Pint of Science 2026
Make a note of these dates: on 18, 19 and 20 May 2026, the Pint of Science event returns for its thirteenth French edition, transforming bars into venues for scientific discovery. This year, scientists from PSL University will be leading accessible and friendly discussions, engaging with the public in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
Tickets go on sale on 13 April 2026! Don’t delay: places are very limited and are selling out fast, so be among the first to book yours!
Discover the presentations by researchers from PSL University in the Paris region:
📅Monday 18 May 2026:
Des mathématiques pour comprendre la santé des femmes
Rose Marin (Collège de France)
Our bodies are home to microorganisms that coexist in a delicate balance. Whilst we often talk about our gut, the vaginal microbiota remains little understood despite its crucial role in women’s health! What does it consist of and how does it protect us? How does it interact with sexually transmitted infections, such as human papillomavirus?
To answer these questions, we analyse the DNA of these communities in order to determine their nature and model their evolution over time using probabilities, differential equations and statistical models.
📍Ces années là, Paris 5th arrondissement
Jean-Léon Maître (Institut Curie)
During the very first days of our lives, the cells of the embryo begin to change shape to sculpt our bodies. The forces that reshape our cells are generated by the cells themselves. These forces are of various kinds. In the laboratory, we aim to understand how the forms of living organisms emerge. Using powerful microscopes, we observe the changes in the embryo’s shape. Using biophysical tools, we measure the forces generated by cells. Using genetics and molecular biology tools, we study the cellular processes that generate the forces shaping embryos. In this way, we are discovering how, during the first week of development, our cells form the blastocyst, the structure essential for the embryo’s implantation in the mother’s uterus.
📍Ces années là, Paris 5th arrondissement
La troisième journée des dirigeantes
Maya Guerrand (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
We’re all familiar with women’s ‘double shift’: work at the office, then work at home. But for some female finance executives, there might well be a third! After work and everything else, it’s time for… women’s networking. Creating, maintaining and activating networks among women sometimes becomes essential in a sector where social interactions remain very male-dominated. A strategy for getting ahead, or just another day’s work?
📍Bakewell Cafe, Clichy
📅Tuesday 19 May 2026:
Quand les bactéries renforcent l’architecture
Ola Nashed Kabalan (ENSA Paris-Malaquais-PSL)
What if we were to build the buildings of tomorrow using earth, a 3D printer… and bacteria?
Raw earth, one of the oldest building materials, is still used by a third of the world’s population. Today, it is at the heart of a technological revolution thanks to additive manufacturing, which makes it possible to print architectural structures with great precision and freedom of form. However, to meet sustainability requirements, its performance needs to be improved. No cement, no harsh chemicals – just earth, technology and living organisms working together to create sustainable architecture.
📍Ces années là, Paris 5th arrondissement
Quand la biologie s'invite dans le design
Aurélie Mosse (École des Arts Décoratifs - PSL)
What if bacteria became the unexpected allies of architecture and design? The ImpressioVivo project explores how microbiological phenomena such as bioluminescence – the emission of light by bacteria – and biocalcification – the production of minerals resulting from bacterial interaction – can contribute to a circular design approach centred on 3D printing technology. In this context, we will discuss how this technique can enhance our everyday experience of bioluminescence, as well as how the performance of recycled paper foam can be improved through the use of bacteria.
📍Ces Années-là, Paris 5th arrondissement
Les mascus, porte d'entrée vers l'extrême droite
Samuel Bouron (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
How can masculinity or seduction coaches serve as a gateway to the far right? On social media, masculinist influencers blend personal development, criticism of feminism and promises of social success. Behind this advice on ‘becoming a man’ lie certain political worldviews. This lecture aims to explain how such content helps to popularise far-right ideas amongst a wide audience ...
📍Bakewell Cafe, Clichy
📅Wednesday 20 May 2026:
Votre cerveau en ultra-HD grâce aux ultrasons
Jérôme Baranger (ESPCI Paris - PSL)
Did you think ultrasound was just for scans and slightly blurry baby photos? Think again! Since the 2000s, these waves have undergone a revolution: they now explore our brains on a microscopic scale, film blood flowing in real time, and could even help treat depression. Just imagine: watching your brain think… whilst thinking about which beer to order.
At ESPCI, researchers are pushing the boundaries of this technology. So, are you ready to raise a glass and find out how ultrasound can read our minds? We promise you images sharper than a perfectly poured pint!
📍Ces années là, Paris 5th arrondissement
Etudier l'IA comme on étudie... un cerveau !
Stefano Palminteri (ENS - PSL)
New models of artificial intelligence, such as large language models (LLMs), are impressive in their capabilities: they can converse, write, reason and solve problems. Yet how they work internally remains largely a mystery. Even to their designers, these systems often resemble black boxes: we can see what they do, but we have little understanding of how they achieve it. This idea paves the way for a new field, for which we might borrow the name coined by the visionary Isaac Asimov: robopsychology – the scientific study of the behaviour and internal representations of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, therefore, does not merely create new tools.It also presents us with a new subject of scientific inquiry: artificial ‘minds’, which we must learn to study using the same methods we have been employing for decades to understand our own.
📍Ces Années-là, Paris 5th arrondissement
Sébastien Billows (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
Are dairy farmers powerless in the face of the dairy giants? Dairy farms can (almost) not operate without industrial dairies, which wield significant decision-making power over volumes, selling prices and quality standards. Faced with this, farmers have developed strategies to preserve their independence. Analysing these strategies means considering the room for manoeuvre we have when faced with major economic players and increasingly complex infrastructure.es.
📍Bakewell Cafe, Clichy
Samuel Pinaud (Université Paris Dauphine - PSL)
The mechanisation of farms, coupled with a decline in the number of farms, has shaped the course of French agriculture over the past century and continues to do so. Samuel Pinaud will outline the challenges facing the agricultural machinery sector in France.
📍Bakewell Cafe, Clichy
‼️Spanish speakers can also enjoy an evening of entertainment conducted entirely in Spanish:
¿De qué hablan los delfines? (De quoi parlent les dauphins ?)
Germán Sumbre (ENS - PSL)
Los delfines tienen una estructura social muy compleja, lo que requiere mecanismos de comunicación sofisticados. Ellos se comunican usando dos tipos de sonidos: silbidos y pulsos en ráfaga, de acuerdo a la informacion. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar como los delfines pueden transmitir información con solo una pequeña cantidad de sonidos, y ayudar a comprender su lenguaje.
📍Le ciel de Marcel, Paris 1er
➡️Not in the Paris region? Find out about talks by researchers affiliated with PSL University taking place elsewhere in France:
In Montpellier:
📅Monday 18 May 2026:
Comment secouer un arbre sérieusement
Jérémy Defrance (Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE))
I’ve shaken branches, filmed the private lives of chickadees and made chicks poo through… scientific massage! My aim? To understand how variations in insect populations across space and time influence what chicks eat and explain the differences in reproduction between great tits in urban areas and those in forests. An investigation deep within the trees and among the feathers!
📍Sam's Coffee, Montpellier
Thomas Bourgeois (Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE))
Why put a Minotaur in a labyrinth when you’ve got mites to hand? As part of our research project, we’re looking into the mobility of bird-dwelling mites and how they perceive their environment. And to understand them better, what could be better than miniature labyrinths, arenas where we can film them, and socks to plug their noses?
📍Sam's Coffee, Montpellier
Je joue à cache-cache … pour mieux te martyriser !
Marine Combe (Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM))
Parasites, pathogens… what are they? Where are they? Should we avoid them at all costs? Prepare to be captivated by flesh-eating bacteria or intestinal worms capable of burrowing through the skin… After this experience, you won’t set foot in the water again! Join us in a world where the environment, biodiversity, climate, parasites, animals and humans are all closely intertwined!
📍La Barbote, Montpellier
📅Mercredi 20 mai 2026 :
Chiens, cochons et cie : leur domestication
Allowen Evin (Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM))
They provide us with meat, milk, wool, leather, companionship… and much more besides. But where do domestic animals come from? How long have they been so close to us? This overview traces the biological and cultural history of domesticated species, explores their diversity, and shows how the protection of this living heritage also begins… on our plates
📍La Barbote, Montpellier
In Bordeaux:
📅Monday 18 May 2026:
Arctique : le minuscule éclaire le futur du climat
Milena Mikaric (Laboratoire EPOC)
Benthic foraminifera are tiny organisms that live on the ocean floor. Highly sensitive to temperature, oxygen levels and acidification, the species and communities vary depending on the state of the environment. They are excellent bioindicators used to reconstruct past climates, acting as a kind of thermometer. To refine these reconstructions, it is essential to understand their ecology and how they respond to the physical and chemical conditions of the oceans, particularly in the Arctic, where warming is occurring rapidly. Linking the past and the present enables us to better anticipate future trends.
📍Brasserie Artisanale Gasconha, Bordeaux
Lire le climat Arctique dans les sédiments marins
Marjolaine Sabine-Lamoureux (Laboratoire EPOC)
In the vicinity of the Arctic’s icy waters, the seabed slowly accumulates layers of sediment. Grain by grain, these deposits record the history of the ocean: the passage of powerful currents, the drift of ice, and glacial and interglacial periods. By studying the size, nature and origin of these sediments extracted from marine cores, scientists can reconstruct changes in sea ice, ocean currents and climate in the northern seas in order to better understand how the Arctic is responding to global warming today.
📍Brasserie Artisanale Gasconha, Bordeaux
📅Tuesday 19 May 2026:
Que révèlent les particules marines ?
Alan Fournioux (Laboratoire EPOC)
The waters of our coastal ecosystems are teeming with particles of algae, leaves and marine plants. Though tiny, they are essential: they provide food for many animals, influence the colour of the water and help to store carbon. Due to climate change and human activities, their quantity and composition are changing, disrupting the balance of these ecosystems. Studying how they evolve therefore helps us to better understand and anticipate the impacts of global change on these environments.
📍Magnus, Bordeaux
La levure au secours de notre cerveau
Jean-Paul Lasserre (Laboratoire INCIA)
What if baker’s yeast – a long-standing ally in the making of bread and wine – could help treat rare brain diseases? Jean-Paul Lasserre reveals how this ancient microorganism is becoming a cutting-edge tool for testing molecules and accelerating the search for new medicines. From the laboratory bench to patients, discover the fascinating convergence of biotechnology and therapeutic hope.
📍Brasserie Artisanale Gasconha, Bordeaux
In Lyon:
📅Wednesday 20 May 2026:
Moustique : vecteur d’idées reçues ?
Vincent Raquin (EPHE-PSL)
The arch-villain of our barbecues – does the mosquito really deserve this villainous reputation? From invasive pest to disease vector, research is casting a more nuanced light on the ‘biopic’ of this ‘pest’. But who are we really talking about? The mosquito or mosquitoes? Beyond the hype, is it really the serial killer portrayed by critics? Come and discover how this insect is THE ultimate vector, by taking a look behind the scenes at the mosquito-virus duo. Between nuisance and transmission, we’ll see that it’s time to rewrite the script of our lives with this partner in our ecosystem. Ready to pique your curiosity? Action 🎬 🦟
📍Nomi Public House, Lyon