Author archives: Invited Researcher

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Outstanding researchers present their work and share their opinions in Mapping Ignorance.

The melting ice caps of Greenland reveal the true extent of climate change

The melting ice caps of Greenland reveal the true extent of climate change

Geosciences

By Invited Researcher

Authors: Alejandro Gómez Pazo, Profesor Ayudante Doctor. Departamento de Geografía y Geología, Universidad de León; Marc Oliva, Profesor, Departamento de Geografía, Universitat de Barcelona, and Xosé Lois Otero Pérez, Catedrático del Centro Singular CRETUS. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela For most of us, first-hand knowledge of Greenland is probably […]

Targeting aberrant DNA methylation in mesenchymal stromal cells as a treatment for myeloma bone disease

Targeting aberrant DNA methylation in mesenchymal stromal cells as a treatment for myeloma bone disease

Biomedicine

By Invited Researcher

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological malignancy characterized by clonal expansion of plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM) . Nearly 90% of myeloma patients suffer from skeletal-related events during the course of the disease that not only affect the quality of life but also their overall survival . Myeloma-associated bone disease (MBD) is […]

Technology is revolutionizing the search for prime numbers

Technology is revolutionizing the search for prime numbers

Mathematics

By Invited Researcher

Author: Jeremiah Bartz, Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of North Dakota A shard of smooth bone etched with irregular marks dating back 20,000 years puzzled archaeologists until they noticed something unique – the etchings, lines like tally marks, may have represented prime numbers. Similarly, a clay tablet from 1800 B.C.E. inscribed with Babylonian numbers describes […]

A new recycling approach to complex plastic waste

A new recycling approach to complex plastic waste

Chemical engineeringChemistry

By Invited Researcher

PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a widely used polymer in packaging due to its favourable properties, increases rapidly in global plastic production and waste. Between 2000 and 2019, global plastic production rose from 234 to 460 million tonnes and is projected to reach 1,231 million tonnes by 2060. As a result, plastic waste more than doubled from […]

On real-life Mars exploration

On real-life Mars exploration

GeosciencesPlanetary Science

By Invited Researcher

Author: Ari Koeppel, Postdoctoral Scientist in Earth and Planetary Science, Dartmouth College Andy Weir’s bestselling story “The Martian” predicts that by 2035 NASA will have landed humans on Mars three times, perfected return-to-Earth flight systems and collaborated with the China National Space Administration. We are now 10 years past the Hollywood adaptation’s 2015 release and […]

Could the euro replace the dollar as global reserve currency? It’s not getting any less likely

Could the euro replace the dollar as global reserve currency? It’s not getting any less likely

Economics

By Invited Researcher

Author: Sergi Basco, Adjunct Professor of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona A global reserve currency is one that is extensively held by foreign Central Banks. Since the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement this position has been occupied by the US dollar and it still holds true – according to IMF data from late 2024, the dollar represented […]

How to (potentially) repair our brain using our wisdom teeth

How to (potentially) repair our brain using our wisdom teeth

BiomedicineMedicineNeurobiologyNeuroscience

By Invited Researcher

One of the most famous quotes that Santiago Ramón y Cajal wrote in his work “Rules and tips on scientific research” was “Every man can, if he so desires, become the sculptor of his own brain.” . However, the use of dental material as mud and stones to model or repair sculptures probably sounded like […]

Specific brain cells enable intelligent behaviour

Specific brain cells enable intelligent behaviour

Neuroscience

By Invited Researcher

Author: Mohamady El-Gaby, Postdoctoral Neuroscientist, University of Oxford For decades, neuroscientists have developed mathematical frameworks to explain how brain activity drives behaviour in predictable, repetitive scenarios, such as while playing a game. These algorithms have not only described brain cell activity with remarkable precision but also helped develop artificial intelligence with superhuman achievements in specific […]