Superpowers are the expert knowledge that more than 3,000 malditas and malditos share with us to fight hoaxes. Thanks to them, we are more effective in the fight against disinformation, debunking false claims and explaining the doubts that citizens send us.
This project, made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), has allowed us to increase by 22% the number of women experts registered in our superpowers community. Almost 70% of these new members are STEM experts and, thanks to their participation, during the project our collaborations with members of the superpowers community have been gender-balanced. We have compiled the collaborations from the Superpoderosas project: from taking part in Q&A sessions and answering questions from the community, to contributing to debunks of myths and hoaxes… and even participating in Twitch streams and podcasts.
Superpoderosas on Twitch and TikTok
The Superpoderosas have taken part in around ten episodes of Maldita Twitchería, where they told us, among other things, about their work in science communication, their career paths, their views on the use of technology in the classroom, and what they do to encourage more women to study STEM fields and help reduce the gender gap. In the same format, we also streamed six live “Science Helpdesk” sessions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), where we answered questions sent by the community through social media.
The collaboration of the Superpoderosas also helped us resolve twelve questions on our TikTok account, debunking hoaxes related to science, the environment and health. Llanlle Millán, nuclear physicist and radiation technologist, for example, helped us use her superpowers to debunk the hoax claiming that the WHO had ordered the world to “prepare for a nuclear war.” Meanwhile, the superpoderosas Soraya Calvo, Silvia Catalán, Francisca Molero and Irene Martínez also helped us address common doubts and myths about masturbation.
@malditobulo #greenscreen Las #malditassuperpoderosas Soraya Calvo, Silvia Catalán y Francisca Molero resuelven tus dudas más comunes sobre El Temita ™️ de la m4sturb4ción #aprendeentiktok #quenotelacuelen #salud #mitos ♬ Neon Bass - Tangelene Bolton
More than 250 Superpoderosas collaborations and partnerships with scientific societies and universities
We know that together it is harder for them to fool us. That is why, thanks to “Superpoderosas”, we have created partnerships with seven scientific and medical societies so that their experts can also take part in the process of debunking and contextualizing hoaxes, as well as contributing to science and technology content by sharing their knowledge to support science communication.
The participation of the Superpoderosas in Maldita.es has been essential for the development of our work over the past months. Since the start of the project, they have helped us on more than 250 occasions: in over 185 published articles, as well as through appearances on Twitch streams, TikTok videos and in the Superpoderosas podcast.
Superpoderosas, the podcast
This project has also allowed us to launch Superpoderosas, Maldita.es’ podcast about women in science and technology. Across four episodes, we talked with four women experts from our community about science communication, their day-to-day work, and a major challenge in their field: the role of women in academia and the importance of a gender perspective in science. You can listen to all the episodes on Spotify or Ivoox.
Our guests were:
- Ángela Nieto, biochemist and cell biologist, and researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Miguel Hernández University.
- Marta Macho Stadler, PhD in Mathematics and mathematics professor at the University of the Basque Country, author of the blog Mujeres con Ciencia, from the same university.
- Lorena Fernández, expert in gender perspective in technology with a focus on artificial intelligence, and Director of Digital Identity at the University of Deusto.
- María José Calderón, theoretical condensed matter physicist at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid, part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
In addition to the necessary presence of women’s perspectives in the media, a greater presence of women experts also helps create role models for younger generations and encourages them to maintain their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. Increasing the diversity of voices in the media is one of the goals of this project, which is why Superpoderosas does not end here: if you are not yet part of this initiative, we invite you to join so that together we can continue the fight against disinformation and make it harder for them to fool us.