Waste resulting from coal and mineral mining, such as Au-As, Sb-Au, and W, deposited in tailings ponds, represents a source of pollutants. Particles released into the atmosphere by wind, as well as the mobilization and leaching of potentially hazardous, phytotoxic, and zootoxic elements, affect the quality of air, soil, surface water, and groundwater, causing environmental pollution and impacts on biodiversity and human health.

The DAEDALUS project aims to uncover how warm-bloodedness (endothermy) developed in birds and their dinosaur ancestors by studying the semicircular canal system in the inner ear (or labyrinth), vital for balance and orientation. The principle: as fluid warms, it becomes less viscous. Thus, as early endotherms evolved endothermy, their ear canal fluid's viscosity decreased, leading to necessary adaptations in canal morphology and/or physicochemical properties for survival.