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In order to produce prototypes or very specific equipment, the CNRS and other governmental research organizations works with glass-blowers. This film is a tribute to those men who shape in glass, in Pyrex or in quartz, equipments for many chemistry and physics laboratories.

A researcher specializing in metal alloys seeks to improve the resistance of horseshoes to wear by adding aluminum and ceramic materials to the iron used to manufacture them.

Proteins are macromolecules at the basis of the cell functions of living organisms. To know their functions, one must know their structure for the shape is closely related to the function. Using X-rays cristallography it is possible to visualize molecular structures. When an organic molecule in solution evaporate, a crystal deposit is formed. The crystals, lighted by an X-rays beam, produce a diffraction pattern which is used to reconstruct the structure of the molecule. The source for X…

In the Gard region an old lead and zinc mine still contains waste material. Rain dissolves this into large quantities of arsenic, which flows into a stream in the area. Marc Leblanc, a CNRS researcher, analyzes the contaminated water and seeks to understand the complex chemical reactions produced in it. He demonstrates the function of aerobic bacteria which contribute to limiting the pollution.

The most ancient metallurgic techniques and the ones from the 2000 ' s present sometimes analogies. Through the reconstitution of these techniques, archaeologists try to understand how metals used to be obtained in the Iron Age.

De la molécule, assemblage d'atomes, à la particule élémentaire, constituant ultime de la matière, ces quatre films montrent quelques aspects de l'infiniment petit. Les Quarks : ce film d'animation montre les propriétés des quarks, composants des neutrons et des protons. 1989 - 5 minutes Nanomonde : le microscope de proximité (ou microscope à force atomique) permet de visualiser les atomes ou les molécules à la surface d'un matériau. 1995 - 7 minutes En…

At the occasion of the 5th International Conference dedicated to quasicristals (Avignon, 1995), twelve researchers, physicists, chemists or metallurgists, are interviewed. Four of them are the “discoverers” of the quasicristals : Dan Shechtman (Israel), John Cahn (United States), Ilan Blech (Israel) et Denis Gratias (France).

In a pharmaceutical research laboratory, a chemist has found an unknown tablet and has made it analyzed with three different spectroscopic techniques by his colleagues, to determine the molecular structure of its active ingredient.

Chemist André Brack and exobiologist François Raulin discuss their respective hypotheses and problems regarding the origins of life on earth.

At the top of Bellevue hill in Meudon, stands the oldest CNRS campus specialized in electromagnetism, and material and surface science. This historically renowned site is not only a place of fundamental research but also a bridge to the industrial applications of the future. The following are successively mentioned: - The imposing electromagnet of the Academy of Sciences built in 1928 testifying to the prestigious past of the site. - The materials created at Bellevue…

Transmission electron microscopy, presented as a fantastic tale.

Digital simulation of the dynamics of a methane molecule adsorbed into a cavity of the NaA molecule.

Research carried out at the CORIA laboratory in Rouen, which specializes in the study of combustion and of turbulent combustion in particular: theoretical and experimental study of burner flames and combustion in car engines.

A history of the processes used in photography, from its beginnings to the present day, and the way images are formed within a modern emulsion.

Prof. J.E. Dubois introduces a software package he has developed, called DARC (Description, acquisition, restitution et conception). DARC can be used to represent the most complex of molecules, in three dimensions, with or without animation.

Self-portrait by Jean Jacques, director of research at the CNRS molecular interaction chemistry laboratory. He talks about his work in fields that include artificial oestrogens (contraceptive substances) and anti-parasite substances.

The performance of an adhesive joint is evaluated by mechanical tests. The results presented concern aluminium/epoxy resin and titanium/epoxy resin systems. The advantage of adhesive joints is illustrated by an example from industry: the manufacture of bicycle frames entirely assembled with adhesive.