Ukraine

This week celebrates the launch of Dr Who way back in 1963, the longest running TV-show in history, and a special favourite for many skeptics. For the news we look into the following:

• INTERNATIONAL: Updated evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines
• HUNGARY: Parliament votes to issue general ban on artificial meat products
• RUSSIA / UKRAINE: Every fifth Russian believes the sun revolves around the earth
• NETHERLANDS: Vaccine skepticism linked to trust in institutions and susceptibility to misinformation

We hand out a Really Right Award to the Swedish Government for removing state support for Jehovah’s Witnesses and in Who’s Quacking? we examine the pseudoscience of Spanish neuroscientist Álex Gómez Marín.

Enjoy!

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

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• Blue dogs of Chernobyl
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blue-dogs-chernobyl/

0:07:11 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 23 November 1963: Doctor Who airs for the first time
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

0:22:28 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: Updated evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and influenza vaccines
  • Skeptical Raptor: https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/study-shows-safety-and-efficacy-of-rsv-flu-covid-vaccines/
  • New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa2514268
• HUNGARY: Parliament votes to issue general ban on artificial meat products
  • Telex: https://telex.hu/english/2025/11/18/hungarian-parliament-votes-to-ban-artificial-meat
• RUSSIA / UKRAINE: Every fifth Russian believes the sun revolves around the earth
  • UNN: https://unn.ua/en/news/every-fifth-russian-believes-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth-svr
• NETHERLANDS: Vaccine skepticism linked to trust in institutions and susceptibility to misinformation
  • Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-21452-1

0:44:01 REALLY RIGHT

• Really Right: Sweden: Jehovah’s Witnesses finally loses state support
  • Sveriges Radio: https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/jehovas-vittnen-forlorar-statsbidrag-utesluter-homosexuella
  • Sveriges Radio: https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/trossamfund-forlorar-statsbidrag
  • Dagen: https://web.archive.org/web/20200106181128/https://www.dagen.se/nyheter/jehovas-vittnen-far-ratt-till-statsbidrag-efter-tolv-ar-1.1608935
  • Episode 196: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-196.html

0:47:55 WHO’S QUACKING?

• Álex Gómez Marín: Neuroscientist looking for the afterlife
  • El País: https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-10-27/the-neuroscientist-who-had-a-near-death-experience-and-now-investigates-the-afterlife-theres-no-evidence-it-doesnt-exist.html
  • Behaviour of Organisms: https://behavior-of-organisms.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/gomezmarin-onsheldrake80th.pdf

0:55:37 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Us researchers are the ones who must fill the gaps out there, those of civil society and social issues with science. Otherwise, the charlatans will get there first.”
/ Elena Cattaneo (22 October 1962 – ), Italian pharmacologist and co-founding director of the University of Milan’s Center for Stem Cell Research. On 30 August 2013, she was appointed senator for life in the Italian Parliament. /

0:57:05 OUTRO

0:58:28 OUT-TAKES