AngeloSecchi

The applications to talk at SkeptiCamp in October are now open, don’t be shy! In TWISH we hear about how the jesuit priest Angelo Secchi unwittingly became the origin of tales about green men on Mars. Then, it’s time for the news:

• EUROPE / WORLD: European heatwave / El Niño officially under way
• AUSTRIA: Study links authoritarian attitudes to belief in Anthroposophic medicine
• EUROPE / WORLD: Is EU falling for the great replacement theory?

The European Commission gets today’s award for being Really Right since they finally are easing the rules for CRISPR crops in the EU.

In Who’s Quacking? we feature Paulo Zampolli, sel-appointed “Envoy to Italy” who has tried to sneak Italy back into the World Cup, even though they clearly did not qualify.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Who’s Quacking?; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• SkeptiCamp 2026 applications open!
  • SITPO: https://sitp.online/skepticamp/
  • ESC Liverpool: https://escliverpool.org/

0:03:25 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 28 June 1818: Italian astrophysicist Angelo Secchi was born
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Secchi

0:10:38 NEWS

• EUROPE / WORLD: European heatwave / El Niño officially under way
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/23/searing-uk-heat-leaves-schools-hospitals-and-transport-networks-struggling-to-cope
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jun/23/electricity-prices-jump-in-europe-as-demands-soars-in-the-heatwave
  • Omni: https://omni.se/68-000-hushall-utan-strom-i-franska-rekordhettan/a/RjoO2a
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jun/23/europe-heatwave-live-news-updates-uk-red-temperature-warnings-40-degrees-france-heat-deaths-crisis-meeting
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75ylx7g00xo
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jun/18/earth-black-box-climate-apocalypse-tasmania-australia
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/24/uk-records-hottest-june-day
• AUSTRIA: Study links authoritarian attitudes to belief in Anthroposophic medicine
  • PLOS: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0348672
• EUROPE / WORLD: Is EU falling for the great replacement theory?
  • Omni: https://omni.se/det-har-handlar-asylpakten-om-som-hogerparlamentariker-ropade-om-i-eu/a/e7dna9
  • Sydsvenskan: https://etidning.sydsvenskan.se/p/sydsvenskan-malmo-del-b/2026-06-24/a/ministrar-pekades-ut-som-forradare-i-sd-podd/2807/2298254/73396384

0:30:06 REALLY RIGHT

• Really Right: EU has eased restrictions on crops developed using CRISPR
  • DW: https://www.dw.com/en/crispr-gene-editing-for-crops-precision-tool-or-new-risk/a-77579053

0:33:48 WHO’S QUACKING?

• Italy: Paulo Zampolli, self-appointed envoy of Trump, has tried everything to sneak Italy into the World Cup
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/apr/23/italy-iran-usa-world-cup-andrea-abodi-paolo-zampolli-donald-trump
  • Il Post: https://www.ilpost.it/2026/04/23/zampolli-ripescaggio-italia-mondiali-calcio/
  • Open: https://www.open.online/2026/05/25/italia-ripescata-mondiali-congo-ebola/
  • La Gazetta dello Sport: https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Mondiali/21-05-2026/zampolli-sull-italia-al-mondiale-oltre-all-iran-anche-il-congo-a-rischio.shtml

0:39:31 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Skepticism is inherent to the scientific attitude. For this reason, a tension and ambivalence have arisen when science has sought to explain the world.”
/ Gunnar Eriksson (13 July 1931 – 17 June 2024), Swedish Historian of Science. /

0:40:57 OUTRO

0:42:20 OUT-TAKES