18-Nov-2025
Recognizing scientific nonsense
BfR Federal Institute for Risk AssessmentReports and Proceedings
Science still “sells” well on the internet. Influencers regularly hold scientific studies up to the camera, especially on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. But if you take a closer look, in many cases these studies do not prove what is being said at all, according to science journalists Maximilian Doeckel and Jonathan Focke in the latest episode of the BfR science podcast “Risiko” (‘Risk’). As the “Quarks Science Cops” in the WDR podcast of the same name, the two regularly expose scientific nonsense. This often involves supposedly hazardous substances in food and cosmetics – or even food supplements. The German-language “Risiko” podcast is part of the BfR’s public relations work and, in line with its legal mandate, aims to educate the public about health risks, looking beyond the scope of its own research. In the new episode, the “Science Cops” explain how they personally use humour and their scientific training to track down “charlatans” and expose their dubious methods.