Lessons of living together from a plant-animal | Xavier Bailly |TEDxRennes
Xavier Bailly |
TEDxRennes
• May 2019
Researcher at the Institute of Marine Biology in Roscoff, Xavier Bailly has devoted more than fifteen years studying a species of sand worm called "Symsagittifera roscoffensis" or "Roscoff worm". This marine animal hosts microalgae under it's skin : it eats them but doesn't digest them since, without them, it couldn't survive. The study of this association, this photo-symbiosis, enables us to bring evidence of surprising and inspirational biological phenomenons.
Very early in his life, Xavier Bailly was fascinated by the facetiae of the living organisms he could observe whilst on family excursions whether in Normandy countryside, in the mountains or at the beach. An average student in a class where his fellows seemed to assimilate information that he didn't always understand, he persevered and it ended up to be the right thing to do! Eventually, his tenacity led him to follow long studies in the area of biology, and particularly in molecular genetics. After a doctorate and various experiences, he had the opportunity to be recruited as a research engineer at CNRS, where he holds a post at the Biological Station in Roscoff. His area of expertise focus on the permanent and functional associations between animals and microalgae : photo-symbiosis. He primarily works on the life cycle of the Roscoff worm, a small marine sand worm that grows microalgae in its own tissues...
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