Make the most difficult easy: getting science, and especially everything related to the universe, to awaken the curiosity of those who listen. And not only that. He is capable of spreading his passion for the cosmos and, in turn, for life. With only a few days left until the total solar eclipse that can be seen from Catalonia, Joan Anton Català, astrophysicist, quantum chemist, and science communicator, is the most sought-after man, but he makes a space in his busy schedule to explain to us how extraordinary this phenomenon will be that we will be able to see on August 12. The eclipse of the century (Cossetània) is the guide it has published for those who do not want to miss any detail.

Some problems are so complex and ambitious that they can only be addressed through interdisciplinary collaborations between different research teams. The Synergy grants awarded annually by the European Research Council aim precisely to foster synergies between various teams, enabling them to tackle these challenges. The projects selected in the latest call for proposals span diverse categories, from sociology and governance to molecular biology and cancer. Only 66 proposals were ultimately selected, among more than 700 submissions from institutions around the world. Two projects led by Catalan institutions, which aim to better understand the workings of the Sun and the expansion of the Universe, are among the winners.

The vast Universe remains a great mystery to humanity. Is there life outside of Earth? What would aliens be like or how would we communicate with them? We have been asking ourselves these kinds of questions for over 2,000 years and the answer, thanks to researchers, seems to be getting closer every day. To explain the knowledge we have so far about aliens and shed some light on scientific research, CosmoCaixa is launching the exhibition Extraterrestrials. Is there life outside of Earth?, this Tuesday, February 25.