Science stories

The future of food dyes
3 Jul 2025

The future of food dyes

Natural food dyes are gaining popularity, as health-conscious, environmentally aware consumers turn away from synthetic additives. Irina Borodina is developing sustainable new colourants from yeast, helping advance the field of biotechnology.
Natural food dyes are gaining popularity, as health-conscious, environmentally aware consumers turn away from synthetic additives. Irina Borodina is developing sustainable new colourants from yeast, helping advance the field of biotechnology.
Natural food dyes are gaining popularity, as health-conscious, environmentally aware consumers turn away from synthetic additives. Irina Borodina is developing sustainable new colourants from yeast, helping advance the field of biotechnology.
Displaying 65 - 72 of 527

Bringing the impact of nutrient imbalance to global attention

Through combining their expertise, four ERC grantees have awoken the scientific community to what nutrient imbalances could mean for our planet, and for our species. Their findings could lead the world towards more accurate climate modelling, more…
Through combining their expertise, four ERC grantees have awoken the scientific community to what nutrient imbalances could mean for our planet, and for our species. Their findings…
Through combining their expertise, four ERC grantees have awoken the scientific community to what nutrient imbalances could mean for our planet, and…
Through combining their expertise, four ERC grantees have awoken the scientific community to what nutrient imbalances could mean for our planet, and for our species. Their…
Through combining their expertise, four ERC grantees have awoken the scientific community to what nutrient imbalances could…
15 ways ERC transformed science

Scoping possibility in a nuclear world

How is the scope of available nuclear weapon choices decided? ERC grantee Benoît Pelopidas explores the challenges of imagining the possibility of nuclear war and unwanted nuclear explosions, both in international policy and in people’s minds…
How is the scope of available nuclear weapon choices decided? ERC grantee Benoît Pelopidas explores the challenges of imagining the possibility of nuclear war and unwanted nuclear…
How is the scope of available nuclear weapon choices decided? ERC grantee Benoît Pelopidas explores the challenges of imagining the possibility of…
How is the scope of available nuclear weapon choices decided? ERC grantee Benoît Pelopidas explores the challenges of imagining the possibility of nuclear war and unwanted…
How is the scope of available nuclear weapon choices decided? ERC grantee Benoît Pelopidas explores the challenges of…

Who controls the blockchain?

Blockchain is seen as a catalyst of innovation in today’s world of digital infrastructure and social media platforms. Its technology promises to give control of data back to the people through its decentralised manner of operation, and the greater…
Blockchain is seen as a catalyst of innovation in today’s world of digital infrastructure and social media platforms. Its technology promises to give control of data back to the people…
Blockchain is seen as a catalyst of innovation in today’s world of digital infrastructure and social media platforms. Its technology promises to give…
Blockchain is seen as a catalyst of innovation in today’s world of digital infrastructure and social media platforms. Its technology promises to give control of data back to…
Blockchain is seen as a catalyst of innovation in today’s world of digital infrastructure and social media platforms. Its…

Leafcutter ants’ lessons for sustainability

With a remarkable resource-efficiency and collective intelligence, leafcutter ants have thrived across millions of years of major changes in the Earth’s climate. ERC-grantee Jonathan Shik studies these agricultural systems of ants in a Panamanian…
With a remarkable resource-efficiency and collective intelligence, leafcutter ants have thrived across millions of years of major changes in the Earth’s climate. ERC-grantee Jonathan…
With a remarkable resource-efficiency and collective intelligence, leafcutter ants have thrived across millions of years of major changes in the…
With a remarkable resource-efficiency and collective intelligence, leafcutter ants have thrived across millions of years of major changes in the Earth’s climate. ERC-grantee…
With a remarkable resource-efficiency and collective intelligence, leafcutter ants have thrived across millions of years of…

How do birds navigate?

Bird migration is driven mostly by weather and the availability of food. But how birds migrate from one region to another without getting lost is less well understood. ERC grantees Henrik Mouritsen and Peter Hore are looking into how birds sense the…
Bird migration is driven mostly by weather and the availability of food. But how birds migrate from one region to another without getting lost is less well understood. ERC grantees…
Bird migration is driven mostly by weather and the availability of food. But how birds migrate from one region to another without getting lost is…
Bird migration is driven mostly by weather and the availability of food. But how birds migrate from one region to another without getting lost is less well understood. ERC…
Bird migration is driven mostly by weather and the availability of food. But how birds migrate from one region to another…

Seizing the moment for a greener world

Cities have the potential to be at the forefront of efforts to become climate-neutral, according to the European Commission’s recently launched Cities mission. For environmental psychologist Lorraine Whitmarsh nothing holds more truth. “The local…
Cities have the potential to be at the forefront of efforts to become climate-neutral, according to the European Commission’s recently launched Cities mission. For environmental…
Cities have the potential to be at the forefront of efforts to become climate-neutral, according to the European Commission’s recently launched…
Cities have the potential to be at the forefront of efforts to become climate-neutral, according to the European Commission’s recently launched Cities mission. For…
Cities have the potential to be at the forefront of efforts to become climate-neutral, according to the European Commission…

From the Industrial Revolution to the ‘colour revolution’

Far from being simply a matter of taste, colour is a central aspect of culture, whether past or present. This is particularly true of the Victorian age (1837-1901), during which a ‘colour revolution’ took place following the invention of the first…
Far from being simply a matter of taste, colour is a central aspect of culture, whether past or present. This is particularly true of the Victorian age (1837-1901), during which a …
Far from being simply a matter of taste, colour is a central aspect of culture, whether past or present. This is particularly true of the Victorian…
Far from being simply a matter of taste, colour is a central aspect of culture, whether past or present. This is particularly true of the Victorian age (1837-1901), during…
Far from being simply a matter of taste, colour is a central aspect of culture, whether past or present. This is…

Building intelligent cell-inspired microrobots

Imagine intelligent microrobots capable of finding their own path through body tissues. They could enable many revolutionary medical procedures, including targeted drug delivery, long-term monitoring and non-invasive interventions in organs such as…
Imagine intelligent microrobots capable of finding their own path through body tissues. They could enable many revolutionary medical procedures, including targeted drug delivery, long…
Imagine intelligent microrobots capable of finding their own path through body tissues. They could enable many revolutionary medical procedures,…
Imagine intelligent microrobots capable of finding their own path through body tissues. They could enable many revolutionary medical procedures, including targeted drug…
Imagine intelligent microrobots capable of finding their own path through body tissues. They could enable many revolutionary…