A tragic last minute news slipped into the inner pages of the newspaper El Liberal on the early morning of November 25, 1891: Last night’s catastrophe. Spain is in mourning. Fire at the Museum of Paintings, said the headline. The Prado Museum was burning violently. People crowded in front of that infernal spectacle. Wailing, crying, … Read more
The Common Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula) is the smallest viverrid of the Afican continent. Viverrids are a family of carnivorous mammals that includes civets, ginets, mongooses and alike. Its small body barely reaches 30 cm in length, with a weight that usually does not reach 300 g. The tail can measure between 12-20 cm. Its … Read more
The day when the peculiar star of Bethlehem indicated to the Three Wise Men the time of the Epiphany, a fourth Wise Man was also informed of this event, an Iranian Zoroastrian priest who was waiting for the prophetic sign to set out on his journey: Artaban. His goal was to meet the other Wise … Read more
It might seem a rhetorical question because of its obviousness. A year has 12 months, so it is logical to place the annual restart in the first month calends of the sequence. But this was not always the case. The beginning of the year for the Romans began on March 1st, the month that paid … Read more
In many countries, families hang socks on or near chimneys for Santa Claus to fill them with gifts. Well, this tradition would have its origin in the generosity of the real Santa Claus. St. Nicholas of Myra or Bari was a bishop from Turkey. He was born in Patara in the 3rd century A.D. in … Read more
It’s probably one of the most common table talk conversations of the summer. When a watermelon is cut and the seeds are not perceived, a suspicion, a worry, a distrust, even a fear emanates from us. It seems unnatural, scientific witchcraft. The term “transgenic” will come out disdainfully and quickly from the person who has … Read more
More than one has been shocked after seen these alleged mosquitoes. They look like imposing and huge mosquitoes, but in fact they are Diptera of the Tipulidae family, also known as crain flies. True mosquitoes are also Diptera but they belong to the Culicidae family. They are thin, delicate-looking insects with long and thin legs, … Read more
Since the last century, the Dollar has been the reference currency of the international economic system. Its sign is unmistakable and inseparable from the contemporary world. It personifies wealth, power, possession and even an entire country. A very simple character in appearance: an S crossed by two vertical bars (although its variant reduced to an … Read more
This is the sea wasp or box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, a kind of jellyfish of the Cubozoa class: It inhabits shallow, turbid oceanic waters of Australia and Southeast Asia (although during the breeding season and polyp phase they can be found in rivers). The bell (“body”) is cube-shaped and translucid (Φ15-24cm). From each of the … Read more
We continue to expose some examples of the German Wunderwaffen from World War II. As with the ones we saw in the previous post, many of these new exponents were never built, or only reached the test phase at the most. Even so, they are still fabulous and impressive. If the reader has already been … Read more
Machines have become an indispensable tool for humans, to the point that some of them have become practically another extremity of our organisms, both literally and metaphorically if we refer to our indispensable mobile phone. Some of them already reproduce our anatomy, physiognomy and behaviour with a sinister realism, perhaps to make them more familiar … Read more
Many Heavy Metal lovers have their hair bristle when they hear the name of Manowar. Currently formed by Eric Adams, Joey DeMaio, Anders Johansson and E. V. Martel, they are experts in the creation of authentic musical hymns, celebrated and extolled all over the world, not in vain have sold nearly 10 million records. But … Read more
Only worker bees sting when they are in a desperate situation, but not all bee species sting. The stinger is a hollow tube through which the poison passes and that is attached to some internal organs. Apart from the poison, it is important to remove the stinger immediately because when the bee stings, it releases … Read more
It is the patas monkey: Erythrocebus patas. This Old World Monkey is the fastest primate, since it can reach 56 km/h running. Males of this species weigh about 10 kg and females about 6 kg. Their legs and tails are long. They have a reddish-brown hair with lighter and darker areas. This species lives in … Read more
Wars are always tragic, without exception. They feed on the worst of the human being, although the best of him can also be manifested. Solidarity, empathy, personal sacrifice… and creativity and imagination, even though they are often applied to the war. Whether we like it or not, wars produce important technical and scientific advances. Many … Read more
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the genius of literature capable of immortalizing several literary works. A name that is repeated unceasingly and that is taught from an early age. Name: Miguel. Surname: de Cervantes Saavedra. But here there would be an error according to a recent theory exposed by the researcher Luce López-Basalt. The writer from … Read more
This smell, called petrichor, which pleases many people, is perceived after the rain. The responsible is a substance called geosmin (aroma of the earth in Greek). Geosmin is produced by Streptomyces coelicolor or Albert’s bacteria, although it is also produced by some cyanobacteria and filamentous fungi. This bacterium is found in most soils, and apart … Read more
The purpose of this article is to serve as a future guide for travelers visiting the Buen Retiro Park. More importantly, we hope it will help to fall in love with this fascinating place. It aims to serve as a magnifying glass to scrutinize the secrets that await us in the most unsuspected corners of … Read more
It is well known that Spain did not participate in the tragic and destructive First World War. Both the country and its colonies remained neutral between 1914 and 1918. However, there were occasions when Spain was almost forced to participate in the conflict. In 1916, after two years of siege, French and English troops conquered … Read more
It is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), also known as chigüire, chigüiro or carpincho. It can measure 50-60 cm high and 1.3 m long and can weigh… more than 50 kg! This species lives exclusively in South America. It lives in more or less numerous groups in the vicinity of watercourses. A curious feature is that … Read more