The AlphaGalileo Blog 09/08/2024
August eNews
Welcome to the August Edition of AlphaGalileo eNews!
In this edition, you'll discover our top 5 most-read news items from July, our Editor's Choice where researchers delve into the mysteries of consciousness through eureka moments, and our Image of the Month that explains how sapphires are formed in volcanoes.
If you have any questions, feedback, or simply want to connect, don't hesitate to reach out to the News Team at news@alphagalileo.org. We're here to assist you!
We hope you enjoy this month's edition of our eNews.
Best regards,
The AlphaGalileo News Team
Top 5
1. The journey to a healthy smile, published by European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) on 16 July
Lifestyle choices significantly affect oral health, and a healthy smile is more than just an aesthetic asset — it's a key indicator of overall health. Conditions such as gingivitis and periodontitis can have far-reaching impacts, affecting not only the mouth, but the entire body, making good oral hygiene essential.
Read the news
2. UC3M student startup, Solaris Vita, awarded in Europe's largest entrepreneurship competition, published by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - Oficina de Información Científica on 12 July
Solaris Vita, a startup created by students at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), has won second place in the "Innovation of the Year" category at Gen-E 2024, the largest European youth entrepreneurship competition, organized by Junior Achievement Europe. This is the first time that a Spanish university team has won this award.
Read the news
3. Swedish labour market consensus is far from the whole story, published by the University of Uppsala on 10 July
20th Swedish labour market policy was not solely shaped by inter-class cooperation. Industrial rationalisation and investments in new technology led to tough conflicts between employers and employees, new doctoral thesis in the field of economic history shows. “Technological change has always meant a renegotiation of the balance of power. There is no such thing as politically neutral technology; it is shaped by various societal interests. History can give us a better understanding of how present-day society can manage the challenges posed by technological change,” says PhD Arvand Mirsafian.
Read the news
4. New Radiative Transfer Modeling Framework Enhances Deep Learning for Plant Phenotyping, published by TranSpread on 2 July
A research team has developed a radiative transfer modeling framework using Helios 3D plant modeling software to simulate RGB, multi-/hyperspectral, thermal, and depth camera images with fully resolved reference labels.
Read the news
5. Earth BioGenome Project to sequence the genome of nearly 40,000 plant, animal and fungi species in Catalan-speaking territories, published by Universidad de Barcelona on 18 July
Biodiversity loss is one of the most alarming threads the planet faces. Degraded habitats, overexploited resources, climate crisis and invasive species are some of the factors that threaten the richness and variety of living species. The rapid and progressive disappearance of organisms — some experts talk about a sixth mass extinction — will create major imbalances and ecosystems, alter ecological cycles and relationships between species, affecting all forms of life, including the human species.
Read the news
Editor's Choice
Exploring Consciousness with Eureka Moments, published by Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum on 25 July 2024
For generations, researchers have been pondering the question of how and where consciousness is formed in the brain. Professor Ekrem Dere from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, proposes a new approach to researching conscious cognitive information processing. He advocates defining phases of conscious cognitive processes on the basis of behavioral observations and learning curves.
Read more here
![](https://www.alphagalileo.org/DTControls/DocumentsUploaderControl/DocumentsController.aspx?action=download&document_id=207262&hit=true)
Image Caption: Animals can learn a lot. Just like humans, they sometimes experience a eureka moment. This could be valuable for research into consciousness. © Katja Marquard
Image of the month
A Blue Miracle in the Eifel: How Sapphires Formed in Volcanoes, published by Universität Heidelberg on 29 July 2024
Researchers at Heidelberg University are studying the formation of this characteristically blue-colored crystal in volcanic melts
Sapphires are among the most precious gems, yet they consist solely of chemically “contaminated” aluminum oxide, or corundum. Worldwide, these characteristically blue-colored crystals are mainly found in association with silicon-poor volcanic rocks. This connection is widely assumed to result from sapphires originating in deep crustal rocks and accidentally ending up on the Earth’s surface as magma ascended. Through geochemical analyses, geoscientists at Heidelberg University have shown that the millimeter-sized sapphire grains found in the Eifel (Germany) formed in association with volcanism.
Read more here
![](https://www.alphagalileo.org/DTControls/DocumentsUploaderControl/DocumentsController.aspx?action=download&document_id=207380&hit=true)
Image caption: A sapphire from sediment in the Kyll, a river in the western Eifel. The crystal measures approximately 0.9 mm in diameter. Photo: Sebastian Schmidt (this image may be used only in connection with the contents of this press release, and the source of the image must also be cited).