usatoday24

The prices of RAM and SSDs are skyrocketing everywhere, but there are alternatives to avoid spending a fortune

by

It’s no longer just that the price of RAM memory is through the roof (which also): that of SSDs has followed the same path. Upgrading a PC right now is complicated if you don’t want to spend a fortune trying, but there are alternatives to spend less. The AliExpress Summer Promo has very powerful offers (on mobile phones especially), but also in PC components: you have this 1 TB Netac SSD for 114.80 euros if you use the coupon ‘XATAKAES20‘and pay with PayPal. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Speaking of coupons, AliExpress has right now lots of assets to save on your purchases. We leave them here so that you have them on hand in case you want to make any additional purchases (remember that the coupons cannot be combined). Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 coupon 3 coupon 4 COUPON 3 euros 15 euros XATAKAES03 WEBEDES03 ESSS03 SSES03 6 euros 39 euros XATAKAES06 WEBEDES06 ESSS06 SSES6 10 euros 69 euros XATAKAES10 WEBEDES10 ESSS10 SSES10 20 euros 139 euros XATAKAES20 WEBEDES20 ESSS20 SSES20 30 euros 209 euros XATAKAES30 WEBEDES30 ESSS30 SSES30 45 euros 319 euros XATAKAES45 WEBEDES45 ESSS45 SSES45 65 euros 459 euros XATAKAES65 WEBEDES65 ESSS65 SSES65 110 euros 650 euros XATAKAES110 WEBEDES110 ESSS110 – Upgrading a PC without spending a fortune is still possible Is it a good price? Let’s analyze how the price of SSDs is currently with this one from the Forgeon brand as an example, similar in features. The lowest price for it, also with 1 TB capacity, was 61.95 euros last September. Since then it has done nothing but rise and right now it costs 189.95 euros (reduced from 234.99 euros). In that sense, it is clear that we are looking at a good price with this one from the Netac brand. It is about a NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD able to reach speeds of up to almost 7,400 MB/s read. Of course, a small note: it is necessary that your motherboard is compatible with it. If your board only has PCIe 3.0 connectors, you can also use it, although it will not take full advantage of all its speed. The SSD is sold by the brand itself through AliExpress and shipping is free (delivery is estimated between June 7 and 15). It should also be noted that it is an SSD also compatible with PlayStation 5. DDR4 RAM can still be an interesting solution What if what you need is RAM memory? DDR5 RAM has very inflated prices, but we can find DDR4 RAM at good prices, which remains an interesting option for many usersespecially if your processor and motherboard are a few years old and you don’t want to change them. This Netac RAM memory can do you very well there: two modules of 8 GB of RAM each come out 75.45 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES10‘. DDR4 Netac RAM memory at 3,200 MHz (2 modules of 8 GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links As we say, they are two separate modules, so we will have a total of 16 GB of RAM in total. If we take a look at PcComponentes and look for something similar, it is difficult to find the same amount of memory with similar characteristics below 120 euros. 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 | Andrey MatveevAliExpress In Xataka | DDR4 or DDR5? What RAM to choose so as not to pay even more than necessary in the middle of the price crisis In Xataka | Faster (and more expensive) is not always better: the big difference between buying an SSD and an HDD for backups

Wallapop believed it had conquered the second-hand market in Spain. Until Vinted appeared

by

Wallapop, formerly known as Fleapster. Wallapop It was founded on May 23, 2013 in Barcelona with that name that referred to the famous “flea markets”. Its promoters, Agustín Gómez, Gerard Olivé and Miguel Vicente, started with the support of the Antai Venture Builder accelerator and an initial catalog that they had obtained by shopping at flea markets. The app was designed to meet someone nearby and do the exchange in person, so geolocation was essential for this first version. The team understood a couple of ideas that gave the app a definitive boost: sending a sofa from Seville to Vigo is a pain, and trust between buyers and sellers grows when the seller is three streets away. To make themselves known, they gave part of the company to Atresmedia in exchange for television advertising space. The result was a campaign that turned “Walla!” into a recognizable catchphrase before anyone knew quite what it meant. Vinted, the power of moving. Vinted has five more years of history. Milda Mitkute ​​founded it in 2008 in Vilnius, Lithuaniawhen I was 22 years old and needed to get rid of more than a hundred clothes before moving. At a party he met Justas Janauskas, a computer engineer who built the first version of the site in ten days. The original name was manodrabuziai.l (“second-hand clothes” in Lithuanian) and in the first version they forgot to include a buy button. The platform expanded to Germany the following year, under the name Kleiderkreiseland did not arrive in Spain until many years laterwhen Wallapop already dominated the local market. Differences in use. The most visible difference between both platforms, and the one that most influences the behavior of their users, is who assumes the costs of the transaction. At Vinted the seller does not pay commission. Publish, sell and receive the full price in your wallet. The buyer assumes a protection fee of 0.70 fixed euros plus 5% of the price of the item, which covers incident management and payment retention until confirmation of receipt. Vinted eliminated seller fees in 2023. At Wallapop, in-person sales have no commission, which for bulky or high-priced items is more profitable for the seller. When Wallapop Envoys is used (the logistics service integrated into the app, which generated 74 million euros in 2024) the platform applies a management fee of around 10% of the sales price. There is also a second way of monetization for the platform, which has grown strongly: visibility services that give more relevance to an ad. generated 22 million euros in 2024, 27.6% more than in 2023. An important income for Wallapop, since it represents money for the platform regardless of whether the sale closes. The figures. Let’s look at some figures from 2024 and 2025 that allow us to trace the real state of each company. Vinted closed 2024 with 813 million euros in revenue36% more than the previous year, and a net profit of 76.7 million, which represents an increase of 330% compared to 2023, its first positive year. In 2025, Revenues rose to 1.1 billion (+38%). Net profit, however, fell 19% that year to 62 million due to spending on the expansion of Vinted Go to Spain and Portugal and the launch of Vinted Pay. Wallapop, for its part, closed 2024 with 101 million in revenue (+13%)consolidated losses of 25 million and the first break-even operating in the Spanish market since its foundation. In an average year, platform users generate sales of between 2,000 and 2,500 million euros, according to the company itself. Since 2013 it has accumulated more than 120 million euros in lossesalthough the trend is for a sustained reduction in those red numbers. Enter Korea. This same year, Naver, South Korea’s largest technology company, completed in January 2026 the acquisition of 100% of the company in an operation valued at 600 million euros. The transaction makes Wallapop the European spearhead of Naver in the recommercejoining Poshmark, which already performs these functions in the US and which the Korean group bought in 2023. The CEO of Naver Europe, Seokjoo Han, declared in Barcelona that the group intends to use the city as a base to expand into more European cities, relying on the parent company’s capabilities in artificial intelligence and search. Southern Europe: here we are. What is happening right now in Spain is the clearest reflection of the evolution of the sector. The trade in reused items in Spain reached a volume of 13.8 billion euros annually by 2025equivalent to 0.86% of the national GDP. It is a market that has been growing at a faster rate than general consumption for years, driven by inflation since 2021. Vinted has responded to this situation with the launch of Vinted Go in 2025. The company already operates this network in five markets (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain), following the leap that Wallapop made some time ago from being a second-hand app to having a delivery infrastructure (although Vinted has its own logistics operator and Wallapop works with InPost). Wallapop, meanwhile, has been expanding its catalog beyond household objects for years. The engine is one of the categories where it maintains leadership in Spain. And the entry of Naver introduces the possibility of technological improvements in search and personalization that until now were out of reach. Both are getting closer to their rival as time goes by: Vinted is becoming less specialized in clothing, Wallapop is becoming more technological. A final and personal appreciation. Without this implying tipping the balance towards one of the two apps (which is not the purpose of this article), I would like to express my personal experience, linked to my long career selling items especially related to leisure (books, comics, movies, video games). For some time I have noticed how Vinted, which just a couple of years ago did not allow you to buy much beyond clothing, has made a very notable leap towards collecting: its presence in … Read more

The engineers who worked at FSD do not trust their own creation

by

Elon Musk has been ensuring for a decade that full autonomous driving is just around the corner. Although the company has advanced in its driving assistance systems, a Reuters investigation reveals something worrying. Several people who worked on this project have denounced that the technology continues to suffer from basic and dangerous errors, and they confess that they would not get into a Tesla autonomous car for the world. what has happened. In this investigation, Reuters had the testimonies of nine “data taggers”—the people who train that Tesl AI system—as well as a software engineer who worked on the project. According to them, vehicles with these systems collide with animals, ignore the presence of school buses or accelerate in construction zones. One of the team’s veterans summed up everything in one sentence: “we have all seen the FSD fail.” Beware of public demos. Tesla has already launched robotaxi pilot programs in cities like Austin (Texas). Musk claims that his software is a generalized system that can be adapted to any city without high-precision maps, but these interviewees indicate that the operational reality is different. The trick. Tesla staff spent months recording videos and mapping the area of ​​Austin where the tests were to take place, and they spent hundreds of hours labeling curbs or road markings just to avoid problems during the demonstrations. According to these former employees, this level of intervention is unaffordable on a global scale. Comparing pears with apples. To maintain that the FSD system is up to ten times safer than human driving, Tesla uses a methodology criticized by experts. For example, he compares his cars (4.1 years old on average, modern safety systems) with the average American car, which is almost 13 years old. Phil Koopman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, explained that “It’s like saying my jet plane is faster than a World War II bomber.” The data reveals that if only accidents with airbag deployment are compared, Tesla’s advantage would not be 10 to 1, but 3 to 1, and even that figure is questionable. The controversial “Mad Max” mode. Internal videos have shown Tesla cars driving at speeds much higher than those allowed after the introduction of certain aggressive driving modes like the so-called “Mad Max”. Some of the employees who participated in the investigation reported cars traveling at almost 100 km/h in zones limited to 40 km/h. This aggressive driving is often treated as a low priority problem by its engineers, despite the risk it poses to road safety in these urban environments. Investigations in progress. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) currently has four open investigations into FSD and Autopilot. These cases include situations in which Tesla vehicles ignored red traffic lights or they turned directly into oncoming traffic. Fatal accidents that occurred are also being investigated in low visibility conditions —fog, sun glare—, and where the Tesla sensors, which are focused entirely on the use of cameras, have turned out to be insufficient. Where are the robotaxis? Almost a year after its launch in Austin, Tesla’s fleet of robotaxis it’s still tinyand consists of about 50 vehicles. It is also limited to very specific areas, and in cities like Dallas or Houston, users have complained that the cars do not drop them off at their exact destination. Besides, many of these vehicles They still have human drivers in the passenger seat who are there to avoid problems. It’s a reasonable practice, but it destroys the promise of full unattended autonomy that these vehicles offer. In Xataka | Elon Musk has come up with two names for Tesla’s self-driving taxi. And legally you can’t put any on it

Predicting Alzheimer’s 10 years in advance is now a scientific reality. The challenge now is to prevent healthcare from collapsing

by

Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that is undoubtedly a true ghost, since it only It becomes visible when the damage is already irreparable and that, despite trying to stop it, it is becoming difficult to control it. And historically, the medical diagnosis comes when memory begins to fail, but by then the brain has been suffering in silence for years, even decades. Now science focuses on the need for early diagnosis so that treatments can work. A new analysis. One of the ways to detect this disease before it begins to show the classic symptoms such as memory loss is through a blood test. This is the milestone that has been collected in The Lancet magazine recently thanks to research from the University of California, and that could generate a large population screening that is not free of controversy. What they did. The researchers followed 1,350 people aged between 56 and 69, without any type of dementia, for more than 35 years. And here the key was to look for specific proteins circulating in the blood that increased in the earliest phases of Alzheimer’s, as occurs with others marked in other diseases such as PSA in prostate cancer. And they found two biomarkers. The first of them is Aβ42/40, which is an early indicator that warns of the accumulation of hateful beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. But they also found the protein p-tau217, which is considered today the most precise marker for the pathology. The results. The 6% of participants who tested positive for these biomarkers showed a four-fold increased risk of developing verbal memory problems and a decline in their cognitive speed a decade later. But science has been trying to refine this tool for years, looking for markers such as GFAP, which rises about ten years before symptoms appear. See the invisible. The blood test does not walk alone in this diagnostic revolution, since on the same day, The Lancet published a second study based on nearly 800 participants from the US and Canada that tests a new and sophisticated neuroimaging technology: the MK6240 PET plotter. Until now, visualizing the tau protein, which is one of those responsible for Alzheimer’s by accumulating in neurons, was a great challenge. But this new tracer promises to be much more sensitive, detecting twice as many positive cases in healthy people with amyloid accumulation compared to the standard used today. You have to wait. Before throwing the bells in the air, it should be noted that experts point out that this test not ready to be used as general population screening. The reason lies in mathematics, since the prevalence of asymptomatic Alzheimer’s in healthy middle-aged people remains low in absolute terms, so applying this test to everyone would generate a very high volume of false positives. That is, an increase in this protein that is not actually related to early Alzheimer’s. But logically, the fear, anxiety and the resulting cascade of confirmatory tests would collapse the health services that are already stressed, and furthermore, the drugs we have, despite the fact that they stop the effects of the disease in its earliest phases, are not yet definitive. That is why we must remain on the right path, but there is still a long way to go to get this disease under control. Images | Robina Weermeijer Testalize.me In Xataka | Alzheimer’s no longer seems irreversible: science allows brains with advanced damage to recover for the first time in animals

The bizarre case of the Drizzle, the yacht that is attributed to Amancio Ortega but in which no one has ever seen him on board

by

Follow the trail of the yachts and private jets of millionaires It is not simple because as a general rule they appear listed under the ownership of companies that are lost in the business network of their holdings. When that millionaire is someone so jealous of his private life like Amancio Ortegathe challenge is even greater. One of the simplest ways to establish a relationship between a millionaire and his yacht is to “hunt” him on board while enjoying his vacation or, by coincidence in time. For example, if the superyacht launchpad appears suddenly in Mallorcaand coincides with the fact that Mark Zuckerberg is seen in luxury establishments or restaurants on the island, it is one more indication to relate the yacht to its owner. The founder of Zara has always cultivated an extremely discreet profile and that has ended up causing a peculiar situation: there is a superyacht valued at about 300 million dollars that much of the sector specialist attributes to Amancio Ortega, although No one has been able to document that he was even on board.. The key to everything revolves around a name: Drizzle. The first Drizzle was linked to Amancio Ortega The story starts in 2012when the Dutch shipyard Feadship handed over to Amancio Ortega the superyacht Drizzlea 67.27 meter long boat with capacity for 14 people in five cabins and built for a client who, as the shipyard itself explained on the yacht’s page, had already owned another Feadship previously. Indeed, the Dutch manufacturer was in charge of building he Value Bthe yacht that both Amancio Ortega and his family have been using for more than fifteen years as family summer yacht. Furthermore, the millionaire has been seen on many occasions aboard the Drizzle of 2012, so its ownership or the millionaire’s connection with this yacht is beyond any doubt. He Drizzle It became one of the most recognizable boats in the private fleet of the founder of Inditex and for more than a decade it coexisted with the Valoria B, which became the most used by his daughter Marta Ortegacurrent non-executive president of Inditex. The Drizzle by Amancio Ortega The sale of the yacht and rumors about a replacement The situation began to change in 2023, when the millionaire put up for sale his Drizzle for an estimated price of 76 million. The operation coincided with rumors that Amancio Ortega had ordered a new yacht at the Feadship shipyards, a project known internally as Project 1012 and was valued at more than 300 million. Peccadillo for someone with an estimated fortune at about 139.2 billion dollars. The project remained surrounded by secrecy during much of its construction, something common in the superyacht market, where the identity of the owners is usually kept hidden by very restrictive confidentiality contracts. Project 1012 at the Feadship shipyards The problem came when it was officially presented Project 1012 and the shipyard confirmed the final name of the vessel: Drizzle. Suddenly, there were two different yachts with exactly the same name. In this case, it was a gigantic 91.8 meter long superyacht that became the first boat from the Dutch builder to obtain Hybrid Electric Class certification. On one hand there was the Drizzle 67-meter original associated for years with Ortega and, on the other hand, a new Drizzle of 2024 of almost 92 meters, built more than a decade later and handed over to an owner whose identity was never officially announced by Feadship. The coincidence in name caused numerous observers to automatically assume that the new ship It was the replacement of the previous one and which, therefore, also belonged to the founder of Zara. Current Drizzle, 92 meters long and worth 300 million dollars There is a detail that doesn’t quite fit The problem is that the known public evidence does not clearly support this theory and, in reality, Nothing indicates that Amancio Ortega is the owner of that yacht. Unlike what happened with other vessels linked to the Galician businessman, there are no known photographs of Amancio Ortega using the new Drizzle delivered in 2024. Nor have regular stops of the superyacht been documented in tourist destinations that have historically been linked to the family vacation of the founder of Inditexwhich is characterized by having a great attachment to following habitual habits and routines, as demonstrated by its annual presence in the Galician estuaries as soon as summer begins. Meanwhile, the businessman’s most recent public appearances continue to be linked to the Value B. This summer, for example, Ortega has been seen beginning his holidays in the Aldán estuary aboard that vessel. The navigation logs place the new Drizzle operating mainly in the Mediterranean under the Maltese flag, and quite a few movements between different Mediterranean ports which indicates that the yacht is, indeed, being used. Moving a superyacht of these dimensions it is even more expensive to keep it in portso if it were not used, changing ports would be a waste. In addition, the portals specialized in yacht charter (rental) indicate that he Drizzle (the one from 2024) is not on the rental market, so these movements and Port changes have no commercial justification. In fact, while Amancio Ortega was enjoying his first summer days in the Aldán estuary aboard the Valoria B, the supposed new yacht that many attribute to him was preparing to arrive at the port of Monaco in what seems like an approach to take positions in busy Port Hercule ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. The lack of photographs of the millionaire on board his new yacht, the absence of official confirmations of his ownership and movements that do not coincide with the known habits of the businessman have ended up turning the new Drizzle in one of the most curious mysteries in the world of superyachts, in which Amancio Ortega continues to be the X of the equation to be solved. In Xataka | Amancio Ortega reaches an agreement for a million-dollar debt with a … Read more

China has found a giant “tunnel” to introduce its cars into Europe without Europe. And it is facing Spain

by

In 2007, when Morocco inaugurated the port from Tangier Med off the Spanish coast, many saw it as an ambitious logistical gamble. Less than two decades later, that port has not only become the largest of the Mediterranean and Africabut has begun to surpass historic European giants like Algeciras in traffic. What seemed like a regional infrastructure ended up becoming one of the main commercial gateways to Europe. A half-open door to Europe. Europe has been trying for years reduce your dependency China’s industrial sector and, more recently, protect its manufacturers against the avalanche of electric vehicles from the Asian giant. The tariffs imposed by Brussels, in fact, respond precisely to that objective. However, I remembered the weekend the financial times that, while attention was focused on Chinese ports and factories in the country’s interior, Beijing began to build a much closer alternative: an industrial network located on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. The growing concern in Brussels does not arise because China is exporting more cars from its territory, but because it is transferring part of its production capacity to a country that enjoys privileged access to the European market. Map of the surroundings of Tangier, with Tanger Tech City (to the south), Tanger Automotive City and the port of Tangier Med Morocco as an industrial platform. It explained the means that the transformation is visible around Tangier and Kenitrawhere Chinese investments in tires, brakes, electronic components, battery materials and future gigafactories are multiplying. What is emerging are not simple isolated plants, but a supply chain increasingly complete capable of feeding the European electric car industry. Morocco offers practically everything you are looking for manufacturers: geographical proximity to Europe, competitive labor costs, renewable energy, tax advantages and an extensive network of trade agreements. For many Chinese companies, producing there is more attractive to continue manufacturing in China and then face the growing European trade barriers. The fear of Brussels. European concern does not lie solely in foreign investment. What is worrying is the possibility that Morocco will become in an indirect way so that products backed by Chinese capital, technology and subsidies enter Europe with much more favorable conditions. The European Commission already has detected cases in which components manufactured with Chinese financial support end up benefiting from preferential agreements. The challenge is to distinguish where it ends an authentic Moroccan industrialization and where a strategy designed to circumvent tariffs begins. Put another way, the more complex supply chains become, the more difficult it becomes to answer that question. Beijing’s geographical advantage. If you like, China too. has understood that geography can be as important as technology. Off the Spanish coast is a country connected by trade agreements with Europe and the United States, equipped of modern ports and increasingly integrated into global production chains. From the Chinese perspective, installing factories in Morocco does not mean abandoning Europe, but rather get even closer to her. Instead of shipping finished products from thousands of miles away, companies can manufacture components and vehicles a few hours of the main European markets. The strategy reduces costs, limits commercial risks and makes the application of protectionist measures difficult. A battle for European industry. What happens in Morocco reflects much broader economic competition. Europe tries to protect an industrial base that consider strategicas China looks for new ways to keep its huge manufacturing capacity running despite increasing Western restrictions. The result is that North Africa is becoming a space increasingly disputedwhere the interests of Brussels, Rabat and Beijing intersect. For Morocco, investments mean jobs, infrastructure and growth. For China, they represent a privileged platform next to the gateway to the European market. And for the European Union they constitute a uncomfortable question: If Chinese production can be installed just on the other side of the Mediterranean, to what extent are tariffs really capable of slowing its advance? Image | Adam Cle, The Spanish Monkey In Xataka | China and Europe do not trust each other when it comes to electric cars. And someone is taking advantage of it: Türkiye In Xataka | The Chinese auto industry is moving to colonize Africa and Latin America. Also to be your springboard

Computer companies didn’t make money on computers. What they are doing is making money thanks to AI servers

by

On Friday, May 29, Dell shares they grew 39% suddenly. Since becoming a publicly traded company seven years ago, Dell has never had a rise like that. At first glance, this growth would seem strange, but the company has discovered that with stagnant PCs, the focus had to change. Nothing has gone wrong with that turn of the helm, but other traditional PC manufacturers have also taken advantage of the opportunity. The PC is dead, long live the server. In recent years the PC segment has been struggling with low margins and sales that have slowly been slowing down. Manufacturers were totally tied to that situation, but some have taken advantage of the opportunity that AI offered them. Dell and Lenovo rub their hands. Dell published its financial results and they were spectacular: 88% year-on-year growth thanks to the fact that its revenue in the server segment has risen 757%. Not only that, its guidance for this year has improved as well, further boosting confidence in the company’s near-term future. Lenovo also had a fantastic quarter: May was its best month on the stock market since 1999, doubling the value of your shares thanks again to that fever for hardware dedicated to AI. AI as a shield against inflation. The entire sector is experiencing a paradoxical situation: the cost of components such as DRAM memories or SSD units is absolutely shotbut companies are earning more than ever. Dell has tripled its net profit to $3.44 billion, allowing it to offset those costs through almost daily price increases. Lenovo has managed to maintain its margins because once again the market is willing to pay whatever it takes for servers and AI infrastructure. Beyond hyperscalers. One might think that to have resources in the age of AI it would be necessary to turn to hyperscalers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google), but Dell and Lenovo have shown that their experience in servers has managed to offer an alternative for all types of clients. Jeff Clarke, chief operating officer at Dell, explained that the need for AI hardware is so enormous that this segment continues to break sales records. The PC is no longer the protagonist. Although Dell’s Client Solutions division—which includes its revenue from PC and laptop sales—grew a more than decent 17%, that figure pales in comparison to the 181% growth of its infrastructure division. Lenovo follows a similar line: its shares rose 22% last Friday after confirming that its AI revenues manage to offset the weakness of the traditional PC business. The focus changes. Something similar happens with HPE, the company that spun off from HP to focus on the business segment. Its server business hasn’t grown as much, but they already have contracted orders worth $5 billion and that guarantees a promising second quarter. Other consumer products makers are also migrating to AI infrastructure: Foxconn has absolute trust in which the demand for these components will continue to be exceptional in the coming months, and the same happens with Quanta Computer, which continues to see how its servers do not stop growing in importance in revenue for the company: They were already 80% of the total in the first quarter of 2026. Image | Dell In Xataka | For some people there is something much better than having a PC at home: having a server rack

three million people have disappeared

by

Three million people are (more or less) the population of Armenia, Puerto Rico either Mongolia. Also the hole that they just found each other Japanese authorities reviewing their national census, a task they carry out every five years to get a precise idea of ​​their demographics. The last time they had done this task, in 2020, there were 126.1 million residents, including the native and foreign population. Now the figure barely exceeds 123 million, which represents a 2.45% decrease in five years and (even worse) it takes the Japanese census back to the size it was approximately in 1989. The question that more and more people are asking is: Does this decline have a basis or will the projections that predict that the census will fall to 87 million of inhabitants in 2070? Getting deeper (and darker). That is the simplest and most graphic way to describe the demographic hole which Japan has been dealing with for decades. Although all your efforts To reverse the population drain (and there have been many), the Japanese census does not stop losing weight. The last alarm signal is left the five-year report on population and households from the Statistics Bureau of Japan (SBJ), which shows that in 2025, 123,049,524 people resided in the country, including both natives and settled foreigners. Is it bad data? Worse. It’s terrible. To begin with, there are 3,096,575 fewer people than those counted in the last census, in 2020. In case this drop of 2.45% was not enough, the review of the files of the SBJ leave an even more disastrous reading: it supposes the third consecutive fall and worsens the decline recorded between 2015 and 2020, when it had already been noted a ‘puncture’ of 0.7%. Since Japanese officials began taking the census in 1920, they have never documented a decline as pronounced as the one in 2025. 45 of 47. The problem also extends to the vast majority of the territory. The SBJ census shows that, of Japan’s 47 prefectures, 45 lost population in the last five years. In some cases with drops as pronounced as those of Hokkaido, which hosts 239,000 fewer residents than in 2020, Shizuoka (164,000) or Hyogo (141,000). Other territories that had gained population in 2020 have now joined the red list. At the opposite pole are Tokyo and Okinawawhich respectively gained 199,000 and 1,000 inhabitants. Moving away from 2008. The SBJ figures leave few positive readings. Not only do they move Japan further and further away from the data from 2008, when it reached its population peak with 128 million of inhabitants. The latest censuses (and especially their trend) show that the country is gradually meeting the worst forecasts of the National Population Research Institute (IPSS), which estimates that by 2070 the number of residents will have dropped to 87 million and the population over 65 years of age will represent almost 40% of the census. The problem is not the loss of inhabitants or aging itself, but the implications that this has for the economy, health, defense and (in general) the Japanese welfare state. There are those who warn that the loss of residents is already it’s taking its toll to the country’s economy, which among other things has encountered millions of empty housesschools no activity forced to convert into factories or the closure (and bankruptcy) of health centers. “It’s at the forefront”. The most serious thing is not that Japan is losing population, it is that it is doing so despite all the Government’s efforts to tackle the country’s real problem: alarming collapse of their birth rate. The latest official data on the subject, from just a few months agoshow that the number of births has fallen to reach minimums that the authorities did not expect to see until 2042. Against this backdrop, Japan seems to be left with only the resource of immigration, which clashes with the boom of political formations that advocate the opposite. Although its increase In recent years, it is estimated that foreigners represent less than 3% of the population. “Japan has reached a point where this type of decline is not reversible in the short or medium term,” warns in The New York Times James Raymo of Princeton University. “We just won’t see mass immigration.” The Japanese case is interesting because, remember, it does not reflect a trend exclusive to the country. “More and more nations in Asia and other parts of the world will experience similar levels of demographic decline. Japan is simply ahead of the curve and has been in this situation for much longer.” The exception: Tokyo. The most curious thing (or not) is that while most of the country is depopulated and aging, in the Tokyo area the trend is diametrically opposite. The SBJ census also shows that in the metropolitan area of Tokyo The resident population has increased to around 37 million of people, 30% of the entire country. In fact, in the capital the population density more than multiplies the Japanese average: about 6,400 people per square kilometer, while in Japan as a whole it barely exceeds 300. Images | Jezael Mendoza (Unsplash) 1 and 2 In Xataka | Japan no longer knows what to do to make Japanese people have children. So he’s putting free daycare all over the country

It turns out that birds and insects live much better under them

by

We have been hearing for years that the expansion of solar parks threatens the countryside. The mental image we usually have is of hectares and hectares of black panels under a relentless sun, devastating the landscape and without a single bird for miles around. However, the data is beginning to tell a radically different story. There is more life inside than outside. To understand this phenomenon, we only have to look at the most recent data in Spain. According to a report from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF)endorsed by the independent environmental consultancy EMAT, photovoltaic enclosures are proving to be refuges full of life. After analyzing different facilities in 2025, the pattern is repeated within the park, there are more species than in the adjacent agricultural field. The numbers in three different provinces leave no room for doubt: Minglanilla (Cuenca): Researchers counted a total of 32 species of birds inside the solar plant, compared to the 19 they found in the control agricultural area located just outside. Revilla Vallejera (Burgos): The balance recorded 39 species inside the facility compared to 34 outside. Trujillo (Cáceres): 31 species were detected living between the panels, compared to 25 outside them. And what kind of tenants are arriving? They are not just common birds. The presence of protected or declining species such as the curlew, the little bustard, the roller, the owl and the lesser kestrel have been documented. And the food chain works its magic: as wild vegetation grows, insects arrive; with the insects, come the birds; and the abundance of these prey is attracting birds of prey such as eagles, vultures, hawks and owls. There is no technology, but something simpler. To understand why this is happening you have to change the reference point. The question is not whether a solar park is ecologically better than a virgin forest, because it clearly is not. The key is to compare it with what was before in that field. In the vast majority of cases, these fields were previously intensive agricultural operations: impoverished landscapes, treated with herbicides and profoundly silent. In contrast, installing a solar park de facto introduces an ecological exclusion zone. In other words, no pesticides or herbicides are used, hunting is prohibited and there is no tillage of the land, and human presence is reduced to very specific maintenance visits. As Martín Behar points outdirector of Studies and Environment at UNEF, this lack of chemicals, added to natural vegetation management through extensive grazing, is generating fantastic results on biodiversity. Spain It is not an anomaly. At an international level, what science is beginning to call “conservatory” systems (the union of renewable generation and active conservation) already has fascinating evidence. In the United Kingdom, a study led by the RSPB and the University of Cambridge analyzed six solar parks in East AngliaEdit. The conclusion was that they housed a greater wealth of birds than nearby crops. In those better managed (with unpruned hedges and varied vegetation), almost three times as many birds were found than in neighboring fields. But perhaps the most curious story comes from Australia. A Lightsource bp study followed 1,700 merino sheep for three years. Half lived in traditional grass fields and the other half lived among photovoltaic panels. The discovery surprised everyone: the sheep that grazed in the solar park produced better quality wool. The reason is that the microclimate under the modules allowed them to alternate between fresh forage, dry grass and hay several times a year, something not feasible in a normal paddock in full sun. It’s not enough to plant the panels and cross your fingers. Of course, the researchers themselves warn of something fundamental: that solar parks can benefit the ecosystem does not mean that they always do so by magic. It is not enough to install the panels and wait. If you just cut the grass close and leave a “simple habitat”, there will be no miracle. For the magic to happen, active management is needed: maintain vegetation covers, use native vegetation on the margins, create ecological corridors and rely on sheep as a natural lawnmower. To push the industry in this direction, UNEF has promoted a Seal of Excellence in Sustainability, developed hand in hand with experts from WWF and SEO/BirdLife. The debate is changing. What makes photovoltaic energy an ally for biodiversity or a territorial threat is, simply, what we decide to do with it. Image | Pexels Xataka | Australia compared 1,700 sheep and discovered something unexpected: those that graze among solar panels give better quality wool

there is Nintendo Switch 2 and several PS5

by

In recent months, we have seen how PlayStation 5 has increased in pricesomething that has also “replicated” Nintendo Switch 2. That makes it difficult to get one of these consoles at a good price, but not impossible. For this, we have the best purchasing window right now with the new AliExpress Summer Promothanks to which we have a series of discount coupons that these consoles (and almost any device) leave us at a great price. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Discount minimum purchase coupon 1 coupon 3 coupon 4 COUPON 3 euros 15 euros XATAKAES03 WEBEDES03 ESSS03 SSES03 6 euros 39 euros XATAKAES06 WEBEDES06 ESSS06 SSES6 10 euros 69 euros XATAKAES10 WEBEDES10 ESSS10 SSES10 20 euros 139 euros XATAKAES20 WEBEDES20 ESSS20 SSES20 30 euros 209 euros XATAKAES30 WEBEDES30 ESSS30 SSES30 45 euros 319 euros XATAKAES45 WEBEDES45 ESSS45 SSES45 65 euros 459 euros XATAKAES65 WEBEDES65 ESSS65 SSES65 110 euros 650 euros XATAKAES110 WEBEDES110 ESSS110 – These coupons, which cannot be combined, are added to an additional discount of up to 33 euros if we pay with PayPal. In this way, we can get one of the consoles that we mention above at prices that we will not find in other stores. Below, we show you how they would look applying the greatest possible discount: nintendo switch 2 by 343.54 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES30’ PlayStation 5 Slim by 500.99 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES65’ PlayStation 5 Pro by 706.05 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES110’ Nintendo Switch Lite by 156.90 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES20’ nintendo switch 2 We start with nintendo switch 2. This console is, in essence, a hypervitaminized version of the first Switch, being able to reach 4K resolution when we play on a TV through its dock. The console has only been in stores for a short time, but even so it already has high-quality exclusives like ‘Pokémon Pokopia‘or the new one’Yoshi and the Mysterious Book‘. The console will increase in price in September to 499.99 euros, but now we can get it for 343.54 euros if we use PayPal and the coupon ‘XATAKAES30’. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PlayStation 5 Slim PlayStation 5 It will not wait until after the summer to increase its price and its version with a disc reader already costs 649.99 euros. However, the AliExpress Summer Promo has it available with shipping from Spain for 500.99 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES65’ and paying with PayPal. It is a great price if we take into account that it has been difficult to find it on sale lately, even now that we have assets a few Days of Play. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PlayStation 5 Pro If you prefer to opt for the best of Sony consoles, then you have this PlayStation 5 Pro by 706.05 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES110’ and paying with PayPal. It is a great price if we take into account that its RRP right now is 899.99 euros. It is a more powerful version that, thanks to PSSR 2, allows for better gaming performance. It also has 2 TB of storage, which is a plus if you have a lot of digital games. In fact, this console comes without a disc reader, although you can buy it separately. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Nintendo Switch Lite Are you looking for an even cheaper console? Then the Nintendo Switch Lite is an ideal option for you. It is true that its hardware is more limited than the rest of the options on this list and that this version cannot be used connected to a TV or monitor, but in exchange it has a brutal price (it costs 156.90 euros with the coupon ‘XATAKAES20’ and paying with PayPal) and its video game catalog is enormous, with gems like ‘Super Mario Odyssey‘ either ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom‘, among many others. 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 | AliExpress, Xataka, Nintendo, PlayStation In Xataka | Best wireless over-ear headphones. Which one to buy and five recommended models In Xataka | DDR4 or DDR5? What RAM to choose so as not to pay even more than necessary in the middle of the price crisis

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.