Technology

In the Cerro de Batallones (Madrid) sites, the remains of a vertebrate have been found that, according to scientists, is a direct ancestor of the current red panda, a threatened species that lives in Asian forests. The bones found at the site are of special importance as they will allow scientists to complete the family tree of the red panda.

A research group from the Carlos III University of Madrid, the University of Salford (England), the Complutense University and the Rey Juan Carlos University has analyzed which countries will obtain the most medals in the next Olympic games. According to his prediction, Brazil and Great Britain will be the ones that will grow the most in the number of metals, with Australia and Russia the most affected.

A team of scientists from the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville) has managed to erase memories in laboratory mice, as they have declared at the VIII Congress of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) held in Barcelona. Specifically, the researchers prevented the animals from remembering the association between two stimuli that they had previously learned.

Although until now Neanderthals were thought to be carnivores, a new study published in the journal Naturwissenschaften? The Science of Nature reveals that the species had a much more varied diet than was suspected. The Neanderthals ate medicinal plants and, in addition, they knew their healing properties, as revealed by the work that has been carried out from the remains of the El Sidrón cave (Asturias).

Although the word "ribosome" does not mean anything to most mortals, the truth is that this tiny organelle that is part of all our cells is essential for life, and its study has allowed the development of numerous antibiotics. It has also been, for years, the main object of study and obsession of Ada Yonath, a tireless Israeli researcher who has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 and the L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science "in 2008.

Optogenetics is a technique used to 'turn' and 'turn off' groups of brain cells that is causing a furor in the neuroscience world. The method combines genetics, optics and virology and will allow studying the role of neurons in depression, anxiety, memory and social behavior.

Altruistic people have more gray matter in a small part of the brain that is also related to empathy or the ability to put themselves 'in the shoes' of others, according to an article published in the journal Neuron. The latest neuroscientific advances indicate that the structure of the brain is related to many personal characteristics and abilities.

While we are asleep, our brain takes the opportunity to 'assimilate' all the information received during the day. Although this is something that has been known for a long time, scientists are now beginning to understand how all this happens in our brains. A team of researchers from the Hospital Clínico de Barcelona has studied the synchrony between neurons during sleep, a process that is essential to consolidate memory, and presents its results at the congress of the European Federation of Neuroscientific Societies (FENS), which celebrate these days in Barcelona.