THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MUSEUM
Hello. In the heart of Paris, behind the Grand Palais,
you can find the Palais de la Découverte.
This is a very emotional show for me as I used to come here as a child.
This is a really legendary place.
Over 600,000 visitors per year.
Lots of Nobel Prize winners have said
that they embarked upon scientific careers
because they hung around the Palais de Découverte as kids.
I'm going to show you around this place right away
with my heart full of emotion. Off we go!
DEVOTED TO FRENCH ART
I'm meeting Jack Guichard.
Hello, Jack. - Hello, Eric.
You're the manager of this place.
It's been wonderfully renovated. It looks great.
We have a splendid facade which represents art and science.
Here we have Science on horseback
crushing Ignorance, which is very symbolic for the entrance.
When was it built?
MANAGER
It dates back to the 1900 Paris Exposition.
That was the first stage.
It's part of the Grand Palais. - Yes, it's called the Palais d'Antin.
And 1937 was an important date, when, one year after the Popular Front,
during the Paris Exposition, they decided to open a science museum here.
That was what Nobel Prize winner, Jean Perrin, wanted.
He succeeded in having a science museum built here.
He thought the name was great as it meant, "Discovery Palace."
Come on, let's go. - Off we go, then.
What's unique about this place? - It's a science palace.
The fact that we're in a palace is very important.
The fact we're in the centre of Paris, shows the greatness of science.
It raises the profile of science with the public.
We know that's difficult today.
It's unique in the fact
that you handle objects and conduct experiments
but, above all, there's always someone here to explain things.
That's fabulous and what attracts young visitors
but also non-scientific adult visitors
who, thanks to these explanations and the dialogue
they can have with a scientist, are sure to understand science.
Have any moments gone down in French history?
Have there been any defining moments here in 70 years?
There have been many because it was the only science museum
for 50 or so years before the Cité des Sciences was created.
Here we saw the first color television
and people came from all over Paris to see the first color television here.
When man first walked on the moon,
there was a nonstop showing here where people could watch the images
when they didn't necessarily have TV sets at home.
People came here to see Armstrong and friends walking on the moon.
Yes, with scientists
commenting and explaining everything that was happening.
Watch carefully. It won't be a gas anymore.
JONATHAN'S LITTLE LAB
Let's observe. What effect does it have on our guinea pig?
It makes me shiver. - That's right.
Have you noticed that he's not screaming or in pain?
Does it feel wet? - No.
No, in fact, air doesn't get wet.
If his trousers were wet, that's something else!
Have you noticed that his butt is smoking?
I love making smoke rings with people's butts.
I'm in the electrostatic room joined by Kamil.
Hi, Kamil. - Hi.
You're a scientific mediator and you've got me to put on this blond wig.
I'm sure there's going to be some kind of electrostatic.
We'll charge you with 330,000 volts.
PHYSICS MANAGER
That's nothing! I normally do that 2 or 3 times a day.
So, will all my hairs stand on end?
Yes, including the hair on the wig.
I'm at 250,000. Now, the counter reads 283,000...
Wait, all the hairs on my hands are standing on end.
Now I'm at 300,000 volts.
Ladies and gents, I'm at 330,000 volts.
I'm tickling all over because the hairs are moving around.
It's a surprising feeling.
What's this little thing used for? - Pull out the tip.
As you're at 330,000 volts,
point it towards me,
I have another tip that's linked to the ground.
This tip is at 0 volts and yours is at 330,000 volts
and we're going to create sparks.
Don't let go of the end, OK?
Holy cow!
It's a funny feeling, I don't feel as depressed.
What actually happened?
Because the tip you were holding was at 330,000 volts
and the one I'm holding, at 0 volts,
this difference in electricity, this difference in potential
is what caused the sparks.
330,000 volts can set sparks flying from just 40 cm away.
It's not really closed tight enough. - It doesn't matter.
Once you're inside this metal cage,
you won't feel anything of what you've felt up to now.
Is this a Faraday cage? - Yes.
It doesn't hurt.
Thanks for releasing me, Professor.
How many deaths per month are there during these experiments?
None in 40 years!
Can I get down? - Yes, no problem.
Now we're in the Heat Room with...
… with Kamil who...
What is that? - It's liquid nitrogen.
Its temperature is minus 196 degrees.
Is it dangerous? - Not if you don't touch it for long.
It's like clouds. - That's the humidity in the air
which has crystallized from the cold.
They are tiny ice cubes falling down.
Welcome to Chemistry 2000!
Ladies and gents, for today's science experiment,
liquid nitrogen on air inside a surgeon's glove.
Gently, don't go too fast.
Keep going. More and more....
Incredible! That's fascinating.
I love it. That's science in the making.
Keep pouring.
The air in the glove will liquefy as the liquid nitrogen is really cold.
Because it will be liquid, it'll take up very little space,
so the glove will flatten.
If it slowly heats up, it will swell up again.
Ladies and gents, more science in the making.
The glove is going back to its original shape.
It's great! It's unbelievable!
EXPERIENCE THE BLACK HOLE!
I can do it.
Very good. Drop the rubber pipe.
Did you hear that?
Put the tongs down on the side.
Now pick it up between your fingers. Go on, take it.
Pick it up with your fingers. Go on!
Pick it up!
Should he pick it up? - No!
No! What happens if he does?
It'll stick to him. - Nothing at all, take it!
Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to Léo the octopus.
Let me also introduce you to Sophie Barré-Neuville.
You're a scientific mediator.
We're in the room devoted to animal communication.
Which one of your usual experiments are we going to do today?
It's a training experiment.
LIFE SCIENCES MEDIATOR
We train this animal.
We teach him how to open a jar.
The octopus will open a jar? - Exactly!
I don't believe you, prove it! - Let's go.
Of course, we have to motivate our pupil to work.
We're going to put a reward in the jar for him.
A live crab. - That's right.
I'm checking if it's a proper jar. - You can close it.
We're going to insert this partition between him and the jar.
Surely he can't squeeze through there! - Yes, he can.
He can squeeze through there? - Exactly.
He's an invertebrate.
He actually has no internal or external skeleton.
That's what allows him to change shape, almost at will.
Be cool, Léo. Hundreds of thousands of viewers are watching you.
Léo, no tantrums please, don't be stupid.
Bye, little Brittany crab. We loved you.
I think you're going to have some painful moments.
What's the objective of this training?
To show that an octopus is capable
of learning such a complicated exercise as opening a jar.
Technically it's not a gesture that the animal would do naturally.
In around 15 to 20 sessions, this is the result we get.
Here we go.
Already two tentacles, three tentacles,
four tentacles, the body... It's quick. There, he's got to the other side.
It's surprising.
He has eight tentacles covered in suckers.
He just has to grab the jar and the lid and separate them.
I think that... - Did you see the bubbles?
The crab doesn't look too happy.
The jar is open. We saw the air bubbles escape.
He'll use his suckers to block the crabs pincers
to avoid getting injured and bring the crab to his mouth.
His mouth is underneath in the middle of the crown of tentacles.
We'll move the partition as he normally eats in his den.
He doesn't eat in front of everyone.
Thanks, Sophie. Enjoy your meal, dear Léo.
Thanks for joining in the demonstration.
Thanks a lot, Sophie.
We're going to stay with the animals and go a bit further along
to meet the rats. Let's go!
We put Lassa in the first chamber.
LIFE SCIENCE MEDIATOR
Lassa will press down on the pedal to open the door.
Then he'll go into the next enclosure, which is the maze.
It shows us that this animal is capable of memorizing and learning.
In a new situation, he's capable of learning so he can look for his food.
In his natural environment, he tends to hide
and stay where it's dark.
But he's learned how to go towards the light
and he knows that the door will be opened.
The most difficult thing is to pull on a trapeze
to receive a ball, to then put it in a hole
and eventually get his reward.
The most recent rats arrived on February 5, our little babies.
They don't have names yet because we'll appoint them a tamer
and each tamer will choose their rat's name.
Every day, the tamer or the breeding manager
take out the rats to get them used to exploring new environments.
When they're young, they tend to hide like this one.
We aim to find them without stressing them.
A stressed animal doesn't learn well or won't learn at all.
This one is a little imp. I'll offer it a few treats.
That'll also allow me to see if it's greedy.
It pinched a little biscuit.
It knows that it's not allowed. Because it's working this afternoon.
Rats aren't aggressive.
Once they're used to being handled by people
they aren't aggressive.
Aggressive rats are frightened rats who sense danger.
Rats are endearing little animals.
Their paws are very ticklish.
It's a magic wand. You only usually see them on TV.
It came with this container called a...? - Beaker.
No, a magic cauldron. It comes with the wand.
With the cauldron and wand we make...? - A magic potion.
Now you're starting to follow me.
Like on the TV, you'll stir the magic potion with the wand.
Go on, show me how they do it on TV.
Go on, dip the magic wand in. How do they stir it?
I'll show you. They use both hands and do this.
You need to be shown everything! Go on, do it again.
She's doing well. A round of applause for my assistant.
The lottery of heredity. We're in a room devoted to genetics
with Yann Lefranc, a science and biology mediator.
Hi, Yann. - Hi.
It's very simple. This is the mom with all her chromosomes.
She has 23 pairs of chromosomes, which makes 46 chromosomes.
The grandpa's chromosomes and the grandma's on the mom's side.
On the dad's side, we have 23 pairs of chromosomes
with the grandpa's chromosomes
and the grandma's chromosomes. - That's right.
You need to explain to me why my two daughters have blue eyes
when me and their mother both have brown eyes.
Luckily, that corresponds to what we have here on this model.
SCIENCE MEDIATOR
The genetics of eye color is represented here by chromosome number 16.
This man has one brown eye gene
which dominates the recessive blue eye gene on the other side.
The brown eye gene is dominant, so this man has brown eyes.
But it's possible for him to transfer... - Blue eyes like I did.
In the same way, the lady can transfer...
Let's turn around the eye color chromosomes.
That's the chin shape. - I've chosen the chin!
Turn around the eye color chromosomes
so that we highlight
the gene that the lady has transferred even though she has brown eyes.
This time, the man transfers the blue eye gene
which creates a child with blue eyes like your daughters.
I suggest you manipulate this model
so as to simulate this lottery of heredity
and to highlight that the same couple can have
many genetically different children.
Let's make some babies and see if luck is on our side!
A pattern begins to form.
Ladies and gents, it's time to tell you that your charming baby daughter
is not very pretty. She has a protruding chin and a hooked nose.
But she'll probably be intelligent or very pleasant.
To her parents, she's the most beautiful girl.
CIRCUMFERENCE OF A CIRCLE
Here we are in the Pi Room
which was created in the Palais de la Découverte in 1937.
Everybody knows the pi formula
which calculates the circumference of a circle from its diameter.
We know the first 12,000 billion decimals of this formula,
but it's infinite.
On March 14, 2004,
a young 28-year-old autistic man in Oxford in England,
an autistic scholar in front of an assembly of scientists
for a period of five hours and nine minutes,
recited the first 22,514 decimals of the pi formula.
It's a magic number
which has its own room here in the Palais de la Découverte.
NEWBORNS AND NEW NOSES
"Born to Smell" is the name of a temporary exhibition
happening here in the bowels of the Palais de la Découverte.
It's magical. If you're passing, come and see "Born to Smell"
because you discover many things about your nose and olfactory heritage.
This is the first experiment. I have to smell each container.
Here we go!
Try the second one.
It smells quite menthol. It contains mint.
We're in the same ballpark but it's hotter, warmer.
It's quite close to the other one but it smells more of citrus.
More lemony. What am I supposed to say?
It's the same fragrance in all four.
CHEMISTRY MEDIATOR
But because we've changed the color...
Are you kidding? All four are the same? - Yes, they're all the same.
Because we'd changed the color, your brain analyzed it differently.
You were trying to catch me out! - Yes, we do it on purpose!
Carry on. - Here we have something interesting.
What are these bins doing here? Watch out, it's going to pong.
Yuck! It stinks of rotten fish.
When I smell it like you, it makes me think of old fish.
But it depends on our personal culture.
When some people in Africa and Asia smell it,
they smell smoked or dried fish.
So, they find it pleasant. - Dried fish?
We don't really like the smell, but some people drool over this bin.
Really? - I've seen them.
I'll try again and pretend that I'm a Senegalese citizen
who likes dried fish. I'll try.
Oh no! - It doesn't work.
I'm a prisoner of my culture.
Let's keep going.
We've filled the different trays here
with the products used to make perfume.
You have flowers, plants, resins, even animal extracts.
Some of the basics look weird.
That's castoreum.
That's revolting. It's rank. It smells like a dead animal.
It comes from a beaver's scent glands. Of course, it's not very pleasant.
A beaver's scent glands? - Yes.
However, in a perfume,
it's mixed with other substances
to give a more subtle and pleasant fragrance.
Now, we're on the road to India, in Kathmandu. That's patchouli.
That reminds me of my hippie high school girlfriend, Corinne.
I like the tree moss, that's behind you.
Often used in men's perfume, it gives a natural, green aspect.
It's very pleasant. I like it.
For virile and natural men. - Especially natural.
We just wanted to give you a few subliminal notes
of this strange temporary exhibition, "Born to Smell,"
with Jonathan, our scientific mediator.
Have a nice day, Eric. - Thanks, bye.
"Some concepts only enter the brain through your fingertips,"
a phrase used by the famous Professor Claude Bernard
that is very well suited to the Palais de la Découverte.
Here, every day for over 70 years,
people have been touching scientific experiments and phenomena.
It's thrilling.
The finest words of love for the Palais de la Découverte
came from famous Nobel Prize winner, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
who declared, that he would never have embarked on a career in science
if he hadn't wandered around
the corridors of the Palais de la Découverte as a boy.
What a wonderful testament of love.
See you next week.
Subtitles: Babel Subtitling - babelSUB.be