Ecology

Why the attraction towards authoritarian leaders grows in times of crisis: sociological theories from Bauman to Fraser

Why the attraction towards authoritarian leaders grows in times of crisis: sociological theories from Bauman to Fraser

Image generated with AI for illustrative purposes only. In a world marked by instability, economic crises and widespread fears, even the most consolidated democracies seem to show an increased inclination towards authoritarian leaders. In recent months the debate on this topic has reignited, highlighting the growing consensus towards strong political figures, often perceived as guarantors of safety and order. But ...

Cittadella is the only village in Europe with elliptical medieval walls that can be entirely traversed for 1.5 km

Cittadella is the only village in Europe with elliptical medieval walls that can be entirely traversed for 1.5 km

The walls of the Cittadella. Credit: Kromatika Citadel, a medieval village in the province of Padua (Veneto), is a real one masterpiece of military engineering of the 13th century, in which the particular elliptical geometry of the walls meets rigorous urban planning. With his patrol walkway entirely accessiblerepresents a testimony of how the defensive architecture of Padua was able to ...

12 thousand flights canceled in May due to the fuel crisis: what will happen in Europe this summer

12 thousand flights canceled in May due to the fuel crisis: what will happen in Europe this summer

Many of us are struggling with reservations for summer holidaysor have already done so in recent weeks, despite growing concerns about possible cancellations, fluctuating prices and questions about how flight scheduling will actually remain configured over the course of the summer. Airlines around the world, including European ones, are facing their biggest challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic with the Strait ...

The differences between soccer, basketball, rugby and volleyballs: shape, size and material

The differences between soccer, basketball, rugby and volleyballs: shape, size and material

How come the different ones game balls – football, basketball, rugby and volleyball – do they have different shapes, sizes and materials? The answer lies in the fact that each specific ball must have some different physical characteristics depending on the use to be made of it. For example, the soccer ball and the volleyball ball must be very efficient ...

Why ChatGPT became "fixated" with goblins and trolls: OpenAI intervened to correct the problem

Why ChatGPT became “fixated” with goblins and trolls: OpenAI intervened to correct the problem

Image generated with AI for illustrative purposes only. ChatGPT has developed an unusual obsession with goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls and orcsstarting to insert these references into their answers with an unusual frequency, referring to these figures in many cases quoting them out of context. The problem became clear after the launch of GPT-5.1last November. Users had reported that the model ...

The spectacular trail of light in the sky over Northern Italy was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink launch

The spectacular trail of light in the sky over Northern Italy was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a Starlink launch

The light trail spotted in Italy on the evening of May 1, 2026. A brilliant one bright point surrounded by a strange bluish hair accompanied by a persistent luminous trail it suddenly appeared in the skies of Northern Italy, particularly in Piedmont and Lombardy, sparking amazement and curiosity among the population. The curious sighting happened around 10pm on Friday 1 ...

The mathematical magic of the number 1001 which makes numbers double

The mathematical magic of the number 1001 which makes numbers double

If we take a three-digit number – for example 348 – and we multiply it by 1001we get 348,348, that is, exactly the starting number repeated twice! And this happens for any three-digit number. You can try! But how come this happens mathematical magic? In truth the explanation is very simple and becomes very clear if we apply the distributive ...