Biology

The BBVA Foundation has recognized researchers David Julius and Arden Parapoutian with its the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine for their work to discover the receptors that mediate the touch sensations of temperature and pressure. A groundbreaking study that opened up new therapeutic avenues to reduce acute and chronic pain associated with trauma and a range of diseases.

Scientific information, and many essential niche concepts to tackle it, have lept into the spotlight. Understanding certain key scientific concepts behind the battle against COVID-19 and how SARS-CoV-2’s biological mechanisms actually work will allow us to navigate in the sea of information to better gauge the scope of the problem and the prospects concerning the development of potential treatments.

The BBVA Foundation has recognized three marine biologists — Carlos Duarte, Terence Hughes, and Daniel Pauly — with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Ecology and Conservation Biology. Their research has expanded our knowledge about the Earth’s oceans and has contributed to the protection and conservation of marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystem services.

The BBVA Foundation presented Michael Hall and David Sabatini the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biology and Biomedicine category for discovering the main regulator of growth in animal cells. This mechanism, a molecular pathway called mTOR, opens the door to new treatment options for cancer, diabetes and aging.

The BBVA Foundation has recognized the American researcher with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Biology and Biomedicine, for his pioneer findings in demonstrating the importance of the gut microbiome. Their discoveries have allowed to demonstrate that gut microbes play a central role in conditions like obesity and diabetes.

Anthropological theories about the transformation of our species have multiplied since Darwin first began positing new ideas about the origin of mankind with his theory of evolution. To become the 'Homo sapiens' of today, human beings have had to undergo a process of change that has occurred over millions of years and has resulted in physical, cultural, and linguistic variations.

The Frontiers of Knowledge Awards presented by the BBVA Foundation every year to recognize scientists and creators, who with their work, contribute to push the limits of human knowledge, and improve the lives of millions of people.

We know there are planets of a size similar to the Earth and at a distance from their sun that make them inhabitable. It´s also possible that there are vestiges of life on Mars, in the ice-covered oceans covered of Europa - a satellite of Jupiter - or on Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn. Sending spaceships manned by robots to study the solar system, recreating the conditions of life on Mars inside a mine, or trying to reproduce a living organism in a laboratory – as Dan Brown relates in his latest bestseller – are some of the scientific experiments that are now being performed to solve the enigma of the origin of life.

Climate change is one of the greatest problems facing humanity. Abrupt temperature changes, famine, disease and floods are all evidence that changes in the climate are not a myth. The consequences could get worse if we do not manage to reduce the greenhouse effect, as Matthew Liao warns in his book The Next Step: Exponential Life. It can be downloaded at no charge  on BBVA’s website for the OpenMind project.

From medicine to finance, large-scale data processing technologies are already starting to deliver on their promise to transform contemporary societies. Far-reaching social changes don’t take place overnight. Little by little, they become part of our daily life, until their revolutionary nature dissipates. Years ago, hybrid cars started turning people’s heads. Today, electric cars are becoming less of a rarity  – at least in larger cities.

Their survival was one of the greatest achievements in American flight of the 20th Century.  Their mission has been called “the most successful space failure in history.” The Apollo 13 space mission was launched 47 years ago today, on April 11th, 1970. Its crew didn´t know then what their destiny would be, the dangers they would face, or how famous that phrase would become, as it was broadcast and translated – erroneously – around the world. There was even a movie made about their story.

“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas”. This is one of the most famous quotes from renowned scientist Marie Curie. IT was, precisely, her interest in the world that led her to become the first woman to ever win a Nobel prize, at a time when women were rarely allowed to pursue University studies, at least in Poland.

Francisco González, Group Executive Chairman of BBVA, presented the book The Next Step: Exponential Life in an event held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,  This work collects the insights of twenty of the world’s most authoritative voices in a number of fields, analyzing the tremendous opportunities – and the risks and uncertainties – that the so-called “exponential technologies” will bring to humanity

The UN has declared February 11th the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to promote female scientists and engage women in engineering, research, mathematics and technology. In celebration of this day, BBVA explains its passion for numbers in hopes of inspiring new generations.

The BBVA Foundation has bestowed its Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biomedicine category on Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jennifer Doudna and Francisco Martínez Mojica, for igniting “the revolution in biology permitted by CRISPR/Cas 9 techniques.” These tools facilitate genome modification with an unprecedented degree of precision and far more cheaply and straightforwardly than any previous method.  Not unlike today’s word processing programs, CRISPR/Cas 9 is able to “cut & paste” several genes at the same time.

2016 have brought a quantum leap for society in the adoption of new technologies. Slowly but surely biometrics, virtual reality, domotics and cryptocurrencies are making inroads in consumers' daily activities, and many of the advances predicted in "Back to the future" are now a reality. What's in store in 2017?

There are over 200 coral species in the Mediterranean. They are not as spectacular and have not suffered in 2016 as much as the Australia’s battered Great Coral Reef, but they are essential to nurture marine life. Some live at depths of hundreds of meters and are seriously damaged. An research team funded by the BBVA Foundation studies how to heal them.

Apollo 11 was a milestone for solving complex problems. Hence the name moonshots: projects that propose radical ideas for tackling major problems by using futuristic technology. Their capacity for innovation has just started.

The presentation ceremony of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards again transformed Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation, into a window from which to contemplate some of the key ideas, insights and challenges that define the modern age.

From childhood, Ilkka Hanski was a keen butterfly collector. At the age of eight he found a specimen of a species considered extinct in Finland, and a professor at the University of Helsinki specializing in that species sent him one of his scientific papers.

Finnish ecologist Ilkka Hanski has been distinguished with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology for opening up a new branch of ecology – metapopulation biology – which combines field work and mathematical modeling to predict how species will be affected by the pressing problem of habitat fragmentation by human action.

Neuroscientists Edward Boyden, Karl Deisseroth and Gero Miesenböck have been distinguished with the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge award in Biomedicine for their groundbreaking work in optogenetics, a technique that uses light to activate or deactivate proteins in neurons, enabling control over their activity with an unprecedented level of accuracy.

Tablets, mobiles, the cloud….all the technologies we assiduously use today have improved our lives enormously. So much so, that some people are starting to question whether this is affecting our mental abilities, as we now rely on our devices to take care of things that 20 years ago depended exclusively on our brain power.

The Colombian Laura Parra, the winner of the Innovators Under 35 award in 2013, organized by MIT Technology Review in its Spanish edition in partnership with BBVA, has developed a video game that helps children with mobility problems in their rehabilitation therapy.

"The idea is that if you share science and enable different groups to participate this could stimulate innovation. Making technology available to end users is a good idea in general, because they know their needs best," claims Ellen Jorgensen at the TEDGlobal 2012 conference ‘Biohackers: you can do it too.’