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Biologists use all sorts of animals for basic research and to understand and cure diseases, from the common fruit fly that you might all know from your kitchen to the cute zebrafishes that your children might have as pets at home. Join us at Les Gosses du Québec for an exciting night to learn more about the use of these model organisms in research!
Are bigger brains better and does it matter?
Dr. Ana Marija Jakšić
(Group leader, EPFL)
We think of ourselves, humans, as the smartest species in the world. Because we also evolved to have exceptionally big brains we often ascribe our extreme cognitive abilities to the size of our brain. The perhaps uncomfortable truth is that we are actually not the biggest-brained species out there, and we also know very little about how brain size contributes to brain function. In this presentation I will show you how we use a very tiny-brained animal, the fruit fly, to understand how and why the brain evolves, and does its size or structure really matter.
Working with life and facing death : inside a lab mice breeding facility
Dr Emilie Gesina
(Head of Mouse Breeding Facility, EPFL)
Come with me inside a lab mice breeding facility to understand who we are, what are our contributions to research and why it is so important to care about lab animals and those who work with them daily.
Working with zebrafish to witness the development of the spinal column
Prof. Andy Oates
(Professor, EPFL)
Did you ever wonder how you grew your backbone? Can you imagine that the answer could be found through research with the embryo of a very small tropical fish, the zebrafish? I will explain how cells use biological clocks to time the formation of each vertebra in the spinal cord, and why zebrafish are increasingly useful in understanding a range of medical questions.
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