Month: January 2026

Japan does not want to depend on China for rare earths. And that is why it is drilling the ocean at 6,000 meters deep

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He map of the world’s (known) rare earth reserves makes one thing clear: China is the absolute queen. Although They are neither earth nor are they rareconstitute a real poker of aces in the game of global geopolitics, energy and technology. And it’s not just about having lanthanides in your territory, it’s about discovering them and knowing how to extract them. Within that graph, in the Asia section, we can see that Japan does not even appear on the map. And it’s not because there aren’t any, because there are, there are. But so far they have turned to their trading partner and neighbor: China. Where Christ lost the lighter. In 2024 Japan found an impressive site of 230 million tons that would put it on the front line. But that site had small print: it is at the bottom of the sea, in a coral atoll in the Pacific about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. Fair where they suspected. Last summer discovered his roadmap with a first stage that would begin right now, in January 2026. Japan and China, on the brink of the abyss. The two Asian countries are mired in a deep diplomatic crisis. The great trigger was the statements of the Japanese Prime Minister at the end of 2025 suggesting that a Chinese military intervention in Taiwan could be considered an “existential crisis” for Japan, which would open the doors to a Japanese military response. The consequences were immediate: China considered it interference and began to intensify its maritime patrols and areas near Japanese waters in a move that has displeased the Japanese government. consider it reckless in terms of security. 2026 also began with trade consequences from China such as the veto on seafood products, restrictions on tourism and an embargo on the export of dual-use goods (civil and military), including rare earths. So Japan has to expedite another way to obtain rare earths to feed its automotive industry in particular and technology in general. And he has done it. Just in time. Given the rough patch he’s going through with his partner and neighbor, the timing couldn’t be better. Last Monday a mining ship set sail for that remote atoll located in front of the Minami-Torishima Island to begin a month-long mission in which the famous Japanese drill ship Chikyu and a crew of 130 people will have to go all out, literally, to try to continuously extract rare earths from that succulent seabed six kilometers deep. And we say “try” because It’s the first time it’s been done. If successful, a full-scale mining test will follow in February 2027. Japan’s “detox” of Chinese rare earths. It is not the first time that Japan has been in this situation. Without going any further, in 2010 China retained exports after an incident that took place between a Chinese fishing boat and two Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands (administered by Japan but claimed by China). At that time, Japan managed to reduce their dependence from China from 90 to 60%. The alternative route involved investments in projects abroad (for example, from Australia) or promoting recycling and manufacturing processes that are more independent of the base material. But now it is different because who can obtain rare earths within their own territory. Looking to the horizon. Since the diplomatic crisis of 2010, Japan has been investigating in search of mineral reserves. Without going any further, this one on Minamitori Island has been in development since 2018 and the Japanese government has invested more than 40 billion yen (250 million dollars) since then. It was previously considered economically unviable, but between China’s embargo and the willingness to pay higher prices, it already seems more plausible, explains Kotaro Shimizuprincipal analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting. The senior director of economic security policy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan on the China Talk podcast This week’s issue revealed how the government must continually remind companies of the importance of diversifying their supply chains: “Sometimes an event occurs and the company reacts, but when the event ends, the company forgets. We have to maintain a continuous effort” In Xataka | The “B side” of the United States landing in Venezuela: a subsoil full of hypothetical rare earths In Xataka | Greenland has 1.5 million tons of rare earths. The problem is that there are no roads to get to them. Cover | Peggy Greb and Gleam – Photo taken by Gleam., CC BY-SA 3.0

Science has named what you feel when a Pixar movie makes you cry

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Watching the end of a Pixar movie and witnessing an unexpected reunion at an airport can trigger something in some people: a lump in the throat, a warmth in the chest, and even watering in the eyes. And it is not sadness nor euphoric happiness, but a sensation that has received a name very recently. A problem. For years, psychology has had trouble categorizing this specific sensation. We call it “being moved”, “striking a chord” or having “mixed feelings”. However, for a decadea group of scientists from UCLA and the University of Oslo has given it a technical namea theoretical framework and an evolutionary explanation. Is called ‘Kama Muta‘, and it is the scientific label for one of the most powerful tools of our survival, which is sudden connection. Something that we can also feel on social networks when we see the video of a grandmother with her grandson, for example, in a very idyllic situation. Kama Muta. A term that comes from Sanskrit and literally means “to be moved by love” (or “to be filled with love”). And although the name sounds very mystical, there is a scientific part behind it that supports it, since it has been systematically studied. by Kama Muta Labled by anthropologists and psychologists. According to his founding article from 2016and later reviews in Annual Review of Psychologykama muta is not a “new” emotion in the sense that we have just discovered it, but rather that we have just classified it. That is, we had these localized feelings, but we didn’t know what name to give them. Its definition. A positive emotional response triggered by a sudden intensification of communal relationships. In other words: it is what your body feels when you perceive that a social bond is suddenly created, repaired or strengthened. A physical triad. Unlike other abstract emotions, kama muta has a very clear physiological signature that researchers have validated in cross-sectional studies. According to research by Zickfeld published in Emotionwhich spanned 19 countries and 15 languages, the universal symptoms are clear: wet eyes, goosebumps, and a feeling of warmth. A sensation of warmth that curiously centers right in the heart of the chest. Something that already says a lot about this new emotion. Why we are sorry. Why did evolution design us to cry and tremble when we see others hugging? The answer is in group survival. Science suggests that this emotion acts as a social glue, since by feeling physically rewarded by the connection (our own or someone else’s), we are more predisposed to take care of others and sacrifice ourselves for the group. In this way, it has the power to humanize “others.” In an experiment, showing moving videos that induced kama muta significantly increased the perception of humanity towards outgroups, reducing any prejudices one might have. It’s not just “feeling good,” it’s a biological mechanism to expand our circle of empathy. Climate action. The most interesting from recent research is that kama muta does not remain a passive experience, but predicts behavior as well. A 2023 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that messages about climate change that evoked kama muta (focused on connection to the planet and shared responsibility) were more effective in predicting pro-environmental intentions than those based on fear or guilt. Images | Nik Shuliahin In Xataka | If the question is “where is the secret to happiness,” an expert believes it is hidden in these 15 statements

The water from the Tagus is going to stay in Castilla-La Mancha. So Alicante and Murcia already have a plan B: set up desalination plants

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Water management in the Spanish Levant is not only a question of engineering, but a political and territorial battle that is released in each cubic hectometer. While the reservoirs at the head of the Tagus fluctuate and the rules of the game change in the Madrid officesthe Segura Basin tries to shield its survival through technology. With the Tajo-Segura Transfer in the regulatory spotlightthe Government has been forced to accelerate its “plan B”: converting sea water into the lungs of European agriculture. Green light to the preliminary projects. The Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS) already has on the table the design of the two desalination plants that promise to give a break to the Cuenca Plan. Mario Urrea, at the head of the organization, has signed the contracts to draw up the preliminary projects for works that will cost 1.34 million euros in the technical phase alone. However, the plan has already collided with local political reality. According to local mediathe exact location of the plant planned for the left bank (Torrevieja area) is a point of friction: the Torrevieja City Council and the Generalitat Valenciana have already expressed a “frontal rejection” of the possibility of the new plant being installed in said municipal area. To avoid this premature shock, the CHS refers generically to the “surroundings of the La Pedrera reservoir”, although technically the most viable thing would be to locate it next to the existing plant in Torrevieja, very close to the sea. The puzzle of numbers. The objective is to achieve water guarantee criteria, but the details reveal notable confusion in the scope of the plan. While the Government initially pointed out to a 100 hm3 plant for the Torrevieja area, the current specifications reduce that figure by half, placing it at 50 hm3. However, planning suggests that, adding the capacities of both facilities, up to 150 hm3 per year could be contributed to the system. The surgical distribution of this unconventional resource will be structured as follows: Right Bank Desalination Plant (Águilas): It will produce 50 hm3 annually. Of these, 33.5 hm3 will be used to relieve overexploited underground masses such as Alto Guadalentín and Mazarrón, while 16.5 hm3 will reinforce direct supply in Lorca, Totana and areas of Almería. Left Bank Desalination Plant (Torrevieja): With a projected production of up to 100 hm3 (according to the horizon of the basin plan), it will allocate 58.5 hm3 to alleviate the undersupply of the Cartagena and Alicante Field (Albatera, San Isidro), in addition to dedicating 41.5 hm3 to the recovery of aquifers such as Cabo Roig. A divided plan under the stigma of energy. The project has been divided into two strategic lots with an initial execution period of 12 months for its drafting. The lot on the right bank has been awarded to the company Typsa for 674,575 euros, with the mandate to study its connection with the existing desalination plant in Águilas. For its part, the lot on the left bank has been awarded to Ayesa Engineering for 669,286 euros, with the mission of connecting the infrastructure with the La Pedrera reservoir to distribute water through the post-transfer channels. A critical aspect is sustainability. Both preliminary projects must necessarily include the design of photovoltaic solar plants to reduce the high electrical cost of desalination. However, this point raises skepticism: as the local press remembersthe Government has not yet managed to materialize the solar plant in 2024 for the current Torrevieja desalination plant due to lack of location. The time factor: an insurmountable obstacle. Despite the signing of these contracts, the solution will not be immediate. The Ministry estimates that these desalination plants will take between five and six years to be operational, given that after drafting the preliminary project comes a complex phase of environmental processing, public information and possible expropriations. For irrigators, this calendar is “unaffordable”. They find themselves trapped in a temporal clamp; While climate change and the new transfer rules impose cuts today, the promised alternative will not arrive, in the best of cases, until the beginning of the next decade. Water peace or temporary truce? The commitment to desalination is the central axis of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition’s strategy to close the Segura water gap. However, with the transfer rules about to change and an execution of works that is projected into the next decade, the new desalination plants are born in a climate of technical and political uncertainty. The signature of Mario Urrea puts the paper on the table, but water—and territorial peace—still seem to be far away on the horizon. Image | CHS Segura Xataka | After the rains, the battle between communities begins: the Tagus is full and the Segura basin is already demanding its water

turn your rays into accidental weapons

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When we thought that the offshore energy It was the future of renewables, someone looked towards low Earth orbit and exclaimed “hold my tank.” One of the plans conquest of China’s renewables goes through placing farms that harvest solar energy around the Earth. The problem is that there is starting to be too much going on in low orbit and any failure in energy transmission can become a geopolitical headache. Because these solar farms can ‘attack’ the rest of the satellites with laser rays. Ideal. Peter Glaser already formulated the idea of ​​’farming’ solar energy in space and sending it to Earth in the sixties. In his idea, the energy would be sent through microwaves, but with the technology of the time and the structures necessary for sending information, the idea came to nothing. Now, with the possibility of reusing rockets, using lightweight materials and lasers with millimeter precision, things have changed. And it makes perfect sense. In space, and without the influence of the atmosphere, the solar panels They are capable of capturing the light spectrum differently. They are more efficient because the light arrives more directly, uninterrupted, and there is no need to clean dust or snow that interferes with the efficiency of the panel. Almost All advantages. In an article by Harvard Techology It exposes how China, Japan either USA are very interested in this technology. Although the main disadvantage is the very high initial cost and solving the energy loss that occurs in this wireless transmission, the advantages make it very attractive: Constant power supply. Reduced use of land space. Lower carbon footprint than on Earth. Improvement in the global distribution of energy to provide ‘clean’ electricity to areas that, due to terrestrial conditions, cannot install large plants. The plan. And, as we say, China has embarked on a space race tremendously ambitious. On the one hand, they are finalizing your own space station. On the other hand, they develop technologies to synchronize moon clocks and terrestrials that open the doors to more complex missions on our satellite. The Chinese space program is taking giant steps in a short timeand sending satellites that act as photovoltaic farms not only responds to that “first come, first served” plan, but also to the country’s interest in renewables. We see huge plants in their huge desertsand in space they would be even more efficient. He plan It involves having an operational orbital solar power plant for the next decade, before competitors such as Japan or the United States… and a Europe that is evaluating the potential of this technology. And China is not bluffing: they have been testing prototypes on the ground before launching a unit into low orbit at the end of this decade. laser beams. The adjacent problem, because there is an issue that has nothing to do with costs or energy transmission, is that we begin to have too many ‘things’ around the Earth. SpaceX just got the green light to deploy another 7,500 satellites starlink. It adds to all the satellites they already had in orbitthose of other competitorsthe geopositioning ones, all the scientific satellites, the junk that is spinning around and that is useless, but takes up space… and if there is any problem with the laser that transmits energy from those space solar farms, the consequences could be considerable. A investigation carried out by the Institute of Environmental Satellite Engineering in Beijing, and published in the Chinese scientific journal ‘High Power Laser and Particle Beams’ points to the risk that these farms represent for the rest of the satellites. If the laser beams that transfer the energy do not reach their target due to any error or unforeseen event, it could lead to an ‘attack’ on other satellites or even rockets taking off from Earth. Not so that they explode, but enough to overheat the solar panels of these systems, triggering an electric shock that forces the vehicle to stop and, therefore, the need to repair the affected system, with all that this implies. And the risk is greater when shorter wavelengths are used, which is when the laser ‘carries’ more energy. It’s something they’ve tested using laboratory models that recreate the characteristics of the orbital environment and firing ultrashort laser pulses at a test solar panel. Overbooking. With this study, the researchers they warn about the risks and warn those responsible for the systems that it is something that they should take into account in order to, for example, select laser power parameters that are safer or equip the solar panels of what is launched into space with a kind of shield. Obviously, when those space photovoltaic farms arrive, the engineers who perform the launch and trajectory calculations will have to take into account not only that there are more bodies floating, but also the laser segment towards Earth. And it’s a bigger problem when we see that low orbit is not only going to be more crowded in the short term, with all the competitors for offer global internet or the military satellitesbut also because big technology companies have an interest in put data centers in space. The operation would be very similar: collect solar energy, process the AI ​​data in orbit and transfer it by microwave to Earth. Image | H.T.R. In Xataka | We are launching more things into space than ever before. And the next problem is already on the table: how to pollute less

In medieval Europe, not only humans ended up on the gallows. Other criminals were also executed: the “murderer” pigs

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For centuries, medieval Europe It was a place where justice was dispensed not only in the courts, but in the squares, in full view of everyone, with public rituals designed to repair order when someone broke it in an intolerable way. At that time, the fear of the unforeseeable did not come only from armies, plagues or famines, but also from what moved through the streets and corrals. In the France Medieval times, for example, the public ritual of punishment (carriage amidst mockery, solemn sentence and execution before the community) did not always have a human as the protagonist: sometimes, the condemned was a pig. The image, which today seems like an oddity from a black chronicle or a folkloric exaggeration, was real enough to leave repeated documentary traces: animals led as prisoners, hung upside down until they died and treated, in practice, as perpetrators responsible for a crime that had broken the social balance. The pig as a real threat The frequency of these cases is better understood by remembering that the medieval world lived attached to animals and their risks. Pigs, in particular, were useful because they ate everything and could feed on scraps, but that same omnivorous condition made them dangerous if they roamed free near small children. The records collect numerous episodes in which pigs killed and even devoured children, a violence that today clashes with the modern image of the docile and slow animal, but which was then associated with specimens closest to the wild boar: fast, strong and capable of imposing themselves physically in seconds. Medieval archives collect cases like the one from 1379when a group of pigs in Saint-Marcel-lès-Jussey killed the son of a swineherd, or the from 1386 in FalaiseNormandy, where a sow destroyed a child who ended up dying. Also that of 1457 in Savigny, Burgundywhen little Jehan Martin was killed by a sow and, especially disturbingly, his six piglets were found nearby, stained with blood. They were not vague rumors, but stories that were fixed with names and placesand that fueled the need for a public response that was not limited to a simple private loss. In France, these events often led to in judicial proceedings formalities in which the animal was imprisoned, transferred and executed as if it were a common criminal. Sources talk about expenses registered normally (cart, prison, executioner even brought from Paris) and an administrative routine that suggests that, for the people of that time, it was not an absurd spectacle, but a legitimate mechanism of justice. The strangeness, therefore, was not that there was violence, but rather that the violence was channeled through a trial with the appearance of ordinary procedure. When money is not enough A practical explanation of these processes was that medieval justice tended to seek reconciliation between partiesand many disputes could be resolved with compensation or agreements. But when a child death came into the picture, that logic was broken: the damage was too serious and the money could be insufficient to close the social wound. In that context, the court intervened to “take control” of the conflict, separate it from private revenge and offer an institutional solution that would distribute the emotional and political burden of the outcome. Trials also functioned as a form of organize the story: It was not just about punishing the animal, but about clarifying human responsibilities. If a pig was known for being dangerouswhy was he allowed to loiter near children? Was there negligence on the part of the owner? a chain of negligence? There was even a suggestion of the possibility of darkest questions: if the child was “unwanted”, if he or she was deliberately left in a risky situation or if the accident hid an intention. The court, by intervening, not only imposed a penalty, it produced an official explanation that the community could accept. Sometimes, the local machinery was not the last word and the matter escalated towards higher authorities. In the case of 1379, some of the accused pigs belonged to an abbey, and from there a petition was sent to Duke Philip “the Bold” requesting clemency. They defended that their animals had not participated and that they were “well-behaved pigs.” The duke heeded the request and issued a pardon for the animals of the abbey, showing that these processes, strange as they may seem, were inserted in real networks of power, influences and political decisions. Far from being simple superstition or peasant rage, these executions could serve to assert authority. The right to erect a gallows and execute criminals it was a privilegeand taking a case to the end allowed a local lord to exhibit the ability to punish and control order. There are episodes that reinforce that reading: a pig murderer from the 15th century it remained imprisoned five years before being executed, and formal letters were sent for permission to build a gallows. When the duke finally agreed, the triumph was not only symbolic: in addition to showing power, the lord stopped carrying the practical cost of keeping the animal imprisoned and feeding it. Plus: another key is the medieval vision of reality as a logical system created by godwith animals destined to serve humans. For a pig to devour a child was an unbearable investment of that order, a rupture of hierarchies that demanded public reparation. In that mental framework, the trial and execution were not theater: they were a way of “putting back together” what had been broken, of affirming that the world still had rules and that chaos, even when it came from an animal, could be put back into place by a solemn act of justice. Image | Ernest Figueras, Zoe Clarke In Xataka | The Middle Ages were not as dark as they told us In Xataka | 900 years ago, Europe had its own Manhattan: the impressive skyscrapers of more than 100 meters of Bologna

the most useful will be the one that watches us the most

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Google just launched Personal Intelligence. Connect Gemini with your Gmail, Photos, YouTube and your search history “with just one touch.” The promise is that this way you can receive personalized responses without having to explain your context every time. The promotional example is striking: you are in a tire store, you need to give your license plate and Gemini infers it from the photos you have taken of your car. It’s not the best example because how many people don’t know their own license plate. But the idea is understood. Anthropic launched cowork a few days ago and it has already gone viral: you give him access to the files on your computer and Claude can view, edit, create or delete them. Organize them, modify them. OpenAI bought Sky a few months agoa macOS app that “sees your screen and acts on your apps.” There are already three products that converge towards a similar architecture: have full access to your information in exchange for giving you maximum utility. The investment is total. For this century, the mantra has been “more privacy = better product.” It didn’t always work in practice, but on paper everyone seemed to agree. Apple has made privacy a sales argument, Meta has been beaten for not taking good care of it, there are companies like Proton, Internxt, Mega or pCloud that were born precisely with that concern in their DNA. Now the equation is reversed: we perceive greater utility the greater the intrusion. And it does not bother the user. On the contrary, he asks for it, gives more information because he knows the answers will be better. The competition is in the AI ​​models, but also in the levels of consented access: Google doesn’t need its models to always be better than GPTs, it needs you to connect more applications. Anthropic does not need to surpass in benchmarks Gemini needs you to give it access to the files on your computer. And OpenAI didn’t buy Sky for its technology, but because of how refined and practical it has made the intrusion as core of your product. The difference is more psychological than technical. No one says “give us full access to your entire digital life”, they say “personalize your experience”, “connect apps with a tap”. Or “Claude may take potentially destructive actions,” a protective adverb against the fact that his AI can delete your files. Three years ago, a product with these permissions would have been presented as dystopian. Today is the end. What happens is simple: Rearranging downloads manually is a pain. Search for an email among thousands too. Walk to the parking lot to look at the chassis number, another. Giving up privacy to avoid those small frictions seems reasonable. And it is. Nobody has deceived us. But he timing also counts. Because? Because the change is not only technical, it is also cultural. First we had to normalize the “copilot” and then add “the secretary who sees everything.” Each permit prepared us for the next. Analyze this document → Access my Drive → Connect everything with one touch. And it works because it pays off, a lot. AI that only knows what you tell it is, objectively, less useful. Josh Woodward, VP of Gemini, He gave a very good explanation: When you went to change your tires, Gemini suggested specific models based on the trips it detected in Photos. Climates, types of terrain… No AI does that without that total access. The uncomfortable question is what happens when the most useful tool is the most invasive, we know it, and yet we prefer it. When immediate convenience meets abstract privacy, the former always wins. These tools warn us of their risks, but most of us are deciding that we don’t care. Or that it’s worth it. This happened with Google Maps, YouTube, Spotify or Instagram. The difference is that before the product was the map, the music, the social network. Now the product is an assistant that really needs to know everything to really work. And it’s going to work. In a couple of years, AI with full access will be so superior that it will seem absurd to have ever hesitated to give it permissions. Just as now it seems absurd to us to use our mobile phone without geolocation for privacy. When we ask ourselves how we normalize this, the answer will be very simple: we ask for it. The alternative was having to go look for the information. In Xataka | We couldn’t tell you if the image at the top of this post is real or generated by AI: we are in the era of permanent doubt Featured image | Anthropic

Warren Buffet and Michael Bloomberg have advice for giving Generation Z better jobs: prioritize “good vibes”

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Starting your professional career is not easy. Bringing it to fruition, even less so. The job market has changed drastically since Warren Buffet and Michael Bloomberg made their first steps (they are 95 and 83 years old), but of course their professional trajectories, decisions and holding the unofficial title of best investor in history It gives them enough authority to give advice. Because they also give them very good ones: Buffet has already spoken before about the importance of knowing how to say noas prioritize your professional goals either know how to focus. Well, Warren Buffet and Michael Bloomberg give a recommendation for Gen Z that is entering the labor market: pay attention to the environment. The beginnings of Bloomberg. As the tycoon said on the podcast In Good Company by Norges Bank Investment Management, after finishing university in the 60s, Michael Bloomberg barely earned $11,500 a year (not bad, considering the time and that today would be equivalent to $114,000). But Bloomberg, with a pretty good CV considering he had an MBA from Harvard under his belt, had the option of earning more. More money is not always better. Another company offered him $14,000, but he opted to stay at the Wall Street investment bank Salomon Brothers for the people. In fact, initially the bank had offered him $9,000 and a loan of $2,500, which he knew how to take advantage of by laying the foundations for his empire. He gave up that higher offer and it worked out fine. “Don’t feel sorry for me, but I will never forget that people make the mistake of going to work where they get paid the most,” he concluded in the aforementioned podcast. For Bloomberg, at the beginning of your career the essential thing is: “You have to gain experience, you have to build friendships, you have to try things and see what works and what doesn’t.” There are certain jobs you shouldn’t take. Warren Buffet also shared this same mentality of prioritizing people over pay. At its last shareholders meeting at Berkshire Hathaway was blunt: “Don’t worry too much about starting salaries and be very careful who you work with, because you will end up adopting the habits of the people around you” because “There are certain jobs you shouldn’t take.” And it’s not the first time he’s said it. In fact, more than 20 years ago at another shareholder meeting of the same company, a 14-year-old boy (who was already a shareholder) asked the question “What advice would you give to a young person like me to be successful?” His answer: surround yourself with people better than you. “Choose collaborators whose behavior is better than yours, and you will end up moving in that direction.” GenZ doesn’t have it easy. It must be recognized that the advice is good, but also that the youngest people face runaway inflation, an unstable and weak labor market threatened by AI and a pressing difficulty accessing housingso they need a good salary like never before. In any case, something has not changed from the generation of Buffet and Bloomberg to the genzetters: the fear of the unknown and uncertainty. In Xataka | “I never wanted to create a dynasty”: after announcing his retirement, Warren Buffet is clear about what to do with his immense inheritance In Xataka | Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have the same answer when someone asks them “the secret to success”: focus Cover | Bloomberg Philanthropies and Fortune Live Media (Flickr) USA International Trade Administration – YouTube

the greenhouse gas that warms the planet faster than CO₂

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In November 1776, while traveling on horseback between Italy and Switzerland, Carlo Giuseppe Campi saw bubbles in the marshes surrounding Lake Maggiore. He approached them and decided to investigate them. Almost by accident he discovered that they were flammable and He told it to his friend Alessandro Volta. Years later, Volta discovered that this gas was methane. Since then we have not stopped having problems with him. Colorless, odorless and highly flammable, methane (CH₄) It is a gas composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is the simplest hydrocarbon and, in fact, is the fundamental component of natural gas (and therefore a key fuel for boilers, power plants and part of industry). In addition to the energy context, methane also appears in biological and geological processes: it is a chemical compound that arises, naturally, in the processes of anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. That is, in wetlands, in landfills, in the digestive system of ruminants or in large bags under the ground. Otherwise, methane is used for many other things. Not in vain, it is a raw material for the chemical industry and is an essential part of the production of hydrogen, ammonia or methanol. But the global conversation is not has been talking about methane for decades for none of that. Because, curiously, the big problem with methane is that it is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. After all, from what we know, its molecules capture between about 82 times hotter than CO2 (taking a period of 20 years as a reference). If we broaden the focus and use the 100-year term, its global warming potential is 29.88 times greater than that of CO₂. The only good thing, so as not to paint a picture that is too gloomy or malicious, is that it has an atmospheric half-life (11.8 years on average) compared to a much longer average. This explains why, despite collecting much more heat than the other, the long-term impact of methane is not so great. So? Well, it is an “accelerator” of short-term warming and, in that sense, it is a first-order problem for us. Not only because we are not moving forward; but because if we manage to reduce it, it can provide relatively rapid climate benefits. The problem is that it is not an easy thing to solve. On a planetary scale, annual methane emissions are around hundreds of millions of tons and 40% of them are due to natural sources that we cannot directly control. The other 60% is due, generally speaking, to human sources. According to the Global Methane Budget, there are three main causes: agriculture and rice, fossil fuels and waste. Agrolivestock Monika Kubala For years, experts have discussed the impact of livestock farming (especially ruminants such as cows and sheep). The calculation, in any case, is complex: not only is it difficult to estimate methane production from enteric fermentation (due to digestion), but things as ‘simple’ as manure management suffered from an “information blackout” that makes them very difficult to evaluate. In addition to this (and it is important), you must add the rice. Every year they consume more than 500 million metric tons of rice. That’s a lot of rice (it’s the main source of calories for 3 billion people), but it’s also a lot of methane: because, favored by floods that leave wide plains without oxygen, our gas rises to the surface. Fossil fuels Methane leaking throughout the oil, gas and coal chain is also difficult to measure, but less so. After all, leaks in wells and equipment, ventsinefficient flaring, outdated compressors, plumbing or storage are money wasted. And if we know how to measure something, it is money. The International Energy Agency esteem that the production and use of fossil fuels generated about 120 million tons of methane emissions in 2023. Waste, landfills and wastewater This case is the simplest and the one that most clearly shows that the methane problem really does not matter much to us: landfills, wastewater and other types of waste accumulation areas are areas especially conducive to the generation of methane (due to pure anaerobic activity) and since we do not capture it, it is released into the atmosphere. Thus, the atmospheric concentration of methane remains high and increasing. To give an example, NOAA estimated which, between 2023 and 2024, went from 1915.73 ppb to 1921.79 ppb on average. And, as I say, it is a shame because methane is surely one of the fastest routes: according to UNEP/CCAC, a strong reduction in human emissions (up to 45% this decade, with available measures) “could avoid almost 0.3 ºC of warming by 2045.” Biomethane (also called “renewable natural gas“) is the term that we have coined to refer to a methane of biological origin that is obtained, above all, by improving biogas: the CO₂ and other contaminants in it are eliminated until a gas rich in CH₄ is ​​achieved and comparable, in almost all aspects, to natural gas. As a result of this process, a fuel is obtained that can be injected into the gas network. That is, it is an efficient way to take advantage of (and make the capture and processing economically interesting) a whole series of waste: from manure and sewage sludge to municipal waste or agro-industrial remains. Obviously, “green methane” does not automatically mean that it has “zero environmental impact.” Only that it has a biological origin and can be used like natural gas. For its environmental impact to be low, other things are required such as control of leaks, the origin of the waste or its impact on the network as a whole. Image | Katie Rodriguez In Xataka | The importance of the colors of hydrogen and what it means if it is green, brown, blue or turquoise

Saudi Arabia just opened a $1 billion theme park with a 4.2 km roller coaster and 160 m drop

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The Formula Rossa of the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, has just been dethroned a few days ago. podium of the most spectacular roller coasters in the worldand with a drop of 127 meters and up to 240 kilometers/hour as top speed, these were shocking figures. But you don’t have to go far to find the new queen: it’s called Falcon’s Flight and it’s the jewel in the crown of the astronomical amusement park in Qiddiya City, in Saudi Arabia, which has just opened its doors. The first Six Flags outside North America. Six Flags Qiddiya City is a massive 320,000 square meter amusement park located on a mountainous desert cliff just outside Riyadh. It has 28 attractions, of which five break records as we will see. Likewise, it is the first of the franchise outside the United States, Canada and Mexico, but despite the distance from the parent company, it is a full-fledged Six Flags respect to brand standards. The person who has provided the more than one billion dollars necessary to pay for the project is the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s sovereign investment fund. Behind him, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with a very specific goal: diversify the country’s economy, thus reducing the weight of oil. The park It is one of the five gigaprojects of Saudi Vision 2030its roadmap for diversification into emerging sectors such as tourism and entertainment. Falcon’s Flight shatters all records. The technical sheet of the Six Flags attractions in Riyadh leaves milestones such as the Sirocco Tower, the tallest free fall tower (145 meters); the Gyrospin, which by rising 53 meters has become the highest pendulum in the world or the Iron Rattler, the type roller coaster. tilt highest on the planet (63.4 meters), but if there is one that leaves your mouth open, it is Falcon’s Flight. We are facing the highest, fastest and longest roller coaster in the world. It is capable of reaching 250 km/h, rises up to 195 meters high and uses the edge of the Tuwaiq cliff to achieve a vertical drop of 158 meters. 4.2 kilometers long to trigger the adrenaline during the almost four minutes it lasts. This is the awesome Falcon’s Flight. Grantime, Wikimedia The impressive figures of Six Flags Qiddiya City. As Abdullah al-Dawood, CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company, explained, in a local programthey expect the project to generate 7,000 jobs and provide some $686 million to the kingdom’s GDP this year. According to its forecasts, these figures will increase to 85,000 employees and 11,733 million US dollars (at the exchange rate) and will attract 48 million visitors a year by 2030, as the project moves through phases. Much more than an amusement park. Literal. The Six Flags Qiddiya City opened on December 31, 2025 for the New Year, at which time it opened its doors to the general public who came and shelled out the $87 adult admission fee. Although the park is already open, from now until 2030 the project will expand to the environment by building transport infrastructure, the imminent Aquarabia water park, large-scale sports facilities such as a Formula 1 circuit, a stadium for the World Cup, cultural areas such as a performing arts center and residential areas. The amusement park is just the tip of the iceberg. With the fall in oil prices in recent years, the Saudi authorities have had to recalibrate plans and review their budgetary priorities, with unavoidable events on the horizon such as the Expo 2030 or the 2034 FIFA World Cup. In addition, several gigaprojects such as the futuristic city of Neom have suffered delays and cost overruns. Qiddiya has also suffered delays, but with the Six Flags Qiddiya City as the first operational asset in the macrocity, those responsible they are optimistic in its objective of attracting tourists. In Xataka | Saudi Arabia wants to become a world tourism power. First you have to fix something: the alcohol In Xataka | Saudi Arabia’s impossible bridge to join Africa and Asia: a 32-kilometer megastructure over the Red Sea Cover | Quiddiya

we are creating a 250 million ton mountain of garbage

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The energy transition is happening at an unprecedented speed. According to the latest report from the IEA-PVPSIn 2024 alone, 601 GW of solar power was installed in the world, reaching a cumulative total of 2.2 TW. However, this success hides an environmental paradox. As researcher Rabia Charef warns At The Conversation, we are installing the future on a mountain of potential garbage that, by design, is an “industrial strength sandwich” almost impossible to separate. The “sandwich” design: a durability trap. For a panel to withstand hail, snow and wind for 30 years, it is built by stacking layers of glass, silicon and polymers sealed with adhesives so powerful that they become a single unit. As Charef explainsthis virtue is also its condemnation, since at the end of its useful life the separation of materials is so expensive that most end up in the landfill. It is not a minor problem. Already in 2016, IRENA reports They warned that by 2050 solar waste could total 250 million tons, which would represent 10% of all electronic waste on the planet. China and the “poison” of overproduction. The clock on this crisis has sped up due to geopolitics. China dominates 90% of global capacity of solar cells and in this desire to lead the sector, the Asian giant manufactured 588 GW last year, doubling global demand. This flood of cheap panels has sunk prices and caused million-dollar losses, but also has created a perverse incentive: It is so cheap to buy a new panel that repairing an old one does not seem profitable. Analyst Bo Zhengyuan explains that that “animal spirit” that made the Chinese industry triumph is now suffocating it, filling the world with equipment that will die in two decades without an exit plan. The laboratory of saturation. For its part, another problem that is committed is forgetting the fundamentals, as happens in Spain. The country broke records last summer by generating more than 10,500 GWh per month of sun and wind, but the system cannot hold up. Spain already waste 7% of its clean energy due to lack of networks and storage. “The mistake was not putting up panels, but forgetting about the networks,” quotes an executive in the Financial Times. This lack of investment has plunged the value of solar parks by 30% in just one year, forcing “liquidation sales” (fire sales). If the companies that run these plants go bankrupt or lose profitability, who will take care of the millions of panels when they stop working? The limit of current recycling: shredding is not recovering. Today, recycling is disappointing. As The Conversation denouncesmost plants simply shred the panels to recover low-value aluminum and glass. In the process, the true treasure is lost: high-purity silver, copper and silicon. Silver, although it only represents 0.14% of the weight of the panel, represents 40% of its material value. When crushed, this metal is pulverized and mixed with impurities, making it unrecoverable. According to sourceswe are throwing away an estimated economic value of $15 billion by 2050. Although there are sprouts of hope. Despite the panorama, technology is trying to catch up with the problem: Silver Recovery: Researchers from the University of Camerino (Italy) have developed a hydrometallurgy technique that recovers 99% of pure silver without using harsh chemicals. The milestone of the 100% recycled panel: The Chinese giant Trina Solar has achieved create the first fully recycled crystalline silicon panel. Although its efficiency (20.7%) is somewhat lower than that of a new one (25%), it demonstrates that circularity is possible and that the performance of recycled material is already fully competitive compared to current industry standards. Cutting-edge plants in Spain and the US: While in the United States the company SolarCycle seeks to recover 99% of photovoltaic materials; in Spain, the CERFO project in Teruel positions itself as a European pioneer in the recovery of silicon, a component historically difficult to recycle. Repair before recycling: “Revamping”. Before the panel reaches the recycling plant, there is a more sustainable option: the revamping. A study by the University of Castilla-La Mancha shows that renewing Specific components of a solar plant can maximize production and profitability without the need for total dismantling. In Japan, the startup Girasol Energy has achieved restore the oldest solar system in the country (from 1994), aiming for it to operate for 50 years by using Big Data to identify faults piece by piece without replacing the entire equipment. Digital passports and modular design. The definitive solution could come from regulation. The European Union will implement the Digital Product Passport (DPP) starting in 2027. As the EU source explainsthis document will allow you to know the origin, materials and disassembly instructions for each panel. This passport, along with the “digital twins” mentioned in The Conversationwill allow technicians to monitor performance in real time and know exactly how to separate the “sandwich” of materials without destroying them. Faced with the solar paradox. Solar energy is essential to stop global warming, but it cannot be “clean” if its end is dirty. The industry now faces its biggest test: redesigning the panels not only so that they catch the sun, but so that, when their last sunset comes, they don’t leave behind a legacy of glass and plastic that future generations cannot manage. Image | freepik Xataka | All the solar panel technologies that exist and which ones are most efficient, in a graph that goes from 1975 to today

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