The nativity scene tradition has become a true artistic expression. There are orthodox and heterodox nativity scenes worthy of admiration for their level of detail and complexity, not to mention the exquisite craftsmanship of some of their figures. Where does it come from? When did we start representing the events surrounding the birth of Jesus … Read more
“Smokescreens” are a strategy increasingly employed by politicians and the media to divert mass attention away from the truly important things and hide them. The expression has, therefore, a metaphorical use today, but not long ago it was used (and still is) in the military field to confuse adversaries and acquire strategic advantage. Let us … Read more
D-Day, Operation Overlord, the Normandy landing. They are all synonymous referring to the most famous military operation of World War II that largely determined the final outcome of the greatest war in history. It began to be conceived as early as 1943 by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, although they had to wait until … Read more
It is a Dantesque place. The darkness has taken over the whole scene. Small glimpses of light can hardly be seen, only that emitted by fires and flames. It is a terrifying place, colonized by strange diabolic beings, made up of the most unimaginably extravagant mixtures. Humans suffer in various ways. They are the victims … Read more
On August 6, 1915, one of the worst atrocities that characterized the First World War occurred. A troop of 7000 Germans had been trying for months to besiege the Osowiec Fortress in northeastern Poland. 900 Russian and Polish fighters were stationed behind its walls. Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, knowing of the shortage of gas … Read more
The werewolf is a universal myth. Several cultures around the world have it as another creature of their mythological staff. There is something about the wolf that fascinates us. Perhaps it is its fierceness, its loyalty, its beauty. The werewolf is found even in the most remote places for the western people, like Armenia. Although … Read more
Let’s turn another page in our peculiar illuminated book. Be careful, because what is coming now is not easy to digest. We reach the central table, the heart of the triptych, the purest entropy. Our eyes do not know where to go. There are too many characters and actions. Too many explosive colors violently penetrate … Read more
Venus is considered the brother planet of the Earth. However, since their births they have followed different trajectories that have led them to very different destinies. The current atmosphere of Venus is composed of 96.5% carbon dioxide. Toxic clouds of sulfur dioxide travel rapidly through it. But Venus has not always been so unwelcoming. It … Read more
It is not too well known that the author of El Buscón (1626), in addition to being a prolific writer, worked as an undercover agent. He did this for his good friend the Duke of Osuna and Viceroy of Sicily Pedro Téllez. The truth is that Quevedo had one of the basic qualities of an … Read more
“¡How many brave men, how many beautiful women, how many gallant young men whom Galen, Hippocrates, or Aesculapius would have judged to be very healthy, ate breakfast with their relatives, companions, and friends, and in the evening dined with their ancestors in the other world!” – The Decameron, Bocaccio 1. The disease can occur in … Read more
Once we have seen the Creation according to Bosch, it is time to go inside the triptych, a painting that was conceived to analyze it in the way a book is read, from left to right. We will continue to focus on the details. We want the reader to get his or her own general … Read more
This is the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni. It’s also the largest invertebrate on Earth. And not only that, it is also the animal with the largest eyes, as they can measure up to 27 cm in diameter. It lives at a depth of 1000-2000 m in the cold waters of the Antarctic, New Zealand and … Read more
SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the respiratory disease COVID-19, has turned our civilization upside down. It has spread in the blink of an eye across the globe. But the most terrifying thing is the death toll. Every day, thousands of people continue to swell the numbers. However, this virus is not one of the most … Read more
Everyone knows it. It’s been an icon, like its author, of the collective unconscious for centuries. For some people, it’s the only work they know of Bosch. That speaks of his more than deserved fame. It leaves no one indifferent. Since its conclusion, many have tried to decipher it, to reach its code, to reach … Read more
June 24, 1947. A turning point occurred. The phenomenon of Unidentified Flying Objects gained its eternal fame. All the films, books, series and other elements of the popular culture inspired by UFOs have their origin in that very moment. The pilot Kenneth Arnold was flying over Mount Rainier in Washington State that day, looking for … Read more
Endotherms, like mammals and birds, mainly use two methods to minimize heat loss by convection in cold environments: .Increasing heat production Reducing heat loss by increasing the efficiency of the insulation, but how? By empowering the BOUNDARY LAYER. The boundary layer is a layer of fluid (water or air) adjacent to the surface of an … Read more
Although his life was extinguished prematurely in a tragic car accident in 1997, we can assure that Eugene Merle Shoemaker had a full life. He was able to do everything he ever dreamed of. An early intellect allowed him to enter college at age 16, and not just any college, but the prestigious California Institute … Read more
The legs of newborn horses are 90% of the size they will reach as adults. In addition, a few hours after they’re born they can run… Just like humans, right? The average gallop speed is 44 km/h although the speed record is 88 km/h. Horses drink between 25 and 55 l of water a day, … Read more
Let’s be clear from the beginning: racism is an invention of human stupidity. If we think about it, there is nothing more absurd and simplistic than attributing someone an intellectual or innate inferiority because of their morphology or ethnicity. Racism is a belief based on a single principle: that within the human species, population subsets … Read more
He was a little-known British illusionist, unlike his father and grandfather. That’s probably why Jasper enlisted in World War II, to exploit his skills as an illusionist with which he didn’t succeed in England. He would not use weapons against the Germans, but cunning and illusionism. His most famous interventions occurred while he was stationed … Read more