life
A harmless vampire The bat, called common vampire bat, sucks blood, but rather than Dracula, the protagonist of many terrifying legends, it should be compared to a large mosquito. In fact, it is only 8 cm long and its wingspan…
life
Legend or fact? In ancient Rome, bats were nailed to the door of the house as a protection from witches and diseases. In fact it was believed at that time, that their silent presence announced the arrival of an accident…
life
Migratory fish are true athletes: some of them swim thousands of kilometres during their migration from their birthplace to the places where they feed and reproduce. In order to complete their life cycle, they need free-flowing, unimpeded rivers. On their…
life
Throughout history, humans have used lichens for a variety of purposes. The oldest evidence of lichen use dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who used some species to make bread flour and others for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. They also…
life
Distributed at all latitudes, lichens are able to conquer extreme biotopes, adapting to living in places where plants would find it difficult to survive: they overcome critical periods by rapidly going into dormant phases during which respiration and photosynthesis are…
life
Italy has some new inhabitants, but that is no cause for celebration: the list of alien species is long. Two important “aliens” are the harlequin ladybird and the blue crab. Let's get to know them better… Originating from central and…
life
Is it possible to build a lamp from a plant? It would seem so. The confirmation comes from Peru, where engineers from the Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) of Lima have created "Planta lampara", a lamp powered by the energy…
life
The tallest tree in the world is called Hyperion . It is a Sequoia sempervirens and is 115.55 metres tall, located in the Redwood National Park in Northern California. Even though it is remarkably tall, it is not the biggest…
life
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the biggest fish in the world, in fact it can reach a length of over 12 metres. The whale shark, notwithstanding its size, is a harmless animal. It is a filter feeding fish that…