42 - The Answer to Almost Everything

All over the world, people are taking to the streets about injustice, freedom, and calling for more rights. But in this age of demonstrations, which protests work? And why?

You might think that children are small, unfinished people who don't yet understand the world. Perhaps this is where the potential for conflict between children and adults comes from. But could we have a lot to learn from children? And do they do some things better?

With the increase in the world population in recent decades, there have never been as many people living, but also dying, as today: Around 160,000 people pass away every day. These high numbers are a logistical problem as large cities run out of cemetery space and the carbon footprint of burial and cremation rises. So how will we bury and remember our dead, and also grieve in the future?

Every year, astronomical sums of money are spent worldwide on arms, when it would be a thousand times better to invest in eradicating hunger and poverty or funding the fight against climate change. In today's political climate, this view might seem naive. So is doing without weapons just wishful thinking? Do we need arms for peace?

Are eggs good for us? Are eggs bad for us? Official health advice sometimes to contradict itself. What food we consume is important for our health, so what should we actually eat?

Although no proof of the existence of extraterrestrial life has yet been found, the discovery of habitable planets in the universe makes it increasingly likely. But if aliens do exist, how should we make contact with them? And what would be the consequences of this unprecedented event in human history? Are we ready to meet the aliens?

The human body is home to some 30 billion microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae). The composition of this microbiome has a direct impact on us: the more diverse it is, the better our health. However, urbanisation, hygiene regulations and changing diets and lifestyles are leading to a loss of microbial biodiversity. So how can we bring back the microorganisms that have disappeared into modern life? And how important is it to us really?

While some people spend millions on holidays in space or splash out on extravagant weddings, others live in shanty towns and earn just a few dollars a day. Why do such inequalities exist in our world, despite a global economy that has produced the most wealth in human history?

20% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives. But what do we really know about this condition? Why do so many people get depressed?

People have always tried to find the perfect code to protect secrets. But even the very best codes only keep our information safe until they are decoded. Does the perfect code exist? Or will all codes be broken by supercomputers in the future?  

Climate disasters, global inequalities, the threat of a third world war... Wouldn't it be reassuring if an international government set about solving all these problems? The United Nations was created with this in mind, but many think it is not fit for the challenges of the 21st century. So is humanity ready for world government?

Every month around 100 million litres of menstrual blood is thrown away or flushed down the toilet. But what if this very particular type of blood could be used for good?

Time is one of the great mysteries of our lives. It passes the same way for everyone and yet everyone experiences it differently. Sometimes the days fly by, at other moments, time seems to stand still. How do we perceive time? And could we live more intensely if we understood how our sense of time works?

Without water there would be no life on Earth. But what is so special about it? Research has shown water is much more than the tasteless liquid we drink almost without thinking, but rather a mysterious and unique substance present everywhere in our world. But could it be the key to life in the universe?

We humans think that we are the best creation on this earth. But with sickness, aging, brittle bones and weak muscles… are we actually badly designed? Would we benefit from bodily and cerebral upgrades? Will we all be cyborgs in the future?

It may seem that the idea of Truth is under siege. Donald Trump, for example, was elected despite countless false statements and lies and conspiracy theories are widely believed without the slightest bit of evidence to support them. Why is this? And can truth still be saved?

Once you become addicted to a substance you can live a life of abstinence, but you are never considered cured. Will this remain the case in the future, or can we use modern medicine to cure our addictions?

Curiosity is at the very root of humanity's development, but it is often vilified and mistrusted. Is curiosity a good thing? Or are we humans too curious for our own good?

No film has influenced our perception of dinosaurs more than Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. But more than three decades have passed since the classic film was released and palaeontologists have made further discoveries. Could dinosaurs have looked less reptilian, and perhaps have had feathers?

Viruses are geniuses of evolution. They can constantly mutate, penetrate cells, mingle with our genome an, worst of all, make us ill. But can we outwit viruses and stop them from messing with our bodies? Could we immunise ourselves against viruses completely?

How can we define what is normal and what is mad? Although every human being functions differently, madness is associated with behaviour that deviates from the norm. But where exactly does ‘normal’ end and ‘madness’ begin?

Boredom has a bad reputation. All the more so as ennui is often accompanied by a feeling of emptiness and frustration. Ready to do anything to escape it, some seek an outlet in alcohol, drugs, or even violence. Wouldn't everything be better if we never got bored?

In the AI era, highly convincing fake videos and pictures can be produced that can easily deceive. What impact does targeted disinformation have on society and democracy? And how can we distinguish between what’s true and what’s false?

Was the fall of the Roman Empire due to its decadent morals? Did the people of Easter Island exhaust its natural resources? And is it possible to identify patterns in the collapse of civilisations? These questions could help us understand the civilisations of the past as well as the expected lifespan of our present-day society.

Fiery debates online, explosions of anger on the streets, tense conversations with our loved-ones: Arguing can be exhausting and deeply unpleasant, and it seems like we are always at loggerheads in our polarised digital world. Can we disagree in a better way? And should we in fact argue more?

Plant growth is determined by the golden ratio symbolised by the Greek letter Phi, pine cones grow in a logarithmic spiral and flower petals are often arranged in the Fibonacci sequence. Is mathematics a human invention or does it represent the fundamental structures of our universe?

News and social media can often give us the idea that the world is a terrible place and its only getting worse. But what if, behind the headlines and the shrill discourse on social media, things were actually improving on our planet?

On retrouve des bêtes d’élevage un peu partout sur Terre. Cochons, chèvres, poules et autres bestiaux sont doués d’une intelligence souvent insoupçonnée des humains. D’où un enjeu éthique majeur : les pratiques d’élevage, souvent peu soucieuses du bien-être animal, pourraient en effet nuire à leur développement cognitif.

Les revers et autres fiascos laissent souvent un goût amer, et pourtant, ils peuvent aider à mieux rebondir. Les chercheurs savent aujourd’hui que les avancées scientifiques et techniques sont le fruit de tâtonnements. En psychologie, il est admis que l’échec rend plus résilient. Alors, faut-il échouer plus souvent pour réussir sur le long terme ?

On a longtemps fait des humains préhistoriques des êtres rustres et primitifs. Pour autant, étaient-ils vraiment plus bêtes que nous ? Si l'un d'entre eux voyageait dans le temps jusqu’à notre époque, pourrait-il acquérir toutes les aptitudes des humains d’aujourd’hui ?

Aujourd'hui, le feu est devenu synonyme de destruction, avec des incendies de plus en plus ravageurs émettant d'énormes quantités de CO2. De quoi accélérer le dérèglement climatique qui, à son tour, favorise les départs de feu. Un cercle vicieux qui a poussé les chercheurs à qualifier notre époque de "pyrocène".

La musique peut nous rendre euphoriques ou mélancoliques. Même les nourrissons se mettent à frétiller au rythme d’une comptine. Alors, quels mécanismes sont à l’œuvre quand nous éprouvons l’envie irrépressible de nous trémousser ? Longtemps cantonnée à la philosophie, cette question est désormais étudiée par les scientifiques, qui observent les neurones des musiciens et mélomanes par imagerie cérébrale.

Sur les réseaux sociaux, chacun y va de sa petite recette du bonheur et de la vie saine. Une recherche de perfection qui vire parfois à l’obsession. Le développement personnel est-il la garantie de la réussite ? Cette quête d’absolu ne nous prive-t-elle pas de l’essentiel ?

Désormais, les antibiotiques peuvent être inefficaces contre certaines bactéries. À force d’abus et de mauvaise observance des prescriptions, de nombreux germes deviennent en effet rétifs aux traitements. Phénomène de plus en plus fréquent, l’antibiorésistance peut s’avérer mortelle : on lui attribue ainsi près de 1,3 million de décès dans le monde. Les supermicrobes finiront-ils par avoir notre peau ?

L’hibernation humaine : un fantasme aussi vieux que la science-fiction. Certains scientifiques pensent pourtant que nous sommes dotés de dispositions génétiques nous permettant d’hiberner. Un repos artificiel qui ferait économiser énormément de ressources et ouvrirait de nouvelles perspectives d’exploration spatiale. D’ailleurs, des chercheurs étudient déjà la faisabilité de ces technologies.

Faire la fête, se désinhiber, noyer son chagrin… Toutes les occasions sont bonnes pour consommer de l’alcool. Mais la limite entre plaisir et dépendance est ténue. Cet épisode se penche sur le rôle socioculturel de la boisson, et sur son impact sanitaire. Pourquoi buvons-nous alors que nous en connaissons les risques ?

Dans une société démocratique, les décisions sont réputées relever du libre arbitre. Mais est-ce toujours le cas ? Sachant que le cerveau se met parfois en mode "pilote automatique", la liberté de choix n’est peut-être qu’une illusion. Et si nos choix étaient davantage dictés par des facteurs physiques ou neurologiques ?

La guerre du Vietnam aurait-elle duré encore plus longtemps sans la célèbre photo de la petite fille brûlée au napalm ? Donald Trump aurait-il remporté la dernière élection sans l’image de son oreille ensanglantée ? Il faut se rendre à l'évidence : dans la communication politique aussi, les images nous influencent ! Alors qu’elles sont plus omniprésentes que jamais, il est vital de percer leurs ressorts.

Trop longtemps négligée par la science et absente des programmes d’enseignement, la sexualité féminine reste prisonnière de mythes et d’idées reçues. Il est grand temps de répondre à quelques questions cruciales : quel acte sexuel procure vraiment du plaisir aux femmes ? Comment atteindre l’orgasme ? Et quel rôle joue le clitoris pour y parvenir ?

Tout ce qu’on lance en l’air finit tôt ou tard par atterrir. Cela vaut aussi pour beaucoup d’objets envoyés dans l’espace, en premier lieu les fusées et satellites. Au bout d’un certain temps, ces engins deviennent des débris spatiaux susceptibles de nous tomber littéralement sur la tête. Pire, chaque nouvelle mise en orbite augmente d’autant le risque de collisions spatiales.