FacebookYouTubeInstagramTwitter

all that is zoology, botanica, ethology, which is not about medicine

Le zecche (e quello che ci azzecca)

2023-05-31T15:56:17+02:0031 May 2023|Categories: Environment, Nature|Tags: , , |

Certe aree del nostro Paese, e del mondo in generale, ogni estate fanno i conti con l’allarme zecche! Da qualche anno però, la diffusione di questi pericolosi artropodi sta interessando anche ambienti diversi da quelli noti, le regioni alpine ne sono un triste esempio. Ancora una volta quindi ci ritroviamo a fare i conti con le conseguenze negative dei cambiamenti climatici e dell'aumento della temperatura globale. Ma che ci azzeccano i cambiamenti climatici con le zecche? E perché sono così temute?

Drought: between fiction and sad reality

2023-04-30T10:07:27+02:0027 April 2023|Categories: Environment, Curiosity, Nature|Tags: , , |

“Giorno 367 della crisi idrica a Roma”: sono ormai tre anni che non piove sulla capitale e, come lo sfondo seppia di una città esausta, anche le persone che la popolano sono ormai prosciugate e incattivite. L’acqua corrente è un lusso del passato, le strade e le case brulicano di blatte, il Tevere è in completa secca. La situazione di emergenza ha costretto la città a cambiare i propri ritmi e abitudini: razioni d’acqua sono imposte pro capite ed è vietato tentare di acquistarne di più di quanto sia concesso; è proibito qualsiasi tipo di spreco, come lavare la [...]

The Great Green Wall: story of a rebirth

2022-06-10T11:41:57+02:006 June 2022|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , , |

Recent climate change does not have the same impact anywhere in the world. In fact, there are regions that are most affected by its effects., both from a social and economic point of view. In general, we talk about an increase of heat waves, sea level rise and soil aridity, and an increase in diseases transmissible to humans. All of this could get worse in the future and the scenarios are certainly not positive. If we weren't talking about global warming, you could say it doesn't rain but it pours. The worst effects of climate change are in fact seen in developing countries [...]

Are organic products better for the environment?

2022-05-05T09:20:34+02:005 May 2022|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

The increase in awareness of the environment has contributed to the spread of organic products in the last decade, that is, those products grown with organic farming methods that ensure a sustainable choice in the food sector. What is organic? In simple terms: organic practices prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms, both for direct consumption and as animal feed, and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, or made industrially through chemical reactions. This is an important point: there are fertilizers and pesticides allowed in organic farming, but these are not produced by chemical synthesis ... while remaining full-fledged chemicals. [...]

Workers of death

2021-11-02T18:01:31+01:002 November 2021|Categories: Curiosity, Medicine and Research, Nature|

What happens after death, has always been an object of curiosity for man! The different religions, beliefs and traditions, handed down over the millennia, they tried to imagine an unearthly destiny. But on Earth, instead, what remains? Even scientifically speaking, it can be said that there is life after death! The life in question, however, is not ours, but that of a large corpse fauna. Fear, eh? After death, the decomposition process begins immediately, as the cells no longer receive oxygen and other nutrients that allow them to survive. It follows a process called "autolysis": [...]

The genetics of roses

2021-07-09T17:40:23+02:008 July 2021|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , |

Roses are the most widely grown ornamental plants in the world, also important from an economic point of view in the cosmetic industry. The ornamental features, the therapeutic and cosmetic value have contributed to its domestication but the evolution of the Rosa genus is very complex. The genus Rosa, belonging to the Rosaceae family, contains approximately 200 species, many of which are polyploid, that is, they have multiple chromosomal sets, but only from 8 all 20 species are involved in the cultivation of hybrid roses (Rosa hybrida), among these there is a very important Chinese species known as "Rosa chinensis". These crossings gave birth to the "Rosa tea", [...]

Roommates and quarantine companions

2021-07-02T16:56:46+02:002 July 2021|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

One of the aspects that we miss most in this quarantine is certainly the social one. Video calls partially compensate for this lack, but presence and physical contact are essential. For example for whom, come me, he was two weeks in self-isolation, as returning from abroad, the amazement for the three-dimensionality of loved ones was certainly impressive. A small consolation is that, in addition to our family members, companions and pets, at home we are never alone. There are so many critters! Many of you would probably prefer solitude to the above. Unfortunately, however, you have to be realistic and learn [...]

Missing penguins

2021-07-02T14:00:36+02:002 July 2021|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

There is a mystery that scientists are trying to unravel: that of the disappeared penguin colony. Or better, the entire colony has not really disappeared, however it is estimated that it has drastically reduced: from about 900.000 about 100.000 penguins. Crazy. “Where the hell have the penguins gone?!”This is certainly the question posed by researchers Henri Weimerskirch and Charles Bost, of the French research institute CNRS, at the beginning 2017, looking at the aerial images of Île aux Cochons, a volcanic island located halfway between Madagascar and Antarctica and which has rarely been visited by [...]

Coronavirus and illegal animal trafficking.

2021-06-20T17:01:20+02:0020 June 2021|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

In this period, the eyes of the scientific community are on SARS-CoV-2, the Coronavirus of the ongoing pandemic. Recall that Coronavirus does not mean only SARS-CoV-2 which is triggering the COVID-19 pandemic, but a whole family of viruses: i “Coronaviridae”. In particular, scientists are also trying to reconstruct the path that the aforementioned virus followed, making the "leap of species". What is meant by "leap of species"? Scientifically termed CTS (Cross-Species Transmission), it is the phenomenon by which a virus introduces itself into an individual of a host species other than the one it usually infects, then succeeds in [...]

The cockroaches will conquer the world

2021-07-15T19:55:05+02:0030 June 2019|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

After a sensational title and an incredibly realistic photo, we are going to describe a discovery that will terrify housewares across the globe. Let's talk about cockroaches, insects that are considered like rats for the same reasons: they have managed to adapt very well to anthropogenic environments, hiding where we have no way of seeing them and waiting for the right moment to catch some rest of food. Actually, for the elements mentioned above we should applaud these little animals who have managed to take advantage of all the environmental transformations we have caused. But they are shady creatures and we associate them with [...]

Go to Top