Authors:Adéla Koťátková, Manuel Miralles Hernández Abstract: In this article, we explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve doctor-patient communication, particularly in the reinterpretation of medical reports. We explore the use of chatbots, such as ChatGPT, to adapt and simplify complex medical texts for patients. We highlight the benefits of AI in improving the readability of reports, with a pilot study demonstrating a 19–31% improvement in patient understanding. We also emphasise the need for human oversight, particularly to ensure the accuracy and confidentiality of clinical information. We mention future applications, including multilingual adaptation and tools to support the doctor-patient conversation. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.28177
Authors:Lluís Pascual Abstract: Learning to transform matter – whether by cooking food or turning minerals into materials for making tools – has been key to the development of human societies. Everything we are and do is in some way chemistry. In the Age of Enlightenment, with the lucid impetus of Antoine Lavoisier and his wife Marie Anne Paulze, this ancient knowledge became a scientific discipline. Like a spark falling on a powder keg, it would ignite the great social transformations of the 20th century. New industries emerged that filled our lives with colourful materials, plastics, with almost infinite uses; developed new generations of medicines that killed off endemic diseases; and provided agricultural inputs – fertilisers and pesticides – that boosted food production on an unprecedented scale. Chemistry has undoubtedly improved our quality of life, but it has sometimes been misused, overshadowing the important role it has played and continues to play in the development of a world that must necessarily become more sustainable. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.29175
Authors:Bianca Stadelmann, Chris Slootweg Abstract: In this article we explore the imperative shift from a linear economic model to a circular one, with a particular focus on the pivotal role of chemistry in this transition. It elucidates the critical global challenges stemming from unsustainable resource extraction and the linear «take-make-dispose» approach, including climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss. Circular chemistry emerges as a promising solution, guided by principles of green chemistry and circular economy. It advocates for perpetual material cycles, emphasizing sustainable end-of-life strategies and product design that prioritizes reuse and recycling. We underscore the need for chemistry to prioritize efficiency, safety, and circularity, while also addressing challenges associated with complex waste streams and the responsible mineralization of chemicals. Achieving circular chemistry necessitates cooperation among individuals, educational and scientific institutions, industries, and regulatory bodies, and as such it can significantly contribute to mitigating global environmental crises by establishing sustainable material circulation as a cornerstone principle. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27370
Authors:Lluís Pascual, Emanuela Accardo, Hermenegildo Garcia Baldoví Abstract: Today's global food production depends on the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by using the Haber-Bosch process. The application of this catalytic system laid the foundations for the development of industrial agriculture and led to an unprecedented acceleration in the growth of human societies during the so-called Green Revolution. However, this production model does not appear to be able to adapt to the current challenges of energy sustainability and climate crisis response. The Haber-Bosch cycle has a major impact on energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. In order to rethink this agri-food model, this article examines chemical and technological development strategies to move towards an energy and environmentally sustainable model. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27595
Authors:Jorge Torrubia, Alicia Valero Abstract: Copper is one of the key metals for the digital and energy transition, which will increase demand in the coming years. On the other hand, primary extraction poses increasing environmental problems due to the progressive decline in the mineral concentration of deposits (ore grade). In this context, electronic waste is becoming a very promising source of secondary copper. However, this form of copper recovery presents a number of technological and chemical challenges, including the use of renewable energy, the separation of plastics from waste and increasing process efficiency. Given the thermodynamic limitations of these processes, other non-technological aspects are very important in the transition. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27181
Authors:Maria Soler, Laura M. Lechuga Abstract: Biosensors have been profiled as potential next-generation diagnostic technologies, offering excellent clinical performance, wide versatility, and integration in miniaturized devices for on-site and portable analysis. But the sensor biofunctionalization, the way bioreceptors are immobilized on the sensor chip, is still an unresolved challenge that demands for specific research in surface chemistry strategies and the use of novel nanomaterials. We provide a brief overview of the key factors driving the improvement of medical biosensors, with a special focus on the current limitations in sensor surface modification and the direct analysis of human samples. We conclude the successful implementation of cutting-edge diagnostic biosensors will only be possible through the collaborative synergy of different sciences, including physics, biology, engineering, and certainly chemistry. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27225
Authors:Joan O. Grimalt Abstract: A key element in the improvement of human living conditions brought about by the Industrial Revolution was the synthesis of new chemical compounds, such as DDT. These had positive effects on humans and, indirectly, on some ecosystems, such as wetlands. However, many of these compounds also had harmful effects on both humans and wildlife, which were only discovered decades after they were first used. An international group of scientists has proposed the creation of a body similar to the International Panel on Climate Change to study the compounds being produced and to provide social and political managers with the necessary information to avoid these problems. The United Nations Environment Assembly has decided to create this body. PubDate: 2024-07-04 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27513
Authors:Rafael García-Molina Abstract: Today's society enjoys a welfare state that is largely a consequence of the scientific and technological advances of previous eras (especially the last century). Currently, (non-specialist) citizens interested in scientific topics have access to them in a variety of ways, from the classic formats of books and popular science magazines, television, and radio programmes, to internet platforms and social networks. And while being published is not synonymous with being worthwhile and reliable, the visibility that science can gain from these media is a welcome change. In addition to reporting on scientific and technological advances, an important part of the content offered by these media consists of recreational science activities, which provide an opportunity to acquire scientific knowledge in an entertaining way. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.28486
Authors:Rafael Garcia-Molina Abstract: One way of encouraging people's interest in physics is to provide them with rewarding experiences that stimulate their curiosity and at the same time encourage them to seek an explanation for the phenomena they observe. These experiences need to be related to the everyday environment to show that basic but far-reaching physical knowledge is accessible without the need for sophisticated equipment. To this end, recreational physics seamlessly blends science, entertainment and outreach by incorporating experiments and games that appeal to people of different ages and educational backgrounds. In this article, we review the most notable documents, authors and activities in recreational physics to show how this discipline has evolved over the centuries and where it stands today. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27571
Authors:Gabriel Pinto Abstract: After introducing some general ideas about recreational chemistry, here I provide some historical references from the 18th century to the present day. These include philosophical evenings, the creation of institutions for popularising science, and the publication of emblematic books and journals on the subject. I discuss the activities of some prominent personalities in recreational chemistry and analyse the specificities of different aspects of this domain such as varying approaches (games and gamification, science fairs, media, the internet, and software, etc.). These are compared to other fields of science popularisation (prevention and safety, specific recommendations for its use, etc.) and implications for science teaching and popularisation in relation to this field of knowledge. Finally, with the conclusions, I have also provided bibliographical references to facilitate further study of the subject. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27481
Authors:Fernando Blasco Abstract: This article presents a historical approach to recreational mathematics and the kinds of questions it deals with. I will present some authors, their works, the problems they contributed, and the fields of knowledge to which they gave rise, from Egyptian mathematics through the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution to the 19th century, devoting a special section to the work of Leonhard Euler. I will present the problems, but not the solutions, so that the readers can actively participate by solving them or, if they wish, by checking the solutions in the references given. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27423
Authors:Miguel García-Guerrero, Viridiana Esparza-Manrique Abstract: Science recreation, as a means of science outreach, has gained a lot of momentum over the last decades. Its greatest strength arises from the interactive essence that fosters rewarding experiences for the participants. However, this modality has lacked formal analysis to establish its fundamental characteristics and opportunities for advancement. The present work integrates the experience of more than 30 years in the development of science recreation activities with important analytical contributions, of the last years, to build a cutting-edge perspective of the field. To go further, it is articulated with the importance of the systematic work of clubs that achieve a deeper impact on the public. All this is rounded off addressing the case of the Children's Science Club, in Zacatecas, Mexico, to share learning and results of three decades of experience. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27173
Authors:Marc Boada Abstract: The aim of this collaboration is to reflect on outdoor recreational science and its relationship with teaching, scientific dissemination, collecting or geological tourism. I propose a radical vision of scientific experimentation outside the academic field, with more varied techniques, processes and materials, emphasising the importance of the «object», often of natural origin, as a motivator of perception, fine observation and scientific curiosity. I also briefly consider the impact it can have on the natural environment and the need to find a balance between human pressure and respect for the environment. Finally, I propose the inclusion of recreational scientific activities in camps, rural hotels, and other accommodation in nature, and even in specific spaces, as a necessary leisure activity for the knowledge society. PubDate: 2024-03-26 DOI: 10.7203/metode.15.27483
Open Access journal
