Month: May 2026

from a student’s idea to real research

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Take a week-long trip with a cabin suitcase In winter it is an art that not everyone can match. Traveling to Mars with a spacecraft in which each extra kilo can mean very expensive amounts of fuel, is a problem. Therefore, it is not enough to put socks inside shoes and replace the filling of the cervical pillow with T-shirts. In these cases it is better to travel light and try to take advantage of the destination’s resources later. A destination that, let us not forget, is the most inhospitable. Still, science is developing proposals as interesting as the one published this year by a graduate student at the University of Arkansas: 3D printing tools directly on Mars. A brilliant student. Zane Mebruer was an undergraduate engineering student when he had an interesting idea. Could metal tools be printed on a 3D printer, taking advantage of the main gas in the Martian atmosphere? He communicated the idea to his teacher Wan Shou and together They set off to check it out.. Typically, when making 3D prints with metallic materials, it is necessary to use a chamber with a protective atmosphere of argon, as this gas prevents oxidation. However, we have said that we do not want to take a lot of luggage to Mars: neither the tools, nor the argon. The Martian atmosphere is made up of 95% carbon dioxide, so it could be that this gas is a good substitute for argon. They did the relevant tests and, indeed, it could be a good option. It is true that argon gave better results, but carbon dioxide also turned out to be a quite acceptable option. Background. It should be noted that these scientists have not been the first to propose 3D printing to avoid having to take a lot of luggage to Mars. In fact, it is something that worries NASA so much that in 2015 issued a challenge to companies and universities to try to print a complete habitat. They were offered a succulent prize of $800,000, which in the end went to a team from the company IA Space Factory. In your case, they used as materials a mixture of basalt fibers extracted from Martian rock and bioplastics. They also wanted to take advantage of materials from the neighboring planet. The new. The materials proposed by that team would not be as useful for printing tools. In that case, metals would be a better option. To do this, Mebruer and Shou proposed using a printing technique known as selective laser fusion. To begin with, this consists of spreading a layer of metal powder on a plate. A laser beam then heats the powder and fuses it onto the plate. When this is ready, the plate is lowered, a new layer of powder is dropped and the procedure is repeated. Layer by layer, the piece of metal hardens and enlarges. The problem is that, in this process, the material is very exposed to oxidation. If it oxidizes, it doesn’t fuse properly, so the result is not as good. That is why a protective gas is needed. Microscope proof. These two scientists carried out the 3D printing in three different conditions: with argon, with carbon dioxide or with ambient air. The result was then analyzed under a microscope in search of any imperfections. It was seen that the best result was obtained with argon, but that with carbon dioxide a hardened, resistant material with few imperfections was also achieved. Much better than with ambient air. Only the metals would be missing. We already have the printing method and the protective gas. Only the metal would be missing. For that, other scientists have proposed recently travel to the asteroid belt and use it as a mine. That’s another story. For now, we wanted to check if printing is viable on the red planet and the answer is clearly yes. Image | Mebruer et al/Magnific In Xataka |Growing lettuce on Mars is NASA’s great challenge to colonize the planet. We already have a “shortcut” to achieve it

If the question is who can turn Amancio Ortega into his personal tailor, we already have an answer: Bad Bunny

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The launch of the joint capsule between the Galician giant Inditex and the Puerto Rican artist marks an unprecedented milestone in the industry. This long-awaited collection of 150 pieces, baptized as “BENITO ANTONIO”has landed this May 21 just in time to become the official uniform of his imminent I SHOULD TAKE MORE PHOTOS Tour for Spain. If the videos of “Get Ready With Me” (GRWM) flooded the networks looking for the perfect look for Rosalía’s concerts, with Bad Bunny the phenomenon will be very different. Given its 12 dates in Spain and 600,000 tickets sold, the stylistic dilemma has already been resolved in one fell swoop. As explained esquire, this capsule is not the typical merchandising on tour, but a democratization of the artist’s closet. There is no longer a need to invent or imitate your style: now your followers can directly wear your same aesthetic universe and street sensibility. Behind the alliance. Far from being a simple commercial move, choosing a security firm fast fashion to dress a global superstar hides a deep social message. Bad Bunny launches a declaration of rebellion against the inaccessible standards of the industry: good taste and style go beyond spending thousands of dollars on luxury brands. This phenomenon has been baptized by experts as a true “change of power.” As Professor Andrew Groves points out from the University of Westminster, wearing a Zara suit to events the size of the Super Bowl or the MET Gala conveys authority, but “that authority comes from Bad Bunny’s cultural standing, not a luxury house’s seal of approval.” The message beyond. Beyond fashion, the message is sociological and political. Choosing Zara (a Spanish brand with global reach) for the Super Bowl halftime or the MET Gala, an event historically dominated by Anglo-Saxon culture, was a declaration of intent. Bad Bunny uses his influence to tell the world that the Latin and working class identity no longer needs to ask permission or dress in Parisian haute couture to sit at the table of the most powerful. With this on the table, Inditex has not limited itself to hiring the face of a celebrity for a seasonal campaign. The final result shows that it was the artist himself who has adapted all of Zara’s machinery to his universe, his instinct and his identity. Strengthening the Galician firm as its head. The construction of this alliance has been a careful chess game designed over the last few months, evidencing Marta Ortega’s firm intention to strengthen her brand in the US market under the concept of fast couture or “affordable luxury”: The first advertisement in Super Bowl LX: In February, Benito performed before more than 100 million viewers wearing a tailored outfit (bespoke) cream color designed by the Spanish firm. Zara preferred intangible prestige to mass sales, refusing to commercialize the design, although it did have a close gesture by giving away exact replicas of the garment to the workers at its headquarters in Arteixo. The transformation at the Met Gala 2026: The next coup de effect It happened at the so-called fashion Oscars. The Puerto Rican braved the red carpet with a black double-breasted tuxedo custom made by Zara. The suit, sober and elegant, gave all the attention to a hyperrealistic makeup with prosthetics created by Mike Marino, which added “53 years” to the artist to adapt to the theme of the event about the aging body and discuss the social fear of mortality. He teaser by Marta Ortega: To confirm the rumors of the collection in an organic way, the president of Inditex herself wore it at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Madrid a new green cap with the embroidery “Benito Antonio”, advancing the news before the official statement. The soul of Puerto Rico spun into 150 garments. Developed side by side with its creative director Janthony Oliveras, the collection completely escapes tropical caricature. The specialized newspapers agree in praising the authenticity of the proposal, highlighting a design and aesthetics that, as it points esquiremoves between relaxed tailoring, artisanal textures, a great weight of color and basic garments oversizeideal for withstanding the heat of the imminent concerts. Added to this careful preparation is a rich graphic imagery created together with the prestigious M/M Paris studio. The visual identity of the clothing takes direct references from urban infrastructure, electric poles and everyday elements of the streets of San Juan, a decision that should not be interpreted as an exoticization of the Caribbean, but as a demonstration of a deep sense of belonging. Finally, as a definitive detail of loyalty to its roots, L’Officiel remember that Zara decided completely redesign its Plaza Las Américas store in San Juan, Puerto Rico, turning it into an immersive space to debut this capsule exclusively with its compatriots before making the final leap to the rest of the world. A commercial and identity milestone. With this collection, Zara and Bad Bunny have not only signed the most astute agreement of the year, but they have changed the rules of musical fashion. When thousands of fans fill the Metropolitan Stadium dressed in ‘Benito Antonio’ ​​basics, it will be demonstrated that the luxury of our era is not exclusivity, but the ability to make an entire stadium dress with your own identity. Image | Zara Xataka | Zara dressed Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl. That says much more about Zara’s plans than about Bad Bunny

Vegetable milk has fewer nutrients than cow’s milk

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In recent years, plant-based drinks have become an alternative to conventional milk. “They destroy” some experts have said. And these drinks are no longer just the resource of those who avoid products of animal origin or the lactose present in milk and have become one more option for many. The question of the extent to which these alternatives are nutritionally comparable is very different. A whole series of studies. A whole series of analysis of nutritional properties of some plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) are drawing a clear horizon. The team responsible for the study observed that some chemical reactions in the process of these drinks reduced the nutritional contribution of the final product. There are more studies in recent years, but all they go in the same line. That these types of alternatives are less nutritious than milk is not a big surprise, just compare the nutritional values ​​of both foods. The study in question shows us the reason for this difference and points out that its magnitude could even be greater than we believed. Maillard’s reaction. The key is in the Maillard reaction. This is a chemical reaction that usually occurs when heating some foods and we usually associate it with color since it is the reaction that occurs, for example, when toasting bread. The changes in the chemical composition of the food associated with this reaction also affect the flavors and nutritional contribution of the product. The question of the extent to which these alternatives are nutritionally comparable is very different. Different processes. Both the milk we drink and PBMA drinks are processed foods, although the difference is important. While the milk goes through minimal processing, typically ultra-pasteurization (UHT); Vegetable alternatives are processed foods that include steps that seek to resemble the final result to animal milk. These alternatives are also subjected to a UHT process, such as explains the team responsible for the study. 12 “milks”. The team compared 12 different drinks: two dairy drinks and 10 plant-based drinks. The team compared the drinks based on their nutrients and examined them for the presence of Maillard reaction products, or MRP, in these drinks. The team quantified the amount of protein present in milk at 3.4 grams per liter. Of the 10 alternative drinks studied, only two exceeded this amount, while the rest contained between 1.4 and 1.1 grams per liter. The amount of essential amino acids present in these plants was also lower in plant milks. They also found a higher amount of sugar in seven of the ten vegetable drinks. In their analysis, the team found various MRPs in plant milks. Among these compounds were acrylamides, found in oat and almond milk. The team points out that their low presence was not alarming, and that the probable origin of these was in the previous roasting process to which almonds and oats were subjected. The details of the study were published in an article in the magazine Food Research International. Interpreting the data. Does this mean that we should avoid plant-based alternatives to milk? Well probably not. The reasons for choosing one type of drink or another may vary and may not always depend on the nutritional contribution. For example, the decision may be based on environmental criteria. In any case, for this type of decisions it is convenient to have accurate information. Above all, because as I say ‘nutritional composition’ and ‘poor health’ do not always go hand in hand. Sometimes, it’s even good. In March 2026 was published in Advances in Nutrition The first meta-analysis on the cardiometabolic impact of vegetable drinks and the results are clear: replacing cow’s milk with soy drink reduces LDL cholesterol and can reduce blood pressure; oat drink shows favorable effects on total cholesterol, etc, etc, etc. According to the original study team, the key should be better labeling that helps consumers choose the product that best suits their needs. “If there were requirements for producers to specify on the labels how many essential amino acids the drink contains, it would give consumers a clearer picture of the quality of the proteins,” explained in a press release Marianne Nissen Lund, co-author of the study. Lund and his colleagues also highlighted the importance of reducing our consumption of processed and ultra-processed products in general. Not only as a way to eat healthier but also to do so in a more sustainable way. A version of this article was published in Xataka in 2025 In Xataka | Fish milk, Indonesia’s idea to create a substitute for cow’s milk. And they are not the only ones Image | Alexa Photos

open 24/7 with 180 workers

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While Europe seeks technological sovereigntyindependence from foreign technology and How to accommodate your data centers in a system in which the electrical grid is saturatedAmerican Big Tech is establishing itself on the ground. Amazon is one of the most aggressive with its expansion of data centers and Spain, which has been showing its energetic plumageha conquered these companies with one name standing out above the others: Aragón. In short. The community has become one of Europe’s renewable batteries. For years, its energy power has allowed gigawatts to be diverted towards Catalan and Basque industrial centers, but things are changing and, now, they need the energy for themselves. For the data centers that are arriving, rather. Because both Aragón and Amazon have been making promises for months about how these data centers will impact the region and, finally, we can see how many jobs six of the data centers located in Villanueva de Gállego will generate. The round number? 180 direct workers who demonstrate that from words to actions… there is a distance. The promised numbers. Amazon, through AWS, is going to fill Aragon with data centers. In the PIGA (the General Interest Plan of Aragon) it is already details that the idea is for AWS to build 30 data centers and a dozen electrical substations in the region. Villanueva de Gállego and Huesca will take part of the pie, but others are already being developed in Walqa, San Mateo de Gállego and La Puebla de Híjar. During this year’s MWC, Amazon advertisement that they were going to go from less than 20,000 million euros in investment to around 33,700 million to expand their data center infrastructure in Aragon between 2026 and 2035. The plans are ambitious and they themselves estimated that their actions would contribute 31,700 million euros to the GDP of Spain and 18,500 million to the GDP of Aragon. Regarding employment, Amazon itself spoke of 29,900 full-time employees in total, 13,400 in Aragon alone. There was a nuance: these calculations included those of local companies, direct, indirect and induced. Exaggerating, telling the baker who made bread for the sandwiches of the workers who build the infrastructure. Villanueva de Gállego. Although the figure is striking, from the beginning has been reported that they are not going to be new long-term jobs, but rather very dependent on that first phase of expansion and that the reality would be very different. How far? Well, if we look at what was published in The Aragon Newspapersix of those 30 data centers will generate 180 jobs when operational. This is the figure that Amazon itself has provided and that has been published in the Official Gazette of Aragon. In the BOA they refer to the report of the Aragonese Institute of Environmental Management, which is necessary for the American giant to begin the works and, in fact, it is detailed that they have four years to put these data centers into operation before the environmental impact report has to be reviewed. 180 employees across six data centers with three shifts a day to operate 24/365 It doesn’t close here. And, as we say, when they come into operation there will be 180 people between the six buildings. They will be distributed in three shifts and will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A data center cannot stop and continuous monitoring is needed. Is 180 employees across six data centers a lot? The truth is that the figure does not seem too large because even the largest data centers on the planet do not have that many workers. xAI’s Colossus is one of the largest in the world and there is details even how many plugs there are in the bathrooms, but not a round number of direct jobs. HE speaks of close to 3,000 jobs in the region, but we are in the same situation: it is in Memphis counting direct and indirect jobs, not a round number of direct jobs in Colossus. Bedrock. If you are wondering why so much computing power from Amazon in Aragon, the answer is Bedrock. The intention of the company is that these data centers are the basis of your service which gives access to models from both Amazon and third parties (Anthropic or Mistral, for example) through a unified API. You can call multiple models from the same interface and Amazon takes care of everything else. The idea is that, being in Spain and closer to end customers, those who need to work with very low latency can do so more easily. The energy problem. Aside from jobs, there is the underlying issue of energy. Because Aragón is a ‘green battery’, but renewables are not the best source of energy for data centers. During peak computing phases, data centers need a lot of energy immediately, something that is driving the use of private nuclear, gas and even coal. It is estimated that the expansion of AWS plans will add more than 10,800 GWh per year, more than all current electricity consumption of the community, but the technology company has a backup plan planned to power its facilities. On its water reservoirs, AWS will build a photovoltaic plant with a power of 9,500 kW that will incorporate a system of double batteries and backup generators in case there are problems with the grid supply. leaving environmental criticism aside And returning to the question of jobs, the estimate is that permanent and direct jobs will be around 1,800 during the period of activity of these data centers, which gives us an average of 60 per installation. At the moment, we already see that six of them are far from that average and allow us to get an idea of ​​how “the technological project largest in southern Europe“impacts the job numbers. In Xataka | The great paradox of Madrid: the region with the largest energy deficit in Spain is losing the data centers

retatrutide destroys all weight loss records

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The pharmacological race against obesity continues to advance with the aim of finding a drug that allows weight loss in a simple way, and among the examples that we have on the table right now, Ozempic stands out. But now science is advancing a new active ingredient that in the first studies points to a average weight loss of 30.3% in 104 weeksa threshold that has never been crossed with other treatments and that can set a great precedent. The essay. The protagonist of this story is the retatrutida, and it promises to set a great precedent after this essay published by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. To understand the clinical magnitude of the finding, we must go to the basis of the study of the trial called TRIUMPH-1which has been specifically designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of retatrutide in adults who are obese or overweight. In addition, it has also analyzed the effect on patients who have associated diseases. How has it been achieved? Overcome the barrier that other very important treatments such as Ozempic or wegovy It is something that attracts a lot of attention, and the key to retatrutide lies in the mechanism of action. And while semaglutide (active ingredient in Ozempic) is an agonist of a single receptor, which It is GLP-1retatrutide acts as a triple agonist. That is, the molecule is capable of coupling to three hormonal receptors: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. This triple pathway not only slows gastric emptying, suppresses appetite and improves insulin secretion, but direct stimulation of the glucagon receptor appears to increase basal energy expenditure. The latter is vital because, in addition to drastically reducing intake, it pushes the metabolism to burn more energy at rest. And this is the key. A predictable escalation. This is something that could already be seen that was going to arrive at some point, since previous medical literature already talked about the effects that this triple agonist could have. For example, in phase 2 of the trial, retatrutide had already demonstrated average weight loss 24.2% at 48 weeks with the maximum dose of 12 mg. But the key has come with the extension of the follow-up time up to 104 weeks, which has been the missing piece of the puzzle to verify if the therapeutic effect stagnated or if the patient continued to lose body mass with prolonged use. You have to be cautious. In an accelerated and highly competitive sector of pharmacology focused on obesity, it is necessary to know that this figure of 30.3% comes directly from the pharmaceutical company itself and not from a scientific source that has had a review behind it. Although the design of the trial is perfectly planned and the history of the clinical program provides a solid basis, there is still the publication of the definitive scientific article to analyze the “small print” and what logically does not want to be disseminated from a commercial perspective. It will be at that moment where key points can be revealed, such as, for example, the safety of this molecule and the exact metabolic impact. Images | freepik In Xataka | Ozempic’s great challenge is the rebound effect. Science already has two promising solutions to avoid it

As Silicon Valley perpetuates its workday, the four-day work week has found an unexpected ally: OpenAI

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While in the mecca of the technology industry celebrates the “996” model (from nine in the morning to nine at night, six days a week) as a mantra to not to be left behind In the AI ​​race, the creator of ChatGPT stands out by proposing just the opposite: reducing working hours with a four day work week. OpenAI just published your report ‘Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First‘. In it, the company suggests that AI can be the perfect excuse for us to work fewer hours a week without losing a cent of our salary. The idea is not just an academic conjecture, but proposes a package of labor policies designed for the age of AI. Four-day days without touching the salary. One of the most surprising sections of the report refers to “efficiency dividends.” With them, OpenAI proposes that governments, companies and unions promote pilot tests of 32-hour days or four days of work per week without salary reduction, as has been established tested successfully in different countries around the world. The stated objective is to maintain the same levels of production and service, taking advantage of the automation options provided by AI and then making the leap to a model of permanent reduced working hours or cumulative vacation days for employees. The striking thing about the proposal is not its content itself, something that has already been implemented with success in some companiesthe key is who proposes the change. Instead of a union or a workplace welfare study, the idea comes from the company itself that is accelerating the transformation of the labor market around the world. Not just reduction in working hours: better pensions and care. OpenAI presents this measure as a way to redistribute part of the productivity benefits extra generated by AI, so that profits are not concentrated only in the shareholders or in the big technology companies, but that the entire population participates in this advance. The four-day week is just one of the most striking measures, but the report goes much further. OpenAI suggests that companies that profit from AI also increase their contributions to their employees’ pension plans (not just those of their managers as a bonus), and that they cover more of their employees’ healthcare expenses. He also proposes what he calls “benefit bonuses“, direct bonuses linked to improved productivity and subsidies for the care of minors and the elderly. If robots work, let them quote. The document recognizes that AI automation can lead to the massive displacement of jobs and further concentrate wealth in a very small number of large companies. That is why it calls for more robust social protection networks. Curiously, OpenAI’s postulate coincides with the statements made a few weeks ago did Bill Gatesarguing that if AI was to reduce dependence on human labor, taxation should shift from wages and contributions to capital gains and corporate profits. The document introduces the idea of ​​”taxes on automated work”, linked to jobs previously done by people who would be replaced by robots. In Xataka | The war in Iran has achieved something that no government has achieved: giving reasons to bring back teleworking Image | Unsplash (Nathan Kuczmarski)

Airplanes have circular windows for a reason. It took two plane crashes to find out.

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When you get on a plane, have you ever wondered why the windows of this means of transport They have an oval shape. If you look closely, it’s not just the windows: also the armrests, trays, screens and any interior furniture. has a circular shape. Although it may seem something purely aestheticthere is actually scientific reasoning behind this choice. But before getting into the technical details, we need to talk a little about the history of aviation and how two fatal accidents changed everything. In their early days, airplanes had rectangular windows like those found in any house. As taking to the skies became more popular in the 1950s, airlines started flying at higher altitudes. This guaranteed them considerable economic savings, since the thin air generates less resistance and, therefore, less fuel is consumed, as well as allowing more comfortable driving with less turbulence. But in order for planes to fly at those heights, manufacturers were also forced to make design changes. The cabin had to be pressurized so that the pilots could breathe without problems. And a pressurized cabin requires a cylindrical shape to function, which creates a pressure difference between indoor air and outdoor air which increases as the plane rises. The flat body expands very slightly and therefore stress is applied to the material. And this is where the shape of the windows come into play. In 1954 there were two fatal accidents which caused the death of 56 passengers and crew. The reason the fuselage disintegrated had to do with a design flaw, which was that they had kept the windows square. Due to its right angles, Cabin pressure was concentrated in its corners and it was multiplied by three, more than in the rest of the fuselage. That caused the windows to end up exploding. It must be taken into account that airplanes usually fly at an altitude of 10,000 meters or more and that level atmospheric pressure It is about a third of normal. As Real Engineering explains in this video“When a material changes shape like this, stress is created in the material. Eventually, the stress can increase so much that the material breaks.” This is exactly what happened in the aforementioned accidents. The problems However, in a circular plane, tension flows smoothly through the material, a flow that is interrupted by the introduction of a window. But if the window is oval, stress levels are more evenly balanced. The same principle applies to the cargo and cabin doors. And that’s why we also see it in the windows of ships and spaceships. Unfortunately, it took two plane crashes and several decades of research to realize the evils that square windows were causing. Furthermore, as commented Anthony Harcup, director of the Teague design company, which has worked with Boeing for more than 75 years in this article from Travel + Leisure: “Sharp edges hurt elbows, knees, hips… or any part of the body they come into contact with. Rounding of all parts of the plane is also done for the “deletalization”a design principle that ensures that when subjected to Murphy’s Law, a passenger cannot be injured anywhere in the airplane seat.” It’s not just the shape of airplane windows that has changed over the years, but also their material. The windows you see on airplanes actually They are not glass, but acrylicwhich is more durable than the first. Also, as you may have noticed, there are three layers in each window. In fact, the interior window that faces passengers is not even part of the structure of the plane (it is just a safety measure so that the exterior window does not get touched or scratched). And the second layer exists as reinforcement to maintain the pressure on the end in case the exterior window is damaged. If you looked at the window, you will also have seen a small hole in this layer. Its role is essential since it serves as a valve to equalize pressure between this inner window and the outer window. Between the interior and exterior window there is a small air chamber and this hole regulates the pressure between the two sheets automatically. In addition, it balances the humidity level, preventing the window from fogging up or freezing. Everything on an airplane is pure science. Images | Unsplash In Xataka | The design can save the middle seat on airplanes from being the most hated: wider and “without invasions”

In the era of drones and smart missiles, the US has recovered a relic of the First World War: the bayonet

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In the middle of the Iraq war, a group of British soldiers launched a bayonet charge against Iraqi militiamen near Al Amara. The scene seemed like something out of another century, but the British Army considered it a tactical success in the middle of a modern combat already marked by night vision, digital communications and advanced weaponry. The unexpected return of the bayonet. More than 20 years have passed since the scene described, but they counted in a report in Insider that, in an era dominated by FPV drones, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence and guided missiles, the United States Army has decided to bring back something that seems straight out of the trenches of World War I: indeed, the bayonet. The US Army Ranger School, one of the toughest training programs on the planet, has incorporated new hand-to-hand assaults with this war tool within its extreme combat circuits. As? Apparently, soldiers must advance through smoke, tunnels, trenches and physical obstacles while attacking humanoid targets with knives mounted on the end of the rifle. At first glance it seems like an absurd military anachronism in the digital age. However, for the Pentagon the decision responds precisely to the type of war What do you think can happen? in the future. The Pentagon obsession. The war in Ukraine and other recent conflicts have shown something which is of great concern to Western military strategists: modern battlefields depend on extremely vulnerable networks, communications, GPS, drones and electronic sensors. Jamming, electronic warfare attacks, and combat chaos can isolate entire units in a matter of minutes. In this scenario, the US Army fears that soldiers accustomed to operating surrounded by technology lose capacity to continue fighting when screens, communications or air support disappear. That’s why Ranger School now insists on training something a lot. most basic and brutal: move forward, endure fear, maintain physical cohesion with teammates and continue attacking even in extreme situations of exhaustion and disorientation. A relic that never disappeared. The truth is that, although the bayonet is associated above all to suicidal charges of the First World War, never completely disappeared of modern armies. American troops still used it in Korea and Vietnamand British soldiers and US Marines set it again during particularly violent urban combat in Iraq in 2004. Its current value is not so much in the weapon itself as in what it represents psychologically. Military historians have been pointing out for years that the bayonet works especially like a tool to train aggression, discipline and the ability to continue fighting under extreme fear. It forces the soldier to accept something that modern technological warfare sometimes hides: that many combats still end at very short distances and in deeply chaotic conditions. Recovering very old ideas. The movement is especially striking because it arrives just when the war seems more futuristic than ever. Ukraine and Russia have filled the front autonomous droneselectronic interference and constant surveillance from the air. But precisely that same technological saturation is producing an unexpected effect: combat once again becomes extremely disorderly when communications fail or units become isolated. In many sectors of the Ukrainian front, soldiers survive entire days under drones and artillery hardly any contact of course with higher commands. The Pentagon appears to have drawn an uncomfortable conclusion from that experience: The more technological war becomes, the more important it becomes for a soldier to be able to keep fighting even when all that technology disappears. The fear of blackout. Plus: America’s new military obsession is not just about developing better drones or missiles, but about preparing troops capable of operating when the entire digital ecosystem collapsesif it does. The bayonet symbolizes precisely that idea. Not because the Army expects massive loads like those of 1916but because it represents the ultimate survival level military: keep moving forward when there is nothing else left. Ultimately, the decision reflects a very current paradox. The more sophisticated modern wars become, the more armies fear the moment when they will once again resemble something much more ancient, physical and primitive. Image | Joey Rhodes/US Army In Xataka | The United States has 54 billion euros for its army and a very precise place to invest it: in drones In Xataka | A soldier can and should disobey an illegal order. The problem that Anthropic faces is that an AI does not

new scrub on the most critical flight in its history

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After postponing the release date several times, it seemed that, finally, version 3 of Starship I was going to take flight. However, flight 12 of the SpaceX giant had to do a scrub after stopping and restarting the countdown several times. In principle, the company is expected to make a new attempt today, at 5:30 p.m., local time in Texas (00:30, Spanish peninsular time). However, it has not been completely confirmed. A countdown that never ends. During the countdown prior to the launch of Starship there were several arrests. This occurs when engineers detect problems that they must solve for the imminent launch. After the necessary checks, the clock was moving again, but then it stopped again. It stopped up to 5 times. Unfortunately, not all the technical problems were solved, so a scrub was finally chosen. This is similar to the launch abort, although the abort occurs when ignition and scrubbing have already begun before ignition. The technical problems. The first stop in the countdown occurred shortly after T-40. That is, when there were 40 seconds left until the launch. At this point, engineers had to check the quick-disconnect grilles for their final setbacks. After this point, the countdown began, but not for long, as it stopped again at T-35 to manage the pressures of the quick disconnect system. Next, the big part came in the T-28. First, a problem was detected in the water diverter. This seemed solved, but when the countdown was reactivated, not even a second passed. He stopped again at T-28 so that the sensors on the arm that controls the quick disconnect system could be checked. And if that were not enough, there was one last stoppage, also in T-28, due to an error in the hydraulic pin that maintains said arm. Did not carry out the necessary retractionso it had to be reviewed. There were already too many problems and they could not be solved properly, so the launch was cancelled. SpaceX has a lot at stake. This is a very important release. It is not just another Starship flight, but the first in which its version 3 will be tested. Both the ship itself and the Super Heavy rocket incorporate a large number of modifications that should make its flight much more efficient. This is very important for future SpaceX missions, but also so that the company can maintain the proposed timeline for joining the Artemis missions as human landing system. If the flight failed, the losses, both economic and confidence, would be immense. It is important to solve even the smallest incident so that everything goes well. another try. Another attempt is expected this afternoon in Texas. In fact, the roads around the Starbase launch pad will be closed from 10 a.m. local time. That is, 17:00, Spanish peninsular time. Unless engineers cannot resolve all the issues, there will be another flight attempt today. We’ll see if this is the definitive one. Image | SpaceX In Xataka | SpaceX is preparing the largest IPO in history: the fact that it is doing so right now is no coincidence

Rodalies is such a chaos of delays and cancellations that one student has had enough. And he is already demanding 9,200 euros from Renfe

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What price do you put on your time? Airline and railway companies are clear: time is worth the same as the train ticket. With more or less flexibility When it comes to refunding a ticket, these companies are very clear and the law protects them. But what price do you put on your time when that delay directly affects your work or your daily life? David Pujol, a second-year Mathematics student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), is also very clear about it. In your case, 9,211.35 euros. And he is already claiming that money from Renfe. Psychological damage and a change of residence Psychological problems that have aggravated his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), academic damage and a forced change of residence. This is what, according to the Catalan student David Pujol, has caused the malfunction of Rodalies, the Cercanías service of Catalonia. It includes everything in the document that has been presented against the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Territory as a claim to recover the 9,200 euros in which it values ​​​​the 55 serious incidents that have been documented between September 2024 and May 2026, they explain in The Country. These serious incidents refer to train cancellations without prior notice and the absence of real-time information to be able to take an alternative route. “I have lost entire days of my life”the young man pointed out this same week in Cope where it affected the problems generated by delays. Among their complaints is the inability to organize their day correctly given the countless problems at Rodalies. Recognize elDiario.es that his house in Pineda de Mar is far from the faculty by public transport but that the journey, which was supposed to take two hours, was rarely less than two and a half hours and, on occasions, could last up to four hours. Click on the image to go to the original tweet “I got up at four in the morning to get to class and, many times, I didn’t even get there,” the digital media stressed. The only solution he found was to move to Cerdanyola del Vallès where he paid for the apartment with one of the scholarships awarded for education. These continued delays and cancellations, he explains, have had direct effects on his studies and mental health. That is why he claims 9,211.35 euros which breaks down as follows: 211.35 euros for the reimbursement of transport passes 4,500 euros for the worsening of his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 2,500 euros for violation of the right to education 2,000 euros for the forced move Although this time he has taken the step of claiming these more than 9,000 euros as full compensation for all the damage caused, Pujol has been filing complaints with the Rodalies service for some time, with 33 complaints in physical format and nine in digital format, another three complaints to the Síndic de Greuges (Catalan Ombudsman) and another to the Labor Inspection for non-compliance with minimum services during a day of strike. Click on the image to go to the original tweet But also, he has been making his work public for some time. In the image above you can see that in the first three months of 2025 alone it had already filed 15 formal complaints about cancellations or delays. With each one of them, the young student accompanied the information with a post in X. The result: in the summer he got a meeting with two senior officials from the Government and Renfe. In The Newspaper already noted that most of these problems that Pujol referred to had their origin in the use of lines R7 and R1two of the lines with the most problems in the entire Catalan network. In fact, just two days after the top post on X, Rodalies registered severe problems on lines R4, R3, R7, R8 and R15. It is just one of the cases that exemplify the poor functioning of the Catalan network. This same week, The Vanguard collected a multitude of testimonies from train users in Catalonia in which some claimed to leave home up to an hour early “just in case” to arrive at their workplace on time. Among the voices in the report there was a general solution: switch to the bus. This means of transport is also saturated but, several users say, it is more reliable than trains. “I had been waiting at the station for two hours and I had seen how the first three trains of the morning had been cancelled, without anyone giving us any explanations,” Pujol told elDiario.es a few days ago. He was then talking about a specific day in March 2025. Today, in May 2026, there are WhatsApp groups with more than a thousand users who send alert messages when a Rodalies train fails again, as they assure The Vanguardthe information from the company is null. Photo | eldelinux and David Pujol In Xataka | Renfe has launched a real-time map to know where your surroundings are in 2025. And it works quite well

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