CORDIScovery – unearthing the hottest topics in EU science, research and innovation

Let’s talk volcanoes! Are we close to being able to monitor and predict volcanic activity in real time? In this episode of CORDIScovery we take a look at what crystals in magma can tell us, hear what it takes to make lava flow in a lab, and find out about the well-named ‘extremophile’ bacteria that thrive in some of the world’s most challenging environments. When not monitoring volcanic activity i...

Finding missing children with real-time input and geofencing, helping a visually impaired person navigate a challenge that crops up in their daily lives, fake news: sorting the wheat from the chaff – this episode we are looking at the bright side of our use of technology. Christian Erfurt launched his first healthcare start-up while still in high school. He is behind the BEMYEYES app that’s availa...

The antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, organisms are developing, and our bid to counter that with new ways of controlling them, is like an arms race – one we stand a better chance of winning if we use the antimicrobials that are still effective, more carefully. This special episode of CORDIScovery, timed to coincide with the WHO’s annual World Antimicrobial Awareness Week , invites three guests to...

The past is shadowy but the objects that mattered to the societies that came before us illuminate those who produced and used them. So, in this episode we are considering cloth, glass and stone, and what they reveal about innovation and cultural connections in the Middle Ages. Nadine Schibille’s GlassRoutes project looked at the geopolitical, sociocultural and artistic dimensions of glass in the f...

From rabbits plucked out of hats to dark matter, how do we comprehend the inexplicable or the unobservable? What do particle physicists and a magician’s audience have in common? Do we enjoy being baffled? If so, why? What pushes us to seek to understand? Is objectivity so vital in scientific observation and is subjectivity really its negation – or is the relationship between the two more subtle? A...

What can distant planets and their satellite moons tell us about the origins of life on Earth? Is there enough water on the moon to support longer, manned missions? Are there lunar sources of oxygen that could make the moon a gateway to our Solar system? And beyond the moon: can we look to Titan to better understand our own origins? And how can we build on what we know about the Earth’s geology to...

Virtual reality –  just another bone of contention between screen-addicted adolescents and their frazzled parents? Or can the inherent characteristics of VR, communicating at a distance but in a space that feels intimate, be harnessed to really revolutionise the way we interact? Can avatars, digital representations of ourselves, foster empathy or are they yet another medium providing a cloak of an...

In many areas the pandemic has reduced our impact on the natural environment, but what happens when we emerge from the restrictions and fire up our economies again? Will we also be firing up our production of pollution? From oil spills that threaten our seas, to the stinks that ruin our day, pollution touches us at all levels. How can citizen scientists help? What can we do to keep the air around...

Healthcare professionals working flat out for a year, living through experiences nothing could really prepare them for; health systems stressed to breaking point; a population facing fear, insecurity and grief without the human contact to make these bearable – the pandemic will cast a long shadow. Dr Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s Europe Director warns we are facing a growing mental h...

Shopping: can robot assistants woo shoppers back to the post-pandemic high street? A cashless society – the term resonates more than ever as people grow more reliant on contactless payments and online transactions. But is that a green light for fraudsters and, if so, could a biometric credit card be around the corner? However we go about paying for it, buying more online means more returns. One EU...

The pros and contrails of flight – The aviation sector is indispensable, but how can we reduce its environmental impact? This episode talks to three researchers whose work on making flying cleaner, more efficient and less invasive for those living under flightpaths, may offer some answers. Dr Andrew Rolt , of Cranfield University is working to make hydrogen powered flight a reality – is that feasi...

Welcome to the very first episode of CORDIScovery, where we’re taking an in-depth look at the drive to maintain healthy ecosystems and biodiversity preservation, introducing you to three EU-funded scientists who are making valuable contributions to this cause. In our first episode, Abigail introduces you to three EU-funded scientists working to protect the world’s biodiversity in the face of incre...