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Angel Rubio, professor of Materials Physics and director of NanoBio Spectroscopy group of the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU), has been named ‘fellow’ of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It is the largest scientific association in the world, a nonprofit organization that, among other activities, publishes the prestigious journal Science.
Angel Rubio, professor of Materials Physics and director of NanoBio Spectroscopy group of the UPV / EHU, has been named ‘fellow’ of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS, the largest scientific association in the world, is a nonprofit organization that promotes the advancement of science through numerous educational and outreach activities. It also publishes the prestigious journal Science.
The professor is the only scientist in the state this year elected a fellow of the AAAS and only four now have that distinction. One is the Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the UPV / EHU Pedro Miguel Etxenike.
The AAAS Board of the values in the election of new members, the contributions made by candidates for the advancement of science or social applications have achieved or scientifically recognized.
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The sale of e-books has exceeded all growth expectations editors and experts predicted for 2010. In Spain, according to latest figures published today by the Ministry of Culture (MCU), electronic publishing accounts for 99.4% of the issue in other media than paper. EBook experts at the University of Salamanca help us understand the reasons for this unprecedented revolution since the days of Gutenberg.
The electronic edition in Spain increased by 64.7% in 2010 over the previous year, accounting for 15.4% of the global edition (paper and other media).
“What polls show is that since the advent of electronic ink and the sale of their reading devices has increased exponentially the number of people who use them. In addition, supply has grown editorial, critical to this consumption, “said Jose Antonio Cordón SINC, a researcher at the Faculty of Translation and Documentation at the University of Salamanca (USAL).
In the case of the USA, between January and August 2010 e-book sales increased by 193% over the same period last year, accounting for 9% of total sales for those months (in all 2009 reached only 3.31%) according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
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Experts from the Universities of Huelva and Seville, in collaboration with researchers from various institutes and universities of Lisbon, participated in an international project whose results appeared in the magazine under the title Food hydrocolloids Microalgae biomass interaction in gelled biopolymer systems, point to an extension of the dietary and nutritional potential of microalgae.
Andalusian researchers have worked on the design of new structures “food” adding Spirulina and Haematococcus samples to a gel base consisting of pea protein, carrageenan and starch. This is an interesting alternative to dairy desserts vegetarian.
According to Professor Antonio Guerrero, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Seville, “we have the characterization of gel-like systems. This step is important to understand the role of the components,” says the researcher. For example, this system would be validated in foods such as puddings. “Through its structure as we continue to add qualities,” he says. “In general, you can help the nutritional value of foods and use of biomass that exists and is not being used “he said.
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A work of researchers from the CSIC reveals the role of steroids in the roots of plants. According to the paper, which is on the cover of the latest issue of the journal Development, The increase in steroid signal induces rapid cell differentiation and “massive”, to the point where stem cells are depleted and the plants do not grow.
In the past 50 years had accepted that plant steroid hormones, called brassinosteroids, control plant growth by inducing cell growth. It was also known that when there is lack of plant steroids plants are stunted. This had led to propose the use of these hormones as a way to increase crop production. However, aware of its role in cell division and differentiation of stem cells.
“We asked ourselves,” says Ana Cano, a researcher at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), “how far the influence of steroids, if your lack produces dwarf plants, what if steroids had increased and how they affect the differentiation cell. ” His group has investigated the role of steroids in the differentiation of stem cells in plant roots. With it, the work of Mary-Paz González and Josep Vilarrasa in his lab has been central to characterize the role of brassinosteroids. The results of the study, the cover of the March 1 edition of the journal Development, show that an increase in brassinosteroid signal ends in cells resulting in premature differentiation and accelerated to the point that plants fail growing.
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Until now it was unclear whether this protozoan, which is a very primitive branch of the eukaryotic tree of life, we reproduce sexually
Trypanosomes, the parasite that can infect several animal species, including humans causing various diseases and sleeping sickness in particular, reproduces sexually. He showed a study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Oxford which relate an article published on Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
This protozoan is a very primitive and distant branch on the tree of eukaryotic life, and so far it was unclear whether they reproduce sexually.
At the heart of sexual reproduction is meiosis, cell division that allows the exchange of parental genes and the creation of new combinations in the offspring. In organisms that cause diseases, sexual reproduction may help spread the genes that increase virulence or drug resistance strains and create entirely new combinations of genes did not exist before.
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Climate Change 300,000 million years ago influenced the forests of the eastern Andes in the Amazon rainforest. According to an international study published today in Science, The temperature would be the main modulator of this vegetation.
“The main finding was the discovery that these forests have remained present during both glacial (cold) and interglacial (warm),” says Macarena L. SINC Cardenas, a researcher at the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences The Open University, Milton Keynes (UK) and author of the paper published today in Science.
The team of scientists has found that climate change occurred in the Middle Pleistocene as a result of the glacial periods (300,000 to 200,000 years ago) affected the eastern forests of the Andes in the Amazon (Ecuador). “Temperature could be the main factor modulating the Amazonian vegetation, “says Cardenas.
For the study, Researchers analyzed fossil pollen and wood preserved in organic sediments. The presence of traces of conifer (Podocarpus) To 1,000 meters from the surface indicates a cooling of at least 5 degrees during the glaciations and stability in wet conditions.
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Space Shuttle Discovery NASA’s taken off on Thursday, shortly before 23 pm (GMT), heading to the International Space Station (ISS). This is the last trip shuttle veteran, who at this time transporting six astronauts, along with android Robonaut 2 (R2), the multipurpose module Leonardo and other equipment.
After several delays due to technical reasons, the ‘Discovery‘ has taken off successfully at 22h53 (GMT) on Thursday from Cape Canaveral Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA), which begins mission STS-133. The fate of the ship is, once again, the International Space Station, where they arrived with six astronauts aboard.
This is a special mission, it is the last flight that carried the space shuttle. The first mission Discovery began with its launch August 30, 1984, and since then the spacecraft has entered orbit another 38 times.
The STS-133 mission, which will last 11 days, is formed by Commander Steve Lindsey, pilot Eric Boe and mission specialists Steve Bowen (who replaced Tim Kopra astronaut, injured in a bicycle accident), Alvin Drew, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott.
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Researchers from Harvard University (USA) have discovered that slight changes in gene expression in embryos Agouti determine the pattern of coat color in adults. The study, published today in the journal Science Has focused on a kind of mouse, but can help you understand how they form and evolve color patterns in other animals.
“We have shown how small changes in the expression of a single gene, Agouti, during embryonic development can cause large changes in color patterns of adults,” said Ricardo Mallarino SINC, a researcher at Harvard University (USA) and one of the authors of the study is published today Science.
The scientist says that the changes in the patterns of color “are not due to the distribution of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes), as they are distributed evenly throughout the body, but the gene controlling differences in the maturation of these cells. ”
The animal model used by researchers is the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), Common in North America. Unlike zebras and tigers, for example, this rodent has a simple color pattern.
“Most individuals of this species has a dark back and light belly, but there is a population that inhabits the sandy beaches of Florida with an almost clear coat that allows camouflage from predators,” says Mallarino.
The team compared the populations of these beaches to those in the interior of the continent to identify the mechanisms that establish the differences in color patterns.
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One of the major problems facing mankind is the depletion of fossil fuels. The energy model, historically heavily dependent on oil and coal, has begun to look for sustainable alternatives such as renewable energy. Different research groups, such as the University of Burgos, have been established on hydrogen, a very present in the Earth and capable of becoming fuel.
“Solar energy is the main energy source of the planet,” says Gabriel Garcia Herbosa, coordinator of Amido research group at the University of Burgos. Since solar radiation can be captured directly by energy from the star, from panels, but is behind other forms of energy capture. The wind is caused by temperature change in the atmosphere produced by the action of the sun, the surf is also a product of the atmospheric circulation.
These activities are also useful for producing electricity. Even plants need this radiation to produce photosynthesis, through which solar heat is converted into chemical energy which will lead to biomass and wood, from which ultimately emerged the fossil fuels.
Over the past decade, says Garcia Herbosa, is known to convert hydrogen into electricity or burn as fuel. This is already used, for example, on ferries. However, there remain important chemical processes are unknown. “How can we break the water from the action of the sun? How can we separate the elements hydrogen and oxygen?” Asks the researcher.
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Fifty years after the invention of the laser, a team of scientists from Yale University (USA) has built the first AntiLaser the world. With an inch in diameter, this development could have applications in the new generation of computers “optical” and radiology.
“The device absorbs the incoming laser energy and transforms light rays into electricity or heat”, told SINC A. Douglas Stone, a researcher at Yale University (USA) and member of the team that developed the first AntiLaser the world.
The mechanism, called “perfect consistency buffer (CPA for short in English), two laser beams focused to a specific frequency within a cavity that contains a disk of silicon as semiconductor material. The hard lines of light waves that bounce off indefinitely until absorbed and converted into heat, as detailed in the article published today Science.
Fifty years after the invention of the laser, “the running AntiLaser Optio fundamental process that has not been studied so far,” said Douglas Stone. It is, therefore, a laser that works in reverse: absorb light at specific frequencies rather than emitting it.
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