The “Étoiles de l’Europe” prize rewards European research and innovation projects coordinated by French organizations and honors their coordinators who have made the choice of Europe and demonstrated their ability to lead large-scale networks. This year’s 12 “Stars of Europe” have been selected by a high-level jury for the scientific quality and international dimension of the project, the … Continue Reading ››
Presentation of the CNRS 2019 gold medal to Thomas Ebbesen and CNRS Grand-Est medal medals to four chemists.
The CNRS celebrated is 80th anniversary on 26 November in Paris, with an international symposium and an extraordinary ceremony for the 2019 Gold Medal—awarded to the physical chemist Thomas Ebbesen—in the presence of the French President, several ministers, as well as French and international research representatives. … Continue Reading ››
A bottle of Alsace wine slides along a zip line from the top floor of the Institut de science et d’ingénierie supramoléculaires
A bottle of Alsace wine slides along a zip line from the top floor of the Institut de science et d'ingénierie supramoléculaires (Isis) to baptize the new facade of its extension: Isis-2. After two years of work, the new building financed under the "Campus Operation" … Continue Reading ››
Mimicking life’s biochemical networks with Iron
Synthesis and breakdown of universal metabolic precursors promoted by ironResearchers in Strasbourg, France, have found that mixing two small biomolecules, glyoxylate and pyruvate, in iron-salt-rich water produces a reaction network resembling life’s core biochemistry. This discovery provides insight into how chemistry on the early Earth primed the evolution of the most ancient … Continue Reading ››
Thomas Ebbesen awarded the CNRS Gold Medal for 2019
This year’s CNRS Gold Medal, one of France’s most prestigious scientific prize, has been awarded to the Franco-Norwegian physical chemist Thomas Ebbesen. He specializes in nanosciences, a cross-disciplinary field that covers a variety of scientific areas that include carbon materials, optics, nano-photonics and molecular chemistry. His discoveries have notably enabled technological … Continue Reading ››
Mirrors change chemical selectivity
A chemical reaction transforms the molecules that make up matter. To influence chemical reactions, chemists typically act on the molecules themselves, rather than the space in which the reaction takes places. However, researchers at the University of Strasbourg have shown that chemical reactions can indeed be influenced simply by conducting them between two appropriately spaced mirrors, kept only micrometers … Continue Reading ››
Prof. Amir Hoveyda (Boston College) will join ISIS
The priority research programme “Make our planet great again” was launched by the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and the Secretary General for Investment. Today, the 12 high-level laureates have been selected by an international jury to join leading French laboratories in the fight against climate change. It is our great … Continue Reading ››
Enlightening full-color displays
Researchers from the University of Strasbourg & CNRS (France), in collaboration with University College London (United Kingdom), and Humboldt University Berlin (Germany), have shown that a subtle combination of light-emitting semiconducting polymers and small photoswitchable molecules can be used to fabricate light-emitting organic transistors operating under optical remote control, paving the way to the next … Continue Reading ››
The art of pastry: a graphene mille-feuille for highly sensitive health monitoring
Researchers from the University of Strasbourg & CNRS (France), in collaboration with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (Poland) and the University of Florence (Italy), have developed a new generation of pressure sensors based on graphene and molecular “springs”. Thanks to their highest sensitivity, these devices are ideally suited for health monitoring and point-of-care … Continue Reading ››
Oscillating artificial microtubules
Oscillating artificial microtubules
Chemically fuelled processes control size oscillations of natural fibres inside the body such as microtubules or actin filaments. Researchers from the University of Strasbourg have now discovered similar size oscillations in a completely artificial system. Brightly coloured molecules form extended supramolecular fibres that can be controlled by redox chemistry. In a … Continue Reading ››