Ecology

Because in some cultures in Asia and the Middle East, putting your hands in your pockets is a sign of rudeness

Because in some cultures in Asia and the Middle East, putting your hands in your pockets is a sign of rudeness

Human communication is not limited to words: postures, gestures and micro-movements constitute an essential component of social interaction. Among these, the act of keep your hands in your pockets apparently represents nonverbal behavior neutral which, however, it can assume profoundly different meanings depending on the cultural context. In some societies this gesture is perceived as a signal of informality or ...

The “phantom time” hypothesis, the theory that 297 years of the Middle Ages never existed

The “phantom time” hypothesis, the theory that 297 years of the Middle Ages never existed

Image generated with AI. The so-called “phantom time hypothesis” is a controversial theory that aims to correct a part of the historical chronology, pointing out how some centuries have never existed of the High Middle Ages. It is considered without historiographical basis and has been circulating on the web for years but, in reality, dates back to the end of ...

Strait of Hormuz, what's really happening to jet fuel and what we risk this summer

Strait of Hormuz, what’s really happening to jet fuel and what we risk this summer

If you’re planning a flight this summer, there’s some news that deserves your attention. Last April 9th, ACI Europe – the association that represents beyond 600 European airports – wrote a formal letter to two commissioners of the European Union raising a specific alarm: if the passage through the Strait of Hormuz does not recover stably within three weeks, one ...

The cat leaves food in the bowl not on a whim, but for smell: what the study says

The cat leaves food in the bowl not on a whim, but for smell: what the study says

The cat that approaches the bowl, sniffs, eats a few bites and leaves. Does this behavior come from evolutionary instinct or are they whims? According to a study published in Physiology & Behavior by researchers fromIwate University in Japan, the answer is much simpler, the cat gets bored of theodor of food, not of food itself. Cats are solitary hunters ...

Padel balls are different from tennis balls: the physical analysis of bounce and pressure

Padel balls are different from tennis balls: the physical analysis of bounce and pressure

Generated with AI Padel balls and tennis balls are practically identical at first glance: same bright yellow colour, same shape, same felt covering. Yet you only need to play a few exchanges to realize that they don’t behave the same way. Because that gives padel seems to “turn off” after the bounce, while the one from tennis remains fast and ...

Little Albert's experiment, can fear be taught to humans?

Little Albert’s experiment, can fear be taught to humans?

Little Albert’s experiment. Credit: Vibha C Kashyap, CC BY–SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons In 1920 the greatest exponent of behaviorism John Watson he was so convinced that behaviors and emotions could be shaped and shaped by the external environment that he decided to carry out an experiment at Johns Hopkins University on a child, known as the little Albertto demonstrate ...