bioquímica
Alcohol, a dangerous molecule
The ancient Greeks were very fond of social celebrations, and called them “symposia,” which literally means “to drink together”. The reporter Pere Renom organizes a scientific symposium with a group of friends, to drink together and analyze how alcohol affects them. We will understand what causes alcohol toxicity, why it causes addiction, what determines its […]
Nitrogen till the root
Nitrogen is an essential element for life, but since its availability is limited it must be recycled. The most important compartment on the planet where it accumulates is the atmosphere (N2). Hence, special bacteria introduce it into the biosphere through a process called fixation. Once there, it is transferred through the food chain from vegetables […]
Modeled by hormones
Everything we are is inscribed in our genes, but its main route of expression are hormones. We grow up to a certain size, we differentiate ourselves in men and women and we regulate the body’s temperature or energy through hormones. If the genes are the project, the hormones are the hands of the sculptor. The […]
What small little therapies
Three revolutionary medical therapies, that act on a nanometer scale, a billionth of a meter, are explained. Self-propelled and dirigible nanorobots designed to transport drugs to target cells and greatly increase pharmacological efficiency. Peptide launchers, small molecules capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and improve the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or brain […]
The pig in the heart
The pig is much more than meat, you get hundreds of different products, some related to health such as heart valves or heparin, an anticoagulant molecule essential in blood transfusions or open heart operations. We will know the case of Joan Fàbregas a patient with a cardiac abnormality who is implanted with a prosthesis of […]
Extraordinary centenarian
There is no magic formula to live 100 years, depends on a lucky combination of genetics and healthy habits. We will analyze the case of two extraordinary centenarians and we will understand that aging is rusting. The following spoke: Mireia Farré from Idescat, Reinald Pamplona from UdL-IRBLleida, Manel Esteller from IDIBELL and the centenarian Joaquim […]
Searching for life in the Univers
We knew that the Earth is not flat, and that is not in the center of the universe, now it has been discovered that even in the Milky Way there could be 10,000 milion planets similar to ours. We explain how planets are detected outside our solar system and what conditions would have to sustain […]
The scientific illustration
In the XXI century scientific illustration remains an indispensable tool in various disciplines. Enables to describe a new species of jellyfish, reconstruct the true aspect of an extinct bird called “dodo”, understand step by step operation of liver transplantation, or see the interaction between a drug and a protein.
Copper, the electric metal
Associated with electricity, copper has helped change the world. Besides being a good conductor some of its compounds are superconductors. In living organisms acts as a transmitter of electrons in many biochemical reactions. Also is part of several blue and green pigments of gothic painting and sometimes can acquire an electric tone.
Charging the batteries
What do they have in common a battery, a tubercle or body fat? They are sistems of storing energy. The energy is stored for consumption when needed and to move autonomously. A crossing of the Pyrenees is an ideal situation to understand how and why energy is stored.
