The way a carbon atom binds to other atoms is what make this element so important. Apart from its capacity to bind to a wide range of different atoms, most remarkable is the way it can form long chains of carbon atoms with different kinds of covalent bonds between them . Biologically, for instance, the […]
Since its discovery in 2003, graphene has become one of the “materials of the future”, with applications ranging from tissue engineering to energy storage. Recently, a paper published in Oncotarget by researchers at the University of Manchester has shown its potential in anti-cancer therapy, in addition to its already known applications in medicine as a […]
Humanities & Social Sciences • Science • Technology • Weekly Selection
Star ring at edge of Milky Way may actually be part of galaxy A ring of stars surrounding the Milky Way may, in reality, be part of it, increasing the galaxy’s size by 50%. Discovery Ideas about hibernation challenged by warm dormant bats Two species of bats have been found hibernating in caves considered too […]
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 […]
Humanities & Social Sciences • Science • Technology • Weekly Selection
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 […]
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 […]
Humanities & Social Sciences • Science • Technology • Weekly Selection
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 […]
There is a widespread concern about the increasing antibiotic resistance and the limited new drugs to treat infectious diseases, as discussed in a previous post . Consequently, the discovery of a new antibiotic active against a range of bacterial pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus has been greatly welcome, especially because no resistance to it has been […]
Trains have a huge seasonal problem each autumn: leaves. Yes, leaves from the trees. And now they are testing a solution: laser beams! It sounds absurd, but it will all make sense after we get into its science. Every autumn when leaves fall off the trees and beautifully cover parks and streets, railway infrastructure managers […]