Life has devised a multitude of strategies to adapt and survive, such as mimesis. We all quickly think of examples from the animal kingdom, such as syrphids, some caterpillars, various butterflies or spiders that resemble ants. However, plants are not far behind. Orchids of the genus Ophrys sp. are true works of art of nature. … Read more
Most of us are familiar with or have heard of electricity-based therapies. They are used in a wide range of medical disciplines: neurology, psychiatry, physical medicine, rehabilitation… Logically, we consider these techniques an advance of the modern world, because if electricity had not been discovered, they could not exist. It is true that electricity is … Read more
Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600 – 1681) was one of the many literary figures who gilded a century with his distinguished works. Author of dramas, comedies, sacramental plays, and plays, his name will always be linked to works such as El gran teatro del mundo or La vida es sueño. This is his best … Read more
Nature is the best weapon engineer. Some living beings are equipped with a series of strategies and tools that it’s difficult to imagine they were generated by chance. In fact, devotees of creationism and intelligent design use these examples to vindicate their beliefs. Let’s look at the case of the carabid beetles of the genus … Read more
In the face of the current situation, which will undoubtedly mark humanity forever, a race against time has been generated to try to overcome it as quickly as possible. Not in vain, in less than a year it has shown us how vulnerable we are, but also our resilience. The most promising weapons with which … Read more
Is the end of the pandemic near? Is SARS-CoV-2, the same one that has shown how fragile the egomaniacal Homo sapiens and his civilization are, giving its last breath? Will the longed-for vaccines end with this science-fiction situation? The vaccines are being presented as the definitive solution to our problems, the definitive weapon that will … Read more
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