Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy – Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología

Episode Title: Gastrulación, contaminación lumínica espacial, enmierdificación
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló (B)
Guests: Jaime García Cantero (A), Nuño Domínguez (C)

Overview

In this episode of the "Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología" segment on Hoy por Hoy, Àngels Barceló speaks with Jaime García Cantero and Nuño Domínguez about a range of science and technology topics. The conversation covers current health recommendations (like mask use), the threat of African swine fever, technological trends for 2026, the challenge of "enmierdificación" (enshittification) in digital platforms, advances in embryonic research (gastrulation), the regulation of minors on social media, the growing issue of space light pollution from satellite constellations, and the selection of "ragebait" as the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Health Update: Masks, Flu, and African Swine Fever

• The panel discusses the return of mask recommendations in Spain due to the flu season, noting cultural differences in mask usage and the ongoing importance of vaccination.

  • Quote: “Es obvio, ya lo hablábamos en la época de la Covid. Claro, hay que ponerse la mascarilla ya en las temporadas de virus, otoño invierno.” — Nuño (C) [01:22]

• African Swine Fever:

  • Serious threat for Spain and Europe, with intense containment efforts involving military support.
  • Transmission is highly versatile—not just through fluids, but via vectors like flies and ticks—making containment challenging.
  • Economic impact is significant: if outbreaks reach pig farms, culling is necessary, affecting the economy although the disease doesn't infect humans.
  • Quote: “Estamos hablando de un virus que tiene una mortalidad del 100%. Es decir, si entra en una granja es prácticamente imparable.” — Nuño (C) [03:23]

2. Observatorio Retina: Trends Predicted for 2026

Jaime summarizes the tech and geopolitical outlook:

• Positive Assessment: Experts see both 2025 and 2026 as good years, barring major geopolitical disruptions (notably US politics and Trump).

• Key Trends:

  • AI will shift focus to applied uses.
  • Tech "patriotism": desire for local (even regional) tech solutions over foreign platforms.
  • Security and defense, especially cybersecurity, are poised to dominate.
  • Quote: "La gran tendencia seguirá siendo la inteligencia artificial. [...] En 2026 hablaremos más de inteligencia artificial aplicada y menos generativa." — Jaime (A) [05:05]

• Infrastructure as Destiny:

  • Inspired by an OpenAI report, the concept that future power (technological and global) will hinge on building ever-more powerful digital infrastructure (i.e., massive data centers).
  • Energy concerns and tech innovations (like quantum computing) are key open questions.
  • Quote: “El futuro del mundo, pasa por construir infraestructuras cada vez más potentes y más poderosas.” — Jaime (A) [06:35]

3. Enmierdificación ("Enshittification") — The Downward Spiral of Online Platforms

• Discussed as a major concern: digital platforms are designed to trap users and deteriorate their experience, not a system error but intrinsic to their business model.
• The authors debate translation: "ensitificación" vs. "enmierdificación" (going to shit).
• Quote: “Las plataformas están diseñadas para llevarnos a la mierda, [...] el sistema estaba diseñado para esto.” — Jaime (A) [07:33]

4. Gastrulación — The Biggest Enigma in Human Development

• Nuño explains the critical stage when an embryo’s undifferentiated cells arrange into structures that will become all tissues and organs.

• New research using macaque embryos (and without destruction of embryos) opens a scientific “black box” of human development, with a Spanish scientist, Alfonso Martínez Arias, at the forefront.

• Ethical Note: These are lab-generated embryo models, not actual embryos.

• Quote: “Es el momento en el que nos hacemos tridimensionales y también el momento en el que se define lo que es un individuo.” — Nuño (C) [09:21]

• Implications: Could help prevent congenital malformations by understanding their origins.

• Quote: “El origen posiblemente está en la gastrulación, pero no lo sabemos. [...] Si consigues saber el origen exacto de lo que pasa, es el primer paso para corregirlo.” — Nuño (C) [12:16]

5. Regulation of Minors on Social Media

• Australia introduces an outright ban on social media use for those under 16; Spain and others are watching closely.

• The prevalence of minors (96% of 10-15 year-olds) on networks is "aterrador" (terrifying), despite internal rules.

• Technology and Verification: Age verification can technically be done with AI and behavioral data, but privacy versus control is the real debate.

• Quote: "La excusa de que no se puede hacer técnicamente ha dejado de funcionar." — Jaime (A) [14:46]

• Platforms claim compliance publicly, but real safeguards are lacking. Political resolve is required to settle these “domestic battles” over children’s digital engagement.

• Quote: “La diferencia entre lo que dicen y lo que hacen es cada vez mayor.” — Jaime (A) [15:55]

6. Space Light Pollution — The Starlink Problem

• Astrophysicist Alejandro Serrano Borlaff warns that the proliferation of satellites, especially Starlink, is seriously affecting telescope observations.
• Some missions' images might be 96% affected unless satellite reflectivity changes.
• Elon Musk promised to address reflectivity issues but hasn't yet taken significant action.
• Quote: "La contaminación lumínica de estos satélites es un problema creciente y que se puede resolver porque simplemente lo que tienes que hacer es cambiar la reflectividad de los artefactos." — Nuño (C) [18:01]

7. Word of the Year: "Ragebait"

• Oxford English Dictionary selects "ragebait" (content designed to provoke anger and drive engagement) as word of the year.
• The trend continues: most of the finalists are tech-related and reflect broader social currents.
• The team draws parallels between "ragebait" and "enmierdificación"—technology and social decay intersecting.
• Quote: "El ragebait [...] es el generar ira como herramienta de generar tráfico." — Jaime (A) [20:09]
• Quote: “Dice muchas cosas, no sobre la tecnología, sobre el momento en el que estamos como sociedad y esta necesidad de odiar que parece que algunos nos están imponiendo” — Jaime (A) [20:37]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On platforms causing social decay:
  “El sistema estaba diseñado para esto.” — Jaime (A) [07:44]

• On the meaning of gastrulation:
  “Ni el día que naces, ni el día que te casas, ni el día que te mueres es más importante que el día que gastrulas.” — Nuño (C) [08:38]

• On Australia's underage social media ban:
  “Es aterrador cuando. Recordemos que por la normativa interna de estas redes, muchas de ellas es ilegal entrar con 10 años.” — Jaime (A) [14:23]

• On the word of the year selection:
  “Vamos a hacer una cosa, que si ragebait es la palabra elegida por Oxford, vamos a presionar a la RAE para que nos compre enmierdamiento.” — Àngels Barceló (B) [21:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:18] – Mask, flu, and health recommendations
• [02:26] to [04:24] – African swine fever: seriousness and containment
• [04:53] to [07:54] – Retina Observatorio report and “infrastructure as destiny”
• [08:36] to [12:39] – Gastrulation explained and research breakthrough
• [13:00] to [16:56] – Social media ban for minors in Australia and debate over age verification
• [17:00] to [19:19] – Space light pollution from satellites and implications for astronomy
• [20:06] to [21:53] – Oxford word of the year: “ragebait,” and discussion about tech-related linguistic trends

Summary

This episode delivers a fast-paced, critical, and sometimes humorous tour of contemporary issues at the intersection of science, technology, society, and politics. The hosts maintain a lively and accessible tone, balancing technical explanation with cultural commentary—particularly on the double edge of technological advances: unprecedented opportunities, but equally novel risks. Whether on epidemic threats, the opaque workings of algorithms, or the societal consequences of new words, the program underscores the urgent need for critical, informed engagement with science and technology in everyday life.