Mobile Tech & Gadgets

We have been believing for years that intermittent fasting is the definitive weapon to lose weight. Science has another idea

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During the last years, the intermittent fasting has gone from being something exceptional to becoming a nutritional strategy that there is more and more talk and that it has more followers behind it. And it is no wonder, since the promise is quite seductive as it does not focus on what you eat, but on when you eat, activating different metabolic switches to accelerate fat burning. Although there are also detractors behind. New data. The Cochrane library, considered a great world reference, published a few days ago a great review about intermittent fasting that acts as a bucket of cold water, since it suggests that this diet does not offer superior benefits to conventional weight loss diets. The backup. We are not talking about a small study whose validity can be questioned, but in this case the Cochrane researchers analyzed 22 randomized controlled trials that added up to a total of 1,995 participants. overweight or obesity. The objective here was to compare different fasting modalities, such as going 16 hours without being able to eat with eight hours of eating, fasting on alternate days or 5:2 diet compared to classic calorie restriction or inaction. What they found is that, when pitting intermittent fasting against regular dietary advice, the difference in weight loss is virtually zero. The data. Getting into the matter, when intermittent fasting was compared With standard calorie-restricted diets, the mean difference in weight change was a minuscule -0.33%. This difference can translate into that intermittent fasting may result in little to no difference in weight loss with the traditional method. Regarding quality of life, such as the feeling of energy, no difference was seen and, regarding the levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, fasting did not prove to be a panacea either, yielding results of “little or no difference” compared to the control diets. The small print. One of the most critical points of the Cochrane review is the certainty of the evidence, which they rated mostly as “low” or “very low.” This does not mean that the studies are poorly done, but rather that there are important limitations, such as risk bias, inconsistency in results, and lack of precision. But there is one fact that should worry anyone who decides to opt for this diet independently, without medical advice, since, although the evidence is uncertain, some studies pointed to associated side effects specifically to fasting. These include headaches, nausea, cold intolerance or even insomnia and lack of concentration. What is not yet known. Perhaps it is the most revealing thing about this scientific study, since there are still many unknowns surrounding intermittent fasting that invite further research. In this case, none of the 22 studies included data on “patient satisfaction,” which is important because we don’t know if people prefer to go hungry for a few hours in exchange for eating more later, or if they hate the process. And being comfortable with a diet is essential so that you don’t abandon it halfway through. In addition to this, none of the studies pointed to the relationship that may exist in chronic diseases that require significant dietary control, such as diabetes, and which is very common in the population. But one of the big problems in science today is duration, since most studies lasted less than 12 months. We don’t know if fasting is sustainable or safe beyond a year. It is not a miracle diet. What we do know is that intermittent fasting works, but the key point is that It is not superior to the tools we already had as a calorie restriction accompanied by a balanced diet and exercise. For the average patient, this is actually good news: it means that the The best diet is the one you can stick to. If someone finds it easier to skip breakfast with a 16:8 fast than to count calories at each meal, fasting is a valid tool. But if fasting causes headaches, you’re not missing out on any “magic” metabolic benefits from eating three times a day. Although in this process the most important thing is always to be advised by personnel who are qualified in nutrition to be able to have the best dietary plan, to have real objectives and, above all, not to get frustrated along the way. Images | VD Photography In Xataka | We believed that a vegetarian diet guaranteed longevity. In extreme old age, the data says just the opposite

Kia needed an electric Sportage on the market. The Kia EV5 is an (almost) perfect bet for the European family

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Kia has been building one of the most interesting ranges of electric cars on the market for years. The EV family has managed to establish itself as one of the most attractive and risky options. From the Kia EV6 and its particular design to the most rational EV3 and the monstrous EV9. Now, the company has placed the EV5 on the market, one of the most rational proposals and necessary for your current offer. South Koreans needed a car that would perform the functions of the Kia Sportage, one of their best-selling models, with completely electric technology. And his proposal is as solvent as it is rational and attractive. Kia EV5 technical sheet New Kia EV5 Body type five-seater SUV Measurements and weight 4,610 meters long, 1,875 meters wide and 1,680 meters high. Wheelbase of 2,750 meters. 1800 kg weight. Trunk 566 liters with the sum of the front and rear trunk. Maximum power 160 kW (217 HP) and 295 Nm. WLTP consumption 16.9 kWh/100 km DGT environmental distinctive Zero emissions. Driving aids (ADAS) Mandatory by the European Union. Others Triple screen: 12.3-inch instrument panel 12.3-inch central screen 5-inch climate control screen Android Auto and Apple Car Play compatibility. Wireless mobile phone charging. Harman Kardon sound system as option. Electric hybrid. No. Plug-in hybrid. No. Electric Yeah. 81.4 kWh battery with 530 km of WLTP autonomy Versions with double motor (all-wheel drive) and a more powerful GT option will arrive. Price and release Now available With 81.4 kWh battery from 46,070 euros before aid (from 39,490 euros with discounts and aid) Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? Balance is the word We could say explain the Kia EV5 with a football simile. The Kia EV5 is like a sober doorman. If you don’t like football, a goalkeeper sober He is the one who flees from eccentricities, the one who turns spectacular saves into simple saves. And a stop is just the final result of a very in-depth previous exercise, of strenuous training to be strong in the legs and extensive knowledge to position oneself in the right place at the right time. Whether the stop is complicated because it is attached to the lower corner of one of the posts or to give security to the team by taking the ball in a lateral center. Can an eccentric goalkeeper be good? Yes. And very good indeed. There are goalkeepers who earn their fame for stops that seem impossible, for having reflexes typical of the animal world. But it is no less true that many of these saves are only the result of having made a bad previous decision, of reaching the ball in a hurry for the simple fact of being worse positioned under the goal. Something like this happens with the Kia EV5. It is not a spectacular car in any sense. But almost everything is done grating at a very high level. It’s not eccentric, it’s not surprising. But it is a good electric car. A very interesting option if you are looking for a good family car as the only vehicle at home. And the Kia EV5 does not have the imprint and footprint of the EV9. Nor is it committed to that monolithic aspect of the EV3 that makes it so particular and that polarizes opinions about its design so much. This intermediate option seems like a kind of softened version of both cars without losing that muscular appearance, playing with straight and very pronounced edges. Its appearance, in fact, makes it appear larger. Its 4.61 meters seem to be more when you have it in front of you for the first time. We are, however, at figures very much to the taste of the European customer, who in this type of car largely opts for vehicles slightly larger than four and a half meters. With a wheelbase of 2.75 meters, the space for the rear seats is very good and maintains a trunk that, adding a front space in which little more than the charging cables can fit, reaches 566 liters. In the front area, it maintains the aesthetics and layout that has been accompanying the brand’s latest launches. The instrument panel and the central screen are embraced by the same frame, with a third digital space that unites both surfaces. All of this is supported on a kind of very clean horizontal desktop with touch buttons on the surface. On the steering wheel and the central area we have a multitude of physical buttons with some details that we liked. The instrument panel is displayed on a widely configurable 12.3-inch screen in its central area. In it we can find graphics of all kinds, from consumption to navigation or what the infotainment system is playing. Above the view we have a clear Head-Up Display with precise information for driving. The central screen, compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlayit is also 12.3 inches. Here, the possibilities are very wide and it has interesting solutions, such as a vertically sliding widget that supports the information displayed by the browser. However, I have two problems. The first is that it has so many shortcuts and so many functions to customize that it forces you to overcome a certain learning curve to be clear where each function is. I, who hadn’t gotten into a Kia for a while, had to spend some time finding, for example, the consumption data. My second problem is in the representation of the icons and shortcuts. The black background is useful to avoid confusing the driver but I think there is a lack of contrast in the icons. I, at least, have had some difficulty reading them clearly. I would have to test the car further to see if this can be fixed by, for example, increasing the screen brightness. Between both screens there is a third space in which the air conditioning is controlled. It seems like a good one to me. We have the basic … Read more

Registrations are plummeting for the first time in 20 years

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Computer engineering is a classic among the most in-demand jobs in recent years. In fact, without going any further, it was the university degree with the most job opportunities in 2025. However, it faces an abyss: that of a future with AIwhich we have already seen is beginning to wreak havoc among junior profiles. Generation Z seems to have noticed and after two decades of continuous growth, enrollment has begun to decline in the mecca of computing: the Universities of California. Context. For decades, studying computer science has been a true bastion of employability, whether choosing for the race as in their variants in FP version. That is to say, if you wanted to study a career that would guarantee you a specialized job, something especially interesting for the middle and lower classes, in computing you would find real life insurance. The San Francisco Chronicle has captured the data of the set from California universities in a graph showing that not even the 2008 financial crisis or the COVID-19 earthquake managed to undermine its appeal: computing seemed armored against crises. Computer science enrollments on California public university campuses since 2000. Data: University of California Something is changing in computing. More specifically, data from the University of California shows that 12,652 computer science degree students have chosen computer science this year, this is 6% less compared to 2024 and 9% less compared to 2023. It is true that it is almost double what it was a decade ago, but the decline is clear taking 20 years ago as a reference, the time when there was the last (slight) decline. The data in question does not come from a specific university or from any group: we are talking about the small group made up of the public universities of California, which include illustrious ones such as UCLA, Berkeley or San Diego. Therefore, Stanford does not appear in these data as it is private. Why is it important. Because the perception of computing as a choice that guarantees success is no longer what it was: on the one hand, because AI is taking away opportunities who starts to work and for another, for the big layoffs What we are seeing in big tech. Furthermore, it has brought a paradigm shift: parents no longer encourage studying computer science as much as they do other more classic and tangible engineering: electrical, mechanical… according to what personnel related to admission to these universities know, whose statements collects the Californian media. And this is not just happening in California, but it is a global phenomenon. The Universities of California are leading the way: what happens at Berkeley or UCLA is a preview of what we will see soon here as well. Without going any further, the University of San Diego got ahead last year creating an AI career Let’s see how it goes. Spoiler: it was a total success, like acknowledges Steven Swanson for TechSpotthe department head and computer science professor. kitchen ear. A deeper analysis of data from California universities shows that it is not that there are fewer technology students, it is just that they are changing their choices towards more specific and emerging ones. Between the success of emerging and specialized programs and these data, universities already have a pending issue on the table: carrying out a curricular transition. Classical computing is becoming a transversal subject and not the final destination, that is, it is no longer so important how a tool is built (chopping code), but rather how to think and how to validate it in a future in which its students will have to work side by side with AI. In Xataka | If Spain wants to imitate China and be a “country of engineers”, this map reveals the extent to which it has a problem In Xataka | Studying with AI without thinking teaches nothing: these tips can help you take advantage of it and really learn Cover | Vitaly Gariev

How to analyze your banking transactions and use artificial intelligence to find forgotten subscriptions

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Let’s teach you how to use AI to find forgotten subscriptions analyzing your banking movements. It is much more common than you think that there is a small subscription that, without you realizing it, month by month is gradually taking money away from your account. Therefore, if you want to eradicate subscriptions you no longer needthe first step is to find those that you don’t know you are paying for. You will be able to do this with any chatbot. artificial intelligence. In the example we have used ChatGPTbut you can also use Claude either Gemini. Before starting it is important that you know that By doing this you will be handing over your data to companies that own artificial intelligence. Nothing has to happen, but you should be aware before sharing sensitive information like your bank accounts. Download a PDF of your banking transactions The first step is to download a file where you have your bank transactions. For that, you have to go to your bank’s website or application and Click on the option to download movements of your account. When it comes to lowering movements, It is very important that you download several months’ worth of data. Because? Well, because this way the AI ​​will first be able to locate your subscriptions based on the movements that are repeated, and because then it will be able to know which ones you have stopped paying. It is also important to download the file in PDF, an easy-to-read format. This is important because what we want is not a list of all the subscriptions you have paid in recent months, but for the AI ​​to be able to detect which ones have stopped paying because they were there before and now they are not, and which ones you are still paying for. And for this it is essential to have the context of your movements for quite some time. Now ask the AI ​​correctly Now you just have to go to the artificial intelligence chat you want and upload the PDF that you have downloaded from your banking application. To do this, open a chat and click on the add files option, and choose the PDF. Don’t just send it, when it is uploaded you will have to add the prompt. And here comes the magic, in the request prompt. Because when you write it you will have to ask AI to find subscriptions you haven’t stopped paying for yet. To do this, you have to specify that you want it to review everything and only tell you those that you are still paying for. You can use the following: I’m going to upload a PDF with a bank statement, which shows the accounts for the last few months. I want you to analyze the content and tell me what recurring subscriptions I am paying for without realizing it. Tell me only the ones that I have not stopped paying in the last month. When you do this, the artificial intelligence will analyze all the entries in your bank statement. It will first look at all your subscriptions, finding recurring payments, and then see which of them you were paying for before and have now stopped paying. Then, it will show you some results where Only those that you are still paying for will appearas well as the amounts. In Xataka Basics | How to create a Telegram bot that sends you a summary made by Gemini of each email you receive in Gmail and other emails

If the question is whether there was life on Mars, NASA has a new explanation: it depends

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NASA’s Curiosity rover has been shedding light on Mars since August 2011, making authentic discoveries on its surface, in your clouds and of course, about its potential habitability. And if its younger brother Perseverance found a few months ago “the clearest sign of life we ​​have seen on Mars”, one of Curiosity’s latest discoveries is not so clear. What Curiosity found. Since 2012, Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater, a place where there was a lake billions of years ago. In March 2025, while the rover’s integrated laboratory was analyzing a clay rock there, they found the presence of decan, undecan and dodecan. What’s that? Alkanes, that is, long chain hydrocarbons formed by hydrogen and carbon atoms. Why is it important. Because Curiosity’s discovery is the largest organic compounds ever found on the red planet and its size is such that its existence can hardly be explained by simple chemistry. On Earth, these types of hydrocarbons are usually fragments of fatty acids produced by living beings. However, on Mars, its origin is not so clear: it is reasonable to think of a biological origin, but with current evidence there is no confirmation. Biology or geology? The degradation of fatty acids causes the appearance of these hydrocarbons one way or another, but their presence does not imply that they necessarily come from a living organism. In fact, on Earth they can also be generated by geological processes. In short: detecting organic molecules on Mars does not mean finding life. Correlation does not imply causation. A “reasonable” hypothesis. So they analyzed the known non-biological sources of these organic molecules looking for an explanation for these quantities found. Since none of them fully explained this abundance, in this recent study published in Astrobiology that the research includes have raised a “reasonable” hypothesis: that living beings could have formed them. Among the known sources are molecules from meteorites that crash into the surface of Mars, cosmic dust, geological chemistry such as the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plausible on early Mars or ultraviolet radiation, which in addition to destroying organic components can also form them, are some of the candidates. The method. To reach these conclusions, the team of scientists combined laboratory experiments, mathematical models and data from the rover, which allowed them to go back in time 80 million years to estimate how much organic matter existed at the beginning, before cosmic radiation destroyed it. The amount they were able to reconstruct far exceeds what unknown non-biological processes can generate. Of course, it does not affirm that there was life, nor are there fossils or biomarkers of course. In fact, their conclusion is clear: more studies are needed to conclude on the absence or presence of life on Mars. In Xataka | There are those who believe that 50 years ago we found life on Mars (and then accidentally destroyed it) In Xataka | China is getting closer to surpassing NASA in its Martian mission. And just invited other countries to join Cover | NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

that working more hours is profitable

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Germany gained a reputation for being one of the most efficient labor markets with very high productivity. However, the successive crises of recent years they have shown their seams exposing their weaknesses. The Government of Friedrich Merz wants to change the rules so that people are compensated for working more hours and stop depending on social assistance. Today, many Germans prefer to have a shorter working day, because if they work morethey lose benefits and end up earning the same or less. Work more to earn less. In Germany, if someone with a low income receives a social benefit and accepts more hours of work, the authorities subtract that extra amount from their support salary. For example, someone who collects a subsidy (a Minimum Vital Income, for example), accepts a minijob (a part-time job of up to 600 euros per month that does not contribute to Social Security), the worker is left in a situation similar to the one he would have if he only collected the benefit without working. This discourages the effort to get a full-time job, because the net money at the end of the month barely changes or even goes down. The commission of experts of the Ministry of Labor explains this phenomenon in his latest reportand proposes reducing the impact of income on aid so that working more always pays off financially. Chancellor Merz was pronounced regarding the content of this report highlighting that “this report is the basis for all the additional reforms that we will carry out together in the coming years.” Objective: promote full-time work. The Government proposes several concrete ideas to promote full-time work and reduce the negative impact of mini-jobs, which do not generate sufficient contributions for pensions or insurance and hinder the full-time job creation. One of the proposals is to eliminate the exemptions for this type of precarious employment and raise those for jobs close to full-time to avoid “erroneous incentives.” “We want work to be worth it,” stood out Bärbel Bas, Federal Minister of Labor. Without justified reason, there is no part-time work. The conservatives of the CDU, party of Chancellor Merz, they propose reduce the cases in which companies must accept requests for reduction of working hours. Currently, any employee with more than six months’ seniority in a company with more than 15 workers can request reduced working hours without giving any reason and the company must accept it as long as there are no operational reasons that prevent it. It is what has been called “lifestyle” reduction“. The Government raises the possibility of limiting this reduction only to justifiable cases, such as childcare or training, eliminating free use that slows down productivity. The challenge of family conciliation. According to data According to the Federal Statistical Office and Eurostat, Germany has one of the shortest working hours in Europe and one of the highest rates of part time employment. In 2024, 29% of the active population worked like this, but among womenthis day model reaches 50.3%, compared to 13.4% of men. That is to say, although many mothers would like to work full-time, the lack of daycare or support to care for children forces them to choose mini-jobs of about 18 hours a week on average. This problem aggravates the labor shortage qualified, because it leaves almost half of employed women out of the full-time labor market. The reform aims to facilitate conciliation with more flexibility, but without reducing the pressure for more and more employees to go to work full time. In Xataka | Germany believes it has found the most German possible solution to its productivity problems: work more Image | Unsplash (Maheshkumar Painam, Spencer Davis)

The best offers from El Corte Inglés in technology and entertainment, today February 21

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Like many other stores, El Corte Inglés has prepared a good assortment of offers that will be available during the weekend. There is a lot to choose from, so in this article we have selected the five best deals we have found in technology and entertainment. Xiaomi 15T Pro by 799.99 eurosa good mobile that in this case comes with 1 TB of storage. ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘ by 39.90 eurosthe best video game released last year according to The Game Awards. Google Pixel 9a by 389.90 eurosa tighter price on the most affordable mobile phone of Google’s current generation. Mac mini M4 by 639 eurosone of Apple’s best value for money devices. ‘Star Wars Outlaws‘ by 19.90 eurosa very reasonable price for the Ubisoft video game. Xiaomi 15T Pro Although he Xiaomi 15T Pro has remained in price in recent months, it is undeniable that having a high-end 799 euros It’s quite attractive. And in this case it is not only because of what it offers, but because it comes with 1TB internal storage. In addition to this, we find an excellent screen that offers a 1.5k resolution and a fairly powerful processor, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ Maybe you’ve heard of ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘ because it won a ton of awards at The Game Awards 2025, including the GOTY for best game of the year. It was launched at a reduced price and is currently available for purchase. 39.90 euros in El Corte Inglés. Its story is very attractive from the very beginning, but its soundtrack is what has resonated the most with the public (myself included). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 9a He Google Pixel 9a has dropped in price again, and although El Corte Inglés has it with a good discount that leaves it for 389.90 eurosthis time it is MediaMarkt who can boast of having a better offer, since it has it for 369 euros. It is a good mobile to enter the Google ecosystem: It is small, its screen is quite good and its photography section offers very good results. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Mac mini M4 He Mac mini M4 It is one of the devices with the best quality-price ratio within the Apple ecosystem. It is a perfect computer for studying and even working (it is the one I use myself). Its M4 chip offers good performance, the computer is so small that it fits in the palm of my hand and It doesn’t make any noise, not even in summer. If you are interested, you can find it at El Corte Inglés on offer with two storage configurations: The price could vary. We earn commission from these links ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ It will not be one of the best video games of recent years, but it is undeniable that the premise of ‘Star Wars Outlaws‘It’s interesting, especially if we can have it at home for 19.90 euros. In this delivery we change the laser swords for blasters putting us in the shoes of a bounty hunter, so stealth takes on a greater role. 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 | El Corte Inglés and Compradicción (header), Xiaomi, Sandfall Interactive, Google, Apple, Ubisoft In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | What is the best laptop for working in 2026. Tips and recommendations

Now they are building a “highway” so it doesn’t happen again

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Valencia will not be the same after DANA. The long reconstruction process has not yet finished and there is no shortage of key infrastructure so that citizens can regain normality and, if they suffer floods again, they will be less affected. An example: the new Quart de Poblet substation DANAs-proof to guarantee the electrical supply or the new pipelines of the La Presa (Manises) and El Realón (Picassent) water treatment plants so that no matter what happens, there is no shortage of drinking water. Context. Valencia and its metropolitan area drink from two rivers: the Júcar River (Picassent) and the Turia River (Manises) through their respective Drinking Water Treatment Stations with a high water network system. We are talking about the capital and approximately fifty municipalities, about 1.7 million inhabitants. Until before this canalization work, Valencia’s supply system operated in a compartmentalized manner, that is, the DWTPs were not interconnected. This represents a serious inconvenience: in the event of a failure in one plant (floods, breakdowns, lack of electricity supply) in one, the other does not have the physical capacity to divert flow to the affected sector. In short: there are parts of Valencia that are left without drinking water. Why is it important. Because this water highway project will ensure uninterrupted and proper supply to the metropolitan area of ​​Valencia. DANA tragically taught us that extreme climate events occur closer than we think and that we must get ready because we are going to see more of them: Spain should raise awareness of the culture of emergency. In this sense, a possible blackout or a flood is not a theoretical incident, but something that happens in reality: part of the metropolitan area of ​​Valencia he ran out of water those days. The work. To connect the two water treatment plants, 1,667 meters of pipe have been installed from the end of section I in urban Xirivella to the DN1600 pipe located in Valencia. The project is not new: it began in 2014 and will culminate in 2027 with a final section, which requires this 25-kilometer-long water highway with a large-caliber pipeline (1.4 meters in diameter) under the ground. The new channeling requires tunnels under the Turia River bed and other infrastructure, minimizing the surface impact on the Natural Park and the Orchard, a technical challenge of underground surgery in which the main pipes of the city will be connected, minimizing supply cuts. The total investment is 113 million, of which 13 will go only to this last section. A “smart” water highway. The achievement is not so much the implementation of this new network of pipes but the interconnectivity: now the water will be able to go where it is needed in an intelligent way, so that no one is left without supply, giving a new twist to the resilience of the facilities. From here, the ball is in the state of the Júcar and Turia rivers. In Xataka | Iberdrola deploys in Valencia the first 66 kV substation in the world “armored” in front of the DANA In Xataka | The floods in Valencia, Catalonia and Aragon illustrate something else: Spain is not prepared to deal with more and more hurricanes-storms Cover | Waters of Valencia and EMIVASA

Marie Curie died 92 years ago. Your personal notebooks are still buried under layers of lead for a good reason

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If you visit the basements of the National Library of France (BnF) and you want to look at some of the bibliographic gems that are kept there, you will most likely be forced to respect a series of measures, such as wearing gloves or handling the books in perfectly controlled conditions. The objective is obvious: protect the volumes. From you, from excessive exposure to light, from degradation. Things change if what you want to read is one of the notebooks that Marie Curie scribbled in her laboratory. In that case it is you who they must protect. Literally. The fact that there are dangerous publications may be a controversial statement that may or may not be shared, but in the case of the folios handwritten by the famous Franco-Polish scientist, it leaves little room for debate. Despite Madame Curie He died in 1934, almost 89 years ago, his notebooks continue to cause concern among archivists. and it is quite normal so be it. When Marie Salomea and her husband, Peterinvestigated in their laboratory with uranium, little was known about the potential damage of radiation, so they did not apply the basic safety measures that govern any radiological task today. So things—supports the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)— “no wonder his workspace and notebooks became contaminated.” Pierre and Marie Curie, in the laboratory, around 1904. To avoid possible risks, the handwritten notebooks are kept in the basements of the National Library of France inside special boxes, made up of several layers of lead. Not only that. As detailed in 2021 by the BBC networkthe French institution requires researchers who want to handle the notebooks in person to first put on some protective suits specials and, of course, that they sign a document in which they exempt them from any responsibility. Is such misgivings justified? When reading requires a special suit For their research, which led to the discovery of polonium and radium, the Curies accumulated, crushed and manipulated enormous quantities of minerals containing uranium in their laboratory. He knowledge about natural radioactivity It was very recent at the time and the couple, who contributed to their research, were unwittingly exposed to its harmful effects. Themselves and, of course, all the material they used. Including notebooks of notes. To understand the conditions under which they worked, it is good review the notes by Marie, collected by Philipp Blom in ‘The years of vertigo: Europe, 1900-1914’: “One of our joys was entering the workshop at night; everywhere we saw the faintly luminous silhouettes of the capsule bottles containing our products. It was a beautiful sight and always new to us. The glowing tubes looked like dim fairy lights.” It was not strange, they say, that the pair of scientists carried flasks with polonium and radium in their coat pockets or kept them in their desk. Marie herself ended up dying in 1934 from a aplastic anemia which was probably caused by his frequent exposure to radium samples and polonium. “Taking into account the half-life of 1,600 years of the radius and the sensitivity of current radiation detectors, it is also not surprising that this contamination is still detectable today,” comments the ACSH in an article dedicated to the topic. The experts, BBC specifiescalculate that given that on average radium atoms take about 15 centuries to disintegrate, it is not unreasonable to think that the notebooks should remain in their lead box during that period. The National Library of France is in any case not the only one to preserve Curie’s notebooks. The Wellcome Collection It also has a volume, digitizedwith notes on experiments and radioactive substances and sketches. The volume dates from between 1899 and 1902 and was written in Paris. To avoid scares in 2014 The Aurora firm examined the material and concluded that it was contaminated with radius-226. The ACSH states in any case that the volume “does not represent an appreciable risk.” Fortunately, the notebook can consult now from homeonline, or even downloaded in PDF. The theme of “the contaminated notebooks” of Curie generate so much interest that it even has your own entrance on the website Marie-curie.eu, focused on the figure of the two-time Nobel Prize winner, and numerous articles have been written on the subject. Notebooks are not the only ones in a similar situation. The BBC explains that the house south of Paris where Marie Curie worked until 1934 is also affected by the radiation levels generated during her experiments. The block has even earned the ironic nickname of “Chernobyl on the Seine”. When he was buried in Paris Pantheoneven Marie Curie herself ended up in a lead sarcophagus almost an inch thick. Image | Aurora In Xataka | In 1968 a man had the idea to create the first tablet in history. The problem is that he was decades ahead of his time. In Xataka | The first hard drives in history were gigantic. Then a miracle happened: miniaturization

“We will not flood our ecosystem with soulless AI garbage.” We already know what Asha Sharma wants to do as CEO of Microsoft Gaming

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Friday night has been busy in the gaming world with a movement that, more than a change of cards, represents a paradigm shift in Microsoft’s video game division: the end of the Spencer era and the resignation of Sarah Bond as president of Xbox. Phil Spencer has left the company after almost 40 years, 12 of which he has been leading the gaming area. The new CEO of Microsoft Gaming is Asha Sharma. Who is Asha Sharma. The 36-year-old Indian-American’s CV includes Instacart, where she was director of operations for three years, until she left the firm for Microsoft in 2024. She previously served as vice president of product and engineering at Meta, leading, among other things, the company’s messaging apps. And more than a decade ago he worked in the marketing area of ​​Microsoft. Another leadership profile. Spencer’s leadership was almost evangelical: his era was characterized by rebuilding the brand after the discreet launch of the Xbox One in 2013expansion through acquisitions such as that of Activision Blizzard for 69,000 million dollars and its total commitment to Game Pass. However, Xbox has still not won the console war and its studios have been chaining cancellations and closures in recent times. Sharma’s career is meteoric, but she lacks a track record within the video game industry: she is neither a designer nor a dev, she is an operations and technology executive who comes from leading enterprise AI teams at Microsoft. The new Sharma aims more at operational efficiency, AI and platform ubiquity. Asha Sharma’s roadmap with Xbox. Sharma has already published its first statement where it establishes three axes: Great video games. His message is reassuring for fans: there will be iconic franchises, a commitment to creativity and innovation, and complete trust in Matt Booty. The return of Xbox. You want to put the console back in. center, something that with Spencer had been blurred. Of course, without giving up PC, mobile phones and cloud gaming. The future of gaming and AI. Sharma promises not to flood his ecosystem with artless garbage: “Games are and always will be art, created by humans and with the most innovative technology we offer.” Surprising from someone who comes precisely from there. In summary it would be: AI yes, but with a head. Unknowns and challenges. Its first message is promising but vague and leaves many key questions in an area where finding balance is complicated. If Microsoft, which is the largest player in the sector by capitalization, puts someone without gaming DNA on the front line, it sends a signal of where the business is going that points to platforms, subscriptions, generative AI, platforms… the question is whether that is compatible with making great games. On the other hand, Sharma mentions that games are “art made by humans” but also that AI will “evolve and influence.” We will have to see what the conciliation is like. In addition, neither she nor Booty have clarified What will happen to the studies that Microsoft has closed. Finally, the Xbox Everywhere model invites you to play on any device and makes more sense than ever, so there is no doubt to wonder about the future of consoles as devices. In Xataka | Video games have grown a lot this year. But the money goes to China, Roblox and the owners of mobile platforms In Xataka | Windows was the kingdom of gaming for decades: Microsoft knows that something has gone wrong, and promises these changes Cover | Microsoft

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