We live in a violent universe. The energy scales involved in many astrophysical processes are enough to stamp out our planet, not to talk about life as we know it. But, somehow, we have been living so far in a delicate equilibrium. Such equilibrium has been punctuated by relatively modest catastrophes that have possibly shaped […]
Humanities & Social Sciences • Science • Technology • Weekly Selection
Agriculture may have had many roots, DNA study suggests The skeletons of four ancient farmers have been found in Iran, and DNA tests indicate they have no genetic links to Aegeans, long thought to be the first farmers in Europe, which suggests that agriculture may have been developed more than once. DNA analysis of the […]
The finding that modern humans coexisted and mated with Neanderthals 50000 years ago was a breakthrough when it was announced in 2010. As a result of interbreeding, the genomes of all modern Eurasians contain a small Neanderthal DNA load that has been calculated to be between 1.5% and 4%. Most Africans, however, lack this DNA […]
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 […]
The usage of the words “Eskimo” and “Inuit” is one of these cases in which, all of a sudden, we are told we have been saying something wrong all along. Lawrence Kaplan from the Alaska Native Language Centre at the University of Alaska Fairbanks explained that the words “Eskimo” and “Inuit” do not mean the […]
People who are diagnosed with dementia may initially report problems on memory and/or language that affect their activities of daily living. Once factors such as depression, delirium, or mild cognitive impairment, are disregarded, these people are typically referred to a neurologist, radiologist, and neuropsychologist or speech therapist who will help them to understand the reason […]
Chemistry • Condensed matter • Energy • Materials • Physics
The German mineralogist Gustav Rose (1798 – 1873) made important contributions in the fields of petrology and crystallography. He was the first to use a reflective goniometer in Germany and developed a particular interest in the relationship between the crystalline form and the physical properties of minerals. As a consequence, he contributed significantly to the […]
Since the cells were discovered with the advent of the microscope in the late seventeenth century, scientists have tried hard to find out what is going on into them. An avalanche of techniques and technologies emerged over the course of decades slowly discovering important molecular features of the cellular world to our knowledge and our […]
Tracking back human civilization there are evidences of dog domestication as far as 10,000 years ago. During this time, the ancient wolves’ genome evolved to give rise to the domestic dog that gradually adapted to human habitat as many organic functions were selected in detriment of others. Dogs have similar circadian rhythms, have adapted to […]
Boron, in the periodical table situated in the 13 group (group III according to the former nomenclature), is a semiconductive element with properties between that of a metal and a nonmetal. Boron compounds are widely used materials in various branches of industry. Recent studies show its importance in biology as for example to various metabolic […]