Article archives

MI weekly selection #563

MI weekly selection #563

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Seahenge may have been built to combat climate change Seahenge, an ancient timber monument discovered on an English beach, may have been built to counteract climate deterioration, according to a study in GeoJournal. The research suggests that Seahenge and the nearby Holme II were ritual structures aimed at bringing warmth during periods of severe cold […]

Synthesis of organometallic helicenes by simple combinations

Synthesis of organometallic helicenes by simple combinations

ChemistryDIPC BiochemistryMaterials

By DIPC

“Helicene” is the name introduced by Newman in 1955, to describe the benzologues of phenanthrene in which the extra ortho -condensed rings give rise to a (regular) cylindrical helix. The pioneer work of Newman in this field cannot be overemphasized; his brillant synthesis and resolution of [6]helicene will remain as a landmark, for it opened […]

Taste receptors: not only in the mouth, not only for taste

Taste receptors: not only in the mouth, not only for taste

Neurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

The perception of food occurs when food enters the oral cavity and depends on the action of three complementary sensory systems: somesthesia (a group that includes mechanoreception, thermal sensation and nociception), retronasal olfaction and taste. Taste is one of the five classical senses, along with smell, touch, hearing and sight. One of the most common […]

Stable, high-energy-density and fast charging lithium-ion batteries

Stable, high-energy-density and fast charging lithium-ion batteries

ChemistryMaterials

By César Tomé

Convenient fast charging and energy density of lithium-ion batteries have long been considered a trade-off, which has hindered the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. A new process will help develop stable, high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries capable of fast charging. A crucial prerequisite for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is the enhancement of lithium-ion battery […]

MI weekly selection #562

MI weekly selection #562

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Evolution may have moved energy to brain from ovaries Human brain growth may have taken off by seizing energy left after ovarian follicles adapted to require less fuel. The math shows that evolution freed up about the same amount of energy from follicular maintenance that human brains needed to reach their current size. Full Story: […]

An odd nonlinear conductivity in chiral tellurium

An odd nonlinear conductivity in chiral tellurium

DIPC Advanced materialsDIPC Interfaces

By DIPC

Electrical transport in non-centrosymmetric materials departs from the well-established phenomenological Ohm’s law. Instead of a linear relation between current and electric field, a non-linear conductivity emerges along specific crystallographic directions. This non-linear transport is fundamentally related to the lack of spatial inversion symmetry. Ohm’s law is one of the most established relations in Physics and […]

Triple-decker antiaromatic π-stacking leads to a liquid crystal

Triple-decker antiaromatic π-stacking leads to a liquid crystal

Chemistry

By César Tomé

In organic chemistry, π-stacking systems are supramolecular structures that arise due to the dispersion force, a type of intermolecular noncovalent interaction. They are a common occurrence in nature. The stabilized structure of DNA is a very prominent example of a π-stacking system, and so are the arrangement of amino acids in certain proteins. Interestingly, π-stacking […]