Latest news with #Padua
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Not Big Bang, new theory uses ‘Gravity' and ‘Quantum Physics' to explain the universe's birth
A groundbreaking study from the Universities of Barcelona and Padua challenges the inflation theory, suggesting the universe began from a stable De Sitter space, driven by gravity and quantum mechanics alone. This model explains the formation of cosmic structures through quantum fluctuations evolving into gravitational waves, offering a simpler, testable alternative to the Big Bang's fiery start. A new theory by University of Barcelona physicists suggests the universe may have formed from De Sitter space using only gravity and quantum mechanics. Rather than rejecting the Big Bang, it offers a simpler, testable alternative to explain the cosmos's origin. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How does this theory explain the birth of the Universe? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is De Sitter space? Could the universe have formed without a Big Bang? What could this mean for science? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A new study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the University of Padua challenges one of the core ideas of modern cosmology : that the Universe began with a rapid expansion called inflation. For decades, inflation has helped explain why the Universe looks the way it does, but it relies on speculative ideas like unknown particles and unobserved new theory removes those uncertainties. Instead, it suggests that the early Universe can be fully explained using only gravity and quantum mechanics, two well-established areas of physics. If proven correct, this would be a major shift in how scientists understand the researchers propose that the Universe began in a simple, uniform state known as De Sitter space , which aligns with what we observe today about dark energy . In this setting, tiny quantum fluctuations , essentially ripples in space and time, naturally time, these ripples evolved into gravitational waves that created the small differences indensity that allowed matter to clump together, eventually forming galaxies, stars, and process doesn't require the existence of hypothetical fields like the "inflaton" making the theory both cleaner and more Sitter space is a theoretical model of the Universe that describes a smooth, empty space that expands on its own due to the presence of a positive cosmological constant, something like dark doesn't include matter or light, just the energy of space itself stretching use this idea to understand how the Universe behaves when dominated by dark energy, especially in its earliest or far-future this new theory doesn't reject the Big Bang but offers a compelling alternative. It suggests that the universe may have emerged not from a fiery explosion, but from a stable, expanding state called De Sitter space, relying solely on gravity and quantum model provides a minimalist and testable explanation rather than depending on speculative elements like inflaton fields. It reshapes our understanding of cosmic origins by showing how structure could arise from fundamental laws, inviting new ways to explore the universe's earliest theory stands out because it makes testable predictions using real, observable physics. Future research and observations could prove or disprove it, especially of gravitational waves and cosmic author Raúl Jiménez called the proposal 'simple, elegant, and powerful,' noting that it avoids adding 'things we have never seen' just to make the math work. If validated, it could represent a major scientific breakthrough, changing how we think about our cosmic origins.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley review – teenage mothers and melodrama
Writers sometimes talk of giving birth to their books, but probably very few are also working as doulas. It's an experience that clearly informs Leila Mottley's new novel, The Girls Who Grew Big, in which the struggles of pregnancy and motherhood loom large. Mottley's work as a doula comes in addition to writing a bestselling debut novel, Nightcrawling, and featuring on Oprah's Book Club; she was also youth poet laureate of Oakland, California, in 2018. But not much seems beyond the reach of the youngest ever writer to be longlisted for the Booker prize, back in 2022. The pity is that her considerable energy hasn't translated into a more satisfying second book. The Girls Who Grew Big tells the story of a gang of teenage mothers and the impromptu community they form in the humid disarray and general dysfunction of Padua, a fictional small town in the Florida panhandle. Led by their de facto leader, Simone, the Girls are a scrappy, ostracised handful of outsiders, variously rejected by their families and harshly judged by locals. Down on their luck and often abandoned by the adults in their lives, they resourcefully become a collective, based in the back of Simone's truck. At 20, Simone is the eldest, the mother of five-year-old twins Lion and Luck. When she finds herself unhappily pregnant again, she turns to the Girls for help. Among them is 17-year-old Emory, whose white family are appalled by her black boyfriend. She comes to the Girls when struggling to breastfeed her baby boy, Kai, and finds practical advice, sisterhood and support. Then new girl Adela washes up in town: a champion swimmer with college ambitions, exiled from her former life by an unplanned pregnancy and sent to stay with her grandmother for nine months. Emory is immediately infatuated, and soon the Girls find their community disrupted. Those are the bones of the book, and there's clearly something potent here: the raw lives of teenage mothers, the fierce bonds forged in adversity, the alarmingly unequal access to good-quality maternity care in contemporary America. And yet The Girls Who Grew Big ultimately lands awkwardly, emerging as a mawkish paean to motherhood. This is a well-meant novel about decent things – sisterhood and solidarity – but its sentiment is never more sophisticated than this, and the writing too often sinks into the syrupy. Nightcrawling, Mottley's novel about an impoverished teenage sex worker in Oakland who ends up at the centre of a police corruption case, was a startling debut: miraculously lucid, politically pointed and tenderly wrought. But in The Girls Who Grew Big, when Mottley reaches for gritty realism, she often gives us something that feels gratuitous instead. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion The novel opens, for instance, with Simone chewing through not one but two umbilical cords as she gives birth to twins in the back of her boyfriend's truck. It's certainly striking, but it also reads like an unnecessary provocation. Simone reasons that her teeth are preferable to her boyfriend's dirty pocket knife, 'crusted in dried brown blood, shed fur from some long-dead animal, and Lord knows how many fishes' yellowed intestines', as Mottley seems intent on challenging the reader from the first. Later, calling in a favour, Simone reminds Emory that she 'sucked on her nipple just last week to get a clogged duct to flow again'. Birth is messy and women's bodies are unruly: Mottley insists we confront this. Her prose relishes the blood and milk, straight talk sometimes curdling into something more callow and needlessly graphic. Setting the novel in Florida allows Mottley dramatic licence and she makes the most of it. She has a hurricane hit Padua, and the Girls flee from it in their wildly veering vehicle. A storm fells a tree, which inconveniently closes the local Planned Parenthood clinic. An alligator turns up at Emory's high school like a bad omen. An orca beaches itself as if summoned by the novel's own need for symbolism and the Girls duly scramble to save it. Drama is Mottley's preferred mode, and the set pieces – a cat fight between Adela and Simone; a tense reveal between Adela and her new boyfriend – feel melodramatic rather than real. But the Mottley of Nightcrawling is here too, writing with poetic clarity in fleeting moments. She is excellent at capturing the mysterious quality of this neglected patch of Florida: its close, salty air, its turquoise waters and its white sands. She is believable on passion. When Emory gazes at Adela, she feels 'a crazed swirl at the bowl of [her] body', and she longs 'to know everything about her, even when she only gave me fractions'. But too often The Girls Who Grew Big feels overly ambitious, a virtuous rhapsody, determined to say something transcendent about young motherhood but stuck peddling folksy wisdom instead. The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley is published by Fig Tree (£16.99). To support the Guardian buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Associated Press
30-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
From Waste to Strategic Metals: Circular Materials Achieves First Industrial-Scale Recoveries Under the Critical Raw Materials Act
PADUA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 30, 2025-- Circular Materials announces two major milestones under the Critical Raw Materials Act: the recovery from industrial wastewater of the first kilogram of ruthenium and the first ton of nickel, preventing the release of heavy metals into the environment. These results were secured through strong collaborations with two leading companies in surface treatments: LEM, core company of the LEM INDUSTRIES Group, specialized in the luxury sector, and Argos Surface Technologies Group, a leader in industrial coatings. This success comes just a few months after the European Commission recognized Recover-IT as a strategic project, confirming the pivotal role of Circular Materials in securing critical raw material supplies, increasing recycling, and reducing the EU's dependence on imports. Ruthenium and Nickel: crucial metals for a sustainable future Ruthenium, a noble metal from the platinum group, is essential for cutting-edge sectors such as advanced electronics, green hydrogen production, fine chemicals, fuel cells, and luxury goods. Nickel, on the other hand, is a critical element, essential in advanced steels and lithium batteries —pillars of the energy transition. Circular Materials' proprietary SWaP (Supercritical Water Precipitation) technology delivers exceptional effectiveness and versatility to recover precious and industrially intensive metals. A revolutionary environmental impact: carbon negative and beyond Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the process applied to ruthenium and nickel reveals a remarkable environmental benefit. For ruthenium, emissions are reduced by over 99.6% compared to traditional mining. Even more impressive is the result for nickel: the SWaP process not only reduces emissions but becomes carbon negative, actively avoiding the total CO₂ production associated with conventional methods. ' Circular Materials strengthens its technological leadership and, together with its partners, builds a solid and integrated circular supply chain capable of transformingindustrial waste into new resources, preventing the loss of critical materials,' says Marco Bersani, Founder & CEO of Circular Materials. ' With the industrial-scale recovery of ruthenium and nickel, we are shaping a strategy that reduces dependence on external sources, lowers the environmental impact of production processes, and valorizes waste streams that until now have been dispersed '. In a global context marked by the impacting scarcity of critical resources and the need to ensure a secure and sustainable supply, Circular Materials stands out as a key player in a new European industrial paradigm focused on recovering the resources the world needs most. About Us: Circular Materials Circular Materials is a groundbreaking company with proprietary technology for the recovery of strategic metals from industrial wastewater through a sustainable and highly efficient process. The company has developed and patented the Supercritical Water Precipitation (SWaP) technology, which simultaneously treats wastewater and recovers metal, eliminating toxic sludge production and significantly reducing environmental impact, both in terms of waste and emissions. For more information: View source version on Media contact: Tiziana Sarto –[email protected] KEYWORD: ITALY EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: NATURAL RESOURCES SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENT OTHER MANUFACTURING RECYCLING GREEN TECHNOLOGY OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES MANUFACTURING SOURCE: Circular Materials Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/30/2025 02:00 AM/DISC: 06/30/2025 02:00 AM
Irish Times
15-06-2025
- Irish Times
A Wicklow woman in Venice: ‘It really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you'
Languages were always a strength for Orla McLaughlin at school, where she studied French and German. 'I always wanted another language,' she says, so she settled on Italian and politics as it combined Italian with her interest in current affairs. An Erasmus placement brought the Greystones woman to Venice and, having completed her degree in Italian and Politics at UCD, she returned to Italy for a postgraduate diploma in European studies in the University of Padua. During her UCD days, she had spent time in Italy working with children on summer camps: 'the best way to learn a language', she says. Having completed her studies in Padua in the 1990s, she returned to Venice with other plans as well as picking up a further degree in Fundraising and Non-profit Management from the University of Bologna. READ MORE 'I worked in film production and with theatre companies and as a translator, so I was having a great time in my 20s. It was the first time I was away from home and exciting to be somewhere new.' In 2001 she started work as a programme assistant to professors in the Venice International University (VIU) and now manages its academic projects providing learning and teaching opportunities for students and scholars from VIU's associated universities all around the world. 'It was founded in 1995, so as it grew, so did I,' she says. We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now She works a 40-hour week, 'and where I work is on an island [San Servolo, formerly a monastery], so I am crossing the water every day as my office is on a lagoon and you have that wonderful view back to the city', she says. Her job at the university, which is now associated with 20 universities globally, brings her into contact with people from all over the world, 'so it's a real mix, with wonderful interdisciplinary and intercultural opportunities', she says. 'Working in an international educational environment is very rewarding. I meet many interesting people and travel regularly too.' She is married to Sebastiano, a Venetian she met through friends and whom she credits for her decision to stay in Venice. The couple have three children, Conall (17), Clodagh (14) and Oisín (11), who are bilingual. 'My husband has a small family business founded by his parents and his uncle making glass chandeliers in Murano. We have now set up a small business selling chandeliers or lighting directly to customers. He designs and assembles, and we sell them on '. 'I felt very connected to the city early on. It has intangible qualities and a lot of people feel really at home here, feel really drawn in, that it is their city. 'It's a city on water, it's a pedestrian city, it's very engaging as you meet people from all walks of life all the time – it could be your neighbour, your butcher, the bar owner. I made a lot of local Venetian friends early on.' One of the benefits of living in Venice 'is the extraordinary quality of light and it really feeds the soul to have all that beauty around you. It's like living in a town – there are 50,000 residents – but a very international town with enormous cultural institutions, built heritage, galleries and temporary exhibitions like the Biennale.' Despite all that, she notes that the cost of living is not as high as Ireland. [ Venice to limit tourist groups to 25 people to 'protect peace of residents' Opens in new window ] The challenges of living in Venice? 'Rising sea levels, flooding and overtourism are real and impactful. 'Floods are not so much a problem since the setting up of mobile dams three years ago at the inlets to the lagoon, so there have been no bad floods since 2019. 'Overtourism means that the centre of the city gets very crowded and the whole Airbnb issue means that it is difficult to find accommodation for students. We are fortunate in having a nice house and garden, but it is harder to find such places now.' Social life means 'you don't need to have plans; you can go to your local wine bar and sit down for drinks and a chat – especially on Fridays – from around 6.30pm-7.30pm, before dinner. The kids who finish school at 4.30pm can play football in the square, and watching them and having a drink as the sun goes down before going home for dinner is one of the things I love to do. 'At home we like to entertain quite a lot and enjoy having barbecues. We also have a boat – for free time, not for transport – for a day out for a picnic on part of the lagoon. In summer there is the beach, and in winter skiing is only two hours away.' She laments the lack of green spaces in the city, but they have a second home in the mountains, bought during Covid in 2021, 'and we go there for long weekends during the year, skiing in winter and for walks and hikes during the summer'. She misses friends and family in Ireland and returns once or twice a year, 'though it was easier when the children were younger. You inevitably miss out on some milestones and sharing some of your own too.' As to the publicity surrounding Jeff Bezos's planned marriage in the city later this month (estimated to cost more than $600 million), she describes it as the commodification of Venice, with others denouncing it as a great big nuisance. 'The tone of the mayor and his delight in handing the city over to him [Bezos] left me disheartened. It's not the first time that somebody famous has had a big wedding in the city. George and Amal Clooney did in 2014. That was received very well. 'There is also a total lack of housing policy or amenities for residents, so the frustration of people living here is the real lack of vision of politicians as to what the future of the city will be.'
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Italian barefoot luxury at the Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Jesolo
Italy's coastal resort of Jesolo finds itself on many travellers' wish lists. And rightly so: it has an events calendar brimming with culture, as well as theme parks and family attractions. It's also a brilliant base from which to explore the art cities of Padua, Treviso, Vicenza and Verona. At its famous beachfront resort, Lido di Jesolo, you can enjoy bucket-and-spade days and cooling cocktails, with toes in the sand. Then, when it's time for some culture, you're just a short distance from Venice and the Unesco-listed North Lagoon. The cherry on top of Jesolo's cake is the wonderful pick of hotels you'll find here. One of its finest is the Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Jesolo, carefully selected by British Airways Holidays for its five-star quality. With exceptional Mediterranean cuisine, a private sandy beach and easy access to Venice airport – to which British Airways flies direct from the UK – this beachfront paradise is hard to beat. Book your holiday package with this trusted tour operator and you can secure your holiday with a low deposit and enjoy a wide range of benefits. This includes Atol protection from the moment you book, access to a dedicated 24/7 support helpline during your trip and a generous baggage allowance. So, what's in store for you at this stylish hotel? For a start, it offers four fantastic outdoor swimming pools where attentive staff will bring you creatively prepared drinks. This top-notch service extends to the loungers and cabana beds that dot the hotel's private section of beach, one of Europe's longest stretches of sand. The hotel itself has been carefully considered to suit both couples and families. Its uplifting rooms come in duck-egg blues with sherbet-yellow accents, with spacious balconies delivering park or sea views. Some rooms are suited to families with their comfy sofa beds, and you'll be taking design notes when you see their gorgeous bathrooms. Many of its wide-ranging suites also come with a kitchen and spacious seating area to make larger groups feel right at home. Crisp white sheets, air con, a mini bar and guest beach bags tick the box for creature comforts. Two sixth-floor penthouses deliver the ultimate luxury with their panoramic terraces and capacious living spaces. Relaxing, and finding things to do, comes easy here for guests. Families are kept busy with a dedicated children's pool and the hotel's family-focused facilities include an indoor soft play area, dedicated kids' club, plus a varied programme of games, entertainment and workshops which span face painting, art sessions, origami sessions and mini discos. There are also plenty of children's menu options across the hotel's restaurants, keeping mini diners – and their parents – happy. On the topic of dining, Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Jesolo stands out for its authentic cuisine. New for 2025 is the highly anticipated Puro Cucina Autentica, an à la carte restaurant open to both staying guests and external visitors. With two carefully considered menus signed by the Michelin-starred chef Theodor Falser and Ciro Salatiello, and a concept that celebrates authentic Mediterranean cuisine, guests can expect a memorable gastronomical experience. Post-dinner, the hotel's outdoor Lounge Bar is a lovely spot to enjoy an aperitif, with Friday night live music bringing a convivial vibe. Since you're here to enjoy la dolce vita, make time to use the hotel's spa and wellness facilities at the 2,500 sq m Acquapura Blue Horizon Spa. Its Hawaiian-inspired 'Lomi Lomi' treatments are designed to soothe the tightest muscles and many treatments use natural, maritime essences to soothe the skin. The facilities here include a Finnish sauna, ice bath, aroma steam bath and large sauna commanding Adriatic Sea views. Its focal point is an indoor-outdoor pool. You can swim from one to the other via vast glass doors. There's a Technogym area open until late and a yoga room where you can practice your sun salutations. With its beach setting, five-star facilities and delectable Italian cuisine, we're sure you'll agree the Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Jesolo is simply 'bellissimo'. British Airways Holidays packages include a generous checked baggage allowance for each customer and come with full Atol protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your Italy holiday to Falkensteiner Resort Jesolo with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly.* *Based on two sharing. Full balance due four weeks before departure for short-haul holiday bookings. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
