People crave the company of their peers after a period of loneliness, just as we crave food when we are hungry.
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Within the small volume of a single cell, reactants are bound together in a confined space through highly evolved chemical recognition events. The way nature controls chemical reactivity within a cell is what any organic chemist could dream of: multiple reactions that can be specifically controlled in complex mixtures without any cross-reactivity.
Inspired by this, a group of researchers from the University of Rome has published A study in Nature in which the use of antibodies to control chemical reactions is demonstrated.
IgG antibodies
The study has thus demonstrated the possibility of using bivalent biomolecules (i.e., IgG antibodies) to induce proximity between reagents and thus control their chemical reactivity.
For the first time, therefore, the possibility of controlling reactions with antibodies is opened, which allows the formation of reaction products to be controlled, and that these are generated only in the presence of specific antibodies.
These reaction products can be designed to be functional molecules, with therapeutic use, for example.
In this specific study, the formation of an anticoagulant agent is demonstrated through the reaction induced by the presence of the specific antibody. We see how only in the presence of the antibody in question, the anticoagulant agent is formed and then inhibits the activity of thrombin (a key enzyme in blood clotting).
The strategy is very versatile, allowing it to be applied to any type of reaction (that is, generating a wide variety of products) and to be designed for any type of IgG antibody.
IgG antibodies are notable biomarkers; They are the signs that provide us with indications about many diseases and how our immune system counteracts them. The potential ability of IgG antibodies to control chemical reactions would allow the formation of different molecules, ranging from imaging to therapeutic agents, only when a specific diagnostic IgG antibody is present in our body. It is thus predicted that this strategy could find applications in diagnosis and therapy.
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The news
It is possible to use antibodies to control chemical reactions and form certain types of molecules with therapeutic use
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
Post memes ridiculing those who They refuse to get vaccinated for COVID-19 It is something that has become fashionable, as have memes ridiculing those who are in favor of the vaccine.
However, neither the real objective of these memes is to change the opinions of others, nor are they very effective (rather they produce the opposite effect). In a nutshell, Posting memes on social media unlikely to change minds about vaccination.
Why do we post memes?
Two decades of research show that we post memes or any other content on social media for three fundamental reasons:
- To show an idealized image from ourselves. That is to say, to sell ourselves in society.
- To show and support our memberships in groups, whether it be our family, a political party, or our love for a sports team (also whether we are pro-science or anti-science).
- Draw attention and receive feedback. It is a way to get attention and likes from like-minded people within the social media circle.
Influence others and change their opinions It is the fourth reason to post content on social media, but it is usually the least important for our purposes. Furthermore, this fourth reason may only be effective on the subset of people who are influential on social media, either because they are very popular and have a large following on social media or because they are experts in a particular field.
For most social media users the three main motivations are much more relevant. Posting a pro-vaccine meme is a way to publicly express support for vaccination and all related political and social positions associated with said support.
Furthermore, as already suggested by scientific literature about itIn general, attempts to persuade someone with a point of view opposite to our own harden and polarize the target's existing attitudes. Let's not say if these attempts are covered in the sarcasm of a meme.
In regarding vaccinesIn addition, we are in an urgent scenario where there is an excess of contradictory information. We could try to do pedagogy, try to inform people, even try to persuade them with the best possible rhetoric. However, if this doesn't work and we are in a hurry, it would be like trying to debate with the airline passenger about how to proceed in the face of an oncoming storm.
Finally, we must place our trust, to a greater or lesser extent, in the pilot's decisions (which can be publicly audited); and to achieve this without stumbling into totalitarianism, perhaps a more useful strategy would be the so-called libertarian paternalism:
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The news
Posting memes mocking COVID-19 anti-vaccines has the opposite effect to that intended (which in reality we do not intend)
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
Despite the lack of romantic attraction towards a suitor, there are women who would choose to go on a romantic date to receive a free dinner from the suitor. It is what has come to be called Foodie Calls.
Although the idea of the gastronomic call has been discussed in popular media for some time, psychologists Brian Collisson, Jennifer Howell and Trista Harig have been the first to address its study in the next investigation published in
Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Foodie Call
The research is based on two studies in which women were surveyed regarding their behavior regarding foddie calls, dark triad personality traits, traditional gender role beliefs, and online dating history.
The research concludes that between 23 and 33% of the women surveyed had on some occasion deliberately misrepresented their romantic interest towards a man to have dinner at his expense.
In Study 1, dark triad beliefs and traditional gender roles significantly predicted foodie calls' prior behavior and perceived acceptability. Study 2 used more comprehensive measures and again suggested that dark triad traits (narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) predicted foodie calls and their perceived acceptability.
Collisson and his colleagues point out that the foodie perpetrator can be a man or a woman, and can happen in both same-sex and opposite-sex contexts. However, it is usually described as a case of a woman receiving a dinner offer from a man and pretending to be romantically interested just to get a free meal at a nice restaurant. For this reason, The researchers only surveyed women who identified themselves as heterosexual.
Scoring high in the traits of the dark triad means displaying these traits with greater intensity:
- Machiavellianism. They manipulate and deceive others for their own benefit.
- Psychopathy. They lack empathy for the plight of others and feel no remorse for their own harmful actions.
- Narcissism. They have an inflated sense of their own importance and rights. Additionally, although they are socially skilled, they have little interest in building deep relationships with others.
More than a thousand women completed questionnaires that assessed the following:
- Frequency of foodie calls. First, they were asked if they had ever participated in a foodie call. If they responded positively, they were asked to estimate how many times they had done it. Finally, they rated the social acceptability of this practice.
- dark triad. Respondents answered questions from commonly used scales designed to assess the degree of Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism.
- Gender role beliefs. Items in this questionnaire assessed respondents' endorsement of traditional gender roles. Among these, of course, was the belief that it is a man's duty to pay all expenses on a date.
However, it should be noted that the majority of the women surveyed did not approve of foodie calls or get involved in them.
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The news
Up to a third of women surveyed would admit to going on a romantic date just to be invited to free dinner
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
It's actually protecting us.
Scientists have been warning us for years.
A first for astronomy.