CORDIScovery – unearthing the hottest topics in EU science, research and innovation

• Saving lives by tackling malaria

  Why is it so hard to find a vaccine that works well against placental malaria? Ever thought about the challenges of irradiating 300 mosquitoes a second! And how do the dynamics of replication play out in our bodies? Malaria is described by the World Health Organization as ‘perpetuating a vicious cycle of inequity’. Listen on to see how EU scientists are working to understand and mitigate the disease. Catherine Merrick is professor of Parasitology in the Pathology Department at Cambridge University. She studies the human malaria parasite, aiming to improve our understanding of the fundamental biology of the parasite, and the impact of this biology on virulence. Lars Hviid is professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, at the University of Copenhagen. His work has improved our understanding of how people gradually acquire protection from malaria, and furthered the development of vaccines against this deadly parasite. Hanan Lepek is the founder and CEO of Senecio Robotics. He works at the interface of biology and mechanical and software engineering, to create and deploy sterile mosquitoes on a large scale to reduce local mosquito populations.

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• Hidden interactions

  Leafcutter ants assiduously farming fungus, bumblebees picking up tiny amounts of electricity given off by flowers – all part of an invisible tapestry of interaction that is unfolding all around us. This episode celebrates the intricacy of our natural world.   Did you know that when antelopes browse on an acacia’s leaves, the tree will emit ethylene which acts as an alarm signal to other acacias nearby? The gas can spread 45 metres. Within half an hour, the trees that pick up the signal flush their leaves with very bitter tannins, to make them less palatable to the antelopes. In high concentrations, the tannins can even be fatal.   Intrigued? Listen on! Sharing their discoveries of these complex and subtle interactions are: Daniel Robert, professor of Bionanoscience at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, who is investigating how insects interact with the world around them using tiny charges of static electricity. Ted Turlings is based at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland where is a professor of Chemical Ecology. By unravelling how plants defend themselves against insect attacks, Turlings’ team hopes to create novel, sustainable methods of pest control. Associate professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Jonathan Shik, is particularly interested in leafcutter ants and their sophisticated farming of their fungus gardens.

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  33:50
• Mind-reading

  When you play paper rock scissors, do you try and second-guess your opponent’s next move? This episode looks at mind-reading, and we also have some baby baboons!   It’s a great time to be a neuroscientist: Computational modelling, multimodal neuroimaging and novel brain stimulation methods are producing fascinating new data. This episode looks at some of the latest research that has made the most of such techniques to reveal how our minds work, and how our brains are structured.   Christian Ruff is a professor of Neuroeconomics and Decision Neuroscience at the University of Zurich; he uncovers how the brain navigates complex social and moral situations.  A professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen, Victoria Southgate, studies infant social cognition, and is particularly interested in how infants think about the self and the other.  Adrien Meguerditchian is a comparative psychologist at the Centre of Research in Psychology and Neuroscience, at the National Centre for Scientific Research, in France. He has worked with wild chimps in Senegal and on brain MRI studies in the United States as part of his goal to understand how communication shapes the brain.  For more info, visit: https://europa.eu/!jFbKWc

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  33:25
• Space: delving into our dynamic universe

  Could the swirling dust storms on Mars impact on space exploration? Could a theory on the origins of life on Earth reveal if there has ever been life on Mars, and how do you get a probe to a small, fast moving, far distant asteroid? If you think space exploration is over your head – you are in the right place!  Fuencisla Cañadas is a geochemist who works at the Centre for Astrobiology in Spain. Ann Carine Vandaele works at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy. She has been involved in the design and operation of instruments for the remote sensing of planetary atmospheres.  They are joined by Mirko Trisolini who is an astrodynamics specialist at Vyoma, in Germany. Trisolini is interested in the study of the dynamics of small particles, and techniques designed to collect them from asteroids and other small bodies in the Solar System. For more info, visit: https://europa.eu/!JMkmkw

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  35:30
• Culture: the past gives up its secrets

  We see cultural artefacts, hear music composed centuries ago and, if we are lucky, get to handle pieces that were created by long-forgotten makers. But what about bringing to life the smell of a historic scene, or an object no longer made? This episode looks at the novel ways researchers are analysing the artefacts left to us by our ancestors, and the new light that shines on how they lived. Come and hear what our guests have been exploring. Inger Leemans, is a professor of Cultural History at VU Amsterdam and researcher at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is passionate about making her research on the smells of the past accessible to everyone. Matthew Collins is a fellow of the Danish and Swedish Royal Academies, and chair of the Archaeology section of the British Academy. Collins explores the ways in which archaeology can borrow tools from biology to explore ancient artefacts and tissues, from shells and bone to parchment and pots. Michela Rossi is a scientific project officer at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. She is interested in structural safety assessments of historic buildings and digital fabrication. For more info on the featured projects, visit: https://europa.eu/!m7qVJd

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  31:22

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