Soft- bounded synapses increase neural network capacity
Neurons in your brain are interconnected through synapses, thus constituting the so-called neural networks. Following a simplified but conceptually useful view, each synapse can be seen as a “link” between two given neurons, and it has a certain associated strength. […]
Admitting our ignorance: unexpected earthquakes under the magnifying glass
In addictions the first and toughest step is admitting our fault. The same applies in science: assuming our ignorance pushes us beyond the starting line, ready to delve into the unknown. So when in May 12th, 2008 a […]
Do you want to make a symbiosis with me?
Symbiosis is a close relationship between two organisms that benefits both of them. Many different types of symbiotic processes exist in nature, some of them are very famous like the symbiosis between clownfish (like Nemo from the film) with sea […]
The Josephson heat interferometer
Thermodynamics is one of the oldest and more fruitful fields of science. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, is less than one hundred years old, but it is also useful and well accepted. They can look very different. Thermodynamics treats […]
MI weekly selection #8
Your molar roots are leftovers from Homo erectus
Adult human molar roots form for at least a year before erupting from the gum line, according to research published in the journal PLoS ONE. Researchers say the majority of the formation […]
Hybridization: no longer the bad guy
It is interesting how some ideas get stuck in our minds even long after it is proved that they are incorrect or incomplete. Haeckel’s Recapitulation Theory, which states that during the embryological development of an organism it undergoes through different […]
Meaning and the meeting of minds
Imagine yourself listening to someone who is talking in a language very different from any one you know. Most probably, for you it will be just a series of meaningless noises. If, instead, you are listening to someone speaking in […]
Mid-life crisis in great apes
The term “midlife crisis” was coined in 1965 by psychologist Elliot Jacques. In our collective imaginary we believe that it refers to a time in life when adults realize that their life is halfway over, that they may not have […]
Unraveling protein knots
Proteins are sophisticated machines that perform most of our cellular activities. Proteins are codified in the cellular DNA and synthesized as linear chains that need to get properly folded in a 3D structure to become functional. This state is […]
How does a fly smell? Asymmetrically!
Smell has often been the neglected sense, despite—or, hopefully, until—the increasing number of interesting discoveries being made about and around it. Trivially, smells are interpreted as a series of neurochemical reactions mediated by receptors; this is no novelty, and at […]