Keep in mind the word Enlightenment , because it’s very likely that it will be one of the most fashionable concepts within the next months. At a global level, Steven Pinker’s new book, Enlightenment now , will probably carry the lead in terms of sellings, comments and criticisms. But by a fortunate coincidence, its publication […]
The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is an atypical nuclear receptor. In principle, it may seem a mere receptor with a specific ligand and an evident role: it is capable of detecting mineralocorticoids (like aldosterone), exerting an essential function controlling sodium and water reabsorption in the kidneys. In fact, knockout mice lacking MR die shortly after being […]
Older fossils raise questions about how dinosaurs are defined New fossil finds are raising questions about long-held beliefs on what attributes constitute a dinosaur. As older remains are found, the number of features that determine whether a creature was a dinosaur has dropped, and only one remains: a hip-socket hole, according to a number of […]
Adsorption commonly is understood as the reversible binding of molecules and atoms from the gaseous or liquid phase on surfaces, mostly of highly porous adsorbent media. In chemisorption a single layer of molecules, atoms or ions is attached to the adsorbent surface by chemical bonds; in physisorption only van der Waals forces are involved. The […]
Face morphing has become quite popular in the last years; from mixing the faces of two celebrities to guessing how your baby could look, many TV shows and apps use software which changes one face into another through a continuous and smooth transition. Among the different mathematical tools that can be used for face morphing […]
The most used mechanism to guarantee universal education in a country is by providing free public education, where public means both publicly financing and public provision. Milton Friedman (1962) made the case to keep the public funding but make the provision private through a system of school vouchers. Say that the State spends 100 per […]
2,000-year-old life-size carvings of camels found in Saudi Arabia Life-size stone carvings of camels dating back about 2,000 years have been found in Saudi Arabia. The 12 or so carvings are stylistically different from others found on the Arabian Peninsula and are offering researchers clues as to how rock art developed in the region. The […]
Modern organic industrial chemistry started when William Henry Perkin serendipitously synthesized mauveine in 1856 while he was attempting the total synthesis of quinine. Since then, thousands of new organic products have been created in the laboratory for industrial purposes. Among them, in 1913, an orange-red pigment was found, first known as Vat Orange 3 dye […]
Sometimes, scientists give very good news, and in 2017 we have had one of these occasions. Boys suffering from X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD), a devastating neurodegenerative disease, have been cured with gene therapy. The STARBEAM study was performed by an international team headed by David A. Williams from the Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts (USA), and […]
«BPA-Free», «No Bisphenol A» and similar labels have become a sort of seal of quality for those products where they are on display, especially containers and baby products. But, what is bisphenol A? In 1936 bisphenol A (BPA) was identified as a synthetic estrogen, this is, an artificial compound that shows estrogen-mimicking action. Estrogens are […]