narcissism

James Watson died, and brilliant as his contribution to science was, he also had some very problematic views on race and women. The Church of Scientology seems to be in decline even if they try their best to deny it, claiming huge (but questionable) numbers on their recent big conference. We are happily surprised to see a very nice article about ourselves in the Skeptical Inquirer (thanks Susan!) and in TWISH we hear about the founding of the Pasteur Institute and what an impact it has had on science. Then, let’s look at the news:

• UK: TikTok trend makes men seek unnecessary testosterone treatments
• UK: The BBC crisis
• INTERNATIONAL: Paracetamol revisited – still not linked to autism
• FRANCE: Climate disinformation goes mainstream
• INTERNATIONAL: Trolls and narcissism

Watch out for ‘Black Fraud Day’ whose many scammers get this week’s prize for being Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

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

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• James Watson dies
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8xdypnz32o
• Scientology gathering in the UK
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/09/east-grinstead-hosts-scientology-uk-headquarters-event-tom-cruise
• Great article in Skeptical Inquirer by Susan Gerbic re our 500th episode
  • Skeptical Inquirer: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/european-skeptics-podcast-records-500th-episode/

0:15:16 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 14 November 1888: The Pasteur Institute opens
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteur_Institute

0:23:11 NEWS

• UK: TikTok trend makes men seek unnecessary testosterone treatments
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/08/social-media-misinformation-driving-men-to-nhs-clinics-in-search-of-testosterone-they-dont-need
• UK: The BBC crisis
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/09/why-is-the-bbc-expected-to-apologise-over-a-donald-trump-speech-edit
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-has-the-bbcs-director-general-resigned-and-what-could-happen-next-269408
• INTERNATIONAL: Paracetamol revisited – still not linked to autism
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/nov/10/no-link-between-paracetamol-tylenol-in-pregnancy-and-autism-or-adhd-in-children-review-finds
  • BMJ: https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-088141
• FRANCE: Climate disinformation goes mainstream
  • Quota Climat: https://quotaclimat.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Mapping-climate-disinformation-France-Brazil-medias-october-2025.pdf
• INTERNATIONAL: Trolls and narcissism
  • Taylor & Francis: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0144929X.2025.2547922
  • PsyPost: https://www.psypost.org/the-psychology-of-a-troll-may-start-with-a-specific-type-of-envy/

0:52:10 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Black Fraud Day
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/nov/09/black-friday-scams-ai-fake-sites

0:57:37 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Science belongs to no one, so naturally no one has the right to determine what is official and what is not! In science, the value of insights and discoveries is determined by independent verification, proof, and integration into the system of scientific knowledge. In pseudoscientific manipulations, it is precisely this independent verification, the satisfactory and scientifically rigorous proof of claims, that is lacking.”
/ Mihály Beck (14 November 1929 – 31 July 2017), Hungarian chemist, historian of science, university professor, and full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Beck was a co-founder of the first Hungarian skeptical group called ‘Society of the Respecters of Facts’ and author of several books on the contrast between science and pseudoscience. /

1:01:11 OUTRO

1:02:33 OUT-TAKES