From the host of questions we received over the last few months after we had announced the Ask a Scientist Night, we finally have picked three of the most challenging ones. We went out to find the experts with the right answers for you.

The Ask a Scientist Event offers you - the audience - the possibility to ask for elaboration on something you were always wondering about or just curious about. An exciting evening, in which experts will search for straight answers to your most pressing questions at the cutting edge of knowledge.

Tonight, three experts will tackle three topics in different fields in short 20-minute presentations. Below the questions we have selected from the ones you sent in.

1. What is the basic difference between animals and plants? Did animals develop from plants? In the evolution of life, when could we distinguish plants from animals?
Lecturer: Roy Erkens, PhD, Senior lecturer Evolution and Biodiversity at Maastricht Science Programme, Faculty of Science and Engineering. Main research focus: biogeographic patterns in plant biodiversity within the Neotropics and Europe in general, and the systematics of the tropical plant family Annonaceae specifically. He is currently also involved in the Global Tree Assesment group to determine the extinction risk of all known trees.

2. How can you effectively motivate people to change their eating habits? And convince them to eat less meat for example?
Lecturer: Prof. Stef Kremers, PhD, Professor in Health Promotion. Research focus: determinants of dietary behaviour and physical activity and evaluation of comprehensive interventions regarding these behaviours; determinants of energy balance-related behaviours and the evaluation of preventive interventions

3. How are scientist using the 'technology' of nature to solve problems in the human world?
Lecturer: Linnea van Griethuijsen. Biology lecturer at Maastricht Science Programme, Faculty of Science and Engineering