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Every Swede has celebrated Valborg (Walpurgis / Walpurga) this week although no one really knows why, and András reports from Sicily on volcanic activities. In TWISH we hear about Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a theologian so controversial that popes nowadays still cannot agree on what to think of him. Then it’s time for this week’s news:

• INTERNATIONAL: How local communities shaped ‘Cranky Uncle Vaccine’ game
• SWEDEN / UK: Computer game in school made students better at detecting fake news
• UK: The role of religion in COVID-19 vaccine uptake
• UK: SCAM diet almost killed a former model
• EU: Investigations of misinformation on Meta platforms ahead of June EP elections

Vaccination efforts have saved over 150 million lives over the last 50 years, and therefore Maurice Hilleman gets a Really Right Award as a representative of those who dedicate their lives to the cause.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:53 GREETINGS

• Happy Walpurgis Night
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night
• Sicily and vulcanoes
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcano
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Etna
• Sign up for ESC 2024 in Lyon!
  • ECSO: https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/

0:08:45 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 1 May 1881: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a controversial figure of science and theology
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin

0:14:10 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: How local communities shaped ‘Cranky Uncle Vaccine’ game
  • Cranky Uncle Vaccine: https://crankyunclevaccine.org/
  • Vaccines Today: https://www.vaccinestoday.eu/stories/how-local-communities-shaped-cranky-uncle-vaccine-game/
  • Peb Med: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38146161/
• SWEDEN / UK: Computer game in school made students better at detecting fake news
  • Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240424111604.htm
• UK: The role of religion in COVID-19 vaccine uptake
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/religion-and-covid-19-methodists-and-church-of-england-followers-more-likely-to-have-been-vaccinated-than-muslims-and-pentecostals-228539
• UK: SCAM diet almost killed a former model
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2024/04/gerson-diet-almost-killed-a-former-model/
  • Sky: https://news.sky.com/story/former-model-almost-died-trying-to-cure-cancer-with-juice-diet-13118685
• EU: Investigations of misinformation on Meta platforms ahead of June EP elections
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/29/eu-to-investigate-meta-over-election-misinformation-ahead-of-june-polls

0:34:02 REALLY RIGHT

• Really Right: WHO study says vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years. Maurice Hilleman developed over 40 vaccines during his career and gets this week’s Really Right Award
  • WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2024-global-immunization-efforts-have-saved-at-least-154-million-lives-over-the-past-50-years
  • VoF: https://www.vof.se/blogg/maurice-hilleman-en-okand-hjalte-2/

0:37:38 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“I think it’s only natural that an astronomer is not indifferent to astrology. Because it simply goes against everything they do, believe and work on.”
/ Iván Almár (21 April 1932 – ), Hungarian astronomer who proposed the San Marino Scale as a means of assessing risks related to extraterrestrial communication. /

0:39:49 OUTRO

0:41:04 OUT-TAKES