Festival of Science 2018

Changes in nature, man and society formed the main topics of discussion at the three conferences organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation at the Festival of Science 2018 held in Genoa. The festival was attended by 366 guests from all over the world and 20,000 students. The guest Country was Israel, with whom Italy has important scientific, political, economic and cultural ties.  In force since 2002, the intergovernmental agreement on bilateral cooperation in scientific, technological and industrial research has since then funded over two hundred joint research projects, workshops and seminars. The three conferences organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation gave Italian and Israeli experts and researchers an opportunity to exchange ideas. The first conference dealt with the evolution of a basic kitchen ingredient, the Pachino tomato, which was developed by Israeli research and became extremely popular once it started to be grown in Italy due to the unique taste acquired. The second conference was on the technology and innovative methods needed to find the right type of physical activity for everyone. The third conference dealt with changes in taste that influence our food choices and how to use the modern instruments of functional genomics to improve the taste and aroma of plant foods.