Atmospheric metal layers around Mars found Layers of atmospheric metal ions have been found around Mars by NASA’s MAVEN space probe, puzzling researchers because the layers shouldn’t be there. “Something is causing these layers — something is pushing them around — but we don’t know what,” said NASA’s Joseph Grebowsky, an author of a study […]
15% of human cancers worldwide may be attributed to viruses, 1 with both DNA and RNA viruses being capable of causing the disease. Epstein-Barr virus, human papilloma virus, hepatitis B virus, and human herpes virus-8 are the four DNA viruses capable of causing the development of human cancer, whereas human T lymphotrophic virus type 1 […]
Behind the symmetrical shell of humans and vertebrates lies a profound asymmetry. Our bilaterality breaks down inside our body. Not only our viscera are organized asymmetrically. Also our brain and nervous system, whose general appearance seems symmetrical, present lateralized structure and functioning. Among cognitive systems for example, language, attention, emotional processing, working memory and executive […]
Atmosphere found around exoplanet about size of Earth An atmosphere has been discovered for the first time around an exoplanet a little bigger than Earth, according to findings published in The Astrophysical Journal. GJ 1132b, which circles a dwarf star about 39 light-years away, is rocky, and its atmosphere could be made up of methane […]
How would you measure the dynamic viscosity of cytosol, the liquid inside the cells, without destroying the cell? It seems not an easy task. However, a team of researchers that includes Nuno de Sousa (DIPC & IFIMAC), has just provided a way of achieving this and other similar feats using upconverting particles. An optical trap […]
The neuronal membrane, like membranes surrounding other cells, is mainly formed by a lipid surface impermeable to ions. It is only through ion channels, small protein pores embedded in the membrane, that ions can cross, allowing electrical current to charge or discharge the neuron. The inclusion of ion channels in a membrane, determines its electrical […]
One of the priority objectives in autism research is to have a biological marker that allows early, rapid and reliable diagnosis. In the past year there have been several important studies that identified children with autism at ages as early as 6 or 12 months measuring volumetric changes in various regions of the brain or […]
Reported sightings of Tasmanian tigers to be investigated Recent possible sightings have raised hopes that a marsupial known as the Tasmanian tiger, last seen more than 80 years ago, may not be extinct. Researchers with James Cook University in Australia are mounting a search, placing cameras in areas where there have been sightings in an […]
Chemistry • Condensed matter • Materials • Nanotechnology • Physics • Quantum physics
Worldwide research efforts on plasmons and metamaterials have been growing exponentially for the past ten years. Now, Antonio I. Fernández-Domínguez (IFIMAC), Francisco J. García-Vidal (IFIMAC & DIPC), and Luis Martín-Moreno (ICMA) discuss new directions for the future, such as the use of 2D materials and strong coupling phenomena, which are likely to shape the field […]
Can radiotherapy with laser-produced ionizing radiation be an alternative to conventional radiotherapy? Can we deep our understanding of the basic mechanisms of radiation damage? Can we study the very early biological response of the living matter and use this knowledge to design more efficient radiotherapy treatments? Contrary to popular belief, when tumoral tissue is irradiated […]