Mobile Tech & Gadgets

late night cafes for crying babies

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Japan may have few babies (of course many fewer than the authorities would like), but that does not mean that caring for them is easy. Especially for families for whom conciliation is difficult. To solve it in some locations in the country, an idea has begun to take shape: the yonakigoya or “cry night cafes”, places where parents (basically mothers) can go when their babies won’t let up and make them spend a sleepless night crying and lonely. In the yonakigoya Not only do they find places to sing lullabies without disturbing other family members who will have to get up early to face exhausting days of work. The idea is that they also serve as support networks and reach places where administrations do not. “Crying coffees”? Exact. They sound like science fiction. And it makes perfect sense that this is the case because the concept came from a manga published in 2023a work that talks about a place called Yonakigoya (‘House of Night Cry’) that serves as a refuge for mothers who are overwhelmed by the crying of their little ones. Straits Times assures that the author was speaking from her own experience and that she shared the idea for the first time online in 2017. The reception there was so good that she decided to reserve a place for it in her work. Something more than fiction. Beyond when, how and where the idea arose, what is undeniable is that the concept of yonakigoya It has penetrated Japanese society enough to make the leap from fiction to reality. It has revealed Kyodo Newsone of the most popular news agencies in the country. A few days ago, its reporter Maki Shinozaki published a report on how the phenomenon of late-night “cry coffees” is expanding throughout the country. The piece has been echoed by media around the world, from newspapers the Sanyo News either Sankei Shimbum to the british The Times. Between toast and books. The yonakigoya They seem to have more of a support network than places that seek to make money from the cries of babies and the anguish of their parents. In fact, in Hokkaido The service is provided in a cafeteria specializing in French toast that has decided to open certain nights a month to help mothers, in Tokushima there is another support center that organizes “coffees for crying children” every month and in Aichi a bookstore has decided to join the bandwagon by organizing evenings for babies. In the first case (the cafeteria) the premises open for free between 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and 6:00 a.m. on Monday and in the latter (the bookstore) the service is provided with the help of volunteers such as teachers or midwives from 8:30 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. Although Kiodo News and the Japanese media report only certain specific cases (which suggests that it is not a mass phenomenon), a quick search on Google shows that the concept generates interest and expands. For babies… and adults. At the French toast cafe in Hokkaido they have installed mats for babies to crawl and (hopefully) sleep, as well as spaces reserved for breastfeeding and diaper changes. However, usually yonakigoya They only look after the children. They also do it for the adults who arrive with them. The idea is that they serve as support for parents, mainly women, who are those who use them the mostespecially during their maternity leaves, while their husbands sleep before facing long days of work. Although the country has taken steps towards a labor model that allow conciliationat the end of 2024 the Government published a report which revealed that 10.1% of men and 4.2% of women work more than 60 hours per week. In the country it has even become sadly popular ‘karoshi’ conceptdeath from overwork. “A refuge”. Madoko Nozawa, owner of the toast cafe that is converted into yonakigoya Sunday mornings, has explained to Kyodo who decided to embark on the project inspired by her own experience. She is also a mother and in her day, she remembers, she spent sleepless nights because her baby wouldn’t stop crying and her husband had to get up early the next day. “I want this to be a refuge where people can feel like they are not alone in their struggles,” share. “While I was trying to put my children to sleep, I couldn’t move and felt totally overwhelmed,” points out another mother to whom the newspaper Chunichi Shimbun interviewed in the bookstore-yonakigoya from Aichi Prefecture. “I still don’t have many people I can talk to naturally about parenting. A place like this is a source of support.” A critical note. Although the yonakigoya They demonstrate Japan’s ability to create support networks, their success also leaves some critical readings. To begin with, the fact that those who use them are mostly women reveals that parenting still falls largely on them. It’s nothing new. In 2022 the Association of Medical Colleges of Japan published a study on childcare among doctors that revealed a significant gender gap: 31.8% of female doctors with children acknowledged that they shouldered 100% of the childcare and 55.2% estimated that they assumed more than 80% of the tasks. Among men, these percentages were respectively 8.4 and 14.5%. In the middle of the crisis. Another critical observation brings it Kaori Ichikawa, professor at the Tokyo University of Information Sciences, who points out the paradox that in the midst of demographic crisis and despite the huge amount of resources that the Government is allocating to promoting births, it must be the private and community initiative that cares for mothers at night. “Government support is often limited at night, weekends and holidays, so the public and private sectors must work together to create places like late-night cafes, where they can seek help when they need it,” claims. Images | Pema G. Lama (Unsplash), Kishor (Unsplash) In Xataka | In 1966, a superstition left a dent in the Japanese population pyramid. 60 years later, history threatens to … Read more

Your main competitor in chip manufacturing is your greatest ally

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Approximately 30% of Intel chips It is manufactured outside of its semiconductor plants. And most of these ICs are produced by TSMC. This Taiwanese company is the largest chip manufacturer on the planetand therefore it is also Intel’s main competitor in the market for custom semiconductor manufacturing for third parties. Despite this, Intel is deeply dependent on TSMC. Currently, the latter company manufactures Intel’s most advanced integrated circuits in those nodes where the company led by Lip-Bu Tan has not yet reached optimal wafer performance. The CEO of Intel has confirmed recently that his company is also outsourcing the production of those chips that have frequent demand peaks, and which, therefore, is not able to manufacture in sufficient quantities to satisfy the needs of its customers. TSMC is producing Intel’s entire Lunar Lake line, and most of Arrow Lake as well. In addition, Intel is one of the first clients of this Taiwanese company with access to 2nm node latest generation. In fact, TSMC has already started production testing of the compute tile of Nova Lake at its Hsinchu plant, and large-scale manufacturing should begin before the end of 2026. During Intel’s latest financial results presentation, Tan confirmed something indisputable: TSMC is an essential partner of your company. TSMC also depends on Intel Intel’s current dependence on TSMC is a consequence of the delay accumulated for years in the development of its manufacturing nodes, before the arrival of Lip-Bu Tan. In fact, the delays in the jump to 10 nmand later the 7nmcontributed to TSMC overtaking Intel from a technological point of view. In addition, dependence on Intel is also based on the need to cover short-term demand. The dependence on Intel is based on the need to cover short-term demand This scenario clearly reflects that Intel and TSMC are competitors. But they are also partners. In fact, few people know that Intel sells chip manufacturing equipment to TSMC. Pat Gelsinger confirmed itthe former CEO of Intel, at the end of 2024 during a meeting with his investors: “TSMC is an impressive company. They serve their customers well, and they serve us well. Lunar Lake would not exist without TSMC (…) But we also supply them with some of our advanced equipment. “It is a complex relationship that is important for Intel, for TSMC and for the entire industry,” Gelsinger explained. It is clear that the former CEO of Intel wanted to convey positivity with this statement, and, to the extent possible, defend his management. We all know how it ended. Be that as it may, there is no doubt about one thing: Intel’s dependence on TSMC is not temporary; It is structural. It is the result of years of technological delays, is maintained by TSMC’s superiority in mature advanced nodes and has been consolidated as part of a strategy that prioritizes flexibility over in-house production. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Bad news for Intel and Europe: construction of Germany chip factory will be delayed until 2029 or 2030 In Xataka | TSMC promised them very happy with their new factory in Arizona. I wasn’t aware of the nightmare I was facing.

We thought AI was laying off engineers. In reality, it has pilloried another profile: middle management.

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We’ve been hearing for several years that AI was going to change work as we know it. What perhaps no one anticipated is that the first mass casualty They would not be factory operators or data analysts, but the layer of professionals that holds together the structure of any company: middle management. The phenomenon is already leaving a trail of layoffs with the successive restructurings that the big technology companies have been applying for the last year. Departments are reduced by the implementation of AI and become increasingly autonomous in decision-making, so the intermediate step that united everything becomes unnecessary. The profile that worries the most. Middle managers have been acting as a transmission belt between the management that dictates strategies and the teams that execute them for decades. The function of these positions was to collect data, synthesize it, transfer decisions and coordinate day-to-day operations. That intermediary job is exactly the role that AI is automating most easily, making middle managers the most important link. likely to be fired in that chain because it is not related to either decision-making or their execution. The pressure on this intermediate profile has been building for some time and the data confirms it. By the end of 2025, job offers for middle managers in the US were 42% lower to the maximum recorded three years earlier, according to Revelio Labs. The consulting firm Gartner calculated that by 2026 one in five companies will use AI to eliminate more than half of their middle management positions. Companies are applying it. Just a few weeks ago, Block, the payments company founded by Jack Dorsey, announced the dismissal of 40% of its staff and presented a new organizational model in which AI assumes the role of a link between teams. In one later blog postDorsey and councilor Roelof Botha explained this move: “There is no need for a permanent layer of middle management.” Brian Armstrong picked up Dorsey’s baton in your ad of dismissal for 14% of the Coinbase workforce, specifying that the intermediate positions were going to disappear as such and that they were now going to contribute by “getting their hands dirty with their teams.” What is lost when a link disappears. In statements to GuardianFreeland Abbott, former CTO of Square, warned that “AI cannot provide team motivation, human connection, and support the way a person can,” removing the human component from middle management in companies. Furthermore, the elimination of this role could mean another obstacle in promotion options for junior employees, who usually find those opportunities by starting to manage the work of other junior employees as they gain experience. According to the study By Anastassia Fedyk, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, as AI tools allow more work to be shifted from managers to their subordinates, these structural changes could become permanent. Rehire middle management. Matthew Bidwell, professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, assured on his podcast on the labor market that there are precedents of companies that tried eliminate intermediate hierarchies and they ended up turning back. According to their analysis, middle managers are in an especially vulnerable position in restructurings because it is more difficult for them to demonstrate their value to management. Far from putting an end to the “productive” positions held by engineers and administrators, AI seems to have opened the door and the piece that is being most affected to the point of placing it as a species at risk of extinction are middle managers. Above all, after his post-pandemic proliferation. In Xataka | Generation Z is avoiding promotions to mid-level positions: too much stress and too little reward Image | Unsplash (Austin Distel)

With AI saturating TSMC’s factories, there’s someone ready to take over: Chinese foundries

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Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, or SMIC, is the backbone of the semiconductor industry in China. Together with Huawei, he is the architect of the great government plan so that Chinese companies and data centers stop depending on foreign chips that, since punch on the table given in mid-2023 with the SoC of Huawei Mate 60 Prohas called a lot attention on the international scene. So much so that SMIC itself points out that there are already foreign clients who are changing orders so that they can manufacture them themselves. The reason? In the midst of the semiconductor crisis, China is one of the few places with available production capacity. Bottleneck. SMIC, and Chinese foundries, are in a different war: volume over sophistication. While TSMC, Intel and Samsung are fighting for superiority in the 2 nanometer war, China does not seem interested in that battle of the advanced nodes. The reason is simple: they barely represent 20% of the global chip market and producing them is extremely expensive. That strategy of being out of the forefront of the spotlight is working out well for them. It is estimated that between January and February, China has exported integrated circuits worth more than 43 billion dollars. It represents a growth of 21.8% and the reality is that, at this time, China cannot compete in technology with the one that dominates the segment: TSMC. The Taiwanese company is developing the most advanced nodes for clients such as Nvidia and Apple and a few years ago they stated that they could not handle all the demand. Today, that demand has skyrocketed with AI and TSMC is already saying that there may not be something for everyone. That is why there are 64 new factories planned to unblock the situation, 58 of them located in China. Orders. Returning to SMIC, Zhao Haijun, the company’s co-CEO, pointed out a few days ago during the earnings call that China is one of the few regions that has manufacturing capacity, which is motivating “many foreign clients to redirect their orders.” This is not news if we take into account the world situationbut the manager assures that some of these products “were previously manufactured in foundries abroad and are no longer produced there.” That is the relevant point in all this, since it states that, although SMIC as the largest national foundry is receiving the largest burden of these orders, there are other smaller companies that are also benefiting from the situation. This situation is occurring out of necessity, out of TSMC’s need, according to data from TrendForce. Because the Taiwanese company plans to reduce part of its capacity in mature nodes (to focus on cutting-edge ones), it is diverting part of that production and excess orders to Chinese suppliers and second-line foundries. This will also cause the wafers to be used to the millimeter and that from an average utilization rate of 80% in eight-inch wafers, the industry will go to 90% in 2026. Chips are needed and they will have to be scraped from wherever they can. domino effect. The situation is going well for a SMIC that reported revenues of 2,505 million dollars in the first quarter of this year, 11.5% year-on-year that will be surpassed in the second period of the year, with revenue growth of between 14% and 16%, well above the 7% that Wall Street expected. But it seems that not only SMIC is having good news within the current catastrophic situation in the components, memory and other segment. We already commented a few months ago that “crisis” could be synonymous with “opportunity” for the Chinese semiconductor industry because there were foreign manufacturers that were approaching them to have supplies, especially of RAM memories, which could cause the international flourishing of this industry traditionally overshadowed by the Samsung – SK Hynix – Micron trident. As we see in SCMPHua Hong is another Chinese foundry that is smaller than SMIC, but also saw its revenue grow 22.2% year-on-year due to increased wafer shipments and a higher average selling price. These companies that make NAND, DRAM and NOR memory chips are seeing their business grow, and analysts expect other domestic foundries focused on logic chips to also continue to grow over the coming months. not so untouchable. In any case, it is evident that the market leader continues to be TSMC, but if before it was an undisputed giant, now it is still that Goliath… for which its David is emerging. Several, in fact. Apple is no longer the preferred customer of a TSMC that has in mind Nvidia to your best ally and it has been ringing for a while that Intel could fill that spot in the heart of Apple. And, returning to 2 nanometers, AMD has been deeply involved in the battle for both consumer and AI segments for a few years and is looking for advanced chips. And, as in the case of Apple, since it is now Nvidia that has all the privileges of TSMC, AMD has looked a little further east to manufacture its 2nm chips. The lucky one? Samsung. Image | ASML In Xataka | ByteDance has already chosen its partner to manufacture its own chip. And it is a harsh message for China’s industry

only for Xtra members

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Next May 28, don’t go too far, because we have an appointment. Yes, you, the xatakeros, and we, the editors of Xataka, will see each other again in the second live Q&A. We had a really good time at the first and the truth is that we talk about everything. If you already joined us, we invite you to come again; If you didn’t do it, we invite you to join in if you feel like it, we had a really nice time! We will review the dynamics shortly, but first we leave you the coordinates of this second edition: Day: May 28. Hour: 17:00, Spanish peninsular time (16:00 in the Canary Islands, 9:00 in Mexico). Assistants: Amparo Babiloni, César Muela, Javier Jiménez, Javier Márqez and Antonio Vallejo. Connection link: we will provide it to you later by email. How Q&As work The Q&As are virtual meetings between xatakeros and Xataka editors and are part of the advantages included in Xataka Xtra. There is no agenda, no topics or anything predefined. It’s like meeting up for coffee with friends and colleagues to chat about whatever we want. The topics are set by the xatakeros, so we can talk about technology, science, space or answer questions from Xataka, which we did in the first edition, for example. It is not a formal meeting by any means, but rather a casual time to see each other, catch up and unwind talking about whatever you want. Like last time, the meeting will take place through Google Meet, so there will be no need to download software. We will send you the link by email one hour before the event so that you can connect from the device you have closest to hand. Needless to say, using the camera or microphone is completely voluntary, as is participation. If you don’t feel like it or it doesn’t work for you, absolutely nothing happens. As for the participants, we will do a rotation in each Q&A so that you can put a face to us all. For this second meeting we will have Amparo Babiloni, César Muela, Javier Jiménez, Javier Márqez and Antonio Vallejo. In Xataka | Subscribe to Xataka Xtra

The big question behind the US visit to Beijing is not Taiwan. They are two Chinese SUVs with roofs that have fired the imagination

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The scene took place in 2018, during a military parade in Moscow. So several Western analysts spent hours trying to identify a strange russian truck covered by tarps and antennas of which no one offered explanations. Years later it was learned that it was part of one of the systems electronic warfare most advanced in the Kremlin. Since then, every rare vehicle that appears near a world leader has ceased to seem like a simple logistical eccentricity. Two SUVs and an uncomfortable question. For years, American presidential visits to Beijing revolved around the same topics: Taiwan, trade, sanctions or the military balance in Asia. However, they had TWZ analysts that in Donald Trump’s recent visit there was a detail that ended up attracting much more attention among military analysts and technological observers: two Chinese Hongqi SUVs with huge modified roofs that seemed to hide some kind of special system. They were not particularly elegant or discreet. In fact, they seemed heavy and strange. That is precisely why they attracted so much attention. The feeling they left is that China wanted teach something without showing it really. The big question after the trip was no longer just what Washington and Beijing had talked about, but what the hell exactly those vehicles were hiding. Modern warfare and protecting the sky. The most repeated theory links to something that we have been countingand these roofs could house electronic warfare systems, advanced communications or even anti-drone capabilities. The idea makes sense because the presidential caravans begin to face a relatively new problem: cheap drones capable of threatening even extremely protected world leaders. Ukraine, the Middle East and the Red Sea have shown that it no longer takes a sophisticated missile to create a huge security problem. That’s it forcing to transform VIP convoys in small fortresses mobile electronics. The Hongqi seen in Beijing fit perfectly in that trend: lots of interior space, extra weight and modifications probably designed to transport complex equipment rather than people. Caravan converted into a command center. The interesting thing is that those SUVs were not an isolated anomaly. The caravan also included Modified Suburbans, Lincoln Navigators, and Ford vans with antennas, sensors, and special roof structures. Everything suggested a mobile architecture of communications, surveillance and electronic interference much more sophisticated than usual. In practice, presidential convoys are beginning to look less like simple armored columns and more to command centers capable of operating in environments saturated with drones, electronic signals and autonomous threats. Not only that. Analysts recalled that China also used Hongqi vehicles, a brand very historically linked to Chinese political power, reinforces another important idea: Beijing wants to demonstrate that it can develop this type of strategic capabilities with its own national platforms. The new competition between powers. For a long time, the rivalry between China and the United States was measured with aircraft carriers, stealth fighters or hypersonic missiles. Now it’s starting to appear another competition quieter: who masters electronic and anti-drone protection in real scenarios. The recent wars have shown that nearby airspace has become extremely dangerous even far from the front. This requires protecting infrastructure, convoys and political leaders in completely new ways. In this context, a jamming system can be as important as traditional shielding. Beijing’s SUVs reflect precisely this change in mentality. Deliberately ambiguous message. Of course also, perhaps the most important thing is that no one really knows what those vehicles were transporting. And that uncertainty is probably part of the message. In today’s technological competition, projecting unknown capabilities is also a form of deterrence. The huge Hongqi roofs they seem designed to provoke questions rather than offer answers. Be that as it may, his appearance on a high-level presidential visit leaves a clear conclusion: while much of the world continues to look at Taiwan, Ukraine or Iran, China seems determined to teach discreetly something else. That the next great military revolution could not be in large visible platforms, but in mobile, discreet electronic systems prepared for a war dominated by drones. Now that Russia is about to fall in Beijing, it will be time to see if they show those SUVs again. Image | x In Xataka | Something is happening over the skies of Chile: the US and China are fighting their particular “cold war” in silence In Xataka | The US’s problem in the AI ​​and humanoid race is not China: it is all of Asia and it is greatly disadvantaged

the idea is reminiscent of how macOS works

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The speed of an operating system is not always noticeable when we export a video or open a demanding game. Many times we perceive it in much smaller gestures: a menu that appears instantly or a window that responds without delay. It’s a hard feeling to sell on a spec sheet, but easy to notice when it fails. Microsoft has been trying to convey for months that it wants to improve Windows 11and one of its next adjustments goes right into that area where fluidity is gained or lost in tenths of a second. Low latency profile. Microsoft is testing what is known as low latency profile. The idea is to ask the processor for an additional boost of speed at specific times, such as when opening the Start menu, an application, or certain context menus. We are not facing a function announced as a great novelty for all users, but rather a setting present in test builds. Secure Windows Central who has already tested this profile and has observed an appreciable improvement in speed and response compared to the current public version of Windows 11 25H2. It’s not magic, it’s latency. The reference to macOS does not point to a specific Apple feature, but to a principle that, according to Scott Hanselman, vice president of Microsoft and GitHub, modern operating systems share. “All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux,” wrote in X. Their argument is that this is not “cheating,” but rather a common way to make applications appear faster: temporarily raising the CPU speed and prioritizing interactive tasks to reduce latency. In other words, Windows 11 would be trying to react better in those seconds in which we most notice if the system is accompanying or lagging behind. Spot power. At first glance it may seem contradictory that asking more from the processor also helps to take care of consumption. But reality goes the other way: many modern chips are designed to exert intense effort for a very short period and then return to a low-power state. Applied to Windows 11, the goal would not be to keep the CPU accelerated, but rather to take advantage of a specific push when the system needs to respond to the user. The key is that this impulse does not last longer than necessary. The test has not convinced everyone. Some users criticized on social networks that Microsoft resorted to this type of CPU boost, understanding that it could increase consumption and reduce autonomy, or that the company was leaning too much on the hardware instead of better optimizing the software. Now, Microsoft does not present this adjustment as the only answer to the fluidity problems of Windows 11, but as one more piece within a broader work. Windows 11 also needs convincing. The interesting thing is that Microsoft isn’t just talking about making an animation go a little faster. The company has begun to publicly organize its progress around a very specific idea, its “commitment to Windows quality”, with posts tracking the status of several changes in testing, including a less loaded Widgets view, lower RAM usage, adjustments to the Windows Insider program, and more leeway to decide when updates are installed. The timing is not coincidental either.. All of this comes as Microsoft tries to push users and businesses towards Windows 11, with Windows 10 still installed on just over a quarter of the world’s Windows PCs, according to StatCounter. When I finish that free year of extended security updatesanyone who wants to remain protected will have to update the system, change equipment if their hardware does not meet the requirements of Windows 11, or pay for more support. For companies there is a little more margin, but not infinite: they will be able to purchase one or two additional years of updates, with a cost that will increase each year. Images | Nicholas Worrell In Xataka | The big bet for the future of Android is not just Android 17: it is Gemini Intelligence and your mobile phone doing things on its own

list with the eight that use the most electricity and their average quantities

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Let’s tell you What are the appliances that consume the most? in your home, so that you can keep it in mind and thus be able to use them with caution. Because we have examples like how your oven can spend about 65 refrigerators running at the same time, and they are things that are worth knowing. Of course, you should know that although they are appliances that consume a lot of power, they do it in a timely manner. They are not appliances that you will always have on, although that is precisely why it is advisable to know this consumption for those moments when we may be thinking about whether to use them or not. Appliances that consume the most at home Here you have the list made with different calculations of the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE)in addition to energy marketing companies such as Repsol either Naturgy. You must know that They are hourly consumption rangeswhat they consume every hour that you have them on. In addition, you should also know that the consumption range may vary depending on the appliance. Because this is the average, but then other factors such as the age of the device, its efficiency or its features can cause its consumption to vary significantly. In any case, here is the list: Ovens: between 2,000-3,000 watts Vitroceramics and induction hobs: between 1,500-6,500 watts Electric radiators: between 1,500-2,500 watts clothes irons: between 1,500-3,500 watts Electric thermoses: between 1,500-2,500 watts hair dryers: between 1,500-2,000 watts Cooking plates: between 1,500-2,000 watts Electric fryers: between 1,500-2,500 watts To give you context, a refrigerator with a high efficiency model can consume between 100 and 300 kWh per yearalthough other older or inefficient models may exceed 600kWh. Come on, they’re in something like between 30 and 90 watts per hour. Although in the long run this may cause it to consume more than others, it is advisable to take into account the consumption of other appliances that are not always on, so that you can better calculate when to use them depending on the rates you have contracted and their schedules.

the extreme experiment in Greenland to test the human microbiota

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The idea of ​​eating rotting meat sounds like a one-way ticket to the emergency room for a major stomach flu at best, but in the most extreme latitudes of the planet, it is a survival technique perfected over millennia. Now, explorer and chef Mike Keen a challenge has been proposed that defies Western physiology: feeding exclusively on decomposing seal for a month in Greenland. And all this to see how your microbiota adapts to this new diet and how grouper’social experiment‘. More than rotten meat. When we talk about the diet that Keen will follow on his expedition, the automatic mental image is that of meat left out in the open without any type of control. However, there is a crucial nuance, since the traditional inuit practiceslike the kiviak or the igunaq They are not just random rotting meat, but have gone through a fermentation process. What does it consist of? It is a controlled fermentation culturally, since for months these preparations undergo processes involving bacteria and very particular metabolites that science is just beginning to catalog. This fermentation not only preserves food during the long, dark Arctic winters, but, according to the researchers’ hypothesis, it could be key to the survival of the Inuit and extract vital nutrients in a diet based almost exclusively on animal products, lacking the plant fiber that normally feeds our intestinal bacteria. His secret. The scientific core of this type of diet is in our digestive system, since various studies have focused on the relationship between traditional fermented foods and the intestinal health of Arctic populations. Here, a study published in Microbiome on the Inuit gut microbiome showed that this is highly dynamic over time and is deeply shaped by the intake of traditional foods. In this way, unlike populations like ours, where the Western diet homogenizes the bacteria in the intestine, for the Inuit there are unique signatures. Centuries of history. Greenland’s dependence on seal meat is not a modern eccentricity, but a historical pillar. Historical records and isotopic analyzes have confirmed that even the Viking settlers in Greenland relied heavily on the seal for survival. It is a food that has been sustaining human life on the island for centuries. However, replicating this type of diet without traditional ecological knowledge carries a lethal danger, since poorly preserved decomposing meat is microbiological Russian roulette. Without the exact temperature control, preparation and anaerobic sealing that recipes like igunaqmeat becomes a breeding ground for serious pathogens such as Salmonella either Listeria that cause pathological conditions very serious. The experiment. By taking these foods, we hope to know exactly the metabolic adaptations that occur when these diets are taken and also to see how the microbiota changes when subjected to a 100% animal and fermented diet for a month. In order to reach clear conclusions, analyzes will be done on the feces, or blood, throughout this month of testing and also afterwards, to be able to have something clear about how its interior changes. Images | DejaVu Designs at Magnific In Xataka | To the question of whether “eating breakfast as soon as you wake up is good for your body”, science offers a clear answer

In 2008 China was installing metro stations in the middle of nowhere. In 2026 we have discovered how naive we were

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Last year it moved a video which showed that, when it comes to building construction, China looks far ahead of those sacred five-year plans. In fact, something fascinating happens in Beijing: you can find an empty subway entrance where there is no development, a wasteland. The reality is different, because if you return to the same place a few years later, the photo is completely different. Yes, China is an expert in long-term planning. For decades to come. The Chinese urban expansion of the last twenty years has consolidated a structural feature: infrastructure (particularly the metro) is built before the city exists that will do. This deliberate advancement produces a phase visible “empty”: stations buried in open fields, access through weeds without streets or commerce, deep deserted platforms under soils without residents. However, for the Chinese State this phase is not a failure but a transitory state within a horizon of 10–20 years where infrastructure precedes to induce and anchor the development that will come. The called “ghost cities” (from Lanzhou New Area to Xiongan) are less a symptom of error than an intermediate frame of a long temporal script that assumes that urbanization is safe even though its sequence is asymmetrical: first the subway, then the people. Station as a lever. The data from a Wuhan study show that the simple fact of having a metro nearby sharply increases the value of commercial premises within a radius of up to 400 meterseven if there is no city around yet: the line works as a future proof that can be monetized. On a large scale, since 2008 the State launched a wave of new cities and networks (thousands of kilometers of metro in a few years) that reduced congestion and attracted investment. But this anticipated layout was not always accompanied by schools, hospitals or good last-mile connections, which stopped people from leaving the saturated centers and extended the phase in which the new areas seem empty. The infrastructure came first… and the city took longer to appear. First there was the stop, and then Chongqing The Chongqing case. Possibly the most publicized. Caojiawan (the “nowhere station”) condensed the thesis in image: hidden accesses among weeds without streets or residents, surveillance of the viral world, and employees recognizing minimal use “for now” with the central argument of planning: the lane anticipated the neighborhood. Chongqing reinforces the pattern with its deep engineering (Hongtudimore than 60 meters and extension to more than 94), the extreme intermodal connection and the overinvestment in topology before demand. At the city scale, the same pattern runs through its network of viaducts and lines: radically anticipated infrastructure to induce future urban trajectories. Lanzhou New Area Map Ghost cities as a phase. Lanzhou New Area (with razed mountains, free zones, artificial lakes and replicas of monuments) first went through years of silence and then through a slow awakening, with the arrival of people in dribs and drabs, although there are still doubts about the figures. Urban planners who have followed its evolution maintain that calling a “ghost city” is to confuse a phase with the final destination: these projects are conceived for 15–20 yearsnot to be judged at 3–5. In other words, the State does not build for the present, but for the moment when transportation connects, density closes and the population crosses a certain threshold. From that perspective, the initial emptiness does not clash with the bet, it is simply part of the planned schedule. Between ambition and sustainability. Bloomberg recalled a while ago that the model has a cost: most meters they are not profitablethey increase the debt of local governments and there is a risk of building more than necessary in medium-sized cities. The national authority first relaxed the requirements (asking for less population to authorize lines) and then tightened them again and stopped projects, realizing that what helps create value can also sink finances. Various analysts have pointed out that in many places the subway was chosen “out of inertia”, when solutions such as a good bus system with a reserved platform could have provided almost the same with much less debt. The dilemma is no longer whether there will be extensive networks (because they already exist) but whetherat what point to invest in advance it stops being a gamble and becomes a burden. From building to operating. Once built the physical networkthe main problem is no longer digging tunnels but making that work well. There are a large number of stations with a single entrance that get stuck, long and poorly resolved transfers, lack of large connection points between lines and absence of tracks prepared for fast trains to overtake slow ones, because these decisions were not thought out from the beginning. The same logic of “first we build and then we’ll see” now causes circulation problemssecurity, accessibility and response to extreme rains as shown by the Zhengzhou case. They counted in The Guardian that to go from “building fast” to “running well” it is necessary to redesign with the traveler’s experience in mind, not just that of the construction engineer. The temporary strategy. In short, China has turned into a norm an idea that inverts the usual order in the West: the subway is not built because there is already a city, but so that the city ​​exists after. The station tickets today empty are, in their logic, the first material step of future neighborhoods, within a plan that assumes long deadlines and accepts periods of emptiness as part of the price of forcing urbanization. The risk is in the financial cost and in going from “building” to “making it work”, but the advantage is be able to capture value and shape the city in advance. What to today’s eyes seems like an unproductive excess, on a twenty-year scale is only the first phase. A version of this article was published in November 2025 Image | Luke PusateriLanzhou Government Bulletin System, Unusual Places In Xataka | There are skyscrapers so monstrously tall … Read more

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