Polar landscapes evoke a frozen land, swept by the wind and dominated by ice. However, certain archaeological discoveries reveal a very different story. There was a time when the Arctic welcomed unexpected wildlife, in a setting of temperate forests and lakes. At the heart of this forgotten past, the remains of an Arctic rhino shake … Read more
Understanding why some cells weaken while others resist remains one of the greatest challenges in modern biology. When an organism goes wrong for no apparent reason, the response is sometimes hidden well upstream of the symptoms, in the molecular architecture of life. It was by following this trail that researchers shed light on a previously … Read more
Every winter, the roads crack, the vehicles get damaged and the repairs are endless. All over the world, asphalt fails in the face of cycles of frost, humidity and heavy traffic. But an advance from laboratories is gradually upsetting this fragile balance. By combining the robustness of carbon with traditional road chemistry, graphene asphalt promises … Read more
The innovations that transform the world are not always born from strategic plans or precise objectives. Sometimes, it is by searching without a practical aim, by studying bacteria in a hot spring or the color of petunias, that scientists open gaps towards medical, technological or ecological revolutions. These breakthroughs, often ignored in their beginnings, remind … Read more
[Un article de The Conversation écrit par Sophian Tricotteaux-Zarqaoui – Doctorant, laboratoire Périnatalité et Risques toxiques (UMR_I 01), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV) – Hafida Khorsi – Professeur des universités en microbiologie, PériTox – Périnatalité et Risques Toxiques – UMR_I 01, UPJV / INERIS, Université de Picardie Jules Verne (UPJV) – Mariame Kabbour – Doctorante, … Read more
Food influences much more than our figure or our daily energy. Certain choices, even trivial ones, could have a discreet impact on the longevity of our cognitive functions. Among them, a food often relegated to simple taste pleasure is today attracting the attention of researchers. The link between cheese and dementia is intriguing, not for … Read more
Ancient history often has its eyes fixed on the men of power, leaving in the shadows those who nevertheless shaped their era. In the jungles of Yucatán, among the remains eroded by time, certain feminine names still escape official accounts. It took fourteen centuries for a forgotten Mayan queen to resurface, engraved in the stone … Read more
Some fruits escape the ordinary laws of nature. Their size defies agricultural standards, their weight forces us to rethink the scale of what a plant can produce. Behind these orange giants lies a mixture of science, patience and ingenuity. The world of giant pumpkins reveals much more than a simple horticultural competition, it reveals the … Read more
The image of a dirty and disgusting Middle Ages still haunts popular representations. This persistent vision, widely relayed by culture and education, nevertheless rests on fragile foundations. Far from reflecting reality, it masks a practice of hygiene in the Middle Ages that was much more developed than we imagine, revealed little by little through excavations … Read more
Big cities aren't just home to crowds of people and glass towers. In their darkest corners, other forms of life adapt, transform, thrive. Beneath the British capital, an underground network more than a century old has become the scene of invisible developments. Among these creatures, the London Underground mosquito intrigues as much as it worries, … Read more
