In September 2015 a new scientific field was born. Two colossal experiment confirmed the existence of gravitational waves, measuring the ripple of space-time induced by two very distant black holes merging in a cataclysmic display of gravity waves and radiation . Gravitational wave astronomy was born then, much like neutrino astronomy was born with the […]
Diabetes is a disease typically associated with old age, especially when speaking of type 2, characterized for insulin resistance, and associated with obesity and therefore, more likely to occur in old age. A recent couple of papers published in Cell and Science Translational Medicine point to the healing potential of a fasting-mimicking diet for resetting […]
Electrical stimulation to brain at right time can improve memory Electrical stimulation sent to the brain at certain times can boost memory. Scientists found that sending a jolt when brain signals suggested a likely memory lapse helped the person’s recall significantly, but a zap when signals indicated something would be recalled reduced the chance a […]
Graphene is one of the most promising materials for nanoelectronics owing to its unique Dirac cone-like dispersion of the electronic state and high mobility of the charge carriers. We all know that already, provided we are a little bit interested in condensed matter physics. But the point is that, in order to facilitate the implementation […]
This post summarizes the article “Confirmation bias with motivated beliefs”, by Charness and Dave, published in Games and Economic Behavior in 2017. Confirmation bias (CB) can be defined as an agent’s tendency to seek, interpret and use evidence in a manner biased toward confirming her existing beliefs or hypotheses. This constitutes a misjudgment that limits […]
A key aspect of our effort to overcome autism is to get a quick, reliable and early diagnosis. Typical signs such as difficulty in making eye contact or following the mother’s pointing gesture are usually observed after the age of two years and we also have the problem of the natural variability that exists in […]
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 […]