Nutrition Chile  ATACAMA 20/02/2018

ALMA deepen mystery about the relation between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies

Answering the question “How did galaxies form and evolve during the 13.8-billion-year history of the universe?” has been one top issue in modern astronomy

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe an active galaxy with a strong ionized gas outflow from the galactic center, astronomers have obtained a result making astronomers even more puzzled: an unambiguous detection of carbon monoxide (CO) gas associated with the galactic disk. However, they have also found that the CO gas which settles in the galaxy is not affected by the strong ionized gas outflow launched from the galactic center.

 
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Nutrition Spain  ESPAÑA 16/02/2018

MAPPING Final General Assembly, a key appointment for internet governance

Privacy, massive surveillance, security and intellectual property rights completed stakeholders agenda from February 12th to the 14th

Malta has been the chosen location to host Mapping Final General Assembly. A three day meeting in which different stakeholders - including, business, online service providers, governmental organizations, civil society, and academics have put together their contributions for the creation of an enabling framework for the digital transition and improvement of the global governance structure as well as the EU innovation ecosystem.

 
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Health Brazil  SãO PAULO 16/02/2018

Research helps understand role of protein kinases involved in cancer

In collaborative research conducted under the aegis of the Structural Genomics Consortium, Brazilian scientists have developed synthetic molecules that inhibit the activity of vaccinia-related protein kinases VRK1 and VRK2

Vaccinia-related protein kinases VRK1 and VRK2, which are involved in cell proliferation, are considered potential targets for treatment of prostate, ovarian, colorectal and other kinds of cancer.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 14/02/2018

Artificial Intelligence applied to cell phone cameras

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Spanish company BQ are going to research in this field

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Spanish company, BQ, have inaugurated the “BQ Universidad de Carlos III Chair””, aimed at research into Artificial Intelligence and the Automatic Learning in mobile devices. The advances could be used in fields such as medicine, photography and business.

 
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Science Chile  ATACAMA 14/02/2018

ALMA observes a rotating dust and gas donut around a supermassive black hole

The existence of such rotating donuts-shape structures was first suggested decades ago, but this is the first time one has been confirmed so clearly

High resolution observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) imaged a rotating dusty gas torus around an active supermassive black hole. The existence of such rotating donuts-shape structures was first suggested decades ago, but this is the first time one has been confirmed so clearly. This is an important step in understanding the co-evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 01/02/2018

A study analyzes the potential and the challenges of flexible mechanical metamaterials

Designed to have unusual properties such as being able to change their shape or stiffness

Research into the field of metamaterials, designed to have unusual properties such as being able to change their shape or stiffness, has advanced a great deal during recent years in technologies along with 3D printing, computer simulation, and some conceptual innovations. This subject is gaining so much importance that it was featured on the cover of Nature Reviews Materials, with an article on the challenges facing flexible mechanical metamaterials published by scientists from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the University of Chicago, Harvard University (both in the US) and Leiden University (The Netherlands).

 
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Health Argentina  ARGENTINA 01/02/2018

The science of sleep: a survey to know how Argentines rest

A team of two CONICET researchers is conducting a survey to map the quality of rest in the country

What time is it? The answer to this question does not seem to be so obvious: are we governed by our watches? Maybe the time that is imposed on us has some fragile – and even doubtful – grounds. “Although we should adapt to our geography, the time zone of Argentina is a political decision”, says Diego Golombek at the Laboratorio de Cronobiología [Chronobiology Laboratory] of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes (UNQ). He is a biologist and a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET). At his lab, which has posters of clocks between the benches used for experiments, he studies the biological rhythms of humans. As part of his work, he’s just launched a national survey to analyze how Argentines sleep. The idea is to obtain useful information that serves as a public tool to debate the time zone in which Argentina should be, among other issues. The scientist explains that this type of changes could improve our sleep, productivity, mood and propensity to get sick.

 
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Social Sciences Chile  CHILE 31/01/2018

Large Magellanic Cloud contains surprisingly complex organic molecules

These observations may provide insights into the formation of similarly complex organic molecules early in the history of the universe

The nearby dwarf galaxy known as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a chemically primitive place. Unlike the Milky Way, this semi-spiral collection of a few tens-of-billions of stars lacks our galaxy’s rich abundance of heavy elements, like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. With such a dearth of heavy elements, astronomers predict that the LMC should contain comparatively paltry amounts of complex carbon-based molecules. Previous observations of the LMC seem to support that view.

 
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Science Panama  PANAMÁ 29/01/2018

New fractal-like soft coral species discovered in Panama and Costa Rica

Panama’s Coiba National Park continues to yield new surprises

What animal can live to be thousands of years old, is often mistaken for a plant, tolerates extreme conditions in cold, dark oceans to 3000 meters (almost 10,000 feet) below the surface and may die when it comes into contact with relatives? Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) named three new species from this group of animals, the octocorals: Adelogorgia hannibalis, A. osculabunda and A. adusta, which they recently named in the journal Zootaxa.

 
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Health Spain  MADRID 23/01/2018

A video database for cellular tracking created, useful in the fight against cancer

The results of this research have been recently presented in the scientific journal 'Nature Methods'

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), the University Hospital Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM) and Universidad de Navarra have, together with other international institutions, developed a video database for cellular tracking that can be used to determine alterations involved in illnesses such as cancer.

 
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Environment Argentina  ARGENTINA 22/01/2018

Rainbow trout culture in the context of climate change

CONICET scientists study the adaptation of this species to the increasing temperatures of the water in the north of Patagonia

The Alicura dam –located between the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro– is the main site for breeding rainbow trouts in Argentina. However, the sustainability of this practice is under risk as climate change led to a steady increase of temperature of their waters in the last years.

 
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Science Chile  CHILE 19/01/2018

Earliest galaxies in the Universe’s history spun like the Milky Way

The results are reported in the journal 'Nature', and will be presented at the 231st meeting of the American Astronomical Society

Astronomers have looked back to a time soon after the Big Bang, and have discovered swirling gas in some of the earliest galaxies to have formed in the Universe. These ‘newborns’ – observed as they appeared nearly 13 billion years ago – spun like a whirlpool, similar to our own Milky Way.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 18/01/2018

New power generation and propulsion system for satellites

Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have designed and patented a new propellantless system

Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have designed and patented a new propellantless system for satellites that allows generation of electric power and on-board thrust. This innovation, which has led to two national patents, has attracted the interest of the European Space Agency and of the space industry.

 
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Technology Argentina  BUENOS AIRES 10/01/2018

Scientists are concerned about the preservation of a rare spider of the range of Buenos Aires

Its habitat can be threatened by the invasion of exotic species, tourism and agricultural and livestock activities

The “bricklayer spiders” [Calathotarsus simoni] are some of the most enigmatic species of the Argentine fauna: one species was described for the first time in 1975 and they had only been observed occasionally in specific regions of the range system of Ventania and Tandilia, in the province of Buenos Aires. Now, detailed analyses of the habitat of these arachnids suggest that they are exposed to environmental threats that could reduce their population or even affect their survival in the coming years.

 
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Technology Spain  ÁVILA 20/12/2017

A system to detect deformations in state of the art materials

Researchers at the Polytechnic School of Ávila from the University of Salamanca have applied photogrammetry algorithms and computational vision to determine state of the art material's behavior when tested

Researchers at the Polytechnic School of Ávila from the University of Salamanca have developed a new system able to detect deformations in estate of the art materials. By using photogrammetry algorithms and computational vision scientist can identify relevant modifications for objects stability. To test their new methodology they have applied to a Proof of Concept project that focuses on fire extinguishers deformations.

 
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Nutrition Chile  CHILE 19/12/2017

Massive primordial galaxies found swimming in vast ocean of dark matter

The researchers report their findings in the journal 'Nature'

Astronomers expect that the first galaxies, those that formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, would share many similarities with some of the dwarf galaxies we see in the nearby Universe today. These early agglomerations of a few billion stars would then become the building blocks of the larger galaxies that came to dominate the Universe after the first few billion years.

 
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Nutrition Spain  SALAMANCA 13/12/2017

A new catalyst to produce the biodiesel of the future

Researchers at the University of Salamanca test a catalyst to produce biodiesel more efficiently and economically in accordance with the requirements imposed by the regulations for the coming years

Researchers at the University of Salamanca have designed a new type of catalyst to obtain biodiesel. The requirements established by the regulations for coming years make the current biodiesel production processes both expensive and inefficient, while this new proposal has many advantages. Through a proof of concept, scientists are demonstrating that the idea can be developed on an industrial scale.

 
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Nutrition Panama  PANAMÁ 13/12/2017

Sumatran tigers cling to survival in fragmented forests

The study, published in the journal 'Nature Communications', was funded by the National Geographic Society

A research expedition tracked endangered tigers through the Sumatran jungles for a year and found tigers are clinging to survival in low density populations. Their findings have renewed fears about the possible extinction of the elusive predators.

 
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Technology Spain  MADRID 11/12/2017

Artificial Intelligence and accessible theater for the deaf and blind

Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed pioneering technology, called Stage-sync, so that people with visual and auditory impairment can enjoy musical stage shows.

This new technology from UC3M’s SoftLab research group has been implemented to give accessibility to the Broadway musical comedy “The Addams Family” at the Teatro Calderón of Madrid. The creative agency C&W, COMUNICAdos and Escena Global also collaborated on the project, which received support from the Consejería de Educación e Innovación (Council for Education and Innovation) of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Thanks to this project, individuals with visual and auditory impairment have been able to enjoy any of the performances of this musical comedy since the 3rd of December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This means that over one million deaf people in Spain can, for the first time in their lives, attend an important, high-quality musical such as this.

 
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Health Argentina  ARGENTINA 11/12/2017

New consortium to work on AIDS-related tumors

Researchers from the Fundación Huésped, and the University of Miami formed an international consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study this subject.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the scope of the NIH has recently announced the granting of a funding program for the international consortium formed by Argentine and USA researchers to study human cancer subjects related to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

 
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