Ecology

Cool pavements are road surfaces that mitigate heat islands, but cause tire wear

Cool pavements are road surfaces that mitigate heat islands, but cause tire wear

An example of cool pavements. Credit: City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department Heat waves are transforming our cities into real open-air ovens. Among the main elements that aggravate this problem we find the bituminous conglomeratecommonly called asphalt and traditionally used to build roads. It covers very large portions of the city territory, behaving like one sponge from a thermal point ...

Why do some windows have curved grates: in architecture they are used to have external space and ventilation

Why do some windows have curved grates: in architecture they are used to have external space and ventilation

Window with rounded grating in Florence – Credits: Sailko, CC BY–SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Some windows, especially on the ground floor of buildings overlooking the street, but not only, have a rounded gratecalled “potbelly grill” (literally “belly” or “belly” grating). Commonly associated withEuropean architecturevery present among Italy, France and Spainwindows with curved lattices became popular between the Renaissance and ...

The largest 10th century Viking silver treasure discovered in Denmark in a private garden: it weighs 18kg

The largest 10th century Viking silver treasure discovered in Denmark in a private garden: it weighs 18kg

Rebild’s treasure. Credit: Nordjyske Museer. TO Rebildin Northern Jutland, in Denmark, a common gardening job it turned into one of the most important Danish archaeological discoveries of recent years. While preparing the land for a new deck, a homeowner noticed something unusual in the soil. Digging more carefully, they emerged silver jewelry, coins and ingots. The finding includes overall 18.5 ...

Because a 29-ton broken Eiffel Tower has appeared in the middle of the Nevada desert

Because a 29-ton broken Eiffel Tower has appeared in the middle of the Nevada desert

The Eiffela Broken Dreams by Philippe Maindron. Credits: Burning Man Every year, at the end of August, tens of thousands of people gather in the Nevada desert to build from nothing a utopian and temporary city which after just over a week was made to disappear, without leaving a trace, by whoever built it and inhabited it for a few ...