Author archives: Invited Researcher

A virtual Earth-sized telescope shows how science is changing in the 21st century

A virtual Earth-sized telescope shows how science is changing in the 21st century

AstronomyAstrophysicsPhilosophy of science

By Invited Researcher

In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration produced the first-ever image of a black hole, stunning the world. Now, scientists are taking it further. The next generation Event Horizon Telescope (ngEHT) collaboration aims to create high-quality videos of black holes. But this next-generation collaboration is groundbreaking in other ways, too. It’s the first large […]

Lysosomes: the Achilles heel of brain macrophages during a stroke

Lysosomes: the Achilles heel of brain macrophages during a stroke

NeurobiologyNeuroscience

By Invited Researcher

The brain tissue is filled by cells, the living units that enable function; the extracellular matrix, the scaffold wherein cells organize; and the blood vessels, which transport metabolic fuels such as oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Among the brain cells, we find the neurons, highly specialized cells that transmit information; and the glial cells […]

Extracting the stone of madness: the art of brain surgery in the Renaissance

Extracting the stone of madness: the art of brain surgery in the Renaissance

HistoryMedicine

By Invited Researcher

madness Authors: Chiara Bressan, student of the European Master’s in Clinical Linguistics & Adrià Rofes, assistant professor of neurolinguistics at the University of Groningen Imagine yourself tied to a chair. You cannot move, you are fully conscious, and a strange individual behind you is about to carve into your skull. No, you are not an […]

Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligent Beings: a sociolinguistic approach

Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligent Beings: a sociolinguistic approach

LinguisticsSociology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Juan F. Trillo, PhD in Linguistics and Philosophy (U. Autónoma de Madrid), PhD in Literary Studies (U. Complutense de Madrid). This essay is an excerpt from the paper that will be presented at the IX Jornadas de Divulgación Científica at the city of Medellín, Badajoz (Spain), March 2-5, 2023. The possibility of establishing contact […]

Losing genes can be good, hummingbirds are a nice example

Losing genes can be good, hummingbirds are a nice example

BiologyGenetics

By Invited Researcher

Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. Hummingbirds are fascinating animals. They are the only birds able to true hovering and backward flight. This ability allows them to collect nectar […]

Food systems on Mars are set to transform food on Earth

Food systems on Mars are set to transform food on Earth

BiotechnologyFood processingMicrobiologyPlanetary SciencePlant biology

By Invited Researcher

Could we feed a city on Mars? This question is central to the future of space exploration and has serious repercussions on Earth too. To date, a lot of thought has gone into how astronauts eat; however, we are only beginning to produce food in space. Space launches are quite expensive. And with the growing […]

Personality traits and bullying behavior

Personality traits and bullying behavior

PsychologySociology

By Invited Researcher

Over the last decade, research has focused on studying predictive personality traits that may underlie bullying. Two such traits are self-esteem and narcissism. Self-esteem is associated with overall acceptance of oneself, feelings of worthiness and self-confidence. Low self-esteem has long been theorized to be a risk factor for aggression and antisocial behavior . Likewise, the […]

Toxoplasma induces behavioural changes in intermediate hosts and promotes social rise in wolves

Toxoplasma induces behavioural changes in intermediate hosts and promotes social rise in wolves

BiologyEthologyMicrobiologyPhysiology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Ramón Muñoz-Chápuli has been Professor of Animal Biology in the University of Málaga until his retirement. He has investigated for forty years in the fields of developmental biology and animal evolution. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite of warm-blooded animals, including humans. After the acute phase of the infection, the parasite remains latent in […]