Science at UM [S02-ep24]: From the decline of birds to yeast
This week on A l’UM la science, Vincent Devictor and Stanislas Rigal, researchers at ISEM, talk to us about the decline of birds in Europe and its main cause: intensive farming practices. The report takes us to the Science for Oenology laboratory, and Agnès Pesenti presents the Street Science exhibition. The program is broadcast on Divergence FM every Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Perhaps you have taken advantage of or are planning to take advantage of the long weekends in May to get out of the city and enjoy the countryside, the river, or the forest. On the agenda: fresh air, starry skies, and perhaps waking up to the sound of birdsong. For this last privilege, you will probably have to listen carefully, not because the birds have lost their voices, but because their chorus is shrinking every year. So if you are lucky enough to hear a whistle or other trill, be aware that you may be hearing a song of resistance.
In 40 years, the overall bird population in Europe has declined by 25%, with 20 million disappearing each year and 800 million since the 1980s. These figures come from an unprecedented study conducted by a team of researchers from the CNRS, the University of Montpellier, the Natural History Museum, and numerous European countries. They quantified the direct impact of human activities on birdlife. I can hear you from here: cats, cats, cats! Put away your claws: today's culprit is not a furry ball, but increasingly intensive agricultural practices that are decimating bird ecosystems with fertilizers and pesticides, adding to the damage caused by global warming.
Our guests today are researchers Vincent Devictor and Stanislas Rigal, researchers at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences (ISEM) in ecology and conservation biology. They authored this study published in the journal PNAS on May 15.
In the second part of the program, we head to the Agro Institute campus, specifically to the Sciences for Oenology laboratory, where Jean-Luc Legras opens the doors to CIRM-Levures, a biological resource center that preserves more than 4,000 yeast isolates.
Finally, Agnès Pesenti from the scientific culture department takes you on a journey through science withthe Street Science exhibition, on display since May 24 at the Jardin des Plantes.
At UM Science, you have the program, so let's get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Naomi Charmetan
Listen to the program “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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