Ecology

Why swimmers slap their chests before diving into the pool

Why swimmers slap their chests before diving into the pool

If you have seen any swimming competition on television, perhaps just in recent days during the European short course championships which took place in Lublinin Poland, with a great performance by our national team, winner of the medal table, you will have noticed that very often the athletes they beat their chestarms or legs just before entering the water. It ...

Because on the coldest days we see our breath

Because on the coldest days we see our breath

When it’s very cold outside, if we exhale with your mouth we see a sort of appear speech bubble which vanishes within a few moments. It hardly happens if we exhale with the noseunless the temperatures are very cold. And of course our breath is never seen when it’s not very cold outside. The “cloud” into which our breath transforms ...

The incredible story of Smart Hans: the horse who could count

The incredible story of Smart Hans: the horse who could count

Hans the Intelligent Answering a Mathematical Question, 1909. Hans the clever is a horse that lived in Berlin between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which was so called because for a long time it was believed that it was capable of performing arithmetic operations and other tasks, and responded by stamping his hooves ...

December 14, 2025, how many °C was it today in previous years? Let's compare temperatures

December 14, 2025, how many °C was it today in previous years? Let’s compare temperatures

Many times we find ourselves wondering “But was it that cold last year?” or “But was it this hot in other years?”. These are questions that can be answered by searching through the meteorological archives, and that’s what we did: we bring you the temperatures of December 14th scheduled for Milan, Rome, Naples And Palermocompared with those of the same ...

How many km does a footballer run in 90 minutes of a match? Distances and intensity change by role and age

How many km does a footballer run in 90 minutes of a match? Distances and intensity change by role and age

The professional footballer embodies a unique athletic combination. Must possess the resistence of a middle distance runner, capable of covering great distances, but also showing off the explosive power of a sprinter, capable of lightning-fast sprints to overtake the opponent or recover a crucial ball. On average, in a top flight match, an outfield player covers a distance of between ...

Mac users in danger, a cyber attack uses ChatGPT to spread AMOS malware

Mac users in danger, a cyber attack uses ChatGPT to spread AMOS malware

A recent analysis done by cybersecurity experts at Kaspersky brought to light an insidious cyber attack targeting macOS users where search engines, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity intertwine, creating fertile ground for a new dangerous online fraud. Attackers exploit the function of ChatGPT chat sharing to create an installation guide for ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI’s browser). The result is a trap capable ...

What does “chapeau” mean and when is the expression used?

What does “chapeau” mean and when is the expression used?

Chapeau it is a French word that literally means “hat”, but in the transition to Italian it changed meaning: we use it as an exclamation to show admiration, esteem or sincere appreciation. It is the formal equivalent of the colloquial expression “hats off”, a way to openly recognize someone’s value. In practice it is like reproducing, with a single word, ...

Why the thirteenth is lower than the salary: what it is, when it arrives and how the amount is calculated

Why the thirteenth is lower than the salary: what it is, when it arrives and how the amount is calculated

The thirteenth (also called “Christmas bonus“) is an additional monthly salary that is paid to all employees (public and private) and pensioners in the month of December. In practice, it is a “additional” salarywhich is added to 12 paychecks that are received during the year: hence its name, given that it is equivalent to a 13th month’s salary. The thirteenth, ...

The "Santa Lucia earthquake" of 13 December 1976 reconstructed: new seismic risk maps

The “Santa Lucia earthquake” of 13 December 1976 reconstructed: new seismic risk maps

Distribution map of probability of damage greater than 40% generated following the 1976 earthquake simulation. (Copyright DICAM – Ugolini, Nardin, Broccardo) A research team from the University of Trento has developed digital maps of seismic risk in the Riva del Garda area, in the province of Trento. Here, the December 13, 1976at 6:24 an earthquake of magnitude 4.4 (which was ...