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Discussion of an astronomical orientation of Turin as Julia Augusta Taurinorum, based on the results previously given in 2012 and available at arXiv:1206.6062, and here refined according to the local natural horizon, the refraction of atmosphere, and the use of software Stellarium. Besides the evaluation of a possible astronomical orientation, the use of the azimuth of Via Garibaldi, which is corresponding to the Roman decumanus, shows that the town is following the geometrical rules of Roman varatio.
It seems that the ancient Roman towns were oriented with the sunrise. Here I propose a discussion on the orientation of Torino, the Julia Augusta Taurinorum, which has the ancient Roman structure perfectly preserved. According to this ancient ritual, we can use the sunrise amplitude to determine the Turin's birthday. The use of the hour angle is also proposed, in this case the day of the foundation of Turin could be the winter solstice.
The essay presents the results of a joint study of astronomy and archeology that has allowed to define the foundation date of the city of Turin as a Roman colony, called Iulia Augusta Taurinorum. This multidisciplinary research represents a new reading of the historical-archaeological sources and the use of astronomy according to the Etruscan-Latin gromatica. By taking into consideration the apparent motion of a True Sun, the possible measurement errors, the atmospheric refraction and the elevation of the horizon, and the Julian date in use in astronomy, a numerical program has been elaborated to define the coincidences of the calendars between the azimuth of the main road axis and the course of the sun. For a series of very particular historical and contextual conditions it was therefore possible to trace with sufficient accuracy the day and the year of foundation of the city: January 30, 9 BC, which coincides, not surprisingly, with a particularly important anniversary for Ottaviano Augusto, Emperor from 27 BC to 14 AC. In fact, the astronomical data interfaced with the archaeological, epigraphic and written sources suggest that Turin was born at the end of the Alpine wars, concl
Recently, a preprint [arXiv:1901.08545] and a series of news announced that Torino, as the roman Augusta Taurinorum, was founded on 30 January 9 BC. The assumption is based on the coincidence of the Julian date, obtained by means of astronomical calculations, and the date of the inauguration, by Augustus, of the Ara Pacis in Rome (historical date). Here we show that, in the framework proposed in [1], the abovementioned date of the foundation is impossible. The impossibility is based on the following fact. The Julian date (30 January 9 BC), proposed by the authors in [arXiv:1901.08545], cannot definitely be the historical 30 January 9 BC of the Julian Calendar.
Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, modern Aosta, was founded around 25 BC to celebrate the victory of Augustus army on the Salassi. Aosta is a city of the founder under many respects; for instance, one of the two twin temples of the forum was devoted to Augustus, and a huge triumphal arc to the ruler still welcomes the town visitors. Recently, a sculpted block has been uncovered, still in its original position, on a corner of one of the town towers. The block carries reliefs, such as a plough and a spade, which are clearly related to the town foundation ritual. As a consequence, we carried out an archaeoastronomical analysis of the original urban plan taking into account the complex natural horizon of the Alps in which Aosta valley is nested. The results show that the town was very likely oriented in such a way as to pinpoint Augustus associations with the cosmic signs of renewal: the winter solstice and the Capricorn.
Artificial intelligence poses many risks, ranging from familiar present-day harms to unprecedented and potentially catastrophic ones. Effective risk management requires prioritization: we must understand which risks are most severe, who is most vulnerable, and who is most responsible for addressing them. We report results from a three-round Delphi study conducted late 2025 with 272 international AI experts. Experts rated 24 AI risks on harm probability and severity, sector and actor vulnerability, actor responsibility, and overall concern. Experts estimated the five most severe harms in the next 5 years were likely to come from dangerous capabilities, competitive dynamics, weapons & cyberattacks (including CBRNE), power centralization, and false information. In a business-as-usual scenario, experts judged 18 of 24 risks as having a more than 10% probability of catastrophic outcomes (e.g., more than 1 million deaths or more than USD 100B in financial loss) in the next 5 years (2025-2030). In a scenario where pragmatic mitigations are implemented, experts still judged five risks as having a more than 10% probability of catastrophic outcomes: dangerous capabilities, weapons &
How do people talk about things they've never talked about before? One view suggests that a new shared naming system establishes an arbitrary link to a specific target, like proper names that cannot extend beyond their bearers. An alternative view proposes that forming a shared way of describing objects involves broader conceptual alignment, reshaping each individual's semantic space in ways that should generalize to new referents. We test these competing accounts in a dyadic communication study (N=302) leveraging the recently-released KiloGram dataset containing over 1,000 abstract tangram images. After pairs of participants coordinated on referential conventions for one set of images through repeated communication, we measured the extent to which their descriptions aligned for undiscussed images. We found strong evidence for generalization: partners showed increased alignment relative to their pre-test labels. Generalization also decayed nonlinearly with visual similarity (consistent with Shepard's law) and was robust across levels of the images' nameability. These findings suggest that ad hoc conventions are not arbitrary labels but reflect genuine conceptual coordination, with
Conversation demands attention. Speakers must call words to mind, listeners must make sense of them, and both together must negotiate this flow of information, all in fractions of a second. We used large language models to study how this works in a large-scale dataset of English-language conversation, the CANDOR corpus. We provide a new estimate of the information density of unstructured conversation, of approximately 13 bits/second, and find significant effects associated with the cognitive load of both retrieving, and presenting, that information. We also reveal a role for backchannels -- the brief yeahs, uh-huhs, and mhmms that listeners provide -- in regulating the production of novelty: the lead-up to a backchannel is associated with declining information rate, while speech downstream rebounds to previous rates. Our results provide new insights into long-standing theories of how we respond to fluctuating demands on cognitive resources, and how we negotiate those demands in partnership with others.
The motility of microorganisms is often biased by gradients in physical and chemical properties of their environment, with myriad implications on their ecology. Here we show that fluid acceleration reorients gyrotactic plankton, triggering small-scale clustering. We experimentally demonstrate this phenomenon by studying the distribution of the phytoplankton Chlamydomonas augustae within a rotating tank and find it to be in good agreement with a new, generalized model of gyrotaxis. When this model is implemented in a direct numerical simulation of turbulent flow, we find that fluid acceleration generates multi-fractal plankton clustering, with faster and more stable cells producing stronger clustering. By producing accumulations in high-vorticity regions, this process is fundamen- tally different from clustering by gravitational acceleration, expanding the range of mechanisms by which turbulent flows can impact the spatial distribution of active suspensions.
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered that asteroid Donaldjohanson is a wobbling, peanut-shaped relic born from a violent collision and slowly reshaped by the subtle force of sunlight。 It also carries traces of ancient water, making it an important clue to the solar system’s mysterious past
Researchers developed a Wordle-solving strategy that succeeds 99% of the time by focusing on information gain rather than likely answers。 The method uses Shannon entropy to identify guesses that reveal the most about the hidden word。 Each guess is designed to slash uncertainty and narrow the possibilities faster
Hubble has captured a spectacular view of LH 95, where about 2,500 young stars are still on their journey to becoming full-fledged stars。 Scientists discovered these growing stars can keep pulling in gas and dust for millions of years, extending an important stage of stellar development。 The region also contains multiple generations of stars living
The global cobalt supply chain is more interconnected—and more vulnerable—than previously thought, with disruptions capable of triggering far-reaching cascades across multiple countries and industries。 Researchers warn that protecting battery supply chains will require system-wide coordination because critical bottlenecks can turn local shocks into
A new sunlight-powered material can convert visible light into higher-energy UV light, overcoming a challenge that has frustrated scientists for years。 The breakthrough could enable cleaner air purification, solar-driven chemistry, and advanced manufacturing technologies using nothing more than natural sunlight
A decades-old puzzle about water has finally been unraveled。 Researchers found that water trapped in tiny nanoscale spaces is not inherently more reactive。 Instead, the intense pressures created inside these microscopic gaps explain most of the effect, while the surrounding material can further enhance water's chemistry if it interacts with the rea
Quantum mechanics has journeyed from a strange and controversial idea to the foundation of some of humanity’s most advanced technologies。 Now researchers are pushing its boundaries even further, with potential breakthroughs in energy, medicine, computing, and our understanding of the universe