Neomano · est. 2014
Stories of science, the past, electronics and other curiosities.
The books · born from this blog
Atahualpa con su abrigo de pelo de murciélago
y otras 49 historias verdaderas que parecen mentira
The stories I tell here, gathered and expanded: 50 real episodes so incredible they sound made up. The same wonder of Neomano, now to read cover to cover.
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Tocar madera
Pequeña historia de las supersticiones que el mundo no ha podido soltar
Why do we knock on wood, fear Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under a ladder? A short, fascinating tour through the origins of the superstitions we still practice without realizing it.
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100 futuros
Cien escenarios del mundo que viene con la inteligencia artificial
A hundred short scenarios of how artificial intelligence could reshape work, love, war, even death. Not predictions but possible futures, to imagine where we are headed.
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304 articles
Why veins look blue when your blood is red
Human blood is never blue—it is always red. So why do veins look blue under the skin? The answer lies in how light travels through your body and how you see.
The nocebo effect: when expecting harm creates it
The nocebo effect is the placebo's dark twin: believing a treatment will hurt can make it hurt. Its origin, real cases and what science says.
Placebo: the Latin word that means «I shall please»
«Placebo» means «I shall please» in Latin and began as a medieval funeral chant. Here is how it jumped from the church to medicine and its famous effect.
Scurvy: the disease that killed more sailors than storms
Scurvy killed more sailors than battles and shipwrecks combined. Its cure was discovered, forgotten, and rediscovered over and over for centuries.
Anesthesia: when surgery was pure torture
Before 1846, surgery meant sheer agony and surgeons who amputated a leg in 30 seconds. This is how anesthesia was born and transformed medicine.
Smallpox: the disease that changed empires
Smallpox killed some 300 million people in the 20th century, helped topple empires, and became the first human disease ever fully eradicated.
Rubber Before Goodyear: The Gum That Melted
Before vulcanization, rubber was a gum that melted in summer and cracked in winter. From the Maya to Goodyear, here's how it was finally tamed.
Porcelain: the Chinese secret Europe tried to steal
For centuries Europe paid fortunes for Chinese porcelain without knowing how it was made. This is the story of a hundred-year industrial espionage.
The Origin of the Word “Quarantine”: 40 Days in Venice
Where does the word quarantine come from? From the 40 days that Venice and Ragusa forced ships to wait during the Black Death. Here is its story.
The History of Glass: The Material That Changed the World
Glass went from Egyptian luxury to everyday object thanks to Roman glassblowers, and later gave science its telescope and microscope.
Gunpowder Before Cannons: Alchemy, Fire and War
Chinese alchemists chasing eternal life invented gunpowder by accident. Before cannons came fireworks, fire lances and centuries of fire medicine.
The History of the Match: Fire in Your Pocket
The friction match was born by accident in 1826, poisoned thousands of factory women, and only later became the safe fire we carry in our pocket.