Ecology

palazzo di kiruna

Why are they moving the city of Kiruna to Sweden and how are they doing it?

Kirunaa city located in northern Sweden approximately 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, is the protagonist of a extraordinary and unique project in the world, started in 2007. This town, of approx 20,000 inhabitants, will be moved approximately 3 km further east. In short, a walking city! More than 3,000 buildings and houses will be relocated, many others have ...

haka danza maori storia origine significato

What is the haka, the typical New Zealand dance, and what is its meaning

There haka it’s one traditional Maori dance which has its roots in centuries of history and culture of New Zealand. Although today it is often associated with sporting events, such as the rugby (famous is the one danced by All Blacks before each match), the haka is much more than a simple performance: it is a profound ritual and significant ...

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How much you can drink to avoid exceeding the blood alcohol level required by the Highway Code: the tables

The new Highway Code came into force last December 14, 2024 introduced more severe penalties for driving while intoxicated, keeping the legal blood alcohol limits unchanged. This tightening has generated a lot concern among motoristswho now fear that they will no longer be able to drink even a beer for fear of legal and financial consequences resulting from any infringements. ...

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India removes toxic waste 40 years after the Bhopal disaster: 337 tons of waste removed

337 tons of toxic waste produced by Bhopal disasterin India, the most serious industrial accident in history occurred on the night between 2 and December 3, 1984have only now left the area – 40 years after the tragedy – with a journey of more than 200 km, headed towards a incineration plant in the Indian city of Pithampur. The decision ...

pop pop snappers fulminato di argento

How the “pop pop” firecrackers used on New Year’s Eve work: the chemistry of the explosion

THE pop pop snappersalso called “spring onions”, “paper balls” or “greaves”, are small firecrackers which, when slammed on the ground with sufficient force, cause a small explosion. These paper balls are widely used for New Year’s Eve celebrations, but how exactly do they work? If we open one, we discover that there are some inside pebbles and one gray powder. ...

divieto di fumo

Outdoor smoking ban: which cities in Italy and around the world have introduced it

From 1 January 2025 the city of Milan has officially established the smoking ban in public areasincluding roads, except for isolated places with people at least 10 meters away. This choice falls within the Air quality regulation and provides for offenders fines from 40 to 240 eurosalthough this ban only applies to traditional cigarettes and not to electronic ones or ...

etilometro portatile

How to measure your BAC before driving and how breathalyzers work

Portable breathalyzer. The portable breathalyzers and those “disposable” they offer a simple and reliable way to get an estimate approximate your blood alcohol level. Although the results provided by these devices they have no legal value – it is good to clarify this right from the start – they can however prove useful for a sort of self-check which could ...

detrito spaziale kenya

A 500 kg space debris crash landed in Kenya: what is the metallic object and what we know

Space debris crashed in Kenya on December 30, 2024. Credit: KSA A space debris metallic circular shape of approx 500kg and from diameter of 2.5 meters crashed near Mukuku village in Makueni county in Kenya on December 30, 2024. The debris, probably a separation ring of a rocketdid not disintegrate during atmospheric re-entry, as it theoretically should have done, crashing ...

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Can you recognize minerals? Test yourself with the Geopop quiz!

In geology a mineral is defined as “a natural solid with a high ordering at the atomic scale and a defined (but not fixed) chemical composition“. This definition, although clear, does not always make it easy to distinguish minerals from other types of materials. To help you better understand and test your knowledge, we propose a quiz with 6 images. ...

Texas city Disaster 1947

The Texas City disaster: the deadliest industrial accident in US history

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Two tremendous explosions destroyed the port of Texas Citya few kilometers from Houston (TX, USA) on April 16, 1947in what is today thedeadliest industrial accident in US history: according to estimates by the Texas State Historical Association, the victims were more than 550. The civilian ships involved in the accident, the SS Grandcamp and the ...