Editorial / Analysis
European Science after Brexit: Science as a cohesive political tool
Miguel A. De la Rosa
Former FEBS Chairman. cicCartuja, Sevilla (Spain)
The result of the Brexit referendum – announced on the 23rd of June 2016 – was an unpleasant surprise for many inside and outside the UK. Shortly after the result was declared, an editorial was released by the journal Nature stating that “Scientists – just like everybody else – have little idea what will happen now that the United Kingdom has voted to exit the European Union”. Much has been discussed since then, but in reality little has advanced, and almost one year on, we still have no idea…
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beyond Biophysics
Medical Physics and Biophysics
A conversation with José Bernabéu
Jesús Salgado
ICMol – UV, Valencia (Spain)
Medicine and physics have always been interconnected. Physics is at the ground of all natural sciences, of which medicine is arguably the most impacting one since health is a priority for people. Advances in physics mean new ways to interpret Nature and often give rise to new concepts and methodologies which allow advances in other branches of science. Among them, medicine enjoys a privileged attraction by physicists. This alone explains the synergy between Physics and Medicine, at least during the last century…
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cool Biophysics
Protein aggregation: Toxicity and function, two sides of the same coin
Salvador Ventura
IBB – UAB, Barcelona (Spain)
Protein misfolding and aggregation are linked to the onset of more than 40 human diseases. Although protein aggregation is potentially harmful for the cell and usually compromises its fitness, the vast majority of proteins contain sequences that predispose them to aggregate. The reason behind this apparent contradiction is that the presence of such sequences provides a number of structural and functional advantages, as long as they are kept under control…
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