Re-energising after the pause

A world paralysed by the pandemic

The coronavirus has disrupted our lives and highlighted the importance of science in dealing with an unprecedented health emergency. The universe of viruses and their spread have been present at the Biennale and here you can find the videos of some of the outstanding sessions.

Scientific knowledge has been key in this global pandemic. Without it, it would not have been possible to obtain vaccines or receive the necessary advice to take containment measures. Moreover, from the scientific point of view, it has also been possible to analyse and evaluate the impact of the virus from different dimensions: social, political, environmental and economic. All these aspects have been the protagonists of the City and Science Biennial.

Whether you attended live or not, you can now watch the videos of the different activities, such as Shaping our Future, with Ernesto Kahan, delegate at the reception of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo for International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which highlights how with solidarity and global cooperation we can overcome the obstacles we are facing in these difficult times.

In Viruses: Friends or Foes?, virologist Santiago Elena, physicist and evolutionary biology researcher Susanna Manrubia and biochemist specialising in molecular virology Esteban Domingo review current knowledge about the world of viruses and explain the concept of the virusphere and its radical implications for the balance of all the planet's ecosystems.

You can also watch the video of the round table Responsible Use of Data to Address COVID-19, where you can listen to ICREA Research Professor at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center Alfonso Valencia, cardiologist and clinical researcher Raquel Yotty and Anna N. Schlegel, one of the ten most influential women in the technology sector, who reflect on how new technologies and the digitisation of data have been fundamental in monitoring, anticipating and reporting the spread of the disease in the population.

Living through this experience has had a major impact on our day-to-day lives and has influenced our social relationships. There are many aspects that have changed on a personal, social and political level. Do you think the world will be different after these widespread changes? If you want to know what experts such as political scientist and public opinion researcher Carol Galais, professor and researcher in gender studies María Redondo-Zárate, and political scientist specialising in political preferences and behaviour Jordi Muñoz think, don't miss the round table discussion Will COVID-19 Change our Political Life? Also, in the dialogue COVID-19 and Daily Life you can see an analysis, after a year of pandemic, from different areas such as food, psychological discomfort, work or gender.

Uncertainty and fear in a difficult and complicated situation awaken in us the need to have as much information as possible within our reach, but sometimes we come across lies and fake news that cause a negative impact in the short and long term, both in scientific research and in the mitigation of the health crisis. In Fake news in Pandemic we will attend a dialogue with science journalists Cristina Sáez, Núria Jar, Marta Montagut Calvo and Michele Catanzaro on how we can fight against this disinformation and how technology can help us to do so.

The influence of the pandemic and the impact of the virus on the food chain is also discussed in COVID-19 and Food Systems: a Required Debate, where public health phylogeographer Robert G. Wallace, together with Elisa Oteros-Rozas, biologist and expert in socio-ecological systems, and Delia Grace Randolph, epidemiologist and expert in food security, analyse the link between the pandemic and the environment and the way we produce food for a world population that will soon reach 8 billion people.

See all Biennial videos

Re-energising after the pause

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