Since the fire that ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral on 15 April, many scientists have volunteered their expertise to aid in its restoration. We talked to Philippe Dillmann and Martine Regert, leaders of a CNRS task force in charge of coordinating the various research efforts and compiling the...
Article
06.17.2019
Since 1981, the surveys conducted every ten years by the European Values Study programme have assessed the values and beliefs of Europe’s citizens. To mark the launch of the book La France des Valeurs, a look at the latest trends in France.
Article
06.12.2019
Two researchers have developed a new method for multiplying very large numbers. A potentially historic advance for computer science.
Article
06.04.2019
Our topics
06.06.2019
For reasons that actually have little to do with their abundance, the problems linked to the supply of what are known as "rare" earths could slow the environmental transition. Chemistry can offer some solutions, as the specialist Michel Latroche...
Video
05.28.2019
The queen termite can lay some 40,000 eggs every day for 40 years. So what is her secret? A team of researchers from France and South Africa is trying to recreate a termite's nest in the lab to understand this incredible longevity.
05.27.2019
Sea Hero Quest is a video game created by neuroscientists to measure orientation abilities in space. Impairment of this capacity can actually be a sign of Alzheimer's disease. The huge success of the game enabled researchers to gain access to the results...
Article
05.24.2019
Whether they come from plants or animals, sugars are increasingly replacing petroleum-derived products—a success they owe to their striking properties. CNRS News takes a closer look at these surprising materials.
05.22.2019
On 23 May, the Tara Ocean schooner will leave Lorient for a six-month expedition in European estuaries. On board, 40 scientists will be tasked with assessing the concentration of plastic waste swept...
Article
05.22.2019
The Dreyfus Affair became an international scandal after the publication of Émile Zola’s open letter “J’Accuse”, prompting thousands of readers the world over to write to the author of the Rougon-...
Article
05.16.2019
The CNRS was, for the first time, at VivaTech from May 16-18 in Paris. Its researchers, startups, and technologies were present at this yearly European tech fair. With nearly 100 startups created...
Opinion
05.14.2019
Artificial intelligence algorithms are often seen as "black boxes" whose rules remain inaccessible. We must therefore create a new scientific discipline to understand the behaviour of the...
Opinion
05.10.2019
Would an antimatter orange have fallen on Newton's head like an apple? Physicists have not provided a serious answer to this question, for lack of being able to test it.
05.09.2019
As the first scientific report of the IPBES is irrefutable with regard to the state of biodiversity, and the fight against global warming is at a standstill, a little-known international research...
05.06.2019
Nature is declining globally at an unprecedented rate, and the blame lies with human activities. This is the conclusion of the 7th plenary session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on...
Article
05.03.2019
Cécile Asanuma-Brice, a sociologist and urbanist living in Japan, discusses how successive economic models have been transforming the country’s urban landscapes for more than a century.
04.26.2019
The relation between matter and antimatter has puzzled scientists and sparked experiments on a gigantic scale. The physicist Marie-Hélène Schune explains.
04.26.2019
What are robots? What can they do today? Will they be able to decide for themselves tomorrow? Jean-Paul Laumond, co-curator of the new permanent exhibition “Robots” at the Cité des Sciences et de l’...
Opinion
04.26.2019
The CNRS celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Throughout 2019, our chronicler Denis Guthleben will be recounting its history. This first episode takes us back to the inception of our...
Article
04.23.2019
Knocking or injuring yourself is not intrinsically painful; it is how our brain interprets such an event that is. We now know more about the circuits involved in pain, and also about its emotional...