Here, we highlight the observations, the questions, the approaches and strategies that showcase the creativity and critical thinking inherent in scientific research.

In science, creativity stands as a crucial, albeit sometimes underappreciated, skill. Creativity comes in a wide variety of forms and shapes, and often emerges from collaborative interactions among diverse minds, emphasising the importance of inclusivity and varied perspectives in driving forward groundbreaking research.

For some time now, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), the world’s body that defines carcinogens, has considered night shift work as a potential carcinogen.

But what about the general population of adults that are not night-shift workers and that sleep too little or go to bed too late – or have “poor quality" sleep, waking up repeatedly during the night? Are they also at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer and are therefore more likely to die prematurely than people whose sleep patterns are considered healthier?

A Call for one Research fellowship (Bolsa de Investigação) is open at Fundação D. Anna de Sommer Champalimaud e Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud (Champalimaud Foundation) in the context of the project entitled “Circadian regulation of pulmonary immunity by neuroendocrine signals”, with reference “PTDC/MED-IMU/2189/2021”, from the Call Nº PTDC 2021, funded by the FCT, through Portuguese National Funds. 

Whenever we look at the world in front of us, light falls onto our retina and is processed in a series of steps in the brain. The primary visual cortex is the first stage in the cerebral cortex, where visual information is processed. Nevertheless, neurons here do not only respond to patterns of light, but to sounds as well. A major question in the field, however, has been whether these responses truly represent auditory information, or are instead modulations due to body movements elicited by the sounds.

The symposium will be organised as a single-track scientific meeting and count with keynote & invited speakers, talks selected from abstracts and a poster session together with other networking and social activities. It will be held on the 11^th and 12^th of March, 2024 at the Main Auditorium of the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal.