The study of the spontaneous activity in the brain –and its origin– is one of the major puzzles in modern neural science. In many situations, the same neurons which behave smoothly and in an easily predictable way in in vitro experimental conditions, turn into unpredictable units, firing spikes irregularly and even chaotically, when they are […]
Jon Agar is a Professor of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. He writes on contemporary technologies (such as mobile phones, ID cards) and the history of modern science and technology. He is the author of Science in the Twentieth Century and Beyond published by Polity Press. He is also editor of the […]
Mineral-rich Sahara Desert dust may feed bacteria in Bahamas Mineral-rich dust carried by wind from the Sahara Desert to the Bahamas may be providing sustenance to the islands’ bacteria, according to a study. Scientists tracked the iron and manganese in the dust to the Great Bahama Bank over a three-year period. The study suggests that […]
Modern societies are growing old and we should be proud of such great accomplishment. Substantial improvement in hygiene, health and nutrition has allowed mankind to even surpass a three-digit age. Leaving any further social consideration aside, seems obvious that life sciences will have to make a big effort to understand the so called healthy ageing […]
That the so-called “Mediterranean diet” is good to keep a healthy heart is well known. However, how the eating habits of this population help them to stay healthy is not fully understood yet. Researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK have investigated the effect of lycopene , the substance that gives the red […]
Perhaps the most repeated words in the last few years when talking about graphene – since scientists Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for their groundbreaking experiments – are “the material of the future”. There are some risks regarding so many expectations about everything related to materials science, since […]
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Gene-editing method could remove HIV from infected cells Scientists have found a way of eliminating HIV from infected cells. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system, researchers removed a fragment of the virus. “These properties may provide a viable path toward a permanent cure for AIDS, and provide a means to vaccinate against other pathogenic viruses,” they […]
Black holes are not only gravitationally attractive: they also capture people’s attention. Just mention these two words in a course of elementary astronomy or in a public conference and you will find most eyes wide open. Even though they are common in observational astronomy, their singular physics and their fantastic dimensions makes them earn a […]
The idea of a living fossil is rather intuitive. We think that a kind of organism deserves that denomination if it has been living in the planet during a very large period of time apparently without any change. A well known example of living fossil is the Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) because, although it is […]
… if you want to want to be alive. The rock band Wilco already said it back in 2002 when they released the much-acclaimed album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This simple statement found in one of the songs of that LP was able to summarise the paradoxical essence of life: death. But leaving any philosophical meaning […]