The cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is not known yet, but it is clear that there is a complex interaction between many genes and many environmental factors. Autism affects not only those aspects that are used for diagnosis: social interaction, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors, but also many other factors related to the […]
Deep-sea fish stay hidden thanks to ultrablack skin At least 16 species of deep-sea fish have been discovered so far with ultrablack colouring that helps them stay hidden in dark water. The ultrablack color reflects less than 0.5% of light and pigment cells are packed tightly together with little or no gaps. ScienceAlert Campfire-like flares […]
Future information and communication technologies will rely on the manipulation of not only electrons but also of light at the nanometer-scale. Squeezing light to such a small size has been a major goal in nanophotonics for many years. Particularly strong light squeezing can be achieved with polaritons, quasiparticles resulting from the strong coupling of photons […]
It seems that the genetic risk of an APOE4 variant in the APOE gene would not only increase risk for Alzheimer’s but also would increase the chances of getting infected by the COVID-19 virus. The APO protein is involved in cholesterol metabolism and the immune system. However, its precise role in Alzheimer’s disease is as […]
Research on autism is addressing some of the many issues that are pending and one of them is the situation and perspectives of the rest of the family: fathers, mothers, siblings, grandparents… A recent study examines some aspects of women with autism who have had a child with ASD, compared to women without autism who […]
Braiding strengthens the case for anyons’ existence Physicists created a device to observe the braiding of particles known as anyons, quasiparticles thought to occur in just two dimensions. “[T]o see [anyons] in reality takes it to another level,” says theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek, who was not involved in the study but was the originator of […]
The magnitude of many of the exotic phenomena predicted for topological semimetals is directly proportional to something called the Chern number. Given the importance of the Chern number magnitude for these phenomena, it is just natural to wonder whether there is an upper limit for it and whether there are real materials in which this […]
Stem cells were the pioneering force behind the new wave of personalized medicine of the last decade, while CRISPR and other gene-editing techniques have come to revolutionize gene therapy and the treatment of genetic diseases. It had to happen that they would eventually join forces. A new study has used gene-edited stem cells to revert […]
The complexity of the brain stems from its connectivity. This is evidenced by the disproportionate increase in the volume of white substance throughout primate evolution even though the “grey matter” is the one that takes the fame; that is, there are more and more “wires” connecting the different cortical regions over long distances according to […]
Visible light through a soap bubble branches out Physicists have observed branching flow for the first time in visible light created with a laser through a soap bubble. Variations in the thickness of the soap membrane produce different color patterns and deflect the light in such a way to cause the flow of light to […]