Article archives

What do we think? Scientific knowledge after judgment aggregation

What do we think? Scientific knowledge after judgment aggregation

Philosophy of science

By Jesús Zamora Bonilla

After centuries of debate, there is no agreement about whether ‘knowledge’ must be essentially conceived as a cognitive state of individual minds, or must be attributed to some collective entity, i.e., whether it’s me , or we , who ‘really’ knows. A promising analytical approach to this problem has emerged in recent years, which is […]

MI weekly selection #236

MI weekly selection #236

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Streaks shooting out from Mars impact craters likely caused by high-speed winds Some impact craters on Mars show evidence of wind streaks likely caused by high-speed sideways vortices rolling away following the impacts. “These have tornado-like speeds but do not go straight up; instead, they are horizontal, like a tornado on Earth turned on its […]

A link between straintronics and valleytronics in graphene

A link between straintronics and valleytronics in graphene

Condensed matterMaterialsNanotechnologyQuantum physicsTheoretical physics

By DIPC

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.” This is a new way to harness electrons for information processing that’s in addition to utilizing […]

LSD as a therapeutic agent for autism

LSD as a therapeutic agent for autism

MedicineNeurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

Treatment of children with autism in the 1960s included shock therapies and many different psychotropic drugs. The results were bad: there was no positive change in those children although the treatments were occasionally maintained for years. Under these circumstances, more powerful drugs were sought and a new substance was considered: lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD […]

Learning to remember

Learning to remember

Neuroscience

By Ignacio Amigo

Legend goes that the Greek poet Simonides of Ceos was having dinner at the house of a wealthy man in Thessaly when he received a message to go outside to meet two men who had requested to see him. When he left the room, the roof collapsed, killing the host and all the other guests […]

MI weekly selection #235

MI weekly selection #235

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

HIV treatment’s effectiveness affected by type of bacteria in vagina Unhealthy bacteria colonies in the vagina may hinder the effectiveness of tenofovir, a drug used in gel form to prevent HIV infection. “We went from 60% protection if you have good Lactobacillus to 18% — really no protection at all — if you have bad […]

First case of observed current asymmetries in single chiral molecular junctions

First case of observed current asymmetries in single chiral molecular junctions

Condensed matterPhysicsQuantum physics

By DIPC

We have considered in some previous articles the importance of the spin-orbit interaction. But it is interesting to go through some basic concepts we have seen elsewhere once again in order to grasp the surprising discovery we will be talking about below. The analogy for the spin usually goes this way: Imagine that the electron […]

Do mannequins have anorexia?

Do mannequins have anorexia?

Health

By José Ramón Alonso

Anorexia nervosa is the oldest of the eating disorders. It is a serious problem with the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders. We live in a epoch strongly marked by advertising and commercial references, in which different brands use shocking ads with beautiful girls and perfect guys. Whether it’s food, cars, clothing or perfumes […]

MI weekly selection #234

MI weekly selection #234

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Cyclones and auroras among Juno’s discoveries about Jupiter Massive cyclones have been spotted near Jupiter’s north and south poles, and the gas giant’s auroras differ greatly from those of Earth, according to findings gathered by the Juno spacecraft in its first close swings by Jupiter’s poles. “Discoveries about its core, composition, magnetosphere, and poles are […]