Created in 2018, the ALBA Network is committed to promoting equality and diversity in brain sciences. ALBA provides a global network for sharing best practices and providing better visibility, networking and mentoring opportunities to scientists from underrepresented groups.

If you type into a search engine - “why do men have to wait before having sex again?” - you will very quickly come across Prolactin. This little hormone is thought to be involved in hundreds of physiological processes in the body. Among them is the male post-ejaculatory refractory period. This period begins when a male ejaculates and ends when he recovers his sexual capacity. 

Since 2013, the charitable organisation Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa annually selects three research projects, led by scientists in Portugal. This year, the project of Noam Shemesh, a principal investigator at Champalimaud Foundation, was selected for one of the awards, called the Mantero Belard Prize.

Within a short span of time and with few instructions, people can solve complex problems from scratch. For instance, loading the trunk of a car with seemingly far too many objects. This is the core of human intelligence – its rapid and flexible nature. What is the cognitive scheme that allows us to create novel and complex strategies? And do “intelligent” machines use similar, or fundamentally different schemes?      

Today, the growing consensus among experts is that surgery should no longer be the only therapeutic option in rectal cancer treatment. A non-invasive approach, the Watch-and-Wait protocol – which drastically reduces the toll of the disease on patients’ quality of life – has increasingly shown promising results for the treatment of such tumours. A new study now explores the next logical step: whether these patients should be submitted for life or just for a certain period to the stringent follow-up required by the protocol.

How can I be a better student? 

What is the best way to learn about topics that seem so complicated?

Am I using my full potential? 

How can I face the ever-changing world and future?

Aspiring to move beyond the “one-sentence” headline and get into the nitty gritty of the scientific process, CCU's Communication, Outreach and Events Team has created an animated science collection called "Inside the Unknown".

The collection kicks off with a selection of four projects, presenting studies from the three departments of Champalimaud Research. Mirroring the scientific work within, this collection will continue to evolve and grow over time. 

Welcome to your journey Inside the Unknown.