Subjects

Artistic

When the intelligence of plants is exploited by robots. Discover the Plant Fever exhibition at the Centre d’Innovation et de Design in Grand-Hornu.

Plants do not have a brain or nervous system like us. And yet, researchers show that they are gifted with intelligence. Defending themselves against aggression, finding their food, or communicating through their roots, these are all incredible elements that demonstrate the intelligence of plants.
But it is not only scientists who are interested in the plant kingdom. Artists too are amazed at their prowess. So much so that they are inspired by the intelligence of nature to create new, revolutionary, and breathtaking objects or tools. Plant Fever is an exhibition that bears witness to the power of plants… that human is trying to mimic. […]

Artistic

Understanding optical illusions with René Magritte

Sometimes your brain shows you images that in reality don’t exist or are physically impossible. Images that present a different reality. These are called optical illusions. A principle that René Magritte, the famous Belgian painter, was able to exploit to create remarkable and world-famous paintings. […]

Belgian inventors

The phenakistiscope, the ancestor of cartoons

A very fast succession of images gives the impression of continuous movement, like in cartoons. It works thanks to a phenomenon called the retinal persistence. It was the Brussels native Joseph Plateau who discovered it and created the first phenakistiscope. […]

Women of science

Marie Curie, international radiancy

Marie Sklodowska-Curie, better known as Marie Curie, is the most famous scientist. Physicist and chemist of Polish origin, she is naturalized French. To date, she is the only woman to have received two Nobel prizes for her work on natural radioactivity. […]