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 […]
Time-lapse video highlights supernova flare NASA and the European Space Agency have released a time-lapse video of a supernova flaring culled from Hubble Space Telescope observations. The video, created from about a year’s worth of Hubble observations, shows a white dwarf exploding then fading away in the NGC 2525 galaxy about 70 million light-years from […]
Auranofin is a gold (Au) salt classified by the World Health Organization as an antirheumatic agent. It was approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in 1985, but is no longer a first-line treatment due to its adverse effects on a long-term basis. But the drug is important in another way. The discovery that auranofin […]
Chronic diseases are already having and will continue to have not only profound economic, social and individual consequences but also a major impact on the use of health resources and design of new care processes. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a case on point. COPD is airflow limitation caused by an inflammatory response to […]
Symmetries play a fundamental role in Physics, and more specifically in Quantum Physics. It is well known that symmetries lead to degeneracy and to conserved currents in closed quantum systems (meaning that they do not interact with an environment). In the more realistic scenario of Open Quantum Systems (meaning that the quantum system does interact […]