Hydraulic fracturing or Fracking is a controversial technique in which a solvent (water with chemicals) is injected at high pressure into deep rocks in order to break them so that natural gas and petroleum can flow freely. In a paper published recently in Nature Materials , researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia claim […]
Technology is all around us. There are a lot of acts that we perform daily that involve much more technology than we can imagine. Take for example removing the lid of a diary product; you would expect that the lid will offer some resistance but not so high as to make it impossible to open […]
One of the most strongly debated philosophical problems is that of the nature of consciousness. This is no surprise, since it is probably the most difficult question, at least apparently, for naturalistic or materialistic views of the world. After all, the necessity of having a spiritual cause of the existence and order of the cosmos […]
It was reported last year that the carborane superacid H-(CHB 11 F 11 ) (see Fig. 1) was synthesized and that its primacy of the strength over all other known superacids was confirmed . This is an extremely sensitive to moisture solid which was prepared by a treatment of the [(C 2 H 5 ) […]
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Multiple views of a supernova seen by astronomers Astronomers have been able to witness the same supernova multiple times at different spots because of the gravitational lense effect of a galaxy cluster. The New York Times Snowflakes aren’t symmetrical, according to cutting-edge camera Snowflakes are even more complex than previously thought, according to high-speed 3D […]
We are one of a kind because our genetic background says so. When our parents conceived us, one set of chromosomes from each of them merged to create a brand new diploid cell called zygote, which is already unique. Yet, such singularity doesn’t start with the zygote itself, but much earlier with our progenitors. The […]
There are people that have the feeling that if they get to know what something is made of automatically thay have learned something. This attitude is called reductionism. But take water, for example: how knowing that water is composed of molecules and that each of these molecules is composed of two atoms of hydrogen and […]
Humans have known and used the cannabis plant for as long as 10,000 years. During this time it has been utilized to such different things as to make ropes and clothes, to induce mental states in religious rituals and to treat diseases. Once considered a sacred plant, possession and use of cannabis is illegal in […]
Our solar system frequently seems a beauty competition where each planet proudly exhibits an attractive fingertip. Jupiter is a huge gaseous giant dressing with contrasted belts and zones and an ancient reddish spot. Saturn dances hula hoop with an impressive system of rings while loves to celebrate its birthdays triggering the biggest storms of the […]
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Why racism is not backed by science As we gather more information about the genomes of more people a conclusion seems more and more evident: there is not such thing as race. The Guardian Bright spots seen on Ceres Bright spots seen on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres in photos taken by the approaching […]