A quantum dot (QD) is a nanometric crystalline structure of semiconductor materials. In a QD electrons are confined in a region of space, thus creating a well defined structure of energy levels that depends very much on the size and shape of the quantum dot. This structure resembles that of atoms, that is why sometimes […]
Believe it to not, little worms (C.elegans) are an useful tool for researchers studying aging. Specially, the genetics of aging. A recently released article in Cell Reports shows that gene modification in two specific cellular pathways drives 500% life extension in worms. Why worms? Worms are the ideal research subject for aging and genetics because […]
Why do some songs succeed and others fail? Some researchers believe that a key factor is their involvement with our personal universe: if they foster feelings of social connection, they get the approval of the public; if not, they are ignored and forgotten. If that were true, songs that fit that personal pattern should fall […]
Why crocodilians weather climate change well Crocodilians may be uniquely suited to adapt well to climate change because they’ve survived two mass extinction events and have a special kind of reproductive biology, but their diversity has decreased. “[T]he main lesson that crocs can teach us is that extinction really is forever, and really destroys so […]
A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. As the catalyst itself takes part in the reaction it may undergo a physical change. Metal complexes are typically regarded as catalysts that convert organic substrates into more valuable compounds; however, to date, catalytic transformations […]
I am sure you know people who have decided to go gluten-free because they want to be healthy. However, for most of these people buying gluten free products is just a way of throwing money away since only about 1-2% of Europeans suffer gluten intolerance (celiac disease). Could it be that a bacterium is behind […]
Doing Ancient History is a difficult job. You may be thinking about the lot of hard work historians have to perform in order to learn just a little bit of what happened millennia ago, but I would like to invite you to consider another more fundamental obstacle in a discipline like this: the fact that […]
New dark matter candidate A subatomic particle known as a d-star hexaquark has been identified as a possible dark matter candidate. “The next step to establish this new dark matter candidate will be to obtain a better understanding of how the d-stars interact – when do they attract and when do they repel each other,” […]
Spallation is a type of nuclear reaction in which the interacting nuclei disintegrate into a large number of protons, neutrons and other light particles, rather than exchanging nucleons between them. It is thought that most of the nuclei of light elements, such as boron, are made in this way. Spallation reactions of this type are […]
Conspiracy theories are one of the mechanisms to manipulate information intentionally. They present fact-resistant theories and tell unsubstantiated stories that try to explain reality in an alternative way with false information. According to the media context of the second decade of the 21st century, these theories are more visible and have greater reach due to […]