Videos

You know the feeling of having to pee when you just went to the bathroom 20 minutes ago? Then you may be suffering from an overactive 'bladder'. The problem is not so much in your bladder, but well over a meter higher, as it's your brain that decides when you need to pee. Anugrah Santoso looks for abnormal brain patterns that can lead to this recurring urge to pee.

Summer, sun and a cold beer. ☀️ 🍺 It's the perfect combination for beer lovers. But did you know that the changing climate creates challenges for brewers? It affects the starch, a key component of the barley from which beer is made. 🌾 As a result, from the same amount of barley, you get less alcohol and therefore less beer. Fortunately, bioengineer Charlotte De Schepper is developing some new strategies to deal with the changing starch properties. Cheers! 🍻

3 billion times. That's how many times a heart beats on average in a lifetime. Unfortunately, that does not apply to everyone. As many as one in 10 Belgians die prematurely from cardiovascular disease. Nicholas Cauwenberghs wants to do something about that. He wants to enlist medically untrained volunteers to help determine your risk of cardiovascular disease with a user-friendly kit in the supermarket.

Fafalel, hummus, vegetable burgers, ... These delicacies are made from protein crops such as chickpeas and yellow peas, which unfortunately come mainly from faraway countries such as Russia or Argentina. So can't we grow protein crops in Belgium? "Yes, we can!" says ILVO researcher Elien De Rooze. She explains how farmers can grow protein crops and what exactly they should pay attention to!

Did you know there are countless species of mosquitoes, some of which can transmit dangerous diseases? Identifying these tiny creatures—or any other species— is no easy task, even for seasoned biologists. Luckily Ann Vanderheyden and her colleagues at the 'Species Identification Service' can help. ​​​​​​​So.. if there's something weird, and it don't look good... Who you gonna call? 🕵️‍♂️🔍

Did you know Belgium uses more of its seaspace for wind farms than any other country? This noise disrupts marine life, like North Sea harbour porpoises. Bob Rumes uses underwater microphones to study underwater noise and how it affects porpoises.

The saxophone, a Belgian invention by Adolphe Sax, is nearing its 180th birthday, but evolution has stalled in the last 100 years. Until now! Enis Ukshini built a saxophone robot, a fully automatic saxophone virtuoso. The robot helps him study a small part key to the sax's unique sound: the mouthpiece with the vibrating reed.

The rise of CO2 levels has many harmful effects on our planet. A part of the solution is capturing CO2 emissions and transforming them into valuable chemicals and fuels, while potentially slowing climate change. Wenjian Hu explains how this carbon conversion works. His research aims to make the process more efficient, paving the way for scaling up from lab experiments to big industrial plants.

Industries release enormous amounts of wasted heat: over 67% of all energy generated worldwide is estimated to be lost as heat! What if we could harness this industrial waste heat to warm our homes? For this, Praharsh Pai Raikar is optimizing the design process of heat exchangers. Heat what?! He will tell you more in this video.

Why do some people get a cold every month, while others seem immune, even in the wintertime? 🤧 "The answer lies in our genes," says Alejandro Correa Rojo. "Each of us carries a unique genetic code, that can tell how you will respond to a disease." After studying the DNA of thousands of people, Alejandro developed a Genetic Risk Score. This single number tells how you are at risk for a specific disease compared to others. Find out more in the video.

Where does the clean, potable water flowing from our taps actually come from? "In Flanders, we extract our drinking water from various raw water sources, such as underground reserves, canals and rivers. This water is then thoroughly purified by drinking water companies so that it is safe for consumption," explains VITO researcher Joni Dehaspe. She explains why it is important to continuously monitor raw water quality in real time.

Every machine, from your phone to rockets in space, heats up and needs to cool down. To keep your devices from overheating, heat exchangers and heat sinks play a crucial role in absorbing and dissipating excess heat. But how can we make these systems even better? Samanwitha Kolli is keeping it cool with 3D-printing technology!