#ART
The School of Athens is one of a group of four main frescoes that depict different branches of knowledge. The fresco represents the most famous philosophers and mathematicians dialoguing with each other, within an imaginary classical building.
Plato and Aristotle, the two main philosophers of antiquity are at the center. They seem to point in two different directions: the former to the heavens, the latter down to earth. The gesture of the two philosophers are believed to reflect their philosophies: Plato’s Theory of Forms and Aristotle’s emphasis on concrete things. The identities of some of the philosophers in the picture are certain (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, Euclid, Ptolemy, Zoroaster, Raphael, Sodoma and Diogenes of Sinope).
The identification of other subjects has always been hypothetical: some have received multiple identifications, not only as ancient philosophers but also as figures of contemporary artists with Raphael, like Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Raphael himself.
#HISTORY
The thumb down universally represents a symbol of rejection and is commonly associated with the struggles between gladiators of ancient Rome as a gesture used by the audience to decree the death of a defeated gladiator. Although this image is well rooted in the tradition, this gesture does not seem to have had the meaning that is given today.
In fact, it was the thumb facing upwards, the true meaning of the expression pollex versus, to symbolize death, as it represented the act of extracting the sword from the scabbard while closing the thumb in the fist (pollex pressus) symbolized storing the sword, therefore grace.
#SCIENCE
Sleeping enough is not just invigorating; it may also help to control hunger and alimentary habits.
A study conducted by researchers from University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) demonstrated that the lack of sleep is related to overeating, especially to the consumption of junk food, which can eventually lead to weight gain.
It has been observed that two hormones that help regulate hunger, ghrelin and leptin, are affected by sleep: ghrelin stimulates appetite, while leptin decreases it. When the body is deprived of sleep, the level of ghrelin increases, while the level of leptin decreases, leading to an increase in hunger.
Moreover, the lack of sleep triggers a process in the body that increases the blood level of a lipid known as an endocannabinoid. This acts on the brain in a similar way to marijuana, making eating more pleasant. But it also increases the hunger for specific types of food, such as biscuits, candies and chips. In fact, people who do not sleep well eat twice as much fat and more than 300 more calories the next day than people who sleep for eight hours.