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Metal complexes are typically regarded as catalysts that convert organic substrates into more valuable compounds; however, to date, catalytic transformations of metal complexes are practically unknown and represent a complete new way of thinking in catalysis. Their development can expand the scope of bioorthogonal chemical reactions to inorganic substances and metal-based prodrugs, fostering the creation […]

Conspicuous consumption can be broadly defined as the type of consumption that does not satisfy a direct need or want, but rather, a desire to be regarded as someone that occupies a higher position in a hierarchy. For example, I buy a Picasso not because I particularly like the painting, but because, hanging on a […]

The allocation of merit to individual scientists is one of the crucial aspects of how scientific systems work. Publication of ‘papers’ in important journals, and, still most significantly, citation of those papers in the works of colleagues, is perhaps (with all its shortcomings ) the most determinant mechanism for recognising the value and capacity of […]

Astronomers chart 3D map of gas cloud, revealing its flat shape The shape of a gas cloud in the Musca constellation has been mapped in 3D, giving astronomers an idea about why it has failed to produce stars. The 3D map shows the cloud is a thin, flat square, with the gas spread out more […]

Progress in nanotechnology has allowed controlling the morphology of metallic nanoparticles at the nanometer and even subnanometer scale, triggering the development of various applications in plasmonics and nanooptics, such as in enhanced vibrational spectroscopy, improvement of energy absorption of solar cells, optoelectronic circuits, quantum optics, nanosensing of biomolecules, or noninvasive thermotherapy in medicine. Most of […]

Both the depletion of fossil fuels and the environmental concerns are a powerful drive for the development of sustainable routes to commodity chemicals. Lignocellulose, comprised of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, is the ideal candidate, but its inherent complexity hampers its transformation to value-added chemicals. The group of Katalin Barta at the University of Groningen has […]

Research in general, and mathematical one in particular, sometimes reminds to the lyrics that Cole Porter wrote for the Down in the depths song: And here am I Facing tomorrow Alone with my sorrow Down in the depths on the ninetieth floor. Nevertheless, sometimes you manage to get down in the depths and achieve a […]

Climate change disrupting lives of Europe’s bats The changing climate in Europe is affecting bats, disrupting their hibernation and hurting their ability to feed their offspring, which are being born sooner, according to researchers. BBC Studies describe “global road map of development” Using single-cell sequencing, researchers have mapped out the growth of individual cells in […]

Imagine a bucket filled with hard spheres. As these spheres are free to pack together as closely as geometry allows they tend to adopt a close-packed structure, a structure in which there is least unfilled space. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that many metallic elements have close-packed structures. This simple fact explains a couple of very […]

Author: Fernando Giraldez is currently Professor of Physiology at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona, and has a broad experience in teaching and research in Neuroscience and Developmental Biology. The view that music, maths and language are related is quite widespread. We know that they share common abstract properties and their associated skills and abilities […]