Ecology

The largest spider web ever discovered is in a cave in Europe: it is the cooperation between two species of spiders

The largest spider web ever discovered is in a cave in Europe: it is the cooperation between two species of spiders

Credit: Photo by Marek A, part of Urák I, Vrenozi B, Głąbiak Z, Lecoquierre N, Eiberger C, Maraun M, Ştefan A, Flot J–F, Brad T, Dainelli L, Sarbu SM, Băncilă RI (2025) An extraordinary colonial spider community in Sulfur Cave (Albania/Greece) sustained by chemoautotrophy. Subterranean Biology It was thought they couldn’t collaborate, but instead they built a colossal structure that ...

Stromboli, eruptive activity in progress with lava flow from the Sciara del Fuoco: the drone video

Stromboli, eruptive activity in progress with lava flow from the Sciara del Fuoco: the drone video

The lava flow on Stromboli’s Sciara del Fuoco. Credit: Irene Makarenko, via The volcano Stromboliin the Sicilian archipelago of the Aeolian Islands, gave rise to more intense than normal volcanic activity which began at 11:00 yesterday, Sunday 9 November: according to what was reported by the INGV, a lava overflow from the North crater area, which is feeding a lava ...

Columns in Greek Temples Are Not Really Straight: What Is Entasis and Why Was It Used

Columns in Greek Temples Are Not Really Straight: What Is Entasis and Why Was It Used

Detail of the Parthenon in Athens. Walking among the Doric columns of the Parthenon in Athens or in the magical Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, it is easy to be fascinated by the seemingly perfect harmony that characterizes them. But, looking carefully, you realize that these columns are not completely straight: they have a subtle curvature, the entasis. This ...

Are black and white colors?

Are black and white colors?

Black and white. Photo by David Werbrouck via Unsplash When we look at a painting, or open a box of pencils, we call every shade and tone we see “color”: the black and whitehowever, not appearing in the light spectrumthey may not be considered colors: white is the sum of all reflected lights, black is what we see when the ...

The longest driverless transport system in the world is the 176km Riyadh Metro

The longest driverless transport system in the world is the 176km Riyadh Metro

The King Abdullah Financial District station of the Riyadh Metro, the longest driverless public transport system in the world. Credit: Hufont+Crow (Zaha Hadid Architects) There new Riyadh metroin Saudi Arabia, is the driverless public transport system longest in the world with its 176 km of length, distributed in 6 lines and 85 stations. Riyadh is a city in continuous expansion, ...

The 8 smallest museums in the world: what they are and where they are located

The 8 smallest museums in the world: what they are and where they are located

The Warley Museum, UK. Google Street View Telephone booths, caravans, elevators and even a wardrobe: there is a large number of museums that are just a few or very few square meters in size, and are often dedicated to a single theme, a historical figure or the place in which they are located. These micro-museumsborn and spread mainly between America ...

History, records and curiosities of the ATP Finals: from surface changes to the Nadal taboo

History, records and curiosities of the ATP Finals: from surface changes to the Nadal taboo

The 2025 ATP Finals will be played in Turin. Credit: Michael Frey (Michael Frey), CC BY–SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons At the end of every tennis season, when most of the tournaments have already delivered their verdicts, there is still one stage that remains illuminated: the ATP Finals. It’s the tournament of the best 8 in the worlda sort of ...

Venetian cerussa foundation: the toxic lead makeup used by Elizabeth I

Venetian cerussa foundation: the toxic lead makeup used by Elizabeth I

If putting on makeup in the morning seems like a harmless and habitual gesture, a few centuries ago it could seriously put your life at risk. This is what happened, according to some hypotheses, to Elizabeth I of Englandwho died at the age of 69 on 24 March 1603 after 45 years of reign, and to many noblewomen between the ...

Earthquake in Japan of magnitude 6.7: tsunami warning issued, waves of up to one meter expected

Earthquake in Japan of magnitude 6.7: tsunami warning issued, waves of up to one meter expected

6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan. Tsunami warning issued A strong one earthquake of magnitude 6.7 hit the Japan today, November 9, at 5.03pm local time (9.03am in Italy). According to what was reported by INGV, the epicenter has been localized at seaabout 120 km east of Iwate Prefecture, at a depth of 9 km. The Japan Meteorological Agency then issued ...