ERC in the Press

How stone age man invented the art of raving

Robin McKie - The Guardian

13 May, 2012

British newspaper The Guardian ran an article on the project of ERC grantee Professor Alasdair Whittle from Cardiff University.

Prof. Whittle is using a revolutionary technique for dating ancient remains to develop precise chronologies for the Neolithic period throughout Europe. In Britain,he discovered stone-age gatherings equivalent of the Glastonbury festival. People met andspent several days eating, drinking and dancing. These tribal gatherings were held on causewayed enclosures, large hilltop earthworks built after farming was brought to Britain from the continent 6,000 years ago.

Prof. Whittle received a € 2.5 million ERC Advanced grant to enable him to date neolithic sites across the continent.

There was wider media coverage of this project inother newspapers such as The Daily Mail.

Investigadores gallegos hallan nuevas vías para activar el tejido que quema grasa

La Voz de Galicia

12 May, 2012

Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported on the project of ERC grantee Miguel López from the University de Santiago De Compostela.

Professor López's research team has discovered the action of a protein that burns fat to increase the body temperature. The protein, called BMP8B, regulates energy balance in partnership with the hypothalamus. Professor López's project, which received a € 1.5 million Starting Grant from the ERC, will help to develop new ways to tackle obesity.

La Voz de Galicia highlighted that a paper by this research team has been published in Cell, a leading scientific journal in the field of life sciences.

La gente joven tiene que moverse, siempre fue así

Alicia RIVERA, El País

7 May, 2012

During the celebration of the ERC's fifth anniversary (press release), El País journalist Alicia Rivera interviewed ERC President Helga Nowotny, whom she depicts as a jovial, energetic and resolute woman with an impressive curriculum vitae. In the article, Helga Nowotny encourages young scientists, currently facing budgetary cuts and difficult conditions in their countries, to "be persistent and not give up".

Comment le voteur indécis prend-il sa décision dans l'isoloir?

Belgian Radio-Television of the French Community

4 May, 2012

Ahead of the second round of the presidential elections in France on 6 May, Belgian journalist André Zaleski interviewed Dr Michael Bruter, an ERC grantee working on voters' behaviour (ERC highlight).

Dr Michael Bruter was asked about his research on French voters, especially after the debate between the two presidential candidates, which took place on 2 May. His surveys show that one person out of six changed their mind after the debate, or started to doubt their choice.

Dr Bruter was cautious when asked about his prediction as to who would be the next French President. He explained that on average 20-30% of voters choose their candidate or change their mind in the very last days before an election, some of them even at the moment they are standing in the polling booth

El Sol cabe en un superordenador

Mónica G. Salomone – El País

29 April, 2012

Spanish newspaper El País reported on the project of ERC grantee Olena Khomenko, from the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands (IAC).

This project aims to use numerical simulations, made possible by powerful supercomputers, to achieve a better understanding of solar activities. Olena Khomenko's research received a € 969 600 ERC Starting Grant in 2011.

The ability to predict phenomena such as violent solar storms would be particularly useful in helping to prevent damage to satellites and electronic equipment.

ERC in the Press

Related Content

Press Archive

Press Contacts