Spain Archives

How deep in debt? Measuring sovereign default risk

Written by

Researchers propose a more comprehensive means to estimate sovereign credit risk.

Sovereign credit risk is when a government is under threat of being unable to meet its loan obligations and going bankrupt. Traditional ways of measuring such risk are fundamentally flawed. Researchers Manish K Singh from IIT Roorkee in India, Marta Gómez-Puig from the University of Barcelona, and Simón Sosvilla-Rivero from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain propose a new measure […]

Vermicomposting: Using the soil ecosystem in new places

Written by

Jorge Domínguez analyses the main advances and current trends in vermicomposting after 18 years of continuous progress in scientific, technical, and commercial endeavours.

Vermicomposting has gained popularity as a sustainable, environmentally friendly method for waste disposal and fertiliser production. Earthworms and soil microbiota work together to break down and reshape solid organic waste into a fertile humus. From small-scale beginnings, much research has been done to scale up and optimise the physical and biological aspects of the system. Dr Jorge Domínguez, head of the […]

Exploring Mars in search for life before it is too late

Written by

In the next few decades, space agencies are hopeful that humanity may take its first steps on Martian soil. Yet according to Alberto Fairén at the Astrobiology Centre in Madrid, Spain, these missions could have disastrous consequences for our ability to study any life which may be present on Mars. Through his research, Fairén proposes a ‘New Deal’ for Mars […]

Challenging shrimp bacterial diseases with phytobiotics

Written by

Whiteleg shrimp, a prized species in aquaculture, faces severe threats from emerging bacterial diseases, with acute hepatopancreatic necrosis (AHPND) posing a significant risk. Traditional reliance on antibiotics to combat this disease, although effective, raises concerns about antibiotic resistance. Dr Carla Hernández-Cabanyero and Dr Belén Fouz of the University of Valencia, Spain, have pioneered a One Health approach, introducing two cutting-edge […]

Screening frailty: A predictor of healthcare requirements in older people

Written by

Mateo-Abad and Vergara explore a new intervention for people with frailty to improve their functional capacity and delay the occurrence of adverse events related with frailty.

People are living longer, and this is associated with increased pressure on healthcare services. Assessing how much support people need allows resources to be used effectively and patients to receive the best care. Frailty is associated with poorer health and more complications – but the condition can be hard to characterise. Maider Mateo-Abad and Dr Itziar Vergara at the Biodonostia […]

Sustainability asymmetries in buyer–supplier relationships

Written by

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This is easy to say, but the reality is more complex. New research into sustainability and Strategic Supply Chain Management (SSCM) shows that buyer–supplier relationships are far from straightforward, and differences between buyers’ and suppliers’ approaches to sustainability can both positively and negatively affect buyers’ financial and market performance. Led […]

Investigating the biopesticide activity of guayule resin

Written by

A team of researchers focus on the development of guayale, a perennial shrub with silvery leaves, and its industrial exploitation in the realms of natural rubber and resins, which may have a dual use as a biopesticide thanks to the compounds guayulins and argentatins.

A team of researchers, led by Dr Manuel Carmona in the Institute for Regional Development at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, have unveiled recent discoveries about a unique plant called guayule. The silver-grey perennial shrub is an alternative source of natural rubber. Until now, guayule has not been commercially viable as its other co-products have not been considered to […]

Altitude range shift of the Spanish Fir under climate change

Written by

In response to a changing climate, organisms must adapt or migrate to more suitable habitats where the environmental conditions are more favourable. Dr Antonio González-Hernández and his colleagues Dr Diego Nieto-Lugilde, Dr Julio Peñas de Giles, and Professor Francisca Alba-Sánchez, at the universities of Granada and Córdoba, Spain, studied the difference in distribution between two life stages of the Spanish […]

Accounting for biogeographical ignorance within biodiversity modelling

Written by

Researchers have developed the first Maps of Biogeographical Ignorance (MoBIs) that account for uncertainty in big-data biodiversity analysis, allowing for better informed decision making for conservation purposes

Biodiversity data can be analysed to predict species distribution at various scales of time and space. However, survey completeness and temporal decay in data quality introduce uncertainty into biodiversity models. Researchers Joaquín Hortal, Juliana Stropp (National Museum of Natural Sciences, Spain), Richard Ladle (University of Porto, Portugal), and Geiziane Tessarolo (State University of Goiás, Brazil), among others, are constructing the […]

Neuropathological changes in Alzheimer’s disease linked to four key proteins

Written by

Professor Rafael Luján explores the neuropathological alterations in Alzheimer's disease through analysis of four key proteins in AD that affect the ability of nerve cells to process and transmit signals.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterised by progressive and irreversible loss of memory and thinking skills. Using sensitive cutting-edge techniques, Professor Rafael Luján and his collaborators at Castilla-La Mancha University, Spain, have found changes in the number, distribution, and density of four key proteins in AD. Notably, these proteins affect the ability of nerve cells to process and transmit signals. Not […]