January 2026 - Page 18 of 81

Drinking coffee in the morning has very positive consequences for someone unexpected in your body: the microbiota

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

For millions of people, the day doesn’t begin until the first cup of coffee hits their table. Something that makes a lot of sense because of how coffee affects our brain. so we can wake up and improve concentrationbut the reality is that it has many more effects further down the brain. We talk about the intestinewhere it passes and has a great involvement in the microbiota. The microbiota. There is more and more research that is focused on the microbiotathe bacteria we have in our digestive system and that have an increasingly relevant role in our daily lives. In this case, taking care of these bacteria inside us is a priority to be able to have good health, even to avoid major diseases. Now science is beginning to glimpse that Coffee is much more than a vehicle for caffeineand that has an important implication in the modulation of the intestinal microbiota. Beyond caffeine. We tend to think that coffee is nothing more than “caffeinated water”, unless you add a little sugar to remove its bitterness. But the reality is that we have a large ‘soup’ of bioactive compounds. Science is seeing how coffee is key due to its intestinal impact thanks to two of its components: polyphenols and dietary fiber. This is something that is currently being analyzed through studies. in the laboratory and in animal models where they have seen that a large part of these compounds reach the colon intact without digesting. There they act as ‘food’ for the bacteria that are there, such as dihydroferulic acid, which has local anti-inflammatory effects. That is, it acts like something similar to a prebiotic. The ‘planter’ effect. If we treat the intestine like a garden, coffee seems to work as a selective fertilizer. Although the evidence in humans is still heterogeneous, several patterns are repeated in the scientific literature, such as an intervention study in humans that showed that three cups of coffee daily for three weeks increased abundance of Bifidobacteriuma genre classically associated with intestinal health. But it does not stop there, since another large population metagenomic study associated the consumption of beverages rich in polyphenols such as coffee, tea or red wine with greater alpha diversity. This is something that within this world is associated with greater resilience and health in the microbiota. The recent discovery. Published in Nature in 2024science found a very specific association: those who regularly consume coffee have a much greater presence of the bacteria Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticu. A bacteria that is not just any bacteria, but helps digestion and also offers the colon the necessary elements for it to have much more energy and even prevents inflammation. That is why having this bacteria in large numbers in our intestine is actually very beneficial. Have metabolic health. Keeping the bacteria in our intestine ‘happy’ is essential as we have seen. The main hypothesis that supports all of this focuses on the ability of bacteria to ferment fiber and polyphenols of coffee producing short chain fatty acids such as butyrate. These compounds are the favorite fuel of colon cells and have systemic anti-inflammatory properties. This could explain, at least partially, why epidemiological studies often associate moderate coffee consumption with better metabolic and cardiovascular health. The small print. Before you rush for your fifth cup, you need to put on the brakes and look at the limitations of current studies, since not everything is rosy. And science, despite offering these benefits, indicates that robust clinical evidence is lacking. It must be taken into account here that not all coffees are the same, since soluble coffee, an espresso or using a filter in a coffee maker are not the same. And furthermore, not all people respond the same because each microbiota is literally a different world in each organism. Big tests are missing. Although in the laboratory and on paper everything may sound great, we must keep in mind that there are still many studies that demonstrate that coffee causes a direct improvement in diseases through the microbiota. And although coffee feeds your Bifidobacteria It does not eliminate the fact that excess caffeine causes insomnia, anxiety or tachycardia in sensitive people. Furthermore, the benefits observed in the microbiota are associated with black coffee or coffee with little milk. If your “coffee” is a smoothie loaded with sugar, cream and syrups, the negative impact of ultra-processed foods on your intestine will probably cancel out any benefits of polyphenols. Images | Nathan Dumlao CDC In Xataka | Having a cup of coffee as soon as you wake up seems like a great idea. Science has something to say about it

a 300 km “moving wall” to close sea routes instantly

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

In the constant pulse between China and TaiwanBeijing has been looking for ways to increase pressure without crossing the threshold of an open conflict. As maneuvers, exercises and actions in gray areas multiply, each new movement points to a key idea: control the environment. If a few days ago it was drone entrynow another formula has appeared. A wall that doesn’t shoot. He told it through images the new york times. China has shown that it can create a gigantic sea barrier without firing a single shot, simply gathering thousands of ships fishing vessels in formations so dense that they disrupt traffic and force other vessels to go around or through them with uncomfortable maneuvers. In one of the recent operations, around of 1,400 boats They suddenly abandoned their routines and concentrated on the East China Sea until they formed a rectangle of more than 300 kmwith a presence so compact that it was seen in the navigation data as a kind of continuous obstacle. The practical effect is obvious. If this is done near key trade routes, chaos pcan arrive very quickly without anyone having to declare a formal block. Maritime militia and war in gray. The relevant thing about the movement is not only how many ships appear, but what does it suggest about who It moves them and for what. Experts and analysts interpret these concentrations as a state-led exercise that dovetails with the use of maritime militia, a network of civilian vessels trained to support strategic objectives. Plus: it is a perfect tool to operate in that ambiguous zone where there is no clear attack, but there is a real pressure on the sea. It is a way of imposing control without showing frigates in the front row and without assuming the political cost of open military action, while the rest are forced to decide whether to treat that mass as civilians or as an organized force. Rehearsal of blocking… without calling it a blocking. In a crisis scenario over Taiwan, a mass like this no need to “enforce” a lock by force to be useful. It is enough to hinder, slow down and complicate the movement of commercial or military support ships. It can force route changes, introduce delays, create points of friction and increase the risk of incidents. It can also serve to mark areas where traffic becomes unsafe or impassable for hours or days. That kind of pressure fits ideas like “quarantine”which seeks to strangle the functioning of an area without completely crossing the threshold of open war. Saturation as a tactic. Another advantage of this “wall” is that it converts the sea into tactical noise. Thousands of small ships together can overwhelm surveillance and complicate the identification of real threats, especially if there are drones, radars and automated systems trying to classify contacts. In a tense situation, this saturation can also act as a screen. It can conceal movements, force the adversary to expend attention and resources, and open space for other operations. Although each ship is weak on its own, value comes when they multiply until they become a problem of management rather than combat. What is revealed. The Times analysts who have followed Chinese activity in disputed seas for years highlighted that it is not usual Seeing such a large and orderly formation, and maintaining relatively stable positions, does not resemble a normal fishing pattern. The important thing here is the organizational muscle. Gathering thousands of ships at a specific point, in a short time, and positioning them with discipline indicates a clear improvement in command, control, communications and planning. This suggests that China is practicing something that you can repeat when you need it, and that does not depend on improvisations or simple crowds. Why does it matter so much? The trainings were given in the east china seaclose to major routes that connect with Shanghai, one of the most important port centers in the world. It’s not just any place. They are maritime corridors through which goods pass daily, including Chinese exports and flows that connect entire economies. Controlling or interrupting these steps is a way strategic pressure first level, on Taiwan, on Japan and also on any actor that has to operate there, including the United States and its allies. Beijing’s official silence fits with the logic of these actions. There is no need to announce anything if what you want is to check capabilities, measure reactions and leave a clear message with facts. A difficult model to answer. The really surprising thing about this is that a fishing barrier It is a relatively cheap instrument compared to deploying large military unitsand it can also be scaled. If today there are 1,400 or 2,000 barges, tomorrow there could be many more in a time of crisis. And for the rival(s), the answer will always be uncomfortable. The main reason is that it is not easy to justify brute force against ships that present themselves as civilians, but it is also not feasible to ignore them if they are effectively blocking a critical path. That’s the value of this “weapon” that does not fire a single projectile. That of forcing a choice between tolerating the pressure or escalating first, while China gains time, control and the ability to shape the pace of the situation. Image | Planet Labs, Ernest Gunasekara-Rockwell, Anna Frodesiak, Micromesistius In Xataka | China has just crossed the same red line as Russia: for the first time, a military drone has invaded Taiwan’s airspace In Xataka | The US has just sent an unprecedented package to Taiwan. Inside are the instructions and weapons against an invasion

the new life of your Cable Car

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

This week, January 20, 2026, works started to dismantle one of the symbols of Madrid. They are, however, the first step to modernize it and adapt it to current security standards. With more than 50 years Behind them, the Madrid Cable Car is being taken down. The reason is a comprehensive renovation of the infrastructure. In fact, the cable car will remain alive but The iconic image will no longer return of the blue cabins supported by cables that seemed to flex too much. Because those cables with more than half a century behind them are being dismantled. The project includes a completely renovated cable car. Fewer cabins, faster journeys and, of course, the obligatory announcement that we will have the AI monitoring possible incidents. It is a turning point in a story that was born at the end of the 60s. A cable car to nowhere Year 1969. Gento continued running on the Real Madrid wing and Gregorio “Hacha braba” Benito brought order to the center of the defense. But the team’s best years in Europe had passed. Gárate, Ufarte, Adelardo and Luis Aragonés would lead Atlético de Madrid to become League champion the following year and a few years later to brush with glory in Heysel before that great shot hit the net by one of those Germans with an unpronounceable name. The 60s gave way to a new decade and Madrid began to breathe a certain air of change without yet letting go of its most traditional signs of identity. Carlos Arias Navarro, then mayor of the city, turned the city upside down to get anywhere by car. Urban highways such as scalextric from Atocha and the proliferation of parking lots honored the rich Madrid tradition of drilling holes in the ground and always keep some work active. But, unlike motorized vehicles, in 1969 Madrid inaugurated a mass of iron that allowed people to fly above what would later become the M-30 and unite the Argüelles neighborhood with the Casa de Campo, then open to traffic and the classic setting for Sunday picnics. The plan seemed perfect to spend a day with the family eating tortillas away from the hustle and bustle. A completely isolated hill that, really, has no services at hand. What then led to building a cable car to nowhere in a city that was in full ferment and whose neighbors seemed eager for new plans? They count in elDiario.es that, really, the current Casa de Campo station was nothing more than an intermediate stop to get to the Amusement Park and the Zoo. That 1969, in fact, an attempt was made to inaugurate the first of these attractions together with the Cable Car, taking advantage of the festival of San Isidro, patron saint of the city, but the flying cabins had to wait because some neighbors tried to stop the project, claiming that the passage of these vehicles did not respect their privacy since they could see the interior of their houses. The Casa de Campo Cable Car station is linked to the Lake, the Amusement Park and the Zoo by roads that run through the interior of the urban park. But then you had to walk through pine trees to get to the recent Amusement Park, which is located just over a kilometer from the end of the cable car. To get to the Zoo it is necessary to double the distance. And the project contemplated joining both spaces with the cable car in a monorail that never came to fruition. If it had left, one of the city’s wealthy neighborhoods would be linked by air to two of the municipality’s great leisure attractions at that turn of the decade. The project, however, was stopped. Since 1969 it has been in operation with the same infrastructure, its cables have remained active for more than 50 years and it is estimated that it has transported more than eight million people. In 2022, a review temporarily paralyzed the facility when it was considered that it was not completely safe and in 2023 it was temporarily closed indefinitely. Now, the Madrid Cable Car seeks to write a new page in its history. This week the works for its dismantling began but a renovation project is already underway, so that the cabins can fly again for almost three kilometers above the Parque del Oeste and the Casa de Campo. They will do it with new cabins and renewed cables from Switzerland. With artificial intelligenceof course, which according to the Madrid City Council will help control incidents. Spaces that will weigh a ton with seats to transport a total of 10 people per trip. The challenge, they say from the City Council, has been to put new material in a space that was designed 60 years ago, they collect in The World. If everything goes ahead as planned, the flying cabins will return to the Madrid sky next year. They will do so after a five-year hiatus and almost 60 years after the first travelers covered that walk that, one day, should have linked the Argüelles neighborhood with the Madrid Zoo. Photo | FDV on Wikimedia and Madrid City Council In Xataka | Madrid wants to put 110,000 tons of weight on the M-30. And the challenge is not technical: it is not to collapse the road

The valuations of the AI giants are sustained because we want to believe in them

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

In the wonderful The Big Shortthe characters discover that the mortgage market subprime It’s a kind of house of cards. The data doesn’t add up and the valuations don’t make sense, but the system still works because everyone pretends it works. Until it stops working. That dynamic summarizes very well what is happening in the technology sector. OpenAI follows palming money for each consultation What do we do to ChatGPT but it’s already worth half a billion. AI startups increase their valuations tenfold even though they have no real recurring revenue. The funds They continue opening fat rounds for what they continue to be wrappers of AI whose only technical difference with the competition is the marketing paragraph. A domain ending in ‘.ai’ serves to make the investor take his back off the backrest and whisper to the person next to him. Nobody asks about EBITDA. Nobody expects profitability in five years. Not in ten. You have to keep turning the crank. This, to another extent, We already experienced it with the dotcom bubble. What has changed is that we have twisted the loop of self-deception. There was more naivety in the ’90s: Too many people actually believed that Pets.com would revolutionize the dog food trade. Now almost everyone senses that this is more fragile than it seems, but no one can afford to be the first to say it. Because whoever says it, loses. The CEO who admits his “AI integration” is just a wrapper of OpenAI with little uniqueness is left without the next round. The fund that does not invest in AI remains like a dinosaur. The CTO who says “this is cool but it’s not improving our productivity” risks being replaced by someone more enthusiastic: in this industry, a frown sells little. So many nod, many applaud, many pretend to see the complete revolution when perhaps they are only seeing the beginning. Meanwhile, we are often seeing how the distance between narrative and reality continues to widen. There are companies laying off employees justifying it as a “strategic reorganization towards AI”, when in reality they have burned capital on technology that does not work for them or at least does not pay off. Products are launched by releasing pigeons, fail six months later, and no one mentions the corpse because they are already busy announcing the next one. The metric of success is sometimes no longer “this solves a real problem” but rather “this got us another round of funding,” when not “this earned me a promotion.” The curious thing is that this economy of belief can be sustained for many years. As long as there is liquidity and rates allow for financing losses indefinitely, as long as no one has clear incentives to break the consensus, the theater continues. But there are two problems: ANDThis dynamic destroys the sector’s ability to distinguish the real from the performative.. When much of the discourse is narrative and few ask about fundamentals, companies that really build something valuable can become difficult to distinguish from those that only know how to raise capital. Good engineers and good products sometimes get hidden amidst a lot of extremely well-funded mediocrity. This economy constantly needs new believers. Like other speculative cycles, it works as long as there are more people entering than leaving. And if the music stops—when rates change, when investors demand tangible returns, or when customers stop paying on promises—there may not be enough chairs. Here is the fundamental difference with the dotcom bubble: AI does have real and demonstrable value. ChatGPT solves specific problems, Claude Code development skyrockets and models improve quarter by quarter. Nobody believes at this point that they are vaporware like thirty years ago. There are companies using AI to improve margins, accelerate processes and automate tasks that previously required entire teams. The issue is that The gap between the value that technology generates today and the capital it absorbs is considerable. And as long as that gap exists, the sector works more by consensus than by fundamentals. It’s not that everything is smoke, it’s that there is too much capital chasing too few profitable applications in the short term. No one knows when the adjustment will come, if it ever comes. AI may end up justifying all bets and this will be seen in retrospect as the moment when the giants of tomorrow were built. Some of this capital may even end up funding breakthroughs that truly change entire industries. Many cities today have subways because someone more than a century ago decided to build tunnels and lay roads, assuming brutal costs without an immediate return. At the time it may have seemed like financial madness, but thanks to that today we don’t go by bus. The difference is that this was public money betting on the long term. This is private capital waiting to multiply in less than a decade. And that difference matters, because it changes the incentives: whoever builds public infrastructure can wait two generations to see the return. Whoever raises a Series B round needs metrics in the next quarter. So the optimistic scenario exists, but it coexists with another less rosy one: that a large part of the sector is playing the same game (believing because it is necessary to believe, investing because everyone invests) without really knowing where the bottom is. For now, we just keep painting the ships red and acting like that makes them fly faster. Maybe I will. Maybe not. We’ll know when someone dares to check if the painting was what mattered. In Xataka | AI needs 650 billion a year to sustain itself. The problem is who will put them on the table Featured image | Xataka

Five of the best MediaMarkt offers in technology, today January 25

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

MediaMarkt has renewed its campaign Downhill and has added the Web Weekso we can find a huge assortment of discounts (also in single offers) during this Sunday, January 25. Therefore, in this article we are going to review five of the best bargains that the store has available. Honor Magic8 Lite by 329 eurosa beautiful mobile phone in red with a 7,500 mAh battery. Fire TV Stick 4K Select by 35.99 eurosone of the dongle from Amazon with a good discount. Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro by 296.65 euros When registering in the store, a tighter price on the new Xiaomi Redmi mobile. LG 55QNED87A6B by 579 eurosa good QNED TV from LG with a 55-inch screen. Google Pixel 10 by 629 eurosa more reasonable price on a mobile phone ideal for taking photos. Honor Magic8 Lite If right now there is a very interesting mobile phone under 350 euros, that is the Honor Magic8 Lite. By 329 euroswe have a phone resistant to drops of up to 2.5 meters with 7,500 mAh batterya very high figure for its range. Its AMOLED screen is 6.79 inches, it has the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 and it has 256 GB of internal storage. Honor Magic8 Lite (256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Fire TV Stick 4K Select MediaMarkt also has on offer the Fire TV Stick 4K Select from Amazon, and at a good price 35.99 euros. This device can play content in 4K and, as is customary for the brand, it integrates the Alexa voice assistant. In addition, it includes a remote control with direct access to streaming platforms such as Prime Video or Netflix. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro He Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro has landed on MediaMarkt with a good discount, as long as we are registered in the store. The usual price is 349 euros, but if we register it stays at 296.65 euros. It comes with 256 GB of storage, but can be expanded up to 2 TB with a microSD. Its 6.77-inch AMOLED screen offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, Its battery is 6,500 mAh and its processor is the MediaTek Helio G200-Ultra. Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro (256GB, 4G) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG 55QNED87A6B If what we want is a good television at a not very high price, the LG 55QNED87A6B Right now it is on sale for 579 euros. It incorporates a 55-inch QNED screen with 4K resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Digital and comes with four HDMI ports (one HDMI 2.1). LG 55QNED87A6B (QNED, 55 inches) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 He Google Pixel 10 It hasn’t stopped receiving discounts since before Black Friday 2025 and now it has one of the best: it’s on sale for 629 euros. It is a small mobile 6.3 inches which offers good performance, although its two key points are the operating system, which will be updated for many years, and its photography section, which is excellent. 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 | MediaMarkt and Compradicción (header), Honor, Amazon, Xiaomi, LG, Google In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best Amazon Fire TV. Which one to buy and recommended models to convert your TV into a smart TV depending on use

Petrer’s most popular vehicle is a hearse mounted on a Mercedes W124 300D: Funeraria El Fiambre

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Rubén Cano, a 26-year-old resident of Petrer, has been driving around the streets of his municipality and nearby towns for months at the wheel of a mortuary Mercedes that he has labeled with the motto “Funeraria El Fiambre. Express shipping for the stiff ones.” The vehicle, which he uses as a private car, has become a viral phenomenon in the province of Alicante, and has given rise to both very curious anecdotes and the occasional problem. Three years searching your custom car. Just like share the Levante EMV medium, Rubén has been an automotive aesthetics enthusiast since he was a teenager, and had been looking for a hearse “at an affordable price” for a few years. He bought it second-hand at Wallapop and moved it from Barcelona. It is a Mercedes Benz W124 Sedan 300 D, bodywork for funeral homes, with 200 horsepower and 3,000 cubic centimeters. Cano assures that he has all the documentation in order: ITV, insurance and driving license. Its only practical drawback is its size: at 5.1 meters long, it needs to take up two parking spaces. Image: Rafa Petrer (Facebook) Between humor and controversy. The vehicle does not go unnoticed, far from it. While many neighbors stop to take photos with him or even joke by asking Rubén to be the one to take them to the cemetery when his time comes, others have not taken the joke too well. Some of the complaints arose when the car appeared parked near a well-known school in Petrer or in front of private homes. On Facebook you can find messages like “get that car off my street”, reflecting a certain discomfort on the part of the neighborhood at what they consider an inappropriate presence on public roads. The Local Police he was about to fine him. The protests led the Petrer Local Police to contact Rubén and his mother to warn them of a possible sanction for disturbance of public order and usurpation of powers of funeral staff. “I don’t understand why they wanted to report me if I don’t dedicate myself to transporting dead people. The only ones I transport are my friends and some may be glanders but not dead,” Rubén explained to the aforementioned media with humor. After consulting the police headquarters, it was clarified that there was no violation and the matter was resolved without a fine. Future plans with the mortuary Mercedes. Passionate about the world of motors and considered a tinkerer in bodywork and painting by his friends, Rubén has very specific plans for his peculiar acquisition. He wants to camperize the cabin, which measures 2.2 meters, so he can sleep in it during his trips. He comments that the changes will be subtle because, as he admits, he is satisfied with his four-wheeled “jewel” as it is. The young man account that even during a police stop at dawn in the Port of Alicante area, the National Police officers laughed when they read the car sign. Living using a hearse. Like Rubén’s example, we find several people who have become accustomed to using a car designed for funeral homes in their daily lives. Our colleague Javier Lacort was lucky enough to interview some owners of Seat 124, 131, Opel Kadett and Citroën BX in Motorpasión, all of them bodywork models for funeral homes. Due to the length that these vehicles offer, their owners are delighted because in the end you can fit everything, even a dead person. Cover image | Ruben Cano (instagram) In Xataka | A remote town in Soria attracted neighbors by offering them a house and bar. Two months later they left due to the cold

The jobs that will grow the fastest in the next decade, in a revealing graph about the future

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

Knowing which professions are going to be the most in demand is always a good idea: either because you are in the academic period and want to better outline what to study or because you want a professional change or specialize. Of course, if it is also accompanied by the best conditions. The winning combo: demand and wages. Every era has its challenges, but undoubtedly the emergence of AI generates more uncertainty: from its usurpation of junior positionsnow you can program without knowing how to program and translators already live with the sword of Damocles on. Whichever phase you’re in, this graph of data on the fastest-growing jobs through 2034 is quite revealing in terms of bringing together both demand and salary range. The graphic is provided by Visual Capitalistwhich in turn uses information from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics collected by USAFactssomething to especially take into account due to the issue of salaries: Spain is not exactly in the United States in the rankings of salary from all countries in the world. What’s more, it is not even in the high area in the salaries of the states of the European Union. Care at the center. If there is an area that stands out in the coming years, it is those related to care, with home care and personal care assistants increasing abysmally compared to the rest by 740,000 new positions until 2034. A little further down, health classics such as medical and health area managers with almost 143,000 more positions and nursing, which both in internships and already qualified exceed 260,000 positions. Of course, this increase in auxiliaries does not go hand in hand with a huge salary: it is well below what can be achieved in nursing and medicine in particular, and the list in general. Technology is balance. If you are looking for a profession with demand and a good salary, the technology sector meets both requirements. The job that appears at the top of the graph is software developers, which will increase by 268,000 positions and will have an average salary of $133,000 (we insist, in the United States). A little further down, those responsible for computer and information systems, with just over 100,000 new positions between now and 2034. The jobs that will grow the most until 2034. Visual Capitalist Money, money, money. If you are looking for the positions with the best remuneration, a no-brainer: managers, specifically those in computer systems, which increase by 100,000 jobs and have an average salary of $171,000. However, in general the payrolls of data scientists, software developers, IT and financial systems managers, financial directors and nursing specializations stand out. Beyond the numbers. Leaving aside salary differences, there are readings of the figures and the graph that cross borders. As the population ages, the need for care of all kinds inevitably increases, whether in residences or at home. On the other hand, it is true that AI is already affecting the IT sector: big tech companies are already slowing down hiring and there have been layoffsbut also that it will take someone who knows how everything works to implement it in different industries. In fact, one of the most in-demand profiles is AI engineering: it has increased by 278.5% since its lowest point in 2023 and currently has 24,957 vacancies open, according to data by TrueUp. In Xataka | What salaries are like in Europe, explained in a revealing graph In Xataka | The main companies in each province of Spain, on an interactive map that says a lot about the country’s economy Cover | Visual Capitalist

In the middle of World War II, a woman illuminated modern cryptography. The FBI then hid it from us.

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

He did not study mathematics, nor did he enlist in the army: Elizabeth FriedmanShe simply fell in love with Shakespeare and that love embarked her on an adventure that led her to uncover Nazi spy networks in World War II, lock up Al Capone’s lackeys, and lay the foundations of the modern NSA. This is the story of how, with the only help of a pencil and paper, a poet from the American Midwest became one of the most important cryptographers in the United States. It is also the story of how they hid their work and we forgot about it for decades. Although she was the youngest of new siblings and grew up in a Quaker family in rural Illinois, Elizebeth graduated in English literature for him Hillsdale College of Michigan. Almost immediately she began working as a teacher. That seemed like it would be his vocation until Shakespeare crossed his path again. The Newberrya Chicago research library, was looking for an assistant. It was nothing too striking except for the fact that, it was said, an original by the Stratford-upon-Avon playwright was kept in the library’s holdings. That was enough for Elizebeth. It was there, working at Newberry, where he met George Fabyana millionaire convinced that Shakespeare’s plays had been written by Francis Bacon. It is not a very strange belief, for centuries the confusing past of the English poet has generated rivers of ink about who William Shakespeare really was. What had not happened until then was that an eccentric billionaire decided to put his fortune at the service of the idea. In 1916, at the age of 23, Elizebeth began working at the Fabyan think tank, a private laboratory, Riverbankwhere things as varied as genetic engineering or they worked on the development of weapons. Now, he would also have a team dedicated to finding the clues that Bacon ‘had left’ in works like ‘Hamlet’ or ‘Romeo and Juliet’. That Riverbank was surely one of the first modern cryptography laboratories. There Elizebeth met her husband, William Friedman. Together, and unintentionally, they would shape modern American cryptography and play a very important role in the next 50 years of American defense. ‘We few, we happy few, we band of brothers’ It all started because, in the middle of the First World War, the army decided to turn to Riverbank to help them with code breaking. It was such a great success that the Secretary of War signed them and took the couple to Washington, DC. Shortly after arriving, Elizebeth began working for the Treasury: the eighteenth amendment (the famous Prohibition) and alcohol trafficking networks were rampant throughout the United States. Elizebeth was terribly productive. It is estimated that, between 1926 and 1930, he deciphered an average of 20,000 smugglers’ messages a year, dismantling hundreds of ciphers in the process. And the Second World War. The role of American cryptographers “was not very important”, but among them the Friedmans shined especially. Elizebeth’s skills were already known and served to dismantle a complex network of Nazi spies in Latin America that tried to promote fascist revolutions and weaken the “backyard” of the United States. Despite this, resources were very scarce and recognition even less. Surely his most impressive work was the one that led to the arrest and imprisonment of Velvalee Dickinsonthe “doll woman”, a spy arrested in 1942 for passing all kinds of information to Japan (hidden in letters about patent leather dolls) during World War II. “His abilities were so unusual that he became indispensable,” he explained. Jason Fagone who has written a spectacular book on Friedman’The Woman who smashed codes‘. “She was called on repeatedly to solve problems that no one else could solve. A secret weapon.” However, and despite the publicity of these cases, the Friedman surname did not transcend. It was not an forgetfulness. Hoover, the famous and controversial director of the FBI, wiped the Friedmans off the map and awarded the merits of each of the cases to his Agency. Nothing surprising in a figure, that of Hoover, key in much of the American 20th century, capable of creating the largest research office in the world and, at the same time, using it as if it were his ‘private army’. Although Elizebeth’s work and that of her husband were the seed of what would later become the NSA, their figure was forgotten, relegated and, until very few years ago, remained unrescued in the drawer of history. In 1999 he entered the NSA ‘Hall of Fame’ and in 2002 a building was dedicated to him. It’s another one of those ‘hidden figures‘without which we could not understand today’s world. In Xataka | In 1925, procrastination was already a problem and someone found the definitive solution: the isolation helmet. In Xatka | Scotland remains almost a fiefdom in the 21st century: half of its land is owned by 421 owners

NASA has just shared some impressive images of the Helix Nebula like we have never seen it before.

January 25, 2026 by usatoday24

If there were a nebula popularity contest, that of the Propeller It would be at the top: it is one of the brightest and closest to Earth, located about 650 light years from the Solar System, in the constellation of Aquarius. However, the fact that it was discovered more than two centuries ago and its resemblance to the “Eye of Sauron” have made it one of the most photographed in history. Over the years the Hubble space telescope has captured some of the most iconic images of the Helix Nebula, like the one you can see just below these lines, but the new images that NASA has just published of the James Webb They are simply on another level. If you like astronomy and want to renew your desktop background, here are some great candidates. One of the most iconic images of the Helix Nebula, made by Hubble. POT The reason is not so much because of the nebula itself, it is that the difference in sensitivity and sharpness is abysmal compared to the veteran Hubble and the retired Spitzer, as you can see in this video. The key is the size of their “eye” (the mirror) and the type of light they detect. Thus, while Hubble observes mainly in the visible and ultraviolet, with a 2.4-meter mirror, Spitzer was a pioneer of the infrared with a much smaller mirror, 0.85 meters, which limited its resolution. The James Webb combines the best of both approaches: with a 6.5-meter mirror and extraordinary infrared sensitivity, it achieves unprecedented resolution in that range of the spectrum and is capable of passing through interstellar dust. In image quality it plays in another league. The Webb Space Telescope photographs the Helix Nebula in spectacular detail The correct term to refer to this nebula is “planetary nebula”, which does not clarify very well what we have in front of us: they are not formed from planets, but from stars like the Sun. When their life is running out, these stars emit large amounts of gas in an envelope that expands in a grandiose but “brief” phenomenon (in cosmo, not terrestrial units). It is, in a nutshell, like glimpse the possible final destiny of the Sun and our planetary system. This new image highlights comet-like knots, strong stellar winds, and layers of gas released by a dying star as it interacts with its environment. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) The image obtained with Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) that you see just above shows a kind of pillars that look like comets with elongated tails, tracing the circumference of the internal region of an expanding gas envelope, explains NASA. The image shows “scorching winds of hot, fast-moving gas from the dying star colliding with slower, cooler layers of dust and gas ejected earlier in its life, sculpting the nebula’s extraordinary structure.” Webb’s near-infrared vision highlights these knots against the ethereal image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and thanks to the higher resolution, the focus is much sharper than ever. Additionally, this infrared vision makes it possible to clearly visualize the transition between the hotter and colder gas as the envelope expands. The Helix Nebula from the Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy located on Earth (left) in front of Webb’s field of view (right). Image: ESO, VISTA, NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Emerson (ESO); Acknowledgment: CASU Outside the Webb’s frame, you can see the white dwarf in the center of the nebula (its nucleus), which emits very strong radiation. This energy works like a kind of flashlight that illuminates the surrounding gas in different chromatic layers depending on the temperature: the blue area is the closest and hottest, the coldest is red at the edge, where the gas mixes with dust. In the middle, the intermediate area in yellow, where atoms begin to join together to form molecules. The most striking thing on a technical level is that to date, Spitzer images only hinted at the formation of these molecules, but the resolution of the Webb allows us to see precisely those dark and protected “pockets” between the bright orange and red tones: it is where complex molecules are being manufactured. This interaction is essential insofar as it constitutes the raw material from which some day new planets could form in other star systems. In Xataka | NASA has published 96 fantastic posters of the universe that you can download for free in HD In Xataka | The first images from NASA’s new satellite offer us a completely different view of the oceans Images | POT

Europe’s passenger car industry, in a revealing map that makes it clear who is the real “engine” of the EU

January 24, 2026 by usatoday24

Even though it is submerged in a deep crisis of competitivenessIt’s no secret that The automobile industry is one of the driving forces of the European Union. Thus, it is responsible for 8% of its GDP (figures collected by CCOO) and employs 13,000 million people, including direct and indirect jobs. Of course, the EU is large and the distribution of its factories presents enormous divergence. Although there are things that don’t change. The European Automobile Manufacturers Association has an interactive map which is quite good to see what the distribution is like quantitatively, insofar as it shows even the few electric battery plants on the old continent, but if you are more interested in the qualitative and only passenger cars, there is a clearer map: that of World Wide Mobility. And beyond a barrage of concentrated icons that are difficult to distinguishshows in general terms the main brands that are produced or assembled there, production volumes and the percentage they represent of the total. Which countries are the engine of Europe in the automobile industry The data on the map dates back to 2024 and shows a figure of 11.4 million passenger cars manufactured in the European Union, which are essentially concentrated in three states in a non-uniform manner: Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic. World Wide Mobility Germany, 12 points. The leading country in the old continent when it comes to motors is, of course, Germany: it is not only the largest producer by volume with more than four million passenger cars and a 35.7% share, but also the one with the densest network of high-tech factories. Own brands stand out such as Volkswagen and its five factories that include the headquarters in Wolfsburg, BMW with four factories, the three of Mercedes – Benz or the two of Audi, Porsche or Opel (Stellantis). But it also has plants from foreign companies, such as Tesla in Grünheide (Berlin) or the North American Ford in Cologne. Much lower but still outstanding silver is Spainwith a share of 16.4% and almost two million cars assembled in the state. With the high efficiency per flag (in the words of the Spanish Minister of IndustryJordi Hereu), has fewer of its own brands but in exchange it is the nerve center for foreign groups. Thus, in addition to Martorell’s own SEAT/Cupra, legendary highlights include the Volkswagen factory in Landaben in Navarra, Stellantis distributed in three plants, both of which are Renault, Ford in Almussafes, and the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Alava. And be careful because it does not take into account the reactivation of the old Nissan factory for Chery/Ebro EV, already operational. Third place belongs to the Czech Republic with 12.7% and almost 1.5 million passenger cars, which together with Slovakia (fourth with 8.7% and almost a million cars) form “the Detroit of Central Europe“. A bronze achieved thanks to the importance of Škoda and the growing impact of Hyundai and Toyota. In fact, Slovakia It has the highest car production per capita on the planet: over there Large SUVs in the most premium segment are manufactured of the Volkswagen group in its factory in Bratislava, but it also houses manufactures of Kia, Stellantis or Jaguar and Land Rover. Romania and Hungary below demonstrate a reality: the strength of the Central European axis in this industry. France deserves special mentiona country with historically mythical brands that have been relocating production, but which still houses five plants of the Stellantis group and four of Renault, as well as foreign brands such as Fiat. And if we go to luxury, Italy and Sweden appear on the map, with high-end brands such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg or Volvo, although their figures are lower. In Xataka | There is a Europe that is suffocating to pay for housing and another that lives in peace. And this map shows the differences In Xataka | All the car plants in Europe (including the few battery-electric ones), on a map Cover | World Wide Mobility

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