On Sunday 22 May, on La Canebière and the Old Port, catch the Blue Wave at this popular, multi-disciplinary event celebrating the sea from an environmental perspective. Shows, performances, workshops, science and walks are all on the programme for this festive day. The IRD, a partner in this 2nd edition, will be putting on a number of events at the science centre!
Immersive experience: Bioluminescent diving
Immerse yourself in a dark tent to observe incredible luminous marine bacteria!
On land or in the oceans, many living organisms emit their own light to communicate, protect themselves or feed. This is known as bioluminescence.
Laurie Casalot, an IRD scientist at the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie, is exploring a marine bacterium that is a source of natural luminous energy and could well offer a solution for many of tomorrow's applications (signage, urban design, etc.).
Moderated by Laurie Casalot, IRD researcher at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO)
Fun science walk: Street science - on the plankton trail
Can you find all the pictograms hidden in the streets of Marseille? As you play, discover the extraordinary shapes of marine plankton in augmented reality and see an animated street-art fresco.
With its free mobile application, Street Science offers the general public the chance to experiment with augmented reality and dive into the world of plankton to understand the fundamental role of these marine micro-organisms while having fun. There's a treasure hunt, an educational resource area and the first piece of street art in Marseille to come to life when you wave your smartphone over it!
Essentially made up of organisms that are invisible to the naked eye, plankton plays a fundamental role in the life and climate of our planet. Did you know that they produce half of our oxygen?
The Street Science project, which combines urban art, science and digital technology, includes a scientific treasure hunt to reveal the fragile beauty of these marine micro-organisms, as well as an interactive fresco by street artist CIYO in the Panier district of Marseille.
This plankton safari has been developed with the support of the IRD and researchers from the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO).
Round table: Bioluminescence, a light in the ocean
Recently, deep-sea exploration was announced as a national priority. From exploration to exploitation, scientists warn. A scientist, an architect and an artist will use the example of bioluminescence (light emitted by living organisms) to highlight the wealth that remains to be discovered and, above all, protected.
With Séverine Martini, CNRS researcher at MIO, Olivier Bocquet, architect and director of Lab ROUGERIE+TANGRAM and Jérémie Brugidou, artist-researcher.
A proposal from CNRS, IRD and Aix-Marseille University, with the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO) and the Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers (OSU) Institut Pythéas.
Exhibition: A new look at the deep ocean
Dive into the deep ocean with BathyBot, the CNRS's scientific robot, and discover the marvellous features of this universe that urgently needs to be preserved. The programme includes deep-sea immersion and scientific research into bioluminescence, marine snow and deep-sea biodiversity.
The deep ocean is a fundamental ecosystem for maintaining the balance of our planet. It makes up more than half the Earth's surface, and yet remains so little known. Deprived of sunlight, this immense and obscure universe is home to a rich and surprising variety of life that reveals some of its magic through bioluminescence. What is the origin of this light in the depths? Can we hope to translate these luminous emissions?
Researchers at the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie hope to be able to answer these questions thanks to BathyBot. This CNRS scientific robot will be the eyes of researchers in the field at a depth of 2,400 m in the Mediterranean for at least 10 years.
Thanks to a hypersensitive camera, BathyBot will be studying bioluminescence in particular, but it will also be observing biodiversity and helping scientists to understand this universe through biological and environmental analyses. This environment is a veritable ecological pillar that urgently needs to be understood and protected.
We invite you to come and meet BathyBot, observe the bioluminescence and discover the incredible adventures of carbon in the deep ocean.
A proposal from CNRS, IRD and Aix-Marseille University, with the Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO) and the Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers (OSU) Institut Pythéas.