http://www.cnrs.fr Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique fr CNRS Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:54:33 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3176.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3176.htm On October 29, 2018 the European Union announced the projects selected for the FET Flagship on Quantum Technologies, a European research program of unprecedented scope, with funding of one billion euros over ten years. Its objective is to develop quantum technology applications by strengthening partnerships between research and industry, in the fields of measurement, computation, simulation, and information processing and communication. The EU selected twenty projects, nineteen of which are research projects: ten of these research projects are based on French teams, and among these teams thirteen are laboratories affiliated with the CNRS, while two are coordinated by French organizations, Sorbonne Université and Thales. Mon, 29 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3160.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3160.htm Gérard Mourou, professor and member of the Haut-collège of École Polytechnique, has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics. He shares this award with Donna Strickland (Canadian) for having jointly developed a method for generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. The third winner, Arthur Ashkin (American), also received the award for the invention of optical tweezers and their application to biological systems. The Swedish Academy particularly highlighted the use of these two techniques in the medical field. Tue, 02 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3138.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3138.htm Toulouse is to host the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), Europe's largest interdisciplinary gathering on science and innovation, from 9 to 14 July 2018. In parallel with this event for researchers, the city is organising the 'Science in the City' festival from 7 to 15 July, with over 120 events aimed at sharing science with the public. For around ten days, the pulse of Toulouse, European City of Science 2018, will beat to the rhythm of science. CNRS and its laboratories will be playing a major role in both the forum and the festival, two unprecedented events for Toulouse and France. Thu, 05 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3136.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3136.htm French researchers and Japanese engineers have joined forces to develop a new electron microscope that can scan the properties of matter on very small scales of time and space. The Centre d'élaboration de matériaux et d'études structurales (CEMES) of the CNRS and the Hitachi High Technologies Corporation (HHT) will formalize the creation of a joint laboratory on July 2, 2018, the first between the CNRS and a foreign company. Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3109.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3109.htm Quantum chance is intrinsically different than classic chance. That is what the violations of Bell inequalities, a crucial step in understanding quantum mechanics, states. One drawback remains though: until now, testing these inequalities relied on experimental configurations that use parameters set from data generated by quantum systems. Effectively it was testing quantum physics using quantum physics. To overcome this problem, an international collaboration created by The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, including twelve laboratories on five continents, including Institut de Physique de Nice (CNRS/Université Nice Sophia Antipolis), conducted a unique participatory science experiment. By gathering about 100,000 people worldwide through a video game, the researchers circumvented the data generation problem and rigorously validated their experimental observations on the violation of Bell inequalities. The results were published in Nature on 10 May 2018. Wed, 09 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3107.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3107.htm Plants can detect the slightest angle of inclination. Yet the mechanism by which they sense gravity relies on microscopic grains. In theory, such a system should hardly allow for precise detection of inclination. Researchers from the CNRS, the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA), and Université Clermont Auvergne have now explained this curious paradox. They observed that, within the plant cells, the grains are constantly being agitated. This endows them collectively with properties similar to those of a liquid so that they act in unison like a carpenter's level. These findings were published in PNAS April 30, 2018. Wed, 02 May 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3099.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3099.htm Mimicking photosynthesis in plants, using light to convert stable and abundant molecules like water and CO₂ into a high energy fuel (hydrogen) or into chemicals of industrial interest, is a major research challenge today. However, achieving artificial photosynthesis in solution remains limited by the use of costly and toxic metal-based compounds to harvest light. Researchers at CNRS, CEA and the Université Grenoble Alpes propose an efficient alternative using semi-conductor nanocrystals (also called quantum dots) based on cheaper and less toxic elements, such as copper, indium and sulfur. Their work was published in Energy & Environmental Science on 10 April 2018. Tue, 10 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3095.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3095.htm The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the recipients of its 2017 Advanced Grants, awarded to experienced male and female researchers well known in their fields. In total, across all disciplines, 269 projects were selected, including 34 hosted in France. With its 15 winners, the CNRS leads the pack: 15% of the candidates it hosts were accepted, while the success rate for all European candidates combined was 12%. Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3093.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3093.htm The CNRS is issuing its second Momentum call for proposals from young male and female researchers around the world, to support their projects in emerging and innovative areas. Researchers in all fields may apply. Winners will receive funding for three years. Thu, 05 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3067.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3067.htm During the nighttime, it is hotter in the city than in nearby suburbs or the countryside. But just how much hotter differs between cities. Researchers from the MSE² (CNRS / MIT) international joint research laboratory and the Centre Interdisciplinaire des Nanosciences de Marseille (CNRS / Aix-Marseille University)¹ have shown that the determining factor is how cities are structured: more organized cities, like many in North America with straight and perpendicular streets, trap more heat. Conversely, cities that are less organized, like those founded long ago, shed heat easily. The team's findings, published in Physical Review Letters (March 9, 2018), suggest new directions to explore for optimal urban planning and energy management. Mon, 12 Mar 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3059.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3059.htm Just one phenomenon may underlie all solar eruptions, according to researchers from the CNRS, École Polytechnique, CEA and INRIA¹ in an article featured on the cover of the February 8 issue of Nature magazine. They have identified the presence of a confining 'cage' in which a magnetic rope² forms, causing solar eruptions. It is the resistance of this cage to the attack of the rope that determines the power and type of the upcoming flare. This work has enabled the scientists to develop a model capable of predicting the maximum energy that can be released during a solar flare, which could have potentially devastating consequences for the Earth. Mon, 05 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3055.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3055.htm Antoine Petit has been named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CNRS. His appointment was confirmed on January 24, 2018, by French president Emmanuel Macron upon the recommendation of Frédérique Vidal, Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. An exceptional grade professor, Antoine Petit was president of the French National Institute for Computer Science and Applied Mathematics (Inria) since October 2014. He acts as non-executive president of the IHEST (Institut des Hautes Etudes pour la Science et la Technologie) since April 2017. Wed, 24 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3019.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3019.htm How are we affected by other peoples' opinions? To answer this question, scientists¹ at the CNRS, Inra and Université Toulouse 1 Capitole conducted a study in France and Japan, quantifying this impact on our decisions. They identified five behaviors common to both countries: a majority of subjects make a compromise between their opinion and that of others (59% of people in France), some hold to their opinion (29% in France), whereas others follow faithfully, amplify or contradict the information they receive. The study also shows how social information can help a group collectively improve its performance and the precision of its estimates. From this analysis, a model has been developed that reproduces the results of the study and predicts the performance of a group depending on the amount and quality of information exchanged between its members. The long-term goal would be to develop algorithms for decision-making support tools. The results of this study were published on November 6, 2017 in PNAS. Tue, 07 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3011.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3011.htm Anne Peyroche today assumed the role of interim president of the CNRS. She has taken over from Alain Fuchs, who held the position since 2010. (Fuchs is the new president of Paris Sciences & Lettres, also as of today.) Peyroche has been CNRS Chief Research Officer since January 2016. Tue, 24 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3005.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3005.htm This is a major breakthrough in more than one respect. The scientists of the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration (which includes the CNRS) have for the first time observed the gravitational waves emitted by the merger of two neutron stars, rather than of two black holes as in previous cases. In another first, the light emitted from the source of gravitational waves was observed in the following hours, days and weeks, by 70 other ground- and space-based observatories. This series of observations marks the birth of multi-messenger¹ astronomy, and has produced a wealth of results, including a solution to the mystery of gamma-ray bursts and that of the origin of the heaviest elements (such as lead, gold and platinum), as well as new insights into the properties of neutron stars, and an independent measurement of the rate of expansion of the Universe. These various findings are described in a dozen scientific articles published on 16 October 2017 by a number of researchers from CNRS laboratories (more than 200 for one of the publications), members of the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration, and partner astronomy groups. Mon, 16 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3003.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/3003.htm Press conference (French only) Monday 16 October 2017 at 4 p.m. At the CNRS headquarters - 3 rue Michel-Ange – Paris 16e Fri, 13 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2991.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2991.htm The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to the physicists Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne for the detection of gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916 in his general theory of relativity. The discovery was announced on 11 February 2016 by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration¹ of which the CNRS is the only French member. It is the result of both theoretical and experimental work by a host of scientists over several decades. The award is therefore an encouragement to the entire gravitational wave community, in which Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne were pioneers, as were the French researchers Alain Brillet and Thibault Damour, who recently received the CNRS Gold Medal². The CNRS pays tribute to the recognition by the Nobel Prize jury of this major breakthrough. Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2989.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2989.htm Scientists in the LIGO and Virgo collaborations have achieved the first ever three-detector observation of the gravitational waves emitted by the merger of two black holes. This is the first signal detected by the Advanced Virgo instrument, which joined observing runs by the two LIGO detectors on 1 August, and confirms that it is fully operational. It opens the way to considerably more accurate localization of the sources of gravitational waves. The discovery is published by the international collaboration that runs the three detectors, including teams from the CNRS, in the journal Physical Review Letters. The announcement was made at a press briefing during a meeting of the G7-science¹ in Turin, Italy. On the very same day, the CNRS awarded two Gold Medals to physicists Alain Brillet and Thibault Damour for their major contributions to the detection of gravitational waves². Wed, 27 Sep 2017 18:30:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2983.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2983.htm In 2017, the CNRS has awarded two Gold Medals, to the physicists Alain Brillet and Thibault Damour for their major contributions to the detection of gravitational waves, first announced on 11 February 2016¹. Through his work on stabilized lasers, Alain Brillet, a visionary in the development of gravitational wave detectors, is one of the fathers of Europe's Virgo instrument. The theoretical work of Thibault Damour, a specialist in black holes and gravitational waves, played a decisive role in the analysis of data from the gravitational wave detectors. The prize, France's highest scientific distinction, is awarded by the CNRS Management Board and will be presented on 14 December 2017 during a ceremony held at the Collège de France. Wed, 27 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2967.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2967.htm The faster, more powerful European XFEL free-electron laser¹ was inaugurated on September 1, 2017, near Hamburg, Germany. By producing ultra-bright, trillion-photon X-ray flashes at a frequency two hundred times greater than the best preexisting free-electron lasers (FELs), this next-generation European instrument will allow scientists to map the atomic relief of viruses, decipher the molecular composition of cells, create 3-D images of the nanoworld, and even film chemical reactions. Eleven countries helped build the XFEL, at a cost of €1.2 billion. The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) both played a leading role in the design and construction of the superconducting electron accelerator at the heart of this new international research facility. Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2903.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2903.htm Researchers from the CNRS, Thales, and the Universities of Bordeaux, Paris-Sud, and Evry have created an artificial synapse capable of learning autonomously. They were also able to model the device, which is essential for developing more complex circuits. The research was published in Nature Communications on 3 April 2017. Mon, 03 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2905.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2905.htm The ability to detect X-rays on a tiny scale paves the way for high-precision medical imaging and therapies. Such detection capabilities have been achieved by researchers from the CNRS, the University of Franche-Comté (UFC), and Aix-Marseille University (AMU), who attached an X-ray sensor to the end of an optical fiber. Their work was published in Optics Letters on March 28, 2017. Thu, 30 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2895.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2895.htm Nanocars will compete for the first time ever during an international molecule-car race on April 28-29, 2017 in Toulouse (south-western France). The vehicles, which consist of a few hundred atoms, will be powered by minute electrical pulses during the 36 hours of the race, in which they must navigate a racecourse made of gold atoms, and measuring a maximum of a 100 nanometers in length. They will square off beneath the four tips of a unique microscope located at the CNRS's Centre d'élaboration de matériaux et d'études structurales (CEMES) in Toulouse. The race, which was organized by the CNRS, is first and foremost a scientific and technological challenge, and will be broadcast live on the YouTube Nanocar Race channel. Beyond the competition, the overarching objective is to advance research in the observation and control of molecule-machines. Mon, 13 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2891.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2891.htm Created in 2007, the European Research Council (ERC) awards individual research grants to talented researchers each year. The funding organization will celebrate its tenth anniversary on 13-19 March 2017 during the "ERC Week", which will close with a scientific event to be held on 21 March in Brussels. The CNRS will participate in this celebration with a series of debates across France, as well as the launch of a website presenting the 360 ERC grant laureates from its laboratories. Thu, 02 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0100 http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2885.htm http://www2.cnrs.fr/en/2885.htm Surprising images from the Rosetta spacecraft show the presence of dune-like patterns on the surface of comet Chury. Researchers at the Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes (CNRS/ESPCI Paris/UPMC/Université Paris Diderot) studied the available images and modeled the outgassing of vapor to try to explain the phenomenon. They show that the strong pressure difference between the sunlit side of the comet and that in shadow generates winds able to transport grains and form dunes. Their work is published on 21 February 2017 in the journal PNAS. Wed, 22 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0100