Month: February 2026

The Middle Ages seem like a dark age. Until you discover that they were able to count up to 9,999 on their fingers.

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Historians have been trying for decades free her from her bad reputationbut it’s still hard not to feel a pang of compassion when one thinks of the Middle Ages. Logical. We have been burned with the idea that it was a time of wars, epidemicsfamines, wars and superstition in which humanity moved away from the advances of previous centuries to throw itself into the arms of barbarism. Things change when you find out that an 8th century monk was capable of doing something that will probably seem impossible to you (and most people): count up to 9,999 with your handsrepresenting any number with just your fingers. Count with your hands? Exact. If we keep doing it in a rudimentary way (and limited) today, in a time when almost everyone walks around with a phone in their pocket, imagine how important the art of counting on your fingers was centuries ago. How do you do addition and subtraction when you have nothing to rely on? And by nothing we do not mean a calculator or a primitive abacus, but tools as basic as paper and a pencil or pen to take notes. For centuries those who wanted to do calculations were content with what was closest to hand. And usually that was (pardon the redundancy) his own hands, his 10 fingers and the universe of combinations that opened up his joints and, above all, his imagination. The result is an ancient art that has fallen into disuse over the centuries, but came to acquire an astonishing level of perfection. In fact it can date back to ancient times, long before the Middle Ages. One name: Bede Venerabilis. If we know the peculiar way our ancestors had to count astronomical figures with their fingers, it is thanks largely to a Benedictine monk who lived between the 7th and 8th centuries in what is now the United Kingdom. His name: Bede, although he is usually known as Saint Bede the Venerable. In 725 the religious wrote ‘De temporum ratione’ (‘The Calculation of Time’), a treatise that talks about the cosmos, calendars and the best way to calculate the date of Easter, a relevant topic in its day. Before addressing most of these questions, the author however touches on a simpler and more important question: “De computo vel loquela digitorum”how to make beads with your fingers. Bede does not expose us to a system devised by him, but rather he describes to us a practical art that has its roots long ago. The power of one hand. “Before we begin, with the help of God, to talk about chronology and its calculation, we consider it necessary to first briefly show the very necessary and practical technique of counting on the fingers,” starts Bede in the first chapter. From there it goes on to explain how we should place our fingers to show the numbers from 1 to 9,999. By complicating the system a little more you can reach 999,999. There is even a symbol for the million “Somma di arithmetica”, by Luca Pacioli. And how the hell do they do it? With imagination, ingenuity and also a certain agility with the hands. Especially if what we want is to represent high figures. In Scientific Culture UPV/EHU mathematics professor Raúl Ibáñez signs an interesting article which details how the system works, including graphics and translated quotes from Bede himself, who first explains how to place the fingers of the left hand to represent low numbers. “When you say one, bending the left little finger, place it in the middle joint of the palm. When you say two, bend the second finger placing it in the same place,” clarifies the Benedictine monkwho continues patiently explaining to us how to show figures with the left hand, move to tens or make the jump to hundreds and thousands with the help of the right. The key is in the meaning of each hand and groups of fingers, which are assigned the value of the units of thousands, hundreds, tens and ones. If we want to go further and express tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands we will only have to vary the position of each of the hands with respect to the body. Beyond the Middle Ages. In a video published in 2020 by the BBC, Seb Falk, author of ‘The Light Ages’, also explains how centuries ago they managed to represent astronomical quantities with their fingers. The most surprising thing is that the system long predates Vera. “It was used from Roman times to the Middle Ages (11th to 13th centuries) throughout Europe,” says the historian. “Just as when we write we have a column for units, another for tens, for hundreds and thousands, they dedicate the little finger, ring and middle fingers of the left hand to the units and the index and thumb to the tens. On the right, the thumb and index indicate the hundreds and the other fingers, the thousands.” In short: ten fingers, 9,999 numbers. It’s all a matter of internalizing the system, understanding its dynamics and playing with positions. The truth is that the method is so curious that it has aroused the interest of authors after Bede, such as the mathematician Jacob Leupoldwho addresses it in an 18th century treatise; or the famous Luca Pacioliwhich refers to (with some changes) in ‘Summa’. Why get so complicated? At a time when we are accustomed to walking with smartphones (with their respective calculators) in their pockets and it is not difficult to find paper and ink, perhaps we will be surprised by the system that the Venerable Bede tells us about. Things change when we think about the resources they had available centuries ago. And the range of possibilities that such a system opened up, which only needs something as simple and universal as the fingers of the hands. “It was a code, a sign language, that was used in markets, as it was an effective way to communicate … Read more

what is needed are cheaper chips

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Let’s face it, I’ve been using high-end phones for more than a decade, but I tend to test mid-range phones quite frequently and it’s been clear to me for a long time that you can buy a smartphone for 300 euros and have decent performance for standard use. Obviously, not for a gamer or a demanding user, but for the average user. Hence the mobile phones that I most recommend They cost between 300 and 500 euros. This upward range has two explanations: the first, that in addition to performance, it is common for “a good camera” to appear on many people’s wish lists. And here, the Google Pixel A is the king. The second is a market where the price increase is inevitable because everything goes up, but especially components like memory or storagewhich can lead to the tragic news of recover 4GB of RAM. Qualcomm is the manufacturer that equips most of the premium Android phones on the market and according to rumorsits next flagship will arrive twice: a Pro version for the ultra-premium range and another for the pure high-end. The difference between the two would be the type of RAM supported and the GPU configuration, similar to what Apple does with its iPhones. Surely their benchmarks are printable, but More than its advantages, what worries me is the price. The cost of current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 They are around 280 dollars and for the following ones everything indicates that They will overcome the barrier of 300 dollars. This means that for many manufacturers, just purchasing the processor will account for a third of the RRP of their devices. Google shows that another path is possible Meanwhile, Google is going its own way within the ecosystem: Your Tensors are never at the top of performance and not only do they not seem to care, but they continue to offer seven years of updates even in their A versions. For more ridicule, their new Google Pixel 10A even repeats processor. And nothing happens: any mid-range from the last three years will allow you to successfully use messaging, social networks or browse the internet. It is true that there are specific use scenarios where continuing to add more and better hardware can be differential, such as ray tracing, moving games with a certain cadence, or AI. But on the one hand it is something niche and on the other, current models can still give a fight. And I’m not just talking about the high-end. Google Product Manager, Toni Urban, makes quite a statement of intent: We had to make difficult engineering decisions to maintain that price of 549 euros, which we have maintained for four generations. The chipset is part of that consideration. We knew we could still deliver the best of Google’s AI and the best camera experience with the chip we had; We didn’t feel like we were sacrificing quality, and we still continued to incorporate important improvements. If a medium range of a couple of years can continue to carry out normal and current tasks in a solvent manner, with a veteran high-end, even better. It is rare to find someone who renews a high-end one for another citing performance reasons. The bottleneck is another: it could be the camera, thermal management or the battery and its performance, because performance is a problem solved years ago on mobile phones. Google’s decision not only seems right from a price point of view, but also from a balance point of view: performance tests take a backseat when factors such as temperature or battery life act as limitations. Not obsessing over performance allows manufacturers to differentiate themselves in other areas or simply maintain their prices. And that is no small thing. In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2026), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best mobile phones in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and seven recommended models

If we want to live on the Moon we need oxygen and NASA already knows how to extract it: with a giant mirror

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Goodbye, Mars, the Moon has returned make it a priority. Really, except for an Elon Musk obsessed with terraform the red planetthe rest of the countries and even NASA had something between their minds: returning to the Moon. And come back in a big way, too, laying the foundations to create a settlement. For this we need oxygen, and NASA has just taken a great leap for humanity in the project to harvest oxygen from the lunar regolith. And all thanks to a giant mirror. In short. The Moon is a mine. Not only does it have enormous potential to obtain energy through photovoltaics, but it also has a huge amount of resources in its soil. The satellite is covered in ‘lunar dust’, also known as regolith, and part of its composition is oxygen. With current technology you can’t separate the chaff from the grain, but that’s where NASA’s carbothermal oxygen production reactor, or CaRD, project comes into play. The mirror | Photo: NASA The prototype installed on Earth is a reactor that has a huge precision mirror that concentrates a beam of sunlight on a reactor, heating its interior to temperatures of about 1,800ºC. The enormous amount of energy generated causes a carbothermic reaction which produces, among other elements, oxygen. It is the evolution of the high-power laser that NASA development in 2023, but unlike that tool that needs an enormous amount of energy, and other solutions based on electrolysismirrors are nourished by the sunlight they can concentrate. Regolith. According to According to the US agency, the technology “has the potential to produce several times its own weight in oxygen each year and in an automated manner, which will allow for a sustained human presence and the creation of a lunar economy.” And that lunar dust not only has oxygen. The regolith is composed of O2, but also metals. If the different components can be separated, we can obtain other resources and, in addition, the resulting dust as waste can be used as construction material for make bricks and roads. In fact, there are projects to ‘dope the regolith with bacteria to be able to cultivate directly in the lunar soil. The ESA approach. These advances by NASA occur while the rugged steps of the Artemis program which plans to take humans to lunar orbit this year, with future missions in which we will set foot on the satellite again. But as we said, the ESA also wants its piece of the pieand relies on electrolysis to separate metals from oxygen. Regolith and urine cement: the best cement | Photo: ESA The problem, as we said before, is the enormous amount of energy necessary to carry out the process. This molten salt electrolysis heats the regolith to 950ºC with calcium chloride to achieve the same objective that NASA has: release oxygen and separate it from iron and aluminum. And it is also collaborating with NASA to ensure that human presence in the medium term, experimenting with a mixture between human urine and regolith to create cement. Everyone wants a piece of cheese. But the one who has plans as ambitious as those of the United States with the Moon is… China. The Asian giant is completing phases of the space race dizzying speedwith launches every two by three and some very aggressive plans. Before 2030 it wants to send its first astronauts to orbit the satellite, with a manned moon landing scheduled for 2029/2030. Furthermore, together with Russia, they are building the International Lunar Research Station that they want to have in operation by 2030, complete by 2035 with thousands of scientists on board and with a nuclear reactor as a heart to get stable energy. When the enormous problem posed by the get oxygen stably on the Moona giant step will have been taken in international ambitions to place a long-term base on the satellite. That is, furthermore, SpaceX’s new plan. Elon Musk confirmed a few days ago that Mars was no longer the priority because quick results are needed, and the Moon is a much more favorable scenario. There are many eyes focused on the same objective, one we haven’t stepped on since 1972. Images | NASA, ESA In Xataka | Faced with the need to look for weapons against superbacteria, science has opted to send viruses into space

a pig flying on a drone

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The date of the lunar new year in China changes every year, but always falls between January 21 and February 21. And like in any home, whether from the east or the west, the custom is to celebrate it. So a farmer from Sichuan had the idea of bring down some pigs from their mountain farm to sacrifice them. The normal thing would be to use a truck, but this farmer chose a way that on paper seemed more comfortable (for him, of course, but not for the animal): use a drone. Their experiment did not last long: the first pig became trapped in a power line, causing a blackout that left thousands of the village’s inhabitants without electricity. Early in the morning of Saturday, January 24, a villager in Tiefu, Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, Sichuan, had that happy idea. It was so early that there was little visibility, as reported by the South China Morning Postso the rope got tangled in a high tension cable, leaving the drone and the pig suspended in the air and causing a short circuit. And among the risks involved in carrying such a load in the event of possible falls on people and objects, it seems like the least of the problems. It is true that if we talk about drones, China plays in another league as we have already seen in practically any self-respecting celebration and also in war scenarios. Without going any further, have developed models capable of shooting at 100 meters away with surgical precision. And that a farmer has a drone at home capable of lifting a pig and the confidence of being able to bring this adventure to a successful conclusion is another test that would probably occur to few farmers in Spain. “Until pigs fly” does not apply in China Tap to go to the X/Twitter post The villager and those helping him tried to control the situation and carry out a rescue without success, until finally the authorities had to intervene. Up to 12 workers were needed to restore electricity at five in the afternoon, after carrying out emergency repairs with a cost of 10,000 yuan (about 1,200 euros) and 10 hours of blackout. According to the Hong Kong mediathe authorities are investigating the event because it would be an unauthorized flight as it is a no-fly zone. As explains Sinahe Regulation on the Protection of Electrical Installations prohibits people from flying kites, balloons or other floating objects within a radius of 300 meters on either side of overhead power lines. And if you do so, you must have the express authorization of the county energy department and apply relevant security measures. In case of non-compliance, you face civil and even criminal liability charges. Furthermore, although there are agricultural drones that are already used in agricultural facilities, with their loading restrictions and restricted areas, their use to transport live animals It is not allowed either: Of course, carrying a large animal moving does not seem like the safest thing in the world for the stability of a drone. And if we talk about animal ethics, even worse. However, China does not have a comprehensive national animal welfare and protection law: its current regulations It focuses more on health and biosafety than on ethics of well-being. The Asian media does not report on the condition of the unfortunate pig after the air incident, but given its tragic fate, the omens are not good. The drone accidents are the order of the day in China. The Sing Tao echoes the data of the Sichuan Provincial Agricultural Mechanization Association and these events are quite common: in 2024 alone and in that province alone there were more than 40 safety accidents caused by illegal operations that ended with injuries, property damage and electrical failures. In Xataka | China’s new futuristic drone is already flying alongside the J-20 fighters. And Beijing has shown it without saying a word In Xataka | China plays in another league in drone shows: what it is doing in 2026 we have never seen before Cover | Dan Renco and NEXT TV

We have been believing for years that intermittent fasting is the definitive weapon to lose weight. Science has another idea

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During the last years, the intermittent fasting has gone from being something exceptional to becoming a nutritional strategy that there is more and more talk and that it has more followers behind it. And it is no wonder, since the promise is quite seductive as it does not focus on what you eat, but on when you eat, activating different metabolic switches to accelerate fat burning. Although there are also detractors behind. New data. The Cochrane library, considered a great world reference, published a few days ago a great review about intermittent fasting that acts as a bucket of cold water, since it suggests that this diet does not offer superior benefits to conventional weight loss diets. The backup. We are not talking about a small study whose validity can be questioned, but in this case the Cochrane researchers analyzed 22 randomized controlled trials that added up to a total of 1,995 participants. overweight or obesity. The objective here was to compare different fasting modalities, such as going 16 hours without being able to eat with eight hours of eating, fasting on alternate days or 5:2 diet compared to classic calorie restriction or inaction. What they found is that, when pitting intermittent fasting against regular dietary advice, the difference in weight loss is virtually zero. The data. Getting into the matter, when intermittent fasting was compared With standard calorie-restricted diets, the mean difference in weight change was a minuscule -0.33%. This difference can translate into that intermittent fasting may result in little to no difference in weight loss with the traditional method. Regarding quality of life, such as the feeling of energy, no difference was seen and, regarding the levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, fasting did not prove to be a panacea either, yielding results of “little or no difference” compared to the control diets. The small print. One of the most critical points of the Cochrane review is the certainty of the evidence, which they rated mostly as “low” or “very low.” This does not mean that the studies are poorly done, but rather that there are important limitations, such as risk bias, inconsistency in results, and lack of precision. But there is one fact that should worry anyone who decides to opt for this diet independently, without medical advice, since, although the evidence is uncertain, some studies pointed to associated side effects specifically to fasting. These include headaches, nausea, cold intolerance or even insomnia and lack of concentration. What is not yet known. Perhaps it is the most revealing thing about this scientific study, since there are still many unknowns surrounding intermittent fasting that invite further research. In this case, none of the 22 studies included data on “patient satisfaction,” which is important because we don’t know if people prefer to go hungry for a few hours in exchange for eating more later, or if they hate the process. And being comfortable with a diet is essential so that you don’t abandon it halfway through. In addition to this, none of the studies pointed to the relationship that may exist in chronic diseases that require significant dietary control, such as diabetes, and which is very common in the population. But one of the big problems in science today is duration, since most studies lasted less than 12 months. We don’t know if fasting is sustainable or safe beyond a year. It is not a miracle diet. What we do know is that intermittent fasting works, but the key point is that It is not superior to the tools we already had as a calorie restriction accompanied by a balanced diet and exercise. For the average patient, this is actually good news: it means that the The best diet is the one you can stick to. If someone finds it easier to skip breakfast with a 16:8 fast than to count calories at each meal, fasting is a valid tool. But if fasting causes headaches, you’re not missing out on any “magic” metabolic benefits from eating three times a day. Although in this process the most important thing is always to be advised by personnel who are qualified in nutrition to be able to have the best dietary plan, to have real objectives and, above all, not to get frustrated along the way. Images | VD Photography In Xataka | We believed that a vegetarian diet guaranteed longevity. In extreme old age, the data says just the opposite

Kia needed an electric Sportage on the market. The Kia EV5 is an (almost) perfect bet for the European family

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Kia has been building one of the most interesting ranges of electric cars on the market for years. The EV family has managed to establish itself as one of the most attractive and risky options. From the Kia EV6 and its particular design to the most rational EV3 and the monstrous EV9. Now, the company has placed the EV5 on the market, one of the most rational proposals and necessary for your current offer. South Koreans needed a car that would perform the functions of the Kia Sportage, one of their best-selling models, with completely electric technology. And his proposal is as solvent as it is rational and attractive. Kia EV5 technical sheet New Kia EV5 Body type five-seater SUV Measurements and weight 4,610 meters long, 1,875 meters wide and 1,680 meters high. Wheelbase of 2,750 meters. 1800 kg weight. Trunk 566 liters with the sum of the front and rear trunk. Maximum power 160 kW (217 HP) and 295 Nm. WLTP consumption 16.9 kWh/100 km DGT environmental distinctive Zero emissions. Driving aids (ADAS) Mandatory by the European Union. Others Triple screen: 12.3-inch instrument panel 12.3-inch central screen 5-inch climate control screen Android Auto and Apple Car Play compatibility. Wireless mobile phone charging. Harman Kardon sound system as option. Electric hybrid. No. Plug-in hybrid. No. Electric Yeah. 81.4 kWh battery with 530 km of WLTP autonomy Versions with double motor (all-wheel drive) and a more powerful GT option will arrive. Price and release Now available With 81.4 kWh battery from 46,070 euros before aid (from 39,490 euros with discounts and aid) Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? Balance is the word We could say explain the Kia EV5 with a football simile. The Kia EV5 is like a sober doorman. If you don’t like football, a goalkeeper sober He is the one who flees from eccentricities, the one who turns spectacular saves into simple saves. And a stop is just the final result of a very in-depth previous exercise, of strenuous training to be strong in the legs and extensive knowledge to position oneself in the right place at the right time. Whether the stop is complicated because it is attached to the lower corner of one of the posts or to give security to the team by taking the ball in a lateral center. Can an eccentric goalkeeper be good? Yes. And very good indeed. There are goalkeepers who earn their fame for stops that seem impossible, for having reflexes typical of the animal world. But it is no less true that many of these saves are only the result of having made a bad previous decision, of reaching the ball in a hurry for the simple fact of being worse positioned under the goal. Something like this happens with the Kia EV5. It is not a spectacular car in any sense. But almost everything is done grating at a very high level. It’s not eccentric, it’s not surprising. But it is a good electric car. A very interesting option if you are looking for a good family car as the only vehicle at home. And the Kia EV5 does not have the imprint and footprint of the EV9. Nor is it committed to that monolithic aspect of the EV3 that makes it so particular and that polarizes opinions about its design so much. This intermediate option seems like a kind of softened version of both cars without losing that muscular appearance, playing with straight and very pronounced edges. Its appearance, in fact, makes it appear larger. Its 4.61 meters seem to be more when you have it in front of you for the first time. We are, however, at figures very much to the taste of the European customer, who in this type of car largely opts for vehicles slightly larger than four and a half meters. With a wheelbase of 2.75 meters, the space for the rear seats is very good and maintains a trunk that, adding a front space in which little more than the charging cables can fit, reaches 566 liters. In the front area, it maintains the aesthetics and layout that has been accompanying the brand’s latest launches. The instrument panel and the central screen are embraced by the same frame, with a third digital space that unites both surfaces. All of this is supported on a kind of very clean horizontal desktop with touch buttons on the surface. On the steering wheel and the central area we have a multitude of physical buttons with some details that we liked. The instrument panel is displayed on a widely configurable 12.3-inch screen in its central area. In it we can find graphics of all kinds, from consumption to navigation or what the infotainment system is playing. Above the view we have a clear Head-Up Display with precise information for driving. The central screen, compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlayit is also 12.3 inches. Here, the possibilities are very wide and it has interesting solutions, such as a vertically sliding widget that supports the information displayed by the browser. However, I have two problems. The first is that it has so many shortcuts and so many functions to customize that it forces you to overcome a certain learning curve to be clear where each function is. I, who hadn’t gotten into a Kia for a while, had to spend some time finding, for example, the consumption data. My second problem is in the representation of the icons and shortcuts. The black background is useful to avoid confusing the driver but I think there is a lack of contrast in the icons. I, at least, have had some difficulty reading them clearly. I would have to test the car further to see if this can be fixed by, for example, increasing the screen brightness. Between both screens there is a third space in which the air conditioning is controlled. It seems like a good one to me. We have the basic … Read more

Registrations are plummeting for the first time in 20 years

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Computer engineering is a classic among the most in-demand jobs in recent years. In fact, without going any further, it was the university degree with the most job opportunities in 2025. However, it faces an abyss: that of a future with AIwhich we have already seen is beginning to wreak havoc among junior profiles. Generation Z seems to have noticed and after two decades of continuous growth, enrollment has begun to decline in the mecca of computing: the Universities of California. Context. For decades, studying computer science has been a true bastion of employability, whether choosing for the race as in their variants in FP version. That is to say, if you wanted to study a career that would guarantee you a specialized job, something especially interesting for the middle and lower classes, in computing you would find real life insurance. The San Francisco Chronicle has captured the data of the set from California universities in a graph showing that not even the 2008 financial crisis or the COVID-19 earthquake managed to undermine its appeal: computing seemed armored against crises. Computer science enrollments on California public university campuses since 2000. Data: University of California Something is changing in computing. More specifically, data from the University of California shows that 12,652 computer science degree students have chosen computer science this year, this is 6% less compared to 2024 and 9% less compared to 2023. It is true that it is almost double what it was a decade ago, but the decline is clear taking 20 years ago as a reference, the time when there was the last (slight) decline. The data in question does not come from a specific university or from any group: we are talking about the small group made up of the public universities of California, which include illustrious ones such as UCLA, Berkeley or San Diego. Therefore, Stanford does not appear in these data as it is private. Why is it important. Because the perception of computing as a choice that guarantees success is no longer what it was: on the one hand, because AI is taking away opportunities who starts to work and for another, for the big layoffs What we are seeing in big tech. Furthermore, it has brought a paradigm shift: parents no longer encourage studying computer science as much as they do other more classic and tangible engineering: electrical, mechanical… according to what personnel related to admission to these universities know, whose statements collects the Californian media. And this is not just happening in California, but it is a global phenomenon. The Universities of California are leading the way: what happens at Berkeley or UCLA is a preview of what we will see soon here as well. Without going any further, the University of San Diego got ahead last year creating an AI career Let’s see how it goes. Spoiler: it was a total success, like acknowledges Steven Swanson for TechSpotthe department head and computer science professor. kitchen ear. A deeper analysis of data from California universities shows that it is not that there are fewer technology students, it is just that they are changing their choices towards more specific and emerging ones. Between the success of emerging and specialized programs and these data, universities already have a pending issue on the table: carrying out a curricular transition. Classical computing is becoming a transversal subject and not the final destination, that is, it is no longer so important how a tool is built (chopping code), but rather how to think and how to validate it in a future in which its students will have to work side by side with AI. In Xataka | If Spain wants to imitate China and be a “country of engineers”, this map reveals the extent to which it has a problem In Xataka | Studying with AI without thinking teaches nothing: these tips can help you take advantage of it and really learn Cover | Vitaly Gariev

How to analyze your banking transactions and use artificial intelligence to find forgotten subscriptions

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Let’s teach you how to use AI to find forgotten subscriptions analyzing your banking movements. It is much more common than you think that there is a small subscription that, without you realizing it, month by month is gradually taking money away from your account. Therefore, if you want to eradicate subscriptions you no longer needthe first step is to find those that you don’t know you are paying for. You will be able to do this with any chatbot. artificial intelligence. In the example we have used ChatGPTbut you can also use Claude either Gemini. Before starting it is important that you know that By doing this you will be handing over your data to companies that own artificial intelligence. Nothing has to happen, but you should be aware before sharing sensitive information like your bank accounts. Download a PDF of your banking transactions The first step is to download a file where you have your bank transactions. For that, you have to go to your bank’s website or application and Click on the option to download movements of your account. When it comes to lowering movements, It is very important that you download several months’ worth of data. Because? Well, because this way the AI ​​will first be able to locate your subscriptions based on the movements that are repeated, and because then it will be able to know which ones you have stopped paying. It is also important to download the file in PDF, an easy-to-read format. This is important because what we want is not a list of all the subscriptions you have paid in recent months, but for the AI ​​to be able to detect which ones have stopped paying because they were there before and now they are not, and which ones you are still paying for. And for this it is essential to have the context of your movements for quite some time. Now ask the AI ​​correctly Now you just have to go to the artificial intelligence chat you want and upload the PDF that you have downloaded from your banking application. To do this, open a chat and click on the add files option, and choose the PDF. Don’t just send it, when it is uploaded you will have to add the prompt. And here comes the magic, in the request prompt. Because when you write it you will have to ask AI to find subscriptions you haven’t stopped paying for yet. To do this, you have to specify that you want it to review everything and only tell you those that you are still paying for. You can use the following: I’m going to upload a PDF with a bank statement, which shows the accounts for the last few months. I want you to analyze the content and tell me what recurring subscriptions I am paying for without realizing it. Tell me only the ones that I have not stopped paying in the last month. When you do this, the artificial intelligence will analyze all the entries in your bank statement. It will first look at all your subscriptions, finding recurring payments, and then see which of them you were paying for before and have now stopped paying. Then, it will show you some results where Only those that you are still paying for will appearas well as the amounts. In Xataka Basics | How to create a Telegram bot that sends you a summary made by Gemini of each email you receive in Gmail and other emails

If the question is whether there was life on Mars, NASA has a new explanation: it depends

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NASA’s Curiosity rover has been shedding light on Mars since August 2011, making authentic discoveries on its surface, in your clouds and of course, about its potential habitability. And if its younger brother Perseverance found a few months ago “the clearest sign of life we ​​have seen on Mars”, one of Curiosity’s latest discoveries is not so clear. What Curiosity found. Since 2012, Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater, a place where there was a lake billions of years ago. In March 2025, while the rover’s integrated laboratory was analyzing a clay rock there, they found the presence of decan, undecan and dodecan. What’s that? Alkanes, that is, long chain hydrocarbons formed by hydrogen and carbon atoms. Why is it important. Because Curiosity’s discovery is the largest organic compounds ever found on the red planet and its size is such that its existence can hardly be explained by simple chemistry. On Earth, these types of hydrocarbons are usually fragments of fatty acids produced by living beings. However, on Mars, its origin is not so clear: it is reasonable to think of a biological origin, but with current evidence there is no confirmation. Biology or geology? The degradation of fatty acids causes the appearance of these hydrocarbons one way or another, but their presence does not imply that they necessarily come from a living organism. In fact, on Earth they can also be generated by geological processes. In short: detecting organic molecules on Mars does not mean finding life. Correlation does not imply causation. A “reasonable” hypothesis. So they analyzed the known non-biological sources of these organic molecules looking for an explanation for these quantities found. Since none of them fully explained this abundance, in this recent study published in Astrobiology that the research includes have raised a “reasonable” hypothesis: that living beings could have formed them. Among the known sources are molecules from meteorites that crash into the surface of Mars, cosmic dust, geological chemistry such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plausible on early Mars or ultraviolet radiation, which in addition to destroying organic components can also form them, are some of the candidates. The method. To reach these conclusions, the team of scientists combined laboratory experiments, mathematical models and data from the rover, which allowed them to go back in time 80 million years to estimate how much organic matter existed at the beginning, before cosmic radiation destroyed it. The amount they were able to reconstruct far exceeds what unknown non-biological processes can generate. Of course, it does not affirm that there was life, nor are there fossils or biomarkers of course. In fact, their conclusion is clear: more studies are needed to conclude on the absence or presence of life on Mars. In Xataka | There are those who believe that 50 years ago we found life on Mars (and then accidentally destroyed it) In Xataka | China is getting closer to surpassing NASA in its Martian mission. And just invited other countries to join Cover | NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

that working more hours is profitable

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Germany gained a reputation for being one of the most efficient labor markets with very high productivity. However, the successive crises of recent years they have shown their seams exposing their weaknesses. The Government of Friedrich Merz wants to change the rules so that people are compensated for working more hours and stop depending on social assistance. Today, many Germans prefer to have a shorter working day, because if they work morethey lose benefits and end up earning the same or less. Work more to earn less. In Germany, if someone with a low income receives a social benefit and accepts more hours of work, the authorities subtract that extra amount from their support salary. For example, someone who collects a subsidy (a Minimum Vital Income, for example), accepts a minijob (a part-time job of up to 600 euros per month that does not contribute to Social Security), the worker is left in a situation similar to the one he would have if he only collected the benefit without working. This discourages the effort to get a full-time job, because the net money at the end of the month barely changes or even goes down. The commission of experts of the Ministry of Labor explains this phenomenon in his latest reportand proposes reducing the impact of income on aid so that working more always pays off financially. Chancellor Merz was pronounced regarding the content of this report highlighting that “this report is the basis for all the additional reforms that we will carry out together in the coming years.” Objective: promote full-time work. The Government proposes several concrete ideas to promote full-time work and reduce the negative impact of mini-jobs, which do not generate sufficient contributions for pensions or insurance and hinder the full-time job creation. One of the proposals is to eliminate the exemptions for this type of precarious employment and raise those for jobs close to full-time to avoid “erroneous incentives.” “We want work to be worth it,” stood out Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labor. Without justified reason, there is no part-time work. The conservatives of the CDU, party of Chancellor Merz, they propose reduce the cases in which companies must accept requests for reduction of working hours. Currently, any employee with more than six months’ seniority in a company with more than 15 workers can request reduced working hours without giving any reason and the company must accept it as long as there are no operational reasons that prevent it. It is what has been called “lifestyle” reduction“. The Government raises the possibility of limiting this reduction only to justifiable cases, such as childcare or training, eliminating free use that slows down productivity. The challenge of family conciliation. According to data According to the Federal Statistical Office and Eurostat, Germany has one of the shortest working hours in Europe and one of the highest rates of part time employment. In 2024, 29% of the active population worked like this, but among womenthis day model reaches 50.3%, compared to 13.4% of men. That is to say, although many mothers would like to work full-time, the lack of daycare or support to care for children forces them to choose mini-jobs of about 18 hours a week on average. This problem aggravates the labor shortage qualified, because it leaves almost half of employed women out of the full-time labor market. The reform aims to facilitate conciliation with more flexibility, but without reducing the pressure for more and more employees to go to work full time. In Xataka | Germany believes it has found the most German possible solution to its productivity problems: work more Image | Unsplash (Maheshkumar Painam, Spencer Davis)

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