«Mosquito» is one of the few words, together with «guerrilla», «adobe», «cigarrillo» and some others that Spanish culture has brought to other languages. I am not sure whether we should be proud of this legacy. The «little fly» is one of humanity most dangerous and terrible enemies. Many species of mosquitoes act as vectors of […]
Autism is a highly prevalent spectrum disorder of the neurodevelopment. It is characterized by impaired social interaction, alterations in verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Considering these main differences, it had been difficult to have good animal models since these interactions were initially defined for humans but scientists are nowadays developing different […]
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. It is the most common reason for physician consultation in most developed countries and after disease/damage of the nervous system is predominantly treated with opioids. Opioids are medications that relieve pain. They reduce the intensity of pain signals reaching the […]
A 1 million-year-old fire lit by human ancestors was discovered in 2012 in the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. The soil of the cave yielded several dozen stone tools, microscopic plant ashes and burned bone bits. It is supposed that a member of the Homo genus, perhaps Homo erectus , made a fire that produced […]
In an open letter to the faculty of Harvard University sent in April 2012, the Library’s Faculty Advisory Council warned that the library of the most world famous university, the richest university, and for many the best university, faced a severe crisis. It was a subscription crisis caused, according to this library council, «by efforts […]
The nose is one of the strangest structures of human anatomy. It is much more different from our closest relatives than other parts of the body, it is sexually dimorphic, being on average larger in males than in females, and it is different among different hominin species and among different ethnic groups. Size and shape […]
Cooperation is the process of groups of individuals working or acting together for common or mutual benefit. Members of social insect societies cooperate in sophisticated modes. The specialization of individual ants in performing particular tasks or roles tend to increase group efficiency that is best exemplified by workers that display a wide array of specific […]
Prion diseases are a group of severe conditions that affect the nervous system of many animals, including humans. Although their causes were highly controversial, there is a widespread agreement nowadays that they are originated and transmitted by prions, infectious agents with a normal and an abnormal structure. The abnormal prion protein infects the host animal […]
Humans are naturally social. Yet, the modern way of life in developed countries is greatly reducing the quality and quantity of social relationships despite the use of modern technologies that provide an illusory richness of interpersonal contacts. Many people in industrialized nations live far from their relatives, delay getting married, and more and more people […]
Stammering, stuttering or alalia literalis is a speech disorder characterized by involuntary repetition and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases and involuntary silent pauses or blocks where the affected person is unable to produce sounds. Around 1-in-20 children aged 2 to 5 years old will stammer at some moment, but most grow out of […]