A l'UM la science [S01-ep04]: From cancer ecology to zoology collection

This week, Mivegec doctoral student Justine Boutry talks about the influence of cancer on inter-species interactions and ecosystem evolution. In the second half of the program, Audrey Théron introduces us to the mammals in the zoology collection.

We've all heard of dogs and cats that can detect cancer before the patient even feels the slightest symptoms. Magic? Sixth animal sense? No, it's none of the above, but we had to discover that tumor processes modify our body odors to understand how our four-legged friends could sense the disease.

Today, evolutionary ecology is shedding new light on these tumor processes and their influence on inter-species interactions and ecosystem evolution.

Justine Boutry is a PhD student at Mivegec, the research laboratory on infectious diseases and vectors: ecology, genetics, evolution and control. She and her team have been studying hydras, in particular tumoral hydras, and their interactions with prey, predators and commensals. The results of this study were published last September in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

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In the second half of the program, we're back in the animal world, as we take you to the Institut de Botanique to discover the University of Montpellier's zoology collection. Audrey Théron takes you on a tour for this first part devoted to mammals.

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

Coproduction: Divergence FM / Université de Montpellier
Animation:
Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interviews:
Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reporting and editing:
Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production:
Anna Demeulandre

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


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