Article archives

Habituation and autism

Habituation and autism

Neurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

Some people with autism do not get used to certain stimuli as normotypical people seem to do without problem. This would fit in with what in neuroscience, particularly in learning and memory issues, is called habituation. Habituation is a process by which, when faced with a repeated stimulus, the response is less and less intense […]

MI weekly selection #363

MI weekly selection #363

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Faraway object offers clues about planet formation The Kuiper Belt Arrokoth, the farthest object ever visited by a spacecraft, is helping astronomers better understand how planets are formed, according to a trio of papers published in Science. “[W]e believe the result marks a significant advance in understanding overall planetesimal and planet formation,” said Alan Stern […]

Huisgenases, new protein catalysts which are not enzymes

Huisgenases, new protein catalysts which are not enzymes

ChemistryDIPC BiochemistryMaterials

By DIPC

Proteins can perform a huge number of biological functions with amazing efficiency. In order to achieve these different functions, proteins rely on the precise 3D arrangement of functional groups which are referred to as the protein fold. Some of these functions include acting as a catalyst in biochemical reactions; in these cases proteins are called […]

T cells could be key for early Alzheimer’s detection

T cells could be key for early Alzheimer’s detection

BiomedicineMedicineNeurobiology

By Rosa García-Verdugo

For a long time Alzheimer disease has been studied mostly as a neuronal disease. However, recently the role of the immune system is getting more attention and its involvement more clear. Recent research has shown that a subpopulation of T cells could be key to early Alzheimer’s detection. How were these T cells discovered? Firstly […]

The marketization of science and the ‘marketization’ of science studies (& 2)

The marketization of science and the ‘marketization’ of science studies (& 2)

Philosophy of science

By Jesús Zamora Bonilla

In the previous entry, I presented some critical thesis by historian Ylva Hasselberg regarding the applicability of economic theoretic tools to the study of the social construction of scientific knowledge. To those claims, I think we can respond with the following arguments. In the first place, we have to make a clear and emphatic distinction […]

MI weekly selection #362

MI weekly selection #362

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Climate change may be speeding up ocean currents Ocean currents around the world, both on the surface and deeper, are faster than they were 20 years ago, likely due to the changing climate. “While we expected some response to the increased winds over the past two decades, that the acceleration was above and beyond that […]

Quantum atomic fluctuations stabilize the crystal responsible for superconductivity at 250 K

Quantum atomic fluctuations stabilize the crystal responsible for superconductivity at 250 K

Condensed matterMaterialsQuantum physics

By DIPC

Achieving room temperature superconductivity is among the most pursued but elusive goals of scientists. I n December 2014 researchers claimed to have observed superconductivity as high as 200 K in hydrogen sulfide at high pressure, breaking all the records thus far. This meant that cuprates could be knocked from their position as the highest temperature […]

Newspaper headlines influence online news search and engagement

Newspaper headlines influence online news search and engagement

Sociology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Martha Villabona works at Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE) of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, where she coordinates the area of multiple literacies. In the digital world, news are multiplying and causing readers to only choose those headlines that most interest them. This does not happen randomly or […]

Siblings and discapacity

Siblings and discapacity

NeurobiologyPsychology

By José Ramón Alonso

The relationship between siblings is, for most people, the longest they will ever enjoy. It is fundamental for many of us, but especially for children, who live together regularly with their brother or sister, and where the fraternal relationship is part of daily life, of play and leisure, of learning basic skills, of emotional development […]