We start with some listener feedback from Poland and a short follow-up regarding last week’s report on pet whisperers. In TWISH we hear about Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, a German astronomer, physicist and mathematician whose way of thinking still influences both scientific rigor and skepticism today.
Then, we take a look at the news:
- INTERNATIONAL: New weather-related threat: Forecast prediction scams
- HUNGARY: Chief Medical Officer issues statement to warn against use of ivermectin and the like as cancer cure
- SCANDINAVIA: Forget the Vikings? Postdoctoral fellow critical of image portrayed by museums of the Viking era
The Really Wrong Award goes to BB Gårda, a so-called “Birth Center” in Sweden and the idea that such centers would be a positive development.
Enjoy!
Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
0:00:27 INTRO
0:00:50 GREETINGS
- Listener feedback: Polish state media also apologized for their propaganda
- Short follow-up regarding Pet Whisperers
0:07:16 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY
- 22 July 1784: German astronomer, physicist and mathematician Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel was born
0:16:09 NEWS
- INTERNATIONAL: New weather-related threat: Forecast prediction scams
- MIT Technology Review: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/17/1140622/weather-data-sabotage/
- HUNGARY: Chief Medical Officer issues statement to warn against use of ivermectin and the like as cancer cure
- SCANDINAVIA: Forget the Vikings? Postdoctoral fellow critical of image portrayed by museums of the Viking era
0:33:03 REALLY WRONG
- Really Wrong: ‘Birth center’ reported for death of newborn baby
0:42:03 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
-
“
Science may be described as the art of systematic over-simplification — the art of discerning what we may with advantage omit.”
/ Karl Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994), Austrian–British philosopher, academic and social commentator. /
0:43:33 OUTRO
0:44:56 OUT-TAKES