The second episode of the Arqus Knowledge Pills invited Francesca Helm and Claudia Padovani to talk about researchers who are working under precarious circumstances. These indeed include even life-threatening conditions, as the recent example of Ahmadreza Djalali, who is currently imprisoned in Iran, shows. Francesca and Claudia explain why it can be dangerous to be a researcher and tell you how you can be of support. Both women teach and conduct research at the University of Padua and are actively engaged in the Italian section of Scholars at Risk, a non-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring a harm-free environment to scientists worldwide.