Article archives

Organoid intelligence: brains acting as computers

Organoid intelligence: brains acting as computers

Computer scienceNeuroscience

By Rosa García-Verdugo

While for long in neuroscience, computers were used to model brain function, organoid intelligence, a new scientific field, aims to do the opposite by developing biological computers which would benefit from the efficiency of our most complex biological machine: the brain. Fear not. The objective is not to connect humans by their brains to power […]

Electricity cheaper than diesel for heavy goods vehicles

Electricity cheaper than diesel for heavy goods vehicles

EconomicsEnergy

By César Tomé

Electrifying long-haul cargo-carrying trucks was deemed financially unviable. However, recent findings from researchers at Chalmers University of Technology demonstrate that operating electric heavy goods vehicles can be more cost-effective than using diesel. The shift from fossil fuel-powered to electric vehicle fleets has primarily been noticeable in lighter vehicles like private cars and delivery vans. However […]

Bilingualism and cognitive reserve: unlocking the benefits of multilingualism

Bilingualism and cognitive reserve: unlocking the benefits of multilingualism

LanguageNeuroscience

By Invited Researcher

Bilingualism, or the ability to speak two or more languages, has become increasingly important in today’s globalized world. Not only does it facilitate communication and cultural understanding between people of different languages and backgrounds, but it has also been shown to have cognitive benefits that can help promote healthy aging. Research has shown that bilingualism […]

MI weekly selection #515

MI weekly selection #515

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Volcanoes, meteorites may be tied to life’s start Meteorites and volcanoes could have produced iron particles that served as a catalyst for creating life forms on Earth. Scientists conducted experiments using metallic particles from meteorites and ash from Sicily’s Mount Etna to see how iron may have helped convert carbon dioxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbons […]

Synthesis of thioether polymers on Au(111)

Synthesis of thioether polymers on Au(111)

CatalysisChemistryDIPC Electronic PropertiesDIPC InterfacesMaterials

By DIPC

Organic compounds of sulphur that contain the group -S- linked to two hydrocarbons are known as thioethers. This alternative name to sulphides comes from the fact that they are analogues of ethers in which the oxygen is replaced by a sulphur; thioethers are generally more reactive than ethers, though. The formation of thioether structures increases […]

How our first language shapes brain’s connectivity structure

How our first language shapes brain’s connectivity structure

LanguageNeurolinguisticsNeuroscience

By Invited Researcher

connectivity Author: Juan F. Trillo, PhD in Linguistics and Philosophy (U. Autónoma de Madrid), PhD in Literary Studies (U. Complutense de Madrid). The plasticity of the brain and its ability to adapt to the most diverse requirements and demands, such as the use of a specific language, has been well known for years . This […]

MI weekly selection #514

MI weekly selection #514

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Simulated accretion disks may explain black hole growth Researchers using the Mega Ampere Generator for Plasma Implosion Experiments produced spinning columns that mimicked artificial accretion disks by accelerating and then colliding plasma jets. One of the research team’s primary goals is to understand how black holes are able to grow when accretion disks’ orbits stay […]

Universal power-law Kibble-Zurek scaling in fast quenches

Universal power-law Kibble-Zurek scaling in fast quenches

DIPC Quantum SystemsPhysicsQuantum physics

By DIPC

Thomas Kibble’s research on phase transitions and topological defects is most significant. Actually, the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) is a paradigmatic theory to describe the dynamics across both classical continuous phase transitions and quantum phase transitions. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism describes the non-equilibrium dynamics and the formation of topological defects in a system which is driven through […]