Italy Archives

Circular economy for a sustainable planet: Quantifying the effects of circularity

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Managing our planet’s resources carefully is becoming an emergency. A committed focus on environmental management and sustainability is urgent, as is our pressing obligation to address climate change. Dr Simone Bastianoni from the University of Siena, Italy, along with his colleagues, is working to improve data-driven approaches to underpin key decisions and strategies for moving to a circular economy (CE). […]

How could we build a liveable space habitat?

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Werner Grandl envisages a habitat built from interconnected cylindrical modules, which spin around the axis of a central cylinder – powered by a non-rotating framework of solar panels.

In the not-too-distant future, humanity will be faced with the challenge of building permanent homes in space. For this to happen, space habitats will need to closely replicate Earth’s gravity, while dealing with the threat of radiation and meteorites from outer space. Through his research, Werner Grandl at Space Renaissance International in Italy considers how these challenges could be overcome. Through […]

Defining the rule of law in terms of liberty and equality

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The research explores the interaction between liberty and equality in the context of the rule of law.

The relationship between liberty, the individual freedom from social oppression and restrictions, and equality, which entails providing equal rights and opportunities to all segments of the population, is intricate and often disputed. Isabel Trujillo, professor in legal philosophy at the University of Palermo, Italy, explores this relationship in the context of the rule of law – the notion that all […]

Metamaterials and the new rules of refraction

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$Zanotto and Pitanti are developing metamaterials, a new type of material for the manipulation of optical and mechanical waves through negative refraction$

Waves are amazing things. We use light waves for telecommunications applications and make use of mechanical waves for everything from musical instruments to sensing. Being able to control and use waves, though, relies on components to manipulate their properties. Drs Simone Zanotto and Alessandro Pitanti at the CNR – Istituto di Nanoscienze in Pisa, Italy, are now developing a new […]

How does sleep affect immune-related disease risk?

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Dr Sergio Garbarino researches the links between sleep deprivation, inflammation and the immune system, and chronic diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases

Sergio Garbarino, adjunct professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, at the University of Genoa, Italy, is an internationally recognised sleep expert. In his recent work, he explores the interrelationships between sleep deprivation, immunity, inflammation, and chronic diseases. It is well established that sleep is essential for health. However, modern lifestyles are not conducive to […]

The collapse of the Polcevera Viaduct – an avoidable tragedy

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The dramatic collapse of the Polcevera Viaduct, in the Italian port city of Genoa in 2018, had all the hallmarks of unfortunate tragedy, but to the trained eye it was inevitable. Twenty-five years before the disaster, Professor Janusz Rymsza, a specialist in bridge design and field testing at Poland’s Road and Bridge Research Institute, warned Italian engineers that the design […]

The TO-10 site in NW Italy is unsuitable for hosting the national nuclear waste repository

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The storage and disposal of radioactive waste is an issue of global concern. Italy has recently started the procedure of identifying suitable sites for its national repository of low- and medium-activity nuclear waste. This task was assigned to state-owned company, Sogin SPA, which recently published a national map of potentially suitable areas. 67 sites were identified, including TO-10, in Northwest […]

Galactic archaeology: Using chemical abundances to map our galaxy’s history

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Professor Francesca Matteucci discusses recent observations in 'galactic archaeology' and how chemical elements can tell us how the galactic formations occurred

The different chemical elements we observe across the Milky Way have gone through drastically different formation processes – which have taken place on drastically different timescales. Crucially for astronomers, these differences can be clearly seen in the abundances of chemical elements contained in stars today, providing important clues about our Galaxy’s distant past. In a new overview, Professor Francesca Matteucci […]

The anti-ageing and anti-tumour effects of Fermented Papaya Preparation (FPP^®): A new neo-adjuvant cancer therapy?

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The fruit of the Carica Papaya plant has many digestive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.

The fruit of the Carica Papaya plant has long been celebrated as a champion of traditional indigenous practices for its potent digestive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, papaya has been shown to have potential oncological applications, fighting accumulation of cancer-causing free radicals. To investigate the anti-cancer and anti-ageing properties of this fascinating fruit, Professor Stefano Fais, head of Research at […]

Using genetics to guide treatment of arterial hypertension with Rostafuroxin

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Many genetic variants have been found to be associated with blood pressure level.

Primary hypertension is a major health concern and can cause serious cardiac, renal and brain complications responsible for about 10% of worldwide health burden and costs. The development of hypertension is triggered by genetic factors that, in turn, are modulated by biological and environmental factors. Many drugs are available for the treatment of hypertension, but none target the underlying genetic […]