FNR 20 years: An evening with science [fiction] in the House of Frankenstein

An increasing number of systems are now controlled by artificial intelligence (AI): Autonomous vehicles – such as drones or satellites – can be deployed in difficult to access places and used to gather information in real-time. Autonomous systems can also be used simultaneously and cooperate to reach better performances compared to using only one device – but not without challenges: it is no easy task to programme these entities to behave collectively as we want them to. We speak to computer scientist and researcher Florian Felten about his research in this area and the associated challenges.

Westernised diets lack fibre – on average, a Western diet only covers about 60% of the recommended daily fibre intake. Research is gathering evidence that lack of dietary fibre plays a role in the development of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, neurodegeneration, as well as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. While researchers agree that we should eat more fibre, what happens to it once it is in our bodies can vary from person to person – one size does not fit all. In the quest to find out how humans can age in a healthy, disease-free way, researchers are working to shed light on the exact role dietary fibre could play.

PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair Professor Gilbert Fridgen and research group explore the future of financial services in a data driven environment, considering a broad range of angles, from usability, onboarding and operational efficiency to regulatory supervision. From self driving cars to space research, the research has wide relevance for the future.

Public history as a new participatory model for interpreting the past: Inspired by the evolution of digital participatory sciences, the 5-year project of FNR ATTRACT Fellow Thomas Cauvin will facilitate interactions between academics, cultural institutions, and the general public to contribute to a democratisation not only of access but also of the production of history.

Digitalisation is moving forward fast in every field, including medicine. But how can digital tools be integrated into healthcare processes, and how should data be visualised to personalise patient care? These are only two of many questions that Professor Dr Jochen Klucken will analyse over with his research group as part of his 3.3 MEUR FNR PEARL project.

Choosing the path of science and research can have many trajectories. To show a glimpse of what different science journeys can look like and inspire young girls to follow their passion for science, Research Luxembourg team players and the Ministry of Equality present season 2 of the series Women & Girls in Science: Meet Dimitra Anastasiou from LIST and learn about her love of combining languages and computer science, and the challenge of a relationship when both parties work in research.