Welcome to the Polyvox Podcast, a trilingual podcast where researchers from the NCCR Evolving Language talk about their latest discoveries, their work and their career path! Between linguistics, neurosciences, animal cognition and more topics, you’ll surely find something to your taste. In the first episode, discover the research of Théophane Piette!
During the Fall Semester 2025, seniors from Uni3 (University of Geneva) had the unique opportunity to visit the Human Neuroscience Platform at Campus Biotech, on three separate occasions.
On October 28th, the exhibition “The Mind-Body Problem” opened its doors to the public. It is the fruit of a collaboration between the NCCR Evolving Language and artist Robin Meier Wiratunga. This work stems from the intriguing discovery that birds dream in songs, which they will then sing in the following days. Through algorithms, the artist recreates these fragments of acoustic dreams and makes them audible.
Voices are with us all the time, whether in conversations, podcasts or movies. But what if we are suddenly no longer sure whether it is a person speaking on the other end? Today, artificial intelligence can generate voices that sound deceptively real. How does this work technically and linguistically? Phonetics professor Volker Dellwo explores this in the newest episode of Schampar Digital Podcast, by the DIZH.
For decades, we have seen dogs as expert interpreters of human cues – animals that we’ve shaped through artificial selection to fit in with our lifestyles. What if that was only half of the story? Recent findings from researchers of the NCCR Evolving Language challenge this one-sided model and propose a more reciprocal one: communication between humans and canids evolved not just as a linear result of human-driven selection, but rather developed through an interactive process of mutual influence.
On March 18, 2025, the famous bonobo Kanzi died at age 44. But who was Kanzi? Dive into his fascinating life story and hear about our researchers’ encounter with him!
Du 31 mars au 6 avril, découvrez les chimères genevoises lors d’une véritable quête à travers la ville ! Entre musées, parcs et librairie, les chimères sont partout… Retrouvez les toutes à l’aide de la carte interactive.
Last week professors Paola Merlo and Valentina Borghesani, and NCCR Outreach Officer Coralie Debracque, visited primary school students in the canton of Geneva. The aim: to present their daily lives as researchers, between meetings, reading and teaching, but also to reinforce the place of women scientists, and even professors, in the collective imagination.
This December, we want to showcase the incredible identity, progress, and advancements of our talented NCCR collaborators. From groundbreaking discoveries to inspiring projects, get ready to explore the NCCR’s 2024 year in review— one post at a time for every day of December. Follow us on this adventure on Instagram!
The Swiss Science Olympiad inspires over 8000 talented teenagers from Switzerland and Liechtenstein with workshops, camps and challenges in biology, chemistry, geography, informatics, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, robotics and economics. Get involved as a volunteer in the way that suits you, your availability and your passions. Find more details in this article.