Scientists have been exploring a new type of tile made from a composite material. This tile is made by mixing crushed granite from the Măcin Mountains with a special type of plastic called polyesteric thermorigid resin. The researchers wanted to find out how much granite is needed to make the tiles
John Desmond Bernal, a key figure in molecular biology, is also known as the pioneer of the Science of Science. His book, The Social Function of Science, set the groundwork for this field. Four main ideas from Bernal’s work include considering the socio-historical context, using theoretical models,
Believe it or not, understanding how households use electricity can be like reading a book. Thanks to smart meters and a technique called Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), we can now decode these "energy stories. " LDA, typically used for analyzing text, has been applied to sort through hours of me
Have you ever wondered how to combine the thoughts of numerous experts into one solid point of view? A clever method has been suggested to do just that. Imagine experts constantly tweaking their opinions based on what others think. Each time they update, they give more weight to opinions that are si
Ever wondered how opinions spread like wildfire? It turns out, it’s not just about what we hear, but who we hear it from. Mass media theory says that opinions go through a two-step process. First, influencers, or opinion leaders, get the message from the original sources. Then, they pass it on to th
Stories have always been at the heart of human culture. They're how we share our identities, learn, and enjoy each other's company. Researchers wondered how the way stories are told—either through video or audio—affects how much we enjoy them. They asked people to rate how involved they felt while w
Have you ever wondered if everyone in your city has the same access to important services like public transport, restaurants, and entertainment? This study dives into that question by focusing on Wuhan, China. The researchers wanted to see if people living in different areas have equal access to the
Ever wondered how insects know the right time to find food or avoid enemies? It's all about timing, especially when it comes to their sense of smell! Insects live in a world full of rhythms, like day and night cycles, temperature changes, and even when their food is available or predators are active
Have you ever wondered how tiny fruit flies manage to find their way around? It turns out that their ability to sniff out their surroundings has a lot to do with special cells in their antennae called olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). These cells help flies detect smells and guide them through thei
Imagine being dropped into three different environments: one that's always changing, another that stays the same, and a third that's changing on a global scale. Which one would you think is easiest to survive in? Surprisingly, scientists found that a locally changing environment is the best for surv
