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Earth Sciences - Environment - 19.07.2023

Greenland’s geological past provides clues to current global warming
Sediments taken from beneath an ancient ice core reveal that at least 20% of Greenland was green 416,000 years ago, corresponding to a recent past on the geological scale. The study, published in the journal Science, was carried out by an international team of scientists, including the Laboratoire de Glaciologie of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 27.06.2023

IceCube: our galaxy seen through a new lens
For the first time, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory has produced an image of the Milky Way using neutrinos - tiny, ghostly astronomical messengers.In a paper published tomorrow in the journal Science, the IceCube project, involving ULB scientists, presents evidence of high-energy neutrino emission from the Milky Way .

Astronomy / Space Science - Physics - 21.06.2023

Euclid: a European space telescope to reveal the invisible universe
Euclid is a telescope of the European Space Agency (ESA) which aims to reveal the properties and nature of dark matter and dark energy - 95% of the contents of the Universe. On the occasion of its launch from Cape Canaveral in early July, Belgian scientists involved in the Euclid mission, notably from the Université libre de Bruxelles, are highlighting their contributions and research projects .

Environment - Earth Sciences - 03.02.2023

Antarctica by sailboat
In a few weeks, Belgian researchers, led by Professor Bruno Danis (Laboratory of Marine Biology, Faculty of Science, ULB), will set sail for Antarctica. Their objective is to contribute to our understanding of the responses of ecosystems to the environmental changes underway in the Southern Ocean. Originality: the mission will take place on..

Astronomy / Space Science - 18.01.2023

Mission to Antarctica: discovery of a 7.6 kg meteorite
After spending the holidays in Antarctica, an international research team led by Vinciane Debaille - G-Time Laboratory, Free University of Brussels - has returned from its mission with a lot of meteorites.

Chemistry - 29.11.2022

Iteroselectivity: the selectivity that organic chemistry was missing
A new type of selectivity to better describe reactivity in organic chemistry has been conceptualized. Researchers from the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry (LCO - ULB) have published their work in Cell Reports Physical Science. An important part of organic chemistry consists of the synthesis of products via a sequence of chemical reactions.

Health - Pharmacology - 23.11.2022

Diabetes: do some sport!
Regular exercise may protect pancreatic beta cells from stresses that contribute to diabetes. Researchers from the ULB Center for Diabete Research observed this in a study published in Diabetologia . Diabetes is characterized by a progressive loss of pancreatic beta cells, the same cells that produce insulin and thus maintain the right level of sugar in the blood.

Astronomy / Space Science - 13.11.2022

First image of the depths of a galaxy
IceCube neutrinos give us the first image of the depths of an active galaxy. They allow us to get a little closer to the answer to the eternal question of the origin of cosmic rays . For the first time, an international team of scientists - including the IIIHE, Faculty of Science - has found evidence of high-energy neutrino emission in the galaxy NGC 1068.

Health - 05.10.2022

Target cells for cancer immunotherapy
Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are immune system cells that possess several characteristics that make them attractive cellular targets for cancer immunotherapy. A team of researchers sought to better understand the development of these T cells in humans. Gamma delta (γδ) T cells are of increasing interest as target cells for cancer immunotherapy.

Health - Life Sciences - 12.07.2022

Heart: better understanding its formation
Led by Cédric Blanpain - Stem Cell and Cancer Laboratory - researchers identify the mechanisms by which Mesp1 controls the specification and differentiation of early cardiac progeny. They allow the reconstruction of the gene regulatory network that governs cardiac development. This understanding is important for developing new therapeutic strategies .

Astronomy / Space Science - 17.05.2022

A stellar four-beat waltz
A system composed of four gravitationally bound stars has been followed by spectroscopy for several years by a team of researchers. This quadruple system is unstable and simulations of its future evolution show that, eventually, the stars may collide, which is likely to produce a thermonuclear supernova.

Life Sciences - Health - 26.08.2020

Mechanisms controlling cellular identity of stem cells identified
Researchers have identified for the first time the mechanisms by which communication between cells controls the identity of stem cells from the mammary gland and prostate. The mammary gland and prostate are composed of two different cell types: basal cells and luminal cells. These two cell types are maintained by separate basal and luminal stem cells.

Psychology - Life Sciences - 06.08.2018

Learning while sleeping has limitations
A group of researchers found that our learning capabilities are limited during slow wave sleep. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), they showed that while our brain is still able to perceive sounds during sleep, it is unable to group these sounds according to their organisation in a sequence. Hypnopedia, or the ability to learn during sleep, was popularized in the '60s, with for example the dystopia Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, in which individuals are conditioned to their future tasks during sleep.