Like Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, those of us born in the 60s and 70s owe a tribute of gratitude to Jaques-Ives Cousteau, a man with an immense adventurous spirit, an explorer who discovered a new world and awakened the curiosity and imagination of those of us who were regulars to his films. Cousteau was … Continue reading Undersea world
Rainy afternoons in late autumn bring the mind to melancholic, semi-dark and empty environments; to the sound of air and dripping water. It's the moment when I lie down, put on my headphones, search for Telegraph Road by Dire Straits on the list and close my eyes. I listen to the final part of the … Continue reading Aquatic insect larvae
Ice and silence, sub-zero water and winter. Life that stays alive above and below the water, even though we think it hibernates, sleeps, hides, or migrates far away. But it's still there, doing its thing, you just have to look closely, go outside well bundled up, not stay in the abandoned house, and keep walking … Continue reading Ice river
Any reader will enjoy immensely the books "The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature" and "The Songs of Trees: A Journey Through Nature's Connections" by David George Haskell, a biologist and writer who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. Some people think that to understand ecology, one must embark on daring … Continue reading Forests and mushrooms
The seas rise and fall twice a day. Many people barely consider it a curious, more or less annoying whim that widens or narrows the beach where they spend their vacations, although for sailors it's another story. In 330 BC, the explorer Pytheas ventured through the Strait of Gibraltar, headed north in search of tin … Continue reading Tides
The world is starting to become restless with the "Global Warming" that we euphemistically refer to as "Climate Change". "Warming" is a word that allows for very few doubts. On the other hand, "Change" is a vague word that can mean anything and everything. Trying to scare people with immediate apocalypses, desertification tomorrow, rising sea … Continue reading The climate of fungi
To learn about the seasonal changes, one must look at the trees, contemplate the chestnut groves, the great oak forests, and the small poplar groves clinging to a thread of water. Autumn used to be a time of celebration, of gathering apples and pears, pomegranates and fruits of the gods, of harvesting walnuts, hazelnuts, and … Continue reading Autumn in the chestnut grove
Marshes, estuaries, lagoons, and other coastal wetlands can be found throughout the world. Wetlands, in general, are among the most productive ecosystems and host a great biodiversity at a global scale, or at least when compared to other environments, since they combine the presence of water for longer periods of time, nutrient accumulation, and a … Continue reading Coastal wetlands
Gypsum (CaSO4 2H2O) is a mineral belonging to the sulfate group, which is composed of Calcium (Ca2+), Sulfate Anion (SO42-) and Water (H2O), and is part of a very important group of rocks called Evaporites. It is one of the essential raw materials in our society today, used in buildings as plaster for interior facades … Continue reading Gypsum from Fuentes de Ebro
The name of the Tagus river here is truly that, a large cut in the limestone, "a giant cut" from the knife of water and tectonic forces. The gancheros who amazed José Luis Sampedro used to come down here from Peralejos to Aranjuez on a river that still resembles this one: "The upper Tagus is … Continue reading Tajo (still) wild
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