On 27 November 2005, the Público newspaper presented as part of its main Sunday edition, the booklet "Career: scientist. Portraits of a generation on the move" .The work carried out by the Viver a Ciência team highlighted 14 young Portuguese scientists at the beginning of their career (up to 40 years old) and was distributed free of charge by the paper, to a circulation of 80,000. The preface, written by Carlos Fiolhais, powerfully explains the concept of the book « in science, young people are an inexhaustable source of creativity». The introductory note, written by the VaC scientists responsible for the project, highlights the fact that the booklet features work of exceptional quality but that is little known by the public in general, work which impacts on our day to day lives and work that shows great promise, that generates great expectations for the future. They are all presented, in this publication, in a language and a style that makes them accessible to the general public. As for the scientific areas involved, diversity and multidisciplinary approaches are key. We decided to show a range of scientific discoveries that stand out for being recent and made by Portuguese scientists, emcompassing areas such as Life Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. From "remote control" flies to the use of mathematics to help in the fight against infectious diseases, via an explanation of why Venus turns the "wrong" way, they are stories of discovery that distinguish science. Made in Paris, Washington, Aveiro, Braga or Boston. The themes range from the conservation of nature to the evolution of the universe and mechanisms of memory. The applications of the research of these 14 scientists allow, for example, the prevention of blockages in petrol pipelines in the sea bed or the explanation of why certain medication is effective against AIDS. The ‘worlds' that are unveiled range from the most elementary particles ‘surfing' plasma to chick embryos that tell us about their own development, via the secrets of cell division and the ocult genetic evolution in the patterns on butterfly wings.

1. CAREE R :
Portraits
OF A GENERATION ON THE MOVE
Sponsors

2. 01
Editor: Joana Barros
Team coordinator: Margarida Trindade
Editorial assistant: Rita Caré
Project design: António Jacinto, Sheila Vidal, Julie Contreras and Ana Paula Coutinho
Liaison with European Commission: Sheila Vidal
Text and interviews: Joana Barros, Margarida Trindade, Rita Caré and Vítor Faustino
Photography and illustrations: See individual captions
Proofreaders: Ana Coutinho, Leonor Saúde, Paula Macedo and Sheila Vidal
Scientific proofreaders: Researchers responsible for featured work
Design and creative production: Atelier Formas do Possível (www.formasdopossivel.com)
Illustrations of scientists: Rodrigo Prazeres Saias
Printing and production: M2, graphic arts
The contents of this publication are the exclusive responsibility of Associação Viver a Ciência and do not in any way
represent the official position of the European Commission, who is not responsible for any subsequent use of this
information.
All rights are reserved according to the law.
An Associação Viver a Ciência publication
Edifício Egas Moniz, Sala B-P3-40 - Av. Prof. Egas Moniz -1649-028 Lisboa
Tel. +351 217 999 513
Mob. +351 965 847 410
E-mail: info@viveraciencia.org
Website: www.viveraciencia.org
Distribution: 80,000 copies
November 2005
Free distribution with the Público newspaper and electronic version available at www.viveraciencia.org
English translation available at www.viveraciencia.org
English translation: Julie Contreras

3. 02
index 02
Preface 03
Introduction 04
Scientists
Ana Rodrigues 05
Alexandre Correia 06
Gabriela Gomes 07
João Coutinho 08
Isabel Palmeirim 09
Luís Oliveira 10
Helder Maiato 11
Miguel Sousa Costa 12
Rui Loja Fernandes 13
Patrícia Beldade 14
Susana Lima 15
Ana Cannas da Silva 16
Miguel Remondes 17
Miguel Castanho 18
Acknowledgements 19

4. 03
Pr ef ace
Great scientific advances are, as a rule, made by young people. In 1905, 100 years ago, the young Einstein –
who was just 26 – changed our ideas about the nature of light, what makes up the world, about the properties of
space and time and even about the nature of material and energy. This flurry of revolutionary ideas was proved
to be true.
However, having been the father of quantum theory in his youth, Einstein then distanced himself from it. He was
overtaken by new young blood: in 1925, a small group where Heisenberg, 24, and Schroedinger, 28, were
studying, established the quantum physics that has come to accurately describe the atomic world which led us to
the computer and the Internet, among other things. They did it by “standing on the shoulders of” Bohr, who was
40 at the time but had proposed his model of the atom when he was just 28.
Bohr suggested to some of his students that they try to understand what life was. This was the beginning of
Molecular Biology, which immediately turned out to be a new frontier of science and came to change our lives.
Crick was 37 in 1953 when he identified the molecular structure of DNA together with his friend Watson, who
was then 25.
It is not just in Physics, Chemistry and Biology that youth has triumphed: it is also true in Mathematics. In 1993,
Wiles, who was then 40, announced that he had demonstrated the famous “Fermat’s last theorem”, narrowly
missing out on winning the Fields Medal, the highest distinction in Mathematics which is only given to
mathematicians under the age of 40...
Young people in science are an inexhaustible source of creativity. It is they who come up with new ideas and
carry out new work, continually building the future. All over the world as well as, it goes without saying, here in
our midst. The young organisation “Associação Viver a Ciência” (barely a year old but we hope with a long and
brilliant future) has therefore acted wisely in choosing fourteen young Portuguese scientists to represent what is
best, most creative and most innovative in Portuguese science. They are merely given as examples, and several
others, in either the chosen disciplines or others, could have been highlighted.
The main resource of a country that wants to develop is its grey matter. Luckily, as this booklet shows, this is not
something that we lack. What is lacking is a greater care of them. We must give them and other young people
the opportunities and the means that they clearly deserve. In an age where wealth comes before knowledge,
encouraging and supporting careers in science is a national obligation. Science may be costly but the lack of it
would be much more so. Delaying or interrupting the path that these young people are following would mean
delaying or interrupting the future. They are on the move – and we with them- towards the future.
Carlos Fiolhais

5. 04
Intr oduction
This booklet has come about because of the desire of a group of scientists to communicate what they do, by
going beyond their own laboratories and institutions. Here we reveal works of incredible ingenuity but little known
by the public in general. Work with a direct impact on our day-to-day lives and work that is very promising and is
generating great expectations for the future. For all these reasons and others, they are putting Portugal on the
map of competitive and quality science that is, and cannot afford to stop being, increasingly international.
These scientists – the men and women of this generation who are, by their nature, constantly on the move – are
here and there, jumping between laboratories, projects, topics and fellowships. They are everyday, curious,
interesting and interested, well-travelled, persistent and hard-working people who believe in what they are doing.
It will be worth getting to know them (and us)!
When Associação Viver a Ciência – a non-profit organisation formed by scientists in 2004 - accepted the
challenge of taking on this project, we came across numerous difficulties. How to choose? Who to choose? Which
subjects to choose? So we had to establish criteria and make decisions.
We decided to include a range of recent scientific discoveries, made by Portuguese scientists, from the areas of
Life Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. We were faced with cases that were difficult to categorise
because modern science is increasingly multidisciplinary and often the scientist’s skill lies in being able to link two
previously distinct branches of knowledge which have until then remained separate.
We wanted to select scientists at the beginning of their career – up to 40 years old – and a range of profiles,
alternating between young promising scientists and group leaders recently initiated in the adventure of heading
their own research groups.
We looked for cases of scientists who had decided to return to Portugal, after long periods abroad. We also
looked for stories of scientists who had never felt the need to leave but who nonetheless had remained in close
contact with the best research being carried out in their areas in other countries. And cases of scientists who will
never come back. For these are the dilemmas that all those who, motivated by the desire to do good science, end
up facing.
We consulted members of the scientific community itself so that they could nominate, from their own respective
areas, work that stood out as excellent. We consulted science journalists. We searched on the Internet and
tirelessly used programs that identify publications most cited by peers, papers most recommended, scientists
most highly awarded... in short, the things that matter in the world of science today. We were helped by a group of
personalities from the world of science, who guaranteed scientific excellence and impact on an international scale
for all the work presented here.
Many other stories have, for the meantime, been left out. Which can only mean that we will have material for a
“Career: scientist” I, II, III...
The conception, research and elaboration of this booklet was a pleasure for all those involved.
We wanted to share with you all our enthusiasm for science and, in particular, for science that is ‘made in
Portugal’.
This is the result. It is yours to enjoy.
Margarida Trindade and Joana Barros
Associação Viver a CiêncA

6. 05
Career path:
path
1996 - Degree in Biology at the Faculty of Science, Universidade de Lisboa
1999 - Masters in Mathematics Applied to Biological Sciences at the Instituto Superior de
Agronomia, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
2002 - PhD in Conservation Biology at the University of Sheffield, UK
2002-2005 - Researcher with the non-governmental organisation Conservation
mmkInternational in Washington DC, USA
Present - Travel in Brazil and Thailand. In January she will begin a post-doctorate at the
mUniversity of Cambridge, UK
Free time: “Spending time with friends anywhere green”
time
Find out more…
IUCN red list - www.iucnredlist.org
AN A RODR I GUES Biodiversity Hotspots - www.biodiversityhotspots.org
Global Amphibian Assessment - www.globalamphibians.org
Age: 32 BirdLife International - www.birdlife.org
Ana Rodrigues wanted to be a paramedic. However, she has spent the last few years studying birds,
amphibians, mammals, reptiles...and how they depend on each other and on us to ensure the sustainability of
ONE PLANET FOR ALL
the Earth.
Since completing a placement during her degree at the Faculty of Sciences in Lisbon, Ana has focussed on
developing methods to select priority areas for conservation. While working as a researcher in the non-
governmental organisation Conservation International, based in the USA, she lead a project to evaluate on a
global scale the representation of land vertebrate species in protected areas all over the world. In collaboration
with 21 other scientists from 15 organisations across 8 different countries, she helped to identify the regions
where expanding conservation areas is a priority. This incredibly wide-ranging study is based on data collected
by thousands of researchers all over the world. More than 11,000 species of birds, amphibians, mammals and
reptiles were analysed from more than 100,000 protected areas.
The study, published in 2004 in the prestigious journals Nature and BioScience, coincided with the
international announcement that more than 10% of the earth’s surface is protected. There was a feeling in the
air that the mission had been accomplished – we did not need any more protected areas. In the meantime,
Ana Rodrigues proved the opposite. Not only do we need more protected areas, we need them to be
strategically placed – quality rather than quantity.
These new data were used to put pressure on the approval of the Programme of Work for Protected Areas, by
the signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this programme, nearly all the countries of the
world have committed to evaluating the gaps in their networks of protected areas (by 2006 for protected areas
on land or 2008 for marine protected areas) and expanding them strategically (by 2010 for protected areas on
land or 2012 for marine protected areas). This kind of political commitment to create protected areas is without
precedent, and vital for the planet.
The variety and quantity of living beings inhabiting our planet is dramatically reducing. Nobody knows for
certain the rate of extinction but we know that 12% of bird species, 20% of mammals and 31% of reptiles are
currently under threat of extinction forever.
Historically, direct capture (for example for food) and the introduction of exotic species (such as predators)
were among the main causes for the extinction of various species. Today, however, the reason for the
unprecedented disappearance of biodiversity is the loss of habitats – or rather the locations and specific
conditions that each species need to survive. More than a third of the surface of the planet is occupied by
urban or agricultural areas and this area is rapidly growing. The loss of habitats reduces and fragments
populations, leaving them particularly vulnerable to other threats – climate change, human exploitation, natural
disasters and diseases – which can be the final cause of their extinction.
Instead of becoming a paramedic, Ana Rodrigues has ended up giving us another great contribution. Her work
allows her to contribute towards the preservation of something that is incredibly valuable for us all -
biodiversity. In her own words “in the end we all want to try to change the world for the better...”.

7. 06
Career path
1997 – Degree in Physics at the Universidade de Lisboa
2001 – PhD at the Institut de Mécanique Celeste, Paris VI University
2002 – Post-doctorate at the Institut de Mécanique Celeste, Paris VI University 2002
2002 – Researcher at the Centro de Astronomia e Astrofísica do Observatório Astronómico
mmmmde Lisboa
2003 – Researcher at the Observatoire de Genève, Switzerlan
Present: Invited Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Physics of the Universidade
mmmmmde Aveiro
Free time
Swimming, reading and travelling. If he had all the time in the world, he would devote it to
another scientific discipline such as the evolution of the species or history
Find out more…
ALEXANDRE CORREIA Portal do Astrónomo - http://www.portaldoastronomo.org
Institut de Mécanique Céléste –http://www.imcce.fr
Age: 30 Astronomy Picture of the Day - http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
He was about six when he saw “Cosmos” on the television. “I was practically hypnotized, I wanted to know
more and more”. When he was ten, he asked for a telescope. His parents asked him if he was prepared to
ON TH E BEACH IN VENUS
sacrifice other presents in order to have it, Alexandre Correia didn’t hesitate, his fascination for the heavens
was too strong. Now, with a PhD from the Institut de Mécanique Celeste, Paris VII University, he reveals the
secrets of the dynamics of the solar system without gazing at the heavenly vault.
Hunched over his computer, Alexandre reconstructs the orbits of Venus, Mercury, Mars and the Earth.
Contrary to what common sense has told us since the time of Galileo, the elliptical orbits of the planets around
the sun are not fixed. Gravitational games, of attraction and repulsion, between celestial bodies, disturb their
orbits around the sun (translation) influencing their rotation and consequently, their climate. “The system is
chaotic, we can only manage to anticipate scenarios or reconstruct positionings within a margin of 20 million
years”, the astrophysicist explains. Nevertheless, this “only” on a cosmic scale, allows astronomers to help
their geologist colleagues calibrate measurements when studying climatic alterations in the Earth’s past. When
dealing with periods of time over 20 million years ago, it is the geologists who, in turn, supply data to the
astronomers. By studying sediments, geologists are able to say when changes in climate occurred on a large
scale; astronomers in turn are able to deduce the exact inclination of the axis of rotation of the Earth at that
time. This is why, explains Alexandre Correia, it is a stimulating challenge to study the rotation of Mars and
from that draw conclusions about the history of its climate. The axis of rotation of the red planet presents a
variation of 60 degrees (the axis of the earth only varies by two degrees, between 22o and 24o, enough to
cause ice-ages), which is more than enough to cause ice to migrate over time from the poles to the equator.
But perhaps the major challenge that Alexandre has been faced with and solved is the mystery of the rotation
of Venus, which had intrigued scientists for centuries. Why is it that Venus rotates on itself in the opposite
direction to all the other planets? When, in the “disk” which forms the solar system, the future planets all spin
in the same direction around the sun as if in a tropical storm. The answer lies in the result of a combination of
different factors. Firstly, the tidal effect caused by the gravitational pull of the sun on the permanently cloudy
Venus, as happens with the Earth-Moon system. Secondly, another tidal effect caused by the differential
heating of the atmosphere of Venus by the Sun (the parts of the atmosphere facing the Sun become hotter)
which causes a redistribution of air mass, from hotter to colder parts, causing friction on the surface. This
effect also happens on Earth, but with the atmosphere of Venus being 90 times denser than our’s (equivalent
to having 1 km of ocean on top of our heads) this effect is much, much less on Earth. A third factor, friction
between layers of the planet (nucleus and mantle), causes heating, releases energy and also contributes to
modifying the rotation of the planet, which was previously much quicker and is nowadays at 243 days. And
lastly, the effect of disturbances from other planets, which had not until them been considered. It was also
when Alexandre and his colleagues from the Observatory of Paris introduced the variable of disturbances from
other planets on the orbit of Mercury, that we understood why it is that this planet turns three times on its own
axis for every two orbits of the Sun, instead of one rotation each time as would be expected.
Now, Alexandre is exploring a new area: extra solar planets. The first was discovered about ten years ago.
Since then nearly 150 new planets have been found, in stellar systems with dynamics very different to our
own. All are very different to the Earth – big, gaseous, situated very close to their star. “ In a few years, we will
probably discover planets the size of the Earth”, predicts Alexandre Correia, bearing in mind the rate that
detection equipment is developing. The young astrophysicist is awaiting the first data to create models that
explain the waves on a beach, somewhere millions of light-years away.

8. 07
Career path
1987 – Degree in Applied Mathematics at the Universidade do Porto
1990 – Masters in Mathematics at the University of Warwick, UK
1993 – PhD. in Mathematics at the University of Warwick, UK
1997 – Post-doctorate at the University of Warwick, UK
1998 – Invited researcher at the University of Minnesota, USA
1999 – Post-doctorate at the Universidade do Porto
2000 – Postgraduate diploma in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health at the
mmmmLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
2002 – Researcher at the University of Warwick, UK
Present - Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, in Oeiras
Free time
Her last holiday was spent on a windsurfing course with her three daughters and her
husband, in Scotland.
Find out more…
GA BR IEL A GOM ES Personal website – www.igc.gulbenkian.pt/sites/ggomes
Age: 40 GripePT – the journeys of a virus – www.gripept.net
For Gabriela Gomes, researcher at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science in Oeiras, Mathematics began as a
way of compensating for her “bad” memory. It was comforting to feel that she could work out, in the middle of
an exam, formulas that were possibly forgotten. Today, she uses Mathematics as an epidemiological weapon
in the fight against diseases such as tuberculosis, which is responsible for the death of two million people
MATHEM ATIC S IN THE FIGHT AGAINS T IN FECTI ON
every year. In Africa, the rate of tuberculosis is growing daily at an alarming rate, being associated with
infections linked to the AIDS virus that weaken the body’s defences enormously. In Portugal the rate is one of
the highest in Europe.
Scientific research is becoming increasingly multidisciplinary, with knowledge from very different areas
meeting to produce extraordinary results. The study of infectious diseases is one such area, in which
Mathematics perfectly complements Biology, Chemistry, Sociology and Medicine, in order to build a more
accurate picture of the causes and effects of the spread of these diseases.
Gabriela uses mathematical models as tools to help devise and test strategies to control diseases, giving
public health services crucial information in the fight against disease. A good vaccine or programme of control
must take into account numerous specific characteristics of the target group, as what may be effective in one
given situation may be completely ineffective in others. For this reason, they resort to mathematical models
that take into account a large number of possible factors.
In the models developed by Gabriela, groups of individuals that are infected, recovering and vulnerable to
becoming infected are represented by compartments that fill and empty according to parameters associated
with biological or socio-economic factors of the disease which affect the way it spreads in a given population.
We are right in the midst of the mathematics of dynamic systems and differential equations, an area of
mathematics that Gabriela fully explored during her PhD. at the University of Warwick, in England.
In 2004, she coordinated a study on the variability of the effectiveness of the vaccine against tuberculosis in
different areas of the world – in the UK it was 77% effective, while in India the same vaccine is practically
useless. Gabriela and her team identified for the first time the threshold for re-infection, above which the
potential for the spread of the disease is so high that it overwhelms the body’s defences (the immune system
is not efficient in fighting infection) making re-infection a certainty. Above this threshold, a vaccine would only
be effective if extra immunity was given, on top of the natural immunity of the individual, which is not normally
the case. In such cases, it is not worth vaccinating. Diseases with recurrent infections such as whooping
cough, flu or malaria are also being analysed using this model.
Thanks to this discovery, Gabriela was last year awarded 1.9 million euros in European funding – a Marie
Curie Excellence Team – in order to set up her own laboratory to work on Theoretical Epidemiology for four
years. This highly prestigious prize was given to only 19 other scientists in the whole of Europe, none of whom
gained as high a mark as Gabriela. This prize came as a result of the quality of her work but also through her
arduous efforts to obtain funding in order to attract good scientists from other countries and by doing so,
overcoming the scientific isolation she feared on returning to Portugal. The fruits of her work and dedication
are obvious: massive international financing, and one Dutch, two German, one Brazilian, one Mexican and two
French scientists on the way. With them will also come new ideas, one of which Gabriela has already seized
on. A project which brings together science communication and an epidemiological study of the flu in Portugal.

9. 08
Career path:
path
1992 – Degree from the Faculty of Engineering at the Universidade do Porto
1995 – Doctorate at the Technical University of Denmark
1996 – Researcher at the Institut Français du Petrole
1997 – Post-Doctorate at the Faculty of Sciences, Universidade do Porto
Present - Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Chemistry, Universidade de
Aveiro
Free time:
time
“I have various passions: photography, architecture, archaeology, jazz, cartoons… but my
vice is reading“
Find out more…
WAXtracker – www.waxtracker.com
Adventures in Energy – www.adventuresinenergy.org
IFP waxtrack – www.ifp.fr/IFP/en/files/rechercheindustrie/waxtrack.pdf
JO ÃO COUTIN HO Innovative Pigging Solutions For Pipelines –
Age: 36 www.pigtek.com/pdfs/PipelineandGasJournalArticle.pdf
Thermodynamics was for Einstein the only theory that he did not believe would ever change. This theory,
which originated in the study of steam engines is, at heart, a transversal and very basic science that can be
applied to any branch of knowledge — from biological processes to the formation of the universe, or even to
FR OM THE BOTTOM OF TH E SEA
social organisation.
It was exactly this last application that awakened João Coutinho’s passion for thermodynamics. Nowadays it is
used to explain “if molecules like or hate each other, how much they like or hate each other and how this
affects the way they are distributed between different states (solid, liquid and gas) or in different divisions of an
ecosystem (air, sediments, water, biomass etc.)”.
His main area of study is petroleum, a mixture that originates from biological molecules of micro organisms
and plants that existed a long time ago that, by a strike of destiny, happened to decompose in the right place
at the right time. The result is a compound that is very rich in hydrocarbons, which are able to release large
quantities of energy when they combust. The way an engine works is basically not that different from the way
our bodies work, our bodies also obtain energy by burning molecules. Engines use hydrocarbons, we use
carbohydrates. “They are similar molecules”, explains João.
However, petroleum’s potential goes beyond this. It can easily be broken down and transformed into many
everyday products and objects, from plastics to textiles, fertilizers and detergents. Among the different
components that can be obtained, “waxes” (long-chain molecules) can be used to produce food additives,
lubricants and even medication – because of this they represent a highly lucrative business for petroleum
companies. On the flipside of the coin, these “waxes” could well be the source of many headaches and some
billions of dollars of damage. The main problems can occur during transport of petroleum via pipelines from
the sea platforms to land. Low temperatures at the bottom of the sea and differences in pressure mean that
the wax component of petroleum loses solubility and ends up crystallising. In the same way as cholesterol gets
deposited in our arteries, wax crystals get deposited on the walls of pipelines and end up blocking them if
precautions are not taken. As the vast majority of deep sea petroleum is very heavy, this problem affects a
large number of refineries. Blocked pipes hundreds of meters deep in the sea are not easy to access for
repairs. The best option is definitely prevention.
At the Universidade de Aveiro, João Coutinho has been developing methods based on thermodynamic models
that allow us to predict the formation of these “waxes” in a particular type of petroleum and the conditions in
which deposits build up. This valuable information thus allows petroleum companies to plan pipelines in a
more appropriate way as well to take steps to take adequate measures to maintain pipelines. His work
resulted in the development of software that has already been adopted by one of the biggest simulators in the
petroleum industry, Multiflash from the British company Infochem, and is used by companies such as Total,
Repsol, Petrobras, Schlumberger, and Esso among others, with whom this researcher collaborates closely.
João is also studying the dispersal of hydrocarbons in marine environments, in order to understand the
dynamics of oil spills, that can cause so much devastation and to find solutions to remedy them.
João Coutinho loves studying petroleum but did not originally think about becoming a researcher. He
considered working for an oil company and, with this in mind, went to the Institut Français du Petrole (IFP). It
was there that he understood that “I valued my freedom too highly to allow myself to be subject to the rules of
a company”, he says. So he decided he wanted to be a researcher. “What I really enjoy is coming here
everyday and deciding what to do. We have to create our own path”. The Thermodynamics group at the
Universidade de Aveiro, which was founded in 1998 in conjunction with Isabel Marrucho, is very active with
various collaborations with foreign companies and universities. Apart form studying petroleum, this group is
involved in other adventures such as developing artificial blood from perfluorocarbons (compounds capable of
dissolving large quantities of oxygen), and discovering environmentally friendly insulating materials that can be
used in fridges.

10. 09
Career path:
path
1988 – Degree in Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa
1989 – General internship at the Hospital São Francisco Xavier, Lisbon
1993 – Placement at the Paediatric unit, Hospital de São Marcos, Braga
1994 – Academic year of the Gulbenkian Biology and Medicine PhD. Programme
1998 – PhD. at the Institut d’Embryologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Paris, France
1999 – Researcher at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
Present - Lecturer and Researcher at the Escola de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do
Minho
Free time:
time
Devoted to her family (husband and two children), reads and travels (when she can!). Loves
dancing
Find out more…
Nature Milestones Development – www.nature.com/milestones/development/milestones/
Embryo Images Normal and Abnormal Mammalian Development –
ISA BEL PAL M EIR I M www.med.unc.edu/embryo_images
The Cloning of Dolly – www.luc.edu/depts/biology/dev/shclone.htm
Age: 39 The visible Embryo – www.visembryo.com
Isabel Palmeirim studied Medicine, but always with a view to being a scientist. Little did she know that she
THE CLOC K
would spend hours on end looking at chick eggs. It was worth it: her discovery is one of the great milestones in
developmental biology in the last 100 years.
Developmental biology is the study of how we are made – how we become the complex human beings that we
are, with a head, torso and limbs. If we think about how it all begins, we have to realise that our existence has
a very humble beginning. Just one cell is enough to set in motion a series of events, that results in us! A
remarkable fact and as you would imagine, extremely complex.
With the objective of learning more about our own development, scientists concentrate on the study of other
animals, who share similar processes in the embryo with human beings. Contrary to what you might think,
there are many to choose from. We can count on chicks, mice, flies, frogs and even zebra fish whose
development, incredible as it may seem, begins in a way that is very similar to our own. Isabel’s lot was to
spend hours peering down the microscope observing the development of chick embryos, analysing in
particular the role of c-hairy1 gene – initially isolated by another Portuguese researcher – in a crucial phase of
the development of an embryo, the formation of somites.
After fertilisation, the egg enters a frenetic process of cell division and within the space of a few days gives rise
to millions of small cells that, after migrating and reorganising themselves, begin to form the future chick. At a
certain point somites appear all along the future backbone of the chick – these are extremely important
collections of cells that go on to form muscles, vertebrae and ribs. The intervals when somites are formed is a
process that is strictly regulated and on which depends the success of subsequent stages of development.
However, until Isabel’s study, there were no experimental data on the possible mechanisms involved in the
regulation of these intervals.
During her PhD. in France, Isabel demonstrated that each cell involved in making somites is instructed from
early on when the right time to do it is. The number of times that a cell begins and ends reading the c-hairy1
gene (1 cycle), helps it to determine how old it is and thus, when to begin forming a somite. This process
works like an internal clock, with the programmed cell passing through a number of determined cycles, before
becoming ready to form a somite.
Each cell goes through these cycles in way that is coordinated with all of the remaining cells involved in the
formation of somites. What is surprising is that each one of them does it completely independently. It would be
like being able to do a giant Mexican wave in a football stadium while blindfolded, each person holding a clock
telling them the exact moment to stand up and sit down.
This pioneering study revealed a new regulatory mechanism and, as usually happens in science when
answers are found, gave rise to new questions. Now Isabel is interested in understanding the specific role of
this gene in the clock. What signal triggers cyclical behaviour? What effect does it have in chemical terms?
Dividing her time between teaching and research at the Universidade do Minho, Isabel is getting closer to
these answers every day. Understanding the mysteries of embryonic development could also help us to
understand the origin of embryonic malformations and from that, how to correct them.

11. 10
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path
1992 – Degree in Physics Engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon
1997 – PhD. in Physics at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon
1997 a 2001– Post-doctorate at the University of California, in Los Angeles, USA
Present - Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physics, Instituto Superior Técnico and
researcher in the Laser and Plasma Group of the Centro de Física dos Plasmas do
Laboratório Associado para os Plasmas e a Fusão Nuclear
Free time:
time
Collects records, books and modern Portuguese paintings. Likes theatre and cinema.
Passionate about lomography and plays squash. Interested in science communication.
Find out more…
Perspectives on Plasmas – www.plasmas.org
Grupo de Lasers e Plasmas – http://cfp.ist.utl.pt/golp
LU ÍS SILVA Centro de Física de Plasmas – http://cfp.ist.utl.pt
Centro de Fusão Nuclear – www.cfn.ist.utl.pt
Age: 35
When he was little, Luís Silva wanted to be an archaeologist but he ended up being enchanted by the
fascinating world of physics. Today he heads a research team at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, with
THE FOUR TH STATE OF MATT ER
the curious name of Extreme Plasma Physics. In order to have a better understanding of what this means we
need to recap on some basic principles.
Matter exists in three states: solid, liquid and gas. If we think of water, we can easily identify these three states
in ice (solid), rivers (liquid) and clouds (gas). So far so good. But what is surprising is that there is a fourth
state of matter. Plasma. Although unusual on our planet, the reality is that 99% of the visible universe exists in
this form. The stars, including the sun, are giant balls of ‘bubbling’ plasma and interstellar space is a huge
mass of ‘cold’ plasma.
Each one of these states of matter has unique properties. Atoms of solid materials are firmly fixed in a rigid
network. As temperature rises and the material approaches a liquid state, this rigidity reduces and the atoms
can move more easily (this is why liquids can alter their shape). If the temperature is increased even further,
the material will become a gas with all the atoms completely detached from one another and moving freely.
Finally when the temperature is extremely high, the components of the atoms themselves begin to separate.
The electrons are released and with the loss of negative charge the atoms, that were previously neutral,
become positive ions.
A great deal of energy is needed to free these electrons. It also needs to be maintained or else the electrons
will return to atoms and the plasma will return to gas. That is what happens with the Auroras Borealis
(Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). The poles attract solar dust charged with energy.
This collides with atmospheric gases on reaching the Earth and ionizes them (releases electrons). As this
energy is not constant, the electrons end up turning back into atoms and in the process release energy in the
form of light, giving us an extraordinary display of light. The same mechanism explains lightning, where a large
discharge of energy crosses the air, ionizing the gases on its way. After passing, the atoms recover their
electrons and energy is released in the form of light. This is also the principle of the neon lights that light up
our corner café and the plasma screens of new televisions.
But plasma has many other interesting properties that are at the basis of an increasing number of new
technologies, with the most varied applications. Luís Silva and his team study, in particular, the possibility of
plasma being used as a base for developing new particle accelerators, which already earnt him the IBM
science prize in 2003. Particle accelerators have a very wide range of applications, from cathode ray tubes in
televisions, to the study of the fundamental forces of the universe, as sources of light to visualise molecules or
for treating tumours using radiotherapy. However, the technology used at the moment has various limitations.
Accelerators used by Physics researchers are an example of this, they can reach tens of kilometres in length.
The Extreme Plasma Physics team are making important steps in the production of a new generation of
accelerators that are more compact and efficient (they could end up fitting on a desk), more powerful and
much less costly.
The technology uses high power lasers to leave a wavy trace when crossing the plasma, like a boat leaves
waves behind itself when sailing across water. Luís Silva focuses on searching for a more efficient way to use
this trace to accelerate particles. Or rather, to help the particles to ‘surf’ the waves in the most efficient way
possible. At the moment he has already developed a model, with a laser confined in a plasma optical fibre to
prevent diffraction of the laser, in which the particles are capable of reaching in just 1 centimetre the speed
that they would have taken 100 meters to reach in conventional accelerators.
The application of plasma physics and the interests of Luís Silva do not stop at particle accelerators. Among
other ‘small things’, he is researching the application of lasers for nuclear fusion in plasmas. It is hoped that
this process, capable of generating huge amounts of energy (‘cleaner’ than that produced by nuclear fission
and fossil fuels), could be a source of energy in the future. In collaboration with a group studying Plasma
Simulation at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he spent four years , this researcher is seeking
new ways to turn this energy into a reality.

12. 11
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1998 – Degree in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, Porto
1999 – Academic year on the Gulbenkian Biology and Medicine PhD. Programme
2003 – Doctorate at the Universidade do Porto (experiments carried out at the Instituto de
Biologia Molecular e Celular – IBMC, Porto and at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
2003 – Post-doctorate at the Wadsworth Centre, New York, USA
Present - Principal Investigator at the IBMC, Porto
Free time:
time
Climbing
Find out more…
Mitosis World – www.bio. unc . edu/ f ac ult y / s almon/ lab/ mit os is / mit os is . ht ml
HE LD ER MA IATO Microscopia - www.mic ros c opy .f s u. edu/ index . ht ml
Mitosis tutorial - www.biology .ariz ona. edu/ c ell_bio/ t ut orials / c ell_c y c le/ main .ht ml
Age: 29
The first time that Helder Maiato saw a cell divide he was fascinated. From that moment on he has dedicated
himself to the study of this biological ‘miracle’. Given that all cells originate from previously existing cells, cell
THE MIR ACL E OF MULTIP LICATI ON
division – which allows one cell to divide in two – is at the basis of all pre-existing life.
If we go back far enough in our own development, we can see that it all started with one cell. This divided in
two, and these divided continuously, giving rise to the trillions of cells that make up a human being. Then,
throughout our lives, we continue to be completely dependant on this process. It is estimated that 250 million
cells in our body are dividing at any given moment to, among other things, substitute tired cells and defend us
against infections.
During cell division, the genetic information of the cell, compacted in the form of chromosomes and containing
all the instructions necessary for life, must be correctly distributed to the two new cells, in a process called
mitosis. Errors in the distribution of this information usually have dramatic effects. Too few chromosomes can
lead to the loss of fundamental pieces of information. While too many chromosomes cause instability at a
cellular level, with serious consequences for the body. Down’s Syndrome, also know as Trisomy 21, is an
example of this. It happens when three copies of chromosome 21 are made, instead of only two. In the same
way, while a normal human cell has 46 chromosomes, the majority of cancerous cells have an abnormal
number of chromosomes. We do not yet know whether this is a cause of some cancers or a consequence. At
any rate, it is important to understand that any cell with missing or extra copies of chromosomes will acquire
special qualities… which as a rule is never a good thing.
The mechanism which distributes chromosomes to daughter cells involves movement. We know that this
movement starts and is controlled by a tiny structure called the kinetochore which forms where chromosomes
and microtubules meet, in a temporary structure known as a mitotic spindle. But how does this spindle form?
How does the kinetochore coordinate the movement? How is the force for this movement generated? These
continue to be some of the fundamental questions of Cell Biology, the answers to which have great
implications for human health.
Helder Maiato has spent the last five years between Portugal, Scotland and the United States, perfecting his
knowledge of various important techniques in the study of these processes. Among these, a revolutionary
micro-surgery technique using sub-cellular laser combined with high resolution microscopy of living cells,
which allowed him to analyse a new dimension in the process of chromosome distribution: time. Thus, in the
same way that an art critic would learn much more about a painting if they were present when it was being
painted, this researcher learnt a great deal by observing mitosis in real-time and interfering with the process.
During his doctorate, Helder discovered a protein with a fundamental function in chromosome distribution. The
original combination of approaches that he used to study its function allowed him to reveal very important
details about how the process works. The inevitable results of his work, already presented in a long list of
publications, resolved an age-old controversy in the scientific world, by giving a molecular explanation for the
microtubule dynamics that allow the movement of chromosomes.
Now back in Portugal, but still maintaining close collaborations with foreign laboratories, Helder Maiato, who is
just 29 years old, heads a group of young scientists at the Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, in the city
of Porto, in the discovery of more of the secrets of the miracle of multiplication.

13. 12
Career path:
path
1994 – Degree in Physics and Applied Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences, Universidade
do Porto
1995 – Certificate in Advanced Mathematical Studies at the University of Cambridge, UK
1998 – PhD. at the University of Cambridge, UK
1998-2000 – Post-doctorate at the University of Princeton, USA
2000-02 – Post-doctorate at the Laboratoire de Physique Theorique de L’École Supérieure,
mllFrance
Present - Lecturer at the Department of Physics, Universidade do Porto
Free time:
time
Travelling
MIGUEL SOU COSTA
SOUSA OSTA Find out more…
On Super String Theory - http://superstringtheory.com/index.html
Age: 35 Another link: www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/
One big initial “bang”. A universe that is expanding, where stars are born and die between dark matter and
clouds of dust. What more do we need to know about the origins of the cosmos? Miguel Costa, a physicist at
BIG? BANG. BLACK HOL ES!
the Universidade do Porto, recognises that science has progressed a great deal since Copernicus: “The
present cosmological model represents one of the biggest successes of modern science”.
In fact, we now know that the universe is continuously expanding, which means that it was much smaller in the
past. Cosmology manages to describe in quantative terms the evolution from the primordial era to the present
day by explaining, for example, the appearance of structures such as galaxies. Obviously, there are still
questions to be answered. One of these hinges on the initial state of the universe.
When it was extraordinarily small, dense and full of energy, the laws of physics as we know them ceased to be
valid. In order to understand its origins, we need to put together two well-known theories. On one hand
Quantum Mechanics, the physics of the atomic world and of high energies and on the other hand Gravitation
(which comes from the Theory of General Relativity), which has a fundamental role in describing the dynamics
of the universe. From the combination of these two theories, was born a third: Super String Theory, which
Miguel Costa has been working on since the time of his PhD. in Cambridge.
Apparently, this merely involves changing the way that we view elementary particles, that are usually
represented by dots. “In the first place, from a philosophical point of view, there is no reason for choosing dots
over structures with dimension. In fact, if we look at a small piece of elastic from a long way away, it looks like
a dot. Then, if we use binoculars, we can see that it is a piece of elastic, that is to say an extended object.
Something similar happens with elementary particles. If these were incredibly small pieces of string, or even
membranes, we would not be able to distinguish them from dots,” explains the young physicist who was
awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Science in 2004. His enthusiasm for this small detail is justified: “From a
theoretical point of view, something fantastic happens if we assume that elementary particles are pieces of
string— it is possible to derive Einstein’s equations to describe the field of gravitation. Moreover, it is possible
to describe the quantum process of interaction between gravitons — the particles responsible for gravitational
interaction. This result is very important, as for the first time we have a quantum description of gravity and we
can begin to investigate questions such as the origin of the universe.”
Currently Miguel Costa is trying to apply Super String Theory to the area of cosmic singularities, such as the
famous “Big-Bang” (the moment of the big explosion that initiated the universe), to understand the evolution of
the universe in its present form. “We manage to show that the interactions involving gravitons, can be well-
defined in the presence of such singularities. We also put forward the theory that a cosmological singularity will
be apparent, due to what we call a cosmic horizon”.
To make the challenge more enticing, observations of supernova (explosions of stars with an elevated mass)
allow us to conclude that the universe is not only expanding but that this expansion is very rapid! “This
acceleration could be due to the cosmological constant, associated with the so called energy of empty space.
However, there is not yet any satisfactory theoretical model that allows us to explain this constant”, explains
Miguel Costa, who hopes that Super String Theory, which is still incomplete, will be for Cosmology what the
Rosetta Stone was for Egyptology.“ Another question that Miguel is dealing with is related to the physics of
black holes, that Super String Theory can also help to understand.
The theoretical science of Miguel Costa is done with pencil and paper. The most important methodology is, in
his opinion, talking with colleagues, “the Super String Theory community in Portugal is incredibly small and this
means several trips overseas and lots of phone calls...”. Cosmology, the physics of black holes and high
energy are merely laboratories to understand physics in limited situations.

14. 13
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1988 – Degree in Physical and Technical Engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon
1991 – Masters in Mathematics at the University of Minnesota, USA
1994 – PhD. at the University of Minnesota, EUA
2002 – Further PhD. in Mathematics at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon
Present - Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Mathematics at the Instituto
Superior Técnico, Lisbon
Free time:
time
Playing with his children, being with friends and open-air sports.
Find out more…
RUI LOJA FERNANDES Atractor: www.atractor.pt/mat/fr-in.html
PlanetMath: http://planetmath.org/
A brief excursion down Mathematicians Street: www.math.ist.utl.pt/~rfern/curso.pdf
Age: 40
Rui Loja Fernandes is a serene scientist. He knows that he speaks a ‘language’ that very few people
understand and is used to this kind of intellectual solitude. And this happens, paradoxically, when it is precisely
THE SOLITARY ARTI ST
his kind of science that is the universal language par excellence: mathematics.
Rui began in the real world, where the laws of physics rule. “The problems that interest me originate in
physics”, he explains. However, while physics explains the forces in play when a pen thrown up in the air over
a desk traces an arc and then falls, mathematics is concerned with the geometry of the space where it
happens. Newton summarised: mathematicians want to find out something more fundamental than the
impulse or effect of mass. They increase the degree of sophistication and give themselves the luxury of
‘playing’ with Planck’s constant– a constant in the world of quantum mechanics -, but in the parallel world of
mathematics anything, or almost anything, is possible. Changing Planck’s constant to start with nothing and
transforming linear into non-linear phenomena, are sure ways of creating complex problems. Rui Loja
acknowledges that although the initial motivation comes from the attempt to solve concrete problems,
sometimes he finds himself pursuing more aesthetical aspects: “we are a bit like artists, selfish in a way”. The
scenes described mathematically ‘ring so true and are so beautiful that we end up convinced that we are
discovering something that already exists and that is truly overwhelming”.
However, mathematics does not provide the solution to everything. “If we have learnt anything in the last
hundred years, it is that there are things that we simply cannot do”, says Rui. An example? “It is not possible to
create a computer programme which checks without fail, the errors in other programmes; it would have to
check itself and be faced with the possibility of finding at least one programming error, the result would be
contradictory”, replied the mathematician who, in his youth used to swim 50 kilometres a week, in his home
town Coimbra, just for the pleasure of challenging himself because “school wasn’t stimulating enough”.
Today, after winning the Gulbenkian Prize for Science in 2001 and author of a “ISI highly cited paper”, Rui
considers the traditional division of mathematics into large areas to be artificial. Great advances in the
discipline, he says, come about through the “intelligent combination” of algebra (which involves manipulating
equations and formal structures), analysis (which involves variations of quantities), geometry and topology
(which study shapes, be it a solar system or a bar of soap. This methodology implies that within one research
department, the concern is to cover the maximum number of different areas of research, not involving more
than one or two mathematicians from each area.
However, scientific solitude is not a good way to produce knowledge. For this reason, international
collaborations are common practice in science, either through exchanges between scientists from two different
countries or through frequent thematic programmes in institutions spread all over the world, where a critical
mass of mathematicians gather to study a very particular problem at a given time. His office at the Instituto
Superior Técnico, is, for Rui Loja Fernandes, an space for reflexion before leaving for the United States, or
Japan, or China ... it doesn’t matter where; after all, the language is not the problem, or Mathematics would not
be the Esperanto of the Universe.

15. 14
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1995 – Degree in Biology at the Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa
1996 – Extra-curricular placement at the Universities of Paris and Montpellier, France
2002 – PhD. at the Universiteit Leiden, Holland
2004 – Post-doctorate at the University of California in Irvine, USA
Present - Assistant Lecturer at the Universiteit Leiden, Holland
Free time:
time
She does not have a “favourite hobby”. At the moment, she likes moving to the sound of music
and on the two wheels typical of Holland (bicycles). More recently, she has taken up climbing,
on high walls with coloured holds, and diving, preferably in tropical waters.
Find out more…
Personal Page - www.beldade.nl
EvoNet – www.evonet.org
PATRÍCIA BELDADE
PATRÍCIA European Society for Evolutionary Biology – www.eseb.org
Society for the Study of Evolution – www.evolutionsociety.org
Fórum de Biologia Evolutiva português –
Age: 33 http://pwp.netcabo.pt/andrelevy/biologia_evolutiva.htmL
By “designing” butterfly wings, the biologist Patrícia Beldade reveals to us some of the secrets of the evolution
of living things.
GENES AND BU TTER FLY WINGS
The process of evolution requires changes in the genetic code. If a new alteration brings benefits to the carrier
– in its social or environmental context – this will be more likely to survive and reproduce, passing this new
characteristic on to its offspring. This is how populations evolve by natural selection.
In natural populations there generally exists a considerable variation in characteristics between individuals. If
this was not the case, there would nothing to select. However, the type and number of variations likely to occur
seem to be limited, which suggests the existence of hindrances to their development. For example, a pig with
wings has never been seen in the wild! Why this is, is subject to heated debate between evolutionary
scientists. As the process of building an organism is highly organised, there are certain alterations which may
not be feasible. In the same way that when building a house you cannot begin with the roof, you need to build
the foundations first – and they cannot be made of jelly! If one gene was responsible for the development of
more than one structure, it would be difficult to alter one without altering the other.
Patrícia Beldade approaches these fundamental questions by studying the circles of colour on butterfly wings.
Using this animal as a model, which can have spectacular morphological variations (there are butterflies with
very different wing patterns), Patrícia tried to understand if there really were limitations on the variety of
designs that are available on the market, and exactly which genes are altered to give rise to the diversity of
patterns in nature.
With much dedication, Patrícia spent days crossing and selecting butterflies. In the end she managed to
produce patterns that had never before been seen in the wild, demonstrating that they are possible. An
important conclusion that supports the non-existence of limitations to the creative power of nature is that it is
natural selection itself that moulds the existing variations. At least as far as the wing patterns, that were
previously considered “restricted”, are concerned.
Although it is clear that a genetic alteration needs to occur for evolution to take place, we hardly know anything
about which (and how) genetic alterations are responsible for the appearance of certain characteristics. While
still completing her PhD. in the Netherlands, Patrícia established a series of collaborations with other
laboratories to learn molecular genetics techniques which allowed her to reveal the origin of several variations
of wing patterns. In a piece of work praised by her peers, she discovered that the variation in the level of
activity of one single gene (called Distalless), known for having an important role of the embryonic
development of all insects, is enough to cause alterations in the size of the circles on butterfly wings. In this
way, Patrícia showed for the first time the relationship between pattern variations – source of evolutionary
change, and a gene. That is, she made a connection between genetic alterations and morphological
variations.
Patrícia is now focusing on exploring the genetic mechanisms which are at the origin of specific behaviour,
such as courtship and sexual selection. One thing is for certain, we will be hearing much more about Patrícia
Beldade in the future.

16. 15
Career path:
path
1999 – Degree in Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, Universidade do Porto
2000 – Academic year on the Gulbenkian Biology and Medicine PhD. Programme
2005 – PhD. at the Sloan Kettering Institute, New York and at the Yale University School of
Medicine, New Haven, EUA
Present - Post-doctorate at Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
Free time:
time
Walking, cooking, travelling, snorkelling.
SUSANA LI M A Find out more…
FlyBase – Database of the Drosophila genome– http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu
Age: 29 Society for Neural Interfacing - http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/groups/ailab/sni/
A fly controlled by laser? No, it’s not the plot of a science-fiction film, merely a genetic modification designed to
OBEDIENT FLIES
provide a remote control which uses a well-known molecule and ultra-violet light. Welcome to the world of
Susana Lima.
Scientists are always looking for ways to reproduce biological phenomena, in order to be able to study and test
them in minute detail in the laboratory. In the field of Neuroscience this task is particularly challenging because
of the nature of the object being studied – the nervous system. Susana Lima has ended up making this
challenge a little easier. During her recent PhD. at Yale, USA, she developed an ingenious tool which came to
revolutionise the study of neurological processes.
Our nervous system works by electric impulses that carry information. In order to activate nervous conduction
in a controlled manner and study the areas of the brain responsible for determined behaviour, scientists
traditionally had to resort to inserting electrodes in the brains of the animals being studied. Apart from being
extremely invasive, this method did not allow a very careful selection of the areas to be activated. A new tool
developed by Susana Lima allows a single type of neuron (or nerve cell) to be activated, using a genetic trick.
The technique has already been tested in fruit flies but in the future it is hoped that it will be optimised for the
study of more complex animals.
The technique consists of genetically modifying flies, in such a way that the neurons being studied, and only
these, have an extra structure which allows them the possibility of producing nervous impulses in the presence
of an ATP molecule (Adenosine Triphosphate). In turn, the form of ATP used is encapsulated in a chemical
compound which is only released when shined upon with an ultra-violet laser light. In this way Susana controls
the availability of ATP in the brain of the fly. When ATP is released, nervous conduction is inactivated only in
the genetically modified neurons. A clever trick indeed.
Susana tested this new tool in neurons of a giant fibre responsible for the response in flies to situations of
imminent danger. She managed to achieve that a considerable percentage of flies started jumping and
agitating their wings – behaviour associated with response to danger– without there being any kind of danger
present, simply by shining a laser on them. In this way, Susana confirmed the direct relationship between the
activity of certain neurons and specific behaviour.
The test was also successfully carried out on another type of nerve cell, this time those involved in the
production of dopamine. This test was particularly interesting because a lack of dopamine is at the origin of
various neuronal syndromes, including Parkinson’s Disease which affects millions of people all over the world.
Susana Lima, together with her PhD. supervisor, thus developed a technological advance that will allow
neuroscientists to clarify the functions of different types of neurons in determined behaviour, from small
movements to very complex behaviour such as memory, aggression or even abstract thought. For this new
challenge, Susana has left flies behind and is now seeking to develop her technique in rats, in a laboratory in
Cold Spring Harbor, USA. The partnership with these animals promises to be interesting, Susana explains that
these docile animals are gifted with great intelligence and are very patient when learning new tasks.

17. 16
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1990 - Degree in Applied Mathematics and Computing, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon
1996 - PhD. in Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA
1997 - Member of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley, USA
1998 - Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, USA
2001 - Member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA
Present - Senior Lecturer at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon
Free time:
time
Community work in the local community centre where she lives in Lisbon
Find out more…
Personal webpage - www.math.ist.utl.pt/~acannas/
ANA CANNAS DA SILVA Gulbenkian Programme "New Talent in Mathematics" - www.math.ist.utl.pt/talentos/
Centro de Anállise Matemática Geometria e Sistemas Dinâmicos - www.math.ist.utl.pt/cam/
Age: 37 Degree in Applied Mathematics and Computing - http://mc.math.ist.utl.pt/
Beauty seems to be inseparable from mathematics. At least for Ana Cannas da Silva, one of the few
Portuguese women who dedicates her life to the search for universal mathematical concepts. Dividing her time
GRAS PI NG AT SPAC E
between the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon and the University of Princeton in the United States, Ana
could not quite suppress a smile when commenting that we are living in the golden age of mathematics, and it
is obvious she is joking.
In the last century, the major areas of mathematics benefited from a major boost thanks to the Cold War. The
rivalry between the two great powers of the time – the United States and the Soviet Union – resulted in
enormous investment in algebra, analysis and geometry, with applications for studying codes, building
submarines and controlling missiles in mind. Traditionally considered a noble activity in Eastern countries,
combined with the fact that it requires little more than paper and pencil to produce, and therefore cheaper than
all other sciences, Mathematics flourished in these countries. In the USA, mathematics benefited from the
large-scale exodus of European scientists, namely mathematicians, during the Second World War.
The recent phenomenon of globalisation, especially in the areas of telecommunications and the mobility of
people, has given a new boost to this golden time: mathematicians that did not previously have the possibility
of leaving the country or contacting their colleagues can today work anywhere in the world and get a reply to a
mathematical question instantly, from any other part of the world.
The result is obvious. We are in contact everyday with the product of such grey matter and clear thinking. In
the supermarket, it is impossible not to come across a thousand and one bar codes – a pure application of the
theory of codes. Watching the latest stock market news on the TV, we are seeing dynamic systems in action.
And if we go to hospital for a CAT scan (Computerized Axial Tomography), we can take our hat off to analysis
and geometry.
Ana Cannas’ interests focus on understanding spaces. This is symplectic geometry, an area of science that
has seen enormous growth since the 60’s. This researcher is fascinated by the universality of mathematical
concepts – in her words ‘at the end of the day, mathematics was the language chosen by Nature”. Perhaps
because of this, she is interested in describing and studying space geometrically. That which we know exists
and that which we do not yet know. Space in its various dimensions.
Space can be a linear circle, where at any point you can only go forwards or backwards (one dimension), or it
can be a surface, of a tyre for example, where you can move in more directions (two-dimensional space).
Dimension is one of space’s inherent properties, independently from the point you are looking at or the
measurements that you take. The space of the world we know apparently has three dimensions but, for
mathematicians, space can have four, five, six thousand dimensions.
For each dimension, there can be universal structures – structures that any space in this dimension allows.
For example, the most universal geometric structure is called metric: any space (within reason) allows systems
to measure length and angles. In one, two and three dimensions other very useful structures are known, now
Ana has found a universal structure which is common to all spaces of four dimensions: a double symplectic
structure. This structure has great potential for among other things, helping to analyse spaces of four
dimensions, highly sought after especially in interactions with physics.
Ana’s dedication to mathematics goes beyond research. Teaching, both here and overseas, has been a very
important element of her career path. In Portugal she is one of the instigators of the “Gulbenkian Programme
for New Talent in Mathematics”, which since 2000 has supported and encouraged young people to carry out
research in this area. In 2005 she helped make possible the “Diagonal School – Summer Mathematics
School”, open to all those interested, which happily have been many. This first session was a sell-out! Who
said Mathematics wasn’t fun?

18. 17
Career path:
path
1993 – Degree in Veterinary Medicine at the Universidade Técnica, Lisbon
1993-1998 – Vet
1998 – Academic year on the Gulbenkian Biology and Medicine PhD. Programme
2004 – Ph.D. at the Faculty of Medicine at the Universidade de Coimbra (experimental work
carried out at the California Institute of Technology - Caltech, USA)
Present - Post-doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
Free time:
time
“I really like reading, going to the cinema, listening to music, talking and eating”.
Find out more…
Wikipedia – free encyclopaedia– www.wikipedia.org
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory – http://web.mit.edu/picower
MIG UEL REM O NDE S Society for Neuroscience – http://web.sfn.org
Neuroscience for children (worth a visit whatever your age)–
Age: 37 http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Where is information kept about the things that we live and learn? How do we retain the memory of a smell?
These questions go beyond the boundaries of biology, crossing-over into areas of humanities such as
THE PATH S OF MEMO RY
philosophy and religion and the quantative fields of physics and mathematics. For Miguel Remondes, a
researcher in the USA, the social and cultural implications of the debate on ‘the brain and the mind’ are so vast
and interesting that he ended up leaving his previous job as a vet to devote himself to researching the subject.
Nowadays we know that the process of memory is based on a network of connections between nerve cells (or
neurons) in different areas of the brain. For this, our brain has at its disposal 100 billion neurons –
approximately the same as the number of stars that exist in the Milky Way – capable of communicating
between themselves, and each with more or less the same processing capacity as a computer! When we
memorise things, we modify connections between specific neurons, thus facilitating the passage of a nervous
impulse along a determined circuit. However, there is not just one kind of memory, the process involves
several types of memory that come together.
When we need to call the bank, we look at the phone number, dial and then forget it. In this kind of situation
we are making use of what we call short-term memory, that “is living” for only a few minutes or hours. If used
or expressed repeatedly, the information may be consolidated and remain for months and years, as with long-
term memory, such as childhood memories and things we learn at school. Miguel Remondes is interested in
understanding how the brain manages to acquire short-term memories and, in particular, maintain long-term
memories.
There are people who, after suffering brain damage, are incapable of creating and retaining short or long-term
memories. These patients have been one of the main sources of data on the areas of the brain involved in the
mechanism of memory retention. We know that there are two areas of the brain that are essential for this
process – the neocortex and the hippocampus. During his PhD. in California, Miguel Remondes managed to
refine this crude knowledge, by carrying out a series of experiments involving extremely meticulous surgery on
the brains of mice. The surgery training he had while working as a vet proved invaluable in order to make this
study possible.
Miguel managed to block the only direct nervous passage in these animals’ brains between the neocortex and
the hippocampus (the temporoammonic pathway or TA), without causing any damage to the animal. At the
end of the experiment, the animals remained healthy… but without the ability to make memories! Therefore he
stated that interrupting the TA pathway is sufficient to prevent the animals from having long-term memories,
even when an alternative (indirect) pathway between these two areas of the brain remains in tact. This was the
first time that it was shown that the TA pathway is fundamental in making memories and therefore Miguel’s
work, which earned him two articles in the journal ‘Nature’, meant a new piece could be added to the intricate
puzzle of memory-making mechanisms.
Currently completing a post-doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (USA),
Miguel is becoming more and more interested in the complex phenomena of memory. He is currently trying to
understand how neuronal activity arises and how this activity evolves as an animal learns a new task. Miguel
confesses that he did very much enjoy working as a vet but the old desire to “discover” new things proved to
be a stronger pull and, at the moment, he is not contemplating leaving science.