It was a happy coincidence: the final text of the Recommendations of the Multidisciplinary and Multiprofessional Working Group on the Clinical Use of Psychedelic Substances was released on the same day that the Portuguese National Health System announced its decision to fully reimburse the treatment of resistant depression with a substance called esketamine.

In Episode 2, Sian Harding, a world leader in cardiac research, joins Hedi to reveal the heart as you’ve never seen it before, as they discuss her book The Exquisite Machine: The New Science of the Heart. From how social rank, air pollution, noise, and even your mother’s pregnancy diet can shape heart health, to the heart’s mini-brain or growing hearts in the lab from skin cells, they uncover the remarkable ways this muscular organ does far more than “just” pump blood.

The Champalimaud Foundation is honoured to welcome Nobel Laureate Ardem Patapoutian for a public lecture. Awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside David Julius for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch, Professor Patapoutian will join us at the Main Auditorium to share insights from his research. 

Attendance is free, but registration is required via the Eventbrite page. 

Host

Cristina João, MD, PhD, Myeloma Lymphoma Research Group

Venue

Seminar room

Following Episode 1 - Part 1, this second part of Hedi’s conversation with science writer Moheb Costandi unpacks how our sense of agency – the feeling of being in control of our actions and responsible for their outcomes – can be disrupted in conditions like Alien Hand Syndrome and Schizophrenia, manipulated on the operating table, or even altered in the lab.

Host

Inês Ramos, PhD, Tissue Immunity

Venue

Seminar room

Every two weeks, the new podcast series Leafing Through Science brings together host Hedi Young, Champalimaud Foundation neuroscientist and science communicator, with the authors behind some of the most fascinating non-fiction books in the life sciences. From new releases to timeless classics, we explore everything from the mysteries of consciousness and free will, to broken hearts, alien hands, and minds under siege. Expect page-turning ideas, head-spinning science, and stories that might just change how you see the world – and yourself.

This recognition affirms the dedication and collaborative effort of countless individuals over the years in building the diverse and sophisticated infrastructure necessary to support a world-class, cutting-edge biomedical research centre.