The illusion of time
According to theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, time is an illusion: our naive perception of its flow doesn’t correspond to physical reality. Indeed, as Rovelli argues …
Category: Articles Life
Antimatter’s annihilation burns brightly
Particles’ obliteration may boost semiconductor luminescence. Luminescent materials can emit brighter light when hit by antimatter particles called positrons than when excited by the particles’ …
A stockpile of antiviral defences
Sylvain Moineau is in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada, and …
Regulate artificial intelligence to avert cyber arms race
Luciano Floridi is professor of philosophy and ethics of information at the University of Oxford, UK; director of the Digital Ethics Lab at the Oxford …
Dive-bombing hummingbirds add a twist to impress mates
In most North American hummingbirds, males court females by diving at them head on – but Costa’s hummingbirds (Calypte costae) perform their courtship dives off …
Why fit fathers sire smarter offspring
Physical exercise and mental stimulation change both the brains and sperm of male mice, allowing them to transmit the benefits of their experiences to their …
Genetics and Pathogenesis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Background. Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) are phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous. Gene-expression profiling has identified subgroups of DLBCL (activated B-cell–like ABC, germinal-center B-cell–like GCB, and …
Laser-beam ‘tweezers’ guide two atoms to collide
A glass cell (vertical object, centre) holds a cloud (bright spot) of 1 million sodium atoms cooled to less than 0. 001 Kelvin, in preparation …
East Asia braces for surge in deadly tick-borne virus
Infectious-disease experts in East Asia are preparing for this year’s wave of a lethal tick-borne virus. The virus causes a disease called severe fever with …
Attacks in UK and Syria highlight growing need for chemical-forensics expertise
As investigations continue into the attempted assassination of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain, findings released this week have renewed focus …
Spain’s biggest-ever science petition decries ‘abandonment’ of research
Leading Spanish scientific organizations delivered a petition signed by more than 277,000 people to the national parliament in Madrid on 11 April, calling on the …
A stomach virus’s mysterious path into the gut is uncovered
Norovirus, which is highly contagious and can survive for days on hard surfaces, infects as many as 700 million people globally every year. Mouse experiments …