Live Winners

2009/04/01 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Elkarrizketak
• Elhuyarren berriak
• Sariak

1st prize: Buriles, giant turtles and immortal hydra

Author: Related information

In short, the issue is the aging of animals. I think we don't think much about this issue, we know that aging occurs, which is natural, but we don't try to understand why it happens. Starting to think, it may not be logical.

It is a very difficult question. In the article I have tried to give explanations from different points of view. But there is no simple answer that can be given in a sentence.

In that sense, I was afraid to enter this subject, because it is a subject that passes from science to philosophy from a moment, and it seemed dangerous to me. That is why I have tried to stay in the field of science, but with a broad perspective. I have not wanted to put strength alone in the effect of aging on cells.

One of the questions I raise in the article is whether the aging of animals is programmed in genetic information. There are several theories about it.

I am not an expert on this subject and the study I have done to write the article I have focused on animals. However, in plants the processes are very different. From those four thousand years of trees can form a young tree with a patch. It is different. On the one hand, that's why I haven't analyzed them. In addition, animals are closer.

I am a telecommunications engineer, but I work at the CIMA center of the University of Navarra, in an applied medicine center, surrounded by biologists and doctors. In addition, I am working on a cancer related project. In fact, what happens to cancer is that the cells become somehow immortal. That's normal for biologists, but when I heard that idea I said: "How? Immortal?" I started by asking myself, they gave me articles to read and I started to delve into the subject. In the end, from the immortal cancer cells, the vesicles, giant turtles and hydra came to me.

2nd Prize: Tinder, sparks that light forests

Author(s): Ostaizka Aizpurua Arrieta and Antton Alberdi Estibaritz

Antton Alberdi: The truth is that at first we had no intention of presenting it, but we had prepared a seminar for the subject of mycology and Ostaiza proposed to me to summarize it, transform it a little and present it in the prizes. We fixed it for two weeks, went to Artikutza, took some pictures, made some images on the computer and presented it. And the investment went well.

Ostaizka Aizpurua: We have a website on the internet, Euskalnatura.net, where we try to relate science and Basque, whenever possible. It's two and a half years since we shaped him.

3rd Prize: Polymers, Trojan Horses for Cancer Therapy

Author(s): Leire Perez Alvarez and Maite Artetxe Pujana

Leire Pérez: In fact, within polymers our topic is microgels, the same topic of the article. We have written about a medical use of polymers.

Maite Artetxe: Yes. The point is that you see that there are topics that are interesting and that there is no information in Basque. If there is no such information or we see that we can bring new things, we intend to keep writing.

Leire Pérez: At least some areas are unknown. What is being done in laboratories is not known and is very beautiful.

Youth Award: Haptic or tactile operation

Author: Related information

Finally, haptics studies the interaction between the human being and the environment when it is done through touch.

No. When I was a student, I worked at a research center where I started working with these systems. The final project also focused on this topic. But then I haven't continued researching, I've worked in the industry.

The truth is that I think it's a good opportunity. My project was not so informative, it was quite concrete. But it seemed to me that to write an article of these characteristics it had to be informative and I found it a good option. I intend to repeat.