usatoday24, Author at usatoday24

which one is legal, which one costs you 6,000 euros and why the DGT can fine you

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

The radars They are, without a doubt, one of the great fears of drivers on the road. The DGT uses them to control the maximum speed at which cars move, which gives rise to numerous more or less true information around them. For years it has been rumored that there are many empty boxes in Spain, something that ended up confirm the director of the DGT himself, but there is also doubt about some possible Traffic tricks, such as the so-called cascade radars either anti-braking which, however, the DGT does repeatedly deny. What is certain is that Traffic monitors the speed with fixed kinemometerswith their Pegasus helicopters and with mobile radarssome of which are practically invisible. This has led some drivers to use various means to remain alert. Some of them, as we are going to see, are prohibited and entail serious sanctions but in other cases, Traffic does allow them or, at least, there is no sanction as such that can be applied to them. Warning, detector and inhibitor: their differences and possible fines To be aware of all the radars that we can find on a route, we can visit the DGT website itself but, without a doubt, the easiest thing is to keep news of them while we are driving. For these cases, do not confuse the following terms, since a significant fine will depend on it, as stated in the Traffic Law. radar warning They are the devices or mobile phone applications that alert us that we have a radar in front of us. In this case, the navigator notifies us because it is registered in its database that there is a fixed radar at a specific point or because, if necessary, we receive a notification published by another driver. That is to say, the device or application does not detect At no time does the presence of the radar only alert us to its location because the DGT notifies it or another driver has indicated it. Is it allowed?: Yes Fine?: No radar detector Here it goes one step further. The device can use its own databases but its true task is to find the radars that we find in our path. It is used because, through waves, it is capable of detect the presence of a radar of speed and, therefore, is used to “discover” mobile radars. We are not talking about a device or an application that stores information about speed cameras and then alerts the driver. It is a device that actively searches for radars and, therefore, they are prohibited. Is it allowed?: No, its mere presence is cause for sanction Fine? Yes, 500 euros and three driving license points radar jammer The most intrusive device in the operation of a radar. In this case, the device not only alerts of the presence of a radar. Besides, disables operation of this and, therefore, disables the possible sanctions that may be imposed if we exceed the maximum speed limits. That is to say, it not only acts by warning the driver, it also “protects” the vehicle from radar activity and, therefore, prevents it from being penalized. Therefore, it is prohibited. Is it allowed?: No, its mere presence is cause for sanction Fine? Yes, 6,000 euros and six points on your driving license A clarifying note Although here we have talked about warning devices, detectors and inhibitors, the news that has been accumulating in the last two years will stop us for a moment. Technically, as we have said, using an application that warns us of the presence of a radar is not grounds for sanctions, but the DGT understands that if we warn of a radar or a police checkpoint we will be committing a crime. In May 2024, The Civil Guard arrested a man that warned of speed cameras and traffic controls through WhatsApp groups that had up to 15,000 users in real time. It is what was called “the Galician method”. This information was used to avoid being caught committing any irregularity. The problem is that, technically, neither the Traffic Law nor the Traffic Regulations indicate this activity as illegal. Therefore, what was done was to point out that the accused was committing a crime against the safety of the agents, based on article 36.23 of the Citizen Security Law which prohibits the following: The unauthorized use of images or personal or professional data of authorities or members of the Security Forces and Corps that may endanger the personal or family safety of the agents, the protected facilities or jeopardize the success of an operation, with respect to the fundamental right to information. That is, the DGT wanted to make it clear that notifying police controls may be punishable. However, two years later it has still not managed to reformulate the text of the current regulations that punish warnings through applications such as Waze or Google Maps. something that has been talked about for a long time. With all this in mind, it is important to know that radar warning devices are not prohibited in any case but also that the DGT has used the Citizen Security Law to try to stop the publication of the activities of Civil Guard agents, both breathalyzer controls and mobile radars. With no news in this regard, at the moment we are still in a diffuse area between what is or is not allowed regarding the radar warning on social networks and applications connected to our mobile phone. Image | Isaac Mehegan In Xataka | Pamplona is going to launch four radars with AI: they detect if you are wearing a seat belt, if you are on your cell phone or if you make illegal turns A version of this article was published in March 2024

Who are Openchip, the Catalan company that designs RISC-V chips… and has just received 115 million from the Government

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

This Monday, June 29, the Council of Ministers authorized an investment of 115.77 million euros in Openchip & Software Technologiesa microelectronics company based in Barcelona and five years old. The operation is channeled by the Spanish Society for Technological Transformation (SETTthe digital SEPI, dependent on the Ministry for Digital Transformation) through the Next Tech facility of the Recovery Plan. It is the largest one-time injection of public capital received by a Spanish technology company in the sector to date. It comes just a week after another move. On June 23, The Generalitat converted part of a 35 million bridge loan into sharesan operation that gave him 5% of the capital and set a implicit valuation for Openchip in around 700 million. With that reference, the 115.77 million from the SETT would be equivalent to a participation of up to 16.54%, which would place direct public control (State and Generalitat) above 20%. Both administrations will have a seat on the council. The Government also included a veto right over any transfer of the headquarters outside of Catalonia. Added to the 111 million already received via PERTE Chip, public support accumulated is close to 262 million. The public supports a good part of the structure. A company that designs, not manufactures Openchip was born in 2021 as a joint initiative of the Catalan engineering group GTDaround 54% of the capital, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the center that operates the MareNostrumaround 46%. Today it employs about 300 people, almost all of them engineers, and operates under a fabless– Designs intellectual property and outsources manufacturing to external foundries. The CEO himself has admitted that this production will leave Europe, which in practice points to where these types of projects usually aim: TSMC. The industrial plan estimates investments close to 500 million to deploy the entire infrastructure. What it designs are processors and accelerators based on RISC-V, the open source architecture that has become the European bet (and, ahem, China) to avoid the dependency on x86 (Intel, AMD) and ARM. Its specific product is a vector accelerator for AI and high-performance computing, integrated into DARE SGA1a 240 million European initiative led by BSC itself that distributes the design between Openchip (vector accelerator), the Dutch Axelera (AI processing unit) and the Czech Codasip (general processor). The goal: a European hardware and software proposal operational by 2028. The schedule, the equipment and the exam This is where it is good for everyone to temper expectations. In November 2025, Cesc Guim (pictured above), CEO and former Intel, said that the company had just sent its first prototype to the factory and that commercial production was planned for 2028. The commercial argument is energy efficiency: its designs promise to reduce electricity consumption by 20% to 30% compared to current alternatives. The real comparison can only be made when there is working silicon, not plans. A few weeks ago, in May, Openchip signed Tobías Martínez as presidentformer CEO of Cellnex for almost a decade. Replaced Carlos Kinder in a change that the company did not officially confirm. His profile provides what a startup of 300 engineers with a round of hundreds of millions was missing: plenty of experience in the capital markets. The operation is sold under the convenient modern mantra of ‘European technological sovereignty’, and the truth is that the framework is real: Europe today designs a minuscule part of the world’s chips, and certainly none of the leading ones. But There remain questions that public investment does not solve on its own: Whether Openchip will achieve a competitive product against rivals with a twenty-year advantage (Guim himself has admitted it). Yes, manufacturing will continue to depend on TSMC, which keeps Europe away from the critical link in a long-term dependence. And whether the intensive financing model, with two administrations on the board and a regional veto over the headquarters, will allow the flexibility and agility that a semiconductor business requires to compete. The State has bought shares, a seat on the council and qualified employment in Catalonia. What remains to be seen is whether the chips arrive. And they work as promised. In Xataka | The Valencia family that made a fortune with guano and Coca-Cola now has another project: photonic semiconductors Featured image | Openchip, Xataka

Samsung is ahead of the presentation of the Galaxy Z Fold8 by showing the design change of the foldable. At last

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

There are a few days left to see Samsung’s new folding phones, but the South Korean company has decided that the speculation is over. In a series of videos, they have begun to show what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 will be like, but they have done so in a rather peculiar way. Instead of showing the design like others do (Google with the Pixel before presentations, for example), they have decided indirectly show the most important change of the new folding: the form factor. With phrases like “A new way” and strange videos, Samsung makes one thing clear: we must welcome passport-style foldables. As a curiosity, one of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 and the foldable iPhone It seems like they will have quite a bit in common. And I say “one of the Galaxy Fold” because everything indicates that we will have two versions: the true successor of the Galaxy Z Fold7 and the one who for a time It was known as Galaxy Fold Wide. The design change of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Of all the videos that Samsung has shared, there are three in which this idea of design change is clearly explored. From a traditional elongated format since the first Fold, it seems that we will move to a more square one both when the mobile is folded and when we unfold it. There are three videos that show this design change and they are quite revealing: There is another one cutting out a photo and another in which instead of a puzzle it is a chocolate bar. As I say, the three explore the idea that we are preparing the body for a design change, and the leaks have not been long in coming. While it is expected that there will be a Galaxy Z Fold8 with an elongated format (surnamed Ultra, perhaps), these Samsung videos seem to confirm that we will have a simply squarer Fold8. The leaks talk about a mobile phone with a 7.6-inch interior screen with a more square aspect ratio of 4:3. The external screen will be compact, with 5.5 inches and a 16:10 aspect ratio. To get an idea, the Fold7 had a 6.5-inch external screen with an 8-inch internal one with aspect ratios of 21:9 and 6:5 respectively. The translation is that the Galaxy Z Fold8 will be much more compact when closed, and when opened, it will practically be square. Very similar, as we say, to a passport. What has been leaking about the supposed iPhone Fold (or whatever it ends up being called) is very similar, with a more compact format that would share lines with Samsung’s. Obviously, neither one nor the other has been presented, so this is all speculation, but what we do know is that, in 2025, Apple chose to Samsung as the supplier of flexible OLED panels for its foldable iPhone. Thus, and as happened when the iPhone made the leap to OLED screens, there will be two competing mobile phones that will have the same screens and the changes will be calibration between one brand and another. It makes perfect sense for Samsung to take advantage of the fact that it has developed a panel with a new aspect ratio for Apple to create a third foldable (the other would be the Flip) that would mount that panel to compete, directly, against its historic great rival. In the end, it will be up to the consumer to decide whether they prefer Android or iOS, but they will have to choose two foldables with a very similar (if not identical) form factor. And it seems like a change that makes complete sense to me. ‘Passport’ foldables = the best foldables Now, this design is not new and, in fact, has been in place for years. In Spain, the book-type foldables that are most seen are those that share a form factor with Samsung’s: elongated when folded, small tablets when we open them. They are not the most comfortable to use with one hand when they are folded and we are walking down the street, really. It’s not official, but this is supposedly what the iPhone Fold will be like But then there are the Pixel Fold with an external aspect ratio of 17.4:9 or my favorite of all foldables: the Oppo Find N. The screen of the latter is 5.49 inches 18:9, and they are form factors more similar to what these two new folding devices from Samsung and Apple are estimated to have. The translation is that using a mobile phone like the Oppo Find N on the street is extremely comfortable because, in practice, It is as if it were a compact mobile. In fact, if the leak that the external screen will be 5.5 inches is true, we would be talking about diagonals that we have not usually seen for years, when the Zenfone 10 With its less than 6 inches it was considered a compact mobile. It’s already a few years old, but if you want to imagine what this new batch of foldables will more or less be like, take a look at the video we published about the Oppo Find N: That one-handed operation was the detail that we highlighted the most at the time and what represents a real change compared to the rest of the foldables on the market because we still have a large screen when opening it, but if we don’t want to do so, we have a very manageable external one in which the thumb covers the entire diagonal with ease. Now, will the market accept that design? In the case of Samsung, if the rumors are true, the consumer will have three options to choose between the Flip and the Square Fold8 and the more traditional Fold8 Ultrabut in the case of the iPhone, Apple will only have one bullet. In any case, as we have already mentioned, they are rumors (especially in the case of the … Read more

These are the best deals from the new AliExpress promo

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

The month of July that we are beginning today has brought new AliExpress promo. This marketplace returns with quite interesting offers in technologyregardless of whether you are looking for a mobile phone, a tablet, consoles or watches, among many other things. Although, as usual, you have to be quick to take advantage of the biggest discount. Discount minimum purchase coupon 6 euros 45 euros ESCD06 11 euros 79 euros ESCD11 20 euros 149 euros ESCD20 30 euros 239 euros ESCD30 45 euros 359 euros ESCD45 60 euros 479 euros ESCD60 The key here is two points: use a discount coupon and pay with PayPal if what we buy exceeds 100 euros to get an extra discount. Below we leave you five devices that we find interesting by price, also breaking down how to get them at the best price. Please note that, at the time of writing this, the only coupon available is the 6 euro one (although AliExpress may add the others back): Garmin Forerunner 256 sports watch by 195.38 eurosa sports watch with very good autonomy and multi-band GPS. Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd generation) by 40.72 eurosa very economical device ideal if you have an old TV or you don’t like its operating system. DeLonghi Magnifica S coffee maker by 258 eurosideal for having barista coffee at home without spending too much. POCO X8 Pro by 277.63 eurosone of Xiaomi’s best-selling phones at a good price. PlayStation 5 Slim Digital by 481.20 eurosthe cheapest console that Sony has right now. Garmin Forerunner 256 sports watch The first device at a good price on AliExpress is this Garmin Forerunner 265, a very good option if you are looking for a smart watch oriented towards sports activity. It has GPS, a heart rate sensor, a respiratory rate sensor and a ton of recommended training plans, both for running and cycling. In addition, it reaches up to 13 days of autonomy. Using the coupon ‘ESCD06’ and paying with PayPal, you stay in 195.38 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd generation) If you have an old television and want to “resurrect” it, a Xiaomi TV Box S could be great for you. It connects to the HDMI port of the TV and allows us to have Google TV on it, so it is also ideal if you have an operating system on your Smart TV that you don’t like for some reason. In addition to all this, it supports 4K content and is compatible with both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. With the same coupon as with the previous device, it goes for 40.72 euros. Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd generation) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links DeLonghi Magnifica S coffee maker A super-automatic coffee maker is perfect for those people who want barista-level coffee at home, but without too many complications. This DeLonghi Magnifica S is one of the best quality-price options, especially now that we can get it for 258 euros paying with PayPal and using the coupon ‘ESCD06’. It has an integrated grinder with 13 different levels, a very easy-to-use interface and a manual vaporizer. Magnifica super-automatic coffee maker The price could vary. We earn commission from these links POCO X8 Pro A recurring device in almost all AliExpress promos is the POCO X8 Pro from Xiaomi and the same thing happens in all of them: it sells like hotcakes. It is a device with a 6.59-inch screen with good peak brightness of 3,500 nits, 1.5 K resolution and 120 Hz. In addition, it has 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage and a Dimensity 8500-Ultra processor that will give us good performance. All rounded off by a good capacity battery (6,500 mAh) with 100 W fast charging. It comes out for 277.63 euros. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PlayStation 5 Slim Digital And finally, a console: PlayStation 5. This version, the Slim Digital, is the one that comes without a disc reader (which you can buy separately at a later time to install it yourself). Otherwise, it has the same hardware, so we can expect its games to run in 4K resolution and with very good performance. All with a huge catalog of games that, in a few months, will add the expected ‘Grand Theft Auto VI‘. comes out for 481.20 euros. PlayStation 5 Slim Digital 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 | Garmin, Xiaomi, Delonghi, PlayStation In Xataka | The best TVs to play and get the most out of your PS5 or Xbox Series In Xataka | Capsules, super-automatic or manual. The best coffee makers according to your tastes and needs

Venice spent 6 billion on a dam to stop the sea. There are those who already see it as the only future left for the Bay of Cádiz

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

In the first two months of 2026, Venice had to raise its large mobile dock 30 times. In the last five years, he has had to do it another 108 times in total. Nobody can say that the work of 6 billion that was going to save the lagoon has not been necessary; What can be said is that it closes so often that it threatens to suffocate just what protects. 2,000 kilometers away, in the bay of Cádiz, the sea is eating away at the largest tidal-influenced saline wetland in Spain. And the shadow of the great dam begins to hover over the problem. Is Venice the future of the Silver Cup? Let’s start by x-raying the problem. The sea has been advancing over the bay for decades, that cannot surprise anyone. Perhaps the only thing that has changed in recent years is that salt farmers, aquaculturists, scientists and ecologists have sat at the same table with a common diagnosis. Its ambition is much smaller than that of Venice, but we are light years away from Venice. What they are asking for is something as simple as the competent administrations coordinating. Coordinate for what? To prevent a good part of the saline wetland from dying. This wetland is structured around the so-called “outside turns“: soft dikes that stop spring tides and storms. They are not “natural things”, they are the product of centuries of human work. And when there is someone who maintains them, they endure, they tame the sea, they control the storms. The problem is that there is almost no one to maintain them. Today, around 80% of the salt mines are abandoned; Of the 160 artisanal salt mines that existed in the 70s, four remain. In other words, what is happening in the Bay is a disaster labeled ‘natural’, but with socioeconomic roots. The result is clear. In points like the south of Puerto Real, the sea advances about 3 meters a year, according to calculations from the University of Cádiz. And it is now just over 200 meters from the first houses. A few kilometers from there, 94,000 inhabitants (the people of San Fernando) live below sea level and this protected natural park is their main line of defense. If the estimates of the Blue Bay Alliance They are right and the sea rises between 55 and 70 centimeters, there will be many people who will suffer the consequences. And we will put our hands on our heads and wonder how it was possible. Then, just then, people will start talking seriously about the wall. But it will be a mistake. So far no one has asked for the Venetian MOSE and, in fact, the ‘concrete’ that the Alliance talks about is something very different and much more surgical. His basic proposal is to return to the walls permeable to the tide: to use all our modern technology to try to rescue traditional engineering. That is, keeping an extremely complex ecosystem alive. And that’s the heart of the matter: the Venice Wall could protect the new parts of San Fernando when the time comes, but it couldn’t keep the bay alive. We have to decide if we want to invest Now it’s cheap, but the risk is diffuse. Or invest later, when it is expensive, but clear and real. Image | Alain Rouiller In Xataka | Venice spent 5 billion euros on flood barriers. Five years later they are already “unsustainable”

China has a spaceship of which there are barely any photos. Another unidentified object has just been released into orbit

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

Shenlong, China’s secret ship has done it again. After several months in low Earth orbit, doing who knows what, it has released a mysterious payload that no one knows anything about. With this, there are now 9 unknown objects released by the Chinese divine dragon. Without further information, as always. Shenlong is a reusable ship. Since 2020, it has carried out four flights. First it was a test one, which lasted just two days, but then it made three more stays of several months in low Earth orbit. The last one is still underway and, as usual, no one knows anything about it. It is only known that it was launched on February 7 and that a few days ago, on June 22, it launched an unknown object. It was first detected by the private surveillance company LeoLabs. After seeing a mysterious object very close to Shenlong’s location, they raised the alarm. Then asteroid tracking expert Jonathan McDowell used your X account to confirm that according to their calculations, it must be a payload from China’s secret ship. Almost no one has photographed it. There are no official photographs of Shenlong. Since it was first released, there are only a few amateur-taken images, most of them very blurry. It is not easily seen. The only photo that gave any information It was taken in 2024 by the Austrian amateur astronomer Felix Schöfbänker. In its photograph you could see a pair of appendages that possibly correspond to solar panels, which would indicate that it has a great capacity for autonomous flight. Just hypothesis. It is not known why China regularly sends this ship into space, although there are some hypotheses, as explained from Live Science. Shenlong could be conducting proximity flight tests or launching surveillance satellites or anti-satellite weapons. At the moment, there is no evidence that it has made any suspicious approach to other ships, so the first hypothesis does not seem the most appropriate. As for the objects, if he has done anything with them, nothing is known about it. It is not the only secret ship. USA He also has his own secret ship: X-37B. This one has much more experience. While Shenlong has spent about 700 days in total in low Earth orbit since its first launch in 2020, the secret American spacecraft began flying in 2010 and has already accumulated more than 4,200 flight days. However, the United States has been more transparent with the missions carried out by its ship. It usually gives information about the launches, the duration of the mission and some of the experiments. For example, on X-37B’s last mission, a year ago, It is known that it was launched to study laser communication and quantum navigation tools. Of course, there are still some of his movements that are kept secret. Hence its name. The reality is that China has always been much more cryptic with its space missions, whatever their type. Even when satellites are launched regularly, the exact payload they are carrying is often not reported until the mission is completed. Therefore, it is not strange that they maintain so much zeal regarding their divine dragon. What just happened is not an exception and it probably won’t be the last time it happens either. Image | Long March rockets (no non-blur photos of Shenlong). Credit: Shujianyang In Xataka | The “space war” is already a reality and is being waged by the US, Russia and China with a particular weapon: their satellites

Spain turns in the opposite direction to the rest of Europe. It is part of a geological plan: close the Mediterranean

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

Spain and Portugal are dancing to a different rhythm than the rest of Europe. They are moving clockwise and the consequence is clear: a long-term closure of the Mediterranean that connects the Iberian Peninsula directly to North Africa. The convergence between continents is slow, a few millimeters a year (so we will continue needing the tunnel between Spain and Morocco), but one thing is clear: another Pangea is on the way. And the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco will be a unit. In short. Continental plates move. Some separate, others collide, and that continental drift has caused the emergence the Pangea Ultima theory. In 250 million years, there will only be one continent. There is a long way to go for that, but now, researchers from the University of the Basque Country, in collaboration with the universities of Palermo and Granada, have analyzed geodetic data that allows them to affirm that the Iberian Peninsula is rotating clockwise. This east-west rotation is driven by the convergence between the Eurasian and African plates, and the conclusion is clear: both are moving between four and six millimeters closer each year. This information is not new, but the researchers’ discovery is to specify the processes that take place at the diffuse boundary of the two western Mediterranean plates. Thanks, Gibraltar. Although the boundaries of other plates are well defined, this does not occur in the Western Mediterranean. There, the processes are much grayer, and there is something called “Gibraltar Arch” which plays an interesting role in this tectonic dynamic. To the east of the strait, the crust absorbs the deformation caused by the collision between the Eurasian and African plates. This ‘Gibraltar Arc’ acts as a buffer, but it has a consequence: in the west of the strait there is a direct collision between the plates, while in the east it is absorbed by the Gibraltar Arc. This lack of buffering from the southwest is what causes the clockwise rotation. Rotational strain rate field. Positive values correspond to clockwise rotation, while negative values refer to counterclockwise rotation. Active and potentially active faults are marked with solid and dashed gray lines, respectively. Double analysis. The researchers combined two types of accuracy analyzes to obtain these results. On the one hand, those of satellite deformation through GNSS system (Global Navigation Satellite System). Analyzing the data, they measured surface displacements with millimeter precision, relying on both permanent and occasional GPS markers. On the other hand, they also analyzed information from recent earthquakes that allowed them to determine the tectonic “stresses” in the area. They are independent data sets, but by crossing them they were able to draw a series of ‘lines’ that have allowed them to better specify the boundary between the plates. So that? Well, to better understand which sectors are in direct collision between plates and which are still more protected by the Gibraltar Arc. And the neighbors? The problem is that, although they claim that it is a rapid tectonic movement, this is true in geological terms. For us it is invaluable, but it also comes into play that we only have satellite data since 1999 and detailed seismic data since the 1980s. Even so, if with such a short range of data we have reached that conclusion in the annual approach, it is because the phenomenon is not in a hurry, but it does not pause either. And the most interesting thing is that this only affects the Iberian Peninsula. It is not that we are going to separate from France, since we ‘drag’ the rest of the continent thanks to the effect of the Gibraltar Arc, but we are not turning in the same direction as other neighbors. Italy, for example, experiences a counterclockwise rotation that exerts pressure in the alpine zoneand in the anatolian plate (where most of Türkiye is), there is also this counterclockwise rotation. Hello, Morocco. While in Turkey the consequence may be more earthquakes or mountain formations, this current speed of between 4 and 6 millimeters will cause, at some point, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco to unite. This continental collision would close the Mediterraneanbut there is a lot left for it. How much? About 100 million years. They estimate that for 20 million years we will continue at the same speed, but within about 50 million years, things will gain momentum, accelerating the process and turning the region into one of the most active volcanic and seismic areas on the planet. It’s… foolish to worry. present utility. Now, beyond curiosity, the most immediate implication that the researchers point out is a better identification of active faults or areas in which previously unidentified tectonic structures could exist. Asier Madarieta-Txurruka, one of those responsible for the investigation, explains This information indicates where to look for these structures and boundaries to determine what type of folds and faults there may be. Thus, we can anticipate the type of earthquake that there will be and its magnitude in areas such as the Western Pyrenees or the region of Cádiz and Seville in which we know that there are numerous places with significant deformationbut we do not have well identified the active tectonic structures that cause them. And, although there is still a long way to go before the Alps and a new mountain range are founded across the peninsula and all of North Africa to Arabia, knowing better what we have right under our feet is much more useful. In Xataka | We knew that Africa was going to split in half. What we didn’t know was that it would happen so quickly.

do not cross any red lines

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

Anthropic announced yesterday the release of Claude Sonnet 5a more “normal” and conservative model than what we were used to. It is also cheaper, which makes it interesting to use in those AI agents that consume a lot of tokens. However, the most striking thing about Sonnet 5 is that it is a model that is especially capable in a key section: cybersecurity. Sonnet 5 is designed to behave well. At Anthropic they define it as “the most agentic Sonnet model to date” and highlight its improvements in the use of tools such as browsers or the terminal. But above all they highlight how Sonnet 5 behaves better than Sonnet 4.6 in terms of “unwanted behavior” and is safer to use. The “System Card” of the model also confirms that we are dealing with a model that does not want to cross red lines. Not very useful for finding vulnerabilities. The most striking thing is that Anthropic makes it clear that “it has a much lower capacity than our current Opus models to perform cybersecurity tasks.” That’s no accident: Anthropic has had so many problems with Mythos and Fable 5 who have probably wanted to bring a “risk-free” model to the market, even if that means making it more limited. Benchmarks promise, but do not amaze. Internal tests show how Sonnet 5 represents an important qualitative leap compared to Sonnet 4.6 and is quite close to Opus 4.8 in agentic programming or in the use of the aforementioned tools (terminal, browser), something that undoubtedly makes it very interesting for AI agents that automate many tasks, such as Claude Cowork. Fable 5 returns. The model comes just at a time when Anthropic was waiting for approval from the US government to be able to give access to its most powerful AI models: A compelling model for companies. Sonnet 5 is an interesting model for use in companies. Claude Code is the company’s flagship product and its adoption is enhanced with models that can perform well in agentic tasks that complete objectives autonomously. That requires intensive token consumption, and Sonnet 5, close to the performance of Opus 4.8, has a fundamental advantage over it. cheaper. While Fable 5 costs $10/$50 per million input/output tokens, Opus 4.8 costs $5/$25. That’s where things get interesting, because Sonnet 5 costs 3/15 dollarssignificantly cheaper, although during the first two months the cost will be 2/10 dollars as a promotional offer. An old school model. The launch of Sonnet 5 is striking because Anthropic had left its “modest” models well behind. Haiku has not been updated since version 4.5, in October 2025. The last version of Sonnet was 4.6, in February 2026. Both seemed to have been relegated to the background and Anthropic had focused on Opus and especially on the new models of the Mythos family. That changes now, probably because the move with these latest models has gone wrong: they were so powerful that the US government ended up vetoing them and taking control. In Xataka | Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful public AI model in history. Also the most expensive, exclusive and frustrating

This is how strength training protects your heart, your brain and your life expectancy

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

We have known for a long time that strength exercise It’s not just for having more muscles. and a more defined body. Today we understand that, to take care of our health, it is important to combine both strength and aerobic exercise. However, it is always good to have more evidence and more reasons to remind us of the importance of lifting weight. That’s why it’s so important a study recently published by scientists at Harvard Universityin which 150,000 people are followed for 30 years. This monitoring has allowed its authors to conclude that, indeed, those who practiced strength exercise regularly were more likely to continue to live older, since this practice protected them from numerous diseases, especially neurological and cardiovascular diseases. The reasons are clear, as is the fact that, in reality, the ideal is to combine this with aerobic exercise. Three studies, 30 years. In reality, this latest study is a review of 3 studies, all of them conducted in the United States. For 30 years, the health status of its participants was followed, while their sports habits were monitored. In those three decades, there were 36,000 participants who died from various causes. It wasn’t always due to not having exercised. After all, there are many factors that influence health. However, it was found that those who did between 90 and 120 minutes of strength exercise per week had a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause than those who did not. The types of diseases most prevented. Although the percentage was calculated with respect to deaths from any cause, neurological and cardiovascular protection stands out in this study. In fact, this practice of strength exercise reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 19% and the risk from neurological disorders, especially dementia, by 27%. For all this, the study concludes that strength exercise has a positive effect on longevity. More is not always better. Another curious fact from this study is that those who did more than 120 minutes of strength exercise per week did not experience extra benefits. Therefore, if there is more time available, you can take advantage of it to do aerobic exercise, since, in reality, the ideal is to combine both types of training. The ideal combination. According to this same study, 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise reduces the risk of death from any cause by between 26% and 43%. But if this is also combined with the strength exercise mentioned above, the risk decreases by 45%. The ideal is to combine the two types of exercise to buy all possible longevity tickets. Two hours a week of strength exercise can be divided into two workouts in the gym. Training can be done full body both days, to train all muscle groups twice, but increasing the density of the upper part one day and the lower part another. As for 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise, it is very achievable. only with go walking to work or to run errands we would already have a good part accomplished. However, it is advisable to add several sessions of a somewhat more vigorous cardio, such as going for a run, swimming or cycling. Cardio, best distributed in several weekly sessions The causes. This is an observational study. That means a correlation has been seen, but not necessarily a causality. Those who strength exercise live longer, but their blood has not been analyzed, for example, for markers that indicate that quality of life. Even so, the authors of the research have their own hypotheses, also described in The Conversation by University of East London Professor John McNamara. To begin with, the muscle is a kind of sponge that, by order of insulin, absorbs a good part of the glucose that accumulates in the blood after eating. Thus, glucose acts as a source of energy for the muscle and does not increase in spikes or accumulate as fat. With all this, metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or obesity. Clearly, yes there is more musclethe sponge is larger, which is why strength exercise is so important. Furthermore, with respect to cardiovascular diseases, myokines play an essential role. They are proteins that are released when the muscle contracts and that have a positive effect on the blood, reducing chronic inflammation. It is very beneficial against heart diseases; but also, again, for metabolic diseases and even against some types of cancer. On the other hand, it should be noted that this chemical cascade enhanced by strength exercise helps increase blood flow in organs such as the brain or liver and also reduces blood pressure and increases the flexibility of blood vessels. The key to longevity. A fall may be minor in a young person, but in the elderly it can lead to more broken bones, with a slower or incomplete recovery. The person’s health can greatly deteriorate. Therefore, one of the keys to longevity is to strengthen the bones. The musculoskeletal system is very well combined. Strong muscles also often translate into stronger bones. That’s why people live longer when they do strength exercise. Limitations to take into account. People who exercise, whether strength training or aerobic, often maintain other healthy habits as well. Furthermore, the study participants were health workers, so it is expected that they were clear about the measures to take care of their health. Therefore, it would be ideal to have done another similar study, with a greater variety of participants, and taking into account other habits to see the influence they have on the final result. Even so, everything points to a very beneficial routine for anyone. Image | Magnificent In Xataka | The trap of walking for the sake of walking: “Japanese walks” are much more effective than your daily hour-long walk

This is how strength training protects your heart, your brain and your life expectancy

July 1, 2026 by usatoday24

Log In

Sign In

Forgot password?

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections