A new initiative to explain scientific concepts to a Maltese audience has been launched online during 2021. For the first time, scientific news articles are being published in Maltese in an effort to redress online misinformation and disinformation. Contemporary scientific themes include the COVID-19 pandemic and global climate change.
The initiative called ‘Hekk Hu’ (meaning ‘That’s it!’ In Maltese), was originally launched on facebook and more recently can also be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. The idea behind the social media profile ‘Hekk Hu’ was to facilitate understanding of scientific concepts and the sharing of science news articles in Maltese.
The team behind ‘Hekk Hu’ is a group of professionals having different backgrounds. These include John Paul Cauchi, a medical doctor specialised in public health and climate change, Clint Mizzi, a bioinformatician specialised on human genetics, Jordy Borg a medical doctor and front liner, Gabrielle Zammit, a University of Malta academic with a specialisation in microbiology and Charles Cassar, a lawyer specialised in financial regulation and a natural born communicator.
The group has been publishing brief informative articles since January 2021. All articles are in Maltese and include a list of linked scientific references from reputable sources that followers are able to verify online. Short video clips and infographics are also included as visual aids. Live interviews with experts have also been conducted in an effort to explain scientific concepts to the concerned public.
Articles posted recently endeavoured to explain the preventive measures applied to control the spread of COVID-19, the evolution of different SARS-CoV-2 variants, the efficacy of vaccines in limiting the spread of disease and the different factors contributing to global climate change, among others.
Hekk Hu is run on a completely voluntary basis. The team appreciates support in its efforts to educate and inform the public about scientific topics, so please send a message to let us know if you have any questions about a scientific theme that needs to be explained better in Maltese.