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Fundamental Research Division
The DRF at the CEA assemble approximately 6,000 scientists since January 2016.
Researchers from the IBS have shown how bacteria converse within floating biofilms. The proteins involved in this interaction could be new targets in the fight against antibiotic resistance and nosocomial infections.
A Franco-Australian collaboration involving the Irfu (including the Ganil) has resulted in a better understanding of a critical mechanism in the synthesis of super-heavy nuclei: quasifission, in which nuclei interact by exchanging nucleons.
Many biological or therapeutic molecules cannot be superimposed on their mirror image (and are called chiral). To distinguish these two molecular species (enantiomers), a collaboration involving the Iramis has proposed an original approach using ultra-short circularly polarized laser pulses. This makes it possible to measure the enantiomers, and even to sort them in the future.
A team from the Institut François-Jacob has discovered a molecular mechanism that regulates the balance between the production of adipose tissue and thermogenesis in mice.
Images from the MegaCam camera developed at the Irfu reveal previously unexpected, extended structures within a group of galaxies called Stephan’s Quintet. These structures demonstrate long-standing interactions between galaxies, indicating that the group is much older than models have predicted.
Thanks to progress in lithography techniques, new so-called “lateral” architectures are emerging in spintronics. Far more versatile and just as powerful as the current devices, they are opening up important prospects for memory and logic applications. It’s time to get creative!
When exposed to low-energy ultraviolet radiation, the extremities of chromosomes (or telomeres) can produce radicals that cause oxidative damage. A detailed study using time-resolved spectroscopy conducted at the Iramis reveals the mechanisms associated with these processes.
Discovered in February 2017, the seven planets of the dwarf star Trappist-1 are a favored subject of study as they are located only forty light-years from us. According to two studies that included the participation of an Irfu researcher, several of these planets have atmospheres that no longer contain hydrogen. Moreover, the planet closest to the star contains a considerable amount of water, 50 times more than the Earth in proportion to its mass. This last point particularly brings into question the current models.
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CEA is a French government-funded technological research organisation in four main areas: low-carbon energies, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies. A prominent player in the European Research Area, it is involved in setting up collaborative projects with many partners around the world.