Author: Xabier Irigoien is the scientific director of AZTI In 1906 the First Sea Lord John “Jackie” Fisher launched the HMS Dreadnought, what nowadays would be called a school case of disruptive innovation. Not a new invention, but putting together the most advanced technologies at the time in engines, armour and weapons, the Dreadnought made […]
Cosmic-ray technique may help forecast volcanic eruptions Scientists used a visual technique known as muography at the active Sakurajima stratovolcano in Kyushu, Japan, in an effort to forecast eruptions. Researchers recorded muon cosmic-ray particles passing through the volcano and used the data collected to create detailed maps of the volcano’s interior, which were then analyzed […]
Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), are strips of graphene with ultra-thin width (<50 nm). Graphene ribbons, introduced as a theoretical model by Mitsutaka Fujita and coauthors to examine the edge and nanoscale size effect in graphene, have emerged as a promising material for nanoelectronics, as they combine many of the extraordinary properties of graphene with a high […]
Smartphones are our everyday travel companion. Be it for work, in our leisure time or to connect with family and friends they accompany us. However, for some this utility turns into a need. A need such that it could even be called addiction. New research from Heildelberg University has shown that smartphone addiction is also […]
In late summer last year my doctor prescribed a monthlong course of antibiotics for an infection. Medicines like antibiotics are great at wiping out bacterial infections. The problems is that these drugs don’t differentiate between eliminating the “good” bacteria that may benefit our health and the “bad” bacteria causing infection. I was absolutely miserable and […]
Range of personalities observed in wild dolphins Some wild bottlenose dolphins in Italy’s Gulf of Aranci are much more bold and adventurous than others, and the bolder dolphins appear to have deeper social connections than shyer dolphins, according to a study published in Animal Behavior. Differences in social behaviors could affect reproductive success and group […]
In the quantum theory of many-body systems, collective oscillations are called collective excitations. In a quantum context, everything is quantized. Hence, collective excitations become quantized modes because of the cooperative motion of the whole system as a result of interactions between particles. They may be electronic excitations in atoms and are referred excitons. In most […]
Myelin is a lipid-rich substance that surrounds the axons of the neurons, which would be like the “wires” of the nervous system. This fatty structure serves to insulate the axons and to increase the speed with which electrical impulses, the so-called action potentials, pass along the axon. The myelinated axon can be compared to an […]
Sugar has been in the spotlight for a while, it being the most likely culprit of the obesity epidemic of our time. As to how is that possible, many consider that it is because it leads to an addiction, with sugar acting as the sweet sweet drug driving our wants and needs. A new study […]
Elevated amyloid may predict Alzheimer’s in seniors Researchers who used amyloid PET found that older adults with healthy cognition and elevated amyloid levels had poorer test scores and more reports of subtle daily cognition declines, compared with those with lower amyloid deposition. “These results support the hypothesis that elevated amyloid represents an early stage in […]