Science is much more than knowledge

As part of explora RM Norte's Open Science initiative, during the second discussion of the year, researchers from various institutions met, who told how scientific contributions from their areas have positively impacted the advancement of science. This year's discussion cycle, are streamed live via Explora RM Norte's Facebook and YouTube.

On this occasion the activity had the participation of Jocelyn Dunstand, Physical, PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge; Luis Larrondo, Biochemical, Dr. in cellular and molecular biology, academic and researcher at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Director of the Instituto Milenio Ibio; Andres Navas, mathematician, Dr. In mathematics, academic and researcher at the University of Santiago de Chile and Daniela Báez, DRA. In chemistry and researcher at the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDIS) University of Chile.

To start the researchers referred to the most significant scientific contributions from their research areas. For example, the Dra. Daniela Báez from the area of nanotechnology counted as a great discovery the set of small but very significant findings, for example "we all use sunscreens and in the past these products were super sticky, but it was currently discovered that using nanoparticles of one of the elements (titanium dioxide) the content of these products becomes lighter".

From mathematics, Dr. Andrew, stressed that it is difficult to select a single find in this area. "I am an advocate of mathematics as a discipline in general., that is, mathematics advances together and it is necessary to draw on ideas and techniques of the knowledge of other peers to advance in this discipline", but one of the advances that I was most happy to have lived at the time it was resolved, because it could have been 100 or 200 years without an answer, was the solution of the poincaré conjecture, -result on the four-dimensional sphere the hypothesis ceased to be a conjecture to become a theorem, after its verification in 2006 by the mathematician Grigori Perelman-.

Science made in Chile

During the conversation, the Dra. Jocelyn Dunstand, he said that among the goals of his research team is to "democratize information", that is, that all people have access to information in the language they handle. Another of our objectives is to make an interactive map with all the diseases and priority of each pathology, this could significantly reduce the waiting list for many diseases, commented Jocelyn.

From the area of molecular biology, Dr. Luis Larrondo referred to the new adaptation of a well-known saying "We are what we eat" by "We are what time we eat", reported that in recent years it has been seen more and more, alterations in molecular machinery, affecting for example the metabolism and even leading to a greater tendency to develop cancer or another disease, but within these mechanisms appeared a super simple explanation, which refutes this ancient saying and is now being studied that "we are what time we eat", this observation was first made in the laboratory and has been validated in humans and shows that if we restrict the consumption of food to certain times of the day, mainly at the times we are active, we can eat a lot and not gain weight, Explained.

On the other hand, the ACCDIS researcher, DRA. Daniela explained that, from the area of nanotechnology, as well as in many disciplines of the sciences, the results are evident in the long term, However, from his line of research related to nanomaeriales and medicine, commented "for example, these micro elements could positively impact imaging exams or use them in cancer therapies, as a complementary aid to the techniques that already exist". He also added, "In the coming years we will begin to see more often the use of graphenes and their derivatives - a substance composed of pure carbon, with atoms arranged a hexagonal regular pattern, graphite-like- when we have screens on the most flexible phones, more resistant to water or breakage, this innovation also involves nanomaterials".

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Explore NORTH RM, is an associative project led by the University of Chile through the Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and its executing unit is the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS ).