In TWISH this week we look into the achievements of James Watt who made a whole lot of things, despite not inventing the steam engine. Then of course, there’s the news:
- ITALY: Government reverses appointment of vaccine hesitant members to National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group
- ITALY: The Natural Trap: How Conspiracy Beliefs Shape Our Health Choices
- SWEDEN: Renewed warning – Insulin instead of Ozempic in online orders
- SWEDEN: Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson under fire for using AI in role
- EUROPE: Hot summer: Deaths, fires and evacuations
The Center for Trial and Error gets this week’s Really Right Award for encouraging the publishing of negative studies.
Enjoy!
Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
0:00:27 INTRO
0:00:51 GREETINGS
0:04:39 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY
- 25 August 1819: Death of James Watt
- Creatures of Thought: https://technicshistory.com/2021/08/22/james-watt-instrument-maker/
0:13:26 NEWS
- ITALY: Government reverses appointment of vaccine hesitant members to National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group
- BMJ: https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1710
- Query Online: https://www.queryonline.it/2025/08/06/gruppo-tecnico-consultivo-nazionale-sulle-vaccinazioni-nitag-il-cicap-esprime-forti-perplessita-sulla-sua-composizione/
- Il Post: https://www.ilpost.it/2025/08/16/nitag-vaccini-revocato-schillaci/
- Il Sole 24: https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/the-vaccines-committee-mess-backward-step-schillaci-and-majority-clash-what-happened-AHez4jCC
- ITALY: The Natural Trap: How Conspiracy Beliefs Shape Our Health Choices
- SWEDEN: Renewed warning – Insulin instead of Ozempic in online orders
- SWEDEN: Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson under fire for using AI in role
- EUROPE: Hot summer: Deaths, fires and evacuations
- Sydsvenskan: https://etidning.sydsvenskan.se/shared/article/forskare-varmeboljor-kommer-att-sla-till-tidigare/XRo-t-N9
- Omni: https://omni.se/over-1000-spanska-dodsfall-pa-grund-av-extremhettan/a/3M2yvP
- the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/19/wildfire-smoke-far-more-dangerous-than-thought-say-scientists
0:41:18 REALLY RIGHT
- Really Right: The Center for Trial and Error
- Trial and Error: https://trialanderror.org/
0:45:11 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
-
“
We are always dealing with dirty data. The trick is to do it with a clean mind.”
/ Michael Gregg , American computer security expert, author, and educator known for his leadership in public- and private-sector cybersecurity initiatives. /
0:47:12 OUTRO
0:48:35 OUT-TAKES