Videos

Sara
Petit-Jean
KU Leuven

White bread, but deliciously rich in fibre

Do you also love bread? Belgians eat an average of 33 kg of bread a year, about 1,000 slices. But that's mostly white bread, which doesn't contain much fibre. To make us eat more of that healthy fibre, Sara Petit-Jean (KU Leuven) is working on new, high-fibre white bread.
Max
Bols
FWO
KU Leuven

Beating enzymes at chemical catalysis

To make the production of plastics and other chemical processes less energy-intensive and waste-producing, Max Bols turns to nature. Enzymes, the catalysts of living cells, hold the key to improve chemical processes, as he explains in this video. 
Alexander
Cruz
imec
KU Leuven
VUB

A dog's nose in your smartphone

A dog's nose is one of the most powerful sensors we have. Trained dogs are even able to detect early signs of certain diseases by sniffing our breath. As this would not be very practical, Alex Cruz is looking to integrate a doglike 'nose' in our smartphones to do the trick.
Lieselotte
Van Bockstal
FWO
UAntwerpen

Close your doors for a tropical parasite

Every year 300,000 people - as many as the number of inhabitants of Antwerp - contract the tropical disease Leishmaniasis. Still, chances are that you have never heard of the Leishmania parasite, because this deadly disease gets little attention. So Lieselotte Van Bockstal decided to devote her entire doctorate to it.
Mónica
Vara Perez
FWO
KU Leuven
VIB

Understanding the self-cannibalism instincts of melanoma

Melanoma is a very common and lethal type of skin cancer. Melanoma cells have a strange, yet effective defence mechanism called autophagy: they can manage to survive by eating parts of themselves. Monica Vara Perez tries to figure out this self-cannibalism mechanism in order to help defeat melanoma.
Shorok
Abdelhameed
FWO
KU Leuven

Studying protein structure thanks to metal oxides

Did you know that our body contains more than 20.000 different types of proteins? These are crucial for vital functions such as wound healing. But when these proteins mutate, they can lead to diseases such as Alzheimer's. To help fight such protein-based diseases, Shorok Abdelhameed investigates methods to study the very complex structures of proteins.
Sven
Dierickx
FWO
UGent

Green or low-cost? Why not both?

Products with an eco-label are often more expensive than regular products. Bio-engineer Sven Dierickx is determined to change this: he uses yeast from bumblebee honey to make environmentally friendly ánd low-cost detergent 🐝🍽🧽
Ewa
Sieliwonczyk
FWO
UAntwerpen

About fluorescent zebrafish and sudden cardiac death

What do zebrafish have to do with sudden cardiac death? Ewa Sieliwonczyk (UAntwerpen) explains that to you in this video.
Ana
Escorza
KU Leuven

A cosmic dance: understanding double star systems

Did you know that more than half of the stars you see in the sky are born with a partner? Just like with humans, the presence of a partner can really have an effect on the life and the behavior of a star.
Robin
Bonné
FWO
UHasselt

Can you build a smartphone from bacteria?

Last year, scientists discovered bacteria in the mud of the North Sea that can conduct electricity. Robin Bonné (Hasselt University - FWO) is investigating whether we can use these 'cable bacteria' to create biodegradable electronic wires.
Hans
Gerstmans
FWO
KU Leuven
UGent

Enzybiotics in drops: a killer combination!

Almost 100 years ago Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic: penicillin. Even then, he warned that there would come a day when bacteria would be resistant to all antibiotics. That day is now very near. Will the 'killer combination' of enzybiotics and water droplets save us from super-bacteria?
Rahel
Park
KU Leuven
VIB

Who is hitching a ride on a housefly?

Rahel Park has a dilemma for you: what to do if a bunch of flies land on the cake you were just about to eat? Should you eat it anyway or should you throw it away? Watch the video for the -scientifically substantiated- answer!