UCM

Complutense University of Madrid

Information
Av. Séneca 2, 28040 Madrid

addictions, Alzheimer's, Antarctica / Arctic, astrobiology, astrophysics, big data, bioethics, climate change, cancer, behavioural sciences, natural sciences, climate, quantum computing, pollution, covid-19, embryonic development, diabetes, gene editing, education, energy, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, rare diseases, ageing, epidemiology, STDs, physics, immunology, language, mathematics, microbiology, nanoscience, neuroscience, new materials, palaeontology, chemistry, robotics, mental health, AIDS / HIV, sociology, supercomputing, transgenics
Contact
María Milán García
Journalist at the OTRI Scientific Culture Unit
m.milan@ucm.es
617691087

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SMC participants

Researcher in the Instrumental and Galactic Astrophysics group at the Complutense University of Madrid and leader of the citizen science project Cities at Night

Professor of Prehistory and member of the Institute for Feminist Research at the Complutense University of Madrid

Professor of Astrophysics and Director of the Space Astronomy Group at the Complutense University of Madrid

Professor of Animal Health at the Complutense University of Madrid and advisor to the WHO in the field of antibiotic resistance

Sociologist at the Complutense University of Madrid

Professor of Regional Geographical Analysis and Director of the Research Group 'Forest Geography, Policy and Socioeconomics'

Talent Researcher in the Department of Theoretical Physics of the Complutense University of Madrid

Professor of Geophysics and Meterorology in the Department of Earth Physics and Astrophysics at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Physics, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and researcher at IGEO

Professor of the Department of Earth Physics and Astrophysics at the Faculty of Physical Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid

Contents related to this centre
sperm

Researchers in the United States have tested a new technique to select sperm and thereby increase the chances that the embryo will be of either sex. The proven efficacy is around 80 %. Although some countries such as the United States allow this type of procedure, in Spain it is prohibited except in cases of prevention of diseases linked to sex chromosomes. The authors of the article state that sperm selection is more ethically acceptable than embryo selection. The results are published in the journal PLOS ONE.

orbital debris

Space debris and satellites orbiting close to Earth have proliferated in recent years. Two articles in Nature Astronomy warn of their impact on light pollution. In the first, a team calculates the increase in the brightness of the night sky and warns of the effect on ecosystems and astronomical observations from Earth. In the second, which is a commentary, the authors call for limiting the production of artificial light and the number of satellites in orbit, calling on the scientific community to take on the big space and big light companies. Both articles are co-signed by Salvador Bará, from the Agrupación Astronómica Coruñesa, and the second by Fabio Falchi, from the University of Santiago de Compostela.

sucralose

A study in mice has found that high doses of the sweetener sucralose can reduce the immune response and, under certain laboratory conditions, alter its action against infections or tumours. The results are published in the journal Nature.

Mujeres Edad Media

A study has analysed around 10,000 teeth from 139 archaeological sites in Europe dating from around 1200 AD in the Middle Ages. The differences between the teeth of men and women make it possible to establish who had better living conditions and received more attention in each place. Comparing the data with the contemporary situation, they conclude that greater gender discrimination in the past correlates with greater inequality today. According to the authors, this persistence is most likely due to intergenerational transmission, as it is interrupted when there is a large population replacement. The results are published in the journal PNAS.

sweetener

A study has associated the consumption of the sweetener erythritol with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically myocardial infarction and stroke. The data are published in the journal Nature Medicine.

earthquake

Early this morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The authorities have reported thousands of deaths and extensive material damage. A second earthquake has occurred further north than the previous one.

boy

A meta-analysis of 42 studies from 15 countries, including Spain, concludes that the covid-19 pandemic caused learning delays in school-aged children and a loss of knowledge equivalent to 35% of the learning of a school year. The research, published in Nature Human Behaviour, highlights that these effects persisted over time.

night

The brightness of the night sky has increased by 7 to 10 % per year (depending on the region of the world) in the range visible to the human eye, according to an analysis based on 51,000 observations made with the naked eye by citizen scientists between 2011 and 2022. According to the research, published in Science, this increase is faster than what can be observed with satellites; satellites cannot detect blue emissions from LED lights, which are increasingly used in street lighting.

David Vetter

Bubble boy syndrome is a very serious condition caused by combined immunodeficiency. It is sometimes caused by certain mutations in the gene that codes for the Artemis protein. A phase I-II clinical trial has tested a gene therapy that adds a correct copy of the gene. The results are published in the journal NEJM.

pilares

Two decades of work with numerous setbacks, a budget of more than 10 billion dollars and a journey of 1.5 million kilometres to provide us with images of the universe in unprecedented detail have led Science magazine to choose the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as the science breakthrough of 2022.