Author archives: César Tomé

MI weekly selection #498

MI weekly selection #498

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Several genes play a role in whales’ enormous size Biologists have identified evolutionary changes in DNA that allowed whales to grow larger over time. The researchers found that despite having bigger bodies with more chances for cancer to develop in cells, whales have genes that not only contribute to body size but reduce the impacts […]

Autonomous methods can discover new materials, faster

Autonomous methods can discover new materials, faster

Computer scienceMaterialsNanotechnology

By César Tomé

Scientists have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale “ladder.” The newly discovered structures were formed by a process called self-assembly, in which a material’s molecules organize themselves into unique patterns. Scientists at Brookhaven’s Center for […]

MI weekly selection #497

MI weekly selection #497

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Scientists find aging mechanism — and how to reverse it Biologists have developed a new model for understanding aging based on the degradation in how DNA is organized and regulated, identifying the epigenome as the predominant factor in the aging process. The findings may help scientists develop treatments to reverse aging and delay the onset […]

MI weekly selection #496

MI weekly selection #496

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Over two-thirds of world’s glaciers will melt by 2100 More than two-thirds of the world’s glaciers will disappear by 2100 if the climate continues to warm at current trends. The global temperature is on track to rise 2.7 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, but scientists note that if future […]

The dawn of the quantum network: quantum interference over 300 km of optical fiber

The dawn of the quantum network: quantum interference over 300 km of optical fiber

Computer scienceCondensed matterPhysicsQuantum physics

By César Tomé

Last year’s Nobel Prize in Physics celebrated the fundamental interest of quantum entanglement, and also envisioned the potential applications in “the second quantum revolution” — a new age when we are able to manipulate the weirdness of quantum mechanics, including quantum superposition and entanglement. A large-scale and fully functional quantum network is the holy grail […]

MI weekly selection #495

MI weekly selection #495

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age A new study shows that the Bering Land Bridge, the strip of land that once connected Asia to Alaska, emerged far later during the last ice age than previously thought. Full Story: Princeton University Exotic clasts in Chang’e-5 samples indicate unexplored terrane on moon The […]

MI weekly selection #494

MI weekly selection #494

Weekly Selection

By César Tomé

NASA ends Mars InSight lander mission after 4 years NASA has officially concluded its InSight lander mission on Mars after the spacecraft’s solar panels accumulated too much dust and has stopped transmitting information on the planet’s geologic makeup and activity. After an “enormously successful mission,” InSight is “going to sit on Mars and enjoy the […]

Machine learning to understand water’s liquid phases

Machine learning to understand water’s liquid phases

ChemistryComputer scienceCondensed matterMaterialsPhysics

By César Tomé

Water has puzzled scientists for decades. For the last 30 years or so, they have theorized that when cooled down to a very low temperature like -100 ºC, water might be able to separate into two liquid phases of different densities. Like oil and water, these phases don’t mix and may help explain some of […]