Society

When Talent Blossoms: From Child Prodigies to Social Media Musicians

In the history of music, the image of musical talent emerging suddenly is often associated with children capable of playing, composing or interpreting with astonishing naturalness, as was the case with the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But talent, on its own, is not enough. How is musical talent truly nurtured, and what does it mean today to "blossom" in the world of art? We asked Anna Scalfaro, a professor and musicologist at the University of Bologna

Education

Between Human Rights and Research: Thurein’s Journey from Myanmar towards the future

Academic freedom and social justice come together in the story the work and commitment of a Burmese activist, now a researcher at the University of Bologna through the Scholars at Risk programme

Our community Politics Law Interviews

The Landfill and the Black Soldier Fly

Home to thousands of “waste pickers”, Dandora is the largest open-air landfill in East Africa. Here, the University of Bologna works alongside local community organisations to develop innovative projects in sustainable urban agriculture – with the help of a small insect...

Environment and life Politics Education Our community

Climate change and the private solution trap

A major international study involving more than 7,500 participants across 34 countries shows that people with greater resources are more likely to invest in local mitigation measures and less likely to support broader action to cut emissions—pushing a global solution further out of reach

Economics Politics Environment and life

The lost colours of Roman Tunisia

From the archives of the museums of Carthage and the Bardo, a remarkable collection of painted plasters has resurfaced, whose refinement rivals the celebrated examples of Pompeii

Culture

Traces of Etruscan childhood: stress, diet, and daily life revealed by teeth from Pontecagnano

A study of thirty teeth recovered from the archaeological site in the province of Salerno has reconstructed childhood growth patterns, identified early-life stress events, and traced the dietary habits of ancient inhabitants, revealing the consumption of fermented foods such as bread, wine, and beer

Culture Environment and life

Paralympics, athletes tell the media: “It should just be about sport”

A study by the University of Bologna gives voice to 17 Italian Paralympic athletes: media coverage still tends to emphasise disability over sporting performance, often relying on heroic or pity-based stereotypes

Culture Wellbeing Law

School inclusion: the University of Bologna takes a leading role in Europe with NEW ABC

Coordinated by the Department of Interpretation and Translation and selected as a success story among EU-funded Horizon initiatives, this research project has led to the development of solutions designed to enhance the linguistic and cultural skills of children with a migrant background

Education

Humanity’s oldest geometries, engraved on ostrich eggs

An analysis of the markings found on hundreds of eggshell fragments dating back more than 60,000 years, unearthed between South Africa and Namibia, has revealed our ancestors’ remarkable ability to organise visual space according to abstract principles

Culture

Social economy and inclusive microfinance: Fin4Good’s innovative pathway

The new Erasmus+ project, coordinated by the University of Bologna, will develop new tools to train professionals who can combine economic expertise with social awareness

Economics

Spatial Policies and Freedom of Movement

An expert in the geography of migration, tourism and geographical theory, Professor Claudio Minca from the Department of History and Cultures at the University of Bologna explains how freedom of movement is never the same for everyone, and how these differences translate into selective spatial practices in places that we all pass through every day: borders, cities, infrastructural nodes, spaces of hospitality, and so on

Culture Law