Datarium

Environmental protection

A trout can be identified in Lake Geneva without ever having been fished

Every living thing leaves its mark: a fragment of trout DNA in the water, a birdsong in the forest, a chemical signature of plants in the soil. These clues, collected by sensors, compared with databases and analysed by algorithms, make it possible to identify species without observing them directly - a revolution in the science of living things.

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Fighting epidemics

What if the sewers predicted the next epidemic?

Viruses, bacteria and other infectious agents leave genetic traces in our wastewater. Analysed using bioinformatics, these traces reveal the circulation of a pathogen before it is widely detected, and can be used to monitor and anticipate epidemics.

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Precision oncology

Printed out, the data from a tumour would make a pile the size of the Geneva water jet

Genetic, cellular and tissue analyses: a single tumour can produce more than 100 gigabytes of data, the equivalent of more than 1 million sheets of paper. Printed and stacked, they would form a stack of sheets over 100 metres high, reaching as far as the top of the Geneva water jet...

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Personalised health

What if your future treatment was already in your DNA?

Our DNA helps to characterise us, and its variations can influence our health. In personalised healthcare, these DNA variations become clues for confirming a diagnosis and directing patients towards targeted treatments. In this way, two patients can receive care tailored to their respective genetic profiles.

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Artificial intelligence

AI in the service of life, between fantasy and reality

Artificial intelligence is opening up new possibilities for understanding the living world. But behind the enthusiasm and concerns, what does the science really say? And what role can trusted AI play in the life sciences?

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In the context

Join the public forum on 31 August 2026