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Since its discovery sixty years ago, researchers have succeeded in exploiting the resources of messenger RNA, up to its use in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Although the road to this goal has been full of obstacles, RNA is opening the way to revolutionary therapies.

To tell the story of messenger RNA revolutions is to tell the story of a science that is being made before our eyes by a group of international scientists devoted to their mission. The acceleration that we have experienced in the eternal war between humans and sickness, has made coronavirus - our new enemy - our best ally to start an unprecedented medical and scientific revolution.

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Human consciousness, which is unique in the living world, has remained a mystery of divine origin for thousands of years. But today, recent and spectacular scientific progress (from medical imagery to quantum physics) is starting to shed light on it.

I think therefore I am. But who thinks inside of us? Who are we? This film takes us on a journey beyond our brains. Like conscience, human intelligence has propelled Man to the peak of evolution, giving him the opportunity to dominate the world. And yet today, intelligence would see to have broken down. Average IQ is dropping. Through this investigation into the nature of intelligence and multiple intelligences, we discover the reasons for this breakdown, and how we can give our intelligence another boost, thanks to scientific progress, including brain cell transplants.

Insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy are massively increasing in the world. In a scientific investigation, we will discover the new methods developed to find sleep: fractional sleep, light therapy, helmets that stimulate the brain. 

Consequences are huge: sick leave from work, billions of dollars lost for companies, and worse: obesity, diabetes, early Alzheimer. The science of sleep has become a major priority for researchers, so much so that the Nobel Prize in medicine has just been awarded for the discovery of the internal biological clock. 

When is a new global epidemic going to strike? At a time when new viruses are emerging at an unprecedented rate, and as Ebola is claiming lives in West Africa, this in-depth investigation examines this invisible threat.

In the space of 60 years, over 350 new infectious diseases have appeared, including SARS, H1N1, H5N1 and Ebola. The emergence of viruses seems to be speeding up. Experts are unanimously wondering: when will a new world-wide epidemic strike? The Plague, the Spanish flu, smallpox, AIDS - history has undergone infectious episodes that have decimated populations. But what is the state of research today? Are we better prepared? This film traces 3 particularly threatening viruses: the H7N9 flu virus in Asia; the Mers-CoV virus, related to SARS, which is active in the Middle East; and the Ebola virus, which is striking terror in West Africa.

For a few years now, scientists have known about the existence of another brain within our bodies – billions of connected neurons, molecules (neurotransmitters) that transmit orders and induce independent reactions. This second brain, or “brain down below” is none other than our stomach.

It can function totally independently and carries out far more than just digestion. It reigns over a spectacular colony of one hundred thousand billion bacteria (our gut flora) whose activity is thought to have an impact on our personalities and decisions, and our shyness or temerity. Even more astonishing: certain diseases of the brain, like Parkinson’s disease, for example, could stem from the degeneration of our intestinal neurons. And we could even treat our stomach pains with hypnosis - curing our stomachs by “talking to them”. All these major discoveries have revolutionised our approach to an organ that was previously considered to be dull and passive. The stomach’s intelligence is a new avenue of research that is fascinating research teams the world over. This film takes a look at it.

2014: Bronze Trophy at the Reunion Island Scientific Film Festival; Grand Prix AST: Prize awarded by the City Hall of Paris to the best film in competition - Pariscience (Paris, France).

Food goes straight to our brain. So what should we eat to make sure our brain stays healthy? Many recent discoveries have shown that our mental health, our moods, and our intellectual ability are directly influenced by what we eat, and sometimes in a matter of just a few days.

Carrots make you friendly and fish makes you intelligent... Popular wisdom has long held that there is a close link between our behaviour and certain mental abilities, and diet. Laboratories across the entire world are in the process of revealing and explaining the influence that food has on the way our brain works: microbiota play a part, as "The gut, our second brain" demonstrated, but that's not all. Scientists are bringing to light all kinds of other connections.
 
How can we protect our brain, and most importantly, what is the ideal food to eat to maintain it and make sure it develops properly?

Should cancer really be understood and treated as a “disease of the genes” or could another avenue - which was once abandoned but has now been taken up again - enable us to understand and treat it? Researchers and doctors in various countries think so, and want to revolutionize treatment.
 

 For them, cancer is a disorder of cellular metabolism, which could be treated with a few simple molecules. This film invites us to take stock of their research.

For the past 20 years, the world has seen an alarming decrease in IQ and a rise of autism and behavioral disorders. This international scientific investigation reveals how chemicals in objects surrounding us affect our brain, and especially those of fetuses.

In California, autism cases have increased by 600%. 44% of European children have an iodine deficiency – an element essential to brain development.
Today we are subjected to chemical elements harmful to the brain daily; those “endocrine disruptors” are present in lots of home and beauty products as well as food.
The estimated cost of those obstacles to brain development rises to €159 billion per year in Europe.

Hidden deep in our intestines, 100,000 billion bacteria are keeping us healthy by producing a range of molecules. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, they could revolutionize the future of medicine. That is, if our modern lifestyle doesn't wipe them out first.

Is the future of medicine being played out in your intestine? Recent discoveries about the micro-universe nestled in our guts have enabled us to better understand such diverse conditions as diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, some types of cancer, and even autism and depression. This understanding gives hope for a cure for chronic conditions that have so far resisted the efforts of modern medicine. For a long time, little was known about the intestinal microbiota. It is now slowing revealing its secrets. “It’s like discovering a new organ!” exclaims pioneering researcher Dusko Ehrlich. What makes it work? Symbiosis, i.e. the harmony between it and the rest of the organism. In fact, we have a kind of contract with the 100,000 billion bacteria living in our intestines: in exchange for room and board, they keep us healthy by producing a range of molecules. Thousands of scientists worldwide are currently working on decoding the singular language of this contract.

Is Baclofen, used as a muscle relaxant for years, the miracle-molecule cure for alcoholism some think it is? This documentary follows a clinical trail aimed at testing its efficacy. It also examines the scientific and ethical issues regarding addiction treatment, and the limits of medicine.

In recent years, the medical approach to alcoholism has undergone major change with the hype surrounding a "miracle" molecule that can allegedly quite simply cure those who are dependent on alcohol: Baclofen.

Use of the drug is causing debate in the medical world -is it really efficacious? Does Baclofen provide real hope for the 140 million people worldwide who are dependent on alcohol? Can we "cure" alcoholism as we can cure organic disease?

Spared by cancer, diabetes and possibly Alzheimer’s, men and women of small stature are intriguing scientists that are trying to postpone age-related illnesses.

What mechanisms protect these small Ecuadorian from certain illnesses? From Quito to Los Angeles, via Tel-Aviv, the film follows the revolutionary research, step-by-step, that is attempting to understand and prevent diseases such as cancer. And outlines ways to live in good health… for as long as possible.