UB researchers identify a mixed-order phase transition
UBICS
people
22/12/2017
UBICS researchers identify a mixed-order phase transition
An article by a team of the University of Barcelona, composed by Ricard Alert, researcher from the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS); Jaume Casademunt, Professor and researcher from the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS); and Pietro Tierno, researcher from the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS)and member of the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows the theoretical prediction and experimental observation that a mixed-order transition in a magnetic colloidal crystal, that is, a solid formed by a suspension of magnetic microparticles.
Article reference:
R. Alert, P. Tierno, and J. Casademunt. Mixed-order phase transition in a colloidal crystal. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 114, 12906 (2017). Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1712584114
4 Beques UBICS: Fi termini 16/10/17
ubics
grants
02/10/2017
Beca UBICS, dedicació 15 hores, període gener-juny 2018, dotació econòmica mensual (import brut) 324,80 € per la col·laboració a través dels Màsters següents el curs 2017-2018:
- Màster de modelització Computacional atomística i multiescala en física, química i bioquímica
- Màster de Fonaments de la ciència de dades
- Màster de Ciència Cognitiva i Llenguatge
- Màster Interuniversitari en Intel·ligència Artificial (UB, UPC, URV)
- Màster de Comunicació Especialitzada
- Màster de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia
Convocatòria i Sol·licitud
UBICS Scholarship, dedication 15 hours, period January-June 2018, monthly financial grant (gross amount) € 324.80 for collaboration through the following Masters in the 2017-2018 course:
- Master's degree in atomistic and multiscale computational modelling in physics, chemistry and biochemistry
- Master's degree in Fundamental Principles of Data Science
- Master's degree in Cognitive Science and Language
- Interuniversity Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence (UB, UPC, URV)
- Master's degree in Specialized Communication
- Master's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Call i Application
1 Beca UBICS Fi de termini 16/10/17
ubics
grants
02/10/2017
Beca UBICS, dedicació 25 hores, període gener-juny 2018, dotació econòmica mensual (import brut) 541,30 € per la col·laboració a través dels Màsters següents el curs 2017-2018:
- Màster de modelització Computacional atomística i multiescala en física, química i bioquímica
- Màster de Fonaments de la ciència de dades
- Màster de Ciència Cognitiva i Llenguatge
- Màster Interuniversitari en Intel·ligència Artificial (UB, UPC, URV)
- Màster de Comunicació Especialitzada
- Màster de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia
Convocatòria i Sol·licitud
UBICS Scholarship, dedication 25 hours, period January-June 2018, monthly financial grant (gross amount) € 541.30 for collaboration through the following Masters in the 2017-2018 course:
- Master's degree in atomistic and multiscale computational modelling in physics, chemistry and biochemistry
- Master's degree in Fundamental Principles of Data Science
- Master's degree in Cognitive Science and Language
- Interuniversity Master's degree in Artificial Intelligence (UB, UPC, URV)
- Master's degree in Specialized Communication
- Master's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Call i Application
BORSES D’AJUTS DRAC* PER A ESTUDIANTS DE LA UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA
ubics
grants
01/01/1970
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PROGRAMA DRAC
BORSES D’AJUTS DRAC* PER A ESTUDIANTS DE LA UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA, PER ASSISTIR A CURSOS, SEMINARIS O ALTRES ACTIVITATS DE LA XARXA VIVES D’UNIVERSITATS O DE LES SEVES UNIVERSITATS MEMBRES
*DRAC-Hivern (adreçats a estudiants de grau o enginyeria amb més de 60 crèdits aprovats)
*DRAC-Formació Avançada (adreçats a estudiants de doctorat i de màster oficial)
*DRAC-Estiu (per assistir a algun dels cursos o activitats que figuren a la Guia de cursos d’estiu que cada any edita la Xarxa Vives d’Universitats)
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Informació: A Beques i Ajuts a l’Estudiant - Beques de Col·laboració (Pavelló Rosa)
A Internet: http://www.ub.edu/beques/ajuts/drac/welcome.html
Presentació de sol·licituds: a qualsevol registre de la Universitat de Barcelona. Convocatòria permanent tot l’any i específica d’estiu, cal consultar condicions i períodes de resolució al web de la Xarxa Vives http://www.vives.org/serveis/ajuts-drac-a-la-mobilitat-a-la-regio-vives/
Did humans domesticate themselves?
1
projects
01/01/1970
Human ‘self-domestication’ is a hypothesis that states that among the driving forces of human evolution, humans selected their companions depending on who had a more pro-social behavior. Researchers from a team of the UB led by Cedric Boeckx, ICREA professor at the Department of Catalan Philology and General Linguistics and member of the Institute of Complex Systems of the University of Barcelona (UBICS), found out new genetic evidence for this evolutionary process.
The study, published in the science journal PLOS ONE, compared the genomes of modern humans to those of several domesticated species and their wild animal type, in order to look for overlapping genes that were associated with domestication traits, such as docility or a gracile physiognomy. The results showed a statistically significant number of genes associated with domestication which overlapped between domestic animals and modern humans, but not with their wild equals, like Neanderthals.
According to the researchers, these results reinforce the human self-domestication hypothesis and “help to shed light on one aspect that makes us human, our social instinct”.
A new type of evidence: the genomes of extinct human relatives
Self-domestication would occur in species that display anatomical and behavioural features which are typical of domestic animals in comparison to their wild types. However, in these cases, domestication would have taken place without any other species domesticating the others. Several studies proposed the hypothesis stating that humans –and other species such as bonobos- domesticated themselves. The aim of this study was to find out biological evidence of the self-domestication by looking at a new type of data that has become available: the genomes of our extinct relatives, such as Neanderthals or Denisovans.
“One reason that made scientists claim that humans are self-domesticated lied within our behavior: modern humans are docile and tolerant, like domesticated species, our cooperative abilities and pro-social behaviour are key features of our modern cognition”, says Cedric Boeckx. “The second reason is that modern humans, when compared to Neanderthals, present a more gracile phenotype that resembles the one seen in domesticates when compared to their wild-type cousins,” added the expert.
To identify signs of a self-domestication process in humans, researchers made a list of genes associated with domestication features in humans, out of the comparison with the genome in Neanderthals and Denisovans, extinct human species. Then, they compared this list to the genome from some domesticated animals and their wild relatives, for instance, dogs compared to wolves, and cattle compared to wisents.
Results showed that this overlap was only relevant between domesticated species and humans. “Those modern humans’ selected genes under selection may prove central to a relevant process of domestication, given that these interactions may provide significant data on relevant phenotypic traits”, said Cedric.
Intersection between modern humans and domesticated species
Researchers also employed other statistical measures, including control species, to certify these results. Their aim was to rule out the fact that these genes could be randomly overlapped between humans and domesticated animals when compared, so they compared the genomes among other great apes. “We found that chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas do not show a significant overlap of genes under positive selection with domesticates. Therefore, it seems there is a 'special' intersection between humans and domesticated species, and we take this to be evidence for self-domestication,” Boeckx said.
Researchers note that there is still more experimental work to do in order to find out the anatomical, cognitive and behavioural characteristics that are associated with these genes. “We suspect it will cover the anatomical, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics that researchers used to motivate the idea of self-domestication. We think that the overlap we found could help us explain our special mode of cognition and why we are strikingly cooperative, but this remains to be put to the test. In a sense, what we did is narrow down the set of genes to examine experimentally”, concluded Cedric Boeckx.
Article reference:
Theofanopoulou C., Gastaldon S., O’Rourke T., Samuels B.D., Messner A., Tiago Martins P.T., Delogu F., Alamri S., Boeckx C. "Self-domestication in Homo sapiens: Insights from comparative genomics". PLOS ONE. October 2017. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185306
Ramon y Cajal and Juan de la Cierva 2017
UBICS
grants
11/03/2017
National Programme for the Promotion of Talent and Its Employability. National Sub-Programme for Incorporation Ramón y Cajal (RYC) 2017
Application deadlines 14/12/2017-16/01/2018
These grants are aimed at promoting the incorporation of national and foreign researchers with an outstanding career in R&D centers, by, on the one hand, the granting of aid for their employment, and, on the other hand, the granting of aid for the creation of permanent work posts for their subsequent incorporation into the agents of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation System beneficiaries of these aids.
The selection is based on a rigorous process of competitive competition of candidates based on their curricular merits and based on their ability to lead a line of research, based on scientific and professional experience as well as the independence of their career.
Juan de la Cierva Training 2017: PhD obtained in 2016-2017
Application deadlines
- Centers: 21/12/2017-18/01/2018
- Researchers: 21/12/2017-11/01/2018
The Juan de la Cierva-Training helps to encourage the employment of young doctors for a period of two years in order to complete their postdoctoral research training in Spanish R&D centers other than those in which they carried out their work as predoctoral training. Candidates must meet the requirement of being a doctor and having obtained a doctorate between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017 for the general access shift, and between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 for the access time for people with disabilities equal to or greater than 33 percent, except if they prove a cause of interruption according to the call
The participation requests are presented by the R & D centers, including the candidate researchers for their incorporation into the research teams. The selection is based on a process of competitive competition of the candidates based on their curricular merits and on the scientific-technical record of the research team in which they wish to integrate, giving special relevance to those merits related to the tutor researcher.
Juan de la Cierva Incorporation 2017: (PhD obtained between 01/01/2013-31/122015)
Application deadlines
- Centers: 20/12/2017-17/01/2018
- Researchers: 20/12/2017-10/01/2018
The Juan de la Cierva-incorporation grant aims to encourage the recruitment, by research organizations or Spanish R&D centers, of young doctors for a period of two years in order to strengthen the skills acquired during a first stage of postdoctoral training.
Candidates must meet the requirement of being a doctor and having obtained a doctorate between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015, for the general access shift and between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014 for the access time of persons with disabilities equal to or greater than 33%, except if they accredit an interruption cause according to the call.
The participation requests are presented by the R & D centers, including the candidate researchers for their incorporation into the research teams. The selection is based on a process of competitive competition of the candidates based on their curricular merits and on the scientific-technical record of the research team in which they wish to integrate, giving special relevance to those merits related to the tutor researcher.
Bases
