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One study said that trees “sense” eclipses 14 hours in advance. The real explanation is much more boring

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In 2025, a team of Italian scientists discovered something surprising regarding eclipses. According to a study carried out in a coniferous forest of the Dolomitestrees can predict solar eclipses through changes in their internal electrical activity. Does this have any scientific use? Logically not, since there are other, much simpler and more proven ways to predict an eclipse. There are eclipses predicted a thousand years from now. Even so, the study was very well received, since it is a great example of curious science. The problem is that, according to the analysis of scientists Ariel Novoplansky and Hezi Yizhaq published this year in Trends in Plant Sciencethe results of that study were purely speculative, since there are other reasons why these changes in the electrical activity of the trees could have occurred. Changes in the electrome. Italian scientists detected changes in the electrome. That is, the set of electrical impulses that are transmitted through plant tissues in response to external stimuli, such as water stress or temperature changes. It is something like the electrical activity that is transmitted through our neurons. These researchers placed electricity sensors in conifers of the species Picea abies during a partial eclipse that could be seen in the Dolomites in 2022. They observed that, fourteen hours before the eclipse began, older trees experienced a large increase in their electrical activity. Furthermore, they then spread it to younger trees. Little sense. If you think about it, this doesn’t make much sense. We have seen that changes in the electrome are usually in response to external stimuli. It is true that during a solar eclipse decreases the temperaturebut two factors must be taken into account. The first is that they do it just when the eclipse begins, not fourteen hours before. On the other hand, in this particular partial eclipse, in the Dolomites area, sunlight was barely reduced by 10% for a couple of hours. The temperature should not have dropped slightly and the changes in luminosity should not have caused stress for the trees either. Lightning and sparks. For the scientists who published the 2026 counteranalysis, the explanation for what happened in the Dolomites is much simpler. It is known that, just 14 hours before the eclipse, there was a large storm in the vicinity of the Dolomites, with intense rain and abundant lightning strikes. That, precisely, could have caused a drop in temperatures and, of course, a powerful electrical activity in the atmosphere. Trees act as electromagnetic antennas, capable of capturing the electrical activity of the atmosphere and transforming it into changes in their own electrome. The larger an antenna is, the more powerful its activity in this regard. That’s why changes in the electrome may have been greater in older trees. Simply because they are bigger. That gives even more weight to the hypothesis of the role of lightning. Just three trees. Another limitation of the study is that it only analyzed three trees and five stumps. We cannot get much idea of ​​the behavior of the entire forest. Collective memory of trees to predict solar eclipses? The Italian authors also point out that the intense activity of older trees may be due to the fact that they “remember” the effects of past eclipses, so that they respond in advance to the temperature changes that are to come. However, Novoplansky and Yizhaq recall that it is very difficult for an eclipse to be seen in exactly the same place in a relatively short period of time. In Spain, for example, we will have three eclipses in three yearsbut the totality, in the case of the two totals, will be in very different regions. It is true that two partial eclipses in a row can be seen, like the one in the Dolomites, but experts insist that the environmental changes with a partial eclipse are minimal. More experts. Although the publication of the Italian study represented a great wave of acceptance, the 2026 counteranalysis went somewhat unnoticed by the press. But not to scientists. For example, was picked up by Science Media Center Spanishin which the statements of two experts were published. On the one hand, astrophysicist Javier Armentia pointed out that “there are no mechanisms by which a pine forest can react to small drops in light that do not occur regularly nor do they interfere with vegetative processes, nor were the measurements of this anticipatory behavior explained by the eclipse but by, probably, a cold night suffered a few hours before.” For his part, professor of Earth physics José Manuel Vaquero explained that a small partial eclipse, like the one studied in the Dolomites, “generates smaller environmental variations than those produced by the passage of a dense cloud or a front.” That great activity that was mentioned in the 2025 study would not make sense. In short, it seems that no, trees do not predict solar eclipses. The good thing is that we don’t care, because, as we saw at the beginning, we already know how to predict them. Image | Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | A third of Spain will be completely dark for a minute or two. The astronomical event of the century is approaching

If a GPU with 8 GB was already insufficient to play, the crisis has brought us ghosts from the past: cards with 4 GB

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This is the worst year I remember for build a PC. It is no longer that the prices of components such as HDDs and, above all, SSDs and RAM are completely out of control, but that there are no new graphics cards. AMD’s are a renovated from the previous ones and Nvidia, directly, goes from the RTX 60. But of course, something has to be removed, and the clue of a new GPU has just appeared that awakens the ghosts of 2022. If with the beginning of the RAM crisis We already pointed out that we could once again see mobile phones with absurdly low amounts of memory, a leak points to the same thing, but on the graphics cards side. The ASRock assembler would have missed two new models of AMD’s RX 9000 seriesspecifically the RX 9050 and the peculiarity is that they would arrive in versions with 4 GB and 8 GB of memory. As pointed out Digital Foundrythe last time we had new cards with 4 GB of memory was four years ago with the Intel Arc A310, Nvidia GTX 1630 and AMD Radeon RX 6400 and 6500 XT, so the RX 9050 ‘Challenge’ would be the first modern GPU with only 4 GB of VRAM to try to offer itself at a reasonable price, but with more current capabilities. The problem is that 4 GB of VRAM is currently worth little. So little that even playing at 1,080p is difficult in the most recent titles. And it tells us about an even more worrying future for gaming on PC. A 4GB VRAM GPU makes sense. sadly First of all, it must be clarified that AMD has not made an official presentation and everything comes from an ASRock leak that can now only be accessed through of a system like Archive. The features are… discreet. The architecture of the AMD Radeon RX 9050 Challenger 4 GB is RDNA 4, yes, but the specifications tell us about a memory speed of 1,920 MHz with a boost of up to 2,600 MHz with 18 Gbps with 16 CUs and a power recommendation of 450 W. It is below the 9060 and the leak points to a bandwidth of 288 GB/s with a 128-bit bus for the 8 GB GDDR6 model and just 144 GB/s with a 64-bit bus for the 4 GB model. Criticism, evidently, has focused on this 4 GB version. Because It is necessary that there be graphics cards that have modest capacities because not everyone may want to play in ultra with frame rates per second greater than 60 and ray tracingbut even at 1,080p that excessively low amount of memory can cause problems in not so current titles. As we say, being a filtration There is no price, but the range will be between 100 and 200 euros if we take into account the launches of the aforementioned models in 2022. Although, of course, they did not have the supply problems that they do now, so we will have to be attentive, even if out of mere curiosity, to the price of these 4 GB RX 9050 Challenger. Wanting to read beyond the criticism and astonishment at this abnormally low amount of VRAM for 2026, there are two issues. The first is that yes, a card with 4 GB is still useful for games from a decade ago that do not require many resources or for many indie titles. There is a lot to play with that amount of VRAM and, in addition, there is the fact that they are cards with a modern architecture, so it is not taking an RX 580 that no longer has scaling or those types of techniques. But of course, depending on the price, perhaps it is more sensible to opt for the second-hand market to have access to an 8 GB GPU that, at least, is more comfortable in 1,080p and 1,440p resolutions. And the second reading is related to what I said at the beginning of the text: the wheel must continue turning and companies have to launch products to continue existing. The size of the market for such a product is something they will have studied, but the other alternative is to not launch anything and run the risk of disappearing. The CEO of SMIC, China’s large foundry, already said it: we are in a tsunami because of AI and many companies they will stay by the way. But although this product has a certain logic, it is certainly shocking to see a GPU with 4 GB of VRAM in the middle of 2026, being a reflection of how bad things are. In Xataka | Buying a pack of Pokémon cards in Japan now requires more than just money: now you also need your face

NASA shows the real appearance of the Earth according to gravity… and it is deformed

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This July, NASA has made public on its website an interactive and updated image in the way that gravity would give our planet and the result has not left anyone indifferent. The simulation not only moves away from the idealized myth of the perfect, blue sphere, but also goes far beyond what we learned in school about the sphere flattened by the poles. According to this three-dimensional representation from the US space agency, the Earth’s shape has giant lumps and dips and is not uniform at all. And we owe it all to gravity. The geoid. What this NASA simulation shows is an irregular structure with enormous elevations and depressions, similar to a “potato”which is called geoid. This concept is a 3D mathematical model which serves as a reference surface to measure the elevations of the surface of our planet and the intensity of the forces of gravity according to the variations in the Earth’s mass. NASA defines it as an equipotential surface of the Earth’s gravitational field and, therefore, the reference of zero lift. The secret is in the water… To better understand this geoid, we must imagine the effect that gravity would have on the oceans and the enormous masses of earth water if the wind, waves, tides and currents did not exist. That is, if water, which covers 71% of our surfacewas completely still – something only possible in a simulation like this. …and also in gravity. Our planet is a very rugged celestial body whose mass is unevenly distributed. Those variations in density in the Earth’s mantle, such as mountain ranges on one side or valleys and places like the anomaly of the Indian Ocean “hole” in the other, they affect natural forces. They do it by producing changes in the gravitational field attracting water with greater or lesser intensity and causing those prominences and basins that NASA now shows us. Iceland and India, the two extremes. In order to show these differences on the surface, the scientists who designed this image of the geoid have exaggerated its vertical scale. between 7,000 and 10,000 times relative to zero elevationas explained by Heraldo USA. They do it this way because the variations are not appreciated in reality, since they only reach a few tens of meters on a planet whose radius exceeds 6,300 kilometers. The American media reports that, in this way, they have been able to verify that the point with the highest elevation is in Iceland, where the surface would rise more than 80 meters above the zero level. At the other extreme, southern India would sink about 106 meters below the same reference. More than 15 years of data collected by satellite. The development of this fascinating model has been possible thanks to the observation work that 19 space satellites have carried out over 15 years. Among them, according to the NASA website, are the Grace space mission from NASA or GOCE European satellite. Image | POT In Xataka | The paradox of artificial gravity: Einstein told us how to do it, engineering tells us it is almost impossible

The water exceeds 32 ºC and the forecasts are not good

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Summer advances and the classic refreshing feeling when entering the waters of the Mediterranean It is something that little by little we no longer feel the same way. The reason is none other than that year after year the water continues to warm up and exceed record numbers, which not only makes us feel less cool when bathing, but is also causing alterations in our climate, reaching the point that it could even exceed the temperatures of the Caribbean Sea during this summer. Setting record. The data recorded on the Spanish coasts They are especially forceful, and here the oceanographic buoys are our best ally by serving as a source of these measurements and which have been recording exceptional figures. To put ourselves in context of what is happening in our waters, we can look at the Bay of Pollença in Mallorca, where one of the buoys detected a water surface temperature of 32.1 ºC. The reason. Here the main culprit is undoubtedly the constant train of heat waves that is leaving the water of the western and central Mediterranean above 30 ºC in many of its sectors. But in addition to affecting the marine ecosystem, these extreme temperatures on the ocean surface contribute a greater amount of water vapor to the air, which increases relative humidity to levels between 80% and 90% and destroys thermal comfort in the form of torrid nights. And it is not something specific, but rather it is an inertia that we are moving towards, as confirmed by the Copernicus Marine Service, what points that during the first half of 2026 the Mediterranean experienced an average surface temperature of 18.07 ºC. This makes the semester between January and June the third warmest ever recorded, only surpassed by 2024 and 2025, and the same European organization points out that marine heat waves have affected about 82% of the global ocean, consolidating the Mediterranean as one of the highest risk hotspots worldwide. From space. Satellites have also detected these anomalies that confirm in another way the records that our Mediterranean is facing. Specifically, the ESA recorded on June 29, 2026 that the Mediterranean suffered anomalies in its surface temperature of up to 8 °C above the average for the period 1991-2020. If we are more specific, the wildest temperature increases were located off southern France and around the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, as well as on the Italian peninsula. Globally, Copernicus detected that on June 30 the global sea surface temperature anomaly was +0.5 °C, the highest value ever recorded for that calendar date. All this goes hand in hand with a suffocating atmospheric context, since the Copernicus C3S service documented that June 2026 was the second hottest June globally, reaching an average temperature of 16.54 °C, which is 1.39 °C above the pre-industrial level. The Mediterranean takes the worst part. The average temperature in the Mediterranean area has already risen approximately 1.5 °C since the pre-industrial era and this warming is progressing at a rate 20% faster than the global average. These figures are very serious, since future projections require urgent action, since it is expected that the Mediterranean could warm up to 5.6 ºC by the year 2100, varying depending on the final volume of our emissions. In Xataka | AEMET says it bluntly: in the Mediterranean it no longer makes sense to talk about a “tropical night” because almost all of them are.

We have been assuming for decades that the expansion of the universe is accelerated by dark energy. A study says it was all a statistical mirage

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Astronomers have spent decades trying to unravel the mysteries of subject and the dark energy. However, now a team of scientists from the University of Oxford has launched the most controversial of solutions: There is nothing to look for, because dark energy does not exist. And they have been so hot. Logically, the reactions have not been long in coming. Some researchers believe that it is an interesting solution that is worth continuing to investigate. Others, however, consider that they do not have enough evidence to demolish an entire cosmological model. After all, there are many more signs of the existence of dark energy than those they have been in charge of denying. Supernovas too weak. Dark matter and energy emerged as a solution to the problem of the expansion of the Universe. This is a phenomenon by which galaxies are increasingly distant from each other. But not because they are moving from their place, but because the space between them is widening. Something like that happens with a balloon on which we paint a series of dots. The more the balloon is inflated, the further apart the dots become. Today we don’t just know that the Universe is expanding. We also understand that it is an accelerated expansion, since the speed at which it expands is faster if we measure nearby galaxies than if we focus on points in the Universe closer to the Big Bang. All of this is measured like any speed. Distance between time. The distances are calculated using the Ia supernovae as a reference, since they have a very characteristic brightness that acts as a lighthouse and serves to map the Universe. The authors of the just-published study also used supernovae to make their own calculations, but they focused on one of the most current catalogs available. about them. There, they saw that younger supernovae have a dimmer glow, which could have led scientists to overestimate their distance, giving rise to the misconception that the universe is expanding rapidly. Dark energy as a solution. In fact, according to the Theory of General Relativitywhat is expected it would be that the expansion of the Universe slowed downsince galaxies experience the gravitational pull of their own neighbors and this should act as a brake. It would be something like what happens with the speed of a ball that is thrown upward. Little by little the Earth’s gravity slows it down until it reaches a point where it stops and falls. However, that doesn’t happen. There must be something reversing this effect and that is where dark energy comes into play, since would exert negative pressure which prevents collapse due to this gravitational pull and, in the process, increasingly accelerates the expansion. Now, where does that dark energy come from? Nobody knows, just as nobody has found solid evidence for the existence of dark matter. Supernovas help measure distances in space It’s not the first time. In fact, this team of scientists from the University of Oxford has already gone against the dark energy hypothesis in the past. Initially, they pointed out that the calculations on the accelerated expansion of the Universe would have statistical errors and that, if these were resolved, there would be nothing to solve with the existence of dark energy. However, they did not provide much evidence about these alleged errors. Now, they have shed a little more light with their new study, which is why the controversy has been much more intense. For and against. In statements to New Scientist Bielefeld University astronomer Dominik Schwarz points out that he finds this research very interesting, since it could explain the origin of all the discrepancies that made it necessary to launch the dark energy hypothesis. On the other hand, Joshua Frieman, from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States, tells in the same medium that we have evidence about the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe from multiple sources, including other supernova data sets, measurements of large-scale structure and cosmic microwave background radiation. Therefore, supernova analysis alone does not serve to disprove anything. Logically, more tests will be necessaryboth for and against dark energy. For now, it seems that the defenders of its existence win, while those who believe otherwise continue to be considered controversial. Images | DES Collaboration/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani | NASA/CXC/Rutgers/G.Cassam-Chenaï, J.Hughes et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/GBT/VLA/Dyer, Maddalena & Cornwell; Optical: Middlebury College/F.Winkler, NOAO/AURA/NSF/CTIO Schmidt & DSS In Xataka | 110 years later, Einstein is still winning bets: the Euclid telescope has discovered a ring in space-time

Talk to your dog remotely and track him in real time

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Object location devices AirTag They have gained a lot of popularity in recent years to keep track of all types of belongings. However, when it comes to animals, passive Bluetooth systems fall short in field areas or when the animal is moving quickly. Mova, one recognized brand in the connected home sector for its robot vacuum cleanershas made the leap into animal care with the SureTrack Proa GPS tracker designed specifically for dogs and cats. Mova SureTrack Pro Pet GPS Tracker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Hybrid positioning and calls to your pet Unlike a traditional tracker, the most striking point of the SureTrack Pro is its tracking system. two-way voice communication. Equipped with an integrated speaker and microphone, it allows you to call the animal remotely from your smartphone using the MOVAhome app. This is especially useful for calming the dog if it has become frightened, giving remote call commands or listening to its surroundings. To determine location accurately, the device does not rely on a single technology. Combine up to six positioning methods (GPS, AGPS, LBS, Bluetooth, WiFi and an active radar system), offering a range of metric accuracy and position updates every five seconds. Thanks to its integrated connectivity with eSIM (LTE/4G and 5G networks), it continues to offer coverage both on city streets and in the middle of nature or closed spaces. Light, resistant and designed for everyday use With a medal-type format that attaches directly to the necklace, its dimensions are quite small (52 x 36 x 22 mm) and its weight is only 36.4 grams. The brand recommends it for pets weighing over 3.5 kg. In the physical and security section, it has: IP67 resistance: prepared to resist dust, splashes and accidental dips. Battery up to seven days: in energy saving mode, fully recharging in about two hours. Smart geo-fencing: allows you to configure up to four safe zones to receive automatic alerts if the animal leaves the marked limits. LED light and buzzer– Incorporates a bright LED and a remote acoustic signal to find the animal if it is hiding in bushes or at night. Activity monitoring– Records daily exercise data and saved route history for one year. Availability and subscription plans This new Mova device has a recommended RRP of 99 euros, but now it is on an introductory offer for 89 euros. When carrying eSIM integrated to maintain a constant connection, the Mova SureTrack Pro requires a data plan after the first month free. Prices vary depending on the stay chosen: Annual plan: 8 euros per month (96 euros per year). Bi-annual plan: 6.66 euros per month (80 euros per year). Three-year plan: 6.11 euros per month (73.33 euros per year). All plans cover full 365-day history, activity heatmaps, real time alerts and the ability to share location access with multiple family members on an unlimited basis. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: mova suretrack pro pet tracker ✅ THE BEST Two-way voice communication: It goes one step beyond the simple map. The integrated speaker and microphone allow you to call your pet remotely to calm it down or use the acoustic signal if it is hidden. Compact and lightweight: With just 36.4 grams and a medal format, it is very comfortable and does not hinder the animal’s mobility. ❌ THE WORST Requires mandatory long-term subscription… As it depends on mobile connectivity (eSIM), it requires paying a constant monthly fee (between 6.11 euros and 8.00 euros/month depending on the chosen duration) to remain operational after the first promotional month. Limited to very small pets… Although it weighs little, its dimensions and the manufacturer’s recommendations do not recommend it for small cats or dogs weighing less than 3.5 kg. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are the owner of a dog that escapes or guardian of a dog that tends to flee after tracks in the field or it also serves to reinforce voice commands from a distance while they walk loose. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are looking for a device without fees and prefer to make a one-time payment, this product is not for you since it forces you to pay a mandatory monthly subscription for the eSIM. You may also be interested in these products for your pet Enabot EBO Air 2 Pet Camera with App The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PETKIT New Automatic Cat Feeder with Camera 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. Image | Mova In Xataka | Best robot vacuum cleaners in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and five recommended models In Xataka | These are the seven best cleaning devices to keep dirt at bay

Alejandro Llano, lawyer: “There is a type of dismissal that does not appear in the law but is the most popular: dismissal in July”

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Every year the same thing happens. July moves inexorably towards a well-deserved summer vacation, the offices and work centers are emptying little by little and, just then, the letters that no employee wants to receive begin to arrive: the dismissal letter. Alejandro Llanomanager of the legal office of UGT Catalonia, denounces a type of dismissal that is not officially recognized in the Workers’ Statute, but is well known to those who must defend the rights of workers: “There is a type of dismissal that does not appear in the law but is the most popular: the dismissal in July. In the last fortnight it is incredible.” The deadline runs even if you are not there. The key to Llano’s complaint lies in a detail that may go unnoticed, but is decisive in challenging a dismissal. He article 59.3 of the Workers’ Statute establishes that there is a period of 20 business days to challenge a dismissal in Spain. That is, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays do not count. On the other hand, the article 183 of the Organic Law of the Judiciary declares August as a non-working month for “all judicial actions, except those that are declared urgent by procedural laws. However, the General Council of the Judiciary, through regulations, may enable them for the purposes of other actions.” One of the cases in which the month of August is enabled as a business month is, according to article 43.2. of the Social Jurisdiction Lawthe dismissal of workers. That’s the trick. The Law Regulating Social Jurisdiction declares August a non-working month for almost everything, but makes an exception for layoffs, as it is an urgent procedure, generating confusion among laid-off workers, who may miss the deadline to challenge their dismissal thinking that justice “is closed for vacation.” “The rule, wanting to benefit the worker, is harming them, declaring August a business day for layoffs,” laments Llano. A dismissal notified on July 20 begins to expire while half the country is on the beach. When there is no lawyer available. Furthermore, moving the challenge of the dismissal to August has another perverse cost for employees: finding someone to defend you in time. “In August it is difficult to find a lawyer. Many offices are closed, because lawyers also take vacations,” highlights Llano. The specialized office Bermejo i Alegret, confirm the same phenomenon of increased layoffs in July from another trench. In his case, he speaks of a “silent practice with high legal costs” and warns of an aggravating circumstance in which the company knows that the worker is on vacation and even outside the country to begin the dismissal process. In these cases, the lawyer assures that “the courts can interpret this conduct as an indication of imbalance in the relationship” and point out the violation of your right of defense, tipping the balance towards the recognition of an unfair or even void dismissal. A phenomenon that statistics do not see. Here another paradox arises that, in part, explains why this continues to happen. Despite what Llano and other labor lawyers denounce from their daily experience, there is no official data that reveals how many ordinary layoffs occur during the month of July. The Ministry of Labor only measures collective dismissals on a monthly basis through its Employment Regulation Statisticswhich in July 2025 counted 4,864 laid-off workers, compared to 3,898 layoffs June or the 992 of September of that same year. These layoffs only tell part of the story, collective layoffs are growing, yes, but they only tell part of the story since they represent a percentage of total layoffs. The bulk of layoffs, individual and objective, are counted annually in the Dismissal Statistics and their Costwhich totaled 643,681 layoffs in the latest records of 2024, without the possibility of breaking them down month by month. The General Council of the Judiciary also does not monthly list the figures for dismissal claimsand only provides the quarterly and annual data. Therefore, we are faced with a phenomenon that, although labor lawyers see it repeated every summer, remains invisible to official statistics. In Xataka | Requesting a leave of absence from work has a catch: if you do not notify your return in time, you can lose your job forever. Image | Wikimedia Commons (Cberbell)

The answer to how we move from one language to another

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Here a server lives in Vigo and, throughout the day, frequently switches from Spanish to Galician. Jumping from one language to another happens naturally, spontaneously, depending on who you are talking to, where you are, or even what you are doing. The same thing happens to many people around me who have grown up listening to both languages ​​or, in other parts of Spain, to people who have learned Catalan, Basque, Valencian, Aranese, Bable from the cradle… even dialects with much smaller communities of speakers, such as the gallery. That ability to jump from one language to another is something we take for granted, but it remains a fascinating phenomenon for linguists. Now a group of researchers wants to understand it better focusing the focus on two very specific areas of the peninsula quite far from each other: Galicia and Gibraltar. The key: multilingualism. The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the “multilingualism” as the “coexistence of several languages ​​in a country or territory”. It is a known phenomenon and to which we are more than accustomed in Spain, where although Spanish is the official language throughout the State and there are a handful of co-official languages ​​in certain regions, a rich melting pot of speeches, dialects and slang coexist. Now… Do we really understand how multilingualism develops? Why do we jump from one language to another? Majority, but unknown. The previous one is an interesting question because in the world there are millions and millions of people who switch daily from one language to another with complete naturalness: they do it depending on where they are, who their interlocutor is, if they are working or having drinks with their friends… It even happens within the same family. Curiously, despite the fact that it is such a widespread phenomenon, there are those who believe that we still have a long way to go to understand it. “Multilingualism is a majority reality in the world, but we still know little about how it works in diverse and changing communities,” they explain those responsible for ‘BabelBrain. The Babel Brain: Mapping Multilingual Ecologies’, a project led by an expert from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) who has set out to understand it better. And how do they want to do it? Studying what happens in two multilingual communities on the peninsula separated by more than seven hundred kilometers: Galicia and Gibraltar. The objective, they comment from the USC, is to compare both territories to “analyze how people build their social relationships between several languages” and “understand what this multilingual experience reveals about adaptation mechanisms and the human capacity for language.” In Galicia, Galician and Spanish mainly coexist, although it is also possible to hear other languages ​​that have arrived through the flow of migrants. In Gibraltar the languages ​​in contact are English and Spanish, which has in turn led to “own linguistic practices”, such as the plaina similar combination to spanglish although specific to that region. His use of Spanish is very marked by Andalusian usage and also incorporates words of other languages. Why Gibraltar and Galicia? If the idea is to study multilingualism in Spain, why not go to other regions with more speaking communities or where more languages ​​coexist? From BabelBrain they explain it clearly: Galicia and Gibraltar may be separated by seven hundred kilometers, but they share a series of characteristics that are especially interesting. “Both communities share the characteristic that one of the languages ​​is in decline (Galician in Galicia and Spanish in Gibraltar),” remember the groupwhich also specifies that the two regions need to be more analyzed. Two years ago the Galician Institute of Statistics (IGE) published a report which pointed out that residents who exclusively use Spanish already surpassed those who always express themselves in Galician. The first group represents 30%. The second, 24%. In Gibraltar there are also experts who recognize your “concern” due to the “level of deterioration” that Spanish is suffering there. One goal, two phases. To achieve its objective, the study will be divided into two phases. In the first, which was already underway in June in both Galicia and Gibraltar, researchers will collect samples of spontaneous conversations and work with questionnaires. “The objective is to document the real uses of languages ​​in everyday life,” clarifies the USC before specifying that linguists want to take care of rural areas that are usually left out of studies. The second phase will consist of “experimental studies” more focused on understanding how we process languages ​​and how linguistic experience, contexts or patterns of use influence them. With this objective, techniques of pupillometry and conceal tracking that help understand how speakers process information when reading, listening, or interpreting. At stake is a key task: better understanding our adaptation mechanisms, especially when it comes to language use. Images | Wikipedia and Michal Mrozek (Unsplash) In Xataka | In 1971, an aquarium in the United States took in an orphaned seal. Five years later he started doing something: speaking in English

Amazon has a plan to stand up to Starlink

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Until recently, losing coverage meant being left off the grid until you found another terrestrial antenna. That logic is beginning to break down: low-orbit satellites can now communicate directly with certain mobile phones and maintain basic services where conventional infrastructure does not reach or stops working. We are not yet talking about replacing the networks we use every day, but rather extending them beyond their limits. In that race, Starlink already provides service and Amazon has outlined a large-scale plan to try to achieve it. Amazon’s plan. The company has requested to the United States Federal Communications Commission authorization to deploy up to 5,105 satellites in low orbit. The future network, called Amazon Leo Direct-to-Device, would be designed to communicate with compatible mobile phones and Internet of Things devices using spectrum bands assigned to Globalstar. Amazon plans to begin deployment in 2028, so we are still talking about a proposal subject to approval. Its objective covers voice, data, messaging, connected vehicles and remote operations outside the reach of conventional networks. It is not the same broadband constellation. Surely you are wondering if those 5,105 satellites will be limited to reinforcing the network that Amazon is already deploying. The answer is no. The D2D system would work alongside that constellation, but would have a different mission: to connect directly with compatible mobile phones, while the current broadband service requires specific terminals such as Leo Nano, Leo Pro or Leo Ultra. Amazon already has more than 390 satellites of this first network in orbit and hopes to begin providing fixed service during 2026. A network in five layers. The project distributes the constellation at 510, 540, 560, 570 and 580 kilometers in height to extend coverage across mid, high latitudes and near the poles. Communication with the devices will use the L and S bands, while the links with the ground will operate through Ka and V. The design foresees that each satellite incorporates signal processing, optical connections and digital beams. Amazon estimates a useful life of six to eight years before lowering them up to 360 kilometers to complete their natural retreat. The key was in Globalstar. Amazon does not intend to build this new network completely from scratch. In April it agreed to acquire the satellite operator for about 11.6 billion dollars, an operation that it hopes to complete in 2027 and that includes authorized spectrum, infrastructure and the HIBLEO and C-3 constellations. These assets would work in coordination with Amazon Leo systems. Globalstar also has a long-term agreement with Apple, which uses its satellites for services available on select iPhone and Apple Watch models, from messaging to roadside assistance. It’s already happening. forest fires near Madrid they offered a concrete example of this technology. Starlink confirmed that it provided Free SMS connectivity to MasOrange and Movistar customers located in the affected areas, as long as they used compatible LTE smartphones. Phones could automatically connect to Starlink Mobile when the ground network was unavailable, although the service worked best with a clear view of the sky. Movistar, Orange and Vodafone also reported the activation of emergency satellite connectivity to help maintain communications. Starlink starts with advantage. By the end of 2025, its direct connection service to mobile phones had already reached 22 countries and six continents, according to Teslarati. The publication placed the network at over 650 satellites, with 27 associated operators and more than six million monthly customers. Faced with this deployment, Amazon plans to start its own in 2028, as long as it obtains the necessary authorizations. What we have before us, therefore, is not only a race to deploy more satellites, but to extend mobile coverage beyond terrestrial antennas. Images | amazon In Xataka | If you live in Madrid and want to see the total eclipse on August 12, write down these 52 towns

GPS leaves us stranded inside buildings. An alternative is already in orbit and has shown that it can arrive indoors

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We enter a shopping center, go down to a parking lot or cross the door of a station and the blue dot begins to hesitate. Sometimes it takes a while to react, other times puts us on the next street and, in the worst cases, stop following us completely. We have become accustomed to the mobile phone almost always knowing where we are, but it is enough to put several walls and ceilings in the way to remember that the signals that arrive from space still have very specific limits. The answer you propose Xona Space Systems It’s called Pulsar and it already has hardware working in space. Its first dedicated satellite, Press-0has transmitted signals that could be followed from inside a building, a relevant test because it directly addresses one of the weak points of traditional satellite navigation. The demonstration, however, is only the first step, while offering a stable, immediate and accurate position indoors requires more satellites, compatible receivers and coverage that has yet to be deployed. Satellites closest to the Earth’s surface Although we usually call everything GPS, that name corresponds only to the Global Positioning System of the United States. Our mobiles can also combine signals from Galileo, from the European Union; GLONASS, from Russia; and BeiDou, from Chinaall of them included under the term GNSS. Their architectures are not identical, but they share a difficulty: transmissions arrive very weak after traveling thousands of kilometers. In the case of the American system, the GPS office itself recognizes that buildings can block the signal and that its bounces off walls introduce errors in the position. Recreation of Xona satellites Pulsar attempts to change that relationship by bringing the transmitters much closer to the surface. While the GPS satellites orbit at about 20,200 kilometers altitude, the architecture requested by Xona would place them around 1,080 kilometersa distance that allows the signal to arrive with greater power. Its rapid movement also generates Doppler variations that can provide additional information to the position calculation. The advantage comes at a price: each ship covers less territory and remains visible for less time, so hundreds are needed to offer continuous service throughout the planet. The project was not born with Pulsar-0 either. Xona carried out a first orbital demonstration with Huginn in 2022an experimental payload that allowed its architecture to be tested before launching, in 2025, a dedicated satellite. Since then, the company has transmitted for hundreds of passes, updated its in-orbit software, and managed to get different commercial receivers to track their emissions. It has also opened its own factory in California and ordered new units from Aerospacelab. There is, therefore, hardware and an industrial base in place, although the constellation necessary to provide continuous service has yet to be built. A view of Xona’s laboratory What Xona has demonstrated inside a building is not yet comparable navigation to what we expect from a mobile phone, although there is an important nuance: the entire test was carried out with a single satellite and receivers installed in specific positions. In a work signed by engineers from the company itself, an indoor antenna accumulated measurements of Pulsar-0 during its passage to estimate the position, while the comparison equipment failed to acquire GPS signals in the main test. This ended with 38.7 meters of horizontal error; Other selected records were between 0.6 and 3 meters, although in those cases the algorithm started from an initial estimate close to the real location. For a single experimental ship, the result is promising; To guide us as we walk indoors, the net still needs to be deployed. The next announced step is to launch a first batch of six production satellites, scheduled for October 2026, and initially offer intermittent coverage to some time-sync customers. For Pulsar to provide immediate and precise positions, several ships will be required to be visible at the same time, much broader coverage and receptors capable of interpreting their signals. It will not replace GPS overnight nor will it solve any interior problem on its own. But what we have seen demonstrates at least one thing concrete: a navigation signal sent from low orbit can be received inside a building at a point where GPS failed to do so. Images | Xona (1, 2) In Xataka | One study said that trees “sense” eclipses 14 hours in advance. The real explanation is much more boring

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