Making sense of science
Manufactured primarily in England and France starting in the early 18th century, pianos were massively exported, in particular to the Americas, leading to the emergence of new repertoires. This is the amazing story of an instrument that has crossed oceans, social classes and musical styles.
Article
02.10.2026
Albeit little-known, plant microbiota or holobionts are essential for plant health and sustainable agriculture. The work of Philippe Vandenkoornhuyse in discovering their role has earned this CNRS ecologist international recognition.
Article
01.28.2026
In the Middle Ages, sugar was praised for its therapeutic benefits, whereas melon was long considered harmful! The mediaevalist and food specialist Bruno Laurioux recounts the history of the eternal quest for a healthful diet, from antiquity to the present...
Article
01.23.2026
Article
01.08.2026
In the face of the climate emergency, techniques for removing CO₂ dissolved in seawater have raised some hopes and much concern. How to proceed? What rules should be established? Who should be in...
Article
11.09.2025
In 2015, the historic Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries, sought to limit global warming to 2 °C. Ten years later, the results have yet to materialise, raising questions regarding the...
Article
10.22.2025
The huge fires that burn down millions of hectares of forest in North America every year have an impact on the other side of the Atlantic. Plumes of smoke and various other pollutants have been...
Article
07.16.2025
A name frequently associated with plate tectonics is that of the German meteorologist Alfred Wegener. However, another one would deserve recognition: that of the American cartographer Marie Tharp,...
Article
07.07.2025
Sand patches dot beaches and deserts, but their origin remains an enigma. Using measurements taken in the desert, physicists have created a model that explains how they form, with a few surprises...
Article
05.31.2025
Half a billion years ago, plants, until then exclusively aquatic, set out to colonise the land. This transition transformed the Earth and its atmosphere, paving the way for terrestrial vertebrates....
Article
04.21.2025
Prehistoric sites across France, such as the famous Chauvet Cave or L’Ile d’Yeu, are being closely monitored so as to understand how they are being endangered by climate change, and avoid the...
Article
04.16.2025
Arthur is a new submersible ROV (remotely-operated vehicle) designed for underwater archaeology. Offering unprecedented performance and versatility, it is able to explore shipwrecks for treasure and...
Slideshow
03.19.2025
How to measure the dislocation of ice floes, the immense expanses of ice floating in polar seas? Easy! Create a model of the ice pack, find the best way to shake it, and watch as it breaks under the...
Article
03.18.2025
Over the past few months, our planet has been ìmpacted by intense solar flare activity on the Sun. This phenomenon, which caused the polar auroras that have been lighting up European skies up until...
Article
12.06.2024
Over 5 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea dried up, giving way to a salt flat stretching as far as the eye could see. A look back at the Mediterranean basin’s last great hydrological crisis.