Category archives: Technology

MI weekly selection #5

MI weekly selection #5

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

When a standard kilogram is not a kilogram Tens of micrograms worth of surface contamination have caused the international standard kilogram to gain weight, according to new research, causing concern that each country’s standard weight for a kilogram is now slightly different. The cylinder-shaped piece of metal is key for scientific experiments that require exact […]

MI weekly selection #4

MI weekly selection #4

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

First brain cells found devoted to selective attention in an invertebrate animal. Dragonflies lack humans’ big brains, but they still get the job done, according to new research that suggests that these insects have brain cells capable of feats previously seen only in primates. Specifically, the dragonflies can screen out useless visual information to focus […]

MI weekly selection #2

MI weekly selection #2

Humanities & Social SciencesScienceTechnologyWeekly Selection

By César Tomé

Five hundred phases Condensed matter physics – the branch of physics responsible for discovering and describing most of these phases – has traditionally classified phases by the way their fundamental building blocks – usually atoms – are arranged. The key is something called symmetry. Classifying the phases of matter by describing their symmetries and where […]

To filter or not to filter, that’s the question…in 3D scene reconstruction

To filter or not to filter, that’s the question…in 3D scene reconstruction

Computer scienceRobotics

By José Luis Blanco

The history of science is full of examples of researchers who arrived at the same discovery independently. Unfortunately, this still happens in this information age, thus technological deficiencies are not to blame for this lack of communication between different research communities. Odd as it may sound from outside, I hold that much of this isolation […]

Low Energy Consumption Flights: Experimental Study on Wandering Albatrosses

Low Energy Consumption Flights: Experimental Study on Wandering Albatrosses

Mechanical Engineering

By Carlos Casanueva

Scientists have always peaked into nature in order to mimic its most interesting features into industrial processes. This adaptation process is called biomimicry, and the most recurring example is the history of how the Swiss engineer George de Mestral invented fabric hook-and-loop fasteners (Velcro) in the 1950s, after he saw how burdock seeds got attached […]