A point may sound like a trivial matter and yet it is a key concept in science and one that has engaged not only mathematicians – who have tried to define it since the early days of this science – but also philosophers, physicists, and theologians. Researchers from different disciplines met at SISSA to discuss this "elusive" topic.
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Riboswitches are RNA segments that switch genes on and off, either during DNA transcription or during protein translation, but little is known about the precise workings of this process. A study at SISSA uncovers some of the basic steps in this complex mechanism and paves the way for future research.
Microrobots of the future, whether surgeons, cleaners or transporters, will have to be able to move about in an efficient and precise manner. To make this possible and improve the locomotor skills of these artificial devices, scientists like Antonio De Simone and his group at the International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste are studying the movement of unicellular organisms. De Simone has just been awarded a Advanced Grant of the European Research Council (ERC) amounting to 1,300,000 euro.
The scientist, for years a professor of physiology at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, was appointed scientific director of the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) in Rome, the foundation at the leading edge of brain research established by Rita Levi Montalcini in 2005.
Thomas Cremer
October 23rd 2013, at 2.30 pm
SISSA, Main Lecture Hall
Among the most interesting discoveries in recent decades, the one that cellular DNA does not appear as a shapeless tangle, but rather is arranged into discrete "geographic" territories may be considered truly revolutionary. The first to suggest these chromosome "maps" was Thomas Cremer, a scientist whose studies represent a milestone in the fields of biology and genetics. Cremer gave a public lecture at SISSA, on Wednesday October 23.
The MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) on Iversity, the online platform offering free university courses, is available starting from 15th October. Among the teachers also Paolo Salucci, an astrophysicist of the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste.
It so happens that we interpret other people's emotions based on our own and thus sometimes make mistakes. Luckily our brain is equipped with correction devices: scientists at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, have identified the area where this mechanism should be located.
The Nobel prize in the field of Physics was awarded to Peter Higgs and François Englert, the physicists who theorized the existence of the well-known Boson, the particle whose field gives mass to some fundamental particles across the Universe. The International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) at Trieste, who only a few weeks ago bestowed Higgs the PhD honoris causa in Theoretical Particle Physics, expresses great satisfaction for this important reward.
A singular boat and team for SISSA, the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste. Seven students and one professor onboard "Le Renard", an award for the science dissemination activity carried out throughout the year, but also the opportunity to showcase the School's new merchandising.
There are words that convey a meaning, like verbs, nouns or adjectives, and others, like articles or conjunctions that sustain them, providing a structure for the sentence. A few years ago some scientists of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, together with collaborators from other Universities, showed that the order of the two categories of words within a sentence is important for language acquisition in infants already in their first year of life.
Black holes may be less simple and "clean" than how the most authoritative theoretical model describes them. This is what a group of researchers based at the International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, and IST, Lisbon, claims in a new article appeared in Physical Review Letters.
According to the scientists' calculations, these celestial bodies may actually have "hair".
The award-giving ceremony of the honorary doctorate (PhD) in Theoretical Particle Physics to Peter Higgs, the theorist of the Boson which was named after the scientist himself, has just ended. Higgs was unable to take part in the event due to health problems.
Guido Tonelli, the recipient of the Enrico Fermi 2013 Award assigned by the Italian Physics Society (SIF), in representation of the CMS experiment, and Anna Di Ciaccio, in representation of the Atlas experiment at LHC, collected the awards on Higgs' behalf.
Black holes may be less simple and "clean" than how the most authoritative theoretical model describes them. This is what a group of researchers based at the International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, and IST, Lisbon, claims in a new article appeared in Physical Review Letters.
According to the scientists' calculations, these celestial bodies may actually have "hair".
La SISSA ha partecipato con varie iniziative alle due manifestazioni di divulgazione scientifica "NEAR – la notte europea dei ricercatori" e "Trieste Next", che si sono svolte rispettivamente il 27 e il 28-29 settembre.
An exhibition proposed by National Geographic Channel unveil the tricks of our brain and launch the new season of the TV show "Che cosa ti dice il Cervello", (What does your brain tell you?). Among others, also two neuroscientists of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste as well as SISSA Medialab have collaborated on the exhibition, on display in the Galleria delle Carrozze of Milano Centrale railway station.
The exhibition and the new season of the TV show has been presented by Matteo Bordone and Olga Puccioni at a press conference on 12 September.
Claudio Tuniz
September 18th, 2013 at 4.00 pm
SISSA, Main Lecture Hall
Paleoanthropology in the last years has been going through an exceptional transformation that has allowed to make amazing discoveries (like, for instance, that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis in ancient times underwent hybridization), and will enable many more in the future.
Vent'anni di tradizione per il Master in Comunicazione della Scienza (MCS) della SISSA, il più autorevole e longevo in Italia in questo settore, che ora mette a frutto l'esperienza maturata nel campo dei media digitali e si rinnova, anche nel nome. Da quest'anno MCS è intitolato al giornalista Franco Prattico, uno tra i suoi fondatori scomparso l'anno scorso. Ma non è l'unica novità del 2013.
The Italian première of the film "Maksimovic. La storia di Bruno Pontecorvo" was held on 11 September, in the Aula Magna of Università La Sapienza. Conceived by Giuseppe Mussardo, a professor of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, the film retraces the life of the scientist and of the man who embodied the contradictions and the spirit of a tormented century.
A new research coordinated by International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Turin, studies the "code" used by the brain to categorize the objects we see and sheds light on a scientific debate: when, in the process of the brain analysis of visual stimulus, does "shape become meaning"?
Words and gestures are – partially – connected inside the brain. It is the result of a study carried out also by, among others, the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, which sheds light on a debate that has been engaging the scientific community for many years: is cognition "incorporated" (that is, depends on our body) or not? According to Raffaella Rumiati and her team the answer is yes, it is, but only under certain circumstances.