When did something like us first appear on the planet? It turns out there’s remarkably little agreement on this question. Fossils and DNA suggest people looking like us, anatomically modern Homo sapiens, evolved around 300,000 years ago. Surprisingly, archaeology – tools, artefacts, cave art – suggest that complex technology and cultures, “behavioural modernity”, evolved more […]
Like intelligence, height is genetically determined, however there are thousands of genes implicated in height determination. That is why the finding by researchers from Harvard Medical School of a gene variant responsible for shortening the average height of Peruvians in about 2.2 centimetres is so interesting. There are other rare gene variants known that cause […]
Humans may pose SARS-CoV-2 risk to wildlife There is a significant risk that SARS-CoV-2 will be transmitted by people to wildlife populations, where it could spread and imperil already endangered species. The virus could persist in short-lived species, such as mice, and it could mutate in wild animal populations and be reintroduced into human populations […]
One of the unique features of the chemistry of carbon (and, to some extent, silicon) is its ability to form long chains of atoms. Polymers are substances that have macromolecules composed of many repeating units (known as ‘mers’). Many naturally occurring substances are polymers, including rubber and many substances based on glucose, such as the […]
Introducing a gaseous phase into a solid matrix is one of the most common strategies to reduce weight and increase thermal insulation in a wide range of materials, from ceramics to metals and polymers. How to produce these two-phase materials is mostly determined by the nature of the solid matrix and has led to the […]
If the preceding post of this series turned out being a little bit disappointing because of the clumsiness and sophistry of the anonymous author of the leaflet we know as On the (medical) science (the first preserved complete work which discusses the nature of a ‘science’, or, in this case, téchnē ), we reach today […]
Well-preserved, ancient dunes spotted on Mars Scientists have discovered well-preserved paleo-dunes dating back a billion years in Mars’ Valles Marineris region. The dunes, found using data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey Orbiter, are helping researchers learn more about the consistency of Mars’ geologic history. EarthSky Ants’ sophisticated brain power Ants have been […]
Chemistry • DIPC Electronic Properties • DIPC Interfaces • Materials
Organic-based materials have gained rising interest as active components in electronics, energy conversion and catalytic systems. However, the discrete nature of the molecular constituents of these systems implies a reduced electron conductance, lowering the device efficiency. In order to increase the electron delocalization through an improved structural order, which favors orbital overlap and consequently the […]
How can we experience a sensation that is not real? How to mimic a sensory stimulus in its absence? How to smell a smell when there is none there? By activating certain neurons, it seems. A group of researchers at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine have recently published an article in Science […]
Thermodynamics is one of the oldest physical theories with its origins going back to the beginnings of the 19th century. The theory was initially developed to tackle practical problems, such as the performance of steam engines. However, within a few decades, thermodynamics was formulated on firm grounds providing one of the most fundamental laws of […]