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We were so ready for vacation that we were late with this episode. And just in time for ::checks notes:: late summer, it's the horror special! First Joseph and Fintan discuss the mysterious Le Blob, which Le Monde reports is heading to space to either star in a new horror flick or begin a reality show featuring its 750 sexes, or to show how zero-G affects a multicellular organism that acts unlike any other type of creature on Earth. Then Joseph turns us to the historical regions of Silesia and Lusatia, and he gives a rundown of the incredible growing coal mine called Turów, which is creeping towards the Czech border from Poland, and which has caused a diplomatic and cross-border dust-up that still isn't really resolved. In the midst of all of this, the continent appears to be burning from all sides because of the very fossil fuels that coal mines produce. It's a doozy. We'll see you in a few weeks' time after we get some relaxation in! Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: Le Blob: https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2021/08/10/le-blob-creature-a-nulle-autre-pareille-s-apprete-a-embarquer-a-bord-de-l-iss_6091075_1650684.html Barbara Oksińska's article in Rzeczpospolita: https://www.rp.pl/Wegiel/307199945-Kopalnia-Turow-rozpoczela-walke--o-przetrwanie.html https://www.money.pl/gospodarka/kopalnia-turow-czechy-przedstawiaja-projekt-umowy-6650661350767520a.html https://www.rmf24.pl/raporty/raport-kopalnia-turow/news-spor-o-kopalnie-w-turowie-zaplanowano-kolejna-ture-rozmow,nId,5418221#crp_state=1 https://www.odbory-sho.cz/clanky/aktuality-ve-zkratce.html https://www.lidovky.cz/domov/cilem-ohledne-dolu-turow-je-dohoda-ne-soudni-cesta-shodli-se-polsky-i-cesky-ministr.A210617_115821_ln_zahranici_lijk https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/regiony/2962778-preshranicni-spoluprace-cechu-a-polaku-chce-zjistit-jak-skodliva-muze-byt-dulni-voda https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780081005521000014

Fintan takes us to the Netherlands, where a new method of measuring the performance of academics is about to be trialled. Will it deflate the impact factor rating system? Also: Joseph describes an investigative news story about drug companies finding loopholes in EU regulations to charge exorbitant fees to consumers, with patients of rare diseases being the most affected. Also, our hosts breathe a collective sigh of relief that today's Olympians don't have to deal with sports medicine from the Games of Antiquity. Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Fintan's article on German research strategy: https://sciencebusiness.net/news/german-researchers-draw-demands-incoming-science-minister Charlie Haynes' and Flora Carmichael's feature on the Fazze YouTuber scam case: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57928647 Sources: Investigative reporting by Michele Catanzaro and Astrid Viciano: https://www.elperiodico.com/es/cuaderno/20210723/enfermedades-raras-negocio-farmaceuticas-precios-afectados-testimonios-11933040 https://www.acm.nl/en/publications/acm-imposes-fine-drug-manufacturer-leadiant-cdcas-excessive-price Hedwig Fossen on "Erkennen en waarderen": https://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/academici-soebatten-over-de-vraag-hoe-je-meet-dat-een-wetenschapper-goed-scoort-publicaties-of-iets-anders~bce65cfe/ Opposition to "Erkennen en waarderen": https://www.scienceguide.nl/2021/07/nieuwe-erkennen-en-waarderen-schaadt-nederlandse-wetenschap/ https://twitter.com/SciTransitYoung/status/1418497730893201409?s=20 Signatories of Hanneke Hulke's counter-petition against the opposition: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jbRnVUZogKjk_mItTriQtotv775ucCX1LrrQ3_1JuKg/edit https://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/fileadmin/content/archiv2012/Heft_1/online/Geschichte_Arndt.pdf

The biggest science story in Europe right now is without a doubt the tragic, extensive flooding that has struck the Rhineland, Limburg, the Meuse Valley, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Climate change is striking the world hard in 2021, and we talk about the physical and meteorological phenomena it has affected to cause the devastating rains that have claimed hundreds of lives. But also a huge story in Germany is the controversial "luca" app, a privately developed contact tracer that has come to challenge the government-developed contact tracing app Corona-Warn while also bringing along a boatload of controversy. When the hackers are mad, you'd better watch out. Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.dw.com/de/400-millionen-euro-f%C3%BCr-die-hochwasser-opfer/a-58572105 https://www.dw.com/de/schuldzuweisungen-und-hoffnung-auf-hilfe/a-58321963 https://www.dw.com/de/vorher-nachher-bilder-der-flutkatastrophe/a-58296828 https://www.dw.com/de/zwischen-bangen-hoffen-und-aufr%C3%A4umen/a-58311422 https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/klimawandel-oder-nur-wetter-was-die-wissenschaft-dazu-sagt.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1281103 https://www.online-handelsregister.de/handelsregisterauszug/be/Charlottenburg-Berlin/HRB/220081B/culture4life-GmbH https://www.luca-app.de/ https://praxistipps.chip.de/luca-app-kritik-datenschutz-so-sicher-ist-die-luca-app_131927 https://www.zeit.de/digital/2021-05/luca-app-gesundheitsaemter-hackerangriff-risiko-kontaktverfolgung-coronavirus https://twitter.com/evawolfangel/status/1371035535066730500?lang=en https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/audio/audio-104877.html https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/corona-app-luca-smudo-konzerte-sind-der-grosse-endgegner.807.de.html?dram:article_id=493362 Marcus Feilner's open letter to the Regensburg city administration: https://www.regensburg-digital.de/warnen-sie-ihre-buergerinnen-und-buerger-vor-der-luca-app/12052021/ The open letter from the 77 computer scientists: https://digikoletter.github.io/ https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/1394D/production/_119250208_optimised_covid_asmr-nc.png https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/6A45/production/_119250272_optimised_map_child_mortality_1851-nc.png

Fitting that an episode with a Venetian setting just has water running all through it. Fintan describes how Antarctic architecture became a feature of this year's Venice Biennale, including a description of a soundscape that frankly sounds terrifying. Meanwhile, Joseph describes political shenanigans in newly populist Slovenia concerning water policy and tells the story of the dynamic Frisian coastline and its Google Doodle. Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.fgg.uni-lj.si/stalisce-fakultete-za-gradbenistvo-in-geodezijo-v-zvezi-z-novelo-zakona-o-vodah/ https://www.delo.si/novice/slovenija/novela-zakona-o-vodah-za-svet-za-varovanje-okolja-pri-sazu-nesprejemljiva/ https://www.rtvslo.si/okolje/referendum-2021/zagovorniki-in-nasprotniki-novele-zakona-o-vodah-tudi-pri-predsedniku-trdno-na-svojih-bregovih/585992 https://siol.net/novice/slovenija/aljosa-petek-sprememb-tako-pomembnega-zakona-se-je-treba-lotiti-preudarno-in-s-pravocasno-vkljucitvijo-stroke-556045 Text of the 2002 Water Act: http://pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO1244 https://www.slovenec.org/2021/04/21/37-clen-zakona-o-vodah-razdvaja-drzavljane/ The river Fintan refers to as the "Amazon of Europe" is the Mura. http://www.amazon-of-europe.com/en/mura-news/ https://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2021 https://www.corriere.it/cronache/21_giugno_20/per-prima-volta-l-antartide-biennale-venezia-mente-progetto-italiana-d5010852-d18d-11eb-8606-3988c0360a13.shtml https://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2021/across-borders/giulia-foscari-and-unless Giulia Foscari's book Antarctic Resolution: https://www.lars-mueller-publishers.com/antarctic-resolution https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-the-wadden-sea Map of the Frisian coast in 1240 (with the modern coastline in red): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Nordfriesland_um_1240.jpg/1024px-Nordfriesland_um_1240.jpg

The potential pandemic threats special! Just what Fintan wants to hear after a year and a half of COVID. Plus we report on a Twitter protest among young researchers in Germany and an odd incentive for vaccinations in the Netherlands. In his enthusiasm, Joseph forgets that maybe vegetarians and vegans wouldn't be too keen on said incentive. (Sorry 'bout that.) Bonus banter: the IKEA "crunch", herding swans, and Fintan learns he'd never make it in the Deep South's heat. Correction: link to the vaccine incentives article was in The Guardian, not the BBC. The original Dutch article is posted below. Sorry for the error! Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/twitter-aktion-ichbinhanna-protest-gegen-zeitvertragsgesetz.676.de.html?dram:article_id=498792 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00215/full https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgZevYGOKXU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhfRtz-FRxg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoSDCpgzKnc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSINe4rLbiE https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-swinefever-idUSKBN2BE1EX https://apnews.com/article/germany-europe-denmark-6e193cf238a2a84789d66c5fa31c0221 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-19/germany-tops-1-000-swine-fever-cases-as-disease-fight-drags-on https://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/Huehnerhaltung-Ist-bio-wirklich-besser,tierhaltung138.html https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/gesundheit/fipronil-im-huehnerstall-spur-im-eier-skandal-fuehrt-nach-rumaenien-15136646.html https://www.wetgiw.gov.pl/main/komunikaty/Komunikat-Glownego-Lekarza-Weterynarii-dotyczacy-stwierdzenia-336.-w-2021-r.-ogniska-wysoce-zjadliwej-grypy-ptakow-HPAI-u-drobiu/idn:1744 http://www.portalhodowcy.pl/images/Mapki/HD_mapka_PG.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/16/is-polands-chicken-boom-behind-its-devastating-bird-flu-outbreak https://m.haarlemsdagblad.nl/cnt/DMF20210616_99365160?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic

Fintan describes a protest among scientists regarding English as the lingua franca for research publishing. Also discussed: the climactic Shell decision in the Netherlands and an attempt to spread misinformation in the EU about COVID vaccines that appears to have fallen flat while causing a minor international incident. Oops. Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi Fintan Burke: @SciFintan COVID-19 Forecast Hub: https://covid19forecasthub.eu/visualisation.html Sources: https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/historische-uitspraak-in-klimaatzaak-shell-moet-co2-uitstoot-drastisch-verminderen~b27cd4be/ https://www.dw.com/en/covid-disinformation-campaign-targeted-biontech-pfizer/a-57702440 https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2021/05/24/des-youtubeurs-francais-incites-a-denigrer-le-vaccin-contre-le-covid-19-de-pfizer-biontech_6081312_4408996.html https://adawis.de/start/ https://www.academia.edu/46449232/Open_letter_to_De_Gruyter_concerning_English_only_language_policy_for_Trends_in_Classics_Book_Prize_for_early_career_researcher https://www.jmwiarda.de/2021/05/25/das-ist-inakzeptabel/

(CW: some gruesome talk about very unfortunate minks.) This week we delve into the topic that everyone loves to hate: COVID-19, of course. But we do it by way of minks and Russia’s flagship vaccine programme. Plus Fintan has a story related to why we made this podcast in the first place: science and language.  Follow us on Twitter! 50 Ways to Say Science: @50waysscipod Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi  Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-denmark-mink-factbox-idUSKBN27L1KH https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54818615 https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/nu-laver-raadne-mink-stroem-til-danskerne-det-lugter-af-husholdningsaffald-som-det https://www.rfi.fr/en/europe/20210322-putin-hits-back-at-strange-eu-criticism-of-sputnik-v-vaccine-thierry-breton https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31866-3/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00234-8/fulltext https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1108 https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/05/06/vasiliy-vlassov-sputnik-v-and-russias-covid-19-vaccine-race/ https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n743 https://cattiviscienziati.com/2020/09/07/note-of-concern/ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00899-0/fulltext https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-starts-rolling-review-sputnik-v-covid-19-vaccine https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/slowakei-sputnik-101.html https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-sputnik-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-hot-steak/ https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/11/russia-s-claim-successful-covid-19-vaccine-doesn-t-pass-smell-test-critics-say https://theconversation.com/russian-covid-vaccine-why-more-and-more-countries-are-turning-to-sputnik-v-159158 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/10/russias-sputnik-v-covid-vaccine-gaining-acceptance-in-europe https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2021/05/14/oerknal-dat-is-pas-klare-taal-a4043596

On this second pilot for 50 Ways to Say Science, Joseph gives a rundown of Russia’s proposed exit from the International Space Station. Fintan talks about butterflies that are running into problems with climate change in the Austrian Alps. (Recorded: 5 May 2021) Follow us on Twitter! Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi  Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/apr/22/russia-well-leave-international-space-station-and-build-our-own https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/fears-of-frost-damage-in-french-vineyards-456120/ https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1380891759652265986 https://www.derstandard.at/consent/tcf/story/2000126195586/ein-drittel-der-schmetterlinge-ist-in-den-letzten-40-jahren https://www.euronews.com/2021/05/01/world-s-first-pregnant-mummy-discovered-in-poland

In the first pilot episode of 50 Ways to Say Science, Fintan explains how and why a crate of expensive French wine took a round trip to the International Space Station. Joseph shows how Europe, much like the Americas, has to deal with the infamous polar vortex. Joseph sounds like he’s in a tin can thanks to sound problems on the podcast’s maiden voyage. C’est la vie…. (Recorded: 8 April 2021) Follow us on Twitter! Joseph Piergrossi: @JWPiergrossi  Fintan Burke: @SciFintan Sources: https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/24/chateau-petrus-does-a-case-of-top-notch-bordeaux-really-taste-different-after-being-in-spa https://www.varsom.no/nytt/snorapporter-fra-nve/snoforhold-i-pasken-2021/ https://www.severe-weather.eu/europe-weather/historic-cold-blast-europe-snow-easter-sunday-mk/ https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/29/7/jcli-d-15-0499.1.xml https://www.euronews.com/2021/04/02/how-melting-arctic-ice-is-driving-more-snow-over-europe https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2020JD033881 https://www.spektrum.de/news/zusammenbruch-des-polarwirbels-bringt-eisigen-winter-nach-europa/1818383 https://www.dw.com/en/cold-winter-global-warming-polar-vortex/a-56534450 https://www.thelocal.de/20210406/wacky-weather-snow-and-freezing-temperatures-come-to-germany-after-easter/

50 Ways to Say Science is a podcast about science news across the European continent. Join science writers Fintan Burke and Joseph Piergrossi as they explore the science happening on the world’s crossroads that is Europe, focusing on stories that might not have made it to English-language media. Episodes are posted every other week!