Article archives

MI weekly selection #445

MI weekly selection #445

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Robot can land on branches, grasp objects like a bird Researchers have created a drone that is programmed to clasp objects and land on diverse surfaces. The Stereotyped Nature-inspired Aerial Grasper, or SNAG was inspired by falcons. New Atlas Stars’ remains include unknown rock types The remains of exoplanets that once orbited stars known as […]

A hydrogel matrix as viable solution for the efficient catalytic activation and delivery of cisplatin

A hydrogel matrix as viable solution for the efficient catalytic activation and delivery of cisplatin

ChemistryDIPC PhotochemistryPharmacy

By DIPC

Catalysis-based approaches for the activation of anticancer rely on the use of metal catalysts capable of deprotecting inactive precursors of organic drugs or transforming key biomolecules available in the cellular environment. Nevertheless, the efficiency of most of the schemes described so far is rather low, limiting the benefits of catalytic amplification as a strategy for […]

Mapping how the 100 billion cells in the brain all fit together is the brave new world of neuroscience

Mapping how the 100 billion cells in the brain all fit together is the brave new world of neuroscience

Neuroscience

By Invited Researcher

The brain plays an essential role in how people navigate the world by generating both thought and behavior. Despite being one of the most vital organs of life, it takes up only 2% of human body volume. How can something so small perform such complex tasks? Luckily, modern tools like brain mapping have allowed neuroscientists […]

MI weekly selection #444

MI weekly selection #444

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Feathery bridge between galaxy’s arms A bridge of gas resembling a feather has been observed between a pair of the Milky Way’s spiral arms. The Gangotri wave, observed using APEX telescope data, reaches from the Norma arm to the 3-kiloparsec arm near the galaxy’s center and features a sine-like wave. S cience News How to […]

The orderly growth of 5-armchair graphene nanoribbons

The orderly growth of 5-armchair graphene nanoribbons

ChemistryDIPC Interfaces

By DIPC

The advent of on-surface chemistry under vacuum has vastly increased our capabilities to synthesize carbon nanomaterials with atomic precision. Among the types of target structures that have been synthesized by these means, one-dimensional graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have probably attracted the most attention, and for a good reason: t he enormous tunability of GNRs’ electronic properties […]

Increased density of synapses in autism spectrum disorders

Increased density of synapses in autism spectrum disorders

NeurobiologyNeuroscience

By José Ramón Alonso

At a synapse, the plasma membrane of the neuron transmitting the information (the presynaptic neuron) is in close proximity to the membrane of the target cell (postsynaptic) and the two are separated by a space known as the synaptic cleft. Both the presynaptic and postsynaptic sites contain extensive assemblies of molecular machinery that link the […]

Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems

Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems

BiologyEcology

By Invited Researcher

We tend to think Antarctica is isolated and far away – biologically speaking, this is true. But the continent is busier than you probably imagine, with many national programs and tourist operators crisscrossing the globe to get there. And each vessel, each cargo item, and each person could be harbouring non-native species, hitchhiking their way […]

MI weekly selection #443

MI weekly selection #443

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Massive simulation suite offers views of universe Astronomers have created AbacusSummit, a simulation suite of the universe that contains roughly 60 trillion particles across more than 160 simulations that model the ways dark matter and visible matter interact in a box-shaped environment. Universe Today Infection-fighting cells found in lungfish cocoons The cocoons that encase African […]

A path to systematically bridge the gap between molecular properties and solid-state material performance

A path to systematically bridge the gap between molecular properties and solid-state material performance

DIPC Computational and Theoretical Chemistry

By DIPC

Cromophores are generally groups of atoms having delocalized electrons. Covalent assemblies of conjugated organic chromophores provide the opportunity to engineer new excited states with novel properties. A team of researchers has now used a novel cage architecture for creating them. The properties of organic electronic materials being determined by the interactions between their conjugated subunits […]