Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is participating in a research project together with the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM), the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos and the company Sedecal Molecular Imaging (SMI), project coordinator, to develop a new high-precision radiology system for coronavirus pulmonary involvement.

In order to properly manage the Covid-19 pandemic, governments and the scientists who advise them need the most accurate data possible on the situation. The problem is that such data do not exist. The only data they have are those provided by laboratory tests. In other words, governments know how many people have tested positive, how many are in hospitals and how many are being treated over the phone. But by now it is more than evident that these are not the real data of the pandemic. Scientists around the world are now devising formulas to estimate figures that are more realistic. An international team led by researcher Antonio Fernández Anta of the IMDEA Networks institute is one of them.

Lithium-ion batteries are used around the world and though over the last few years they have had some competition, such as sodium and magnesium, they continue to be indispensable due to their high density and capacity. The issue is this: this metal has major availability and concentration problems. Almost 85% of its reserves are located in what is known as the Lithium Triangle, a geographical area found on the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. In addition, it seems that demand will rocket over the next few decades because of the implementation of electric vehicles. Each car equals about 7.000 cell phone batteries, so reusing their different components has become an issue of utmost importance.