Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Researchers have discovered “lost continents” from 4 billion years ago

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The idea we have of the early Earth involves a huge ball of incandescent magma and conditions incompatible with life. The problem? That there are no rocks from 4.3 billion years ago to confirm this consolidated theory. What we do have are some microscopic crystals called zircons. And zircons are telling a different story, according to this study by a research team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. published in Nature. What zircon says. Regarding the behavior of the Earth’s surface, geology valued two ideas for that period known as Hadean: that there was a plate tectonics where one plate sinks under another or that the Earth had a kind of stagnant lid, a rigid and hot surface where heat only escaped through large columns of magma. Well, neither one nor the other, both: zircons leave evidence of an Earth that already had oceans, liquid water and a crust that alternated both systems. John Valley, the University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscientist who leads the study explains that “There were about 800 million years of Earth’s history in which the surface was already habitable, although we have no fossil evidence and we do not know when life first emerged.” Why it is important. Because they determine that the Earth did not choose a single model, but rather that both processes took place at the same time in different places. Of course, it was not a stable plate tectonics like the one that exists today, but rather it had violent and short episodes of sliding of the edges of one plate under another (subduction) that coexisted with large jets of magma that rose from the interior of the Earth. This discovery is key to understanding how the Earth’s surface moved, the formation of continents and life. On the one hand, without tectonics, the felsic continental crust that floats on the mantle and makes up the lands on which we live would not exist. On the other hand, plate tectonics regulates the climate and recycles nutrients, so knowing when it started working helps understand when the Earth became a place compatible with life. How they analyzed it. The John Valley team analyzed the popular zircons from Jack Hills (Western Australia). These sand-sized minerals are a kind of time capsule, housing the only direct record of Earth’s first 500 million years. They were looking for chemical “fingerprints” that would reveal where and how they were formed, for which they used technology WiscSIMS high resolution. They then compared the results of the analysis with other zirconiums from the Hadic Eon found in Barberton (South Africa). Each one told a different story. Surprises in the “DNA” of the mineral. 47% of oceanic zircons had high levels of Uranium compared to Niobium, indicating that they formed in subduction zones where ocean water sinks into the mantle. On the other hand, the South African zircons show that they were born from virgin rock from the planet’s interior, confirming the classic ‘stagnant lid’ theory by which the Earth’s first solid surface was rigid and immobile. Or what is the same: while in Australia the crust sank and created protocontinents, in what is now South Africa the Earth behaved differently, with a rigid and stagnant crust. That is, the early Earth was a mosaic of tectonic styles. The Earth did not go from being hell to what it is today overnight, but rather it was a hybrid process and generated the necessary conditions for life sooner than we thought. In Xataka | We know it as “the red planet”, but 3.37 billion years ago Mars was almost as blue as Earth In Xataka | 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history, summarized in a spectacular video map Cover | Tomáš Malík and Javier Miranda

It takes away flights, but gives it 500 million to fix engines

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Ryanair is advancing the project of its future engine repair workshop in Seville with an investment of more than 500 million euros. Just like account ABC, the Irish airline, has signed a multi-year parts supply agreement with CFM International valued at around €800 million annually. This is good news for the Andalusian capital, and it would be even better if it were not for the fact that the same company also restructured its operations to eliminate several routes in Seville. industrial project. Ryanair is preparing an entire industrial infrastructure that will turn Seville into one of its two strategic maintenance centers in Europe. We don’t know its exact location yet, but the company says it will be operational by 2029 and will support the fleet operating in Western Europe. It will not be the only one either, since Ryanair will build a second similar workshop in a city in the eastern part of Europe, still to be determined. According to share From ABC, both facilities will allow the company to internally assume the maintenance of almost 2,000 engines of its Boeing 737, a task that until now was carried out by CFM International in centers outside Europe. The agreement with CFM International. The memorandum signed with the French-American manufacturer (50% owned by Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aerospace), commits Ryanair to directly acquire all its spare parts to support a fleet that will grow to 800 aircraft, according to share the middle. The contract covers the CFM56-7B and LEAP-1B engines that equip the Boeing 737 Next Generation and the 737 MAX. Once the workshops are operational, the value of the agreement will exceed 1 billion dollars annually (839 million euros), according to CEO Michael O’Leary. Adding more industry. As well as mention In the middle, the repair center project adds to the heavy maintenance hangar that Ryanair has operated since 2019 next to the São Paulo airport, where it carries out comprehensive inspections of up to five aircraft simultaneously. However, both facilities will be separated. The hangar will focus exclusively on complete aircraft maintenance, while the new workshop will focus only on mechanical repair and engine supervision. According to share From ABC, it is expected that the infrastructure will have a useful life of at least 30 years. Route cutting. Not everything that Ryanair brings is good news for Seville, as the city will lose seven air connections this summer. São Paulo airport will go from 56 routes operated by the Irish airline to 49 destinations. Among the eliminated connections are Santiago de Compostela, Gran Canaria and Tenerife North in the national market, in addition to Weeze-Dusseldorf, Nuremberg, Frankfurt Hahn and Vienna in the international market. This withdrawal of operations at Spanish regional airports is no surprise. Ryanair focuses on its strategy reduce your operations in those airports that it considers “non-competitive” due to their airport taxes. The airline has eliminated 1.2 million seats in three consecutive cuts in the country’s regional airports, redistributing that capacity to markets such as Albania, Italy, Morocco, Slovakia and Sweden. The closure of bases in other Spanish airports indirectly affects Seville, according to explained the company to ABC, by eliminating connections that departed from those cities. cpartial compensation. Despite the reduction in destinations, Ryanair will add 17 weekly frequencies on 12 existing routes from Seville. Lisbon will add three new flights, Birmingham, Manchester and Bologna will add two each, while Edinburgh, Brussels, Catania, Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Pisa, Ibiza and Valencia will add an additional weekly flight. Furthermore, just as share From ABC, the airline will add two routes with Poland this summer: Krakow and Wrocław. The weight of Ryanair in Seville. The Irish airline operates 40% of the air connections at this airport and one of every four planes that leave the terminal is its own. Just like account ABC, in 2025, transported four million passengers from São Paulo, an increase of 1,900% compared to the 200,000 20 years ago, when it began operating in the city. Cover image | Kevin Hackert In Xataka | “It’s inhumane”: a Canadian low-cost airline is already experimenting with ultra-narrow seats for its passengers

science has already achieved it

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The idea of ​​controlling what we dream or using downtime to solve complex problems may sound like science fiction in fairly iconic movies like Inception. However, the “dream engineering“has ceased to be a fantasy since science confirms that not only can we influence the content of our dreams, but doing so can improve our mental health and cognitive ability. The device that whispers. The technique is called Directed Dream Incubation (TDI) and the most recent results, published in 2025, suggest it could be the key to treat chronic nightmares and increase our sense of control over the subconscious. The key is that, unlike spontaneous lucid dreams, this technique uses technology to detect specific phases of sleep and send auditory stimuli. A recent study published in Sleep Advancesput this system to the test with surprising results. And using a device called Dormiothe researchers monitored the sleep phase N1that is, the transition stage between when we are awake and asleep and which lasts approximately between 1 and 7 minutes. How it was done. The experiment was simple but effective, since the participants only had to lie down and take a nap. At that moment, upon detecting the onset of sleep, the device the instruction whispered “Think of a tree,” and then the subject had to be awakened briefly to ask for a verbal report and then he was allowed to sleep. The result was overwhelming: 92% of the participants incorporated the “tree” theme in their dreams. Subjects reported everything from visions of forests and roots to more abstract transformations related to vegetation. Control as therapy. What was truly revolutionary about the 2025 study wasn’t just getting people to dream about trees, but what happened afterward. The researchers here discovered a significant increase in Dream Self-Efficacy (DSE), which is nothing more than an individual’s belief in their own ability to control or influence their dreams. Having this sense of being able to control your sleep is crucial for treating disorders such as trauma-related nightmares that are common in post-traumatic stress disorder. Solving problems. Although the study of Sleep Advances focuses on mental health, other parallel investigations explore the productive aspect. In these experiments, puzzles were used that are difficult for anyone to solve, and that is why while people were sleeping they were induced to dream about this puzzle. The result was that 42% of participants Those who were induced to dream about the puzzle managed to solve it when they woke up, compared to only 17% of those who did not dream about the problem. This suggests that the brain, when given the right stimulus, can continue to process logical and creative information in the background, a phenomenon that technology now allows us to systematize. Sleep therapy. Although the aforementioned study had a preliminary sample of 25 people (almost half of whom suffered from frequent nightmares), the data point to a paradigm shift. Until now, we slept “blind”, but tools like Dormio and protocols like TDI suggest a future where sleep is not a passive period, but an active state that we can program. Whether it is to overcome trauma, as they suggest, or to find the solution to a creative problem, technology is beginning to illuminate the darkness of our dreams. Images | iam_os In Xataka | If you fall asleep in less than five minutes, you don’t have a “superpower”: it’s a warning signal from your brain

build ports as if there were no tomorrow

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World geopolitics has been a hornet’s nest since Donald Trump came to the White House for the second time and one of its most strained relations is with China: tariff war It has had its ups and downs and the rest of the world was in the middle. While the United States tightened the screws, China has deployed an alternative based on one hand on its commercial skills and diplomacy and on the other, on its impressive technical and technological muscle. And for example, an entire continent: Africa. The context. China has its Belt and Road Initiativewhich reflects that ports constitute one of the pillars of “Maritime Silk Road of the 21st century“. Ports are not mere infrastructure, but nodes in a global network. In the face of MAGA’s “America First” policy and tariff pressure, Africa is tempted to look for other partners, how it goes deeper the expert in geopolitics and international economics Michael von Liechtenstein. And in fact, they are already doing it: Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, matches its Chinese counterpart confirming that what both countries have is a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” The former president of Senegal, Macky Sall (left office in 2024), also asserted that China is the only partner with the speed necessary to remedy its infrastructure deficit. Why is it important. China has achieved get their hands on one in three commercial ports of the continent, showing that there is life beyond whoever lives in the White House and that the keys to global trade are still in his pocket. With its full or partial participation, China not only moves containers, it controls what comes in, what goes out, how long it takes and what technology is used. What China wins and what Africa wins. African presidents have already said loud and clear that China is the one who can get them out of this infrastructure deficit on the fast track, but it is also no longer a mere builder: it matters in a comprehensive development model with industrial parks, transport infrastructure such as railways and highways and free trade zones. And all this without giving political lessons, thanks to the Beijing Consensus. Africa is not only in a key passage area, it is also the mine of the world and China is thus ensuring that these raw materials reach their factories without the interference of third parties. With zero tariffs and port control, China becomes the perfect partner for anyone, including the United States. China’s port expansion in Africa. Africa Center One in three African ports speaks Chinese. China has already announced that will follow the zero tariff policy for 53 countries in Africa, which will surely come in handy to take advantage of its logistical dominance there. Of the 231 ports across the continent, Chinese state-owned companies actively participate in 78 from 32 countries, either because they have built it directly or, indirectly, have financed it or have participations. Besides, It has 10 fully operating concessions. And they are not just any ports. This figure is significantly higher than anywhere else in the world: Latin America and the Caribbean “only” have 10 ports operated or built by China, according to data from this 2020 study published in Science Direct. China, for its part, has gone from being the partner that lends money to becoming the one that manages the infrastructure, something that was already warned in its five-year plan from 2021 to 2025which includes six corridors, three of which cross Africa: reaching Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, Egypt and the Suez region, and Tunisia. The key ports. China is conquering the choke points: its strategy is not to build hundreds of small ports, but to control the most critical enclaves on the continent: Djibouti is the strategic node in the Horn of Africa and opens the doors to control of the Red Sea. Mombasa and Lamu in Kenya as a gateway to the east of the continent. Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, the connection to the Zambian Copperbelt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lagos in Nigeria and its presence on the western coast to advance towards the Atlantic. In Xataka | The Strait of Malacca is not enough: China’s new obsession is to prevent the US from confiscating its ships In Xataka | China has revealed a new naval military strategy: civilian ships that can become missile launchers Cover | 中国新闻社 and Rosy Ko

The world has been fascinated by the collapse of the Mayans for decades. In reality, almost everything we thought we knew was wrong.

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They cultivated fields, raised livestock, built some of the most amazing buildings on the planet, developed a rich culture that included advanced astronomical knowledge that still intrigue today to the experts. The Mayans are one of the most fascinating civilizations on the planet. And rightly so. Without it it is impossible to tell the history of Central America. However, little by little and as technology allows us to delve into their secrets, we begin to understand something: much of what we thought we knew about the Mayans was wrong. And that includes its collapse. What happened to the Mayans? The question is very simple. His answer not so much anymore. As our knowledge of the Mayan civilization has expanded (thanks to resources such as LiDAR technology) has also mutated the idea that historians had of its decline. I remembered it recently in Guardian Marcus Haraldsson remembering what we know about Tikalone of the largest urban centers of the Mayans, located in what is now Guatemala. “Sudden and disastrous”? The most recent stele located at the site dates back to the year 869 ADwhich leaves the question of what happened in Tikal from that date on. For a time historians assessed the possibility of a “sudden and disastrous” collapse that marked its fate; But today that explanation seems increasingly distant. Now experts are leaning towards another option: a broad period of decline of around 200 years during which farmers moved north and south and powerful urban centers were abandoned in favor of settlements such as Chichén Itzá, Uxmal or Mayapán, towards the north of the Yucatán Peninsula. There is even talk of the period Classic Terminalwhich goes from the years 750 to 1050. Changing perspective. This perspective has been adapted over the decades and goes beyond the period of decline of the Mayan civilization. “We are no longer really talking about collapse, but about decline, transformation and reorganization of society, as well as a continuity of culture,” comment to Guardian Kenneth E. Seligson, associate professor of archeology at California State University (CSU). “There have been several similar changes in places like Rome. (But) we rarely talk about the great Roman collapse anymore because they re-emerged in various forms, just like the Mayans.” But… What happened? What exactly happened for many of the main Mayan settlements (not all) to begin to collapse towards the 9th and 10th centuries It remains a complex and highly discussed topic. Today the authors point out a combination of factors including changes in trade routes, adverse weather, severe and prolonged droughts and wars, among others. The truth is that in the middle of 2026, researchers continue collecting clues that helps us clear up unknowns about that period. The importance of water. You don’t have to go far back to read new discoveries that tell us precisely about the collapse of the Mayan civilization. Last August a group of scientists published a article in which they basically emphasized the “important role” that “prolonged droughts” played in the Mayan decline. For their study, the researchers analyzed a stalagmite located in a cave in the Yucatan, a true geological and archaeological treasure if its oxygen isotopes are analyzed. The examination revealed a series of periods of severe drought between 871 and 1021, during the Terminal Classic, stages marked by water shortages during which the Mayans found it “extremely difficult” to grow their crops. It may seem exaggerated, but the study revealed eight droughts during the rainy season that lasted at least three years. Not only that. The longest drought lasted about 13 years. Other previous studies, carried out from sediments collected in the Chichankanab lagoon or stalactites rescued in Belizehad already suggested the role that climate played in the Mayan collapse. Question of droughts (and something else). Months after that study, in November, Benjamin Gwinneth, from the Université de Montréal (UdeM), published another that helps complete the ‘photo’. The Canadian institution recalls that between 750 and 900 AD the population of the Mayan lowlands suffered “a significant demographic and political decline” that coincided with “episodes of intense drought.” What Gwinneth’s work questions is whether this collapse is explained only by the lack of water. Curiously, their research is also based on the analysis of sediment samples dating back to around 3,300 years ago. And what exactly did he do? Gwinneth dedicated himself to analyzing samples taken from Laguna Itzán, in present-day Guatemala, near an archaeological site Maya. To be precise, they focused on three “geochemical indicators” that reveal the evolution of fires, vegetation and population density in the area (something they estimate thanks to fecal stanols) for thousands of years. The first conclusion they obtained is that the first settlements appeared in the area 3,200 years ago and for centuries the Mayans cultivated, burned to clear forests and used the ashes as natural fertilizer. It also gradually increased the population of the area. Over time they even changed their “agricultural strategy”, dispensing with fire. A “stable” climate. The second conclusion (and this is the interesting part) is that, unlike Mayan populations located further north that did suffer “devastating droughts”, in Itzán the climate was relatively “stable” thanks in part to its geographical location, near the Cordillera. Curiously, that did not free Itzán from the crisis that they suffered in other areas of the Mayan world. The question is obvious: Why? If it kept raining there, what dragged them into the crisis? “Although there was no drought in the area, the population decreased during the Terminal Classic period. Indicators show a drastic drop, traces of agriculture disappear and the site was abandoned,” Gwinneth points out.which recalls that some archaeologists place the beginning of the Mayan collapse in the Itzán area. Why is it important? Because it suggests that drought (no matter how stubborn) is not enough on its own to explain the Mayan decline. “The answer lies in the interconnection of Mayan societies,” reflects the expert. “Cities did not exist in isolation. They formed a complex network of commercial ties, … Read more

when you need to buy the most expensive cable and when the 5 euro one is worth it

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You go to a store like Amazon and type ‘HDMI cable’ in the search engine. The results show a lot of options and all, at a glance, they are almost identicalyes. Yes, there are braided cables, cables of different lengths, or you can even find cables of other colors, but there doesn’t seem to be much difference between them all. Despite this, there are very cheap cables and others that cost more than 20 euros. Your first impulse may be to go for the cheapest one that has the meters you need. Ideally, you should spend a moment on the details, since the cheapest ones are usually HDMI 2.0, while the most expensive ones are HDMI 2.1. What does that mean for you? Let’s take a look at it so you know if it’s worth investing a little more or if one of these cheap cables works for you. Choosing an HDMI 2.1 cable In short, HDMI 2.1 cable is better. The main difference between this and HDMI 2.0 is that it has greater bandwidth (more than double, in fact). In practice, this means that the cable can handle and transport more information per second. Since we are talking about an HDMI cable, we are referring to image and sound. Precisely because it has more bandwidth, this cable can move higher resolution at higher hertz. It is the right one if you plan to see 8K resolution content (although for commercial 8K content there is still) or if you are looking to play something at 4K at 120 Hz. The latter is what leads many people to go for one of these cables because it is the way to get the most out of a PlayStation 5 or one Xbox Series X. To the greater bandwidth of this cable, we must add some technologies such as dynamic HDR or others that are also great for video games and that are not present in HDMI 2.0. The most important one is called VRR (either Variable Refresh Rate), which basically makes the console or PC and the TV “agree” so that the image does not jerk. We have two examples of VRR with two technologies that are usually present in many monitors, such as NVIDIA G-Sync or AMD FreeSync. There is also ALLM, which makes the TV’s Game Mode activate automatically when you connect the console. This is very convenient because it will save you from doing it manually every time, but it is great when playing because reduce latency. That is, it minimizes the time that passes between you pressing a button and the action being displayed on the screen. For competitive games it is key. If you have a good sound bar for TV at home and you want to connect it via HDMI, then choosing an HDMI 2.1 cable may be a good idea. Here comes into play what is called eARCwhich allows you to command uncompressed audio in the highest quality from the TV. Where is the “but”? So that all these things that we tell you are worth something, It is necessary that both the TV and the console or PC are compatible. You can use the cable if they are not, but you will have spent more money and you will not be taking advantage of it. The good thing is that check if your TV or monitor has HDMI 2.1 It’s not difficult. Choose an HDMI 2.0 cable The best cable doesn’t have to be what you need. The HDMI 2.0 cable has less bandwidth, as we said above, but it is still more than enough for 4K and 60 Hz content. This combination, today, is the most common when playing with all consoles. Plus, it still supports HDR. For this reason, it can be great for consoles from previous generations (PlayStation 4 or Nintendo Switch, for example) or for a TV Box. Another asset that this HDMI 2.0 cable has: the price. Generally, this type of cable It is significantly cheaper than HDMI 2.1. That, which is great for our pocket, also allows us to buy one of better quality without having to spend a good pinch. Because yes, the quality of the cable or connector matters (a lot). And the distance, because the longer the cable is, the more likely it is to suffer losses or interference. What is the main drawback of this cable? May it become obsolete soon. If you don’t plan to change your TV or console right now, HDMI 2.0 is perfect. Now, when you switch to a newer device that supports HDMI 2.1, you will have to buy a new cable if you want higher resolution and more fps. In other words: if renewing consoles or TVs in the short or medium term is on your mind, buy an HDMI 2.1 directly. The good and the bad of both options, face to face HDMI 2.1 HDMI 2.0 THE GOOD 🟢 It reaches up to 8K and 60 Hz (or 4K and 120 Hz) and has exclusive technologies It’s cheaper and still capable with 4K and 60 Hz THE BAD 🔴 It is more expensive and you will not get the most out of it if your TV is not compatible It will soon become obsolete if you plan to renew your TV or console. Ideal for: Play at higher fps and higher resolution with a PS5 or Xbox Series X and to play audio in the best quality Consoles from past generations or watch movies, series and football if you don’t have an 8K TV We do the math to see which one can compensate you more. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, so now let’s see which one may interest you more depending on which cases. Here it will depend a little on what you are looking for, but especially on What TV or monitor are you going to use the cable for?. The advantages in resolution, Hz and technologies of HDMI 2.1 are obvious, … Read more

We have been dreaming of infinite “solar gasoline” for decades. A new material inspired by plants has just proven that it is possible

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Nature has been keeping a secret in broad daylight for millions of years: photosynthesis. For decades, science has pursued the dream of replicating this process to create clean, sustainable fuels, but “artificial photosynthesis” has always run into walls of inefficiency and technical complexity. Until now. In short. A team of Chinese researchers has developed a method that mimics the natural process of transforming carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into the basic components of gasoline. We are no longer talking about abstract theory; It is a system capable of creating “solar fuel” without depending on expensive chemical additives, bringing us closer to the holy grail of renewable energy. The advance, recently published in the magazine Nature Communicationscomes from a joint team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Researchers have designed a new composite material: tungsten trioxide modified with silver atoms (Ag/WO3). The end of chemical “tricks”. The truly revolutionary thing about this “magic dust” is not only its composition, but what it manages to avoid. To date, most attempts at artificial photosynthesis cheated: they used “sacrificial agents”, organic chemical additives (such as triethanolamine) that facilitated the reaction but were irreversibly consumed in the process, making it unsustainable and expensive on a large scale. This new system breaks that barrier. According to the scientific studythe catalyst achieves the light-driven conversion using only pure water (H2O) as an electron donor. No additives, no tricks. The result of this reaction is the efficient production of carbon monoxide (CO). Although it sounds like a harmful substance on its own, in the chemical industry this molecule is pure gold: it is a key intermediate that, mixed with hydrogen, forms the “synthesis gas” necessary to manufacture complex hydrocarbons such as methanol or synthetic gasoline. Air fuel. We are at the gateway to “solar fuels.” The importance of this finding lies in its ability to decarbonize sectors that electric batteries cannot easily cover, such as commercial aviation or heavy shipping. Furthermore, the researchers stand out in their paper who have come up with a “universal strategy”. Its material (Ag/WO3) is not an isolated invention, but a versatile “charger” that can be coupled to various types of catalysts (such as cobalt phthalocyanine, C3N4 or Cu2O) and improve their performance drastically. In fact, by combining this material with cobalt (CoPc), they achieved an efficiency 100 times higher than that of the catalyst acting on its own, equaling the performance of old systems that used polluting additives. It is a pure circular economy: capturing the gas that warms the planet (CO2) and turning it into a valuable resource. The secret is to imitate the leaves. To understand how they have achieved this, you have to look at a tree leaf. In natural photosynthesis, the processes of breaking down water and fixing CO2 are separate. Plants use a molecule called plastoquinone (PQ) to temporarily transport and “store” electrons excited by the sun before using them, acting as an energy buffer. Without this buffer, the electrons would be lost before they could be used. Chinese scientists asked themselves: “Can we build an artificial plastoquinone?” And the answer was tungsten. The developed material works as a bioinspired cargo reservoir: The battery: Under sunlight, tungsten changes its chemical structure (a valence swing from W6+ to W5+), temporarily trapping electrons as if it were a micro-battery. The bridge: When the system needs energy to convert CO2, the silver (Ag) atoms act as a bridge, releasing those stored electrons just at the right moment to recombine with the “gaps” of the catalyst. This solves the big problem of artificial photosynthesis: time and load management. While the water oxidizes, the system “saves” the solar energy to have it ready when the CO2 enters. From the laboratory to the real world. The best thing about this research is that it has not remained a theoretical simulation under perfect lamps. The team built an experimental device equipped with a Fresnel lens (to concentrate light) and took it outside to test it under natural sunlight. The data from the outdoor experiment are revealing: Solar rhythm: The system began to produce detectable gas from 9:00 a.m., reaching its peak production between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., faithfully following the intensity of the sun. Durability: The system demonstrated enviable robustness, maintaining its effectiveness over 72-hour test cycles without showing significant downtime. A bridge to the future. As reported by the South China Morning Postthis advancement builds a critical bridge between renewable energy and high-demand industrial applications. The study authors conclude that their work not only eliminates the need for unsustainable sacrificial agents, but provides a versatile design principle for building autonomous photocatalytic systems. Although there is still a way to go to see solar gas stations, the basic science—the mechanism for storing the sun’s energy in a chemical powder—is no longer a theory. Image | freepik Xataka | Germany has had a crazy idea to solve one of the problems of renewables: covering a lake with solar panels

Big Tech is paying up to $600,000 to influencers to promote their AI. Now the race is about perception

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Big technology companies are deploying their heavy artillery to attract users for their artificial intelligence services. Just like they count From CNBC, Microsoft and Google have found their new battlefield in influencers, with contracts that reach six-digit figures. The dimension of the phenomenon. According to data from Sensor Tower, generative AI platforms spent more than $1 billion on digital advertising in the United States during 2025, an increase of 126% compared to the previous year. That large companies promote their products through influencers is nothing new, and it is also a business that is very profitable for them, since by investing a small fraction of their budget they can get an avalanche of new users. According to CNBC, in order to attract new users for their AI services, Microsoft, Google, Anthropic and Meta They are hiring content creators to promote your tools on social networks. Figures. Microsoft and Google are paying between $400,000 and $600,000 to content creators for multi-month collaborations, according to sources close to the media. These contracts are not limited to specific publications, since according to the medium, they seek to ensure that influencers integrate AI tools into their usual content, tutorials and workflows. “We’re seeing a massive increase in creator spending from these AI brands. We’re getting a lot more interest from AI brands every month,” counted to AJ Eckstein, founder of Creator Match (an agency that connects brands with creators). How these agreements work. Collaborations range from LinkedIn posts explaining how to use Claude Code even videos on Instagram showing functions of Microsoft Copilot or the assistant Comet by Perplexity. Megan Lieu, AI and technology content creator with nearly 400,000 followers, explains told CNBC that his sponsored deals typically range from $5,000 to $30,000 depending on the campaign. Its most important collaboration to date has been with Anthropic to promote products from Claudealthough he did not specify the exact figure to the media. Some influencers can charge up to $100,000 per post, according to Eckstein. The other side of the coin. Despite the astronomical numbers, not all content creators are willing to jump on the AI ​​bandwagon. Jack Lepiarz, known as Jack the Whipper and with more than 7 million followers between YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, account to the medium that systematically rejects any agreement related to artificial intelligence. “I cannot with a clear conscience support something that is going to make it difficult for normal people to earn a living,” he declared to the outlet. Lepiarz previously turned down a $20,000 contract to promote AI imaging tools and says even $100,000 or $500,000 wouldn’t change his mind. Perception with Copilot. For Microsoft, these influencer campaigns can be especially key. And despite its large user base in Microsoft 365 services, only 3.3% pay for Copilotas told from Windows Central. The company needs its AI assistant, integrated into Windows, Microsoft 365 and Edge, to be perceived as a natural tool in daily work, and at the moment it is being especially difficult for them to achieve that. It’s public time. Big Tech hiring influencers occurs precisely at a time when companies are investing more than ever in advertising their AI tools. A few days ago we told precisely the case of Anthropic, which spent a million on ads during the Super Bowl. Separately, Google and Microsoft increased their digital advertising spending to promote AI products by approximately 495% last month compared to the previous year, according to Sensor Tower. The media also says that OpenAI multiplied its advertising investment tenfold in 2025. After years of making its tools known, it is now time to shape our perception of them. Cover image | aerps and Hillary Black In Xataka | The person who is earning the most money on Twitch by broadcasting 24 hours a day is not a person: it is an AI

why the head is not the thermal “chimney” that we have always been told

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When winter approaches, many people cannot go outside without some basic items, such as a jacket, gloves and also a hat. The latter, in addition to being a complement that suits some very well, has also represented a mantra that has been repeated on different occasions: heat ‘escapes’ largely through the head. There are nuances. This is something that is accompanied by stratospheric figures, such as between 40 and 50% of our body heat ‘escapes’ through the skull. But the truth is that science adds nuances to these data so that we can be much calmer, although in the case of newborns we can have an interesting debate. The origin. To understand why half the world believes that the head works like a human chimney, you have to travel to the 1970s. And more specifically to the United States Army Survival Manual. At that time, experiments were carried out with subjects exposed to extreme cold temperatures. The methodological problem, or rather the subsequent interpretation, was that the participants were wearing arctic survival suits that covered the entire body… except the head. Logically, when measuring the heat loss, the researchers found that most of it escaped through the only area that was bare. And from here arose the need to wear a hat because almost all the heat was released from this part. What is known now. Subsequent studies have been responsible for dismantling this belief. that 40-50% of the heat is released through the skull. The conclusion of science indicates that physical reality is much simpler, since heat loss is proportional to the surface of exposed skin. In this way, if the head of an adult represents approximately 7% of the body surface, it will contribute only to diffuse 7-10% of body heat that is being lost. They have proven it again. In addition to the most classic studies that have been done, science has also wanted to analyze this phenomenon in cold water swimmers. using neoprene suitscomparing when their head is submerged and when it is above the water. Here it was seen that the skull does not dissipate heat disproportionately, but is simply exposed skin with nothing special that indicates that it should be protected more than another part of the body. The cold of the head. Although the percentage of heat lost here is low, there are physiological reasons to protect it. Specifically, the head, and especially the face and scalp, are areas with very little fat or muscle insulation compared to other parts of the body. In addition, they have a large number of blood vessels and thermal receptors on the surface, which makes them much more sensitive to the sensation of cold. This means that, although 50% of the heat is not lost through the skull, cooling the head gives us greater thermal discomfortso by covering it we feel much warmer. In addition, it also acts on cardiovascular reflexes and lowering core temperature. Therefore, wearing a hat in winter is useful, but it works the same as wearing gloves or a good scarf: it is another layer of insulation, not a magic cap. An exception. There is always an exception to every rule, and in this case they are in babies. in a newbornthe head is enormous in proportion to the rest of the body, occupying a much greater percentage of body surface than in an adult. This means that they do lose more heat here than in any other part of the body, and that is why we always see a baby with a hat on almost from the time they are in their first days of life. Science has pointed out Because in full-term newborns, an insulating hat can reduce total heat loss by 75% and oxygen consumption by 85% compared to being naked. In low resource settings or in low weight babies, the use of wool hats is clearly associated with a lower incidence of hypothermia. But with control. In healthy, full-term babies who are in warm rooms, or practicing the skin-to-skin method, the evidence suggests that the hat does not always provide a clear extra benefit and even, if combined with excessive warmth, it can promote overheating. With or without a hat. In conclusionit must be taken into account that the head is not a special part where a large amount of heat is released. However, in everyday life it is usually the only part of the body that we wear naked in winter and it has little natural insulation, so covering it is an efficient strategy to improve thermal comfort. Images | Jonathan J. Castellon In Xataka | The cold is so savage that Ukraine has activated the most kamikaze option: the “50,000 Russians per month” or giving Moscow what it wants

keep your prices intact for more than 20 years

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There are two almost unquestionable realities: that almost everything is made in China and that everything has gone up in price (except the televisions). However, these two maxims go hand in hand with the mundane lighter, the one we use to light birthday candles, the barbecue or even a cigarette… to who still smokes today. Because the bulk of global lighter production is no longer manufactured in China, it is concentrated in a single city. And that city has achieved something very difficult: maintain the price of a lighter in one yuan (about 12 euro cents at the exchange rate) for more than two decades. The resistance. Large brands such as BIC, Clipper or Zippo have localized and more or less dispersed production: the French BIC has in France its main plant for Europe, in the United States for the North American market, for South America has plants in Brazil and its large plant in Mexico; the catalan Clipper manufactures in Spain, China and India and Zippo boasts of being “Made in USA” while almost all of its production is in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It doesn’t matter, they are an absolute minority. Where Christ lost the lighter. 70% of world production is in Shaodonga city in Hunan province (China). Which started at the end of the 20th century as a wandering industry in search of low costs came to stay in Shaodong, turning it into a highly specialized technology giant that exports to more than 120 countries. According to XinhuaShaodong produces more than 100 billion lighters a year, with data from 2023. The People’s newspaper details (the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China) that in 2022 Shaodong supplied 3.52 billion lighters to the entire world. With this enormous production volume they have managed to keep the manufacturing price almost stagnant for more than 20 years thanks to automation. Why most come from China. The short answer is economies of scale. A lighter essentially requires metal parts, plastic, pressurized gas and an ignition mechanism, more than 30 parts and various techniques such as flame control and ignition intensity. For a few cents it is only profitable if you produce millions a day in a concentrated industrial ecosystem made up of by 87 companies where you have everything you need nearby. Yang Zhiyong, design engineer of the largest local lighter producer in Shaodong synthesize How has the evolution been: “Before, 1,000 workers were needed to produce a million lighters manually, now with automation the same production is achieved with just a few people. (…) Thanks to automation and technical improvements, we have managed to reduce costs to a minimum.” Specifically, from 0.1 yuan to 0.015 yuan. And yes, he acknowledges that his iconic one-yuan lighters are still lucrative. One lighter, one yuan. Lighters are small and technically simple gadgets (although everything has its secret and its room for improvement and innovation), but there is a trick to the fact that the retail price of disposable lighters has remained unchanged despite the competition and the increase in prices of materials and labor: industrial innovation and economy of scale. In 2002 was founded Shaodong Lighters Association to unify the industry, encourage innovation and standardized pricing in a collaborative, win-win approach. Because lighters are small, but their market is big. There is room to surprise and innovate. To stay at the forefront of the industry, the municipal administration has created an institute for smart manufacturing technologies and local companies are exploring new markets, especially in developing countries. Likewise, there are companies that strive to give a twist to the design of the lighter, providing a functional and cultural touch. In fact, Yang explains “These culturally influenced designs have found a receptive market in Europe and Asia,” Yang said. They have a plan B. Rising raw material costs, global competition and stricter environmental regulations may sooner or later lead the industry to migrate to other cheaper regions such as Southeast Asia. In this case, Shaodong aspires to sell knowledge: product development, training and after-sales services. In Xataka | The rare earth capital of the world is making gold thanks to them. And it is also being poisoned In Xataka | China was the great polluter of the planet: now it is emerging as the first “electrostate” in history Cover | Julius Drost

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