Nom Machine
journal

The full richness of sign languages at a click

Sign languages are languages like any other. A new platform called Sign-Hub documents their diversity around the world and shows the importance of learning them at an early age, as with any oral language.

Iron and cancer, a balancing act

Treatments such as chemotherapy tend only to be effective against the most proliferative cancer cells. At the Institut Curie, Raphaël Rodriguez and his team have opted for a unique approach. They target cells with high metastatic potential using a molecule that can induce a specific type of cell death that is mediated by iron: ferroptosis.

How aquatic plants changed the face of the Earth

Half a billion years ago, plants, until then exclusively aquatic, set out to colonise the land. This transition transformed the Earth and its atmosphere, paving the way for terrestrial vertebrates. Researchers have been hard at work piecing together the scenario of this revolution.

When the immune system goes haywire

Millions of people fear the onset of spring, because of the pollens that irritate their respiratory pathways and can trigger allergic reactions that cause sneezing, runny eyes and even asthma. The immunologist and CNRS research professor Sophie Laffont looks into the phenomenon.

The enduring mystery of consciousness

What is consciousness? When does it begin? How can it be measured? Does AI have it? An update on an intimate, universal yet mysterious phenomenon that the neurosciences are only just starting to decipher.

How plants conquered the land – and changed the face of the Earth

Half a billion years ago, plants, until then exclusively aquatic, set out to colonise the land. This transition transformed the Earth and its atmosphere, paving the way for terrestrial vertebrates. Researchers have been hard at work piecing together the scenario of this revolution.

A new showcase for the world's music

On 14 May, 2025, the Musée de la Musique in Paris unveiled a completely new presentation of the 9,000 items in its collections, highlighting the connections among the musical traditions of different cultures. After all, from the violin to the piano to the oud, no instrument has ever evolved in a vacuum.

Fukushima insects tested for cognition

In the contaminated area around Fukushima, Japan, scientists are studying the impact of radioactivity on the cognitive abilities of pollinating insects such as honeybees and giant hornets.

A map of energy in the brain

The first mapping of mitochondria in the brain has just been revealed. This is yet another step towards understanding these structures which supply their energy to brain cells and are involved in a variety of illnesses, including mitochondrial diseases whose diagnosis has been possible for the past ten years or so.

The secret behind the scent of roses

Why does a rose smell like a rose? Scientists have analysed the chemical composition of floral odours, whose volatile compounds serve not only to attract but also to repel.