Videos

Will a miniature device implanted in the brain help stroke survivors in their recovery? That is what Ugur Kilic (KU Leuven - FWO) researches in her PhD. Find out more in this video!

Jasper Smet is working (out) in the lab: he wants to grow 3D human muscles to help those with muscle diseases and injuries. By piecing together tiny muscle sections in the lab, he aims to create realistic human muscle models. These could be used to unravel how muscles work, test the effect of drugs, and one day perform transplants in people with severe muscle injuries. Muscle up!

Would you be able to perform CPR if a loved one suddenly collapses due to a cardiac arrest? Not enough people are properly trained in CPR; even when they are, they often feel reluctant to act in high-stress situations. "Standard CPR training is done on a manikin and doesn't prepare you for a real emergency, full of stress and chaos", says Anne-Astrid Agten. She wants to change this using virtual reality.

Did you know that growing up, one in four children worldwide experience a traumatic dental injury? Current treatments for these injuries aren't optimal, nor long-lasting, and render the tooth brittle, leading to possible tooth loss. But what if teeth could heal themselves? That's what Una Ivkovic sinks her teeth into: a hydrogel that guides stem cells to the injury to generate new dental tissue and restore the damaged tooth 🦷

Does extraterrestrial life exist? To date, Thomas Konings has not discovered any extraterrestrial neighbors. But he diligently continues his search. That search for extraterrestrial life starts with the search for habitable planets. To do this, Thomas and his colleagues look at exoplanets, planets outside our solar system. But how do you study planets billions of kilometers away from us? Thomas tells you in this video.

You know the feeling of having to pee when you just went to the bathroom 20 minutes ago? Then you may be suffering from an overactive 'bladder'. The problem is not so much in your bladder, but well over a meter higher, as it's your brain that decides when you need to pee. Anugrah Santoso looks for abnormal brain patterns that can lead to this recurring urge to pee.

Summer, sun and a cold beer. ☀️ 🍺 It's the perfect combination for beer lovers. But did you know that the changing climate creates challenges for brewers? It affects the starch, a key component of the barley from which beer is made. 🌾 As a result, from the same amount of barley, you get less alcohol and therefore less beer. Fortunately, bioengineer Charlotte De Schepper is developing some new strategies to deal with the changing starch properties. Cheers! 🍻

3 billion times. That's how many times a heart beats on average in a lifetime. Unfortunately, that does not apply to everyone. As many as one in 10 Belgians die prematurely from cardiovascular disease. Nicholas Cauwenberghs wants to do something about that. He wants to enlist medically untrained volunteers to help determine your risk of cardiovascular disease with a user-friendly kit in the supermarket.

Fafalel, hummus, vegetable burgers, ... These delicacies are made from protein crops such as chickpeas and yellow peas, which unfortunately come mainly from faraway countries such as Russia or Argentina. So can't we grow protein crops in Belgium? "Yes, we can!" says ILVO researcher Elien De Rooze. She explains how farmers can grow protein crops and what exactly they should pay attention to!

Did you know there are countless species of mosquitoes, some of which can transmit dangerous diseases? Identifying these tiny creatures—or any other species— is no easy task, even for seasoned biologists. Luckily Ann Vanderheyden and her colleagues at the 'Species Identification Service' can help. ​​​​​​​So.. if there's something weird, and it don't look good... Who you gonna call? 🕵️‍♂️🔍

Did you know Belgium uses more of its seaspace for wind farms than any other country? This noise disrupts marine life, like North Sea harbour porpoises. Bob Rumes uses underwater microphones to study underwater noise and how it affects porpoises.

The saxophone, a Belgian invention by Adolphe Sax, is nearing its 180th birthday, but evolution has stalled in the last 100 years. Until now! Enis Ukshini built a saxophone robot, a fully automatic saxophone virtuoso. The robot helps him study a small part key to the sax's unique sound: the mouthpiece with the vibrating reed.