Month: June 2025

A parking for 650 cars

by

The world has embarked on the adventure of the transport electrification. We see it on the roads with the electric carbut also makes sense at sea with concrete ships: the ferris. There are already several countries presuming from their electric ships and, if a few weeks ago Argentina and Uruguay They took chest with their China Zorrillanow it is Finland that has presented the largest electric ferri in the world. A 200 meters to batteries. Helios. Sea electrification is nothing new. More than a decade ago already They began to take steps in the transformation of transport in Ferri. They are ships that make relatively short, but constant tours between two ports, accumulating thousands of kilometers a year, and the estimates They point out that, electrifying the 50 -meter length ferris to cover 100 -kilometer routes would save 50% fossil fuel in this segment. Viking Line It is a Finnish shipping company that has a Ferris fleet that operates between Finland, Sweden and Estonia islands. Its ships are a mixture between cruise and ferri, with huge dimensions and considerable load capacity. Also They have cruises as suchbut its new 100% electric ship will be a ferri called Helios that scares its dimensions. Enormous. He MS Viking Cinderella It is the largest ferri of the company, a 191 -meter monster with capacity for 2,560 passengers and 480 vehicles. Helios will overcome it almost everything. To begin with, it will have 195 meters of length and another 30 meters of manga and its capacity will be 2,000 passengers, but it will have ‘hole’ for a whopping 650 cars. China Zorrilla measures 130 meters long, 32 wide and has capacity for 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles. The China Zorrilla Green corridor. To move such a monster, Viking Line will provide helios with batteries that will have a capacity of between 85 and 100 MWh, more than double the 40 MWh of China Zorrilla, and will make the journey between the capitals of Finland and Estonia in a time of about two hours. Its batteries allow to complete this journey between Helsinki and Tallin at a speed of about 42 kilometers per hour (23 knots) which is the speed that other ferris of the company have. And the 80 kilometers of journey can be done with a single load. This is a fundamental point at the time of electrification of maritime corridors and, for this, each port will have an infrastructure capable of supplying 30 MWh during the scale. Trend? And we talk all the time in the future because there are a few years left to see this electric titan in operation. Viking Line expects to have helios and load infrastructure ready for 2030. We will see if before that date other actors surprise us with an even greater electric ship Because the truth is that there are several countries interested in this transformation of maritime mobility thanks to Advances in the ability of batteries. Without going far, in Spain we have the ‘Barbarian Cap‘, a ferri who joins Ibiza with Formentera who was a pioneer, but does not stand out with his 1 MWh battery. However, Balearia is already shaping Two twin ferris With 39 MWh batteries to join Tarifa and Tangier. From Viking they are clear that these electric ships will be as significant as those of candle, steam and motor of their time, and although in the ferris it makes a lot of sense, we must wait to see if the solid state batteries They can colonize the sea aboard huge cruises And above all, Portenero. In Xataka | The largest ultra -grape load electroinera is found in Asturias. And that is its greatest virtue

We are far from getting the pill that can replace food. The reason we may not get it is very simple

by

Today we can find a huge variety of Nutrients in the form of pill or in a similar format: vitamins, minerals and other compounds that our body generally obtains from food, in a more “practical” format. Some of these pills in fact incorporate a wide variety of these nutrients. This leads us to raise an issue: why not everyone. Is it possible to concentrate all micro- and macronutrients, and all the energy contribution that our body needs in a simple format? And if it is, are we close to achieving it? If someone hoped that the answer to this last question was something different from a resounding “no”, he was wrong. To understand why it is so difficult we have to understand a key detail: not all nutrients are the same and some simply do not fit in a single pill. The first thing we should know for understand the great difficulty to which we would face if we wanted to create A pill to feed It is how we classify nutrients. We usually distribute them into two groups. The first is that of macronutrients that covers three categories: fat or lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins or amino acids. The second, that of micronutrients, which covers the vitamins and minerals that our body requires for its function. The difference between the categories can be intuited by name (and advances the great reason why it is difficult to concentrate the food in a pill), is the amount. We can see food as a mechanism of our body to obtain two things. The first, chemical elements and compounds that you need in your daily function such as amino acids, minerals or vitamins. The second is energy, which obtains mainly through two key macronutrients: carbohydrates and fats (although our body can “recycle” its own proteins as an emergency energy source). Energy is the main problem, and even the most energy concentrated foods, FatsThey require relatively large volumes to be able to provide us with the energy we need (Between 1,600 and 3,000 calories a day in adultsdepending on our body and our habits). The idea of lipid supplements It is not new, but concentrating the necessary amount of fat to replace a meal in a single pill (in which we would also have to include other compounds) does not seem viable, so in the best case we would become dependent on the consumption of several pills to consume throughout the day. “Human beings are never going to eat pills such as food … pills can never be made in a way that contain enough caloric volume,” he explained in an article published in 1936 in the Jefferson City post-tribune (according to He collected more recently The British chain BBC) The professor of the University of Comumbia Milton A. Bridges. “Experfically plausible to provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals in a meal in the form of a pill. But you cannot achieve calories if it is not eating food.” We still have no food in pill but we do have products that try to offer us all the micro and macronutrients that our body needs in a more bulky formatthe milkshake. Slopes of this type are not new: a decade ago they began to popular formulas Like Soylent or Joylent. Is it possible to subsist and stay healthy with these formulas? We do not know, but there are two reasons that lead us to doubt. The first is that human nutrition is very complex. We know a lot about it but it is possible that our bodies require traces of some micronutrient that we have not considered. This is not necessarily the case, but it is a possibility. To know this we would have to put this type of test formulas in rigorous experiments and long term. Something is complicated today. The second issue has to do with the diversity of our bodies: people of different age, sex or body mass would need specific formulas for adapt to your body’s requirements. Even controlling these variables we would also find a huge diversity caused by health disorders and conditions, habits and daily activities, and other factors very difficult to introduce if we would like to customize the pills or The smoothies To consume. Reducing our diet to a series of pills would undoubtedly have their advantages. But it would be difficult to make us lose, as a species, our taste for gastronomy. This way of feeding ourselves is today science fiction and for many surely of the subgenre focused on dystopia: after all, these formulas, practices on a day -to -day basis, eliminate the agency and the feeling of having free will. This does not mean that these options could not have their niche, for example facilitating food in Interplanetary trips or in other contexts in which access to food could be more complicated. In Xataka | We have asked two nutritionists to blind a weekly menu created with GPT-4. It has been very well stopped Image | Danilo.Alvesd

A solar energy company has sued Google for the AI ​​of its search engine: it was invented that they were scammers

by

Google’s search engine is not just a search engine. Since Google began to integrate the “ai overViews” function, it is also A chatbot with artificial intelligence that answers the questions of the users without clicking on any link. The problem is that the underlying technology, the great language models, work probabilisticly, so they tend to invent the answer when they are not clear how to answer. A credible lie. This time, an invented response from AI Overviews can end up sitting Google on the bench. The plaintiff is Wolf River Electric, a Minnesota solar energy company. And the origin of the lawsuit is, the redundancy is worth, a demand that never existed. In Xataka Chatgpt is taking some people to the edge of madness. Reality is less alarmist and much more complex According to the lawyers of the energy company, the search for the terms “demands against Wolf River Electric” in Google made it AI responded with defamations. They cite a case in which AI Overviews replied that Wolf River Electric had been sued by Minnesota attorney for “deceptive sales practices”, such as lying to customers about how much they will save and deceive the owners to sign contracts with hidden rates. The AI ​​presented the case with total confidence involving four of the company’s managers by name: Justin Nielsen, Vladimir Marchenko, Luka Bozek and Jonathan Latcham, coming to show a photo of Nielsen next to the false accusations. To support his statements, the AI ​​cited four links: three news articles and a statement from the attorney general. However, none of the links mentioned a lawsuit against Wolf River Electric. It is not the first time. This type of error It is known as “hallucination”and it is very common in language models for how their response are weaving through the prediction of the following words, sometimes dragging the initial error until it becomes a credible lie with all kinds of invented ramifications, as in the play of the pickled phone. When Google began to integrate Ai Overview in the search engine, he had to withdraw it from some searches, especially recipes and nutrition, because he recommended Add glue to pizza Or eat a stone a day to stay healthy. An answer per question. Wolf River Electric states that, due to what they read in the AI ​​Overviews, several clients canceled their contracts, valued at up to $ 150,000. The problem is that Ai overViews responses are personalized: they are inferred at the time, so it can vary from one consultation to another That to Wolf River Electric’s lawyers are not worried because they know it can happen again. “This demand is not just about defending the reputation of our company; it will defend equity, truth and responsibility in the era of artificial intelligence,” Nicholas Kasprowicz sayslegal advisor of the company. {“Videid”: “X7ZW3C2”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “I cheated an artificial intelligence | Captcha 2×02”, “Tag”: “Artificial Intelligence”, “Duration”: “2958”} David against Goliath. The case was filed in March in a state court and has just been elevated to a Federal Court of the United States. Perhaps it ends up creating jurisprudence on whether a technology company must take responsibility for its generation and disinformation. The answer to this question could mark a turning point for AI companies, which for a long time have tried to avoid responsibility for the results of their language models. Google, in its defense, described the incident as a harmless mishap. “The vast majority of our AI overViews are precise and useful, but as with any new technology, errors can occur,” A company spokesman says. Google says he had quickly acted to solve the problem as soon as they had knowledge of him, in line with his Recent efforts for allowing users to correct the mistakes of the AI. Image | Google In Xataka | Google’s AI advises using pizza cheese glue. The source is a Reddit comment 11 years ago (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news A solar energy company has sued Google for the AI ​​of its search engine: it was invented that they were scammers It was originally posted in Xataka by Matías S. Zavia .

For centuries the blue pigment recipe used by the Egyptians had been a mystery. We just solved it

by

Not all Treasures They are made up of jewels, gold and precious stones. For a long time a group of researchers from Washington State University It is behind of a treasure equally fascinating but much more elusive: the Egyptian bluethe synthetic pigment older which is recorded and that once used the artists of the ancient Egyptian to decorate from alabaster bowls to coffins, ceramics and murals. Despite their enormous popularity and that the Romans continued to use it, their recipe was lost over the centuries. Until now. What is Egyptian blue? One of those mysteries that has been intrigued by archaeologists in half the world. Egyptian blue is basically a dye that stands out for two reasons. The first, because it is the synthetic pigment older known to date. It was used thousands of years ago. The second is its bluish tone, which allowed artists to use it as a much more expensive mineral substitute, such as turquoise or lapislázuli. With everything and although we talk about “Egyptian blue” in general, the pigment was very heterogeneous. Depending on where it would have been manufactured, how it would have worked with the material or quality of its components, the tone could vary between gray, a more or less deep blue and a green off. A factor that influenced the process for example was how quickly cooled the mixture. How old is it? Quite. We know that Egyptian blue was already used 5,000 years ago. And that at least. In fact The oldest sample Known is a small alabaster bowl made in the 3250 AC The pigment was used in ceramics, sculptures, murals, sarcophagi, pieces that we still keep today and show its bluish hue. It was also applied to different surfaces, such as wood, stone or cardboard, a material similar to Paper Maché. Did you only use the Egyptians? No. His color liked the artisans so much that the Romans ended up incorporating it into their palette after the conquest of the ancient Egyptian and came to be used during the Renaissance. The Smithsoninan Institute remember that a few years ago it was discovered that at the beginning of the 16th century Rafael used Egyptian blue in the fresco ‘Galatea triumph’a work elaborated for the Villa Farnesina, located in the neighborhood of Constévere, Rome. Although Rafael’s intention could be to imitate the old Roman technique, the Washington State University (WSU) Precise that during the Renaissance the pigment formula had practically fallen into oblivion. That is what a team of researchers has now wanted to solve led by the American institution and who has worked side by side with the Carnegie Museum of natural history and the Institute of Conservation of the Smithsoninan Museum. And how have they done it? Based on trial and error. And try again and again until you give in the nail. The team He thoroughly examined Pigment samples and elaborated 12 recipes in which he experienced with different raw materials and elaboration times. The results have been reflected in An article Posted in NPJ Heritage Science in which he details how he worked with mixtures of silicon, copper, calcium and sodium carbonate dioxide. The main ingredient is the cuprov. To complete the process, the mixed mixture warmed 1,000º Celsius For different times, between one and 11 hours, in an attempt to replicate the temperature with which the ovens of the time work. The resulting samples were also cooled at different speeds to then study their pigments through microscopy and analysis techniques. The results were compared to real pieces of ancient Egypt. Is it so complicated? Beyond the materials used or the techniques with which they were mixed, the great challenge for archaeologists has been to replicate the exact tones that Egyptian artisans worked. “One of the things we observed was that with small variations in the process very different results were obtained,” John McColy commentsone of the authors of the study and director of the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering of the WSU. “There were people who made the pigment, he transported it and then used it elsewhere.” During their study the researchers in fact discovered that to obtain the most bluish hue, only half of the components that generate the blue color were needed. “It doesn’t matter what the rest contains and that surprised us”, Add McCloy. “You can see that each particle contains a lot of elements. It is not uniform, much less.” To such an extent that the WSU acknowledges that one of the conclusions reached by the experts is that the pigment is surprisingly diverse. Did you achieve your goal? That seems. In A statement Run a few days ago the WSU says that after trying different formulas and examining the results in detail, its team has managed to “recreate” the famous Egyptian blue. The feat is not only the result of curiosity or advance to better understand the art of the ancient Egyptian. WSU herself recalls that in part the renewed interest in the Egyptian pigment responds to more pragmatic reasons. “In recent years, interest in this pigment has resurfaced due to its optical, magnetic and biological properties, with potential new technological applications,” Point out The institution. “The pigment emits light in the nearby infrared of the electromagnetic spectrum, invisible to the human being, which means that it could be used for purposes such as traces and create anti falsifications.” Images | Washington State University, Matt Unger, Joshua Franzos and Carnegie Museum of Natural History In Xataka | A 2,000 -year -old cup has revealed an unexpected facet of the Egyptians: psychedelic cocktails

Japan believes that samurai crabs keep the souls of the fallen warriors. Science has another opinion

by

See faces on a wall Or in any daily object it is not a symptom of madness. This phenomenon has a name: Pareidoliaand that is what makes us perceive as something recognizable a way that initially has no pattern. If we put effort, we can See recognizable ways In almost anything, even in the shell of a crab. And, if not, they tell the Japanese and their samurai crabs that keep the spirit of the fallen warriors in a battle. Or so the legend says. Heikegani. The Japanese heikesis They are a family of crabs that inhabit, mainly, in Japan. They have been found in some other western Pacific areas, but where they are more numerous in the Japanese country and, specifically, in the inner sea. They live in shallow waters in which they camouflage and find food, and could be normal crabs if not for their shell. Because, if in the photos that accompany this article you see a Miegu mask traditionally used by Samurais of feudal Japan At the top of the crab, you should know that you are not the only one. And, how could it be otherwise, the Japanese folklore It has an explanation for this phenomenon. The legend. At the end of the 12th century, the Genji clan and the Heike clan fought in a bloody Battle in the bay dan-no -urain the inner sea of ​​Japan. The Heike had ruled for decades, but the Genji wanted power and were more numerous. They won the battle and established a warrior government in Japan, a Shogunate which lasted for seven centuries while their enemies fell into the bay Under steel Or, directly, drowned. It is said that the spirits of those heike warriors who drowning were reincarnated in living beings who caught more by hand, crabs, and Thus they were born These Heikegani. Samurai crabs changed their shells, adopting the patterns of the faces and masks of the fallen warriors, and culturally they are a symbol of resistance and loyalty. Antinatural selection. It is a beautiful story, but unfortunately it is nothing more than something belonging to the rich Japanese folklore. Now, it is evident that these ‘samurai crabs’ have something special and, certainly, their shell is very similar to the masks. The explanation? Well, according to Carl Sagan -Yes, the famous astronomer– The Heikegani were created from the Artificial selection. They are edible and fish by the premises, but in the process of selecting individuals, the fishermen kept the “normal” crabs and returned to the water those who showed that pattern in the shell. It was a sign of respect for the heike warriors, and Sagan popularized the idea that these selected crabs were reproduced, perpetuating that curious design. Simple coincidence? However, there are those who doubt this story and offers an alternative vision. Joel Martin It is a biologist associated with the Department of invertebrate Zoology in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and has dedicated its career to investigate the evolution of crustaceans and other invertebrates. One of his most famous works is the job On the samurai crab published in 1993- in it, it states that humans practically did not consume Heikegani, so the selective pressure would be minimal or non-existent. Functionality. Your explanation? That these facial patterns similar to masks are due to own functional anatomy of the crabsince they represent the muscle insertion points Very similar to crabs that we see in other parts of the world. If we see the crab backwards (they are more ugly than a refrigerator from behind), it has all the meaning and the researcher points out that this interpretation we make of their faces is simply one more example of pareidolia. Martin may be right, but I definitely stay with the version that Samurai crabs are there watching the battle spirits in the bay in which Japan changed forever. Image | Muséum National d’Histire Naturelle In Xataka | Japan is living something unpublished in its most emblematic neighborhoods: the “chinification” of anime and video games

Germany believes having found the most German solution to its productivity problems: work more

by

Germany has been considered for decades as The economic locomotive from Europe. However, currently It crosses a crisis that has surprised analysts and experts. The model that allowed the country to prosper with reduced working hours and shoot its productivity, seems to have reached its limit. German leaders They look for new formulas To recover lost growth and have found a possible solution: work more. Germany works little. In recent months, the economic debate has intensified without the German responsible having found the key to getting out of the economic stagnation. However, from the business circles of Bavaria, southeast of Germany, they point out that it could be something as simple as increasing annual work hours. The formula: eliminating one of the religious holidays of the German calendar. According to published the newspaper Welt, Federal Foreign Minister Friedrich Merz would agree with this statement: “In this country we have to work more and, above all, more efficiently,” said the president in a few words that Later he clarified “But in Germany we have groups, especially among the youngest generation, which work a lot.” They have tried everything. The pilot tests of the four -day work week They have not achieved the Productivity impulse that the country needs. Foreign Minister Merz recently warned: “With the four -day week and the balance between professional and personal life we ​​will not be able to maintain the prosperity of this country,” declared The German Chancellor to I monde. This statement has generated discomfort in a society that has always been considered hardworking and disciplined. For decades, German workers have enjoyed shorter working hours compared to other European countries, especially those in the south. This situation was justified by high productivity and added value of German products and services, which allowed “doing a lot.” However, the economy fails to take off and the government now points to “lack of work” and “preference for leisure” as factors that are ballasting economic growth. Eliminate holidays. Before this panorama, some voices of the business have proposed concrete measures to increase the working time Without increasing working days daily, which in many cases are already more than 40 hours due to the enormous load of overtime. According to published BildBertram Brossardt, general director of the Bavarian Business Association, suggested to eliminate, at least one of the holidays that the Germans have. “Easter Monday, Monday of Pentecost and San Esteban. My colleagues in France and Italy are constantly surprised that we have those free days. Removing one of those free days would greatly benefit the German economy and would not mean a heavy burden for employees,” said Brossardt, adding that “religious festivities should not be taboo in the debate.” The data support it. The proposal is not just symbolic. Christoph Schröder Researcher at the German Economic Institute (IW) He maintains that Eliminating a holiday could increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Germany by up to 8,600 million euros. According to published The avant -gardeMichael Hüther, director of the IW, gave as an example the case of Denmark, which had recently eliminated a holiday “that was an additional income of 400 million to the state budget,” said the economist. The problem is that all federal states in the country, regardless of setting their own holidays, should agree to abolish it. Germany to the tail at hours worked. Brossardt’s arguments rely on blunt data. In 2023, a German employee worked an annual average of 1,343 hours, which is 92 hours less than in Austria, 186 hours less than in Switzerland and 391 hours less than in Italy, According to OECDE data. “We are not productive enough. If we want to be competitive, we have to return to work more!” said The businessman to the newspaper Bild. Despite these figures, Germany is not the country with more holidays. On average, the Germans enjoy 9 national holidays, although in some southern regions such as Bayern, Basen-Württemberg or Saarland can reach 12 holidays. In comparison, Austria and Malta enjoy thirteen holidays. In Spain, the usual are twelve, with some autonomous communities such as Catalonia, Community Valencian and Navarra add 13 holidays; Ceuta has 14 holidays a year, while the Canary Islands conform to 11 days. Average weekly hours worked in each country The problem is not the days. Such and as he published The confidentialsome experts do not believe that eliminating a holiday is the solution for the German economy, but that the country must face a change in its labor market to recover the productivity of yesteryear. Germany is the second European country where less hours work a week in full -time jobs, and the figure drops even more if the Part -time contracts. According to official dataone in two women works part -time in Germany. Therefore, some economists propose Encourage the incorporation of women to the full -time labor market and facilitate the arrival of more foreign workers to relieve the shortage of qualified labor. The key, according to these experts, is a deep review of the German labor market to adapt to the new challenges economic and demographic that supposes the Agence of the active population. In Xataka | Some researchers have analyzed the working day in Spain: the same thing that 40 years ago is worked, but in worse jobs Image | Unspash (Mashkumar Painam, Spencer Davis)

After 15 years with BMW and Japanese motorcycles, I am clear that the next one will be China

by

I have been driving motorcycles for more than 15 years and I have seen in the first person how the market has progressed. Being a weekend hobby, I usually change a lot of model, and I have gone through practically all renowned brands: Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Triumph … I know how to reliable are the Japanese, how expensive it is to maintain a BWM or a TRIUMPh in the official house and also know that Chinese are eating the market. Look at the Chinese market Years ago is looking at a photograph that has little to do with the one now. The introduction in Europe of the latest models of giants such as Voge and Zontes has completely shaken the sales rankings in Spain. And if I am clear about something, sooner or later, I will end a Chinese motorcycle. I’m not alone. Sales data in Spain say everything about the success of Chinese manufacturers: Two of the five best -selling brands in our country are Chinese. Specifically, Voge and Zontes are having simply brutal growth, while European struggle to grow marginally. It is not for less. Both brands are betting on a network of their own dealers (something that can not even afford minority brands, forced to distribute through multi-brands), guarantee above what their rivals and spectacular quality-quality offer. There are Chinese, and there are Chinese. Talking about “Chinese motorcycles” is a little precise generality. Not all point to the same segment, buyer and market. The cases of Voge, Zontes, Benelli or CF Moto are similar: they want to keep the European market, and their product is designed to conquer its consumer. This has led to Premiumization of some Chinese motorcycles, such as VOGE 900 DSX that shares a good part of technology with the BMW F 900 GS. In fact, the motorcycle is born as an agreement between the two brands. And that 900cc engine manufactured by Lancin is no exception, it is the result of an agreement with more than 20 years of history. The price. Chinese motorcycles are mainly conquering for its price. The price of European, Japanese and Italian motorcycles has shot in recent years. A well equipped trail can go to about 20,000 euros, and for 10,000 euros it is difficult to find (buying new). Even segments such as the half -displacement are quite fired: a Honda NX500 (Antigua CB 500 x) costs more than 7,000 euros new. For 500 euros less, Voge offers the 625x with more displacement, more power (there is version A2 if this worries you) and full set of suitcases and top case for 998 euros. They give the insurance, the motorcycle comes with the shell, grill for Top Case, a five -year guarantee to 75,000km, directional flashing, adjustable windshield, HD front camera … it is not since it comes more equipped than the rest of its rivals, it is that there are accessories to which their rivals cannot even access. The guarantee. The first question that may arise when you get a Chinese motorcycle is what happens to the guarantee. Most manufacturers are offering five years (above the three years that the European guarantee marks), with national distribution for replacement pieces. There may be specific pieces that are asked for factory, as in any motorcycle, and there the distribution deadlines will depend on the manufacturer’s agility. The key is that, with a strong commitment to own concessionaires and distribution in Spain, the friction that the use of the guarantee can be minimized. The Peros. The main peros with Chinese motorcycles, at least today, are intangible. Let’s be clear: the main barrier of entry is the prejudice that the motorcycle is China. The motorcycle world is somewhat different from that of the car: it is reigned by Japanese motorcycles that have been building their image decades and demonstrating their reliability. The Chinese motorcycle needs time to prove that it is reliable and that, in case of breakdown, the brand responds quickly. It is something that the Internet will help. It is not too hard to find for Chinese motorcycle forums With about 100,000km (considerable figure for a motorcycle) and without needing more than basic maintenance and spare parts. The fate of the motorcycle industry passes through China and, sooner or later, will be sales leaders in Spain. Image | VOGE In Xataka | 20 years ago, BMW allied with a Chinese giant to make motorcycles. Now, that giant has eaten the toast completely

The AI ​​has no future without nuclear energy when even Nvidia has begun to pray to Bill Gates reactors

by

Data centers will be responsible for 10% of the increase in energy demand until 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IE). The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) What we are living has triggered the proliferation of these facilities In the US, China, Japan, Singapore, India, Germany, Netherlands or Ireland, among other nations. And for the moment there is no indication that invites us to anticipate that this trend will be exhausted in the medium term. A data center dedicated to large AI can exceed 150 MWand, precisely, these are the facilities that are proliferating the most. In fact, in 2024 its global consumption amounted to about 415 TWH, a figure that represents around the 1.5% of global electricity consumption. To solve this challenge and guarantee to data centers the delivery of energy that more and more companies need nuclear. The last one who has done is Nvidia. And is that the company led by Jensen Huang has participated in a financing round Of 650 million dollars to support Terrapower projects, the nuclear energy company founded by Bill Gates in 2006. With this decision NVIDIA adds to the strategy that defends the use of Compact modular reactors (known as SMR for its denomination in English) with the purpose of delivering to the data centers the electricity they need. And, incidentally, put one more leg in a sector with an indisputable growth potential. Terrapower is already building the first Natrium nuclear reactor The nuclear fission reactor that this company has designed is a modular and compact design refrigerated by sodium that uses a molten salts storage system. Because of its characteristics, it is about A fourth generation machine That, according to those responsible, it will be able to generate electricity in half of the cost that a conventional nuclear fission reactor. Whatever the interesting thing is that the first Natrium nuclear reactor in Terrapower is being built in a Wyoming Mining town (USA), and, according to Bill Gates, will be completed in 2030. Nvidia has participated in a financing round of 650 million dollars to support Terrapower projects It sounds good, but we must not overlook that it is a new generation design, so a priori the five years that Terrapower manages seem too optimistic. However, this reactor has an important asset in your favor: on paper Its tuning should be faster and cheaper than that of conventional reactors. In addition, a Spanish public company is participating in the construction of this machine. It is called Ensa (Nuclear Teams, SA), is Cantabrian and has more than five decades of experience in the field of design and manufacturing large components for the nuclear industry. There is no doubt that the fact that Terrapower has decided to ally with it is a boost that will surely reinforce its international image. And, perhaps, he opens the door of other latest generation nuclear energy projects. “This is the first reactor of these characteristics that is manufactured following the highest standards of safety and quality in accordance with the most demanding nuclear regulations,” has declared A Enso spokesman. Interestingly, this Spanish company will participate in The manufacture of the Natrium reactor lid. A last interesting note: currently also intervenes in the construction of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experctor reactor), The experimental reactor of nuclear fusion that an international consortium led by Europe is pointing in the French town of Cadarache. Image | Terrapower More information | The Register In Xataka | “We are already on the last step”: how Spain has done with the key to realize nuclear fusion

The subsoil of historical cities hides a great garbage vacuum. The problem is that you have to punch

by

Tony Soprano, from the great series’The soprano‘He was dedicated to garbage management. It may seem an exaggeration designed for fiction, but as usually happens, fiction surpasses reality. Base management It is a problem for half the world (more now than China decided to stop being our landfill) and move so much money that there is mafias moving from one country to another. In the search for solutions, the definitive company came up with a Swedish company to stop seeing cubes and garbage trucks through the streets: move waste from pipes. It is something that has turned medieval cities into the technological pinnacle of garbage collection. But the day -to -day life of the neighbors is something else. Changing the approach. It all started by chance. At the end of the 1950s, the Sollefte hospital in Sweden was investigating the creation of a central aspiration system to catch dust. One of the participants in the table was OLOF H.Hallstrom, director of Centralsug, the current Waste Waste company, and the idea arose: instead of a giant vacuum For dust, a giant garbage vacuum could be created. So They tell On its website, where they point out that the system was inaugurated in the hospital in 1961 and that it continues to work with many of the original pieces installed more than 60 years ago. But of course, if it works so well in a building, why not expand the network to an entire city? That is no longer so easy. Sollefte basements with garbage collection tubes A giant vacuum. First of all, you have to see how it works. Known as’Pneumatic garbage collection‘O’ Automatic vacuum collection ‘, AVAC from now on, is a giant vacuum connected to a multitude of underground pneumatic tubes. On the surface there are a series of nozzles that are designed for organic or plastic waste (the glass could damage the system) in which the bag is deposited with the waste and, thanks to fans that generate suctions of more than 60 km/h, travel through the tubes to a collection center. Example of one of these nozzles They are classified and loaded into trucks to transport them to their final location. This system reduces the use of trucks and their corresponding pollution, as well as Cubes in the streets. The most current systems include doors that are automatically open and cards in possession of citizens to activate the system. Modernizing historical cities. And that reduction of cubes and trucks circulating is something ideal for any city, but it seems key in locations with two profiles: tourist or old helmets of medieval cities. A clear example is Bergen, a Norwegian city founded in 1070 that is the second most populated in the country and has a historic center full of colorful wooden houses. It has fired several times and the garbage itself can be a focus of fire, so by safety and improve the helmet, they decided to bet on an avac type system. It is one of the 200 cities in the world in which this system has been installed and, as we read in The Washington Postthe diesel emissions Since the garbage trucks stopped circulating along their narrow streets. Among others, Leganés, Barcelona, ​​Barakaldo, Torrent, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Stockholm, Doha or Seoul have neighborhoods in which a pneumatic collection system is used, and in new construction complexes of some cities are also betting on it. Complex. The problem is what you can imagine: the system itself is expensive, but it is also a headache. In new neighborhoods, it is as simple as to pass one more pipe in the streets where there are already other pipes, but in Historical cities Or neighborhoods already built, bet on something like avac implies lifting the streets and performing a considerable work. Bergen’s example is clear. As they point out on TWP, since they made the decision to start building the system in the historic center in 2007, they have invested about 100 million dollars. There are years to finish connecting the entire network and estimate that the cost will be 30 million dollars. Terje Strom, responsible for waste management in the city, says it is “almost impossible.” Contextualizing the figures? It is almost the entire annual budget of the Waste Department. Collection Central in Konza Technolopis, Africa Gamification and penalty. But, leaving cost aside, user experiences seem positive. It is a system that simplifies the garbage, which eliminates full cubes and the truck transit. In Spain we have containersbut in other cities they work with individual cubes that roll through the streets and share the stamp. Not everything is perfect, since although there are no trucks, they do operators who are dedicated to unblocking the mouths when someone introduces something that should not. And beyond not seeing garbage trucks, there are two incentives for citizens. One is the gamification by application That tells us how many kilos we have deposited in real time and compares with the previous month. It also tells us how average we are, since there is a limit. In Bergen, to open waste mouths, residents bring their electronic key, which allows you to register how much discard and collect a rate according to the amount of non -recycled garbage they send to the incinerator. This penalty is something that It has also been seen in South Koreawith positive results regarding the increase in recycling. Not everyone is happy. Beyond installation costs, it seems the perfect system to manage waste. However, looking at what happens in Spanish cities in which these systems have been installed, we see that not everything is so beautiful. There are more than thirty cities that use this pneumatic collection, and in some Failures are reported that cause the tubes to be full due to pipes that do not absorb well. Tubes in a kind of garbage rooms in Leganés. The main problem for users is the diameter of the mouth. Image | Xataka It is something that causes bad odors, as users of … Read more

“Even in a nuclear apocalypse, the earth would be a paradise compared to Mars”

by

Elon Musk wants to turn humanity into a multi -purpose species, with Mars as a second home and our “lifeboat”, in the event that a catastrophe occurs on earth. Musk’s vision is the engine after the Starship program, which mobilizes billions of dollars with the aim of building a rocket capable of taking us to the red planet. Adam Becker’s three scenarios Some scientists still do not see clear Elon Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars. And not because the Starship has exploded four times in a row. After all, it is an experimental rocket. “There are many reasons why it is a bad idea,” says astrophysicist Adam Becker. “I do not mean that ‘we will never have the technology to live on Mars’. What I say is that the earth will always be a better option, what happens to the earth.” In a blunt Interview with Rolling StoneBecker doubts some of the “messianic fantasies” of technological oligarchs, starting with Elon Musk’s Martian dream. His argument is as simple as devastating: no matter how bad things are put on our planet, the earth will always be a paradise compared to the icy hell that is Mars. In Becker’s words, Musk’s idea is “one of the most stupid things someone could say.” To illustrate his point, the astrophysicist raises three apocalyptic scenarios: 1) The impact of an asteroid the size of the dipes extinguished. 2) The detonation of all the nuclear weapons of the planet. And 3) the worst possible climate change scenario. “Even then,” he says, “the Earth would remain more habitable. A superficial examination of Mars makes it very clear.” Devastated land vs. Mars as it is Let’s put the data on the table to understand the abysmal difference between a devastated earth planet and the Mars we know today. In order for an environment to be “habitable” for humans without a perfect and autonomous life support technology, basic conditions that we often take for granted are needed. The atmosphere of the Earth would be contaminated, but it would remain dense, rich in nitrogen and oxygen, and with a pressure at the sea of ​​1 bar. On the current Mars, The atmosphere is extremely thin (0.6% that of the Earth) and is composed of 95% by carbon dioxide. It is disappointed and has a pressure on the surface of 0.006 bars, so that liquid water boils instantly (or rather it is sublimated, passing from solid to gas). The Earth’s magnetic field would continue intact, diverting most of the cosmic and solar radiation. The atmosphere, even contaminated, would offer an additional layer. Mars lacks a global magnetic field. Its surface is constantly bombarded with a dose of radiation that becomes lethal for a long -term human. On Mars, the average temperature is -63 ° C. All water is frozen in polar or underground caps. On earth, a nuclear winter or the impact of an asteroid would drastically cool the planet, but the oceans would act as a gigantic thermal regulator. The 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water would continue here. Contaminated and partially frozen, but accessible and treatable, assuming we had access to some technology. The biosphere would be seriously damaged after a catastrophe, but the land of the earth would contain organic matter and the basic components for life. In addition, there would be geothermal and oceanic shelters, where microbial life would persist although other life forms would have disappeared. Martian soil is toxic. It contains high concentrations of perchlorates, dangerous chemical compounds for human health that complicate agriculture. Can Mars be terraft? Although Spacex renders show a gigantic pressurized base under the surface of Mars, Elon Musk has always fought his vision to the possibility of terrafting the red planet. So we already talk about transport millions of tons of load To build a city inhabited on Martian soil, but of a much more great project. There are many (and very diverse) Ideas to terraphormate Mars, but engineering to Megaescala that would mean any of them presents not a few obstacles. The first step would be to raise the temperature of Mars. The proposals van From nuclear bombs to install gigantic orbital mirrors that concentrate sunlight at the poles. By heating polar caps, water ice and carbon dioxide would sublimize, swelling the atmosphere. In theory, a densest atmosphere would catch more heat, which in turn would release more gas and soil gas. This positive feedback cycle would increase pressure and temperature until water could exist in a liquid state on the Martian surface. However, studies They doubt that Mars has sufficient CO2 To achieve this effect. Even if we could release the entire CO2 accessible in polar caps and trapped in surface minerals, the atmospheric pressure of Mars would only increase to 7% of the thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere. In this context, the affirmation of the astrophysicist Adam Becker charges even more strength. If transforming Mars into a habitable planet is practically impossible, living there would require a Total artificial habitat dependence incredibly complex and vulnerable. The logic dictates that any effort and resource would be better invested in preserving and, if necessary, repair the only life support system that we have and that works perfectly: the planet Earth. In spite of everything, and seeing how the world is going, perhaps a plan B would not be bad, even if it were only for the children of the children of whom they would voluntarily live on a worse planet could return. Images | Spacex In Xataka | An American physicist has found a shortcut to get to Mars in 90 days. It is key to surviving radiation In Xataka | China has just solved two problems for the conquest of Mars: you already know how to turn CO2 into electricity and batteries

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.