March 21, 2019 -  Spring alters the blood (it sounds so much better in Spanish). Four years ago, the good guys at DiabetesFede featured our work in their magazine. They did it again and.. well, you read it. We may well be the only group affiliated to CIBERDEM that has been interviewed twice by the magazine. Yesterday and today. 

March 18, 2019 - "Nature is trying to tell us something. In fact, she's screaming in our ears. If we would only listen" (John A. Glomset, American biochemist). Spring 2019 group meeting schedule here.

March 14, 2019 - Looking back at the not so distant past, it fills us with pride and satisfaction to declare how lovely it is when a plan finally comes together.

March 11, 2019  - Interesting if somewhat smelly fact: dead cockroaches give off a blend of various fatty acids, primarily oleic and linoleic, the odor of which warns other fellow roaches roaming around that they may be entering a danger zone. Similarly, the smell of oleic acid allows ants to recognize a dead comrade ready to be carried to the ant cemetery.

March 6, 2019 - In science, as in real life, not everything has a solution. It is a mistake to try to find solutions for everything, because old dogs are not willing to learn new tricks, that is clear.

February 28, 2019 - To consider is to think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision. To reconsider is to consider (something) again, especially for a possible change of decision regarding it. No examples of the former word yet at hand, so here is one of the latter: "I guess you've changed your mind. Why don't you reconsider baby, give yourself just a little more time." Elvis always delivers.

February 25, 2019 - A very recent report in the vanity journal par excellence, Nature, describes that cancer cells and related cell lines exhibit elevated levels of the unusual fatty acid sapienic acid (6-cis-hexadecenoic acid, 16:1n-10). Doesn't it sound quite similar to what was reported in here about a year ago? Great minds surely think alike.

February 22, 2019 - From the Journal of Lipid Research's Editorial Policy: "Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship." Fine, but as the old proverb goes, love means deeds, not sweet reasons.

February 15, 2019 - Some folks like to lie to themselves and say that we were born silver spoon in hand, but it ain't us, we ain't no fortunate sons. We just did a few things the right way, and thus have fine good people doing things the right way, mass spec for example. No matter what they say, it ain't us, we ain't no millionaire's sons, we ain't no fortunate ones.

February 4, 2019 - Caproic (6:0), caprylic (8:0) and capric (10:0) are medium chain fatty acids found at relatively high quantities in goat milk (capra means goat in Latin). Although their smell is rather unpleasant, their esters are commonly used in perfumery and for artificial flavoring, which is quite ironic. Caprylic acid in particular may also have some anti-inflammatory effects but this needs further thorough investigation. For quick reference, here is our old nice fatty acid list.

January 29, 2019 - The clot scandal that has recently spread across the national newspapers teaches us once again that the thing that matters the least in the world of science is precisely science.

January 22, 2019 - At the definitive end of the road, it is good to keep in mind that staying away in silence is not at all an act of cowardice. Many times it is rather the most courageous thing one can do to protect the inner light within.

January 21, 2019 - The official 2019 Group Picture of the Eicosanoid Research Division can be found here. No one missed it this year.

January 9, 2019 - It was fun while it lasted. A burden sometimes, we admit, but in many cases an enjoyable and worthwhile experience if only for the looks of thrill and delight on the faces of a few of the teenagers.

January 8, 2019 - In the Feb 22 issue of Nature Communications, the crystal structure of group VIA calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2β) was at long last revealed. Although some of the statements made in the paper are extremely debatable, this work clearly constitutes a breakthrough in the field, and will likely help develop new concepts on enzyme catalysis and inhibitor design. This is the article we have distinguished as Paper of the Year 2018.

January 4, 2019 - "Rich countries are rich because they dedicate money to scientific and technological development, and poor countries remain poor because they do not. Science is not expensive, what is expensive is ignorance" (Bernardo Houssay, Argentine physiologist, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine 1947). Winter 2019 group meeting schedule here.

...

December 28, 2018 - As the year comes to a close, we remember that we predicted just one year ago that 2018 would commence in a pretty hectic way. Yes, that was so, and it continued and ended in the same manner. Let us hope we do not return to old and conflicting ways.

December 5, 2018 - Directorial Quotation #52 (hopefully the last one): "As the blessings of health and fortune have a beginning, so they must also find an end." (Sallust, Roman historian).  .

December 3, 2018 - Directorial Quotation #51: "In governing I learned to move from the ethics of principles to the ethics of responsibilities" (Felipe González, Former Prime Minister of Spain).

News Archive