Category archives: Technology

A new vista in spintronics was opened in 2004 with the observation of the spin Hall effect in GeAs at 20 K by David Awschlom and his group. In the spin Hall effect the electrons of a charge current flow in a nonmagnetic conducting material in the absence of an external magnetic field. An applied […]

Synthetic cell with just 473 genes developed A synthetic cell containing just 473 genes, the smallest number of genes in any independent life form that exists in nature, has been developed by a team of scientists led by genomics expert Craig Venter. The functions of 149 of the genes in JCVI-syn3.0 are unknown. Nature Vivid […]

Suicide is one of the worst health and social problems in the modern world. Hundreds of millions of persons experience suicidal thoughts every year and between 10 and 20 millions went on to attempt suicide. In Spain, although the average risk is lower than in Northern countries, almost 4.000 persons die every year by their […]

Let’s take a p-type semiconductor with a very clean surface and place it right next to the clean surface of a n-type semiconductor. This type of device is called an n-p junction diode , or simply a diode . What happens? Scientists realized that the electrons in the conduction band of the n-type semiconductor are […]

Nowadays, the industry is centering their efforts on the development of single aerial robots carrying single objects, such as the widely-known drone of Amazon for delivering packages, which was followed by some national post-office services. However, other approaches go a step further and get to transport bigger objects in a cooperative way, reducing the payload […]

Radar detects objects in hidden rooms within Tutankhamun’s tomb Additional rooms in Tutankhamun’s burial chamber containing objects made of metal and organic materials have been detected through the north and west walls by radar scans. What is in these rooms is a mystery, but some experts say the rooms could be related to Queen Nefertiti […]

Mars’ magnetic field shaken by close comet flyby A comet streaking by Mars in 2014 wreaked havoc on the Red Planet’s fragile magnetic field, according to data collected by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft, according to NASA. Discovery Bacteria found in Japanese recycling center evolves to consume plastic A bacteria that […]

The most extensive use of semiconductors, such as silicon or germanium, including their use as transistors, arises from their behavior when, after being sufficiently purified of atoms other than the basic element (e.g., silicon or germanium), very small amounts of special impurities are carefully introduced. While the methods for first purifying then adding small amounts […]

Trains are one of the least consuming means of transport, and it is mainly due to the metallic wheels and rails: there is almost no energy dissipation due to the rolling contact. Of course, not everything is so great with a steel wheel rolling on a steel rail, as the loads transferred between them can […]

Farthest galaxy ever seen spotted by Hubble The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted the farthest galaxy found so far, 13.4 billion light-years away, according to findings published in the Astrophysical Journal. Astronomers say the galaxy, GN-z11, dates back to just 400 million years after the Big Bang. The Christian Science Monitor Mars’ outer layers shifted […]