Article archives

Why people believe in the soul (2): near-death and mystical experiences

Why people believe in the soul (2): near-death and mystical experiences

Philosophy of science

By Jesús Zamora Bonilla

In the past entry we examined how “out-of-body experiences” (OBEs) might have an influence in the belief in a “soul” separated from the body. Now we shall take a look to the other two types of “abnormal” psychological experiences that are surely related to that belief: “near-death experiences” (NDEs) and “mystical experiences” (MEs). Near-death experiences […]

MI weekly selection #324

MI weekly selection #324

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

How neural network guides autonomous car’s turns An autonomous car was trained to negotiate high-speed turns without losing control. A neural network based on more than 200,000 motion samples of driving on various surfaces at high speeds was used in the self-driving system. New Scientist Cassini dive helps shed light on Saturn’s ring moons The […]

A unique combination of properties in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

A unique combination of properties in a van der Waals antiferromagnet

Condensed matterMaterialsQuantum physics

By DIPC

The so-called van der Waals materials consist of two-dimensional layers bound by weak van der Waals forces. After the isolation of graphene, the field of two-dimensional van der Waals materials has experienced an explosive growth and new families of two-dimensional systems and block-layered bulk materials, such as tetradymite-like topological insulators – electronic materials that have […]

MI weekly selection #323

MI weekly selection #323

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Sun bears communicate via facial mimicry Sun bears communicate by mimicking each other’s facial expressions, a practice long thought to occur only in species with complex social systems. “Other primates and dogs are known to mimic each other, but only great apes and humans were previously known to show such complexity in their facial mimicry,&#8221 […]

A Talbot carpet of electrons in nanoporous graphene

A Talbot carpet of electrons in nanoporous graphene

Condensed matterMaterialsNanotechnologyQuantum physicsTheoretical physics

By DIPC

Controlling electron waves by harnessing phase-coherence and interference effects is a cornerstone for future nanoelectronics or quantum computing. To this end, design of platforms with well-defined, narrow, and low-loss propagation channels is essential. Nanoporous graphene (NPG) holds great potential for distributing and controlling currents on the nanoscale. But the effects derived from the wave nature […]

The Road to Quantum Gravity (2):  The emergence of Space and Time

The Road to Quantum Gravity (2): The emergence of Space and Time

CosmologyHistoryTheoretical physics

By Daniel Fernández

The division of past and future In Part 1 of this series, we presented the empirical fact that under extreme circumstances, a certain observer’s past can be in another observer’s future. To explain this, we introduced the network of cause and consequence relations as the fixed background structure of reality. This network constitutes Spacetime. Causality […]

MI weekly selection #322

MI weekly selection #322

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Hormonal birth control failure might be due to genetic mutation The reason hormonal birth control methods aren’t 100% effective, even in compliant patients, may be due to a genetic mutation in some women. Researchers say about 5% of women are genetically predisposed to produce an enzyme that lessens the effectiveness of hormonal birth control. Wired […]