During her bachelor thesis, Tess Heeremans shared her bedroom with worms. She put these worms in a maze, and got half of them drunk. She then looked at the behaviour of sober and drunk worms in the maze. In this way, the worms served as a model for active matter: a set of particles that can move on their own. Active polymers are currently a big topic in chemistry, biology and physics. More knowledge about this kind of matter will help us understand the behaviour of flocks of birds and schools of fish.

This interview is recorded live during Museumnight Amsterdam 2022 in Huis Marseille.