Category archives: Technology

MI weekly selection #88

MI weekly selection #88

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

A switch for internal, external brain processes Researchers have observed how the brain switches between internal and external information processes in mice. Scientists manipulated thalamic reticular nucleus cells to get the mice to switch information systems. Researchers hope the study could lead to treatments for people with autism or schizophrenia, whose brains have difficulty with […]

MI weekly selection #87

MI weekly selection #87

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Glowing sharks living in dark depths evolve special vision Some species of bioluminescent sharks that live in the darkest depths of the ocean have eyes that have evolved to detect complex patterns of light to communicate with each other, locate prey or hide themselves. Researchers found that the eyes of bioluminescent sharks provide better resolution […]

Sieving at the nanoscale: desalination of seawater through nanoporous graphene

Sieving at the nanoscale: desalination of seawater through nanoporous graphene

MaterialsPhysics

By Silvia Román

Perhaps the most repeated words in the last few years when talking about graphene – since scientists Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 for their groundbreaking experiments – are “the material of the future”. There are some risks regarding so many expectations about everything related to materials science, since […]

MI weekly selection #85

MI weekly selection #85

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Gene-editing method could remove HIV from infected cells Scientists have found a way of eliminating HIV from infected cells. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system, researchers removed a fragment of the virus. “These properties may provide a viable path toward a permanent cure for AIDS, and provide a means to vaccinate against other pathogenic viruses,” they […]

MI weekly selection #83

MI weekly selection #83

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

The role of turbulence in the formation of stars A pair of recent studies sheds new light on turbulence, a factor in the formation of stars when galaxies collide. In one study, researchers simulated the collision of two Antennae Galaxies and found that the collision produced “compressive turbulence,” which could get fusion started by pushing […]

MI weekly selection #82

MI weekly selection #82

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Universal formula for cosmic voids A simple equation can describe the large-scale bubbles that appear in the dark matter distributed throughout the Universe, and it applies to voids of a wide range of sizes and ages. Physics Bone-house wasps use ant carcasses to build nests for their young Deuteragenia ossarium, or the bone-house wasp, is […]

Lead-oriented synthesis: a new concept to aid drug-discovery process

Lead-oriented synthesis: a new concept to aid drug-discovery process

ChemistryMedicinePharmacy

By Pablo Ortiz

The discovery and development of new drugs is a long and expensive process, and despite of it, essential to face present and new diseases. For small molecules, which account for the majority of the marketed drugs, the discovery process generally involves finding a starting point termed hit or lead compound. These molecules have biological activity […]