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Anthropic CEO repeats what Ballmer said 25 years ago when calling Linux “a cancer”

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

In June 2001, Steve Ballmer, who had barely been CEO of Microsoft for a year and a half, granted an interview to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. During the course of it, he would make a historic statement by saying that “Linux is a cancer”. The curious thing is that 25 years later the CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, made very similar statements when talking about how “Open Source AI is becoming a danger.” Both then and now, the reason that provoked these statements was none other than the fear that the Open Source philosophy would end up triumphing in the world. And if history teaches us anything—and perhaps Amodei should have foreseen it—it is that precisely what Ballmer did was not weaken Linux, but rather make it stronger than ever. That may also be what Dario Amodei ends up achieving. Amodei’s statements They were actually produced three years ago.. He made them in a speech before the US Senate Judiciary Committee in July 2023, but at that time they went somewhat unnoticed because at that time the most advanced AI models in the world were still very limited, and the situation for open models like Llama 3 was even worse. Linux was not dangerous per se. AI models of open weights, neither Three years later things have changed radically. The open models that several Chinese startups and technology companies have managed to develop are already very close to the impressive frontier models of Anthropic, OpenAI or Google, and Amodei’s prediction now becomes much more relevant. But it does so at a time when its Mythos and Fable 5 models have had a lot of problems precisely for being “dangerous.” Mythos Preview first and Mythos 5 now are only available for a small group of entities and companies due to its potential to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities. AND Fables 5which was a “layered” version of Mythos ended up being vetoed by the US government three days after going on the market. only yesterday its deployment was reinstatedbut it has done so with more restrictions to use it: if the model detects any dangerous intention, it is deactivated so that the user switches to using Opus 4.8. And while the US tries to put doors in the field with the excuse of national security, China does not even bat an eyelid. Chinese companies have not stopped launching more and better models of open weights, and We have the last and most splendid example in GLM-5.2the Zhipu.ai (Z.ai) model that is surprising everyone and everyone. Its creators already warned when launching it that its performance in various benchmarks is at the level of Claude Opus 5.5 or GPT-5.5. But independent analyzes in the field of cybersecurity they claim that GLM-5.2 is “as dangerous” as Opus 4.8 also in terms of cybersecurity. This points to a disturbing future for the US: that China will have models as powerful as Mythos in the short term. Jie Tang, CEO of Z.ai, agreed with that perspective: Elon Musk anticipated that these models would arrive in the first quarter of 2027, and Tang indicated that “it won’t take that long.” The real problem is not that Chinese companies develop open weight models with capabilities similar to those of Mythos. That will inevitably come, but as happened with Linux and Open Source software, The danger is that these models displace commercial software and threaten the dominant position of Anthropic and OpenAI. That’s what Ballmer feared 25 years ago, but what he seemed to point to with that FUD statement never happened. What happened was precisely what he would never have imagined: that Microsoft ended up “appropriating” Linux and Open Source solutions by integrating them into its cloud infrastructure, Azure. Today Linux virtual machines represent 61.8% of all those in Azure: this operating system has become an even more important option than Windows on that platform. It is no coincidence: the presence of Linux and Open Source platforms in the server market is absolutely dominant (about 90% globally), and the adoption of these solutions by Microsoft has been total. Not only in server environments, be careful: the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) layer of Windows operating systems has been a crucial attraction for users and especially developers for years. The company made its definitive move in that section when he bought GitHub in 2018and he hasn’t looked back since. The analogy with the Anthropic (or OpenAI) situation is inevitable. Linux then threatened Microsoft’s position, and open AI models threaten that of Anthropic or OpenAI. The question here is not whether those AI models developed by Chinese companies can be dangerous: Mythos, Fable 5 and GPT-5.5/5.6 have already shown that they can be. The question is who they are for. For the world… or for the companies trying to become the de facto monopolies of this industry? Linux, after all, wasn’t a cancer. Ballmer was not right. It’s very likely that Amodei doesn’t have it either. Image | World Bank Photo Collection | Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | For decades, Linux has earned a reputation as a “shielded” operating system. Until now

In a display of technical superiority, France has just invented traditional white towns. We, however, have forgotten about them

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

At this time of year, in the hardware stores of the French Midi, it is impossible to find a very specific product: ‘blanc de Meudon’, a classic cleaning product in French drugstores since the 18th century and which in Spain would be equivalent to traditional crushed chalk. And no, it’s not that they have a sudden fever to have everything clean and spotless. As we said in Magnetis that in the middle of a heat wave, with maximum temperatures above 40 degrees and blackouts in much of the country, thousands of French people discovered that they could mix this powder with water and paint their windows with it. With the milky glass, the light reflects and the houses could shave a few degrees off the country’s struggle with climate change. In a matter of days, in fact, it has gone viral. And does it work? Of course it works. Chalk is calcium carbonate, a pigment that barely absorbs light and therefore reflects almost all solar radiation. It’s the same logic Purdue ultrawhite paints or the whitewashed towns that dot the Mediterranean. These are things that seem basic to us, but that no one thinks seriously about until the thermometer goes completely crazy. Luckily, ‘blanc de Meudon’ is widely used in the country. The other option would have been to pay attention to the Loughborough University and start spreading yogurt on the outside of the windows. According to the researchers’ calculations, with the “lactic approach” the temperature of the houses dropped by 0.6 degrees on average (and up to 3.5 on sunny days). A lot of laughter, but they still found a different approach, right? No. The data is clear: “complete shielding” with blinds, curtains or even aluminum foil lowers the internal temperature by 5 to 6 degrees, almost double that of yogurt or chalk. For this reason, images of Paris with thermal blankets on the windows have also gone viral. However, this is only the most striking curiosity. If I bring up the French fever for painting the windows, it is because there is something more interesting hanging from that problem: that, little by little, we are forgetting that architecture is something that has to adapt to the place where it is. All cities are the same city. For years, walking through the center of a European city has been a very curious experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s Paris, Lisbon, London, Prague or Berlin, they all look more and more alike. They are mimicking. They are losing their local peculiarities to repeat over and over again the same franchises or international stores: Primark, Zara, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Ale Hop or Calzedonia… But it doesn’t just happen in the centers, of course: experts have been wondering for years why all new constructions look the same regardless of which part of the country (or the world) hosts these new buildings. In Spain, specifically, ‘zebras’ have become a huge problem. A decade ago there was a very interesting debate about how the doctors’ series had promoted a whole series of practices that were dangerous for health professionals and patients. Things like wearing a stethoscope around your neck or not wearing anything below your elbows are simple rules that the cultural image of TV doctors eroded (and caused problems). With architecture and urbanization the same thing happens. A pending reflection. Often, when we decide to conserve our architectural heritage, we choose to protect unique buildings. And it makes sense, mind you. The problem is that, along the way, we forget about techniques, structures and decisions that are, in reality, profound adaptations to the climate in which we find ourselves. That Mediterranean towns are white is not a whim, nor is it a whim that their houses have the structure they have. It is true that some of these characteristics are due to technological limitations of the time in which they were built, but not all. And that is the heart of the problem: if we do not start thinking about our urban heritage as a tool, we will find ourselves in a few years painting the windows white. And, in short, we will not have searched for it by hand. Image | Anthony DELANOIX / Veronika Hradilová In Xataka | Beyond gazpacho and salmorejo: Spain’s hidden summer dishes that are crying out to become popular

this is how this company operates in a small town in Ciudad Real

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

Among the vineyards and olive groves of Herencia, a municipality of just over seven thousand inhabitants in Ciudad Real, some of the armored vehicles that today circulate through NATO barracks, Spanish police stations and roads in several countries in Africa are manufactured. The company in charge of this type of projects It’s called TSDand the most interesting of all is that it was not always a vehicle manufacturer. In fact, he started selling safes. How it all started. Antonio Ramírez founded the company in 2000 as a family business that had nothing to do with the military industry. “We began by focusing our work on the transportation of funds, on the development of vaults or safes for banking ATMs,” explained Ramírez. in the report from El Español. Over time, the firm expanded its activity into the security and defense sector until it became a manufacturer of tactical and armored vehicles. Today TSD invoice around 130 million euros per year and employs more than 600 people in its rural surroundings. In detail. The firm’s star product is the Íbero, a multipurpose 4×4 tactical vehicle with a modular design that can become an assault vehicle, border surveillance vehicle, riot control vehicle, command post or even a mortar launcher, as detailed by the company. There are three versions depending on weight and capacity: the lightest (LTV) is around 5 tons and carries up to 6 occupants, while the heaviest (HTV) reaches 15 tons and can carry up to 12 people. The vehicle was officially presented in 2020 after a decade of development, and there are already around 70 examples manufactured. Between the lines. TSD does not build chassis from scratch. The company works as a “second phase” manufacturer. And it is that part from brand platforms such as Mercedes-BenzRenault or Iveco and on them it mounts the armor, communication systems and the specific configurations of each mission. It is a model that allows you to adapt practically any commercial chassis to military or police use. The NATO seal. As an official supplier of the Atlantic Alliance, TSD vehicles have the organization’s own certifications and approvals. According to what they saythe entire process is governed by STANAG regulations, the international standard that sets the armor levels required by NATO. Vehicles destined for the Alliance are painted dark green, the official color of NATO, while those sent to desert areas, such as the Middle East, wear a cream tone. Beyond Europe. The Íbero has crossed borders, since nearly a hundred units have already been sold, most outside of Spainwith presence in African countries such as Senegal or Ivory Coast, where the vehicles operate in real scenarios and have been tested in combat. The company is now studying making the leap to South America, with Chile and Argentina as markets in its sights. Not just military vehicles. Along with the tactical range, TSD maintains a less visible but equally important line of business, with armored vans for transporting funds, destined for central banks and security companies. They incorporate remote locking systems and patented technologies, such as foam that solidifies in seconds to protect cargo from an attempted assault. Added to this is the manufacturing of police vehicles, with a production volume that exceeds the 5,000 units per yearof which about 1,500 are personalized to order. In Spain, bodies such as the Civil Guard already use their vehicles. And now what. The context in which we live is helping the company, since Europe is increasing its defense spending and seeks to reinforce its strategic autonomy against dependence on external suppliers. In this scenario, family businesses like TSD gain weight as an agile and flexible alternative. Cover image | TSD In Xataka | One of the most advanced yachts in the world keeps its biggest secret below deck: cryogenic tanks at -253 ºC

Netflix’s latest big ratings success turns the formula into a phenomenon

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

Nobody expected that’I will find you‘ was Harlan Coben’s best premiere for Netflix, and in fact, it has not been. However, eleven days after its arrival on the platform, it accumulates more views than almost any other fiction of 2026 in that same period: 58.1 millionand number one in more than 80 countries. The figure reaches milestones that only a handful of productions have reached in the entire history of the platform. And that, as we say, is not even the author’s best premiere with Netflix. What is it about? The series follows David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), a man who has been serving a life sentence for five years for the murder of his three-year-old son, a crime he has always denied having committed. Everything changes when his ex-sister-in-law, Rachel Mills (Britt Lower), brings him evidence that the boy could still be alive, opening the possibility that the original investigation was manipulated. Convinced that he has been the victim of a conspiracy, David escapes from prison and, together with Rachel and while being pursued by the FBI, unravels a web of family secrets that questions everything he thought he knew about his past. The author factory. Harlan Coben is certainly no newcomer to Netflix. The platform signed an agreement with him in August 2018 to adapt fourteen of his novels, expanded in 2022 with twelve more titles, including the eleven novels by Myron Bolitar, one of the researchers who star in his intrigues (and who is actually a representative of athletes). ‘I will find you’ is the first produced by an American team, after eight years transferring the original plots to the United Kingdom, Poland, France, Spain or Argentina. Some milestones of Coben’s adaptations. ‘Wiles‘ was the most watched series globally in the first half of 2024, with 107.5 million views, which placed it in seventh place in the history of English-language series on Netflix. ‘On the Run’ generated 15.6 million views in its first week and managed to unseat ‘Stranger Things’ from number one in the United States. Astronomical figures, surpassing even this ‘I will find you’, and which attest to Netflix’s good nose for detecting a vein. One that, in addition, insistently repeats certain plot lines: disappearances, family secrets, hidden identities, all of this is grouped under the “Harlan Coben Collection“which currently has 13 films. The public praises what the critics do not. Curiously, Coben’s adaptations do not have particularly high critical acceptance. There are some like ‘Silence in the snow‘ that have very low marks on Rotten Tomatoes (34%), and others that raise the average a little, such as ‘Safe‘ and its 73% of the public and 71% of the critics. But in general, the grades are closer to passing by the skin of their teeth: this ‘I will find you’ it has 63% of the public and 61% of the critics. None of this erodes in the least the audience phenomenon that adaptations represent. What is coming. While Netflix enjoys the success of ‘I’ll Find You’, Coben’s adaptation machinery does not stop (because they are always self-contained stories that work in a single stroke, with no option for second seasons) and ‘Myron Bolitar’ is already in preparation, the series that David E. Kelley (‘Big Little Lies’, ‘Presumed Innocent’) will co-write and co-direct with Coben himself. As a novelty, it is the first adaptation designed as a long-running series and not as a closed miniseries. Good times for comfortable, effective suspense with no other ambitions than to provide an acceptable dose of intrigue and chills. In Xataka | Of course you don’t remember anything that happened in the last season of your favorite series. It’s deliberate

Hisense renews its dishwasher catalog for 2026, betting on class A, connectivity and AI management

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

The large household appliances segment continues its course towards automation and control of energy consumption through software. In this scenario, Hisense has made official the launch in Spain of its new line of dishwashers for 2026: the Hisense HI9. Under the premise of standardizing energy efficiency, the firm introduces a catalog made up of four Class A models and two Class B alternatives, scaling the connectivity and sensor functions according to the technical step of each version. All new family members share a loading capacity of up to 16 servicesa distribution based on three trays and an operation that reduces mechanical noise to 40 dB thanks to the use of Inverter-type motors. Hisense HS693A90ADBX – Class A Dishwasher, 16 Services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Freestanding dishwasher 60 cm – Hisense HS663A90WUK, 16 services, 8 programs, 599 mm, White The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense HS643B90W – Class B Dishwasher, 15 Services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links AI and self-dosing at the forefront of the flagship HI9 model The main technological exponent of this deployment is the Hisense HI9, a model that won the iF Design Award 2025. The first thing that draws attention at the interface level is the inclusion of a 6.86 inch Vision Plus TFT color touch screen installed in an inclined position to improve the ergonomics of daily use. However, the most interesting core is in its internal electronics. This model incorporates the algorithm AI Super Washa sensor system that autonomously analyzes the volume of the load introduced and the level of opacity or dirt in the water. Based on these parameters, the dishwasher regulates the flow and exact amount of liquid detergent in real time through its intelligent self-dosing module. At the drying level, to avoid uncomfortable condensation drops on plastics and glass, Hisense implements the systems Air Dry, Auto Dry and All Drywhich combine an assisted internal fan with the automatic opening of the door just at the end of the program, facilitating the evacuation of accumulated steam. As is now common in the multinational’s connected ecosystem, the top models incorporate WiFi connectivity. This allows them to be linked with the ConnectLife mobile app to program the start of the electricity rate during off-peak hours or keep a history of the device’s real consumption. Availability and launch campaign The new range of appliances is now available in the Spanish market with different finishes in dark stainless steel, classic stainless steel and white. To accompany its launch, Hisense has activated a direct refund promotional campaign for purchases made between July 1 and September 30, 2026. Refunds vary depending on the features and price of the model purchased, as follows: Premium models (Class A): refunds of 100 euros (for the HS693A90ADBX model) and 60 euros (for the HS673A90X). Hisense HS693A90ADBX – Class A Dishwasher, 16 Services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense Dishwasher HS673A90X 16 Cutlery Class A Wi-Fi and Self-Cleaning The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Mid-range (Class A): discounts of 25 and 20 euros on the HS663 variants. Freestanding dishwasher 60 cm – Hisense HS663A90WUK, 16 services, 8 programs, 599 mm, White The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Access models (Class B): refund of 25 euros (for the HS643B90X) and 20 euros (for the HS643B90W dishwasher). Hisense HS643B90X – Class B Dishwasher, 15 Services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hisense HS643B90W – Class B Dishwasher, 15 Services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links You may also be interested Midea Dishwasher 60 cm+++ Inox for 12 services The price could vary. We earn commission from these links AEG FSB64907Z Integrated Dishwasher, 60 cm, 14 Cutlery The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Hisense In Xataka | Connected dishwasher buying guide: what to expect from its intelligent functions, best recommendations and models from 300 euros In Xataka | The dishwasher is super convenient, but you shouldn’t put these objects in it even if you’re too lazy to scrub them.

Sony won the most important generation by humiliating Xbox with physical games. 13 years later he killed them

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

Sony has just taken a stab at video games in physical format. Those discs that allowed PlayStation to build its empire with CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray on consoles like PS1, PS2 and PS3now they have a death date. Starting January 2028, there will be no more physical games for PlayStation consoles. The reactions have not been long in coming, with all industry players pointing out the impact of this decision. We will not own games because they are licenses, worry from small publishers, death to second hand and abandoning games and all because of a decision that makes industrial sense: absolute control by Sony in the distribution of games, their price and the margin they leave in their store. But since the newspaper archive is very bloody, it didn’t take long for those who, like myself yesterday, to remember a certain moment from E3 2013 to appear: the same moment in which PlayStation 4 won the competition Xbox One with three very simple decisions, but they disrupted Microsoft’s plans. Because it was at that same moment that PlayStation won the generation. And as the Xbox boss confessed some time later, they lost the worst generation that could be lost in the field of consoles. The battlefield? Physical games, the same ones that today have an expiration date. When you lose the worst generation you can lose June 2013, E3 plenary session. The great video game fair was preparing for a generational event. Both Sono and Microsoft had teased some features of the PS4 and Xbox One respectively in advance, but on June 10, the Xbox One would show off games and pricing, and on the same day but a few hours later, Sony would do the same for the PS4. What no one expected was what was about to happen. Xbox One already had controversies behind it due to the fact that the machine had been presented more as an entertainment system (with an emphasis on watching television on it) than as a console. Besides, in a gross communication failureit was also noted that the discs needed online verification every few hours for Microsoft to verify that the game was yours. This meant that if you didn’t have Internet, you might not be able to play your games, and the division’s boss himself sent out the message. “If you don’t have Internet access, we have a product for you. It’s called Xbox 360”. When you present your new machine, it is not elegant to say that if someone doesn’t want it, they have the old one because the easiest thing that can happen is that they end up looking at the competition. And the competition… tightened. After the mess with the verification of physical copies on Xbox One, Sony attacked. During his conference, starting at the hour and 57 minute mark, Jack Tretton, who was COO of Sony Computer Entertainment, spent a few minutes stating that they believed in the physical format, in sharing and reselling your games on disc and in doing whatever you wanted with them. Of course, there would be no ‘online check’ to verify the discs either. He won a lot of applause with the speech that you can see here: That moment, added to the fact that PS4 was going to cost 100 euros less than the confusing Xbox One, marked the generation, but there was more blood. On the same day of the presentation, PlayStation recorded a video in which two of its heavyweights did a complete tutorial of what the process of leaving games between PS4 users was going to be like. It is one of the most iconic moments of these fairs and one of the last moments I remember in which one company went so hard against another in this console thing: The previous generation, the PS3 and Xbox 360, ended with the two machines selling a very similar number of units, but the PS4 and Xbox One began with the Sony machine sweeping sales. Xbox retracted its policiesbut it was late and when Phil Spencer took the reins of the division and started making moves (lower the price, remove mandatory Kinect, etc.), it was… well, that’s it: late. Xbox One sold so little that Microsoft made the decision to stop providing data on consoles sold. When that happens, things go wrong because everyone likes to stick out their chests when the wind is in their favor, and a few years later, Spencer himself commented that they lost the generation they shouldn’t lose. “We lost the worst generation you could lose, the one where everyone built their digital games library” – Phil Spencer Among their arguments, one made all the sense in the world: the PS4 and Xbox One was the generation of change, of the change from physical to digital, of the change from a model of consoles that were a blank canvas to one in which people wanted to continue playing their games from past generations. And, above all, the generation in which it was more important than ever to provide continuity to that digital ecosystem. Spencer summarized with the phrase “we lost the worst generation that could be lost, the one in which everyone built their library of digital games.” As I say, it makes perfect sense because if you went from an Xbox 360 to a new console, it didn’t matter to you because there was no backward compatibility (it was added later in the case of Xbox). You had to start from scratch, and the same if you went from PS3 to PS4. Therefore, Xbox 360 users who were not happy with the new policies were able to switch to PS4 without fear of losing anything because there was nothing to lose. However, as On PS4 and Xbox One the digital ecosystem began to developusers began to buy more and more games in that format. If you had a PS4 with an account in which you had invested money in dozens of games, it was … Read more

The wind industry has been dreaming for years of a turbine that can be assembled without concrete or machinery. France has said ‘hold my cubata’

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

When we think about wind energy, the first thing that comes to mind is turbines with huge shovels that we usually see in the distance when driving on some highways in the country or the infographics of Chinese companies with XXL towers for marine plants. In France, a designer has decided to rethink those ideas and become a question: What if we could have a light, modular wind turbine that did not require complex (and very expensive) installations and was also recyclable and scalable, so it would be useful for both self-consumption and industry? The result is Wind to Watt. Wind power without megaprojects. we like them the megastructures. It’s no secret. That is why it is not strange that when we talk about wind (both onshore and offshore) the projects that resonate the most are those that involve huge turbines, gigantic towers and XL shovelslike the model of 153 meters and almost 90 tons devised by the Chinese company Dongfang Electric (DEC). In the sector, however, there are people who work with another approach: new modular wind turbines that make wind power popular at the domestic leveljust as it has been doing (for many years now) photovoltaics. Squaring the circle (wind). A few years ago the French designer Fabien Brun decided to move in that same direction, that of scalable wind power, asking itself some questions: Would it be possible to design a light, modular turbine, easy to transport, economical, recyclable and that also does not require complicated installations, such as concrete platforms capable of supporting large towers? They are not minor questions. Quite the opposite. They address some of the main challenges that wind power faces, such as how to make installations cheaper or what the hell to do with tons and tons of blades that reach the end of their useful life and are made with fiberglass, carbon, resins and other compounds that complicate their recycling. There are those who estimate that in 2030 only in Europe there will be more than 50,000 wind turbines that will have reached their useful life period, which is usually estimated at 20 years. The result: Wind to Watt. The result of those questions is Wind to Wattwhich is presented as “the first 1 kW wind turbine without the need for civil works, designed for mass production and global scalability.” Unlike conventional wind turbines, what Brun proposes is a light structure made of aluminum tubes and plastic canvas, which has two great advantages. First, it simplifies and speeds up assembly. Second, it prevents you from having to prepare concrete bases or alter the terrain before installing it. “Silent and minimal impact”. Those responsible for Wind to Watt also claim that by using tubes and tarpaulins it reduces costs, facilitates transportation and is manufactured with recyclable materials. They also argue that the generator can be adapted to any type of context, both on land and in marine parks, and that it does not generate noise pollution. “Its operation is silent and has minimal visual impact,” ditch from the company. What about power? The team ensures that their turbine is scalable and they offer six different models. The most basic and smallest measures 1×2 m, generates 0.3 kW and is designed primarily for residential use and self-consumption. The largest measures 10×20 m, has a power of 62.4 kW (more than 1,500 kWh/day) and those responsible assure that it serves to supply energy networks. Of course, in your catalog They include smaller models, 10.4 kW or 20.8 kW, theoretically designed for light industry or data centers. As far as prices are concerned, the company assures that the cost per kW installed is around 2,500 euros and its maintenance costs about 50 euros per year. According to the calculations of those responsible, it saves 500 euros per year and the investment is recovered after five years, a fifth of its useful life (25 years). What phase is it in? It still has a way to go to become a widespread solution, but those responsible defend the path they have already taken. “The company, which has been technically and commercially validated at an international level, is entering the industrialization and commercial structuring phase,” points out Brun, who insists that the turbine is designed “for mass production and global deployment without heavy infrastructure.” Their goal is to begin their pilot deployment this year. Images | Wind to Watt In Xataka | Renewable, coal or nuclear: where each country in the world gets its electricity from, in a detailed graph

“It is partly favored by the beginning of a new El Niño phenomenon”

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

The oceans continue to increase in temperature and set records. We have the latest data from June 21, when unprecedented temperatures were reached, and it is not any type of sensor or satellite calibration error. And when two of the most advanced and precise climate measurement systems on the planet issue exactly the same warning, science leaves little room for doubt: Earth’s oceans are warmer than ever for this time of year. Double confirmation. What is truly relevant about this milestone is not the number on the thermometer, but the solidity of this data. On the one hand, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which It is the European referenceaimed at 20.86 ºC on June 21. On the other hand, Copernicus Marine Service frame on this same day 21 ºC. Its importance. In climatology, it is crucial that two metrics with different methodological approaches converge on the same result. This double confirmation drastically reduces the probability that the record depends on a single measurement method or an instrumental failure. The Child. This ocean thermal anomaly does not occur in a vacuum, but already at the end of May and beginning of June, the World Meteorological Organization warned that the probability of El Niño developing was unusually high, urging governments to prepare their impact mitigation plans. The suspicions were confirmed on June 11, 2026 when the Climate Prediction Center of the US NOAA issued its ENSO Diagnostic Discussiondeclaring officially that El Niño conditions were already present in the equatorial Pacific and that the phenomenon had developed strongly during the previous month. An important nuance. As experts point out, the fact that record temperatures coincide with the onset of El Niño does not imply complete causality. It must be taken into account that El Niño is a natural phenomenon that warms the tropical Pacific, but by itself it does not explain why the North Atlantic or the southern seas are burning. What we are experiencing is a dangerous temporal coincidence, as El Niño is overlapping a relentless background global warming trend, driven by human-made emissions. Anthropogenic warming has raised the “base temperature” of the planet and, if you add to that artificially high base the natural peak caused by El Niño, the result is the breakdown of global thermometers that we are seeing this month. Its effects. The sea acts as the Earth’s great thermostat, absorbing approximately 90% of the excess heat from the climate system. But this buffering capacity has limits and, above all, severe consequences. For example, a warmer sea evaporates more water and this means more atmospheric “fuel” to trigger extreme storms and more intense hurricanes. The experts. If we turn to the voices of third-party researchers who have interpreted these results, Sergio Moreno, technician at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, in statements to SMC, states the following: Regarding the implications of these observations, as the authors already mention, the trend of increasing sea surface temperature, which has been experienced for years, seems to be accelerating, partly favored by the beginning of a new episode of the El Niño phenomenon. Although there is always a certain degree of uncertainty in any prediction, everything seems to indicate that temperature records will continue to be broken in the coming months and years, accompanied by more intense and less predictable weather phenomena. In Xataka | Global warming has stepped on the accelerator at an unprecedented rate and we are getting closer to the point of no return

a vase filled with tens of thousands of Roman coins from 1,800 years ago

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

In real life, the work of archaeologists bears little or no resemblance (rather nothing) to what they show us. the Indiana Jones movies. There are no lavish buried treasures, no chests full of coins, no secret chambers capable of spending centuries hidden. That’s the general rule, of course. Then we find cases like Senon’sin Lorraine, France, which remind us that sometimes reality surpasses science fiction. Even the one filmed by Steven Spielberg. There archaeologists have found three amphorae with 40,000 coins Romans. North of France. Senon is a small town in the Meuse department, in France, close to the borders with Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Today it may be a discreet town, but centuries ago it was one of the main settlements of the Mediomatrician ancient Celtic population in Gaul that had its capital in neighboring Metz, then known as Divodorus. Recently, when digging in Senonarchaeologists reached the vestiges of a little-known area with several layers that span from the Gallic period (before Julius Caesar’s conquest) to the mid-4th century AD. An underground chronicle. As explains the Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP), the new discoveries in the area occurred (almost) by pure chance. During house expansion work, researchers excavated a 1,500 square meter (m2) plot that showed them a known but little-explored part of Senon. In general, the site preserves ancient structures excavated in the earth, such as pits, ditches or post holes that date from the 2nd century BC to the beginning of our era; and other structures that extend into the late 4th century AD As they delved into the archaeological layers, the researchers found ancient limestone quarries, buildings, remains of homes and roads, walls, ovens, patios… “The architectural characteristics, together with the material culture revealed by the small objects found at the site, indicate a relatively well-off population, possibly composed of artisans or merchants,” they confirm from INRAP. And the big surprise came. During their excavations, archaeologists located more than just ancient walls and causeways. When studying remains from the residential area dating back to Late Antiquity, they discovered three large ceramic vessels with thousands of coins dating between the last four of the 3rd century AD and the beginning of the 4th century. Two of these amphorae were located in the INRP excavation. The other appeared during the work of the Regional Archeology Service. In December, Live Science needed that in total the ‘treasure’ includes more than 40,000 coins. To be more precise, the first amphora contains 38 kg of metal, which is equivalent to about 23,000-24,000 pieces, according to calculations by Vicent Geneviève, INRAP numismatist. The second jar has a broken neck and a total of around 50 kg, so experts estimate that it contains between 18,000 and 19,000. Curiously, the third container preserves only three pieces. By analyzing all this material in detail, the Gallic archaeologists came to the conclusion that the amphorae were buried between 280 and 310 AD. In fact, some coins include the faces of the emperors. Victorino, Gloomy I and his son Gloomy IIemperors of the fleeting Gallic Empire who ruled the region with their backs to the centralized power of Rome between 260 and 274 AD Why is it important? It is not every day that amphorae from 1,800 years ago are discovered with 40,000 coins Romans. However, to be honest, in the Meuse area there have already been found about thirty of coin deposits. If the INRAP discovery is so important, it is, more than because of the number of pieces in the vessels, because of their context. Archaeologists believe that we are not looking at treasures hidden for security, but rather a kind of homemade bank. What’s more, the amphorae were not hidden with coins inside. Everything indicates that they were buried in an accessible place and then filled up. “Carefully placed”. “These deposits should be considered as a snapshot of complex monetary management, planned in the medium and long term, within a household or administration, capable of making deposits and withdrawals at regular intervals,” they explain the INRAP experts, who after analyzing the vessels and their surroundings do not see signs of a “hasty concealment.” “The containers were carefully placed in well-prepared pits, vertical thanks to leveling stones. Their location, in apparently common rooms and at a height close to the ground, indicates that they remained easily accessible to their owner,” the archaeologists insist. The great mystery. In reality, the great mystery is not why someone (one or more people) stored tens of thousands of coins in amphorae buried at ground level or what they intended to do with all that money. The real enigma is why he left them there, apparently forgotten for centuries. INRAP experts several ideas slidesuch as the fact that Senon hosted a military fortification at that time located just 150 meters from the excavated area. Was there a link between the amphorae with coins and that military base? Was the money reserved for payments? Researchers know that at the beginning of the 4th century there was a fire in the area that could have affected the coin deposits. Later the houses were rebuilt taking advantage of the charred foundations and walls, but that second occupation barely lasted 50 years. The place seemed to be definitively depopulated in the middle of the IV, after another fire. Images | Simon Ritz-Anthony Robin–INRAP Via | 3DGames In Xataka | The archaeologists who have found a Roman temple in Cuenca: “You can see an owl, which is the bird that represents Minerva”

you only need air, water and electricity

July 2, 2026 by usatoday24

In an ideal world, future lunar colonists would feed of what the earth gives. It is not feasible to carry very heavy loads there, so once the supplies are exhausted, it would be perfect to be able to grow more. The problem is that “the soil” on the Moon is the lunar regolith and its ingredients are much less conducive to agriculture than the soil on our planet. For this reason, a team of Japanese scientists has been searching for a good lunar fertilizer that would make this regolith able to host plant life. It seems that they have finally found one and the best thing is that, to make it, they only need atmospheric air. Green plasma to obtain a lunar fertilizer. These scientists, from Tohoku University and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), They have obtained their lunar fertilizer with only three ingredients: atmospheric air, plasma and water. Upon contact with plasma (an electrically ionized gas), the nitrogen and oxygen present in the atmospheric air react to give rise to dinitrogen pentaoxide. Afterwards, this dissolves in water to transform into nitrate, a nitrogen ion very necessary for plant growth. Fertile terrestrial soils are usually rich in this ion, so plants absorb and fix it directly. If it is not present or scarce, as occurs in the lunar regolith, should be added through fertilizers such as the one obtained with this process. Be careful with the atmosphere. In that same ideal world, the unlimited air of the lunar atmosphere should do. Unfortunately, the moon does not have an atmosphere per se, so the atmospheric air that will be introduced into the habitable rooms of the lunar bases would be used. It’s not an ideal world, but it’s still a good option. A very efficient process. It is true that there is already an industrial process to fix nitrogen from atmospheric air: the Haber-Bosch reaction. The problem is that, with it, a lot of energy is spent. It is totally unviable on the Moon. On the other hand, the process of obtaining lunar fertilizer using plasma is very energy efficient. Less than 100 watts are used and it is not necessary to resort to fossil fuels or anything similar. Well nourished rice plants. To check if the lunar fertilizer works, these scientists tested it on a regolith simulator, on which they planted rice seedlings. The results were very good. To begin with, the inhospitable alkaline pH of the regolith was greatly improved, decreasing from 9.09 to 6.76. Certain nutrients that normally cannot be absorbed directly from the regolith, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, were also extracted more efficiently. Instead, toxic ions, such as Al3+, were trapped in the lunar dust instead of passing into the plants. With all this, the rice grew much better than when the regolith simulant was irrigated with pure water, without lunar fertilizer. Other benefits. In this and other studies by these scientists It has been seen that lunar fertilizer not only provides the necessary nutrients for plants. It also improves plant growth, boosts their immune system and protects them against some of the risks associated with microgravity. Utility beyond the Moon. Actually our own planet It is full of infertile land. Therefore, these scientists believe that this highly efficient fertilizer can also be useful on Earth. After all, the plants are the same here as on the Moon and the need to save energy also prevails down here. Although these types of studies are carried out with an eye toward future lunar bases, we must not leave aside what is already under our feet. Our soils need it too. Image | Magnificent | Toshiro Kaneko In Xataka | The Iran war has disrupted the global fertilizer trade. And that’s bad news for the shopping cart.

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