TheESP – Ep. #244 – Go Women in Science!

This week we start by celebrating that several women received the Nobel Prize this year. Well deserved and a good trend! We also look at the latest Global warming news delivered by Copernicus. We may need to find another planet to live on… In this week in history we get nostalgic about QED which was supposed to happen this week, but hey, we have many fond memories from previous years to look back on!

Then we dive into the news:

• New pre-bunking online game GoViral to be used to counter COVID-misinformation
• Surveys in different countries reveal many young people lack basic knowledge about the Holocaust
• Homeopathy no longer exclusive to pharmacies in Norway
• Latest attempts to legitimize homeopathy in Austria
• 46% of Hungarians would not get vaccinated against COVID
• The most compelling evidence for the existence of Nessie yet?
• Most ambitious climate law voted on by European Parliament
• EarthShot Prize for solutions to global climate issues

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• INTERNATIONAL: Nobel Prizes – Big step for Women in Science (and Europe)
  • the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54439150
  • the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54432589
  • Science Alert: https://www.sciencealert.com/two-women-make-history-in-a-nobel-prize-for-development-of-crispr
  • The Nobel Foundation: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2020/prize-announcement/
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/nobel-prize-who-gets-left-out-147759
• INTERNATIONAL: Hottest September ever – EUs Copernicus programme
  • : https://time.com/5897260/hottest-september-record-climate-change/
• SPACE: Never mind, there might be a better place for us to live than Earth (?)
  • : https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2019.2161

0:11:14 THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

• This week in 2016, 2017 and 2018: QED Conference in Manchester
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QED_(conference)
  • Klopt dat wel (Stichting Skepsis): https://kloptdatwel.nl/2016/12/02/verslag-qed-2016/
  • Nominate for the Ockham Awards: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/about/the-ockham-awards/ockham-awards-2020-nomination-form/

0:15:01 NEWS

• UK: New pre-bunking online game GoViral to be used to counter COVID-misinformation
  • Go Viral: https://www.goviralgame.com/en
• INTERNATIONAL: Surveys in different countries reveal many young people lack basic knowledge about the Holocaust
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/many-young-people-still-lack-basic-knowledge-of-the-holocaust-146937
• NORWAY: Homeopathy no longer exclusive to pharmacies
  • Aftenposten: https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/oARx7K/ny-regel-fra-nyttaar-skal-homeopatiske-legemidler-ogsaa-selges-i-butikk
• AUSTRIA: Latest attempts to legitimize homeopathy
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/10/homeopathy-prolongs-survival-of-lung-cancer-patients-can-it-be-true/
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/10/another-attempt-to-white-wash-the-evidence-on-homeopathy/
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/10/massive-independent-study-shows-homeopathy-patients-are-dramatically-better-off-than-conventional-patients/
• HUNGARY: 46% of Hungarians would not get vaccinated against COVID
  • IPSOS: https://www.ipsos.com/en/three-four-adults-globally-say-theyd-get-vaccine-covid-19
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-the-three-types-of-vaccine-hesitancy-authorities-need-to-combat-146730
  • IPSOS Hungary: https://www.ipsos.com/hu-hu/akkor-kerjuk-vedooltast-ha-ingyenes-lesz
• SCOTLAND: The most compelling evidence for the existence of Nessie yet?
  • The Express: https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1344825/loch-ness-monster-found-sonar-image-scottish-highland-nessie-dna-giant-eel-spt
  • The Express: https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1344880/loch-ness-monster-discovery-odds-paddy-power-nessie-sighting
• EU: Most ambitious climate law voted on by European Parliament
  • European Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201002IPR88431/eu-climate-law-meps-want-to-increase-2030-emissions-reduction-target-to-60
  • European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/energy/bloc-2a.html
• INTERNATIONAL: EarthShot Prize for solutions to global climate issues
  • the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54435638

0:53:02 REALLY WRONG

• Scandinavian scientific(?) paper promoting Intelligent Design
  • Retraction Watch: https://retractionwatch.com/2020/10/07/elsevier-journal-disavows-but-does-not-retract-paper-on-intelligent-design/
  • Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022519320302071
  • Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002251932030312X

0:59:41 RADIO SPOTS

• the Skeptic Zone: https://www.skepticzone.tv/
• GSOW – Guerilla Skepticism on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Gerbic#Guerrilla_Skepticism_on_Wikipedia

1:02:00 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
“Those who fall in love with practice without science are like a sailor who enters a ship without a helm or a compass, and who never can be certain whither he is going.”
/ Leonardo da Vinci (14/15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519), Italian polymath of the High Renaissance /

1:03:22 OUTRO
1:04:37 OUT-TAKES