miércoles, 31 de agosto de 2011

Pill to prevent sunburn 'within five years' - Telegraph

Se dice que un medicamento oral podrá ayudarnos a prevenir los efectos nocivos del sol. Hoy está en estudio y procede de componentes de los corales.

Pill to prevent sunburn 'within five years' - Telegraph:


But in the meantime.......... use cream filters and sunglasses!

miércoles, 17 de agosto de 2011

ACERCA DEL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO

Todavía hoy en día hay quien opina que el hombre no es el verdadero causante del cambio climático que amenaza nuestro futuro. Valoren los datos y opinen.


Some graphics showing interesting facts about the climate change.


Here is a graph of human released CO2 and measured temperature:


Ø   And here it is on a bigger scale for a clear picture. Whatever you might think of Al Gore and others, these are the numbers and they don´t lie:     Now see a graph comparing  sun activity vs.temperature: It does not show this significant influence: 

lunes, 1 de agosto de 2011

BBC Nature - Common jellyfish videos, news and facts

Summer is the perfect time to explore and study the wildlife of our seaside.


BBC Nature - Common jellyfish videos, news and facts

En verano tememos encontrarnos medusas en la playa. Su picadura puede ser peligrosa. Sin embargo, estudiémoslas y apreciemos su belleza. El verano es un momento perfecto para explorar nuestras costas con las debidas precauciones.A common jellyfish from below as it heads to the surface

lunes, 18 de julio de 2011

La creación de los continentes con humor

Un precioso corto de película en la que, en clave de humor, la genial ardilla Scrat nos muestra las capas de la tierra y el origen de la forma actual de la corteza terrestre.
https://mail.google.com/mail/ui=2&ik=d8a4043d31&view=att&th=130be0893690391b&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw


File:Scrat's Continental Crack-up poster.jpg
SCRAT´S CONTINENTAL CRACK-UP!

jueves, 16 de junio de 2011

How To Put A New Element On The Periodic Table : NPR

Enlace que nos lleva a una página en la que el proceso está explicado (muy recomendable escuchar la versión "voz" para acostumbrar nuestros oídos a la lengua inglesa): How To Put A New Element On The Periodic Table : NPR

2 nuevos elementos han sido oficialmente añadidos en la tabla periódica de los elementos. Fueron descubiertos hace años pero se ha hecho necesaria la aprobación del comité internacional antes de que se incluyeran en la famosa tabla.
In 2006, element 111 received its official name, Roentgenium. The element's square on the periodic table was unveiled by German science minister Annette Schavan.
En 2006 se incluyó el elemento 111 con el nombre de "Roentgenio"
Se trata de los elementos 114 y 116 que, realmente, no se encuentran en la naturaleza sino que son producto de laboratorio. Esto puede parecer "trampa" y ese tema podría llevarnos a discusiones éticas diversas pero lo cierto es que existen. Aparecen una sola vez entre millones de choques de elementos diferentes, tras la fusión de sus núcleos. Sus nombres todavía no han sido decididos aunque se barajan ideas tan variopintas como "Doritos", "Viagrium" o, en plan más serio, algún nombre que haga referencia a científicos del grupo de la investigación.

viernes, 10 de junio de 2011

Erupción volcánica en Chile: Una muestra de la fuerza de la Naturaleza.

Extraordinary images have shown the full force of Mother Nature as a Chilean volcano erupts for the first time in 50 years.
Ash has been thrown six miles up into the sky and the South American government has ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents.
Winds fanned the ash toward neighbouring Argentina, darkening the sky in the ski resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche, in the centre of the country, and its airport has also been closed.
The eruption in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain, about 575 miles south of the capital, Santiago, also prompted authorities to close a busy border crossing into Argentina. It was not immediately clear which of the chain's four volcanoes had erupted because of ash cover and weather conditions. The chain last saw a major eruption in 1960.
Local media said the smell of sulphur hung in the air and there was constant seismic activity.
'The Cordon Caulle (volcanic range) has entered an eruptive process, with an explosion resulting in a 10-kilometre-high gas column,' the state emergency office ONEMI said.
This development is the latest volcanic activity to affect the country. Three years ago, Chile's Chaiten volcano erupted spectacularly for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that reached the stratosphere and was visible from space.
It also drifted over neighbouring Argentina, coating towns. Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, also erupted that year and again in 2009.
Chile's chain of about 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second largest after Indonesia. Some 50 to 60 are on record as having erupted, and 500 are potentially active.

viernes, 3 de junio de 2011

Would you keep a Hedgehog for a Pet?

Los Erizos como animales de compañía.
El Erizo puede considerarse una buena mascota. Hoy en día se comercializan en las tiendas de animales, con un precio no muy alto y un cuidado sencillo. Encontramos mucha gente que quiere tener mascotas "originales" por no decir "Únicas".  Nunca recomendaría ciertas especies de reptiles o artrópodos exóticos, animales en peligro de extinción ni aquellas especies que no están adaptadas a la convivencia con el hombre. Sin embargo, el erizo, CRIADO EN CAUTIVIDAD por supuesto (nunca capturado de la naturaleza), resulta un compañero adorable, encantador por su aspecto, cariñoso y que se adapta a nuestro entorno maravillosamente.

owners eating waste habits clean housing environment pet nbsp nbspeating waste habits clean housing environment pet nbsp nbsp nbsp

"A hedgehog is a small spiny mammal There are 17 species of hedgehog, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.

The most common pet species of hedgehog are hybrids of the White-bellied Hedgehog or Four-toed Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the North African Hedgehog

Domesticated species prefer a warm climate They have an insectivorous diet. Commonly, this is replaced with cat food and ferret food and is supplemented by insects.

Hedgehogs are considered a low-maintenance pet. Their curiosity and need for stimuli make for quick adjustment to their owners, and their eating and waste habits make for a relatively clean housing environment for the pet."

jueves, 26 de mayo de 2011

El vómito en nuestros gatos domésticos

Help! My cat is vomiting:


Vomiting, or the forceful ejection of stomach and proximal duodenal (upper small intestinal) contents through the mouth, is a symptom commonly observed in cats; it is not a disease. Your cat’s vomiting can be a symptom of any one of a wide range of acute or chronic illnesses encompassing almost all body systems, from cardiovascular and respiratory to gastrointestinal to renal (kidney) to dermatologic. Differentiating vomiting from coughing and regurgitation is important.
When a cat is vomiting, you should see a considerable amount of abdominal movement. The cat's abdomen will seem to pulsate violently, and the cat's head might appear to bob.
Coughing involves the thorax rather than the abdomen. A cat that is coughing will often crane its head and neck forward, holding its head still while keeping its front paws under its chest and its elbows off to the side.
Regurgitation, or the passive expulsion of food or fluid from the oral cavity, pharyngeal cavity, or esophagus, usually is sudden, without the violent wind-up that proceeds vomiting. A regurgitating cat might be silent or could sound like it's gagging.
If your cat has recently been vomiting or vomits more than once a month, please consult with your veterinarian.

miércoles, 25 de mayo de 2011

BBC Nature - European beaver videos, news and facts

Parece que estamos de enhorabuena: Una especie que se hallaba al borde de la extinción ahora se va recuperando. A ver si entre todos logramos cambiar esta tendencia.
Esto no concierne solo a los científicos o los políticos. Todos podemos formar parte. A beaver feeding in the water

viernes, 6 de mayo de 2011

BBC - Earth News - Chimpanzees' 66 gestures revealed

BBC - Earth News - Chimpanzees' 66 gestures revealed


De acuerdo con los recientes estudios de una universidad escocesa, los chimpancés han demostrado utilizar al menos 66 gestos diferentes para comunicarse. Los investigadores han hecho público sus ineresantes resultados y nos explican el "repertorio gestual" del chimpancé.
Chimpanzees grooming (Image: Science Photo Library)

miércoles, 4 de mayo de 2011

BBC Nature - Hedgehog videos, news and facts

BBC Nature - Hedgehog videos, news and facts

Un reportaje precioso de la vida de los erizos, en su entorno natural, libres en la naturaleza.
Animales dóciles y pacíficos a los que también se les puede acostumbrar a vivir con personas resultando mascotas muy interesantes (Eso sí, prohibido capturarlos en el campo: hay especies que se comercializan en tiendas de animales criadas en cautividad y bien cuidadas)Close-up of the face of a hedgehog while curled up in a ball

jueves, 14 de abril de 2011

"Was It the Origin of Life"? Biologists Create Self-replicating RNA Molecule

"Was It the Origin of Life"? Biologists Create Self-replicating RNA Molecule

Interesante artículo que cuenta cómo nuestros científicos están llegando a elaborar moléculas de ARN y ADN en laboratorio, la cantidad de estos elementos existente en el universo, plantear una vez más cómo pudo originarse la vida, si hay más vida en otras partes... las preguntas de siempre que nunca pasan de moda y que, quién sabe, quizás algún día sepamos responder.

martes, 29 de marzo de 2011

Radiation Dosage Chart

Radiation Dosage Chart
Information is beautiful... although frightening.

Algunos de los datos mostrados son muy llamativos:
Radiation Dosage Chart - Information Is Beautiful

sábado, 26 de febrero de 2011

BBC News - Audio slideshow: 'The secret of life'

BBC News - Audio slideshow: 'The secret of life'

El DNA: secreto de vida.

Interesante esfuerzo de digitalización de todos los documentos publicados por los primeros científicos-investigadores. Muchos años después de los estudios de Watson y Crick, sus primeras descripciones de la estructura de doble hélice, han sido mostrados y compartidos con todos nosotros. Un lujo.

miércoles, 9 de febrero de 2011

"Debe ser cierto... Lo he leído en internet": Estudio-experimento que muestra lo fácilmente que se puede engañar a la Generación-Web.

El pulpo arborícola.  The tree octopus that researchers fabricated to test the evaluation skills of students

Fake: The tree octopus that researchers fabricated to test the evaluation skills of students

When it comes to the Internet, it seems kids will believe anything.
But it was thought that something as absurd as an octopus that lives in a tree might be enough to cast some doubts in their minds - it wasn't.
A creature concocted in a research 'laboratory' has exposed shocking Internet illiteracy among students, with a leading expert warning it could mean a learning crisis in schools.
Donald Leu, a researcher from the University of Connecticut, conducted a study among the Facebook generation of students - deemed 'digital natives' due to their online savviness - to try to prove they will believe anything they read on the internet.
He directed students to the website http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus, where they found details about the fabricated endangered Pacific Northwest tree octopus in order to test students’ ability to evaluate information they find online.
It detailed the creature's appearance and habits, including how it uses its suckers to move along tree branches in a form of 'locomotion' and steals eggs from the nests of birds.
It even claimed that it was endangered mainly due to the penchant of wealthy 'fashionistas' to use the tree octopuses as ornamental hat decorations.
The students not only believed all of the fabricated information, but also insisted on the existence of the octopus, even when researchers explained all the information had been made up.
Mr Leu, founder and director of the New Literacies Research Lab at the university, warned that students were unable to discern between fact and fiction online and said this would lead them to graduate without the proper thinking skills needed to meet college and workforce demands.
He said : 'Most students simply have very little in the way of critical evaluation skills.
The tree octopus that researchers fabricated to test the evaluation skills of students
Fake: The tree octopus that researchers fabricated to test the evaluation skills of students

Ellos te dirán que no se creen todo lo que leen en internet, pero lo hacen. Esto debe ser motivo de gran preocupación. Cualquiera puede publicar cualquier cosa en internet y los estudiantes de hoy en día no están preparados para evaluar con espíritu crítico la información encontrada.

Study: Professor Donald Leu, left, and the imaginary habitat of the tree octopus he invented for his research
He also claimed that among the students who do depend on search engines for research, many do not know how to use the results.
'Typically, students will click on the first listing at the top of the results page and take a quick look, then continue down the list without studying the source of the website to figure out whether it’s the best source of information,' he said.
'Often they pass right by the website they should be looking at because it doesn’t look like the website they have in their mind.
'The challenge is we’re not preparing kids in the classroom for these new online reading skills. If kids are largely going to use the Internet now and in the future, these skills for online comprehension must be included in what teachers teach.'

'That’s what children do with their rock stars and their other cultural stars. They are accustomed to typing in the name and adding .com. That often doesn’t work for real academic research.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352929/Endangered-tree-octopus-proves-students-believe-read-Internet.html#ixzz1DPXvJz6T

martes, 8 de febrero de 2011

Human blood vessels grown in the laboratory - Telegraph

Off-the-shelf blood vessels that could revolutionise heart surgery have been developed by scientists.
Blood vessels Increible y espectacular... 
La pregunta podría ser:  Hasta dónde llegaremos?

jueves, 3 de febrero de 2011

Earth-Size Planet Candidates Found in Habitable Zone - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Earth-Size Planet Candidates Found in Habitable Zone - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Cuanto más investigan, más nos damos cuenta de la inmensidad del 
universo... y con ello de las enormes posibilidades de que se hayan 
dado en otros lugares las condiciones ideales para generar vida.
¿La encontraremos?
This artist's concept shows Kepler-11 -- the most tightly packed planetary system yet discoveredKepler-11 Planetary System
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Kepler mission has discovered its first Earth-size planet candidates and its first candidates in the habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Five of the potential planets are near Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of smaller, cooler stars than our sun.
  "In one generation we have gone from extraterrestrial planets being a mainstay of science fiction, to the present, where Kepler has helped turn science fiction into today's reality,"

miércoles, 2 de febrero de 2011

sábado, 29 de enero de 2011

13% of H.S. Biology Teachers Advocate Creationism in Class | Teaching Evolution vs. Intelligent Design | Science Education | LiveScience

13% of H.S. Biology Teachers Advocate Creationism in Class | Teaching Evolution vs. Intelligent Design | Science Education | LiveScience
El artículo nos puede llevar a un debate a cerca de si lo que los profesores de biología piensan o sienten a cerca de la evolución del universo y de la vida, puede de alguna manera interferir en su forma de explicar la materia o cuánto profundizar en el tema.

sábado, 22 de enero de 2011

High-Speed Geology: Violent Seismic Activity Tearing Africa in Two - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

High-Speed Geology: Violent Seismic Activity Tearing Africa in Two - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

De Etiopía a Mozambique, el gran valle del Rift Africano está mostrando como "pronto" cambiará de forma. Los satélites informan detalladamente de cómo las grandes fisuras no hacen sino crecer en número y profundidad.

lunes, 17 de enero de 2011

Mammoth 'could be reborn in four years'

The woolly mammoth, extinct for thousands of years, could be brought back to life in as little as four years thanks to a breakthrough in cloning technology.

Previous efforts in the 1990s to recover nuclei in cells from the skin and muscle tissue from mammoths found in the Siberian permafrost failed because they had been too badly damaged by the extreme cold.

But a technique pioneered in 2008 by Dr. Teruhiko Wakayama, of the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, was successful in cloning a mouse from the cells of another mouse that had been frozen for 16 years.

Now that hurdle has been overcome, Akira Iritani, a professor at Kyoto University, is reactivating his campaign to resurrect the species that died out 5,000 years ago.

"Now the technical problems have been overcome, all we need is a good sample of soft tissue from a frozen mammoth," he told The Daily Telegraph.

He intends to use Dr Wakayama's technique to identify the nuclei of viable mammoth cells before extracting the healthy ones.