Alexandra de Castro
I tell science stories in English and Spanish. The same passion for science that once drove me to obtain a Ph.D. in physics, and work as a research scientist for fifteen years, inspired me to steer my career towards the popularization of science. Since 2014, I have been writing, editing, and managing outreach projects for several organizations. In 2021, I joined United Academics Magazine as Editor-in-chief. My favorite topics are theoretical physics, particle physics, climate change, astronomy, and space exploration.
Sunflowers, Cleaners of Nuclear Disasters
Since the development of nuclear power, we face the delicate balance between its smart usage and the threat it poses not only to humanity,...
Racial Bias in AI Models of Cognitive, Behavioral, and Psychiatric Patterns
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a role in predictive medicine, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment. Machine learning models have proved...
Quantum Officers: A Solution to an 18th Century Impossible Puzzle
The puzzle
In the 18th century, Leonhard Euler, one of the most prolific and prominent mathematicians that ever lived, proposed the following math puzzle:
"Six different...
Einstein’s General Relativity Time Dilation Confirmed at Unprecedented Scale
For nearly a century, theoretical physicists have struggled to reconcile Einstein's general relativity with quantum field theory, the framework describing subatomic particles and their...
Searching for Life as We Don’t Know It
What is the origin of life? How do simple molecules combine to create self-replicating life forms? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? Undoubtedly,...
How Colonizing Other Planets Will Start
Sending humans on deep space projects is a reality, to visit other planets and colonize them. We are technologically ready to take the first...
Multiverse Solution for Old Particle Physics Puzzles
The Standard Model has been outstandingly successful in predicting the subatomic world, but, at the same time, it does not explain gravity and mysteries...
Ten Scientific Breakthroughs That Rocked 2021
I. Impactful IPCC 2021 report on climate change
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gathers over 200 experts who volunteer to examine thousands of...
European Wars Hidden in Golden Age Dutch Paintings
A tale of art, science, and wars
The art
It is the year 1670. Gerard ter Borch is working on his portrait of Nicolas Pancras, mayor...
Did Mars Ever Look Like Earth?
Today, Mars is a cold desert planet, more closely resembling Arrakis in the sci-fi story Dune than to the Earth. But how was it...