Environment Panama  PANAMÁ 12/11/2021

Orchid bees show remarkable resistance to major climate events

The longest continuous study of euglossines in the tropics found relatively stable populations of these wild bees over four decades

In the tropical forest of Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, metallic blue, green, gold and red bees follow the fragrances of flowering orchids. Male euglossine, or orchid bees, are wild New World bees attracted to the strong scents produced by flowers, fungi and fruit in nature. These pollinators’ populations, and their response to major climatological events, are the focus of long-term studies by David Roubik and Yves Basset, both staff scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).

 

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 29/10/2021

Wireless communication devices without batteries? Research and sustainability, united through light

A research team of IMDEA Networks Institute has introduced Internet of Things (IoT) devices that communicate without any batteries and harvest energy and receive data through visible light

A team of researchers, led by Domenico Giustiniano, Research Associate Professor at IMDEA Networks Institute, Madrid, has presented important advances in the creation of sustainable wireless communication systems. This represents a new step towards making battery-free devices a reality, through the convergence of two emerging technologies: LiFi and radio frequency (RF) backscatter. Potential applications include smart homes, smart cities, and smart agriculture.

  
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Environment Panama  PANAMÁ 08/10/2021

Vine takeover

The accelerated proliferation of these woody vines, due to natural disturbance, is altering forest structure, regeneration and functioning

Lianas are the bridges of the tropical forest. These long, woody vines contribute to the high diversity of tropical plants and, by linking forest trees together, they also help animals move about the canopy. However, their abundance is increasing dramatically, which may be linked to natural forest disturbance. To test this hypothesis, a team led by Stefan Schnitzer, a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), followed the fate of more than 117,000 rooted liana stems over a 10-year period in a 50-ha area of old-growth forest in Panama’s Barro Colorado Island (BCI).

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 21/09/2021

A patent granted to IMDEA Networks recognizes a new breakthrough in the study of millimeter wave bands

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office recognizes innovations in research to maximize the capabilities of signals for use in society

IMDEA Networks Institute has just been granted a new patent (in this case in Spain, in addition to the one already granted in the United States), a new recognition by the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office of its technology transfer process to the market. Method for determining geometric information of mmWave networks devices has been developed by the team formed by researchers and former IMDEA Networks researchers as Guillermo Bielsa, Joan Palacios, Paolo Casari, Joerg Widmer, and Adrian Loch.

  
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Social Sciences Spain  ESPAÑA 23/07/2021

Expenses for university R&D&I increase moderately in Spain

According to the IUNE Observatory’s 2021 Report

Total public spending on university R&D&I gradually increased by 6% between 2016 and 2019, increasing from 8,989 to 9,554 million Euros, although it has still not reached 2008 pre-recession levels, when 10,628 million Euros were invested. This data comes from the most recent edition of the IUNE Observatory’s Report, which analysed university R&D&I over the last decade (2009-2018) and which allows its figures dating back to its first edition in 2003 to be consulted. The observatory belongs to the 4 Universities Alliance (A4U, in its Spanish acronym), formed by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, in its Spanish acronym), the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM, in its Spanish acronym), the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M, in its Spanish acronym), and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF, in its Spanish acronym).

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 20/07/2021

An automated flight control system for drone swarms has been developed

Creating new procedures that improve mass drone traffic is the purpose of LABYRINTH, a European research project

Creating new procedures that improve mass drone traffic is the purpose of LABYRINTH, a European research project coordinated by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) with the participation of 13 international organisations within the R&D&I, transport, emergency, and auxiliary services fields. Researchers hope to use these drone swarm applications to improve civil road, train, sea, and air transport, making it safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

  
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Space Chile  ATACAMA 20/07/2021

EHT pinpoints dark heart of the nearest radio galaxy

The astronomers reveal how a gigantic jet is being born

An international team anchored by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration, which is known for capturing the first image of a black hole in the galaxy Messier 87, has now imaged the heart of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A in unprecedented detail. The astronomers pinpoint the location of the central supermassive black hole and reveal how a gigantic jet is being born. Most remarkably, only the outer edges of the jet seem to emit radiation, which challenges our theoretical models of jets. This work, led by Michael Janssen from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn and Radboud University Nijmegen is published in Nature Astronomy on July 19th.

 

  
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Health Portugal  PORTUGAL 07/07/2021

Into the complexity of microbial communities

New research bridges colonization processes and complexity in interacting systems of microbes, adding to a body of work with implications for understanding how biodiversity is maintained and how it changes

Microbial communities form complex ecosystems, built on networks of interactions. Gut bacteria, inside our bodies are an example, and we depend on them to help us digest food, to control our mood, or to protect us from infection. Nasopharyngeal multi-strain bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae are another example, often carried asymptomatically but sometimes causing trouble to the host. Depending on underlying diversity, microbial community dynamics can lead to different outcomes between health and disease, and display different stability or resistance to invasion.

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 02/07/2021

A new framework to improve the performance and flexibility of supercomputing

Spanish scientists have accelerated massive data processing in urban environments and mobile telephony industries or in the detection of parasites in beehives, among other fields

Researchers from the European research project ASPIDE, coordinated by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), have created a tool and utility pack for high-performance software developers to improve performance and flexibility when creating applications within the supercomputing industry. As a result, they have accelerated massive data processing in urban environments and mobile telephony industries or in the detection of parasites in beehives, among other fields.

  
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Technology Chile  CHILE 30/06/2021

Chilean discovery lays the foundations for the creation of clothes and plastics with super properties

The scientific breakthrough was led by researchers from the Physics Department of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile and the Millennium Institute for Research in Optics MIRO

Completely waterproof windbreakers, shirts that do not stain the underarm area, mega-resistant and ultra-light parka, are some of the items that could benefit from a technology developed by Chilean scientists. “We work with liquid crystals, the same ones that are in the screens of cell phones and high-tech televisions. What few people know is that they are the essential basis for forming polymers, a type of plastic, the same ones that make up many of the fabrics of the clothes we wear every day,” explains Gregorio Gonzalez, a Ph.D. student in science with a mention in physics at the University of Chile.

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 22/06/2021

Patenting a fibre optic monitoring system for 5G light-powered networks

This system will optimise energy consumption, preserving data transmission capacity

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), together with the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), has patented a multicore fibre optic monitoring system for future use in 5G networks. This system will optimise energy consumption, preserving data transmission capacity.

  
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Technology Portugal  PORTUGAL 17/06/2021

Artificial Intelligence aids the analysis of microscopy images

New platform detects cellular traits associated with diseases like cancer or infection

Researchers develop a new platform of artificial intelligence able to explore microscopy data and hasten new biomedical discoveries in health and disease. The platform—ZeroCostDL4Mic—is available in open access and allows anyone with little to no experience in coding to quickly use it and develop powerful actions, like identifying cellular traits and characterize their relation to diseases like cancer or infection.

 

  
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Health Spain  MADRID 16/06/2021

Mathematics to improve macular degeneration treatment

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the main causes of blindness

Researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have created a mathematical model and simulated numerically the progression of age-related macular degeneration, one of the main causes of blindness. This model can be used to better understand how this disease appears and assess the most effective treatments.

  
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Space Chile  ATACAMA 14/06/2021

Earliest gigantic black hole storm discovered

This finding confirm that huge black holes have a profound effect on the growth of galaxies from the very early history of the Universe

Researchers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) discovered a titanic galactic wind driven by a supermassive black hole 13.1 billion years ago. This is the earliest-yet-observed example of such wind to date and is a telltale sign that huge black holes have a profound effect on the growth of galaxies from the very early history of the Universe.

 

  
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Technology Spain  MADRID 02/06/2021

Intelligent system designed to improve vehicle stability systems

This will help to optimise the performance of skid and rollover control systems in cars, as well as to prevent potential traffic accidents

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed an intelligent system for estimating a vehicle’s dynamic behaviour and improving its stability. This will help to optimise the performance of skid and rollover control systems in cars, as well as to prevent potential traffic accidents.

  
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Social Sciences Panama  PANAMÁ 27/05/2021

Microscopic wood analyses reveal source of cathedral altarpiece

Timber anatomy studies help inform conservation and restoration decisions for historical monuments, and may provide previously unknown information about the artistic techniques or materials used in the past

The Metropolitan Basilica Cathedral Santa María La Antigua in Panama is a national monument. Possibly dating back to the late 18th century, it has survived fires and termite damage. To understand the origin and history of the cathedral’s wooden structures and contribute scientific knowledge for conservation and restoration decisions, a team that included the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and collaborating institutions analysed its wood and identified its sources.

 

  
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Space Chile  ATACAMA 24/05/2021

Oldest spiral galaxy discovered

Studies have shown that the proportion of spiral galaxies declines rapidly as we look back through the history of the Universe. So, when were the spiral galaxies formed?

Analyzing data obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), researchers found a galaxy with a spiral morphology in the Universe, only 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. This is the most ancient galaxy of its kind ever observed. The discovery of a galaxy with a spiral structure at such an early stage is an essential clue to solve the classic questions of astronomy: “How and when did spiral galaxies form?".

  
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Environment Panama  PANAMÁ 18/05/2021

Informed tourists make whale watching safer for whales

How does whale watching affect whale behavior? Who watches whales in Panama’s Las Perlas Archipelago? Researchers from STRI and ASU hope to recommend innovative data-based conservation strategies

According to the International Whaling Commission, whale-watching tourism generates more than $2.5 billion a year. After the COVID-19 pandemic, this relatively safe outdoor activity is expected to rebound. Two new studies funded by a collaborative initiative between the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and Arizona State University (ASU) show how science can contribute to whale watching practices that ensure the conservation and safety of whales and dolphins.

  
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Social Sciences Spain  MADRID 11/05/2021

A research study analyzes the mingling of documentary and fiction in movies and series

Systematically resorting to “facts” and “true stories” generates a false sensation of transparency and diminishes fiction’s artistic, political and reflexive potential

The hybridization of documentary and fictional discourses has recently adopted very specific forms with clear political and cultural implications. Continuously invoking “actual facts” in fictional audiovisual production goes beyond a mere strategy to endow the narrated story with greater authenticity. Systematically resorting to “facts” and “true stories” generates a false sensation of transparency and diminishes fiction’s artistic, political and reflexive potential, by turning it into merely “relating” some de-problematized facts and which are taken as a given (obviously, these supposed “facts” conceal very concrete discourses and which are heavily biased). This dogmatic turn in fiction is related to a progressive restriction and depletion of ways to narrate and telling, in the guise of audiovisual diversity that supposedly characterizes the digital multiplatform environment. These are some of the conclusions from a study by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) professor, Pilar Carrera, who analyzes the proliferation of para-documentary resources in audiovisual fiction.

  
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Technology Spain  ESPAÑA 07/05/2021

Smart magnetic soft materials to develop artificial muscles and therapeutic robots

The UC3M’s 4D-BIOMAP project

Developing a new generation of artificial muscles and soft nanorobots for drug delivery are some of the long-term goals of 4D-BIOMAP, an ERC research project being undertaken by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M).This project develops cross-cutting bio-magneto-mechanical methodologies to stimulate and control biological processes such as cell migration and proliferation, the organism’s electrophysiological response, and the origin and development of soft tissue pathologies.

  
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