Residents take part in a workshop with a dog at Le Sablonat retirement home in Bordeaux, southwest France, June 16, 2022. THIBAUD MORITZ / AFP Only caring for a poodle at the age of 90 that will soon turn 17 and is no longer in good condition, “It’s not always funHuguette grunts. Yesterday I had … Read more
“Il Cannone”, on the sample holder of the BM18 beamline, at the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility), in Grenoble, March 11, 2024. PIERRE JAYET/ESRF In three centuries he had never experienced such a first. Regular at festivals, partner of the greatest soloists, favorite violin of the virtuoso Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840), the illustrious “Il Cannone” has … Read more
The month of January in the 15th century manuscript, “Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry”. ALAMY PHOTO Her name, The very wealthy hours of the Duke of Berry, doesn’t necessarily mean much to you. However, this French manuscript dates from the 15th centurye The brilliantly illuminated century shaped our images of the Middle … Read more
The medieval astrolabe of Arabic make, preserved at the Miniscalchi-Erizzo Museum Foundation in Verona (Italy). FEDERICA GIGANTE Historian specialized in cultural exchanges between the Islamic world and Italy in the early modern period, Federica Gigante (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) came across a medieval astrolabe of Arabic make, preserved at the Miniscalchi-Erizzo Museum Foundation in … Read more
A cocoa tree in Ecuador, July 2014. C. LANAUD v CIRAD Chocolate, food of the gods. The formula inspired the clever name of the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao (Greek theos“God” and broma“food”). In fact, the Mayans associated this divine nectar with their god of fertility and the Aztecs, after them, with their goddess of fertility, … Read more
This photo released on March 5, 2024 by ArianeGroup shows the main stage and upper stage of Ariane 6’s inaugural flight on the central body final assembly line at the Guyana Space Center’s Launcher Assembly Building (BAL). Center) in Kourou, French Guiana. P PIRON / ARIANEGROUP / AFP If all goes well by the summer, … Read more
A true survivor. This is the word that comes to mind when we look at the Autun diatrete vase, exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines). The diameter vase discovered by INRAP archaeologists at the site of the Saint-Pierre-l’Estrier necropolis in Autun (Saône-et-Loire). HAMID AZMOUN Crystal clear, with a diameter of 15 centimeters … Read more
Y Is there a place for amateurs in mathematical research? We quote many famous amateurs, but often it is in distant history. Pierre de Fermat (1607–1665)For example, one of the greatest arithmeticians of all time was a judge in Toulouse and practiced mathematics as a hobby. But it was on the 17the century. Also read … Read more
LEconomic growth is reaching the physical limits of the planet and destroying it. But research is a driving force behind this growth. Because we cannot explain this indirect and essential impact of research, debates about its usefulness are usually limited to its direct consequences. The proponents of research point out that curiosity and the use … Read more
Since the end of 2023, the ChatGPT fever has taken over the internet. And unless you’ve been living in low Earth orbit for the past few months, you’ve probably been tempted to use artificial intelligence in the form of a chatbot or conversational agent, whether these be OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Copilot from Microsoft or … Read more