Month: September 2025

Pleasure, homosexuality and STDs in the animal kingdom. A specialist dismantles myths on how sex works outside our species

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Forget about the idea that animals only have sex to reproduce. Dolphins, bats, rams, bonobos or lions show that homosexual pleasure and behaviors are also part of nature. And not only that: there are species that change sex, that transmit diseases such as chlamydia or that transform their body to imitate genitals. All this composes a panorama as unexpected as fascinating. Science and apartthe Xataka section that was born to look at science with magnifying glass and do it in the company of experts, Return with a new episode in Our YouTube channelalso available on Spotify and Ivoox. On this occasion, Ángela Blanco interviews Ricardo MoureBiologist and Doctor in Biotechnology, with a very clear purpose: to explore what biology has discovered about sex in animals and leave aside the myths that we still drag. One of the points of the conversation is homosexuality in the animal kingdom. Moure clarifies from the beginning: “To be correct at a technical level, in animals we cannot talk about homosexual individuals or homosexual animals. We talk about homosexual behaviors“And add concrete examples:” Among the rams, one in five has sex with both males and females, and one in 10 only with other males. “ Another of the issues raised by the interview is that of pleasure in animal sex. Moure recognizes the difficulty of measuring it: “In the case of whether animals feel some kind of sexual pleasure, this is complicated because, of course, we cannot get into the mind of an animal and know its subjective perception, but it is true that it has been investigated if there are species in which there is sexual pleasure.” The clearest examples appear in social species, from primates to cetaceans, where relationships do not always seek offspring. Among the most graphic examples mentioned by Moure is the relationship between sexual behavior and the size of the testicles. “The size of the testicles depends a little on this,” he says. The contrast is striking: “Gorillas can reach 200 kg, they have testicles that are like two olives (…) but instead bonobos (…) They have very large testicles”The key is in sperm competition, which favors species where females maintain relations with several males. It also stops in the biological mechanisms that allow some species to change sex. “When a male clown fish is widowed, it changes sex and becomes the female,” Moure details, remembering that all these fish are born males and that their role depends on the structure of the group. But there are more factors that alter the proportion of sexes: “humans also greatly affect the distribution of sexes because of climate change,” he says. The interview also addresses a less known aspect: sexually transmitted diseases in animals. “A case that draws a lot of attention is that of the Koalas. The Koalas in Australia have a CLAMIDIA EPIDEMIA that the species is being loaded, ”says Moure. The problem is serious because it causes infertility and is very difficult to treat. What we have advanced here is just a fragment of an episode loaded with data, anecdotes and explanations that show this aspect in the animal kingdom. In Science and apartRicardo Moure provides keys that invite you to think otherwise the relationship between biology and sex. The chapter is now available. Choose the platform you want to enjoy it. Images | Xataka In Xataka | Zoophilia is the last great sexual taboo of our societies. And there are voices that want to discuss it

In full boom of energy drinks, Coca-Cola has decided to bet on something else: “advanced hydration”

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You just need to enter a power shop and see the refrigerators full of cans of a thousand and one colors to get to the conclusion that if there is any saturated sector in this country that is that of drinks. But Coca-Cola believes that it is not enough. That is why he has just announced that It disembarks in Europe with ‘Bodymarmor Lyte’its commitment to “revolutionize” the segment of advanced hydration; A sub-director who, in the next three years, will grow 24%. And he will start with Spain. And that is perhaps the most interesting question: how have we gone from living in a world hooked to energy drinks to another in which the largest world giant of drinks bet everything to a product To “squeeze life to the fullest and that sometimes experiences moments of exhaustion that prevent you from maintaining your usual rhythm”? What is the ‘advanced hydration’? An almost Marketinian term to call a “hydration approach” that beyond simple water consumption. It incorporates additional components such as electrolytes, vitamins, antioxidants or other ‘technologies’ to enhance “water absorption, retention and nutrient rebalancing.” It is used in several areas, but what interests us today to understand Coca-Cola is its use in the sports field. There, it comes to basically mean the use of water with electrolytes. Water with things. That’s where Bodymor Lyte enters. As explained from the companyit is a non -isotonic drink, low in calories, designed to improve water absorption (thanks to electrolytes) and B6 vitamins. And it is curious because Coca-Cola already has two very popular brands in this range: ‘Aquarius’ (with a composition based on mineral salts) and ‘Powerade’ (especially formulated for “rehydration and resistance” in sport). More than a curiosity … While ‘Aquarius’ is a product of daily, massive and accessible hydration, ‘Powerade’ focuses a lot on the sports field. This is important because with ‘Bodyarmor Lyte’, Coca-Cola is doing something similar to the turn that Apple with the Apple Watch: a turn towards health and the premium. Because? It is true that the great phenomenon of drinks in recent years has been energy. Coca-Cola, in fact, participates with own products (such as Burn) and also with participation in others (such as Monster). However, as the energy segment grows, so does the health sector (that of drinks without caffeine). In fact, it has been the boom of the “coffee” drinks that has driven the contracting of ‘Better-For-You. That’s where Bodymor Lyte wants to settle. A vision too uniform of an increasingly segmented market. In 2004, Malcolm Gladwell He told the story of Howard Moskowitz. Moskowitz was asked to find the perfect spaghetti sauce. The problem is that, after spinning and more turns, he realized that he could not make a sauce that liked everyone. It was then that he proposed to get more from a sauce. As Gadwell explainedfollowing his advice, “Preno introduced the extra thick sauce and, during the next 10 years, they earned 600 million dollars with their line of thick extra sauces.” In 2004, RAGU had 36 varieties of pasta sauce. Something almost unimaginable 20 years before, when there was only one. The world becomes increasingly diverse (or perhaps we see more and more) and that allows them to grow totally opposite phenomena. Who was going to tell us that a drink was going to reveal the difficulty we have to design policies in today’s world? Image | Coca-Cola Company | GKGRAPHIX53 In Xataka | We already know what energy drinks cost your rest. They are bad news for your dream

We already had an ozempic to lose weight, now someone has created one for the eternal youth: NAD+ promises

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Of the six -digit operations In elite operating rooms to luxury serums That they promise to erase wrinkles in minutes, the eternal youth industry has always played with the same idea: that somewhere there is a shortcut. But what if the secret was not in a cream or in a scalpel, but in a tiny molecule that lives in each of our cells? This is how NAD+is presented, the coenzyme that has gone from being a laboratory concept to become the new biohacking grail. The ozempic of being young. As happened with the GLP-1 drugs in The obsession with thinnessNAD+ has become the aspirational shortcut towards youth. Hollywood and the aesthetic elite have embraced him within the call “Invisible luxury”: undetectable results, continuous maintenance and therapies that combine apparatus with cosmetic biology. In that stew of mass access, supplements and “shots” of NAD+ they occupy the biohacking story. From Hollywood A Amazon. A couple of years ago, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner They popularized Intravenous NAD+therapies, a format that Miami and Dubai clinics sell as an energy and anti -aging “booster”. But it is not just celebrity thing: a search is enough on Amazon to find NMN or NR capsules that promise to raise cell levels. The problem is that, As The New York Times has warnedthe scientific evidence that supports these habits is still weak. In addition, what appears on the label often does not match what is in the bottle. A study led by the gerontologist Andrea Maier detected deviations of up to 100% in the real content of supplements, regardless of brand or price. Shining the NAD+. Better known as Nicotinamide adenine Dinucleotide, is something like the spark that allows our cells to work. It is everywhere, from the muscles to the brain, and According to the University of Navarra Clinic Participate in such critical tasks as producing energy, repairing damaged DNA or activating syruches, proteins linked to aging. The problem is that, over the years, NAD+ levels plummete and begin to relate to memory loss, muscle weakness and an increase in the risk of diseases associated with age. Therefore, raising those levels by precursors such as NR or NMN can keep mitochondria and favor cell longevity. Initial essays, collected by the confidentialThey have documented improvements in memory, movement and metabolism. However, they are small studies and experts They agree that they are missing Essays to convert the promise into solid evidence. Experts ask for prudence. Enthusiasm coexists cautiously. According to the webmd medical portalnicotinamide is safe to 900 mg per day, but high doses can cause headaches, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems or enzymatic alterations. In the case of nicotinic acid, another form of related vitamin B3, can cause redness and decreases in voltage even in moderate doses. The University of Navarra Clinic Explain that Supplements can interact with medications that affect liver or coagulation, so it is recommended to use them only under medical supervision. In a more concrete way, they probably do not damage in moderate doses, but there is also no certainty that it is worth taking risks for something that still has no macros studies. A society in search of shortcuts. NAD+ fever fits into a broader cultural context: obsession with shortcuts against aging. Hollywood has gone from “Frozen faces” from Botox to the “Liquid surgery” And luxury invisible treatments, while the rest of society consumes supplements, Collagen powder and Digital filters as affordable substitutes. And perhaps that distance reveals something deeper: our obsession with shortcuts against the inevitable. The eternal youth industry blooms because we live terrified at the passage of time, as if aging were a failure that must be corrected. But old age is not an anomaly: it is the only certainty we share. Perhaps the real question is not how to avoid it, but why it costs us so much to accept it. Meanwhile, science continues to remember what it works –move, sleep well, Eat better– Although it never sounds as glamorous as a molecule that promises to stop the clock. Image | Pexels and Freepik Xataka | The elixir of eternal youth exists and we are seeing it in real time: luxury surgeons “at $ 100,000 the session

In the E3 of 1995, PlayStation only needed two seconds to destroy Sega. And changed video games forever

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On September 29, 1995, many Spanish buyers were made with a new console, the first of a company known for its camcorders, Walkman, Discman and TVs. 30 years ago, Sony launched the PlayStation In Europe, but before arriving he had already left a victim on the way: Sega with his Saturn. And everything was forged for two seconds in the First E3 in history With one of the oldest trolls of video games: that of “299”. From an audio chip to the PlayStation. Before reaching that point, we go with some context. Sony was not a video game company. In fact, within the Japanese giant, few believed they painted something in that segment. However, there was Ken Kutaragi, PlayStation’s “father”. He was watching his daughter play family, Our neswhen Kutaragi realized the potential of video games. He raised it, but Sony went on the subject. A few years later, Nintendo needed an audio chip for the Supernesand there was Kutaragi, secretly working on the design of the SPC700 which contributed so much to the history of video games and the audio of the Nintendo console. He did not end up fired from Milagro, since his bosses enraged when they found out. But well, little by little they were entering and Kutaragi had to be a heavy championship because he got Sony and Nintendo to collaborate in the development of the CD super nes, or the Nintendo PlayStation that today is a museum piece. Nintendo’s betrayal. The problem? Nintendo did not see with good eyes that a company like Sony won power in the world of video games and, just when the great association was going to make the world known, Nintendo hit a flying: he associated with Philips and gave them five of their franchises to do what they wanted. It was Nintendo’s biggest error. Not only Philips shattered ‘Mario’ and, above all, ‘Zelda’ With tremendously bad games for CD-Ibut it enraged Sony in an unimaginable way. If they were not fully convinced, they were now clear that they should humiliate Nintendo. They got to work and, from that betrayal, the PlayStation was born. Now we had to present it well, and the First E3 in historythat of 1995, was the ideal scenario. … at “299”. Nintendo went with the failure of Virtual Boy under the arm and with rumors of Nintendo 64 (Which had a few years of development), but there was another company that did new: Sega. The other Japanese video game giant would be a stone on the Sony road if things did not do well, and within “doing things well” comes to put an attractive price. It was the first console, I had to work. In fact, both were the ones that had to win the most and lose at the fair because they had already launched in Japan, but the price they would mark for the United States would be key. Sega crossed the puddle with his Saturn and announced that it would cost $ 399 (also 399 pounds in the United Kingdom and 79,990 pesetas in Spain). Sony needed a blow of effect, and that was when this moment happened: THE GREATER TROLLE OF THE VIDEOGUES. What you just saw is well known, but no less shocking 30 years later. After a long speech on the history of the company and about the benefits of both the machine and the CD, a new format at that time, Steve Race, president of Sony América took the stage and, of course, you will imagine that someone like that would rise to give another long monologue. But not. “Two Nine Nine”. 299. And got off the stage. Those two seconds, followed by applause and cheers, were enough for PlayStation to “win” that first E3. Already My partner Rafa Márquez commented in Vidaxtra: The best possible mixture between a troll and a masterful marketing. It was 100 dollars cheaper than Sega Saturn, had the favor of many developers, was a good CD player and there were not only Japanese games, but others very focused on the western public. In addition, it was the fact that everyone was going to highlight, the one who wanted the press and the players. The tip. It was a master play, but although the story has given a good weight when it came to make Sega stumbled, the truth is that Sega itself had made many merits to end as it ended. To start, Saturn was a face, but also very complicated. The 2D games and Arcade conversions were great, but to squeeze the machine you had to develop for the two processors it had. Besides, The launch in stores was disastrous when produced by surprise. It was a complication because the tools are not as simple and accessible as today, but on the other side you had a playstation for which it was much easier to develop, in addition to giving some other advantage in Royalties. And with Saturn, but above all with DreamcastSega lived an internal civil war between the divisions of the United States and Japan. That is, the “299” was a push that accelerated the fall of the company, but that Sega did not need anyone to stagger. History. In the end, the market put each in its place. For less than ten million Sega Saturn, Sony placed more than 100 million of that first playstation. Only ‘Gran Tourism‘He sold more than Saturn herself and, although Nintendo was better with the almost 33 million Nintendo 64 sold, she was late and with cartridges, losing the favor of companies such as Square Enix and many other developers who saw that the CD was a more favorable format. That “speech” of Race is medium history, but also of marketing and one of my favorite moments in these video game presentations. As a curiosity, as we are condemned to repeat history, in 2014 something similar happened with results, again, favorable for Sony. Microsoft announced that its Xbox One It would cost … Read more

The poison of the Cobras is one of the most feared and mortal in the world. AI is very close to neutralizing it forever

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After the mosquitoes and the man himself, snakes usually take third place in The list of more deadly animals for the human being. According to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), between 81,410 and 137,880 people die every year as a result of the bite of these reptiles. AI can help change this. AI to the rescue. A group of researchers has demonstrated the utility of deep learning tools (Deep Learning) In the design of proteins capable of neutralizing, at least partially, the effect of the venom of some the steps (Elapidae), The snake family that includes the cobras, coral snakes and mambas. Three fingers. The study focuses on the calls “Toxins of the three fingers”(3FTX), called by the form of tridents that have the proteins that make up this family. These compounds are potentially lethal neurotoxins, that is to say they have the ability to attack our nervous tissue and involve a risk to the lives of people who are poisoned. As the team explains, these toxins are responsible for the anti -speakers, the antidotes used to counteract the venom of snakes, are not effective. The reason is that these toxins are capable of “evading” To our immune system, reducing the effectiveness of some treatments. For now, in mice. The team responsible for the development of the new antitoxins put them to the test in mice. The team experienced with different types and doses of poison and different antitoxins, achieving survival rates of between 80% and 100%. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Nature. Lowering costs. The new technique opens a new way to the creation of molecules aimed at counteracting the different toxins that affect people who receive the bite of a poisonous snake, offering new advantages. First, to reduce the time dedicated to the process of searching for new useful compounds in this field. Less time dedicated to research implies a lower cost, but it is not the only factor that would help reduce the “invoice” of antidotes. According to the equipment, the new compounds can be synthesized using microbes, which would avoid traditional production methods. “The antitoxins we have created are easy to discover using only computational methods. They are also cheap to produce and robust in laboratory tests,” stood out in a press release David Baker, study co -author. Better access.Under costs and higher production facilities imply better access to these antidotes, something key if we take into account that it is in developing countries where snake bites more problems cause. “I trust that protein design make treatments against snake bites more accessible to people in developing countries,” Susana Vazquez Torres addswho led the new job. The inheritance of a Nobel. David Baker’s name can be familiar: in 2024 He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “For the computational protein design”, a prize he shared with Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper. Baker’s prize recognized his work in the construction of proteins never observed in nature, all through the combination of amino acid sequences. In Xataka | Some engineers have simulated 500 million years of evolution with an AI. Now we have a fluorescent protein Image | Anil Sharma

It is another “war” between China and the USA

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For a few years, video games They are the entertainment means that generates more income. It is estimated that the market is greater than that of cinema and the music Together, and 2024 was a very interesting year. The global benefits of the sector were around of 185,000 million dollars and, although we have many names of games that sell millions in the head, the “unexpected” data is that China is the market that starts the cod. And this graph reflects it perfectly. Two giants. First of all, the graph prepared by Visual Capitalist has been carried out taking into account the data of Newzoo. It is a firm that analyzes the state of the industry and, although the numbers can fluctuate if we take other sources, some of the largest companies in this sector work directly with Newzoo. That said, we must highlight the two giant markets of video games. Of the estimated total of 182.7 billion dollars in 2024, more than half correspond to benefits generated only by two countries. China led with 48.8 billion dollars and a portion of 26.7% of the market. The United States followed them closely with an estimate of 47.6 billion dollars, for 26.1% of the total. They are two absolutely gigantic markets, but they could not be more different. Duality. The United States is a market more similar to European and other Western countries. There is a balance between consoles, PCs and mobile platforms, which can explain that, if we think of the world’s largest video game market, for our perception the United States would have been the leader. We constantly have news about the millions that sell traditional video games and consoles, but the matter is that the mobile has a lot, very much to say here. HE esteem That mobile games generated 51% of those US benefits, consoles 31% and 18% PC. In China, smartphone game is the standard. HE esteem That, of those 48,800 million generated in 2024, more than 32,000 million were made in mobile games. The exponents were titles like ‘Honor of Kings‘,’ Peace Elite ‘(which is the Chinese version of’PUBG‘) and other games such as the Moba or Minigions that are designed to share in streaming. And if, loaded with microtransactions. Japan. With a population much lower than that of the other two countries, Japan is the third market in discord. The figures are far from the two giants, but the 16.6 billion dollars in revenue has merit thanks to a rich culture around video games and to have some of the main companies in the industry. Not only do we talk about developers, but also console manufacturers like a nintendo that sweeps at home thanks to a Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 which are ideal for the Japanese market (desktop for those who want, but above all laptops) and PlayStation. The mobile segment is again dominant with a My dear Of 70% of the total, but the strong attachment to Nintendo, the hybrid concept of Switch and the love of the ‘great N’ franchises have weight in the total. Curiously, The PC grew during the last yearbut it is still far from the consoles and, above all, from the mobile. South Korea. And another curious case is that of South Korea. The country does not have a development industry such as Japan or the United States (although recent titles such as’Stellar Blade ‘ They show that they look more and more at the triple industry a). However, the mobile game, microtransactions and, above all, the passion they have for competitive titles on PC, caused it to be crowned as the fourth market worldwide. Video games like ‘Starcraft‘,’League of Legends‘ and ‘Overwatch‘They are religion in the country (so much that even politicians They have used them in campaign to try to get young people). They are, yes, much more aligned with the rest of the countries. The rest and perspectives. Between 2% and 4% of the cake we have European giants such as Germany, the United Kingdom or France, which remain important, but much smaller than the actors already described in the upper lines. Of course, the strength of Europe is that it is a much more united market, with titles that usually bring languages ​​such as French, German, Italian, English and Spanish; And together they represent a significant weight. With the apparent opening of China in the global video game market and the weight of whales like Tencentas well as studies that are betting on gigantic developments (‘Black Myth: Wukong‘It would have been impossible a few years ago), you have to wait to see how the photo of this market can look for a few years. At the moment, the global estimate is that the market will continue growing until it reached a figure of between 500,000 and 733,000 million worldwide. It depends greatCloud Gaming‘They will be the dominant tools in the video game segment for the next few years. In Xataka | I use my PC to play in my “local cloud” from any device. Doing it is easy, and also, free

The mechanics of Spain are increasingly trusting Asian cars. And maintenance data are right

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“If you want a car that does not fail, buy a Toyota or a Honda.” This phrase is a classic when it touches Buy a carwe want one that passes as little as possible through the workshop and we start asking acquaintances. It has an obvious problem: it is a bias limited affirmation and experience, but there are more and more voices that point that, perhaps, it does not go so disenchanted. Because there are countless brands, each with its reputation, but beyond the film that each company wants to tell us to close the embers to its flame, there are two elements of help when buying a car that does not fail: Reliability surveys and experience of mechanics. The mechanics. “I think the Asian market has eaten the European, when it was the other way around.” This is the opinion that the mechanic Kike Ferrer shared A few months ago, pointing out that “the best cars you can buy are Asians, they are the ones that are least repaired in the workshops” That is an important point because when they are under guarantee, it does not bother to have to visit the workshop, but the problems come when the Reliability outside that guarantee framework It begins to be compromised. There may be minor arrangements, but also many who bite in their pocket. The mechanic Carlos Pérez has also commented Recently that “Honda, Mazda, Toyota … are very reliable cars, well manufactured and that endure many kilometers without giving problems. Nor must we forget Kia and Hyundai, Korean and a quality guarantee.” The statistics. Kike’s is not an isolated opinion, and to check it, you have to go to statistics. This type of surveys and lists They are always controversial Because reliability is measured for both software and mechanics and, above all, because it is segmented to the North American market. Two of the most important are that of Consumer Reports and that of JD Power. Consumer Report Analyze 20 problematic areas of the car (ranging from the brakes to the engine, through broken beautifiers, potential problems outside battery, transmission and problems that affect the electric and hybrids as the battery and load) and compares with the historic since 2000, giving a score from 1 to 100 to each car. JD Power also handles reports sent by thousands of consumers. They are not simple surveys, but a thermometer that the automobile industry takes very seriously (so much that some of its findings They have forced brands to take action (such as the failure in the rotary engines of Mazda in 1973). That said, Asians such as Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Honda, Hyundai or Mazda usually occupy the top positions. OCU table The OCU. Within each brand, obviously, there are better or worse models. For example, within Toyota, the BZ4Xlowered the score of the brand in one of the surveys. Interestingly, it is the basis of Subaru’s single, and also lowers the average of this company. But of course, when we say that it is a biased list, we mean that, although there are models that we share between markets, the European and the American are not the same. There the OCU comes into play and Whatar. Let’s go with the seconds. It is a British media that conducted a survey of almost 30,000 drivers to find the most reliable models of Great Britain. The same as before: the ones that have gone through the workshop. The result is that Lexus and Toyota (same group) led the list with the Lexus NX and the Toyota Aygo X. The following were the Mini Countryman, the Audi Q3 and the Kia Picanto. Regarding the OCU, with other almost 30,000 people surveyed in Europe and information of 276 models, In the 2024 table We see that the Top 10 is occupied by eight Asian brands and the only non -Japanese/South Korean are Cupra and Smart. And the Chinese? In the different surveysthere are names that usually exchange positions, but there are three elements that do not vary. The first thing is that Lexus is usually the first. The second is that the Japanese and South Korean are the ones who take the top positions and the third is that those brands that we see more and more through the streets are missing: the Chinese. In Kike Ferrer’s interview to Adrian.gmartin, the mechanic mentions To the Chinese cars among those reliable Asians, but with an asterisk: the spare parts logistics that, in their opinion, is not yet up to it, sharing an opinion with Pérez. Brands like mg (of the best selling in Spain) or byd are the ones that we begin to see the most in the streets and, although it will have to spend time for official guarantees to be exhausted and we start having data on how much they pass through the workshop, there are already authorized voices that approve Chinese cars. For example, Enroncap, the body responsible for granting security scores in the European territory that is clear that they are even better than others of more settled brands in the region. But of course, in the end, although a very valid opinion has nothing to do with seeing them more or less in the workshop. For that, as we say, we will have to wait a few more years. Images | OCU, Magic Booster In Xataka | The German ITV has analyzed the reliability of the Tesla and has reached a conclusion: Dacia is above

All commercial relations between the European Union and India depend on one thing: Basmati rice

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For years, Brussels and New Delhi negotiate a free trade agreement. It is a historical, tremendously ambitious and, above all, necessary for all parties: for India because the union is its third commercial partner (and represents 10% of its total trade); for union because it desperately seeks to diversify partners in an increasingly aggressive and polarized context. Well, negotiations They are about to derail and all by grain of rice. Basmati rice, to be concrete. Basmati is a highly appreciated rice. Of long and delicate fragrance, this variety of rice has been growing at the foot of the Himalayas, between India and Pakistan. Even today. In fact, According to 2019 dataIndia produced 65% of the world’s basati. Pakistan, the other 35%. Something perfectly normal in two countries that have 3,323 kilometers of border. The problem is that, in short, They are India and Pakistan. Why not be friends? In 2018, India requested the label of exclusive protected geographical indication for the Basmati in the EU. There the problems began. Pakistan, as was predictable for anyone who knew the rivalry between the two countries, fell flatly and claimed it for himself. Although it seems a minor issue, a decision in favor of one country or another could seriously affect exports of the victim. And India wants to take advantage. No one can recriminate it to New Delhi: the current geopolitical situation has cornered a European Union. And it is not that the previous situation was great strength. It is only enough to remember that before the pandemic (and probably after) it was not manufactured Not a gram of paracetamol throughout the continent. Therefore, what was some common sense, in the middle of the commercial war, has become pressing: Brussels needs to expand the pitch and India is its great trick to do so. We live rare times (or not so much). For years, the international commercial consensus that gave the World Trade Organization and its standards the pivotal nature of world economic dynamics. Today, between Bravuonadas and Wars, we have discovered that this consensus was nothing more than a fiction. The economic fragmentation, the collapse of multilateralism and the growing uncertainty have led to such crisis of the system that even a grain of rice can put it in check. Image | Kanesue | Joshua Olsen In Xataka | India to Pakistan: “I’m not going to give you more water from my rivers.” An unprecedented climbing of the conflict

When a mine turned off all its coal fueled engines, it continued to operate 84 hours thanks to something: the renewables

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For 84 hours in a row, a remote gold mine in Australia He completely turned off Its gas and diesel engines and worked only with wind, sun and batteries. It is not a laboratory experiment, but a real underground operation. History comes in a golden context – it never just said. “Gold Historical records brand Above 3,600 dollars an ounce, promoted by the search for refuge in the face of geopolitical and monetary uncertainty. This climbing and the renewed appetite for the bullion become a backdrop of the “clean gold” story. Turning off the past. The Bellevue underground mine, in Western Australia, affirms than the installation Off-Grid 84 consecutive hours worked in August with the “off engine” – that is, without thermal generation -, demonstrating that 100% renewable is possible for remote industries. A great infrastructure. The milestone has been possible Thanks to the remarkable installation which contains: 24 MW of wind energy distributed in four wind turbines, 27 MW of in situ photovoltaic plot and a 15 MW/30 MWh storage system. The support is made up of 9 MW of diesel and 15 MW of gas, which act as support when the renewable resource or battery does not cover the demand. Zenith Energy, the company that operates the plant under a long -term energy purchase agreement, details that the hybrid micorred It reaches about 90 MW installed, with synchronous capacitors and a micorred controller designed so that the mine can completely disconnect from fossil fuels at times of greater renewable generation. A meteoric progression. The ascending curve is clear: in July 2024, renewable participation was only 14%. In June of this year he had already climbed to 64%, in July to 78%and in August he reached 88%, According to Reneweconomy. Since the start -up of wind turbines between May and June 2025, the mine It has operated regularly With more than 90% renewable energies for full days of 24 hours, with several days at 100%. It is not an isolated episode. In June 2025, shortly after the entry into operation of wind turbines, the mine managed to operate 58 hours in a row, renewable 100%, According to Stockhead. In this way, both milestones reinforce the idea that using renewable is technically viable even in energy intensive industries and isolated from the network. A new market: Green Oro. Bellevue is trying to sell part of its production with a premium through the ABC Refinery refinery and the Single Mine Origin program, aimed at jewelry buyers and central banks with ESG sensitivity. “Bellevue states that he now produces and sells ‘green gold’ after reaching the goal of zero net emissions,” They detail in stockhead. In addition, it includes smart ventilation systems on demand (VOD) that reduce electricity consumption up to 30 %, and tests with underground electrical machinery. The nuances. The “net zero” label cannot be taken lightly. The status was reached in scope 1 and 2, that is, direct emissions and electrical consumption, but does not include scope 3 (refined, transport and use of gold). In addition, a part of neutrality is achieved by buying carbon credits, As the company admitted. In addition, from International Energy Forum (IEF) warn that mining It still has great challenges in water, waste and safety, beyond clean energy. Making it sustainable implies transforming the entire chain, not just electricity. The double brightness of gold. In times of uncertainty, gold is again a financial refuge. But Bellevue Gold wants it to also be an energy transition symbol. The gold we buy in the form of a jewel or ingot could come from a mine that, for whole days, feeds only on wind and sun. The question is whether this case will be the spark that transforms all mining or if it will remain a brilliant exception in the middle of the Australian desert. Image | Zenithenergy and Unspash Xataka |

Who controls electrons, controls the AI

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Iberdrola ha presented a plan that makes it the critical infrastructure to feed the AI ​​revolution in the West, far beyond Spain. Why is it important. The Explosion of data centers for AI He has triggered energy demand. Iberdrola has understood: who controls the electrical networks in the US and the United Kingdom will control the infrastructure that supports the technological future. It is a brutal bet to become the “TSMC of energy”. The Spanish electric will invest 58,000 million euros until 2028, 30% more than the previous plan. 65% of that investment is concentrated in two markets: United Kingdom (20,000 million). United States (16,000 million). The strategic turn. Ignacio Galán has defined Iberdrola as “the largest Anglo -Saxon company.” It is no accident. The executive president is repositioning the company to capture the energy demand that the AI ​​will generate in the coming years. Electrical networks will receive 37,000 million euros, 64% of the total. This infrastructure offers regulated profitability of 9.5%, much higher than the traditional generation of energy. Iberdrola seeks that 75% of its income be independent of the volatile energy prices. The Iberian Peninsula will receive only 9,000 million euros, 15% of the total. Galán has launched a notice to the Spanish government: “If the conditions are not good, we would go to other countries.” He Pulse with the CNMC It is evident. The regulator proposes a remuneration of 6.46% for Spanish networks, but Iberdrola demands at least 7%. The difference can determine whether Spain maintains or loses one of the country’s largest industrial investments. In figures. Plan numbers: Net profit of 7.6 billion in 2028 (+2,000 million). Dividends of 20,000 million in four years. 15,000 new jobs. The regulated asset base will jump from 30,000 to 70,000 million euros. The big bet. Iberdrola is betting that the energy demand for AI and electrification will be the largest growth conductor of the next decades. Galán speaks of 60,000 MW of latent demand only in Spain, half of which he considers “non -speculative.” The strategy also changes the company’s risk profile. Being a company exposed to electricity prices becomes a critical infrastructure with guaranteed income. It is the dream of any investor: predictable growth in an essential business. Yes, but. Execution is not risk -free. Trump intends to block the marine windpage projects of Iberdrola In Massachusetts. Brexit adds regulatory uncertainty in the United Kingdom. And in Spain, the pulse with the regulator could go more. Galán’s bet is clear: Iberdrola wants to be the company that electrifies the AI ​​revolution. If it is right, the Spanish electricity will have positioned in the center of the greatest technological change in the next decades. If it fails, you will have compromised 58,000 million in a risky bet. In Xataka | Where there was lead, now there will be rare earths: Jaén revives his mining past for the energy transition Outstanding image | Zbynek Burival

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