Ancient feathered dinosaur had raccoon-like facial markings The feathered dinosaur Sinosauropteryx, which lived in northeast China between 133 million and 120 million years ago, had bandit-like markings on its face like a raccoon, as well as a banded tail and counter-shading. Researchers say the unique colour patterns may have helped the small dinosaur blend into […]
Topological insulators are electronic materials that have a bulk band gap like an ordinary insulator but have conducting states on their edge or surface. The conducting surface is not what makes topological insulators unique, but the fact that it is protected due to the combination of spin-orbit interactions and time-reversal symmetry, the so-called topological surface […]
A recurrent problem with pain is the absence of therapeutic strategies to selectively block the nociceptors (neurons responsible to detect painful stimuli) that need to be targeted for a particular indication. Things get even worse if we take into account that some molecules used for pain management do affect other, more general physiological processes. Local […]
Game Theory studies mathematical models of strategic decision. Historically, the first approach was to study games as interactions of perfectly rational individuals, who have complete and transitive preferences and who are intelligent enough to analyze the game. This is a normative approach: it states what to do if you accept that you and the others […]
Saber-toothed cats were around longer than previously believed DNA analysis of a feline jawbone has revealed that a type of saber-toothed cat lived 28,000 years ago, around the same time as modern humans and much later than previously thought. The findings are helping researchers learn even more about Homotherium latidens, aka the scimitar cat, including […]
Most plant and animal life on Earth depends on photosynthesis, a process in which green plants synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and water, the reverse of this reaction provides energy for plants and animals. But the equilibrium of the reaction favours the reactants, not the products. It is the presence of UV light and of the […]
How does the Zika virus cause microcephaly? Why do some people develop schizophrenia or mental disease while others don’t? Is our sexual orientation hardwired in our genes? As seemingly unrelated as these questions might sound, they can all be addressed using the same scientific tool: twin siblings. Nancy Segal (Boston, 1951) has been chasing twins […]
The question of how human interaction works is a neurochemical one, but it’s not easy to solve. While many experiments cannot be performed on humans or primates, smaller laboratory animals are useless for this research due to their differences with us. But prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have social traits that had previously been assumed as […]
Ancient Easter Islanders’ ancestry charted through DNA tests Ancient Easter Island inhabitants had no contact with outside people before Europeans came in the early 1700s. “They are 100% completely Polynesian ancestry as far as we can see,” said study author Pontus Skoglund. The New York Times Soft tissues, stomach contents found in well-preserved salamander fossil […]
Prolonged exposure to sunlight is not recommended. Even though is really important to synthesize vitamin D which helps us absorbing calcium or phosphate and maintain a mineralized skeleton, the effects of sun´s ultraviolet radiation (mainly UVA and UVB) can be prejudicial in the long term. Main issues may be sunburn (UVB), reduced skin elasticity leading […]