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Fundamental Research Division
The DRF at the CEA assemble approximately 6,000 scientists since January 2016.
A researcher from IRFU has participated in the study of an astonishing planetary procession discovered around the star TRAPPIST-1, which is 40 light-years away from Earth. Three of the seven identified planets host conditions that are compatible with the potential presence of liquid water at the surface;
A team of scientists from the Frédéric-Joliot Institute has demonstrated that the technique of PELDOR electron paramagnetic resonance makes it possible to detect the interaction between electronic spins in order to solve the structure of proteins in vivo.
As the staple food for more than half of the world’s population, rice is expected to drop considerably in yield in the event of significant climate change, necessitating CO2 fertilization and the genetic selection of adaptable species/
Using computer simulations, a team of scientists from IRFU is seeking to predict the results of a future experiment on the annihilation of a proton-antiproton pair, followed by the annihilation of an electron-positron pair. This experiment, which will take place in Germany by 2020, will lead to a better understanding of the structure of the proton, in particular its “time-like” aspect.
A patient with severe sickle cell disease has undergone gene therapy developed at the CEA François-Jacob Institute. Two years after treatment, the remission of clinical signs was complete.
A team from INAC has successfully carried out the conversion of a spin current into a charge current at the interface between iron and germanium, thanks to spin–orbit coupling. According to the reciprocity principle, the reverse process is also possible. This result implies that the generation and detection of a spin current are a priori feasible with current CMOS technology. It constitutes a first step toward a spin transistor relying entirely on spin–orbit coupling.
In a phase 2 clinical trial, scientists showed the efficiency of targeting cancer stem cells—an approach imagined and developed at the CEA François-Jacob Institute for the treatment of leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia in particular.
According to agronomic and climatological models, maize and soybean yields decline as soon as the temperature exceeds 30°C. Wheat appears to be more resistant. Increased irrigation can help to avoid such loss.
The mystery that is the origin of flowering plants has been partially solved. A team from CEA-BIG and their partners have shed light on a question that much intrigued Darwin: the appearance of a structure as complex as the flower over the course of evolution.
A team from IRFU, a member of the ALICE collaboration at CERN, has coordinated the analysis of J/ψ particles produced during lead-lead collisions at the LHC (CERN). Their results provide a solid indication of the existence of a quark–gluon plasma.
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CEA is a French government-funded technological research organisation in four main areas: low-carbon energies, defense and security, information technologies and health technologies. A prominent player in the European Research Area, it is involved in setting up collaborative projects with many partners around the world.