We have searched for the formula for the definitive pre-workout breakfast. The answer from science is much simpler

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Everyone who gets up early to go to the gym has wondered on some occasion whether it is better to go to the gym without having any breakfast, just have a coffee to get energy, or prepare a large, very satiating breakfast. In this case, the quick information that we find on the Internet can lead to confusion, since depending on what you look at it will show very different advice, and that is why you have to focus. what the experts point out. The body’s gasoline. If you are going to do a high-intensity workout that is not limited to simply taking a morning walk, logically you have to offer some fuel to the body in the form of carbohydrates. These are the undisputed kings to have quick and efficient energy when, for example, starting to lift a lot of weight on a bench. Here the different guides agree that consuming carbohydrates before exercise helps maintain blood glucose levels and preserves glycogen reserves in the muscles, which are our most immediate fuel. That is, they prevent you from running out of “battery” in the middle of the session and end up giving the dreaded ‘bird’ when training. And this is what the famous ‘pre-workouts’ rely on in the form of quick doses of carbohydrates that are absorbed very quickly. The protein. In addition to fuel, it is also noted that adding a moderate amount of protein in the morning is appropriate. This is based on the need to prevent muscle damage and promote recovery, especially if the routine includes strength training. When to take it. The biggest mistake before training is not always ‘what’ you eat, but ‘when’. Here the evidence establishes an optimal window of 1 to 4 hours before exercise to make a solid intake rich in carbohydrates. However, in the real world, few get up at four in the morning to eat breakfast before hitting the gym at seven in the morning. The strategy. If the time frame is short, the strategy must change drastically, since organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency they point Because there are several digestive enemies in pre-workout: Fiber should be avoided since it slows down gastric emptying and can cause serious intestinal discomfort with great effort. You should avoid fats due to heavy and energetically costly digestion, making foods that are easier to digest ideal before training. Just before starting training, it is not best to take protein, since it will not be digested and will not arrive in time to be useful in training, meaning it should be taken an hour before training or after it. There is no definitive breakfast. If someone offers a series of preparations without distinguishing the audience for which they are intended, the truth is that they are lying. The most important point here is that nutrition should always be individualized for the needs of each person, because breakfast for someone who is going to make a great effort is not the same as breakfast for another person who will limit themselves to taking a brisk walk. The time between breakfast and the start of exercise is also important, since the tighter it is, the more priority must be given to light foods that are absorbed quickly. All this means that it is not easy advice and should not be limited to a generic recipe book. Images | Anastase Maragos In Xataka | Walking does not count as “exercising”: for the 10,000 steps a day to be effective, the x3 rule must be applied

We believed that loneliness was just an emotional problem. Science points out that it is a risk factor for dozens of diseases.

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Loneliness is undoubtedly a scourge that is integrated into our society and that on many occasions goes unnoticed, especially affecting older people who are practically confined to being at home and with little social contact. And although this is something that a priori can remain in the psychological fieldthe reality is that loneliness emerges as a major public health threat as it is related to very serious diseases. A big risk. When we talk about risk factors in the field of medicine, we immediately think about nutrition or lack of exercise that are related to very serious diseases. But loneliness must also be added to this entire list, since numerous studies have found a direct association with cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic pathologies, although unraveling the exact cause continues to be one of the great challenges of current medical literature. The problem. In 2023, the United States Surgeon General public a devastating report pointing out that we were facing an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation.” And it was not a mere poetic metaphor, since the WHO has been warning that social disconnection not only affects us emotionally, but also alters our body to the point of increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, dementia and premature death. A measurable impact. When we talk about disease risk, cardiovascular health is the first to suffer. Here, a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in it Journal of the American Heart Associationconcluded bluntly that loneliness and social isolation are independent risk factors for poorer heart and brain health. And the percentages are not anecdotal, since a meta-analysis pointed out that loneliness or social isolation is associated with a 29% increase in the risk of suffering from coronary heart disease and a 32% increase in the risk of stroke. It goes further. A massive analysis led by the Autonomous University of Madrid in 2026, after following more than 400,000 peopleconfirmed a strong association between isolation and multimorbidity, highlighting that physical social isolation is a relevant risk factor even if the person does not subjectively perceive that loneliness. The case of dementia. Among dementias, the most important disease is undoubtedly Alzheimer’s and the data are clear in pointing out that unwanted loneliness is an important risk factor for all dementias. Among the reasons that exist, the Alzheimer Center of Barcelona points out in a recent note as follows: “The relationship between isolation and cognitive decline is supported by research showing how a lack of social interaction impoverishes vocabulary, reduces cognitive flexibility, and accelerates brain decline.” Here the advice given to be less likely to suffer from this disease when you reach a risk age is to participate in group activities, take advantage of technology to maintain contact or create a social routine. In mental health. In addition to the organic section, if we move on to mental illnesses, the fact that there is no adequate social support network also leads to an increase in the probability of illnesses as important as depression or even the schizophrenia. Many causes can influence here, such as genetic factors, but in the end a cluster of situations can generate the final trigger for the disease. The great nuance. The question we must ask ourselves here is the following: do we get sick because of the biological impact of disconnection, or because loneliness is accompanied by other conditions? And here the science suggests that isolated people tend to do less physical activity, have poorer diets and have a greater propensity for smoking or alcoholism. Factors that can trigger a whole battery of serious diseases. Even with these factors in the equation, loneliness demonstrates surprising predictive strength. For example, recent research in patients with diabetes revealed that loneliness was associated with a greater probability of suffering from coronary heart disease, even outweighing several classic risk factors. Images | Anthony Tran In Xataka | Generation Z is both the most connected and the loneliest in history. And there is nothing casual about it

We just discovered it five kilometers from the one everyone knows

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On June 21 and as is tradition, thousands of people they met Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. Meanwhile, a short distance away, an ancient structure discovered in an excavation less than a decade ago He passed the change of season alone: ​​a sort of “primordial Stonehenge” 500 years older than the famous one and which probably served as the first prototype of the solar alignment of the well-known Cromlech. The discovery. The Bulford site, in Wiltshire, is just five kilometers from Stonehenge. The Wessex Archeology team carried out the excavation between 2015 and 2017 and, after analyzing the materials, they will publish the academic paper at the end of this year. There they found 48 pits that have been dated by radiocarbon: they date back to approximately 2950 BC. In the center of the site, the holes of two enormous wooden posts (which have not survived the passage of time) that were driven into the ground, 120 meters apart and precisely aligned towards where the sun rises on the summer solstice and where it sets on the winter solstice. Why is it important. As says Phil Hardingdirector of research at Wessex Archaeology, what makes this structure so relevant is how early it is: “Until now, our knowledge of this achievement of ancient astronomy was based on Stonehenge and other monuments of a similar period, but what we have discovered at Bulford is 500 years older than the famous stones we all know.” This discovery shows that this tradition came from before, that the Neolithic communities already knew and marked the solar cycles centuries before Stonehenge. In other words, Stonehenge did not invent the relationship with the sun: it inherited it and made it the monument that everyone knows. He Dr. Fabio Silva contextualizes itputting Stonehenge in its place: “This discovery helps us understand Stonehenge not as a singular creation, but as part of a much longer conversation between people, land and sky. The alignment shows that communities were already relating to the summer and winter solstices in the Stonehenge landscape, centuries before the sarsen stones were raised.” Context. The Bulford site was discovered because the British Ministry of Defense needed to build housing for soldiers returning from Germany and, by law, it is mandatory to apply preventive archeology before any work. Among the recovered materials Grooved Ware style potteryanimal bones, flint and charcoal, suggesting that large groups of people gathered there for short periods of time, probably to celebrate the solar cycle. Come on, like now. A curiosity: this type of ceramic is native to the Scottish Orkney Islands, and its presence shows that at that time there were already cultural contacts within a radius of hundreds of kilometers. In detail. One of the graves, which could have been part of an observation station, contained a very rare disc-shaped flint knife. Its location is not random: it was probably placed as a symbolic reference to the sun. Dr. Fabio Silva, of Stone x Sky and Skyscape Academy, confirmed the alignment of the two poles: through digital reconstructions of the sky and horizon of the time, he determined that it coincides with the solstices with an accuracy of one degree. The team also suggests that a similar structure existed in the earliest phase of Stonehenge, but that later work probably erased it. A true paradox: Stonehenge, by growing and improving, was able to destroy its own origin. Yes, but. In the absence of the academic paper and its review to have a more exhaustive analysis on the table, there is a central limitation: the alignment is based on only two posts. As warns for National Geographic Jim Leary of York University: “two post holes does not make a particularly compelling alignment.” In this sense, he explains that he would expect a longer row to support that interpretation. Vince Gaffney, landscape archaeologist at the University of Bradford and lead scientist on the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project, matches in that it is difficult to say with certainty whether it was a deliberate alignment: “It is only two points, but it is not impossible.” In Xataka | The coasts of Sweden are full of feet carved into rock: this is how deals were signed 3,000 years ago In Xataka | We thought it was a bend in the Rhine. In reality it was a huge Roman water channel that survived the fall of the Empire for 300 years. Cover | Priyank V

We continue to find explanations for the fertility crisis in the most unexpected places, such as dog allergies.

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A 29-year-old Lithuanian woman was desperate before her problems conceiving. After trying it naturally without any results, she and her partner went to an assisted reproduction clinic, where she underwent two in vitro fertilization (IVF). Both failed. Anatomical and biochemical tests showed that, apparently, she should have no problems getting pregnant. But I couldn’t do it. After going through many specialists, an allergist found the key. The woman was allergic to her partner’s semen. And perhaps also that of any human being. Many allergies. According to a case report published in 2024 According to some of the doctors who treated her, the woman had a long history of asthma and allergies. He had long been allergic to mold, dust and cats. However, a series of more recent tests had also pointed to sensitivity to mites, pollen from various plants and some proteins from insects and dogs. What stood out above all was his allergy to the protein allergen 5 of Canis familiaris (Chan f 5). It is a protein that is in dog dander and urine and is responsible for a good part of the allergies to these pets. But there is something else. It turns out that in human semen there are proteins that look very similar to Can f 5. The woman acknowledged that after having unprotected sex, she often experienced symptoms like sneezing and a stuffy nose, so it all added up. Possibly, her body was reacting to some proteins in the semen, preventing her from getting pregnant. The definitive test. After reaching this suspicion, her allergist decided to subject her to a new test. In it, he was exposed in a controlled manner to his partner’s semen, with a clearly positive result. She was allergic to human seminal plasma. That is, the liquid part of the semen. This is rare, but not exceptional. There are 80 known cases worldwide and it is true that they can be related to infertility. The causes of infertility. Allergies are, broadly speaking, wrong reactions of the immune system. It confuses completely harmless proteins, such as some in dog dander, with pathogens, and reacts to them as if they were potentially harmful bacteria, for example. This reaction generates great inflammation; which, in this case, could also affect the reproductive organs, preventing pregnancy. Although there is something that doesn’t add up. IVF treatments consist of putting eggs and sperm in contact in the laboratory to obtain the embryo, which is then transferred to the mother. Therefore, she is not in contact with the semen, but with the already formed embryo. Despite this loose bangs, the doctors decided to try some of the usual treatments. Woman used to sneeze after having sex The treatment. Generally, these allergies are treated like any other: with gradual exposure to increasing concentrations of the allergen, which in this case would be your partner’s semen. The problem is that this treatment is not available in Lithuania. For this reason, women were prescribed antihistamines so that he could take them just before having sex. This way, you would avoid an exaggerated reaction of your body to the proteins in semen. There was no happy ending. Unfortunately, when the woman went for a check-up three years later, she still did not get pregnant. In addition, she had begun to experience new symptoms with sexual intercourse, such as burning in the vagina, inflammation of the eyelids, and watery eyes. The case report ends here. So far, the patient had not managed to put an end to her infertility. Maybe there are other reasons. The study does not mention whether your partner underwent fertility tests, although it is part of the routine in assisted reproduction clinics. They should have been done. Maybe there was something else and that’s why she didn’t get pregnant with IVF either. No further studies have been published, so we don’t know if he later succeeded. What is clear is that these allergies should be considered as a possibility in cases of infertility of unknown cause. It’s strange, but we see that it’s not impossible. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | It’s that time of year in Japan where everyone wears a mask. Blame it on World War II

We believed that air conditioning was the only way to beat the heat. A Mexican architect has been cooling houses with paint for decades

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In 1973, during the oil crisismany countries suddenly discovered that cooling buildings had become an energetic luxury. Bioclimatic architecture then returned to the center of the debate and many looked to old solutions: patios, thick walls, shade and cross ventilation. Curiously, decades before, an architect had already built houses following that logic, obsessed with something that today sounds strangely modern: that a home should offer serenity and refuge from the aggressiveness of the outside. Heat also enters through the eyes. For decades we have assumed that fighting the heat at home involves a almost automatic gesture: lower blinds and turn on the air conditioning. It is a mechanical, direct and, above all, solution. face. Long before that became the norm, the architect Luis Barragan Another idea was already working in Mexico City: that the temperature of a house does not depend only on its degrees, but on how the body perceives it. Its architecture, built between pink, yellow, blue walls and dense shadows, had spent decades exploring something that neuroarchitecture is beginning to support today: color, light and matter. alter physical sensation of space. They don’t cool the air, but they can cool the experience. House-Workshop of Luis Barragán Barragán understood the importance of color. In the Barragán’s workcolor was never decoration. Studies on his architecture show that he treated it the same as a wall or a window: as a structural tool of perception. Its pink, ocher or blue surfaces were designed to react to changing light of the day, transforming the depth, closeness and visual temperature of the space. A pink wall under the intense Mexican sun seems to radiate heat, while a deep blue patio prolongs the feeling of sky and distance. That rrelationship between color and light It was a central part of his work. The architecture moved with the sun, and with it the sensation of the inhabitant also changed. House-Workshop of Luis Barragán The house as a sensory laboratory. His best example remains the Luis Barragán Studio Housebuilt in 1948 and today protected by UNESCO. There everything is designed to modulate the bodily experience: thick walls, closed patios, interior gardens, water, darkness and color. UNESCO stands out precisely that deep dialogue between light, space and matter as one of the great contributions of the 20th century. The house is almost a manifesto of how a home can appeal to all the senses at the same time. Barragán saw it as a living organism, constantly evolving, and in that organism comfort did not depend on technology, but on balance. nterior of the Gilardi House, in Mexico City The half light as a refuge. Barragan distrusted of modern glass architecture and total transparency. While much of the 20th century celebrated large windows and abundant light, he argued for the opposite: the “half light”. He believed that human beings need spaces with shade and darkness to rest, think and concentrate. He said that too much light generates anxiety. In their houses, the windows are reduced, hidden or filtered with colored glass. The light never enters all at once; is dosed. This decision not only changes the emotional atmosphere, it also reduces the thermal load and softens the visual harshness of summer. It is an old and simple solution, almost forgotten in many contemporary homes. Patio of Barragan’s studio house The colors of the weather. The famous Barragán palette It did not come from an abstract theory. Its colors were born of the Mexican landscape. The pink of the bougainvillea, the red of the tabachin, the violet of the jacarandas, the ocher of the earth and the blue of the sky. Everything was part of a natural continuity between architecture and environment. In fact, the call “Mexican pink”developed together with the artist Jesús Reyes, became one of his most recognizable signatures. That color, present at the entrance to his studio or in patios like those of the Gilardi Housegenerates a feeling of calm and depth that continues to surprise those who visit it. Its architecture demonstrates that color can be an emotional regulator of space. Eduardo Prieto Lopez House Tradition already knew this trick. In reality, Barragán did not invent all this from scratch. Much of his work includes centuries of vernacular architecture in Latin America. Painted stucco houses, interior patios, thick walls and breathable materials were part of a climatic logic before electricity. Stucco, for example, allowed the walls they will breathe better in hot climates. Painting them prevented the glare of the white surfaces under the harsh sun. In many places, color not only gave identity, it also helped to better inhabit the heat. Barragán took that tradition and brought it to modern language. San Cristobal block Science explains it. Yes, because recent studies about emotional architecture and embodied perception help put words to what Barragán intuited. Today we know that light regulates circadian rhythms, affects mood and modifies thermal perception. We also know that certain colors can make a room feel cooler or warmer without changing its real temperature. The body first processes a sensory impression and then translates it into comfort or discomfort. Barragán worked precisely on that point. He designed spaces where perception and physiology intersected. An old idea for a new problem. Thus, in the era of air conditioning and skyrocketing thermometers, when cities overheat and energy consumption skyrockets every summer, Barragán’s architecture returns to read with other eyes. Their houses remind us that cooling does not always mean cooling the air. Sometimes means control the light, tame the shadow, reduce glass, use appropriate materials and choose a color well. Are slow solutionssilent and long before modern domestic technology. In that sense, his work seems less like an aesthetic relic and more like an open conversation with the present. Image | Anna BerthoFrancesco Bandarin, Ulysses00, Ymblanter, Steve Silverman, Sarunas Burdulis In Xataka | In 2020, a Chinese billionaire bought the most expensive and luxurious home in London. Then his nightmare began. In Xataka | In 1972 Italy wanted to put an … Read more

You can get one with a reader for less than 490 euros

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A few days have passed since the boom that the opening of reservations for ‘GTA VI’. The game, at least at launch, will only come to three consoles: the two Xbox Series already PlayStation 5. You may have been waiting to the final announcement of prices and editions of ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ to get one of these consoles, but we had bad news on Prime Day: there have been no offers for them. Focusing on the Sony console, the latest price increase that received the different versions of PlayStation 5 left the cheapest of these at 599.99 euros. What alternatives do we have if we want to spend less? From today until next June 29, one is presented to us in Back Market: We have discounts of up to 45 on the Slim and Slim Digital models. PlayStation Slim with reader The price could vary. We earn commission from these links An alternative to take a cheaper PS5 home Back Market is a store that sells expertly refurbished products. Although it normally has very good prices, this promo comes with an additional discount on PlayStation 5 consoles. All taking into account that, in addition, they are devices with 24-month warranty and a 30-day trial period in which, if you are not convinced, you can return the console for free. The prices of the consoles would be the following: PlayStation 5 Slim (‘Very Good’ condition): 531 euros, but with the discount it remains at 486 euros. PlayStation 5 Slim (‘Excellent’ condition): 549 euros, but with the discount it remains at 504 euros. If we take into account that these consoles currently cost 599.99 and 649.99 euros, the truth is that it is a great option if we are looking to save as much as possible. With both consoles we will be able to play ‘GTA VI’, but also a gigantic catalog of video games where there are many exclusives that can only be played on this consoleas ‘Astrobot‘or the next’Marvel’s Wolverine‘. Of course, we must keep in mind that there are few units and the promo only lasts this weekendso we have little time to take advantage of these Back Market prices. Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | PexelsPlayStation In Xataka | The best TVs to play and get the most out of your PS5 or Xbox Series In Xataka | Five very useful accessories to accompany a PlayStation 5: from batteries and supports to SSD drives

review with features, price and specifications

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You know those products that you take out of the box and say “wow!”? Well, Sony’s new headphones are just this. They are high-end headphones with a more premium character that not only know how to convey what they cost, but also know how to make you fall in love at first sight (and hearing). I’ve been using them for a few weeks now. Sony 1000X The Collection and this has been my experience. ✅ Buy it if… Are you looking for comfortable and beautiful headphones to use? chill at home. You want good sound and noise cancellation. You have music in high definition and you don’t mind using a cable. ❌ Don’t buy it if… You want cheap headphones, because these, precisely, are not. You are going to use them to listen to compressed music on Spotify or YouTube Music. You are looking for versatility and to be able to wear them at home, on the street or when playing sports. The essentials in 30 seconds The Sony 1000X The Collexion are headphones with a excellent finish, very premium and surprisingly comfortable. They are quite a design exercise that works well, although the reality is what it is: I would try not to take them out of the house too much because that (beautiful) finish is as beautiful as it is fragile. They sound very good and cancel noise almost at the level of their brothers 1000XM6. It is difficult to fault the sound quality. Sony knows what it’s doing and it shows. What doesn’t quite work are the software additions, such as DSEE and Upmix, which, although striking on paper, are functions that tend to go unnoticed and whose use is more testimonial. The battery has a decent autonomy, certainly not the best on the market; and the connectivity, although correct, could be better if we think about using it in mobility. However, and be that as it may, the truth is that these headphones convince, especially if we understand them in their context. The rival, yes, they have in their own house and it is better and cheaper. 9.1 Design 9.5 Sound quality 9.0 noise cancellation 9.2 Ergonomics 9.0 Usage experience 9.25 Autonomy 8.7 in favor They have some of the best noise cancellation I’ve tried to date. The materials are exceptional and the finish feels very premium. They sound great, on par with the best against The material, although it feels scary, raises questions about its durability Specific functions, such as Upmix or DSEE, do not make a difference They are very expensive Sony 1000X The COLLEXION Luxury Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, with Premium Noise Canceling, Hi-Res Studio Sound; 360 Spatial Audio; Rugged Case; Platinum, New Model The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Our experience with the Sony 1000X The Collexion Sony X1000 The Collection | Image: Xataka Beautiful not to take them out of the house. The Sony 1000X The Collexion are beautiful headphones and that is undeniable. They are expensive and it shows from minute one. The cups and headband are made of a synthetic leather that combines great with the stainless steel of the hinges. They are very pretty, they are very comfortable (I would say the most comfortable I have ever tried), they feel light (although they are not) and they are for use at home. Synthetic leather suffers a lot from inclement weather, friction and knocks, so a bad gesture will leave a mark for life. Sony includes a very nice fabric-finished carrying case, but it also runs the risk of getting dirty relatively easily. However, it is useful and good to have on hand because the headphones, unfortunately, cannot be folded completely. An impressive sound. They sound exactly what 600-odd euro headphones should sound like. It is a clean sound, punchy when it needs to be and with amazing clarity in the highs. I have enjoyed them like a dwarf listening to Nu Metal, but also soundtracks and jazz, even at high volumes. It is one of those headphones that you can use for hours and hours without getting tired and that are difficult to find fault with. Of course, they won’t surprise you if you’re used to high-end headphones, all things considered. Much of the price we pay is justified by the design, not the sound. And the noise? Sony knows what it is doing in this field. The WH-1000XM6 are the best in this field and these are just one step below. They cancel noise to a level that borders on the absurd. Not just those at home, like my 3D printers or air conditioning. I’m talking about the noise of cars on the road or the noise inside a bus. I don’t have the slightest complaint. If the cancellation of the WH-1000XM6 is the best I have tried, this is the second without a doubt. Sony X1000 The Collection | Image: Xataka The software stuff that… well… These headphones come with two functions that, honestly, I can’t quite see. The first is DSEE, a system that “fixes” the compression of Bluetooth codecs via software. It is not always noticeable and, when it is, it is little noticeable. The second is Upmix, a system that simulates a kind of spatial audio that, in theory, puts us in the middle of the stage. Phew. The idea is good, but the execution is so-so. It sounds too artificial and, on rock songs in particular, very strident. The management application is called Sound Connect and is available at iOS and Android. Battery ok, but not outstanding. The headphones promise up to 24 hours of autonomy with active noise cancellation, a figure that is not low at all, but it is not on par with what other proposals on the market offer. I insist, it is not a bad autonomy, but its XM6 brothers are at 30 hours and the JBL Tour One M3 They are around 40 hours, in both cases with noise cancellation active. When they … Read more

Europe has a robot ready to clean the seabed. Spain has 8,000 kilometers of coast waiting

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Neither the proliferation of jellyfish neither lack of sand On the beaches, the great environmental problem of the oceans is marine litter. So within the European project SEACLEAR 2.0, a research team from the Technical University of Munich has developed an autonomous diving robot capable of detecting and recovering debris from the bottom. A kind of pool cleaning robot that plays in another league: the open sea. But is there really so much shit in the sea? An example: In Dubrovnik they counted more than a thousand pieces of garbage in an area of ​​only 100 square meters. In the Mediterranean, where there is tourism and ports, it is a real problem. The pool cleaning robot. The system is made up of the robot and a series of auxiliary elements necessary to fulfill the mission: an unmanned mother ship, an auxiliary boat, a drone, an explorer robot of about 50 centimeters and the robot in question. How does it work? The boat is what provides energy and data to the robots and is also responsible for mapping the bottom with camera and sonar, which allows objects to be identified even in murky waters. Afterwards, the small, agile scout robot quickly runs through it. With all this information, the pool cleaning robot descends with its eight miniturbines until it reaches that area where there is garbage. There, he picks up the objects and lifts them onto the auxiliary boat, which works as a container, using a winch. Why is it important. Because it reaches where divers cannot or does not allow them to reach: as explains dr. Stefan Sosnowskifrom the Information Technology Control Chair of the TUM, a cost-benefit analysis proves that this autonomous waste collection is profitable from 16 meters deep. That’s where human diving becomes more expensive, time-consuming and dangerous. That is to say, this robot does not replace diving, but rather complements it to offer a global cleaning solution. On the other hand, the system is not limited to extraction: it also constitutes a valuable tool for obtaining data since, thanks to the integrated sensors, it can generate maps of the bottom, identify types of waste and record its location, which can be useful in different fields, such as designing better environmental or port management policies. Context. He SEACLEAR project It is funded by the European Union through the Horizon 2020 program. The consortium is made up of eight European partners: the universities of Munich, Delft, Cluj-Napoca and Dubrovnik on the academic level, plus the Port Authority of Hamburg, the Dubrovnik-Neretva Regional Development Agency and the company Subsea Tech. That the port of Hamburg and a company are part of the group is important: it is not an academic laboratory project, but the idea is to put it into practice, to real use at sea. In detail. The intelligence of the system resides in four components: the identification of objects with camera and sonar, the manual labeling of more than 7,000 images of objects outside the seabed, the generation of 3D models through AI. From here, the system already knows where and how to grab those objects to extract them safely. The key to this extraction is a four-finger clamp capable of applying up to 4,000 N of force, enough to lift objects weighing up to 250 kilograms. However, how much with pressure sensors to regulate that force so as not to break fragile materials such as plastics or glass. If you broke a plastic object into smaller pieces, the cure would be worse than the disease. Yes, but. The first public demonstration of the system occurred in the port of Marseille, where the robot recovered, among other things, a wheel and a car seat. While it is true that it is a test in a real environment, it is a controlled demo under known conditions. The project has not yet made public data essential for its profitability and scalability, such as how many objects were recovered per hour, what is the error rate of the recognition system or the cost of operating the system in a real port for a year. On the other hand, extracting objects from the bottom has its drawback: if they are large and have been deposited there for years, they can suspend contaminated sediments and disturb fauna that has colonized them. That is, paradoxically, cleaning can also have environmental impact. In Xataka | It turns out that China’s new giant buoys are actually miniature data centers. Korea won’t like it In Xataka | Germany is installing giant concrete spheres under the sea. It has a good reason: to store renewable energy Cover | TUM

“It is sold as the golden goal, but for some it is an existential abyss”

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Leo She is 79 years old and continues to work in the nut store she opened 51 years ago with her husband. Amadeoa 96-year-old “tavernkeeper”, may be the oldest active hotelier in Spain; After a lifetime of working, he continues to proudly say that he is in love with the union and that his thing is “a game” that feeds him spiritually. These two stories have gone viral on the social media profile of @comilonestvwhich takes time recovering people’s stories who “have spent a lifetime working” and continue to do so despite having passed retirement age. The comments that accompany these videos contain a mixture of astonishment and admiration, but above all they make it clear that these cases represent a not so small reality in Spain—dozens of users mention similar examples in their cities and nearby environments. The moment of the retirement It is often imagined as a desired goal after decades of work: a stage associated with more freedom, one’s own time, and the possibility of taking up hobbies or discovering new ones. However, for a part of the population, the arrival of retirement does not imply a total break with their profession. While some people completely disassociate themselves from their work activity, others choose to maintain a certain connection with it or even decide to continue working beyond retirement age. The economic weight The transition from collecting a payroll to receiving a pension implies, in many cases, a reconfiguration of the economy in many homes. Money then appears as one of the possible motivations among those people who choose to continue working when the opportunity to retire arrives. This trend has exploded in the last decade in the United States, where studies They point out how the number of workers aged 65 or over who remain in the labor market has grown. In fact, some statistics They point out that in 2024 just over 22% of adults over 65 were still employed, whether full or part-time. Meanwhile, in Spain, the last Active Population Survey (EPA) of 2025 has placed the employment among those over 65 years of age at historical highs, going from 5% to 14% in the last ten years. There are multiple factors behind this increase, but the economic factor appears recurrently in those who decide to prolong their working life. Antonio, a 67-year-old doctor who continues to practice in the private sector after retiring from the public system — and who prefers to keep his identity private — assures that “the economic issue usually weighs heavily” in this decision. Especially, he explains, because many people reach retirement with children still financially dependent. “It is very rare that at 65 years old people have their children already placed, emancipated and all expenses paid,” he points out. He assures that the situation has changed a lot compared to previous generations: “Before, when the parents retired, the children were already emancipated. Not now.” The delay in emancipation and the cost increase of life means that many families continue to have significant financial burdens even after reaching retirement age, which according to Antonio makes it “so common” in the health sector to maintain activity: “It is very rare for someone at 65 to say: ‘I’ll take my clogs and phonendo forever’.” However, reducing this phenomenon solely to an economic issue would be oversimplifying it for Gema Pérez Rojo, professor at the CEU San Pablo University and psychologist certified by the Official College of Psychology of Madrid. Although money matters—and a lot in some cases—the psychologist believes that it is a multifactorial decision and “it is rarely just about money.” A decision with different “edges” The reasons for continuing to work at retirement age rarely respond to a single reason. For Antonio, in fact, there are several: he mentions financial income, but also the need to stay active and avoid boredom —“What do I do at home 24 hours without any professional activity?”—, continue feeling useful, maintain a routine, continue practicing a profession that he defines as vocational or “wait” for his partner, who is not yet old enough to retire. Rosa María Álvarez Barral, a psychologist active in Venezuela, also does not believe that there is a “specific profile” of a person who chooses to continue their work activity beyond the age of 65. In his opinion, this is a decision that mixes motivational factorssocial and economic. “Work makes you feel important, valuable, distracted and continues to have interesting challenges,” he explains. Furthermore, he maintains that the profession can become an important part of personal identity and provide social recognition, especially in people with long careers or prestige within their sector. “Retirement is often sold as the golden goal of existence, but psychologically it is complex territory. It is not just a change of schedule; it is a metamorphosis of one’s identity.” This is how Professor Pérez Rojo explains how the arrival of retirement can be “for some a haven of peace and for others an existential abyss.” During working life, the profession is part of our cover letter. And after decades dedicated to a position, Pérez Rojo, who is also part of the Aging research group (BUENAVEJEZ), notices how “self-concept merges with role.” So, “when you retire you not only leave a job, you leave an identity.” Psychologist Álvarez Barral speaks of “symbiosis” or “marriage”: a “sense that your identity is linked to your profession.” This is the case of Nacho Valbuena, a journalist who, despite having retired three years ago, continues to collaborate with the media very actively. For him, vocation has been key and age has not represented an impediment, since he claims not to be able to live without practicing journalism: “I don’t think about age, I will be 90 years old and I will continue with this profession (…) It is very deep within me.” And the type of employment is decisive when facing the transition to retirement. Those who have held “jobs with a high load of physical or mental stress … Read more

The plan to find extraterrestrial life in 2040 involves a swarm of spaceships working as a team

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We want to find planets with life beyond the Earthbut let’s be honest: we don’t have the best instruments to achieve it. The space telescopes we have today are not sufficiently capable of taking precise photographs of exoplanets and, in the process, analyzing possible biosignatures in their atmosphere. The James Webb Space Telescope, possibly the most powerful today, has made some progressbut it still falls short. Therefore, a team of scientists from the WM Keck Institute for the Study of Space has proposed a curious solution: send a swarm of telescopes to study the cosmos with a magnifying glass that we have not been able to use until now. The requirements. There are two main problems why exoplanets are so difficult to analyze. The first is that they are very close to their star, which is usually millions to billions of times brighter than they are. The second is that they are very small, so telescopes large enough to take images with adequate resolution are needed. That is precisely the main handicap of James Webb. It lacks size. And the truth is that it would be difficult to make a telescope so large as to achieve the desired resolution. One cannot be, but several small ones can. The proposal of these astronomers It is to launch a swarm of many small ships that concentrate and send light to a kind of mother ship. This is what carries out the optical tricks necessary to block the light from the main star and, in the process, analyze the planet’s thermal signature with more precision. What is this thermal signature? To solve the starlight problem, coronagraphs can be used. These are instruments that block the star’s light, generating something similar to an eclipse. Thus, only the light reflected from the exoplanet can be measured. It will be the mission of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO)a large telescope that NASA will launch in the 2040s as a successor to Hubble, since it works in ultraviolet and visible light. The point is that, rather than the reflected light, it would be ideal to measure the direct light that exoplanets thermally emit. This is done by measuring in the mid-infrared. The James Webb is capable of doing it; but, as we have already seen, it is too small. That’s where the swarm named Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) comes into play. Being a swarm of small ships, it acts like a very large ship. Biosignatures. Something good about measuring in the mid-infrared is that you can also detect emissions derived from substances associated with life, such as ozone, methane, water, carbon dioxide or phosphine. That means LIFE can not only take a more accurate photo of exoplanets. You can also check if they are alive. The name fits like a glove. Fallen soldiers and teamwork. NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Locator Interferometer and ESA’s Darwin mission followed a similar concept to LIFE. However, they have ended up being abandoned after encountering one technical obstacle after another. On the other hand, LIFE engineers hope to be able to advance as technology does, so as not to stop at any time. If all goes well, it is expected to be launched in the 2040s, just like the HWO. The objective is for both to work as a team, since one works in the mid-infrared and the other in the visible and ultraviolet. Even if they analyze the same thing, they do it using different methods, so one will be able to eliminate the other’s false positives. They are the team perfect. Images | Magnific/NASA In Xataka | TRAPPIST-1 was the most promising solar system to search for life. Now our joy is in a well

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