Investigación

In celebration of Pride Month, which provides an opportunity to reflect on equality, diversity, rights, and democratic coexistence, Usach's Faculty of Administration and Economics (FAE) highlights the work of Dr. Fabiola Miranda. Based in the Department of Management and Public Policy, Dr. Miranda’s academic career centers on how feminist theory and public administration can reshape state institutions to foster equality and democratic governance.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for the body’s proper functioning, obtained through sun exposure, diet, and supplements. Its main function is to facilitate calcium absorption, which is key to maintaining strong bones and preventing diseases such as osteoporosis. It also plays an important role in muscle function and in the transmission of signals between the brain and the rest of the body.

“A drop of water wears away a stone” is a saying we’ve probably heard more than once. Attributed to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu more than 5,000 years ago, it is often interpreted as a metaphor for perseverance and consistency; however, behind this popular phrase lies a scientific question that, to this day, remains without a definitive answer.

Although the phenomenon seems obvious, physics has yet to explain how a drop of water—incapable of breaking a rock with a single impact—can eventually erode it by falling repeatedly on the same spot.

During his stay, the Argentine researcher visited the Laboratory of Molecular Magnetism and Molecular Materials (LM4), led by Dr. Diego Venegas Yazigi, with whom he maintains academic ties through international conferences and scientific meetings.

“We have been working for some time on topics related to molecular materials that exhibit magnetic properties. Now, we can begin to discuss these topics, exchange results and knowledge, and from there plan for closer collaboration between our two laboratories,” the researcher commented.

In the face of scenarios marked by shifts in demand, logistical difficulties, and challenges in coordination among suppliers, new ways of organizing production have emerged, such as the Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) model, which allows different companies to share production capacity through digital platforms.

In Chile, wildfires have become one of the country’s main environmental challenges. According to data from the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), more than 99% of these fires are caused by human activity, whether through negligence or intentionally. Beyond the visible damage to the landscape, the smoke generated by these events contains highly irritating and toxic substances that can spread across vast urban and rural areas.

After two years of work, the closing event for the Fondef project “CuBacti, a feed additive to combat infections caused by marine pathogens affecting the salmon industry” was held. The initiative was led by Dr. Brenda Modak and researcher Dr. Mick Parra, along with a research team from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology.

One hundred and thirty thousand years ago, Earth entered a warming transition period, from an ice age to the beginning of the Eemian Interglacial Period. While Neanderthals were recolonizing northern Europe and Homo sapiens were exploring routes beyond the African continent, the planet was home to an impressive megafauna, including mammoths, mastodons, and saber-toothed tigers, during a period when global temperatures were higher than they are today and sea levels were several meters higher than they are now.

Chile is enduring one of the most severe mega-droughts in its history, with General Water Directorate (DGA) data recording over 15 years of continuous water scarcity. This unprecedented water crisis has drastically increased pressure on natural resources while raising critical concerns about the environmental footprint of major industrial sectors.

Early in the morning, silence still fills the hallways of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology at the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach). At the far end stands Dr. Francisco Cubillos’s lab—a vibrant, bright space filled with flasks, test tubes, and cutting-edge biotechnology equipment where groundbreaking yeast genetics research takes place.