Month: December 2025

one creates cement, the other protects it

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Mars has become an obsession. Missions like those led by SpaceX demonstrate this and the truth is that going is the “simple” part. The really difficult thing is terraforming the planet to be able to carry out long-term missions in the field. In the movie ‘The Martian‘We already saw how an astronaut survived on Mars based on field-grown potatoes and, although it may seem like science fiction, we are already making progress on it. But we also need to build, and it is best to use Martian dust to create bricks. As? With the help of two bacteria. Biofoundation. Both the Moon and Mars are covered in dust. This mantle is made up of a series of elements that we can use to our advantage to create construction materials. It is much easier to figure out how to transform these materials into something useful than to carry kilos and kilos of materials from Earth, and in a study published in Frontiers in Microbiology addresses that problem. In it, researchers from the ‘Giulio Natta’ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering of the Polytechnic of Milan describe the process of transforming Martian regolith into a concrete-like material through a process called biocementation. And the proposal is to use a duo of bacteria capable of carrying out this transformation. ‘Mason’ bacteria. The protagonists are the Sporosarcina pasteurii and the Choococcidiopsis and the key process of the technology is ‘Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: a process by which microorganisms generate calcium carbonate at room temperature. In the case of the Sporosarcina pasteuriithe process is based on ureolysis. Thus, the bacteria produces the enzyme ureasewhich hydrolyzes urea into ammonia and carbonic acid. When released, it raises the pH of the environment, while carbonic acid dissociates into carbonate ions. When they combine with calcium ions present in the medium, they precipitate as calcium carbonate crystals on the bacterial cell walls and on soil particles. A confusing and technical explanation to say that they generate a waste that acts as a natural cement that joins the regolith particles Martian, transforming naturally loose dust into a compact material with compressive strengths similar to those of some concrete mixtures. BIOMEX. On the other hand, there is the Choococcidiopsis. It is one of the most resistant organisms we know – like the friendly tardigrades -. They are capable of surviving in conditions that simulate the Martian environment and, in fact, a few years ago the mission BIOMEX of the European Space Agency demonstrated that strains of this bacteria exposed without any shield for 18 months to both the vacuum of space and solar radiation were intact. Once they were rehydrated, they resumed their metabolic activities. This is important because we have already “proven” the Choococcidiopsis in space, and its role in this story is not because of its ability to convert regolith into concrete, the other one takes care of that, but because of its extreme resistance. What the researchers propose is an association between the two bacteria. Through photosynthesis, the Choococcidiopsis releases oxygen that creates a favorable microenvironment for the Sporosarcina pasteurii Do your job while, in turn, providing favorable conditions for your companion’s survival in the hostile Martian environment. Defensive arsenal. That is, while one works, the other provides food and defense. And, really, the defensive arsenal of the Choococcidiopsis It is imposing. As if it were the armor of a state-of-the-art tank, it has three lines of defense: The first is formed by extracellular polymeric substances that form a thick layer that filters almost 70% of UVA radiation, almost 70% of UVM radiation and almost 90% of UVC. The second line consists of antioxidants that bind to the outer membrane to act as a photoprotector, neutralizing the reactive oxygen species generated by radiation. And the third defense includes UV filters. As if that were not enough, Choococcidiopsis can self-repair its DNA if it is damaged by radiation. Beyond construction. It is resistant and resilient, but before launching flying bells and bacteria to Mars, the team itself details that you have to go step by step. Although different agencies want to build the first human habitat on Mars in the 2040s, it is no longer just that building on the planet is a problem: the question of how these pioneers will return must be answered with guarantees. There are plenty of projects underway to learn how to build and farm on Mars by imitating the planet’s characteristics. At the moment, they are demonstrating that Martian material can be converted into construction material, but there is still a long way to go, such as replicating Martian conditions on Earth to optimize these construction processes. And discoveries such as the work of these bacteria together can lead not only to novelties in terms of construction, but also to potential uses of the capabilities of some of them to produce oxygen on Mars or even use the by-products they discard as an element for crops in space. Ammonia, for example, which could be used as fertilizer for crops. Images | T. Darienko, Interstellar Lab In Xataka | All the resources we can potentially extract from the Moon, illustrated in this revealing graphic

a suitcase with wheels at 30 km/h

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Just a few days ago, Pere Navarro, director of the DGT, said that “The only way to access the cities will be by public transport“. These are words that a good part of the media has used to advance supposed prohibitions about which nothing has really been said. But they do reflect another battle: the battle for space. For years, European cities they have put up a battle with the cars and they are redistributing space. The large pedestrian areas such as those in Barcelona, ​​the mandatory ZBEs in Spain or the commitment to cycling in Paris are good examples. But it is a movement that has been brewing for decades. What happened to the Scalextric de Atocha? Did you know that Amsterdam was once part of the car paradise? These same debates were already taking place in Japan more than 30 years ago. And when one lives in overcrowded populations and with very high population densities, having or not having a car is no longer a question of purchasing power, it is a question of how that can impact our own environment. These questions of how many cars there should be in a city and what implications they have is what led Japan to implement the Shako Shomeishothe regulations that prevent you from buying a car if you do not have a secured parking space. At least in the busiest cities. In that same context were born the kei carespecially narrow and small cars with specific regulations to avoid being subject to taxes and that Shako Shomeisho that limits the purchase of vehicles. The concept wants to repeat in Europe although if it has triumphed in Japan it is because it is deeply rational, something that does not always go well with the European idea of ​​the automobile. And since in Japan the radically rational triumphs and they are decades ahead when it comes to space management, already in the 80s and 90s they were wondering what mobility solutions They could arrive in the future to move us around in a motorized vehicle, taking up as little space as possible. With those, Mazda pulled an ace up its sleeve. One in suitcase format. The Mazda Suitcase Car or the “suitcase car” The 90s had just begun and Mazda wanted to look for original mobility solutions. Playing the typical Futurology game that It is made in design centersthe Japanese company opened an internal competition to receive proposals for a groundbreaking vehicle. It is very likely that the executives who received Yoshimi Kanemoto were already expecting that the designer who led the Mazda Suitcase Car project would arrive with the proposal in a suitcase. We imagine, of course, that not in the way they expected. Because that suitcase did not hide sketches, design games or feasibility studies. What he was hiding was the very vehicle that had been requested. With the help of Kanemoto, a group of engineers gave life to the Mazda Suitcase Cara small three-wheeled vehicle that moved thanks to a two-stroke engine. The chassis? The suitcase itself, of course. And it is in the same suitcase where the humble apparatus of the vehicle is stored in which the… driver sits? Or pilot, rather. In this video You can see how it has just enough space to store the engine, the tank and the three wheels. Once assembled, it is as simple as getting on and starting to roll, driving this kind of three-wheeled kart with a handlebar that includes a handle to give gas, like on a motorcycle. The prototype, obviously, did not reach production but it was an example of how far technology could go to miniaturize the components necessary to make a vehicle roll. The company itself explains that the prototype was born as an idea to anticipate what vehicles would be like in the year 2020. For its Japanese designer, we would move in a 57×75 cm Samsonite suitcase in which a small kart with the capacity to reach 30 km/h would be hidden. It’s no small thing. The idea, however, was presented outside Japan. In 1992, Associated Press photographed to one of the company’s executives riding the device in the middle of Times Square, in the days before a New York Auto Show. Obviously, the proposal went nowhere but we would have to ask Kanemoto what he thinks of those who cross half the world today to get on a kart, dress up as Mario Bross and ride through Tokyo traffic as if they were experiencing a Mario Kart race. Photos | Mazda In Xataka | Aboard the Mazda MX-5: It’s uncomfortable, it’s small, it’s loud, it’s charming, it’s unique, it’s cool

We Spaniards are stopping having Christmas trees because they don’t fit in our house. So there are already companies renting them

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The year or the city doesn’t matter. At least in Spain, Christmas usually comes accompanied by a series of images that are repeated December after December, invariably: streets full of colored ledsbalconies in which they begin to appear papanoels and other Christmas decorations, shop windows in which gold, silver and reddish colors suddenly predominate… and living rooms in which trees full of tinsel and garlands sprout overnight. Year after year the same questions are also repeated: better natural or artificial tree? And above all… What the hell do we do with it after Epiphany, when it’s time to pick up the decorations? Where do we store it, if we already have the storage room all the way up? There are those who have seen In those doubts a promising business. Tree Earrings. There is no Christmas without decorations. And there is no Christmas decoration worth its salt without a good tree. It’s been like this all our lives, but just in case there were any doubts, cities like Vigo, Barcelona, Badalona either Madriddetermined to build gigantic trees in the heart of the urban area. Something similar happens in businesses, offices and homes. People demand trees (both artificial and natural), something that is felt in the nurseries and the big chains of decoration. As a reference, the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) estimates that each year they are sold in the US between 25 and 30 million of natural Christmas trees, which requires a huge plantation with hundreds of millions of copies distributed throughout the country. The dilemma, whether you choose real or fake fir trees, is… What to do with them later? A question, a business. There are those who have seen that question and the demand for Christmas trees as a business. After all… Why rack your brains choosing decorations, assembling them, disassembling them and then looking for a place to store them for months if we can pay a company to take care of everything? Or better yet, what if instead of buying the tree we rented it? Leasing trees may sound strange, but there comes a quick search on Google to find a few companies that operate in Spain and they dedicate precisely to that: to temporarily give up trees full of lights in exchange for a fee. The offer is wide and includes everything from small specimens to others of large size and size, for both indoor and outdoor spaces. But is it a business? Yes. The holidays may only last a few weeks, but if companies like Ximenezthe Córdoba company that has been in charge of setting up decorations in Vigo, Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, is that Christmas decorations can become a million dollar business. After all, it is not only families who demand decoration. Governments and companies of all kinds also do it, from businesses that do not have space to store decorations the rest of the year to hotels that need trees for their living rooms and hallways. In a warehouse in Madrid… One of the most popular Christmas tree rental companies in Spain is B&M, a family business with twenty years of experience that works from a warehouse in Tetuán, Madrid. Recently those responsible they explained to The Spanish Newspaper Every campaign, about 200 trees come out of there ready to decorate and that the company itself is in charge of collecting once the holidays are over. Their work involves several challenges, such as matching the taste of their clients and coordinating the logistics that require dismantling and removing 200 trees during the second week of January. “The pickup is intense because on the 9th everyone wants you to pick it up.” “Three, four hours at least”. The company also makes it clear that although it may seem like a simple task, preparing the ideal tree requires work. First they convey a proposal to the clients. Then they shape it. “A four or five meter tree is a job for five or six people, who have to spend at least three or four hours on it,” clarifies the signaturewhich explains, for example, that there are businesses that want trees with their corporate colors. How much do these services cost? In your website There are rates (with delivery and collection service included) ranging from 265 to 2,800 euros, without VAT. It all depends on the tree you want. They range from 1.5 to five meters. Are there more options? Yes. The demand for Christmas decoration is intense enough that it has encouraged other businesses, such as those that are committed to sustainability and offer a rent in pot. Your proposal? Instead of buying a plastic tree or taking a felled fir, rent one that you can place in your house alive, with its pot. Once in your living room you can decorate and take care of it and after Christmas the company will collect it to take it to a forest or to its nursery of origin. Images | Arun Kuchibhotla (Unsplash) and Jared Lind (Unsplash) In Xataka | Without knowing it, we all honor Thor during Christmas thanks to a pagan ritual: the Christmas tree

How to make a Christmas greeting by creating a family or group photo from separate photographs

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Let’s tell you how to create Christmas greetings by generating a group image from separate photos. For this we are going to use artificial intelligencespecifically Gemini with its Nano Banana, being possibly the best free alternative to do this. Here, the secret is again to use an appropriate prompt in which you describe exactly what you want. We are going to tell you everything you should take into account and the prompt you should use later to create the image. You will see that it is quite simple. Group Christmas greeting with Gemini Before you start, you first have to Carefully select the photos you want to use. Try to have similar lighting, or that the same part of everyone’s body can be seen. Gemini is going to try to cut and paste all the photos together making as little modifications as possible, so keep that in mind. They should be photos that look similar. Of course, you should also know that you will be able to change their clothes to the people in the photos. Therefore, and although the ideal is for everyone to be dressed similarly, it is not essential, because then you can have Gemini put the clothes you want on them. Once you have everything, start a conversation with Gemini. Inside, first upload the photos you are going to use. Afterwards, you can copy and paste the following prompt and send it along with the photos: I want you to create a Christmas card with a family photo. I’m going to give you separate photos of people, and I want you to create a family photo where they all appear together. Under the photo you have to say “Merry Christmas”. Make the background with Christmas motifs. In this prompt you can make changes or more details. You can describe the background to be used, and also the font and text. Don’t be afraid to try, experiment and try again if the first result doesn’t work out for you. After doing so, as we have told you before, you can ask Gemini to change their clothes. This way, if people’s clothes are different in the photos, you can unify the result a little. In fact, if you have a group photo you can also simply ask them to change their outfits. Another option is to upload the group photo and then an individual photo of another person who is not there and ask Gemini to add this person. And do you remember when we told you how to turn your photos into video game scenarios either in a character from Stranger Things? Well, you can also use these tricks here to make the greeting as original and personalized as possible. In Xataka Basics | Gemini Image Editor: 16 Ways and Tricks to Squeeze Nano-banana with Google’s AI

We knew almost nothing about the “black box” of life, the initial moment of fertilization: that is over

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In biology, human development, from the fertilization of an egg to the formation of the complete baby, has a large area called ‘black box’because we don’t know what happens there. We have a lot of data about what happens in the first days after fertilization and also during the last months thanks to ultrasounds. Worse, there is an area between the second and fourth weeks of development that is terra incognita. The ethics. It is without a doubt the great wall of developmental biology right now, since to see what happens to an embryo in these weeks we would have to have it in a culture dish for more than 14 days. But this is something that ethics does not allow, since after those days the embryo must be inside a uterus or destroyed. The change. Now science is working to find exactly how to see the embryo in this time window, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona achieved it. Specifically, it has achieved cultivate macaque embryoids which are embryo models derived from stem cells until day 25. In this way, processes that until now were hidden have emerged. A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona has managed to cultivate macaque embryoids (embryo models derived from stem cells) until day 25, revealing processes that until now remained hidden. And this has already given us data about how our body is formed. Gastrulation. Lewis Wolpert, a famous biologistused to say that “the most important moment in your life is not birth, nor marriage, nor death, but gastrulation.” And he was right. To understand this importance, you must know that during gastrulation the embryo stops being a simple sphere of equal cells and transforms into a complex structure with three different layers that will give rise to all the organs of the body. But it is also essential to be able to define the axes of the body, that is, knowing where the head will be, the tail and what is right and left. Something that until now was impossible to see because previous models of primate embryos ended up collapsing after day 17. The solution. The research has therefore used a new system of 3D suspension culture which has enabled macaque embryonic stem cells to self-organize and develop complex structures until day 25 outside the uterus. What they have seen. What researchers have observed in these “embryoids” is fascinating because of its similarity to natural embryos. As detailed in the paper from Nature, these models have recapitulated key events of the late gastrulation. Among this, the formation of the central nervous system stands out, the precursor of the digestive system, the first blood cells or even those that in the future will give rise to eggs and sperm. The most surprising thing is that the transcriptomic analysis (the study of which genes are active cell by cell) revealed that differentiation trajectories were similar to those found in natural monkey embryos during this stage. At last. This means that we have, for the first time, a reliable simulator to study human development. Since we share a large part of our biology with macaques, this model allows us to investigate the causes of abortions early spontaneous and congenital malformations without crossing the ethical red lines of experimentation with human embryos. They are not real embryos. This is something fundamental for the limits that ethics imposes on us that we mentioned at the beginning. What has been cultured in this case are not real embryos, but models derived from stem cells where neither eggs nor sperm were involved. This has the aspect that it can never become a viable living being if it is implanted in a uterus and its usefulness is limited only to laboratories to analyze how we are developing and revealing critical points where an embryo can be aborted. In Xataka | There are more and more men obsessed with one thing: donating their semen

Five offers from El Corte Inglés in technology and entertainment during its Christmas campaign, today December 6

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There is very little left until the arrival of Christmas and stores continue to launch offers and campaigns on the occasion of this holiday. El Corte Inglés has many discounts on practically all types of products, so in this article we are going to review five of the best deals on technology and entertainment. nintendo switch 2 by 499.90 eurosa pack that includes two video games from the Super Mario saga. Xiaomi 15 by 599.90 eurosa mobile phone with 512 GB of storage capacity. Uno Spin by 16.99 eurosthe classic card game but with a different touch. Dyson V8 Advanced by 289 eurosa good price for a cordless vacuum cleaner from the brand. TCL 65P8K by 499 eurosa 65-inch TV with an excellent quality-price ratio. nintendo switch 2 If you were thinking of buying the nintendo switch 2 and you didn’t get to take advantage of their offer on Black Friday, El Corte Inglés has put together a pack along with the two video games that come in ‘Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2‘. Costs 499.90 eurosand to buy it at this price you have to add both products (console and games) to the store cart. Nintendo Switch 2 + Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi 15 If you are looking for a good mobile phone that has a lot of storage, be careful with the Xiaomi 15 that has gone down to 599.90 euros. Has 512 GB internal storageits screen is 6.36 inches, it incorporates the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it offers excellent performance and is super complete and its screen is very good. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Uno Spin For family or friend gatherings during the Christmas season (or any other time), the Uno Spin It can be very interesting, especially with the very attractive price of 16.99 euros that El Corte Inglés has. This is a variation of the Uno that comes with a roulette wheel with additional features such as changing hands with another player or discarding cards by color, among others. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Dyson V8 Advanced If you want to give yourself a good gift and are looking for a good cordless vacuum cleaner so that cleaning the house does not become so burdensome, the model Dyson V8 Advanced has dropped to 289 euros. Its battery offers up to 40 hours of autonomy, it incorporates a hygienic system for emptying the dirt and dust tank to prevent us from getting dirty, it has two power modes and can be converted into a handheld vacuum cleaner. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links TCL 65P8K On the other hand, if you want to take advantage of the Christmas offers to change your TV and are looking for a big model, the TCL 65P8K is discounted by 499 euros. It is a smart TV with a 65-inch QLED screen that, in addition, its speakers are signed by Onkyo and are compatible with Dolby Atmosoffers a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz and its operating system is Google TV. TCL 65P8K (QLED, 65 inches) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links 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 | El Corte Inglés and Compradicción (header), Nintendo, Xiaomi, Mattel Games, Dyson, TCL In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best televisions in quality price. Which one to buy and seven recommended 4K smart TVs

A British MP did not have permission to build a house in the countryside so he was left with only one option: dig it up

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Housing is one of the main problemsnot only because of the scarcity that makes its price skyrocketsbut because, even if you already have a plot on which to build the house of your dreams, urban planning and environmental legislation will not always allow you to build it. That is precisely what happened to British MP Bob Marshall-Andrews in the late 90s, when he wanted to build a house with sea views in Wales, but faced a huge dilemma. Environmental regulations did not allow him to erect any buildings since it was a natural space. There was only one way out so that your home was legal: dig it out. A house in a hole with sea views As and how did he count Wales Onlinelawyer and Labor Party MP Bob Marshall-Andrews and his wife Gill wanted to escape the bustle of the city and enjoy the leisurely pace of the waves crashing into St. Bride’s Bay on the Pembrokeshire cliffs in the far west of Wales. For years, he and his family had been spending vacations in an old military barracks. on Druidston Cliffuntil the structure began to deteriorate and the need to build something new became apparent. That’s where his problems began. The land of the MP and his wife Gill is located about 150 meters from the sea, in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, a protected area since 1949 that covers more than 300 kilometers of coastline with cliffs, open beaches, sheltered bays, marshes and dunes. In this environment, the authorities have been traditionally very strict: the neighbors considered practically impossible to obtain permission even for small glazed extensions in existing houses. To comply with the regulations and still stay in that place, the only way was to literally hide the new house underground, excavating the land and taking advantage of the natural ridge of the cliff as part of the construction. The idea came from his son Tom, who thought it would be a good idea to integrate the house into the landscape by excavating it between two hills. The result was Malatora semi-buried house, almost invisible from afar, which today has become one of the most striking examples of architecture integrated into the landscape of the Welsh coast. So much so that it even has your own reference on Wikipedia. A crazy idea that ended in genius The British parliamentarian left the commission to the architects Jan Kaplicky and Amanda Levetefounders of the Future Systems studio, had a central premise: to obtain legalized housing that would not give arguments to those responsible for the park. to deny license. To avoid any feeling of privilege towards a parliamentarian, the project was planned from the beginning as a construction that would not compete with the landscape, but would hide in it and reduce its visible impact to a minimum, just as Tom, the son of the owners, had proposed. Thus, the architects chose build downexcavating the hill instead of raising a traditional construction, so that the house will be buried under a cover of earth and grass that continues the shape of the hill. This strategy is reminiscent of ancient techniques from northern Scandinavia, where layers of earth and grass were accumulated to form thick walls with good thermal inertia and great camouflage capacity in the terrain. The designers were inspired by the wing section of an airplane for its visible part. The façade facing the sea is resolved with a large glass plane and portholes, while the upper part and sides are buried and covered with grass and vegetation, so that from the park path the house is perceived as a simple mound covered with grass. This extreme integration with the landscape It was decisive for the local authorities to give their approval, since the construction does not break the undulating line of meadows and bushes nor does it introduce visible plot limits, fences or gardens separated from the rest of the park. Furthermore, technically, no construction had been “raised”. Inside, the curved floor plan is organized around a central fireplace, inspired by the great medieval halls. A large semicircular sofa and prefabricated walls that separate the rooms of the house without touching the ceiling, reinforcing the feeling of continuous space. Respect for the environment was taken to the extreme even during its construction, as many of the internal elements, including the bathrooms, were manufactured in workshops and brought in small pieces to the plot. A decision designed to reduce heavy truck traffic to a minimum on a narrow road adapted to the orography of the cliff. The house soon became popular in the area and, given its peculiar design, the locals have baptized it as “the Teletubbies house” due to its resemblance to the half-buried house from the children’s series, a nickname that its owner receives with humor. In Xataka | Of all the places there were to build a $400,000 house, this millionaire chose the most unusual: in a tree Image | Geograph.org (Cered, Deborah Tilley, Simon Mortimer, Michael Graham, Dave Challender)

We already have the world’s first fast neutron nuclear reactor. We are going to use it for AI data centers

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The growth of artificial intelligence is driving global electricity demand to historical figures. The expansion of data centers, the advance of electrification and the industrial rebound are straining aging networks that are already suffering from saturation in multiple countries. In this scenario, the digital sector—a large consumer of electricity for the development of AI—faces a paradox: it needs much more energy, but it must do so without increasing its emissions. And there arises a proposal that until recently would have seemed like science fiction: data centers powered by a compact fast neutron nuclear reactor. The Stellaria–Equinix deal that no one saw coming. The French startup Stellaria, born from commissariat to the atomistic energy (CEA) and Schneider Electric, announced a pre-purchase agreement with Equinix, one of the largest global data center operators. According to the press releasethe agreement secures Equinix the first 500 MW of capacity of the Stellarium, the molten salt and fast neutron reactor that the company plans to deploy starting in 2035. This reserve is part of Equinix’s initiatives to diversify towards “alternative energies” applied to AI-ready data centers. Autonomy, zero carbon and waste management. It is a brief summary of the first reactor breed and burn intended to supply data centers. As explained by Stellariaoffers: Completely carbon-free and controllable energy, enough to make a data center autonomous. Underground design without exclusion zone, thanks to its operation at atmospheric pressure and its liquid core. Ultra-fast response to load variations, essential for generative AI. Virtually infinite regeneration of fuel, part of which can come from current waste from nuclear power plants. Multi-fuel capability, from uranium 235 and 238 to plutonium 239, MOX, minor actinides and thorium. For Equinix, this means solving one of its great challenges: operating with guaranteed clean energy 24/7 without depending on the grid. For Europe, it marks the entry into a new generation of ultra-compact reactors: the Stellarium occupies just four cubic meters. The technology behind the reactor. The Stellarium is a fourth-generation liquid chloride salt reactor, cooled by natural convection and equipped with four physical containment barriers. It operates on a closed fuel cycle, capable of maintaining fission for more than 20 years without recharging. Stellaria’s roadmap establishes that in 2029 there will be the first fission reaction and six years later a commercial deployment and delivery of the reactor to Equinix. According to the company, The energy density of this type of reactor is “70 million times higher than that of lithium-ion batteries”, which would allow a single Stellarium to supply a city of 400,000 inhabitants. As fusion progresses, fast fission arrives first. To understand why a fast neutron reactor comes to the world of AI before fusion, just compare the technological moment of each. The merger is making spectacular progress—such as the record of the French WEST reactorwhich maintained a stable plasma for 22 minutes, or the Wendelstein 7-Xwhich sustained a high-performance plasma for 43 seconds—but remains experimental. ITER will not be operational this decade and commercial prototypes will not arrive until well into the 2030s. Advanced fission, on the other hand, is much closer to the market. Reactors like Stellaria’s, with molten salt and fast neutrons, do not require the extreme conditions of fusion and can be deployed sooner. The company plans its first reaction in 2029 and a commercial deployment in 2035. The data centers of the future will no longer depend on the network. Equinix already operates more than 270 data centers in 77 metropolitan areas. In Europe they are powered by 100% renewables, but their future demand for AI will require a constant, carbon-free source that does not congest the electrical grid. According to Stellariathis agreement “lays the foundation for data centers with lifetime energy autonomy.” And, if the company meets its schedule, Europe will become the first region in the world where artificial intelligence is powered by compact reactors that recycle their own nuclear waste. The technological race between advanced fission and fusion is far from over, but, today, the first fast neutron reactor intended for AI does not come from ITER or an industrial giant: it comes from a French startup. Europe has just opened a door that could transform, at the same time, the future of energy and computing. Image | freepik and Stellaria Xataka | Google hit the red button when ChatGPT came upon it. Now it is OpenAI who has pressed it, according to WSJ

the map that shows the distribution of world birth rates

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In Brilliant Maps we can find a multitude of very interesting maps and infographics that allow us to obtain context about demographics, culture, and curiosities at a global level. In one of your latest maps shows us the chances of a baby being born on each continent during 2026. The data, based on 2023 birth figures from Our World In Datareveal that it is in Asia and Africa where more than 80% of all births on the planet are concentrated. Specifically, if you were born in 2026, you would have many chances to be Indian. The geography of global birth rates. Of the approximately 132 million babies that will be born in 2026, almost half will be born in Asia (49.7%), followed by Africa with 34.9%. These two regions accumulate 111.7 million births, while the rest of the continents share only the remaining 15.4%. Europe, with only 6.3 million births, represents only 4.8% of the world total. A figure that contrasts with the more than 140 million births annually that were recorded just a few years ago. India leads the ranking by country. The Asian country tops the list with 23.2 million expected births, far ahead of China (8.9 million) and Nigeria (7.5 million). These three countries concentrate almost 30% of all global births. The data from China is especially striking, and it is that just a few years ago, the Asian giant recorded 16 million births annually, which shows the impact of its demographic crisis. Five other African or Asian countries appear among the top ten: Pakistan, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Bangladesh, while Brazil completes the top ten with 2.6 million expected births. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the United States occupies eighth place with more than 3.6 million births. Spain, touching the top 50. Europe has the lowest birth rates in relative terms of all continents, only ahead of Oceania and North America in absolute numbers. Continent fertility rates remain below replacement level since the 70sa phenomenon that has now spread to practically the entire planet. Spain will register approximately 336,821 births in 2026, ranking 51st in the world, behind Italy (384,627) and France (638,891), but ahead of Poland (317,916). Germany leads Western Europe with 719,249 births, while the United Kingdom reaches 688,388. Nigeria, the African exception. The African country stands out for its position in third place in the world, far ahead of what its economic size might suggest. Your birth rate almost double the world averagea phenomenon linked to factors such as limited access to education for women and a developing economy. Africa will take over in 2100. The projection for the end of the century marks a radical change in the global demographic distribution. According to the dataAfrica will go from the current 34.9% to 48% of world births, becoming the continent with the highest birth rate. Asia, on the other hand, would decrease to 38.17%. And Europe would fall to 4.49%, consolidating its demographic decline. These estimates suggest that more than half of the world’s babies will be born in Africa within 75 years. World population. According to projections According to The Lancet, the world population will reach its peak in the 2060s with 9.7 billion people, and then decline to 8.8 billion in 2100. There are many reasons that can explain this exaggerated demographic change, such as increasing global wealth, access to education, urbanization or changes in gender roles. Some researchers, such as the economist Claudia Goldin, they point to a mismatch between the desires of men and women regarding parenting as a determining factor, pointing out that as long as social structures do not facilitate cooperation in parenting, rates will continue to fall. In Xataka | If you have enough money you can buy a “golden passport”: this map shows the juiciest

A Spanish company is at the center of the new A320 headache. Airbus must inspect hundreds of planes

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At the heart of the A320 program, a recent discovery has triggered a wave of attention aimed squarely at a Spanish aerostructures supplier. This is a quality problem in fuselage panels that Airbus has decided to address with a large-scale inspection campaign, at a time when every delivery counts. According to Airbusthe episode has not affected flight safety, but it has opened a new front for the European manufacturer and for part of its industrial chain, especially in Andalusia. The manufacturer has confirmed that the origin of the situation is in metal panels of the A320 front fuselage that have thicknesses outside the specified values. According to industrial presentations consulted by Reuters, in some cases pieces that are too thick or too thin have been detected, forcing each potentially affected aircraft to be inspected. Airbus insists that flight safety has not been compromised and that inspections will determine which planes need intervention. Impact on the fleet. Data shared with operators and cited by Reuters raises the number of aircraft that will undergo inspection to 628, a figure that reflects the industrial scope of the process. Among them there are devices already in service and others on the assembly line, including a group that was due to be delivered in 2025 according to industry sources. This volume forces plant tasks to be reorganized while Airbus prepares the specific procedures that airlines must follow depending on the status of each unit. The adjustment that Airbus communicated on December 3 makes it clear that the quality problem has fully hit its delivery expectations for 2025. The manufacturer now sets its objective at “around 790” commercial aircraft, a figure lower than the initial forecast of about 820 units, according to data provided to Reuters. The cut shows the direct effect of the technical reorganization triggered by the A320 inspections and marks a notable change in industrial planning for next year. Inspections and recent context. The manufacturer maintains that the process will allow it to precisely identify which aircraft need intervention, insisting that this quality problem does not affect flight performance. Reuters points out that the inspections are relatively quick, while The Air Current estimates that repairs could take between three and five weeks. All this occurs after the massive update applied to more than 6,000 Airbus aircraft, motivated by a software vulnerability triggered by episodes of intense solar radiation. Who is Sofitec? Founded in 1999 and based in the Andalusian aeronautical hub, Sofitec is dedicated to the design, manufacture and repair of metallic and composite aerostructures for international programs. Its evolution has been accompanied by investments in engineering, final processes and facility expansions, which has consolidated it as a relevant supplier for the A320 family. Bloomberg identifies the company as one of the suppliers of the fuselage panels that require inspection, which explains its presence at the center of this industrial episode. Union accusations. Bloomberg revealed that the UGT FICA Sevilla union has reported to Airbus the existence of alleged irregularities in several internal Sofitec processes. In a letter addressed to the CEO, the union claims that dates were falsified at certain stages of production and that expired paints and sealants were used, in addition to unauthorized repairs being carried out on carbon fiber parts. Airbus said it acted in accordance with its internal quality procedures but declined to comment on the specific allegations, while Sofitec did not respond to requests for comment. The episode leaves several unknowns open for the European manufacturer and its supply chain. Airbus now faces a technical reorganization that will coexist with its delivery commitments and the usual scrutiny of airlines and regulators. For Sofitec, the situation means being under unusual visibility and managing it while the inspection campaign progresses. The Andalusian aeronautical sector, which has been consolidating its international presence for years, is watching the process carefully, waiting for the reviews to definitively limit the scope of the problem. Images | Airbus | Sofitec In Xataka | SpaceX is known for its rockets. What is less known is its growing and striking fleet of aircraft

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