The human brain is one of the most intriguing pieces of Nature. Since science is science, or even before, the human being has tried to understand the reason for its existence. Studies of comparative anatomy and physiology in the context of evolutionary theory began to define it as a rarity in the natural realm. We […]
Yes, I talk to you, even more if you are one of those scientists working with any living being either unicellular or multicellular with sexual dimorphism seared in their chromosomes. Such a question may seem trivial. However, recent findings suggest that it is not so trifling, and that an affirmative answer could have major implications […]
Under the threat of those annoying genetic parasites called viruses, eukaryotic cells developed, on the top of a wide innate defence, a curious and efficient RNA-based adaptive immune system referred as RNA interference or iRNA. You will find more info about this surveillance system, which detects and destroys foreign RNA molecules entering the cell with […]
Think on a cell, it is alive and, among other things, it lives to reproduce itself. The paradigm of cell division is the mitosis, a wonderful dance orchestrated to equitably distribute the possessions of the mother cell: molecular structures, machinery and, especially, the genetic material. Prior to distribute, a good mother always amasses a fortune […]
How are we like we are? What defines our mind, our character, and our behaviour? Men made themselves these questions in all ages of humanity. From the age of myths to the age of science the answers have been very many. We do not have an adequate answer yet, maybe never. However, the rise of […]
Since the emergence of the microscope in the early seventeenth century, many claimed its invention, but many more have tried to improve it. Many problems have been resolved on the way, allowing us to poke directly with our own eyes about the heart of the living or inert matter as far as optical physics allows […]
Magnetoception, the fantastic ability to perceive magnetic fields. A skill though impossible for long. It was difficult to assume that a 0.5 Gauss Earth’s magnetic field (your fridge has one with 100 Gauss) could have some effect on living things. However, the magnetic field perception was supported since the very beginning by experimental observation and […]
The gecko, a climber´s hero, a lizard able to get a grip even face down on the smoothest ceiling or on the most vertical slippery surfaces. That, the adherence is one of the most striking features in most of the species in the family Gekkonidae. In Spain they are also known as “lagartijas” or “salamanquesas” […]
Quantum mechanics, a term continously repeated during the last twenty years, related with everything, only deeply known and understood by a few, is therefore covered in a mystic and magic halo. Halo profited by some to trick people using any sort of elfish terms containing “quantum” as a key word. To rid out of such […]
One of the things we learn first, when we get in touch with chemistry, is how important the acidity or alkalinity of a given solution is. This is also and quite often our first affair with the chemical equilibrium, because the pH is nothing more than a viewpoint of the water ionization. We were taught […]