Rui Alves

Porto

Freelance Web Publisher at Rock n' Heavy

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Articles

I Still Think About Going Back to the Army When I Teach

1 day ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

A teacher-turned-soldier faces the past he left behind and the school he returned toIt’s been 12 years since I last wore a military uniform, and nearly 20 since I set down the dry-erase markers, putting my teaching career on hold to serve as a sergeant in the Portuguese Army. I see life as a rollercoaster, which explains why my path was one of ups and downs. The person I am today is a chimera of many lives.
Occult Foreign Body Aspiration in Adults Is More Common Than It Seems

6 days ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

A brief clinical case review showing how missed bronchial foreign bodies can lead to serious complicationsMedical literature describes how a wide variety of objects can be inhaled and get lodged in the tracheobronchial tree. From common items like nuts and seeds to more unusual or unexpected objects, occult foreign body aspiration (FBA) does occur, and increasing awareness of its risks can benefit everyone.
Accidental Condom Inhalation is Real and Doctors Don’t Always Catch It

1 week ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

A brief review of a clinical case of atypical bronchial foreign body aspirationMedical literature describes how a wide variety of objects can be inhaled and get lodged in the tracheobronchial tree. So, from nuts and seeds to weird and unusual objects, foreign body inhalation (FBA) happens, and everyone should be made aware of the dangers it presents. The “condom-snorting challenge” was probably the most widespread example of FBA. It first appeared in 2007 and resurfaced in 2013.
Can Deep Learning Models Predict the Next Pandemic Outbreak?

1 week ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

Emerging research highlights the global effort to predict disease threats using AI-powered modelsAs human activity drives deeper contact with new and untamed ecosystems and global warming awakens ancient microbes, cross-species spillovers escalate, scientists turn to AI-driven models to map the probabilistic future of global health threats. One thing we can all agree on is that another pandemic is inevitable.
Newly Described 506-Million-Year-Old Radiodont Sheds New Light on Early Arthropod Evolution

1 week ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

The three-eyed predator Mosura fentoni offers unprecedented insight into early arthropods' neuroanatomy and body segmentation506 million years ago, the vast primordial ocean was populated by strange-looking maritime creatures, some so bizarre they looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Canadian paleontologists have recently presented their findings regarding an extinct species of hurdiid radiodont described in a study published on May 14 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Portugal’s Rightward Swerve Leaves Democracy on Uneven Ground

2 weeks ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

As the far right gains ground, how far can the shift go before democracy loses its footing? Last Sunday was election day here in Portugal. The morning was gray, with my small village sunk beneath a thick dome of uncertainty. Every cloud carried the promise of rain, and a hint of change, at a time when the country and the world are gripped by volatility, where even the most unreal scenarios feel possible.
Poisonous Elements in Antique Book Bindings

3 weeks ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

New research highlights the presence of hazardous chemicals in nineteenth-century volumesI’ve always been fascinated by books, and I keep a small collection of first editions from Portuguese authors with some tomes dating back to the 19th century. I first came across the idea of poisonous books back in my teen years when I read Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose (1980). In it, the lethal volume is a rare manuscript: the lost second book of Aristotle’s Poetics, focused on comedy.
Why Watching Someone Fidget Feels So Uncomfortable to People With Misokinesia

3 weeks ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

The Academic is a top tier, peer-reviewed publication on Medium brought to you by a global community of subject-matter experts. Follow publicationHow one in three people worldwide struggles with misokinesia, a little-known sensitivity to repetitive movementsAt some time in our lives, most of us will experience something similar to misokinesia. I am a teacher, and during my years in the classroom, I have witnessed countless forms of repetitive behavior, some may find annoying or even disturbing.
I Defied the Urge to Hoard During the 2025 Iberian Peninsula Blackout

1 month ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

Portugal Calling is a new publication on Medium managed by a Portuguese editorial team featuring a wide range of topics about life, language, and Portuguese culture. Follow publicationHow a nationwide blackout exposed the basic instincts we hide behind convenienceLast week, the power went out without warning across the Iberian Peninsula, and with it all the little things we take for granted. At first, I wasn’t too worried. We have outages all the time where I live.
I Still Recall the Day a Stork Took Down Portugal’s Power Grid

1 month ago | medium.com | Rui Alves

How one unexpected event led to a new approach in system reliability for bird-related electrical flashoversThe nationwide power outage that plunged Portugal into darkness on April 28, 2025, isn’t unprecedented, and neither is the lack of clear answers from authorities. In Portugal, blackouts were common until the late 1970s. Throughout much of the Estado Novo dictatorship, the country was essentially an “energy island,” cut off from international power grids.