Category archives: Technology

Obesity hinders brain recognition of nutrient signals

Obesity hinders brain recognition of nutrient signals

BiochemistryBiomedicineHealthMedicineNeuroscience

By Rosa García-Verdugo

Recent research has demonstrated that obesity impairs the mechanisms that allow our brains to realize when our stomachs are full and that these changes are maintained despite dieting, giving insights into why it is difficult for obese people to avoid excessive eating and why there is often a yo-yo effect after dieting. It has been […]

A topological pair-density-wave of spin-triplet Cooper pairs

A topological pair-density-wave of spin-triplet Cooper pairs

Condensed matterMaterials

By César Tomé

pair-density-wave Scientists have revealed a new phase of matter in candidate topological superconductors that could have significant consequences for condensed matter physics and for the field of quantum computing and spintronics. Researchers at the Macroscopic Quantum Matter Group at Cornell University have discovered and visualized a crystalline yet superconducting state in a new and unusual […]

Optimal colorimetric sensing based on gold nanoparticle aggregation

Optimal colorimetric sensing based on gold nanoparticle aggregation

Materials

By DIPC

Spurred by outstanding optical properties, chemical stability, and facile bioconjugation, plasmonic metals have become the first-choice materials for optical signal transducers in biosensing. While the design rules for surface-based plasmonic sensors are well-established and commercialized, there is limited knowledge of the design of sensors based on nanoparticle aggregation. The working principle of biosensors built around […]

A topological amorphous alloy

A topological amorphous alloy

MaterialsPhysicsQuantum physics

By César Tomé

amorphous Scientists have dedicated their efforts to studying topological materials, focusing on the shape, or topology, of their electronic structures. These materials exhibit unique properties that have the potential to be harnessed for next-generation devices, despite their invisible nature in real space. Initially, it was believed that only crystalline materials, characterized by highly ordered atoms […]

Is AI really an existential risk for humanity?

Is AI really an existential risk for humanity?

Computer scienceEthicsPhilosophy of science

By Invited Researcher

risk The authors of this article are members of The European Lab for Learning & Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) Board: Nuria Oliver, Directora de la Fundación ELLIS Alicante & honorary professor Universidad de Alicante; Bernhard Schölkopf, , Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems; Florence d’Alché-Buc, Professor, Télécom Paris – Institut Mines-Télécom; Nada Lavrač, Research Councillor at […]

A resistive switching memory based on hafnium dioxide

A resistive switching memory based on hafnium dioxide

Computer scienceMaterials

By César Tomé

A novel computer memory design has been created by researchers, offering significant enhancements in performance while simultaneously addressing the pressing need to minimize energy consumption in internet and communications technologies. Projections suggest that these technologies could account for nearly one-third of the world’s electricity consumption within the next decade. A team of researchers has devised […]

A dog parasite could help fight incurable cancers

A dog parasite could help fight incurable cancers

BiologyBiomedicineMedicine

By Invited Researcher

Cancers are the second leading cause of death in the world, after cardiovascular diseases. Their seriousness lies in their diversity – some can be effectively treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while others respond poorly or not at all. Improving the treatment of these diseases is therefore a major challenge. For several years, the development […]

Traditional understanding of heat transport, involving phonons, is not applicable to strong heat insulators

Traditional understanding of heat transport, involving phonons, is not applicable to strong heat insulators

EnergyMaterialsNanotechnologyPhysics

By César Tomé

Researchers have made significant progress in understanding the fundamental microscopic mechanisms that can be used to customize materials for heat insulation. This breakthrough represents a significant step forward in the continuous endeavour to understand heat transport, improve energy efficiency and promote sustainability. Heat transport plays a vital role in numerous scientific and industrial fields, including […]

Engineering high Chern number materials

Engineering high Chern number materials

DIPC Advanced materialsMaterials

By DIPC

Some materials have special universal properties protected against perturbations. Such properties are theoretically described by topology, a branch of mathematics concerned with the properties of geometrical objects that are unchanged by continuous deformations. So-called topological insulators are electronic materials that have a bulk band gap like an ordinary insulator but have conducting states on their […]

How artificial intelligence language models could take over elections

How artificial intelligence language models could take over elections

Computer scienceSociology

By Invited Researcher

artificial intelligence Authors: Archon Fung, Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School, and Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University Could organizations use artificial intelligence language models such as ChatGPT to induce voters to behave in specific ways? Sen. Josh Hawley asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman this question in a May 16 […]