500-boys-abused/a-39731018

01:03:41
Skeptical Ads

• The 17^th European Skeptics Congress
• The Skeptic Zone Podcast
• Glasgow Skeptics

01:06:13
Quote

“Science is always simple and always profound. It is only the half-truths that are dangerous.”

/George Bernard Shaw Irish playwright in ‘The Doctor’s Dilemma’/

01:07:10
Outro

01:08:24
Out-takes