Author archives: César Tomé

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the fundamental microscopic mechanisms that can be used to customize materials for heat insulation. This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the continuous endeavour to understand heat transport, improve energy efficiency and promote sustainability. Heat transport plays a vital role in numerous scientific and industrial fields, including […]

Brain changes in astronauts Astronauts on space missions lasting six months or more have enlarged cerebral ventricles in the brain, according to a study of 30 astronauts. Researchers found that most ventricle expansion occurs during the first six months in space, but slows down after a year, and the astronauts’ brains fully recovered after three […]

C-H bond The emission of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, is escalating due to livestock farming and the ongoing thawing of permafrost. Converting methane and longer alkanes into more benign and valuable chemicals presents an opportunity to mitigate these hazards while providing a vast resource for the chemical industry. Nevertheless, the conversion of methane […]

Climate paradox of slashing emissions While cutting greenhouse gas emissions is necessary for reducing global warming in the long term, it may also lead to rapidly rising temperatures in the short term. R esearchers studying the emissions reduction during the pandemic show that while air pollution decreased, a lower concentration of aerosols led to a […]

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 […]

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 […]

Astronomers have, for the first time, detected radio waves released by a Type Ia supernova, an explosion deriving from a white dwarf star, offering vital insights about white dwarf explosions. . A Type Ia supernova denotes the nuclear burst of a white dwarf star. This supernova category enjoys widespread recognition; astronomers employ these supernovae to […]

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 […]

Thanks to data from a magnified, multiply imaged supernova, a team of researchers has successfully used a first-of-its-kind technique based on the Refsdal method to measure the expansion rate of the Universe. Their data provide insight into a longstanding debate in the field and could help scientists more accurately determine the Universe’s age and better […]

Human pangenome captures genetic diversity A draft human pangenome published in Nature aggregates the genomic sequences of 47 people from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe and captures more genetic variation than previous reference genomes have. The researchers computationally aligned the sequences to form a map with branching paths that indicate genetic variation, and the […]