Category archives: Science

Structurally well-defined boundaries in a fully accessible quantum spin Hall insulator

Structurally well-defined boundaries in a fully accessible quantum spin Hall insulator

MaterialsNanotechnologyQuantum physics

By DIPC

Imagine that we have a conductor or a semiconductor through which a current is flowing. Then we apply a strong transverse magnetic field. As a result, we can measure a potential difference at right angles to both the current and the field caused by the deflection of charge carriers by the field. This effect was […]

Genetics of educational attainment

Genetics of educational attainment

GeneticsNeurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

Educational attainment, the years a person spends within the education system, generates interest among scientists because statistical analysis shows that there is a relationship between that value and different aspects of life including income when adults, state of health and even life expectancy. Geneticists analyze trends that can explain variations within a population by exploring […]

Topology of disconnected elementary band representations

Topology of disconnected elementary band representations

Condensed matterMaterialsPhysicsQuantum physicsTheoretical physics

By DIPC

The revolutionary theory of topological quantum chemistry , a description of the universal global properties of all possible band structures and materials, diagnoses topological phases based on elementary band representations. A set of bands is topological if it lacks an “atomic limit” that obeys the crystal symmetry (and time reversal, if desired): formally, an atomic […]

A generalized approach for NMR studies of lipid–protein interactions

A generalized approach for NMR studies of lipid–protein interactions

BiochemistryChemistryMolecular biology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Francisco J. Blanco is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at CIC bioGUNE Molecular interactions in cell membranes, particularly lipid-protein interactions in their hydrophobic core, are difficult to analyse and remain poorly characterised despite high relevance in physiological and pathological processes. Structural rearrangements in membranes and embedded proteins, and the way molecular interactions contribute to their […]

Surface-Enhanced Molecular Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

Surface-Enhanced Molecular Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

Condensed matterMaterialsNanotechnologyPhysicsQuantum physicsTheoretical physics

By DIPC

Chemists have a range of different spectroscopic techniques to study organic molecules. All of these techniques are based on spectra generated by a range of electronic transitions and vibrations, key excitations in matter, the study of which provides information about characteristics of materials and, therefore, allow their identification. In this context, one of those spectroscopic […]

High-performance supramolecular polymer from a simple molecule

High-performance supramolecular polymer from a simple molecule

Chemistry

By Pablo Ortiz

Turning simple, individual molecules into complex, interconnected materials is the core of polymer chemistry. There is currently an increasing demand for materials with sophisticated properties such as self-healing and reusable adhesivity. However, achieving polymers with such functionalities generally demands higher structural complexity, synthetic difficulty, and cost. Now, a team of chemists has designed a supramolecular […]

HOTI bismuth

HOTI bismuth

Condensed matterMaterialsNanotechnologyPhysicsQuantum physicsTheoretical physics

By DIPC

The properties of bismuth have long defied classification, placing it in a category of its own. Now, as if it was not enough, it turns out its electronic structure has higher-order topology. This has been shown by an international team with the participation of Maia G. Vergniory (DIPC, Ikerbasque, UPV/EHU) and coordinated by Titus Neupert […]

Differences in the reward pathway in autism

Differences in the reward pathway in autism

Neurobiology

By José Ramón Alonso

The reward pathway is a group of brain structures connected to each other that are key in the processes of motivation (desire, motivation, craving), associative learning (operant reinforcement and positive conditioning) and in positive emotions, particularly those in which pleasure has a fundamental component such as joy, euphoria and ecstasy. The reward is an attractive […]