Ecology

Iran between protests and blackouts: how it came to this and why Trump threatens to intervene

Started last December 28, 2025, they show no signs of stopping anti-government protests in Iranbetween the Internet blackout in Tehran (and not only that, also in Tabriz and the holy city of Mashhad) and the songs of rebellion. Despite the interrupted telephone lines throughout the country – as also reported by the independent organization Netblocks which monitors Internet freedom and ...

Earthquake in Brescia of magnitude 3.4, epicenter 3 km from Gargnano

Earthquake in Brescia of magnitude 3.4, epicenter 3 km from Gargnano

Earthquake in Brescia of magnitude 3.4. A strong shock of earthquake Of magnitude 3.4 hit the province of Brescia today January 9th, at 3.28pm. According to what was recorded by INGV, the epicenter was located at 3km north from Gargnanoa town located on the shores of Lake Garda, about 30 km from the center of Brescia. The hypocenter, however, was ...

How structures are protected from fire: standards and performance levels

How do you investigate fires? What forensic engineering does and where it works

The tragic accident in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, brings our attention back to a topic of great importance: the fire safety. In particular, in this article, we are going to see how engineering can be useful for forensic analysis – that is, how engineering helps investigators to reconstruct what happened and determine any responsibilities. What is forensic engineering for: the autopsy of ...

Ban "glittering" candles in nightclubs: what Prime Minister Meloni said at the press conference

Ban “glittering” candles in nightclubs: what Prime Minister Meloni said at the press conference

The conference by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Credit: Palazzo Chigi In the first press conference of 2026, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke about banning the use of sparkling candles inside clubs and discos, due toCrans-Montana fire. In her speech, the Prime Minister underlined the need to: Think about the possibility of banning indoors the use of sparkles on bottles ...

Cloud-9, Hubble discovers new astronomical object never observed before: a "failed galaxy" without stars

Cloud-9, Hubble discovers new astronomical object never observed before: a “failed galaxy” without stars

This image shows the location of the Cloud–9 object, 14 million light-years from Earth. The magenta cloud represents radio emission from the object that has been superimposed on an optical image from Hubble. The dotted circle shows the region where the radio emission is most intense. Credits: NASA, ESA, VLA, Gagandeep Anand (STScI), Alejandro Benitez–Llambay (University of Milan–Bicocca); Image Processing: ...

Why do we yawn? Its function is above all social and communicative

Why do we yawn? Its function is above all social and communicative

The yawn it is a universal and ancient behavior, but its meaning has long been misunderstood. The most common explanations, such as the idea that it serves to oxygenate or “wake up” the brain, are not supported by the data. The evidence indicates instead that yawning has above all one social and communicative functionlinked to empathy and the synchronization of ...

Crans-Montana tragedy, the "flashover" fire hypothesis: what it is and why it caused so many victims

The Crans-Montana fire became lethal in 140 seconds: the simulation of the tragedy

The possible starting point of the Crans–Montana fire. Credit: Tony Truant, via 140 secondsjust under two and a half minutes, is the time in which the conditions of the bar The Constellations of Crans-Montana have become incompatible with the survival of the people within them after the outbreak of thefire that caused 40 victims and 119 injuries on New Year’s ...

There is already an important US military base in Greenland: what is the Pituffik Space Base and where is it located

There is already an important US military base in Greenland: what is the Pituffik Space Base and where is it located

Pituffik Space Base, the US military base in Greenland. Credit: Kalshi, via There Greenland returned to the center of public attention after the President of the United States Donald Trump he reiterated his intention to annex this territory – now under the control of Denmark – to the USA, considered “indispensable for American national security”. But while on the one ...

Can using ChatGPT fuel psychosis? What the studies say and OpenAI's response

Can using ChatGPT fuel psychosis? What the studies say and OpenAI’s response

OpenAIthe company that develops ChatGPTis hiring a “Head of Preparedness” (“Preparation Manager”), a figure in charge of anticipate and reduce risks related to the impact of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence on mental health of users. As a growing number of studies and empirical evidence show, in fact, prolonged and “immersive” interactions with ChatGPT can contribute to the onset of psychotic episodes. ...