MI weekly selection #295
A new shape inside your skin
The type of cells responsible for forming skin and the lining of an organism’s organs will morph into “scutoids” in order to accommodate those organs’ complex curvature.
Motherboard
A leap toward lifelike model of […]
The microscopic mechanism behind the vibrational relaxation of adsorbates on metal surfaces
Most of the theories describing dynamical processes at surfaces rely on the validity of the adiabatic Born-Oppenheimer approximation. What does this mean? We have already seen that adsorption commonly is understood as the reversible binding of molecules and atoms […]
Using machine learning to discover new metallic glasses
Metallic glasses are a unique class of materials whose properties combine some of the irreconcilable properties of both metals and polymers. They consist of a combination of metals which, in the solid state, present an amorphous atomic structure, in contrast […]
Geometric control of noble-metal nanoparticles
Author: Roberto D’Agosta is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at ETSF and the Department of Materials Physics in the Faculty of Chemistry at the UPV/EHU in San Sebastian. Francesca Baletto, senior lecturer at King’s College London, read and commented the manuscript. […]
MI weekly selection #294
Gulf Stream’s slowdown may increase global temperatures
The slowing of the Gulf Stream could lead to higher temperatures around the world. Researchers examined the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation over the past seven decades and noted patterns that suggest Earth could […]
The mechanochemistry of E. coli type 1 pilus
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is responsible for approximately 90% of urinary tract infections (UTI) seen in individuals with an ordinary anatomy. In ascending infections, fecal bacteria colonize the urethra and spread up the urinary tract to the bladder as […]
Has theoretical physics become a sleeping beauty?
The progress that physics experienced during the 20th century was probably one of the greatest and most everlasting successes of the humankind. Discovering the hidden and minute composition of matter and energy, as well as realising that the […]
Brain mechanisms beneath prediction during speech perception
Author: Nicola Molinaro is an Ikerbasque Research Fellow at BCBL – Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language
Research on language comprehension has always underscored the speed and precision with which the brain integrates and process the input while at […]
MI weekly selection #293
Sea-level rise may spell doom for salt marshes in southeast England
Salt marshes in southeast England could start to disappear beginning in 2040 due to sea-level rises.
New Scientist
Large, dark sarcophagus found in Egyptian tomb
A large, dark sarcophagus […]
Helium atom scattering can measure electron−phonon interaction properties of surfaces
Atom scattering at low energies has a long history as a useful probe of surface properties. The most common atomic projectiles are helium atoms formed into a monoenergetic beam directed toward the surface with energies in the thermal range, meaning […]