SciLux

Hanna Siemaszko

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SCIENCE
EVERY TWO WEEKS

Podcast about science in Luxembourg and beyond - in every episode we have a look at the latest scientific research and technological changes in Luxembourg or we discuss it with scientists or researchers working in Luxembourg. This is a podcast for people who love science, but aren't necessarily science graduates. We post a new episode every second week.

2 SEPT

Eating for Life: Talking Nutrition with Dr. Torsten Bohn

Let's look at what we eat - from a nutrition research perspective! Dr. Torsten Bohn, a food chemist and nutritionist heading the Nutrition and Health group at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, shares his insights on what constitutes a healthy diet, the challenges of adhering to dietary recommendations in real life, and the impact of modern dietary trends. We explore the complexities of food bioactives, the significance of the gut microbiome, and how our understanding of nutrition is evolving in light of new research. Torsten discusses the role of dietary fiber, and how lifestyle factors can influence our overall health. He emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to diet and nutrition, addressing the gaps between scientific recommendations and everyday eating habits. With a keen focus on food security and sustainability, we also touch on the future of food production and the potential of novel foods in meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population. As we wrap up, don't miss our pub quiz question that challenges you to consider the role of nutrition in determining lifespan. USEFUL LINKS About Torsten Bohn: https://researchportal.lih.lu/en/persons/torsten-bohn Luxembourg Institute of Health: https://www.lih.lu/en/ Diet and Gut Microbiota by Dr. Torsten Bohn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8l8EPjI3Lg The EAT Lancet report: https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/

55 min
22 JUL

From Primes to Privacy: Number Theory and Cryptography with Prof. Jennifer Balakrishnan and Tim Seuré

What exactly is number theory, and what drives researchers to dedicate their careers to this field? How does this seemingly abstract branch of mathematics connect to the cryptography that secures our digital world? A couple of weeks ago, Luxembourg hosted the 33rd Journées Arithmétiques, providing us with the perfect opportunity to explore these questions. We sat down with two mathematicians: a visiting researcher and a local expert, offering insights from both international and Luxembourg-based perspectives. Our first guest is Prof. Jennifer Balakrishnan from Boston University, who led the team that cracked the notorious "cursed curve" problem. We couldn't resist discussing it and learning more from Jennifer about current big questions. We also explored the mathematical foundations of cryptography with Tim Seuré, a PhD student at the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) at the University of Luxembourg, focusing on fully homomorphic encryption. USEFUL LINKS: More about Prof. Jennifer Balakrishnan: https://math.bu.edu/people/jbala/ Quanta Magazine article about cracking the "cursed curve": https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-crack-the-cursed-curve-20171207/ 33rd Journées Arithmétiques: https://www.uni.lu/fstm-en/conferences/ja25/ Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search: https://www.mersenne.org/

47 min
8 JUL

Insights into Colorectal Cancer Research with Prof. Elisabeth Letellier and Dr. Mina Tsenkova

In this episode, Professor Elisabeth Letellier from the University of Luxembourg and Dr. Mina Tsenkova, now at Amgen in California, discuss colorectal cancer research and ketogenic diet. Mina won the Rolf Tarrach Award 2024 for her PhD thesis. The discussion centers around the critical role of the gut microbiome in cancer development, specifically how diet influences this relationship. Mina shares insights from her award-winning PhD research on the ketogenic diet and its effects on colorectal cancer, while Elisabeth provides an overview of the disease itself and the rising incidence among younger populations. Together, they explore the complexities of diet, microbiome interactions, and the challenges of translating research into clinical practice. USEFUL LINKS Rolf Tarrach Award for Dr. Mina Tsenkova - https://www.uni.lu/research-en/events/rolf-tarrach-award-2024/ Amgen - https://www.amgen.com/ Science in Colours - Mina Tsenkova - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGhgWsezc7c

37 min
1 JUL

From Rocks to Rescue: The Science of Asteroids and Planetary Defense with Dr. Patrick Michel

Dr. Patrick Michel, senior researcher at CNRS and global fellow at the University of Tokyo, discusses how our understanding of asteroids has evolved dramatically since the mid-1990s. Early research relied on reflected light observations, but space missions have revealed asteroids as complex geological worlds with diverse shapes and structures. Patrick reflects on this transition from limited knowledge to groundbreaking missions that reveal the intricate features of these celestial bodies. The episode also covers Asteroid Day, celebrated annually on June 30th, which commemorates the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid explosion destroyed a large area of Siberian forest. Moreover, Patrick recounts the successful DART mission, which tested asteroid deflection techniques and demonstrated humanity's first deliberate alteration of a celestial body's trajectory. He introduces also the Hera mission, designed to investigate the aftermath of the DART impact on asteroid Dimorphos, gathering crucial data on asteroid composition and structure. USEFUL LINKS Hera mission - https://www.heramission.space/ More about Dr. Patrick Michel - https://www.oca.eu/michel/ DART mission - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/dart/ NASA’s OSIRIS-REx - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/ Asteroid Foundation - https://asteroidfoundation.org/

56 min
24 JUN

The Lifecycle of Change: Sustainability Strategies with Dr. Thomas Gibon

Dr. Thomas Gibon from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology breaks down why our assumptions about "green" technology are often wrong. Electric cars, hydrogen fuel, steel production – Thomas shows how Life Cycle Assessment reveals the hidden environmental costs that many don't talk about. The conversation cuts through the usual green-tech hype. That electric car? Its environmental impact depends on how the electricity gets made and where the lithium comes from. Hydrogen as a clean fuel? Not if you're using fossil fuels to produce it. Beyond the technical analysis, Thomas tackles the harder question: how do we build a low-carbon future that people actually want to live in? The discussion moves from engineering assessments to the social and political realities of climate action – because the best technology in the world won't matter if nobody wants to use it. USEFUL LINKS More about Dr. Thomas Gibon's research: https://scholar.google.no/citations?user=I3ATYsQAAAAJ&hl=no Articles discussed: - Is green growth possible?: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13563467.2019.1598964 - How to make climate-neutral aviation fly: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39749-y DISCUSSED EPISODES Hydrogen with Dr. Robin White: https://www.scilux.eu/episodes/hydrogen Urban Health with Dr. Camille Perchoux: https://www.scilux.eu/episodes/urban-health Empowering Communities with Dr. Gilles Evrard Essuman: https://www.scilux.eu/episodes/empowering-communities

46 min
10 JUN

Revolutionising Orthopedic Care: The SmILE Project with Dr. Bernd Grimm and Prof. Arndt-Peter Schulz

In this episode, we connect with Dr. Bernd Grimm from the Luxembourg Institute of Health and Professor Arndt-Peter Schulz from Germany's Fraunhofer IMTE – two researchers revolutionising orthopedic medicine by looking into the fast developing field of smart implants - here comes the SmILE project. Musculoskeletal diseases like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis affect millions worldwide, yet barely register on our health radar. These conditions might not kill you, but they can devastate quality of life. That's why Dr. Grimm and Prof. Schulz would like to develop new smart implants which can help monitor and manage such diseases also creating a accessible database which can be used across the EU. But Dr. Grimm and Prof. Schulz also work on many other projects - listen to this episode to find out more! USEFUL LINKS More about SmILE project - https://www.horizon-smile.eu/ LIH - https://www.lih.lu/en/ Fraunhofer IMTE - https://www.imte.fraunhofer.de/en.html

37 min
3 JUN

Bridging Science and Society: Insights from Prof. Mike S. Schäfer

In this SciLux episode, we speak about science communication with Professor Mike S. Schäfer, Head of the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich. We examine the role of intermediaries between researchers and audiences and discuss the difficulties scientists face when explaining their work. Mike addresses the need to understand different audiences, and strategies for engaging people who don't go looking for scientific content. We cover changes in science journalism, AI's impact on communication, and the growing importance of countering misinformation. USEFUL LINKS More about Prof. Mike S. Schäfer - https://www.ikmz.uzh.ch/en/research/divisions/science-crisis-and-risk-communication/team/mike-s-schaefer.html JCOM special issue - Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - https://jcom.sissa.it/collections/129/ Amplifying Research with Chris Pahlow - https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/33-mike-schafer "Co-Intelligence" by Ethan Mollick - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198678736-co-intelligence

48 min
27 MAY

Unveiling the Layers of History with Dr. Joëlla van Donkersgoed

History isn't just what happened - it's who gets to tell the story. In this episode, we sit down with public history researcher Dr. Joëlla van Donkersgoed (C2DH, University of Luxembourg) to explore how communities are reclaiming their narratives and reshaping our understanding of the past. From the streets of Esch-sur-Alzette to the remote Banda Islands of Indonesia, Joëlla's work reveals how traditional historical methods often miss crucial perspectives. She breaks down the real challenges of public history: building trust with communities, sharing authority over historical narratives, and creating platforms that actually last beyond academic projects. Through her Historesch Gesinn project and other initiatives, Joëlla demonstrates how sustainable community engagement can transform historical research from a top-down academic exercise into a collaborative exploration. USEFUL LINKS Historesch Gesinn - https://historesch.lu/ More about Joëlla - https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/de/people/joella-van-donkersgoed More about C2DH https://www.c2dh.uni.lu/ More about Hikayat Lonthoir - https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/whats-on/exhibitions/manuscript The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch by Lewis Dartnell - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18114087-the-knowledge

43 min

Podcast about science in Luxembourg and beyond - in every episode we have a look at the latest scientific research and technological changes in Luxembourg or we discuss it with scientists or researchers working in Luxembourg. This is a podcast for people who love science, but aren't necessarily science graduates. We post a new episode every second week.

Creator

Hanna Siemaszko
Years Active

2020 - 2025
Episodes

112
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 SciLux
Show Website

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