We’ve been hearing for years that adults don’t have to drink milk. The latest studies say the opposite.

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For decades, milk was the undisputed pillar of any healthy breakfast. However, in recent years we have witnessed a real demonization of dairy products and we have heard practically everything, from being “unnatural” for adults, to being the culprit of increased cholesterol or even the risk of cancer. But we are faced with several myths that are important to deny. We are designed for it. One of the most repeated arguments is that we are the only mammal that consumes milk in its adult stage. The experts they explain that, although a part of the world’s population loses the ability to digest lactose after childhood, many others maintain this enzyme active throughout life thanks to a genetic adaptation. Therefore, there is no basis to recommend that all adults stop drinking milk because of this enzyme. Here science is quite clear, since a population study made in Galicia with 850 people showed that, although the alteration of lactose metabolism affects 38% of individuals, when normal physiological quantities are consumed such as a simple glass of milk or yogurt, symptomatic intolerance plummets to 2% for milk and 8% for yogurt. Mortality. Another of the most widespread myths is precisely that dairy consumption in adults increases the risk of mortality and cardiovascular diseases, but science says the opposite. Here, one monumental umbrella review of 2021 pointed out that the evidence does not support that milk is harmful and in fact, in most scenarios its impact is neutral, and in several it is clearly favorable. But if we want to sharpen our aim, a 2026 dose-response meta-analysis, based on 29 cohorts and more than 1.6 million participants, has drawn the exact curve of how dairy interacts with our life expectancy. The researchers found a “U”-shaped association, seeing that the optimal point of consumption is located between 250 and 300 grams a day. Cancer. The alleged relationship between dairy products and cancer is another of the great battlehorses on the internet. However, the most recent reviews they point in another direction, since it has been seen that dairy consumption reduces the risk of suffering from colorectal, bladder, liver, oral cavity and even ovarian and breast cancer. The calcium dilemma. With the rise of plant-based diets, it is common to hear that “spinach or oat drinks have as much or more calcium than milk.” This is where a crucial scientific concept that the nutrition label doesn’t cover comes in, which is bioavailability and the food matrix. We see this in a study published in 2024 that measured exactly how much calcium our body actually assimilates, and was seen that with the consumption of dairy products there was a bioaccessibility of between 19 and 34%, while the vegetable alternatives were 5 and 20%. And this is explained because the joint presence of lactose and casein peptides in milk acts as a “vehicle” that favors the absorption of calcium in our intestine. But in addition, many vegetables rich in calcium are loaded with phytates and oxalates, compounds that “sequester” calcium and prevent us from absorbing it. Your proteins. From a protein point of view, dairy products play in a higher league. If we use the DIAAS index, dairy proteins get scores higher than 1and this means that they provide an excellent amount of highly digestible essential amino acids, far surpassing most plant proteins. Images | Pixabay In Xataka | One in every ten liters of “milk” sold in Spain does not come from any animal: the unstoppable (and silent) growth of vegetable drinks

have the best Iberian ham

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He September 6, 1940the BOE published an unusual decree for its time. In the midst of the postwar period, in a Spain that rebuilds what it can, the State decides to protect a town of a thousand souls in the mountains of Salamanca. The official reason: the wishes of “excellent artists, both national and foreign,” who see in The Pool a “faithful guardian of the beauty of his hamlet, which has suggested so many masterpieces.” That day, La Alberca becomes the first municipality in Spain declared a National Historical-Artistic Monument. A precedent that today involves more than 500 urban centers throughout the peninsula. Eighty-five years later, National Geographic noted La Alberca as the most beautiful town in Spain to eat Iberian ham. And the phrase is loaded with gunpowder: what about the five jotas of Jabugo or Aracena, both in the province of Huelva? What happens with the Lolo from Barcelona? What do we do with the denominations of Monesterio or Zabra, on the Extremaduran side? From Guijuelo to Los Pedroches, Spain has plenty of master ham makers. But La Alberca is special. Because more than competing for production, it does so for experience. The pond town. The name comes from Arabic Al-Bereka: “the pond.” The town lives at about 1,000 meters above sea level, in the Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia Natural Park, 75 kilometers southwest of the capital of Salamanca. The pool has 1,034 inhabitants according to the INE 2025, less than any average secondary school. Although there are now more accommodation places than registered residents. It was not the ham but the architecture that justified the 1940 decree. On a ground floor of granite rock, with the air of a fortress, the adobe and wood walls rise to one or two heights. It is beautiful, because they form a framework that is reminiscent of Mudejar art. There are intact medieval streets, balconies full of flowers and the Plaza Mayor has no war wounds. The best example is found in the church of Our Lady of the Assumption, from the 18th century, design by Manuel de Lara Churriguera. Does the last name sound familiar to you? He was the nephew of the architects responsible for the New Cathedral and the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca capital. The family tree does not lose strength in the branches. The pig that goes on its way. Here, the people bless a pig every June 13 (festival of San Antonio de Padua) and release it through the streets. The animal wears a bell around its neck and the neighbors feed it during those seven months. He January 17Saint Anton’s Day, raffled before the doors of the church. The benefits go to the brotherhood. There is even a granite sculpture in his honor in the square. The origin of this tradition is attributed to the converts of the 16th century, who used the pig as a public demonstration of Christian faith to avoid inquisitorial suspicion. Curious alibi. There is also the tradition of the turroneras, a true institution in the province, with its own statue in the market of Salamanca capital, unofficial announcement of the beginning of Christmas – something more tangible than Abel Caballero’s Vigo lights, if you ask me. First class ham. Although La Alberca does not cure hams on an industrial scale, its showcase is the most representative of Salamancan Iberian ham. The main ham has the Guijuelo Denomination of Originthe oldest and the one with the highest production volume of the four Iberian DOPs in Spain. Guijuelo, at 1,050 meters above sea level and with average temperatures of 12º C until well into spring, has an exceptional microclimate. It is literal: it allows a much longer natural conservation than in the hot southern lands, being able to salt the ham without artificial cold until the month of March. The natural cold does what an industrial snack has to do in other warehouses. By the way, the DOP has a supra-autonomous nature: it covers the pastures of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha for the breeding of the Iberian pig, but the production process is limited to 78 municipalities of Salamanca. La Alberca is among them, in the heart of the Sierra de Francia, which gives its name to one of the regions of the DOP. We talk about more than 200 industries (distributed between Guijuelo, Ledrada, Sotoserrano, Miranda del Castañar, Béjar, Candelario, Frádes de la Sierra or Tamames) and exact requirements: pure Iberian breed cattle or a cross of 75% of Iberian blood with Duroc-Jersey. And the pieces must weigh at least 4.5 kg in the case of ham and 3.5 kg in the case of the shoulder, with an elongated and stylized shape, preserving the original black hoof. And it is estimated that La Alberca hams are exported to fourteen countries in the European Union, with France as the main destination, in addition to the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan and Mexico. The best customer for Salamanca ham is the neighboring country, as we know. Without us it does not exist Bayonne jambon. Beautiful inside and out. Like the pig, the beauty of La Alberca is mixed. It belongs to the network of Most Beautiful Towns in Spain. The Valley of Las Batuecas, accessible from La Alberca, concentrates a Carmelite monastery, cave paintings of the Canchal de las Cabras Pintadas and almost total silence. The route to Hastiala Peak, the highestexceeds 1,700 meters. From the top and on clear days you can see the Picos de Europa. In a few weeks they will celebrate La Loa, the popular sacramental car of medieval origin that mixes popular satire and religion. And in November the Calbochada recovers: roasted chestnuts in the square and a lot of mountain folklore, from which the surname also comes. It is normal that National Geographic has been full of praise. And although this usually brings the usual problem, more beds than inhabitants, it is worth getting to know it and tasting its food, not necessarily … Read more

the factories of robots, electric cars and AI

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China is one of those destinations that I have marked on my vacation wish list: I hope to see the red pandas, the Xi’an Warriors and the Great Wall. Yes, I have been there twice already, but they were work trips where although I could see the spectacular night skyline of Shanghai, the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong or temples in Shenzhen, where I was most was in brand headquarters and their factories. Be careful, I don’t regret anything: they were wonderful trips where I discovered that China technologically lives in the future. Because China has an immense historical legacy, but a future and an industrial fabric that, quite simply, leaves you speechless. Highly recommended. Well, what for me were work trips have now become a tourist destination. And be careful, it is not a new phenomenon: technology has always aroused curiosity, but until now the most techie people had their mecca in Silicon Valley. Shenzhen, resort city. The GloPen tour operator offers 8-day tour packages through Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu to see first-hand companies, technologies and people in the world of AI and autonomous driving. Among the organizers is BYD. Tech Buzz China has “crash dives” for investors, executives and founders with direct access to AI labs, electric vehicle factories and robotics startups. China Study Tour has of seven-day programs that combine AI, electric vehicles, robotics, healthcare and sustainability for corporate and academic groups, with access to BYD, Huawei or DJI. The price range starts at $3,000 for travel not included, but if you are looking for something more affordable, on Viator there are boring options and one that is amazing: “Shenzhen Tech Tour: Explore the Future”a bilingual tour from 80 euros that includes a drone food delivery demonstration, a robotaxi ride, and visits to stores selling AI glasses. Why is it important. Because this sociological phenomenon shows something: the perception of who leads global technology is shifting from the United States to China. For a more specialized profile like an investor, the trip makes all the sense in the world: reading a PDF is not the same as being there on the ground and seeing it yourself. On a larger scale, these trips are helping to shape new economic alliances: giants like India or old Europe are updating their industrial strategies and these trips to see it in situ constitute a great reinforcement. An example: the trips of the president of Spain to China, where he visited the Xiaomi headquarters. Context. That China is where it is is anything but a coincidence: it has been directing its industrial policy towards robotics, electric vehicles and ICT as priority sectors for years with subsidies, goals and specific commitments, as an example of its ‘Made in China 2025‘. The result has been a brutal boost to the industry, the development and manufacturing of complex high-tech products. What is visited today on tours is the result of that strategy that has been maturing for a decade. Furthermore, China and the United States are immersed in a technological war with vetoes and tariffs. When standard channels of collaboration and communication are closed, showing up on the spot becomes one of the best ways to not be blinded to what is happening on the other side. And China is making it easy, both through these private and institutional initiatives: in 2025 it opened its doors to almost 50 countries, including France, Germany, Spain and Russia, which can access China without the need for a visa. In detail. Technological tourism is aligned with China’s interest in getting closer to the world, because the Asian giant is truly unknown to the outside world and obviously these types of tours are a magnificent sales and image showcase, an authentic soft skill that sweeps social networks. And since a picture is worth a thousand words (which in this case is not even painted), YouTuber iShowSpeed ​​will ride a flying car in Shenzhen or the German Chancellor Merz saw robots doing kung-fu It makes fantastic advertising. Someone sees the technology that is being made in China on social networks, becomes curious and that leads them to book a tour. A virtuous circle. Yes, but. We continue with the obvious: in a tourist package sponsored by manufacturers you will see only what they want you to see, just like those dream Google officesand they can perfectly be showcases designed to impress that do not have to represent the entire Chinese industry: one thing is the showroom and another is reality. On a five-day trip to Shenzhen you can see the tip of the industry’s iceberg in cutting-edge factories, but not the working conditions or its environmental policy. Although that is not something exclusive to China: on a visit to Meta in San Francisco or Stellantis in Zaragoza they are not going to tell you that either. In Xataka | China stripped Japan of its tourists in hopes of causing an economic hole. Nothing could be further from reality In Xataka | Young tourists from China have begun to visit random places en masse. There is an explanation: Xiaohongshu Cover | Jose Garcia and Joel Danielson

We had always believed that all rabbits on the Iberian Peninsula were the same type of rabbit. we believed wrong

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The humble rabbit that we find in any of our mountains has, historically, been the great protagonist and the fundamental pillar of the Iberian ecosystems. Jewels of our fauna such as the Iberian lynx or the imperial eagle depend on it, and until now we all thought that the councils of the peninsula belonged to a single species, the European rabbit. A new paradigm. However, science has just turned our taxonomic tree upside down, since a new and comprehensive study published in the magazine Biological Conservation and led by IESA-CSIC researchers has confirmed what genetics had been hinting at for some time: two different species of rabbits coexist on the Iberian Peninsula. A change. The debate is not entirely new, since previous work had already documented differences between rabbits from the east and north of the peninsula and those from the southwest, which also extend across northern Africa. Until today, these differences were resolved by dividing the rabbits in two subspecies: Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus and Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus. But now science has said that this is not the case, and it is accompanied by a large amount of evidence from different areas that go beyond DNA itself. Here researchers have synthesized definitive evidence in genetics, morphology, ecology, reproduction, parasitology and even the microbiome of these animals. And the conclusion is that the differences are so profound that the southwest Iberian lineage must be elevated to the category of an independent species, officially being called the Iberian rabbit. What remains For its part, the lineage from the east and north of the peninsula, and its populations introduced from the rest of the world, such as in Australia, will maintain the classic name of European rabbit. Because? The question we can ask ourselves in light of this study is: How is it possible that two animals so similar to the naked eye are different species? The answer lies in the ice, since the genetic differences between both lineages are estimated at about two million years. And during the Pleistocene ice ages, the original populations of rabbits were isolated in different “climate refuges” in southern Europe. One group was confined to the Ebro valley area, while the other survived in the vicinity of the Gulf of Cádiz. This geographic isolation sustained for millennia forced different evolutionary paths and today the evidence even points to incipient speciation, with studies reporting chromosomal incompatibilities when both lineages intersect in the areas where they currently coincide. Its consequences. This change in status is not a mere academic whim or a laboratory technicality, since it has consequences. By being recognized as a unique species, exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula (and part of North Africa), they completely change the rules of the game for conservation. For example, the areas where the threatened Iberian lynx lives coincide geographically, for the most part, with the distribution area of ​​this new species in decline. That is why saving the Iberian rabbit is, literally, saving the lynx. Images | David Atkins In Xataka | “We are fighting Satan”: the US war to save bees from the invasion of a murderous creature

reduces the risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s in the future by 65%

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In the Nordic countries, the sauna is little less than a religion, since, more than a luxury, it is considered a necessity for daily well-being as it is attributed all kinds of healing properties. These spaces in Spain have little by little been gaining strength and there are now many gyms that include this service for their members and in spas it has also become one more. Its properties. Here common knowledge tells us that it is good to spend a few minutes in the sauna enduring humid heat, but the question we must ask ourselves is: does it really have healing properties? And the reality is that science supports the impact that thermotherapy has on our own brain. A Finnish study. When talking about the neurological benefits of the sauna, almost all roads lead to the same point, which is the KIHD cohort study carried out by the University of Eastern Finland. This is considered the “crown jewel” of thermotherapy and with good reason, since researchers followed 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men for 20 years to see the real impact of the sauna on their health. The results They pointed out that those who went to the sauna between 4 and 7 times a week had a 66% lower risk of developing dementia than those who only went once a week. But also, in the specific case of the disease Alzheimer’sthe risk was reduced by 65%. These data are not a simple statistical accident, since the researchers adjusted the results taking into account multiple risk factors, such as smoking or BMI. Furthermore, subsequent reviews have expanded on these findings, noting that the benefits of passive body warming remain independent of other risk factors and they are not exclusive to the male sex. Beyond memory. The impact of the sauna is not limited to neurodegenerative diseases, but we also have evidence that tells us that heat baths lead to improvements in depressive symptoms. And although the evidence here is more mixed and is based on observational studies and smaller trials, neurobiology offers us a fascinating explanation of why this happens. The most relevant thing in this case is that heat activates certain proteins in our body that are responsible for repairing other damaged proteins and protecting cells from stress. But in addition, the alternation between intense heat and subsequent cooling trains our “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” responses. If we go more recently, we know that depression has an important inflammatory component and the increase in body temperature paradoxically reduces these inflammatory markers in the long term. The small print. What these studies tell us right now is that taking saunas frequently makes the brain age more slowly, but it is not an absolute coincidence. That is to say, we cannot categorically affirm 100% that it is the heat itself that ‘stops’ dementia. The reason for this is that going to the sauna 4 or 5 times a week is usually associated with a particular lifestyle, since it can be accompanied by several exercise sessions in a gym. Even having the time and resources to do so is usually linked to lives with lower stress levels, greater social interaction and better habits that can have a lot to say in Alzheimer’s. Images | HUMM In Xataka | Dementia is devastating largely because it arrives without warning: some researchers already predict it seven years in the future

In 2004, 15 driverless cars competed in the desert for a million dollars. None of them ended, but they changed the industry forever

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On March 13, 2004, at dawn, fifteen vehicles left Barstow, California, heading for the Mojave Desert. They did not have a driver. Their mission was to travel more than 200 kilometers of hostile terrain to Primm, Nevada, without anyone at the wheel or remote control in between. The first to do it would win a million dollars. No one got it. Objective: operate without a driver. The DARPA Grand Challenge It was a competition organized by the United States Advanced Defense Projects Agency, the same organization that once laid the foundations for the Internet. Congress had set a goal that, by 2015, one-third of military ground vehicles could operate without drivers, thereby reducing the risk to soldiers on resupply and transportation missions in war zones. To accelerate that research, DARPA decided to open the door to anyone, whether they were universities, hobbyists, or independent engineers. It was enough to present a vehicle capable of driving itself. In detail. Twenty-one candidates passed the previous qualifying tests, held at the California Speedway circuit, and fifteen vehicles arrived at the starting line of the desert. There was everything from SUVs, to pickup trucks, and even modified motorcycles with computers, radar, cameras, and GPS receivers to “see” the terrain and decide for themselves how to navigate it. The route, about 228 kilometers, was not revealed until two hours before departure, precisely to check that the systems were capable of interpreting the environment in real time and not memorizing a route in advance. ORAn almost comical disaster. one of the cars it capsized as soon as it started and had to withdraw before the official start. Two others did not even start the test. Three hours into the race, out of a limit of ten, only four vehicles were still running. The rest fell due to mechanical failures, blocked brakes, broken axles or navigation systems that lost direction. According to collect the specialized magazine IEEE Spectrum, the image offered by the exit was “the most diverse collection of vehicles gathered in one place since the filming of Mad Max 2.” Who went further. The vehicle that advanced the most It was Sandstorm.a 1986 Humvee modified by Carnegie Mellon University’s Red Team. It traveled 11.9 kilometers before getting stranded on a slope in the terrain after exiting a horseshoe curve, according to the university itself. The impact broke front axles and burst wheels, and fuel began to spill from the tank. Its manager, robotics professor William “Red” Whittaker, acknowledged that the car arrived “injured” to the test, as it had overturned during a test the previous week and the team barely had time to fully repair it. Shortly after, another of the vehicles, nicknamed DAD (Digital Auto Drive), became immobilized. and it caught fire before those responsible for the event deactivated it remotely. No team exceeded 12 kilometers of a route that was supposed to exceed 200. It wasn’t entirely a failure.. Although the million dollars remained without an owner, DARPA considered that the experiment had fulfilled its real function: to demonstrate that there was a community of engineers, students and programmers willing to solve a problem that until then seemed like something out of science fiction. The day after the disaster in the desert, the agency announced that it would repeat the test a year and a half later, this time with two million dollars. And the revenge arrived. On October 8, 2005, in a new edition on a 212-kilometer route, five vehicles completed the route for the first time in history. The winner was Stanley, a modified Volkswagen Touareg by the Stanford University team led by German engineer Sebastian Thrun, who crossed the finish line in 6 hours and 53 minutes. Sandstorm itself, now repaired, came second. The real impact came later. That race through the desert ended up being the seed of the autonomous car industry as we know it today. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin They came in disguise to witness the 2005 test and, shortly after, Thrun was hired to lead Google X, the company’s experimental projects laboratory. There, along with other DARPA test veterans such as Anthony Levandowski, Chris Urmson and Mike Montemerlo, Thrun launched in 2009 the secret project that would eventually become Waymo, today one of the main autonomous car companies in the world. Stanley itself, the 2005 winning car, is currently preserved in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. And now what. Two decades after that first failed test in the desert, driverless cars They are already circulating through the streets from cities like San Francisco, Phoenix or Shanghai, and companies like Waymo or Tesla are committed to autonomous taxis becoming commonplace. In Spain we will briefly see some doing tests this year in Madrid. Although the really curious thing was that, a test in which most of the cars made fools of themselves, ended up being the real starting point of a technology that today moves billions of dollars. Cover image | Lemonodor In Xataka | China has an amazing 10-kilometer underwater tunnel and 200,000 LED lights with one goal: to keep you from falling asleep

More than 2,000 years ago they were already used in Greece

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Where Arta is today, in Ancient Greece there was a prosperous polis called Ambracia. The city, located in the northwest of the country, lived its golden age when Pyrrhus made it the capital of the Kingdom of Epirus: it had palaces, theaters and temples… but today almost nothing remains. The Romans besieged it and in that episode it appears one of the oldest and best documented cases of the use of a toxic gas as a weapon in military history. Smoke as toxic gas. Here there are no newly excavated sites that reveal this use, but it is a quote from a work of the time that has revealed the existence of chemical weapons: the Greek historian Polybius in his work ‘Histories’, book 21, chapter 28. There he narrates how during the Roman siege, the defenders of Ambracia responded to the invaders’ attempts to save their walls by digging underground tunnels with an idea that generated one of the most toxic gases. primitive for humanity: the smoke of fire. Thus, they strategically placed a clay vessel with an iron funnel filled with fine feathers, lit a fire next to the mouth of the vessel and covered it with a perforated iron cover, channeling the exhaust gas into the tunnel dug by the attackers. With a bellows, they blew hard to fan the flames and intoxicate those Romans who came through the gallery. Context. It was the year 189 BC when, during Rome’s war against the Aetolian League, the city of Ambracia was besieged following the orders of the Roman consul Marcus Fulvius Nobilior. The Ambracians and their walls resisted the siege, so the Romans resorted to a common technique to attack them: digging underground galleries to either damage the foundations or penetrate them from underneath. What happened next. Polybius himself narrates that the legionaries were trapped in a very distressing situation: the smoke was unbearable and there was no way to stop it (they had placed spears). This ingenious device accomplished its mission, forcing the Roman consul and the Aetolian commanders to sit down to negotiate and delay the outcome. Despite her ingenuity and resilience, Ambracia fell into decline: surrendered to Marco Fulvio Nobilior and suffered some looting. Later, it was thoroughly plundered by Aemilius Paulus in 167 BC and finally its population was reduced to a minimum when Augustus forcibly moved its inhabitants to the neighboring Nicopolis, founded after the Roman victory in Actium. By the 2nd century AD, the traveler and historian Pausanias he only found a grassy place. In detail. What Polybius defines in essence is an irritating smoke generator: the combustion of feathers in a closed container causes dense and harmful smoke that, concentrated in a closed area with poor ventilation, can cause suffocation and become lethal. No more is needed. Although seen in perspective the Ambracians used the toxic effects of smoke as a weapon, warns historian Adrienne Mayor that these ancient practices were not understood in their time under the category of chemical weapons, but rather as another resource of warlike ingenuity against a superior enemy. In Xataka | 80 years ago an American destroyer attacked what it believed to be an enemy submarine. We just discovered it was a sunken ship In Xataka | The Vikings already had their “Inditex”: a colossal textile factory from a thousand years ago with its own Amancio Ortega Cover | Hush Naidoo Jade Photography and Constantinos Kollias

The US has found the solution to its hospital staff shortage: Filipino virtual nurses

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In a hospital ICU, the staff remains attentive to the vital signs of all admitted patients, ready to act if necessary, or at least that is what we think it is. In many American hospitals, some of that work is being monitored in real time and thousands of miles away by nurses in the Philippines. Welcome to healthcare outsourcing. What is happening. They tell it in Rest of World. The United States has a deficit of almost 80,000 nurses and the way they have found to cover that lack is to outsource the service to independent contractors located in the Philippines. From there, thousands of nurses and assistants monitor patients and perform administrative tasks for a fraction of the salary they would earn if they were working in person. This is how it works. One of these virtual nurses says that he managed to monitor up to ten ICU patients at the same time, but highlights that “We did not make decisions about medical care, we only informed the staff nurses.” The virtual nurses cannot administer medication or perform procedures, but rather they are dedicated to monitoring the patients’ vital signs and notifying them if they notice anything strange or if they have forgotten to give them the medication. They also carry out other more administrative tasks such as giving discharges, filing records or making appointments. Much cheaper for the hospital. A virtual nurse is much cheaper at the hospital than an in-person one. In the United States, the average hourly wage for a registered nurse is $45, while working remotely from the Philippines is between $5 and $10 per hour. According to the Philippine Health Information Management Association (HIMAPfor its acronym in English) hospitals that outsource this service can save up to 70% in personnel costs. In addition to saving, a Mount Sinai Hospital study concluded that integrating this remote service benefits staff nurses, who perceived “a reduction in administrative burden, uninterrupted completion of clinical tasks, and the feeling that their overtime hours had been reduced.” And more profitable for the worker. The other side of the coin is that, in the Philippines, it is more profitable for a worker to be a virtual nurse than in person. They tell the story of Alice, a nurse who earned $100 a month working in a Filipino hospital and, after starting to work for a telehealth company, has quintupled her salary. HIMAP estimates that there are 210,000 Filipinos working full time for the US healthcare sector and the sector already moves $4.5 billion a year. Nursing shortage. In the US, the problem worsened after the pandemic with exhausted staff who have been leaving the profession. In addition to remote nursing, laws have also been put in place that recognize platforms that offer on-demand nursing services such as Clipboard Health or Nursa. But the shortage also affects the Philippines, which is one of the countries that has “exported” the most nurses since the 1960s. It is estimated that a quarter of immigrant nurses in the US are Filipinos. This remote format does not force them to emigrate, but it is still a way to divert work and feed domestic shortages. Why Philippines. From the Philippines they do all kinds of tasks such as control robots remotely either bring LinkedIn to Western managers. That the country has become a powerhouse in the outsourcing of services responds to several factors. The main one is that almost half of the citizens have a very good level of Englishbut it is also because they have a long history in outsourcing customer service for Western companies and there is already an entire industry created around it. And of course the economic issue: these workers are much cheaper than hiring someone in person. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | This humanoid robot promised to do our housework. For now it’s a $20,000 puppet

the survival capsule that arrives from France

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In these times of geopolitical tensions and natural disasters that are increasingly frequent and in unexpected places, having a refuge from possible catastrophes is an idea that sounds better and better. In fact, the EU recommends have a survival kit to “be able to survive for at least 72 hours.” The French startup Momentum Technologies is developing has detected this need and already has up to three portable survival capsules in its catalog ready to use anywhere, no matter what happens. French survival capsules. They are called LifePods and aesthetically they look similar to the cabins of many attractions, although if you ride what will be outside it will be anything but fun: The B01 is designed to offer ballistic and industrial protection. It is a ground capsule for up to two people, armored against bullets, explosions and fires. The W01 is a floating capsule designed for tsunamis and floods and can accommodate up to four people. The Q01 is still a concept, but it will serve to protect its occupants during earthquakes and will serve up to three people. Why laptops? Building security infrastructures is not something new, but the most interesting thing about these capsules compared to fixed construction bunkers is that they are modular, transportable and standardized, which allows them to be stacked in warehouses, they fit in containers, which facilitates transport by trucks or even helicopters and easy and quick deployment by emergency forces or administrations. In detail. The B-01 has structural armor made of high-hardness ballistic steel and according to the company, its panels have exceeded the international VPAM PM7 standard, a recognized standard for resistance to high-speed military projectiles. As for the W-01, its mechanism to stay afloat does not depend on engines or complex mechanical systems that can fail at critical moments: it is covered with 5083 marine aluminum, Kevlar and polymer and has a hydrodynamically stable design, so it uses its own natural buoyancy. The price range ranges between 29,000 and 40,000 euros, without shipping or installation and these capsules are aimed more at governments, security forces and institutions rather than individuals. The company’s roadmap details that this year they will be at fairs such as VivaTech and Eurosatory, the first deliveries will begin in 2027 and then they will carry out the development of the Q01. Yes, but. The concept of a prefabricated bunker is coherent, it already exists and in fact responds to a real demand, but it still has pending issues such as obtaining complete official certifications for the finished capsules as an integral system and in real conditions. In Xataka | The threat from Russia is taking Europe to something unprecedented: from the bunkers of the Cold War to bunkers anywhere In Xataka | A secret Nazi bunker in Germany hides the most sought-after treasure on the entire planet: hundreds of tons of rare earths Cover | Momentum Technologies

“Karoshi” is the scourge that has been undermining the health of Japanese workers for decades. And the Government does not know how to stop it

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It is not a new or unknown phenomenon, but he karoshi (illnesses or even deaths due to overwork) is gaining ground in Japan. This is suggested by at least the latest data from the Ministry of Health, which reflects that last year the Government recognized a record number of those affected with the right to compensation: 1,310. If we take into account all the requests, the figure is 6,212, another record. State records are only one indicator of a much broader problembut they suggest that Japan is a long way from solving it. And that sets off alarm bells. What has happened? That data from the Ministry of Health reveal that Japan is far (very far) from solving one of its thorniest social challenges: illnesses or deaths from karoshithat is, due to work overload. The latest official balance reveals that the number of employees who received government compensation for this reason rose to a level never seen before during fiscal year 2025. That is alarming in itself, but beyond the numbers what is truly worrying is the trend. As remember The Japan Timesit is the fourth consecutive year that the record has been broken and the flow of applications (whether approved or not) is also at historic levels. What do the figures say? The report of the Ministry of Health reveals that in Japan there are hundreds and hundreds of people for whom the Government recognizes the necessary conditions to receive compensation for excess workload. Specifically, during fiscal year 2025 the record of 1,310 was reached. There are only five more than in 2024, but what is relevant is that the number has not stopped growing in recent years. In fact, it is not the first time that alarms have gone off. At the end of 2024 Nippon I already warned of the escalation in the number of documented cases. As if that were not enough, the ministerial report throws out another figure: perhaps there is 1,310 compensatedbut the number of requests is much higher. During the same period it rose to 6,212, another record figure that exceeds that of 2024 by 1,402. Probably not all meet the requirements demanded by Health, but the Japanese press does not clarify whether the difference between both figures (indemnified and applicants) is due to this disparity or a simple administrative issue. Do we know anything else? Yes. The vast majority of compensated people (1,086) had work-related mental disorders, including depression. The remaining 224 suffered strokes and heart attacks. All attributable to his professional work. In 145 cases the outcome was the most traffic: it ended in deaths or suicides, although this is 14 less than in 2024. Among the applications received at the Ministry of Health, the majority (4,958 out of a total of 6,212) are also related to psychological problems. Not only are they the most common, but their incidence is clearly growing: the Government registered 1,178 more than during fiscal year 2024. Their report also reveals that after many cases of karoshi There are problems with bosses, workplace harassment and sudden changes that affect the workload and quality of the work entrusted to the affected person. Does the sector matter? Yes. Those who are most at risk are professionals in sectors in which overtime regulation is less developed. The Japan Times specific quote to bus and truck drivers, doctors and construction workers, trades that have seen their legal framework gradually improve, but in some cases still have certain exceptions. For example, a driver can work up to 960 overtime hours a year, a workload that is also exceeded 15% of doctors that are used in hospitals in Japan. In 2016 they were 39.2%but even so the data is worrying and there are certain specialized profiles in which overtime hours skyrocket. Why is this something worrying? Because illnesses and deaths related to karoshi They are nothing new. The discipline of strenuous work is very rooted in Japanese culture, although it hardened especially after the Second World War. For a time it helped the country advance, but in the 60s it began to pay its price: heart attacks, strokes and even cases of suicide due to stress, the karojisatu. In recent years there have also been very high-profile cases, such as that of a young girl who took his own life in 2015 after sleeping only 10 hours a week due to his work overload and accumulating around 100 overtime hours a month. How do they face it? Against that backdrop, Japan has begun to regulate issues such as overtime and the maximum number of consecutive days that can be linked. However, the results just released by the Ministry of Health reveal that the problem is far from being solved. In the country there are also those who fear the impact that the conservative government may have. Sanae Takaichiwho does not hesitate call meetings team at three in the morning and brag about not sleeping more than four hours. Images | Beth Macdonald (Unsplash), Vien Dinh (Unsplash) and Joris Beugels (Unsplash) In Xataka | Faced with labor shortages, Japan has taken an unprecedented measure in the last two decades: paying women the same

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