A l'UM la science [S03-ep16]: Sputters under the microscope

This week in A l'UM la science, Ashley Nord, a researcher at the Center for Structural Biologytalks to us about bacteria, viruses and sputniks. Our report takes us on a tour of the Phenopsis platform platform with Myriam Dauzat. Finally, our last-minute guest is Ghyslaine Besançon, who introduces us to the screening and debate of the film Bigger Than Us. A program co-produced with Divergence FM and broadcast every Wednesday at 6pm on 93.9.

We've all found ourselves in deep discussion with a very angry or very drunk person who, under the influence of emotion or alcohol, matches every word with an army of sprays, against which the only defense is to squint hard while making a small withdrawal movement.

An unpleasant experience on a sensory level, but also a form of intrusion, as if your interlocutor wasn't just sending you a mixture of water, proteins and mineral ions - that's what saliva is made of. By the way, did you know that the word postillon comes from the Italian postiglione? Poste in the sense of a carriage with horses in charge of conveying travelers.

At first glance, it may seem a far cry from our salivary projections, but these droplets carry travelers too. Remember Covid and the anguish we felt when one of these liquid bombs crashed into our faces? Yes, sprays are excellent vehicles for viruses. But are viruses the only ones to benefit from this fast, free means of transport? No, bacteria can also be airborne, as in the transmission of tuberculosis. These aerosols are the subject of our guest's latest paper, published in the Journal of aerosol science.

She is a CNRS researcher and biophysicist at the Centre de biologie structurale ( CBS ), and one of the 8 winners of the Impulscience program awarded by the Fondation Bettencourt last November for her research into biofilms.

In the second half of the program, our latest report on the M3P platform takes us along with Myriam Dauzat to see Phenopsis, an automatic irrigation and image-taking system in a growth chamber that can monitor the development of over 500 plants.

Last but not least, our last-minute guest is Ghyslaine Besançon, Head of Communications at Institut Agro Montpellier, who will be presenting the screening-debate of the film Bigger Than Us on February 6 at 6pm.

At UM la science you've got the program, here we go!

Coproduction: Divergence FM / Université de Montpellier
Animation: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reportage : Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production : Alice Rollet

Listen to the program "A l'UM la science" on Divergence FM 93.9