Alejandro Gaita-Ariño

@agaitaarino@scholar.social
241 Followers
196 Following
538 Posts
Researcher   at ICMol, Universitat de València (Spain). Molecular nanomagnets, quantum computing. Computational chemistry, simple physics models.
Feel free to check out my recent/present projects (links to pdfs below):
2015-2021: decresim: A chemical approach to molecular spin qubits: decoherence and organisation of rare earth single ion magnets.
2022-2026: chiralpbit: Electrical control of probabilistic bits in chiral molecules
(he/him) (born at 332 ppm atmospheric CO2)
chiralpbit.pdfhttp://www.uv.es/gaita/chiral-p-bit.pdf
decresim.pdfhttps://www.uv.es/gaita/pdf/ERC_CoG_2014_B2_20-05.pdf
activism@agaitaarino
web (outdated)https://www.uv.es/gaita/index.html
#3101 - Good Science

De visita de trabajo en #Toulouse (he venido por tierra, claro) pero no suelto la denuncia #mazondimissio #DANA #valencia .

De hecho daré pasado mañana en una Universidad de aquí una charla parecida a la que di en Parma hace como 4 meses: relato del desastre, denuncia del negacionismo climático, llamada a la acción, y en concreto al modelado frugal: hacer ciencia sin huella climática significativa. Pero también a más acción, claro    

New job, new film, new book...Merci Olivier Monod @libe Liberation for summarising my 2025 so far!
Indeed I accepted a job offer @ Masaryk University in Czechia. They have a programme on regional peripheries that seems perfect to continue my research on the effects of climate change & market integration on indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) (among my other research on social cohesion).

The film "The Researcher" by @produzionifuorifuoco has already been screened in 13 different countries around the world and recently won the award for "Best Educational Pathway Film" @ International Frome Climate Film Festival.

Finally, my book "A fuoco" (Zooming in) has just been published by @feltrinelli_. It’s the diary of my 28,000 km #NoFly journey from PNG to Europe to reduce my carbon footprint.

Many people ask me if losing my job was "worthwhile". These outcomes would make one feel that it was. But, honestly, I would have done the same even if no one had talked about my story and I hadn't "achieved" anything. For me, the important thing was to remain true to my "climate conscience". I couldn't have done otherwise.

Read article (in French)👉:
https://www.liberation.fr/environnement/licencie-pour-avoir-refuse-de-prendre-lavion-lobjecteur-de-conscience-climatique-gianluca-grimalda-a-retrouve-un-emploi-20250604_PDX6ADGP5FAS3O2XPMMBNEW6R4/

Watch trailer of the film👉https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html

Read extract of the book (in Italian): https://www.feltrinellieditore.it/opera/a-fuoco/

#RefuseToFly #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #Decarbonize
Photo @ Alexander Pohl/Sipa USA

"One climate scientist, who declined to speak on the record out of concern that the administration might punish his institution, said the declining funding is forcing researchers to shrink their scientific ambitions down to a question of “What can I do with my laptop and existing data sets?”"

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/06/02/1117653/the-trump-administration-has-shut-down-more-than-100-climate-studies/

The Trump administration has shut down more than 100 climate studies

Tens of millions of dollars in NSF grants have been slashed, and scientists fear the US is about to lose a generation of climate researchers.

MIT Technology Review

@ZLabe
Different reasons, but coincidentally, “What can I do with my laptop and existing data sets?" is basically the title of the research project I'm writing for my tenure. It's also what I've been trying to do in the last few years and where I want to be heading. #frugalmodelling #frugalcomputing #degrowth 🐌

Of course, funding science, especially climate science, is vital! I'd just advocate for hiring more people and write smarter models, rather than using larger computers.

"The Great Wave" of carbon dioxide (CO₂) #ClimateChange #ScienceArt

Graphic produced by https://robbieandrew.github.io/

Me llega esto de       @EsRebelCientif apoyando la #huelgageneral29m #vagageneral29m #29m #29mayo

cc @ScientistRebellion for international impact?

💨Los espejitos de colores de la captura de CO2: la mayor planta del mundo no cubre sus propias emisiones.

🔎Una investigación periodística ha revelado que la empresa suiza Climeworks, que desde el 2021 apuesta por la captura de CO2 del aire como “solución tecnológica” a la crisis climática, emite más gases de efecto invernadero de los que sus enormes ventiladores atrapan de la atmósfera.

✍🏻Andrés Actis.
https://www.elsaltodiario.com/cambio-climatico/espejitos-colores-captura-co2-mayor-planta-del-mundo-no-cubre-propias-emisiones

Los espejitos de colores de la captura de CO2: la mayor planta del mundo no cubre sus propias emisiones

Una investigación periodística ha revelado que la empresa suiza Climeworks, que desde el 2021 apuesta por la captura de CO2 del aire como “solución tecnológica” a la crisis climática, emite más gases de efecto invernadero de los que sus enormes ventiladores atrapan de la atmósfera.

www.elsaltodiario.com

Questions about Israel and the European Union’s Horizon Europe program

The European Union’s Horizon Europe program serves as a lifeline for Israeli academia, which remains complicit and silent about the ongoing genocide in #Gaza. Shouldn't Israeli participation in EU programs face greater scrutiny based on legal and ethical obligations?

Separating Israeli research from government policies is like claiming Israel's #Eurovision participation doesn't benefit the state. Israeli media acknowledges that losing Horizon Europe access could trigger isolation and academic decline similar to Russia's post-sanctions deterioration. These grants provide more than funding—they offer prestige, international collaborations, and access to cutting-edge infrastructure. The Council for Higher Education warns of "devastating" consequences including research deterioration and accelerated brain drain, while university leaders emphasize threats to Israel's academic status. Simultaneously, cuts to US government science funding create what Israeli sources call a "double-sided attack" on their research capabilities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Concerns raised in the Q&A:

Even civilian research projects can free up Israeli government resources for military operations and settlement expansion, while continued EU cooperation legitimizes these policies and weakens international pressure for change. Further more, monitoring mechanisms cannot prevent misuse or ensure that research and technology aren't ultimately used for military purposes, creating moral inconsistency in condemning Israel's actions while providing funding that indirectly supports the state.

The ongoing genocide in Gaza, with its massive civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis, only intensifies these concerns and shows that maintaining the status quo in fact fails to hold Israel accountable, while sending the wrong message about the EU's commitment to human rights and international law.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ While a full revocation of the association agreement is considered highly improbable due to the need for unanimous consent, a suspension or exclusion from Horizon Europe specifically is a real possibility requiring a qualified majority vote, and the likelihood of this happening depends on the evolving political situation.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2025-000180-ASW_EN.html

The infographic illustrates Israel's significant dependence on Horizon Europe funding across various academic disciplines.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Israel in Horizon Europe (18 years of different programs):

- 225 total research grants received
- 121 grants to young researchers
- 58 grants to advanced researchers
- 46 grants to senior researchers

Israeli Proposals to Horizon Europe:

- 1.3 billion NIS total funding requested
- 650 million NIS approved funding
- 650 other proposals

Israeli Performance by Research Field (percentage of grants received):

- Medical/Health: 20%
- Life Sciences: 17%
- Exact Sciences: 17%
- Engineering: 16%
- Social Sciences: 15%
- Humanities and Arts: 8%

Hebrew https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/rjne6kkgel

@academicchatter @palestine
@israel
#GazaGenocide
#HorizonEurope #IAI

Como afiliado a uno de los sindicatos convocantes, como miembro de los Comités Locales de Emergencia y Reconstrucción de la #DANA #Valencia, y como persona consciente de la gravedad del cambio climático, escribo esto para pedirte que, de las formas que puedas, apoyes solidariamente la #vagageneral29m #29M .

Si trabajas en el País Valencià, te pido que ejerzas tu derecho a huelga.

Si vives cerca de Valencia, te pido no solo que asistas a la manifestación multitudinaria de las 19h en la plaza del Ayuntamiento, sino también que nos acompañes al otro recorrido que comenzaremos a las 12h, frente a la Estació del Nord.

Para que la traumatizante y homicida negligencia que hemos sufrido sea la última. Para que negar la ciencia no les salga gratis. Para estar mejor preparados para lo que tenemos por delante, derechos laborales incluidos.

   

P.D.: He querido hacer este mensaje compacto, pero si quieres más detalles de los motivos y demandas de esta huelga, o tienes alguna consulta legal a la hora de secundarla, aquí me tienes, y lo que yo no me lo sepa lo averiguo a través de los servicios legales de mi sindicato.

×

"The Great Wave" of carbon dioxide (CO₂) #ClimateChange #ScienceArt

Graphic produced by https://robbieandrew.github.io/

@ZLabe for a terrifying graph this visualization is a work of art.
@ZLabe Let’s continue subsidizing #bigoil with 40 billion+ Euro’s each year in the Netherlands alone. 🤪🔨
@ZLabe Wonderful graphic.
@ZLabe why not to start CO2 level at 0 to make it less dramatic?

@the_patcher @ZLabe

It's never been zero. You want to compare it to its previous (recent) values.

Also, then you couldn't see that it's accelerating.

@the_patcher @ZLabe A level of 0 doesn't happen on Earth, so why should you start there?
Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere - Wikipedia

@SolarDavy @the_patcher @ZLabe 350 ppm might be a reasonable baseline
@the_patcher @ZLabe Why make it less dramatic?

@the_patcher @ZLabe

I bet it's for the same reasons you wouldn't do that for a heart monitor in a hospital.

That is, the smallest healthy amount of hearbeats isn't zero.

For a heart monitor, you want to know how distant you are from normal, not from zero.

For example, look at this graph: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7229519/

Humans have never experienced long term exposure to this much CO2. There's evidence that suggests we as a society are stupider as a result.

Fossil Fuel Combustion Is Driving Indoor CO2 Toward Levels Harmful to Human Cognition

Human activities are elevating atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to levels unprecedented in human history. The majority of anticipated impacts of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are mediated by climate warming. Recent experimental studies in the ...

PubMed Central (PMC)