Zootopique, the ANSES podcast with a focus on the future (in French only)

Could there be a COVID-31? How is our current turbulent relationship with mosquitoes – or bees – likely to evolve in the future? What sort of meat will we eat in the future? ANSES has announced the launch of “Zootopique”, its first series of podcasts. The series invites listeners to take a trip into the future in order to look at the links between human and animal health. One year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ANSES has joined forces with The Conversation, an online media network, to provide a platform for researchers. The podcast will seek to provide a clearer understanding of how the science of today helps us to plan for the risks of tomorrow. 

Human and animal health: bound together for better or for worse

The interactions between human and animal health are many and complex, with new questions constantly emerging in the area where the two overlap. At ANSES, many scientists study this topic every day. Based on the premise that protecting the health of one entity is the way to protect the health of them all  – humans, animals and ecosystems – and reflecting the need for immediate action, these podcasts give us an insight into the scientific research and developments that could help prevent future risks.

Will zoonoses such as COVID-19 become more common in the future? Will we need to reverse current trends to promote the rewilding of animals rather than their domestication? To try to answer all these questions, ANSES has brought together scientists from a wide range of backgrounds: veterinarians, biologists, epidemiologists, sociologists and microbiologists.... from the Agency and elsewhere.

A series of five episodes looking into the future, in partnership with The Conversation

Based on an idea by ANSES, the “Zootopique” series was developed and produced in collaboration with the independent media network The Conversation and Moustic Studio, an audiovisual consultancy.

The five episodes combine fictional reports from the year 2031 with present-day interviews conducted by journalist Benoit Tonson. They cover the following themes:

Episode 1 : Animals as the cause of human diseases with Elodie Monchatre-Leroy and Nicolas Eterradossi (ANSES) and Benjamin Roche (IRD - the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development)

Episode 2 : Will we still be eating meat in the future with Gilles Salvat (ANSES) and Geneviève Cazes-Valette (Toulouse Business School)

Episode 3 : Watch out for ticks, bites and stings! With Sara Moutailler and Johanna Fite (ANSES) and Marie Vazeille (Institut Pasteur)

Episode 4 : The silence of the bees...with Marie-Pierre Chauzat and Philippe Reignault (ANSES) and Benoît Geslin (Aix Marseille University)

Episode 5 : Changing the way we look at animals with François Moutou and Pascal Boireau (ANSES), Isabelle Autran (Nanterre University) et Astrid Guillaume (Sorbonne University)

See you in 2031, in a world where mosquitoes help to fight Alzheimer's disease, where the concept of shared cows is a reality and where a jar of honey is worth as much as a work of art! 

“Zootopique” will be available from 14 April 2021 on podcast listening platforms as well as on the digital media of ANSES and its partners.