"UM , Science" [S02-ep01]: Nanorobots, 30 Years of the LIRMM, and Litternature

[Podcast] - Published on September 22, 2022 in Science and Society

This week on *A l’UM * science, Gaëtan Bellot from the CBS talks to us about a nanorobot made entirely of DNA. Our report will then take you to the microelectronics department at LIRMM, where Laurent Latorre is preparing for the lab’s 30th anniversary. Finally, Lucas Aubouin from the scientific outreach department will tell you about the Litternature project.

It’s back-to-school time for *A l’UM * science, and to kick off the year right, we invite you to push the boundaries of your imagination with a study at the cutting edge of science fiction. Okay, that sounds like a total “cliché,” but four words will be enough to convince you: DNA, robot, cellular mechanics… In a creative writing workshop, I guarantee you, that’s enough to make you think of Bradbury! But here we’re not talking about literature—we’re talking about science and a nanorobot built entirely from DNA to study, at the cellular level, the mechanical forces involved in numerous biological and pathological processes in the human body. Gaëtan Bellot is a researcher at the Montpellier Center for Structural Biology (CBS). The work he has conducted with his team—composed of researchers fromInserm, the CNRS, and the University of Montpellier—has been published in*Nature Communications*.

In the second half of the program, we’ll take you to LIRMM, the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, it will open its doors to the public on October 8, with tours and demonstrations led by researchers.  To give you a sneak peek, we’re bringing you a series of three reports, and this week, Laurent Latorre will introduce you to the microelectronics department.

Finally, Lucas Aubouin will join us at the end of the show to talk about the latest project from the scientific culture department of theUM , in partnership with the region’s public libraries. The project, called “Litternature,” invites young naturalists to catalog the biodiversity hidden within children’s literature. From September 20 through October 16, an exhibition is also on display at the Emile Zola media library.

At "UM : Science," here's the lineup—let's get started!

Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Director: Bruno Bertrand

Listen to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9

Keywords: InUM to Science, Innovation, Research, Science, Technology