Of Science & Literature
Make games, make yourself
Want to lose weight? Then design a game. Preliminary data by Dr Stefano Gualeni edges towards game design as a self-transformative experience that could change political views or even our capability to excel at that dreaded organic chemistry. Words by Ashley Davis.
The futsal challenge for ALS
This time last year, the Ice Bucket Challenge made ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) one of the hottest topics across the world. Who had not watched videos of people dumping buckets of ice-cold water over their heads to raise funds for ALS? ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the death of the body’s motor neurons, and which in turn causes mobility problems that can lead to death in the space of just three to four years. Words by Sarah Spiteri.
ALICE’s Adventures in Switzerland
Hidden 175 metres below the Franco-Swiss border lies a feat of human ingenuity: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC is the largest scientific instrument ever constructed, providing mankind with the ability to begin unravelling the very fabric of the universe and everything around us. Now, following long established links with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), University of Malta has signed a memorandum of understanding for its scientists’ collaborate with the latest set of experiments at the LHC. Words by Scott Wilcockson. Photography by Edward Duca.
Climate Change challenging International Law
Last year when the US President Barack Obama used his State of the Union’s address to argue that the present generation should be concerned with the patrimony future generations will inherit, observers knew that he was instilling urgency into the climate change debate.
Mutate My Software
Computer systems run the world and are found in fridges to hospitals. Every application needs testing, which is expensive and time-consuming. Dr Mark Micallef and Dr Christian Colombo from the PEST research group (Faculty of ICT, University of Malta) tells THINK about a new technique which could make testing easier and more consistent. Illustrations by NO MAD.
The Science Issue: 100 reasons to love science
Science is everywhere. Understand science and you will see the world differently. The sun becomes a giant nuclear reactor full of beautiful equations keeping us alive, while Facebook can be transformed into maths that describes you and your friends. Whilst the most amazing scientific phenomena are happening inside you right now.
Typing with no hands. Just brain signals.
By Charlene Chetcuti
Controlling technology using just your brain is no longer science fiction. It forms part of an ever-growing research area known as Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). BCI interprets brain signals in order to determine a person’s intention. This allows them to control anything from a robotic arm to a computer application without having to move a muscle. Electrodes are placed on a person’s scalp to detect brain activity. The electrical signals are filtered and processed to determine a person’s intent.
Crash Testing: the Largest Experiment on Earth
Under Europe lies a 27 km tunnel that is both the coldest and hottest place on Earth. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has already found out what gives mass to all the matter in the Universe. It is now trying to go even deeper into what makes up everything we see around us. Dr Marija Cauchi writes about her research that helped protect this atom smasher from itself. Photography by Jean Claude Vancell.
Il-Boċċa
