Since the discovery of graphene, a wide diversity of atomic-layer-thick, two-dimensional (2D) materials with varied properties have emerged. Of particular interest are those that exhibit semiconducting behavior, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). hBN is isoelectronic to graphene and has also a honeycomb lattice formed by alternating nitrogen and boron atoms, but in contrast to […]
The computer metaphor draws an analogy between the mind as software and the brain as hardware. In this metaphor, the focus of discussions is usually on the software part, taking for granted that the brain, or the whole nervous system, is a computer of sorts. But this is something that needs to be proved first […]
On our unique planet, life evolved under the pressure of natural selection. The evolution theory of Darwin demonstrates the incredible plasticity of the living organism. For millions of years, living organisms explored the conformational universe of proteins introducing new structures and function through genetic mutations. The genetic modifications are translated into the sequence of amino-acids […]
New tool helps scientists visualize stem cell division A tool developed by the Allen Institute for Cell Science can help scientists see what a human stem cell looks like when it’s dividing. The Integrated Mitotic Stem Cell is a colorful 3D map of an average cell during various points in the cell division process. Forbes […]
The way a particular reaction proceeds, described in terms of the steps involved, is called mechanism. The study of organic chemistry is, to a great extent, the study of reaction mechanisms and textbooks content both their description and their applications. But something has come to revolutionize the world of mechanisms: surface chemistry. On-surface synthesis is […]
Given the choice between €500 and a chance to win either €0 or €1000 with equal probabilities, most people opt for the sure prize of €500, even if the expected amount of money is the same in both cases. In both Economics and Decision Theory, this risk-aversion is usually modeled by considering, not the amount […]
Sensory profiling is a very important tool in food industry, crucial in order to adapt the products to consumers’ preferences. Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) is a precise tool to relate characteristics of the product with consumers’ perception, since trained panels provide very detailed, robust, consistent, and reproducible results . However, creating and maintaining a well-trained […]
E. coli variant created with synthetic genome An artificial version of Escherichia coli was created with a synthetic genome. Researchers built the genome piece by piece because “the bacterial chromosome is so big, we needed an approach that would let us see what had gone wrong if there had been any mistakes along the way,” […]
So-called “valleytronics” is a new type of electronics that could lead to faster and more efficient computer logic systems and data storage chips in next-generation devices. Valley electrons are so named because they carry a valley degree of freedom, a pseudospin. This is a new way to harness electrons for information processing that’s in addition […]
Technology by itself is not good or bad but it can be given good or bad uses and everything depends on the decisions made by the people who use it. One of the good uses of social networks is what some scientists are doing to create academic networks outside of their work, as well as […]