We have detected the greatest fusion of black holes seen to date. It is a problem for our theoretical models

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One of the enigmas that most intrigue astronomers is that of Black holes of intermediate size, those black holes halfway between the holes of stellar mass and the supermassions such as the one that dominates in the center of our galaxy. These are black holes with masses between 100 times that of our sun and those that multiply this star mass by millions. GW231123. A group of Ligo-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) collaboration researchers (LVK) has announced The detection of the greatest clash between two black holes registered to date. The discovery has occurred thanks to the gravitational waves generated by the impact, whose signal has been called GW231123 by those who detected it. November 2023. The name of the signal refers to the date on which it was observed, on November 23, 2023. The study of the detected waves led those responsible for the new study to estimate that the resulting black hole had a dough some 225 times higher than that of our sun. Until now the most massive had been “alone” 140 solar masses. It was in 2021, the GW190521 signal. Estimates indicate that the 2023 signal was the result of the collision between a black hole of 100 solar masses with one of 140 solar masses. That is, only one of the black holes was already as massive as that of the fruit of the largest shock detected so far. From this event not only highlights its magnitude, but also the fact that the speed of rotation of black holes was surprisingly high. A new enigma in heaven. All this planet an important unknown for the team. As they explain, the holes of such mass cannot be formed from the death of a star, at least based on what contemporary physical models say. The only way we know can be formed is through the fusion of smaller black holes. LVK. In 2015, the Ligo experiment made history detecting for the first time the clash of two black holes through the expansion of gravitational waves associated with such a violent event. This pioneering experiment has been company in Europe and Kagra for years (Kamioka gravitational wave detector) In Japan. Together they have already detected more than 300 clashes between black holes. The details of the study They have been presented In the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR24) and 16th Conference Edoardo Amaldi on gravitational waves, a joint conference held this week in Glasgow, Scotland. Not so easy to observe. The detection of GW231123 “pushed the limits of both gravitational wave detection technology and current theoretical models,” says the responsible team. Analyzing these types of events through gravitational waves is not easy, but knowing more about them can help us unravel some key mysteries of the cosmos. “Black holes seem to turn very quickly, almost to the limit of what is allowed by Einstein’s theory of relativity,” explained in a press release Charlie today, co -author of the study. “This makes the signal difficult to model and interpret. It is an excellent case study to push the development of our theoretical tools.” Looking for the midpoint. Theoretical tools that perhaps help us reveal the secrets of the elusive black sized black holes. Today we do not know very well how these holes are formed whose mere existence implies the certainty that we still do not know about our universe. In Xataka | What happens if you fall into a black hole, explained in a simple way in an overwhelming NASA simulation Image | POT

China’s domain is spreading far beyond rare earths. Even where the US had no rival: the sea

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While the United States is has launched yet to the search of those minerals and rare earths that China governs well above the rest of the planet, even with the pentagon and the Apple very Inverting a stratospheric sum, Beijing has been adding and building A small empire that begins to make many nations nervous. To Japan and Taiwan, who believed the seas as nobody: Washington. Maritime ambition. In a context of growing strategic rivalry with the United States, China has intensified their Naval operations long range as part of an explicit demonstration of its global ambition. Already We tell it: Between May and June, the aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong They carried out combined exercises in waters near Japan, operating beyond the so -called “First Islands Chain” and entering the “Second Chain”, including Guam in Equation, an important military enclave United States. Nerves The presence of these two aircraft carriers in the Western Pacific not only caused Concern in Japanbut also revealed the New scope of the Chinese Navy, which seeks train their units To operate independently, far from the continental coasts, both in peace and war times. The ability to perform air operations from ships in open sea (including Removal and landings of fighters and helicopters up to 90 times a day) provides China an operational experience that, although still incipient, anticipates a future use of these assets as force projection instruments beyond their immediate influence areas. Shandong Inroads under construction, in 2019 Aircraft carrier as a message. Beyond its military utility, Chinese aircraft carriers represent a powerful status symbol international. For the Government of Xi Jinping, the possession and deployment of these ships constitutes an affirmation that China has left behind the limitations of a regional power and progressly advanced towards the image of global power. Even though Three Chinese aircraft carriers current (the liaoning, the Shandong and the still inactive Fujian) operate with conventional propulsion and are below technologically of the Eleven nuclear aircraft carriers From Washington, his exercises are promoted in official media as an unequivocal signal of the country’s maritime rebirth. And one more when falling. In addition, the possibility that The fourth carriercurrently under construction, use nuclear propulsion and electromagnetic catapults indicates a gradual but ambitious evolution. Plus: The recent opening to the public Shandong in Hong Kongafter completing their maneuvers, reinforces that nationalist propaganda approach aimed at strengthening the legitimacy of Chinese leadership through military power. CNS FUJIAN Dispute for the Pacific. China’s aircrafts not only serve for training or to project distant influence, they also constitute a Operational tool Within the framework of Territorial disputes Activated in the Sea of South and Eastern China. Analysts agree that Beijing could use them to reinforce your claims in front of Japan, South Korea or Southeast Asian countries, or even to exert coercive pressure on Taiwan through A maritime block that prevents the flow of goods and communications. Although in a direct conflict with the United States the aircraft carriers would be vulnerable to missiles and torpedoes (and would probably have a limited role in a immediate confrontation by Taiwan), its value lies in the control of broad areas, surveillance, political intimidation and support for combined naval operations. As He pointed out A Japanese academic to NYT, these platforms allow pressure on both military and civil vessels, becoming a hybrid instrument of economic and military coercion. Evolutionary logic. From the Strait crisis from Taiwan in 1996, when the United States deployed two combat groups Of aircraft carriers to deter Beijing, China understood the need to develop its own naval response capacity. The starting point was the acquisition of the helmet of An old Soviet aircraft carrier In Ukraine, converted into the Liaoning and incorporated in 2012. Since then, the advance has been progressive but constant. The Shandong, released in 2017was the first built entirely in Chinese shipyards, while The Fujianeven in the test phase, it incorporates for the first time a system of Electromagnetic catapultkey technology to operate heavier and better armed aircraft. A long way. Despite these advances, experts like Narushige Michishita They warn in the New York Times That Chinese naval operations are still in a rudimentary phase, marked by a slow but disciplined learning curve. China prefers to avoid expensive errors and seeks, however, consolidate a coherent maritime doctrine and functional that allows, in a few decades, to compete from you to you with the great naval powers of the world. The Indo-Pacific Theater. Plus: the simultaneous display Of the Liaoning and Shandong in deep waters, it has a double value: it allows the Chinese fleet to operate in unknown environments and reinforces its capacities for future intervention scenarios in critical areas, such as the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf or even the Mediterranean. According to him Timothy Heath researcher of the Rand Corporation, the aircraft carriers will offer China the ability to project aerial missions in any balloon area Where your Navy sails, beyond the only foreign base that currently maintains in Yibuti. In that sense, the control of routes to the Middle East or the Strait of Malaca, vital for Chinese economic and energy interests, will probably be one of the Strategic objectives in the medium term. A symbols war. I remembered the Times that, as Beijing builds More warshipsconsolidated alliances with African countries and reinforces its port diplomacy in Asia and Africa, the Indo-Pacific converts On the board where a new naval power competition is outlined, with the aircraft carriers as a tool of that Geostrategic ambition. While the aircraft carriers do not guarantee maritime domain (especially in front of a power with Interdiction capabilities as the United States), its value lies both in its operational function and its symbolic weight. In other words, Beijing is no longer satisfied with defending their coasts, but with drawing routes on waters that, until recently, only dominated Your main rival. Image | RHK111, Tyg728, Ministry of National Defense The People’s Republic of China/ Li Gang/ Xinhua In Xataka | China … Read more

150 years ago we found a lot of rivets in a funeral mound. It turned out to be Norway’s biggest Viking ship

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From series for all ages as’Vivky the Vikingo‘o The raw’Vikings‘, movies like’THE WARRIOR Nº13‘ either ‘How to train your dragon‘And video games like’Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘ either ‘The Banner Saga‘, the Vikings have resisted fashions and the passage of time. And one of its most recognizable elements are its ships. They continue to cause astonishment And, among all, there is one that we discover by chance and turned out to be the king of the sea viking. The Myklebust. The finding. That mysticism and that it seems that they do not go out of style, contrasts with the barely 300 years that the Viking era lasted. Speak well of his legend, and ships like the Myklebust They are an essential part of it. Centuries after his era, in 1874, archaeologist Anders Lorenge gave some strange remains on a farm west of Norway. They were inside Randehagjen funeral moundon the Myklebust farm, and among many other things, he found a lot of rivets of a ship. Unfortunately, everything in quite a bad condition because the ship was buried after being cremated, which caused him to live in the shadow of other ships such as the Gokstad or the Oseberg that were found in perfect condition. But, over the years, we have been able to train more than an idea of how this king of the seas was. Ship? Cruise. As the excavations were carried out, the researchers found more rivets until they add about 7,000. Taking into account both the amount and their size, it is estimated that the Myklebust came to measure about 30 meters. And the estimate is not only based on the rivets, but on a very specific piece of the shields of the Vikings: the Umbo. This is the central circumference of the shield, which was probably placed along the ship next to the corresponding soldier/rowing. 44 umbos were found, indicating that, at least, there would be 22 shields per side. The Vikings had several ships, but those who entered combat were mainly three. On the one hand, the Karvia small ship of about 20 meters for the expeditions near the coast. On the other, the SNEKKEa great transport of about 30 meters designed for oceanic navigation and the transport of troops. Finally, the Drakkar. The size of these varies, but the Myklebust would fit into its description as a little draft ship, numerous oars and the bow with the dragon’s head. They were the most versatile ships because they were maneuverable, but with a large load capacity of warriors. Sagastad Museum with the replica of Myklebust and its sea access ramp Cremation. Due to its dimensions, the Myklebust was a symbol of power and had to terrify to see it on the horizon if it was not of yours, and in addition to its size, it had to belong to someone high. The reason why the pieces were very damaged is because the ship was buried after being cremated. In Vikingas tombs, the complete cremation of the ship was a strange and reserved practice only to the most powerful, like a king (it is speculated with Audbjørn de los Fjordos). In addition to the trousseau, jewelry, various objects and some hunting, the deceased needed a ship for his last trip to Valhallaand the Myklebust was that last means of transport. Returning to the seas. We do not know if its owner arrived at Valhalla, but what we do know is that the Myklebust has been furrowing the Norwegian waters for a few years. In Nordfjordeid is the Sagastad Viking Centera museum and attraction focused on the dissemination of Viking culture. It has several exhibitions, but the one that attracts more looks is the Myklebust room. In it, there is one Real scale recreation And with everything of detail of the war ship that can also navigate. The work began in 2016 and ended in 2019, and each spring opens the gate of that part of the museum so that the spectacular ship is dragged a few meters until it comes into contact with the sea. It is then that he undertakes a journey through the fjords, in an event that highlights the magnificent figure of this type of ships. But that replica can fall short if objects are still discovered on the site. A 2024 analysis showed more objects in the mound, such as a bronze ring and what can be more umbos, so perhaps we would have to rethink the expanding the drakkar for future tributes. Imnágen | Sagastad, IslandmenFjord Norway In Xataka | How can we know that there was a Vikingo cutting firewood in the Newfoundland of the year 1021: Punta technology, three pieces of wood and a cosmic coincidence

South Korea has been celebrating its particular “bullfights”. And now he faces the same dilemma as Spain

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Spain is not the only country that debate the future of bulls. More than 10,000 kilometers away, in South Korea, politicians, animalists and livestock are engaged in a similar discussion: yes or no to the runs? There the shows are not exactly equal to those of Spain, there are no bullfighters as such, no light costumes, nor picadores or flags, but competitions based basically on violence and on which It is not strange that animals end up bleeding. Perhaps South Korea is far away and its cultural tradition is different from ours, but The debate that is cooked in his society is not so different from that of Spain. Bulls in South Korea? Exact. South Korea may be known for its technology, The K-Popits gastronomy and (sadly) a demographic crisis record, but it is also a bull country. At least it is part of its territory, such as CheongdoGyeongsang del Norte, where there is a bullfighting stadium with capacity for thousands of people and that each spring welcomes A festival Very popular in the region. It is not a novelty or a fashion. In local folklore are references to runs dating at least of the 16th century. And how are they? Quite different from what we are used to seeing in Spain. South Korea presume that, unlike what happens in many other countries, including Spain, in its places animals do not die. Nor do people who deal with them. The reason is that the show has Little to see With ours. There is sand and a square, but in it a bullfighter and a bull are not measured, but two bulls that face each other, sometimes hired by their owners with the help of rings that are stuck when the young have Just half a year. And when does it end? The fight ends when one of the animals turns around and shows its back to the opponent in retirement, without the need for any opponents to end up sacrificed. The show is somewhat unpredictable, although it usually adjusts to some guidelines. As needed Korea Heraldthe usual thing is that the game lasts about 30 minutes and divided into six assaults, half a dozen “acts” during which bulls are rammed with each other. “In Spain it is a game between a human and a bull and in the end the bull dies. In Korea we are proud of not killing him and never dies in a fight,” claims The mayor of Cheongdo, Lee Seung-Yool, in an interview with NPR. “We simply let them express themselves and when one loses the forces he turns around and shows the spine. The bull says he has finished and the fight concludes.” Perfect then? It depends on who you ask. As is the case In Spain or Other countriesin Korea it has emerged The debate whether or not they should be kept around Cheongdo. The reason? Their detractors are convinced that it is a clear case of animal abuse, that the bulls suffer in the runs and the show is harmful to the little ones. Its defenders They hold However, bulls are care and its fights are a South Korean tradition. A percentage: 40%. To support their position, the first (critics with runs) take advantage of a series of studies. One of themprepared by Animal Liberation Wave and Last Chance for Animals (LCA), suggests that bulls are often reluctant to participate in fights. According to their data, of 131 runs organized between February and June in several counties of the country, 54 ended up canceled or shortened because the animals refused to collaborate in the show. “The fact that 40% of bulls flatly reject the struggle and the rest require coercion shows that it is a form of abuse,” reason Kim Doh-Hui, from one of the associations. Sometimes the farmers cause the struggles by pulling strongly from the rings, which, as the animalists have verified, in some cases derives in serious nasal trauma. Animal Liberation Wave has also made A survey which shows that 70% of respondents are concerned about bets that revolve around runs and 62.1% believe that children and adolescents should not see them. The study was done in the southeast region, with a greater ragame of bullfighting. Another report It reveals that 77 fights, 48 ended with the animals bleeding. To those data, animalists add A final reflection: Modern shows are “a form of entertainment for profit disguise of tradition.” “It’s an ancient tradition”. The thing changes if we talk to the defenders of the runs. Lee Kang-Min, an amateur who has been going to Cheongdo for years explained Recently, NPR that bulls are “an ancient tradition” of the nation and sees nothing unnatural in the shows. “The bulls fight when they take them to graze. The fights then became part of our culture.” Around the games there is also a lucrative business: that of bets, which as clarified The chain can develop legally, although with limited amounts. From the street to politics. The debate in Korea has achieved sufficient impact so that it can be followed through national media, but also foreigners, such as The New York Times either The Economistand has crystallized in concrete initiatives. Those who advocate ending the runs have launched a signature collection campaign that already exceeds the 45,000 supportsabout the 50,000 necessary for Parliament to review the proposal. Some municipalities have already chosen to stop financing shows with bulls. South Korea has a law of animal protection that dates back in the early 90s and prohibits hurting animals for entertainment, but leaves the activities that can be considered “folk games” out of that umbrella. Images | Last Chance for Animals (LCA) In Xataka | The great dilemma of South Korea: in an increasingly aging country to become old is a condemnation of poverty

If the question is how long will the teles of our living room grow, the market speaks very clearly: until we have

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The size of televisions carries decades growing at great pace. And how It has happened with smartphones From the first Samsung Galaxy Note, on the sector always plans the question of until when. As in mobiles there are comfort limits in handling and portability, the teles face space limitations in the salons. The market speaks clearly. Based on GFK data, TCL shared a reality from the television market last year: The size of the teles grows 1.2 “a year in Europe. With an average that has gone from 32 “from 2010 to approximately 50” in 2024 (Samsung told us in 2023 that the average size was already in 55 “and that in 2025 the standard could already be 65”). Thus samsung money earns: the secret is on the iPhone The consultant Counterpoint Research He has shared data from the first quarter of 2025 compared to previous years, and the growth has shot: the distribution of televisions of 75 “or more has grown 79 % over the same period of 2024, and the income 59 %. The trend is clear for 15 years. The teles grow 1.2 “a year. Source: GFK The latter indicates a drop in the average price in the giant inches: income does not grow to the rhythm of sales. Also, according to DSCC dataconsultant that now belongs to Counterpoint, in the second quarter of 2024, the televisions of more than 80 “grew 29% compared to the previous year. Samsung saw it clear. In 2018, the company commissioned An Ipsos study where they got interesting conclusions. According to the company, the space of the Spanish halls is not the big problem to which it had signed up before: “87 % of households could have an 82 television”, since that is the percentage of households that are more than 1.6 meters away to the TV, a minimum viewing distance recommended for this size of televisions, according to the ITU-R “. The responses of the population surveyed also left many doubts: 70% of those who had bought televisions contemplated the possibility of buying a larger one, in a context in which 70% of households did not exceed 50 “. The biggest obstacles to buying large -inch televisions were space (50 %of users), the price (39 %) and the viewing distance (16 %). The most interesting is in the first two points. Space is the great impediment, but according to the company there was ignorance about what size is adequate. And the price issue: 39 % did not buy larger sizes due to the pocket cost. Something that we will see that the market is solving. The teles go down, and go down. In this sense, if something teaches us recent technological history, is that Almost everything is more expensive, but the smart TV are given: And much of the fault is the “mother crystal”. Another great responsible is the current strategy of manufacturers and developers of operating systems for televisions, which They have turned the teles into television. The extreme case of this is Tellya free television that the user pays with advertising present on a second screen. In 2017, Juergen Boyny, Global Director of GFK consumption electronics, He told us They calculated that “there will be a screen size limit for most consumers between 75 and 77 inches, and even so, that size will remain as a very specific niche.” Today we know that at least the second is not so. And according to Counterpoint, in the European Union we spend average 536 euros on a TV. Faced with the 20,000 euros of a 77 “TV of less than a decade ago, which we mentioned in Boyny’s article, today there are models for about 500 euros. And the United States indicates where the road is going: Walmart already has 85 “televisions for less than $ 600. The size of the stay has always conditioned what we thought was the optimal size of the TV. But analysts came to say that televisions of 75 “would be niche, and reality has shown not China smiles. TCL and Hisense are the main Chinese brands of televisions. According to 2024 last quarter quarterthe first surpassed LG in the distribution of premium televisions, and Hins is already very close. In the general market, Samsung has already exceeded him, being 16 % quota, TCL with 14 %, Hisense with 12 % and LG with 10 %. Xiaomi follows a certain distance with 5 %. In the context of the annual growth of size and explosion of the giant inches, China also wins the bet of its brands itself. As you remember HDTVTEST: “TCL is one of the most aggressive brands when betting on large screens, having launched in recent years several MINI-LED and LCD TV models of 98 inches.” And we already talk about numerous 110 “models and 115 “. The strategy to crush competition. Both brands do not stop presenting giant and innovative televisionsand above all, to reduce them and democratize them. They have already had the 98 “TCL C805, Minilad, less than 1,700 euros. A model that launched a couple of years ago at 5,000 euros. The growing domain of TCL and Hisense of the Premium market responds to the growing domain of the Minned Tves (those that market) in front of the OLED, which dominate from Korea LG and Samsung. In 2024 there was sorpasso of technology: MINILED surpassed Oled In sales. And it was so after years of dominance and the entrance of Samsung in Oleds with the Samsung S95B In 2022. Server has been enjoying an OLED TV from 2020 by having prioritized image quality. The following will be Minnedfor the balance between size and quality. The perfect cocktail, with a brake. We have a panel size that has not stopped growing for decade and a half, sales fired in giant inches and prices that break up at the rhythms of vertigo, Even in toe technology. To this is added, as Samsung pointed out, users who want larger sizes … Read more

The Z gene has disregarded the vice that is celebrating daytime raves with coffee and “Sound Healing”

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There are gestures that define us as a species, and dance is one of them. When everything fails, the body continues to speak: it is stirred, it shakes, it is released. Barbara Ehrenreich documented it in ‘Dancing in the Streets‘, where it shows how dance has historically served as collective response to pain. Today, that instinct seems to wake up again, in a world worn by stress, uncertainty and isolation. Decoding the rave. In warehouses, parks, coffees and even luxury resorts, the raves of the 21st century no longer revolve exclusively around alcohol, strobe lights and early morning. Now they can also start with a yoga session at dawn, include substance -free spaces, foster deep conversations and offer coffee instead of cocktails. In an article for Marie Claire They explain that the phenomenon It is spreading in many countries and electronic music remains the central beat. However, the purpose has changed: it is about reconnecting with the body, with others and with oneself. “We are very connected online, but possibly more disconnected in real life,” says Kesang Ball, co -founder of Trippin in the middle, a global platform of young culture. “People yearn for spaces where they can meet related people.” A cultural change. It might seem like a whim, since raves have always been a countercultural space that gave a room for response to what happened at the time. Nevertheless, how does the fashion magazine addressthe need for this new movement revolves around postpandemic emotional exhaustion, the epidemic of solitude, the collapse of mental well -being and the fed up in front of a digital life that promised connection, but left empty. In Spain, the average time that users dedicate to social networks is 1 hour and 55 minutes a day, According to a study by Trecebits. In this context, the holidays are not just parties: they are spaces where they relear to be with others without screens in between. Even deeper. This turn also reflects a generational sensitivity. Unlike the millennial stereotype of the party until dawn, generation Z Prioritize self -careauthenticity and Mental health. Excess, blackout and hangover have ceased to be gestures of rebellion; Today, the subversive is to stay lucid, connect deeply and find pleasure without guilt. In this context, the Rave does not disappear, it transforms. In fact, an investigation from the University of Leeds, EXPORDING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC EVENT PARTICIPATION AND WELL-BEING, He found that attending electronic music events is directly associated with greater psychological, emotional and social well -being. In the study they identified that Raves attendees experienced deep feelings of connection, individual expression, community and collective euphoria. And not a drop of alcohol. Sobriety is a trend, the youngest are changing the Cup for the espresso. The calls Coffee Raves “Morning fiests in cafeteria converted into clubs,” they are just an example of paradigm shift. From the track to inner peace. The change has been progressive, but firm. In a report on the EDM page have chatted with groups such as Daybreaker, Superbloom or The Oracle Project that are at the forefront of a new era of parties: daytime, conscious and community. In them, dance and care for themselves are not opposite actions. Lauren Branc, founder of The Oracle Projectsummarizes it like this: “I did not want to give up the fun to leave, but neither did I want to continue revolving around something that became ill and does not encourage a deep connection.” The movement also has its luxury expression. As They have detailed in Travel and Leisurein Koh Samui, the W hotel organizes musical retreats where emerging DJs such as Joplin share a poster with sessions of Sound Healing and Yoga, in a five -star environment. There, electronic music does not compete with rest, but is synchronized with it. Although it is not the only space, because in coffee shops such as Santanera Coffee in Madrid or Vera Café in Barcelona, the Coffee Parties They gather hundreds of young people who dance to the rhythm of the house and the techno with cappuccino in hand. Everything, in broad daylight. A radical act: dance in community. The new Rave culture is not a nostalgic copy of the past. It is a reinvention. Faced with a world that commercializes time, crushes joy and fragments the sense of belonging, dance together – without filters or screens – can be a deeply radical act. Rob Glassett, known as fold, summarizes it clearly for Marie Claire: “The dance clues have always been important places to disconnect … but not to get stuck, but to reconnect.” In an era saturated with stimuli and algorithms, returning to the body, to rhythm and human contact can be more revolutionary than it seems. And if, As the DJ says Surusinghe in the fashion magazine: “Music has a power comparable to that of religion,” then the dance floor is, perhaps, one of the last truly free sanctuaries. Image | Unspash Xataka | Instead of a cubata, a capuchino: the triumph of the daytime raves where the raveros consume coffee instead of alcohol

If you have ever wondered how much humanity would occupy if it was a giant meatball, quiet: you are not the only one

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Once, many years ago, I came up with a stupid question, At the level of Yahoo Answers. If I spit a lot, can I dehydrate? My reasoning was that, at some point, I would lose the ability to create fluid, but it did not happen a good moment of laughter with those present. There is an internet corner in which my question would have been taken very seriously: Reddit. And it is precisely where the definitive question is answered: how great a meatball made with all human flesh. At the moment, We are about 8.2 billion people running around the world (although there are those who think we have left Between 1,000 and 3,000 million along the way). Consult that real time number It is dizzy and addictive, and it is really difficult to “visualize” how much we are more than 8,000 million people. A lot, yes, but … how much? There is graphics and maps that try to reduce this so that we have a perspective of what the Asian population supposesfor example, but it is still complicated that we visualize what it would mean by together more than 8,200 souls in the same place. As I say, in Reddit there is a very special place, one called ‘they did the math‘In which users post absurd questions and solve themselves using all possible mathematical seriousness and rigor. The great human meatball We are going to focus on that idea of the “great human meatball.” Kiwi2703 was the one start This great debate, with simulation included. The parameters he took were 7,880 million existing people at that time, with a calculation of 62 kilos of average weight and a density of 985 kg/m³. Mixing everything and creating a compact ball, we would have a sphere of just under a kilometer in diameter. To contextualize everything much more, Kiwi shared a drawing in which we can see that the human meatball would be much higher than the Manhattan skyscrapersbut I would enter Central Park. As we say, the updated numbers would make the meatball be somewhat larger because we are 400 million more humans (and we will continue to increase until Let’s reach 10,000 millionS By the end of this century before starting to fall) but it is curious that we occupy so little space within our planet (once we have pressed in a ball, of course). This Absurd questions is a sciencebut taking them seriously can be really fun. Examples: would it be possible to put a rocket into orbit if the propulsion were candies mixed with Coca-Cola? The conclusion is that nosince it does not use Coca-Cola Light and because releasing co₂ from an aqueous solution does not have enough energy to achieve the necessary thrust. In another, a photograph of a type that has a structure like a harness that allows to have a compressor and a split of a air-conditioning Next to a battery to literally have a portable air conditioning. The question It is how long it can work and the calculations point to between one and two hours, but it depends a lot on the way we choose. Because yes, there are many real absurd questions, but others that force us to think and use those resources that we learn in the studies and think that they will not help us from nothing. An example? When I know look for calculate the weight of a huge cube of tungsten Next to a man, a really dense material. The users exposed the density of the metal, the height that man could have, the possible dimension of the cube and calculated the weight. And, at the end of the day, the calculation that all humanity can form a meatball that between Central Park is not worth much, but if you run out of subjects to talk about and You hate awkward silencesIt is definitely a good resource. For now, I’m going to see if my spit question has been resolved in Reddit. Image | Reddit (Kiwi2703) In Xataka | Europe has always seen Japan’s demographic crisis as the future. For Italy it is already the present

In 1178 a monk realized that the moon “was beating as a wounded snake.” Today we know what those flashes are

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The current tools They allow to see the universe surrounding us with An unimaginable detail Just a few years ago, but humanity has millennia lifts the sky and wondering things. What we have closer is the moon, and almost a thousand years ago someone wondered why it shone as if it were an emergency light. Today we have the answer. More or less. Flash. Although we have always looked at the sky, it was not until 1608 when we could do it with some detail. At the same time, several lens manufacturers fought to become the Telescope inventorswhich was a tube with a convex lens as a goal, a concave as ocular and … it ends. In 1609, Galileo Galilei learned about the invention and decided to build his version, to which He took advantage of good. Discovered the Jupiter satellites And, among many other things (dangerous for its time) He also documented lunar craters. In those first observations in more detail, astronomers began to wonder something: why do the moon emit flashes? What they probably did not know is that they were not the first to realize those fleeting lights. Luna beats. Let’s go back half a millennium, until 1178, the year in which Canterbury Gervasioa monk, wrote The following: “On the afternoon of June 18, 1178, after sunset, when the moon had just become visible, a wonderful phenomenon was witnessed by five men or more. There was a bright new moon, their horns were inclined to the east and sudden sparks ”. He continued: “Meanwhile, the body of the moon, which was below, twisted, so to speak, with anxiety … the moon throbbed as a wounded snake. Then, it recovered its usual state. This phenomenon was repeated a dozen times or more, adopting the flame various random twisted forms. After these transformations, the moon, from horn to horn … acquired a blackish appearance” What does this say? “The author of this letter received this report from men who saw him with his own eyes, and are willing to put his honor under oath that they have not added or falsified anything in the previous story.” Quiet, Gervasio, we believe you. What he described is Know Like TLP, ‘Transient lunar phenomena“or” transient lunar phenomena. “ This is something that has fascinated astronomers for centuries, and basically it is flashes, brightness located somewhere in the lunar surface or even darkening of it. Its duration is brief, and there are several theories. Riddled. One of them points, directly, to the constant meteorite bombardment experienced by the satellite. It is the explanation most supported by evidence, and it makes all the meaning. It is estimated that the moon receives the direct impact of tens of thousands of meteorites every year. NASA Calculate That 33,000 meteorites hit the moon every year, with about 100 the size of a Pinpong ball reaching its surface with a force equivalent to about 3.2 kilos of dynamite. Studies like Neliota They have achieved relate Those impacts to the flashes we see from Earth. The frequency is about eight flashes per hour, but in times when there is a greater meteoric activity, the figure increases to twelve per hour. Impacts on the moon collected by Neliota and related to ‘flashazos’ Alternatives. There are currents of alternative thinking that relate these ‘flashazos’ with gas emissions of the lunar subsoil -as they can be radon emanationsgas that has a presence in the satellite- or by geological fluctuations. The bombardment remains the most accepted theory, but there are ‘flashazos’ than They would not be related With impacts. Whatever it is, and if that English monk of 850 years ago could find out about this, it would surely feel relieved to know that those beats of the moon, those palpitations as a wounded snake, were not the product of their imagination. Images | University of CanterburyNASA, THAT In Xataka | A meteorite fell in the Sahara in 2023. It has turned out to be the piece of moon that we needed to solve an old enigma

Lorazepam’s silent epidemic

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Every night the gesture repeats: Slide the drawer, take the pill, let it dissolve slowly under the tongue. It is not an exception, but a generalized tendency that has made anxiolytics in part of the daily medicineness of many people in Spain. A custom that reflects more than an insomnia epidemic: an entire society that drags emotional discomfort without sufficient tools to manage it. A booming consumption. Names such as Lorazepam, Alprazolam or Diazepam have ceased to belong exclusively to medical language. Today they are part of the usual vocabulary, a reflection of an increasingly widespread reality: the generalized use of anxiolytics to manage stress, insomnia or daily anxiety. According to data from General Council of Psychology of Spain and the Organization of consumers and users (OCU)more than 42% of the population has consumed benzodiazepines in the last five years. While, 59% of young people between 25 and 29 years have taken anxiolytics in recent years. It is not a generational exception: it is a normalization of discomfort with recipe. There is always a base diagnosis. Sometimes, the pill comes to calm a timely discomfort, a difficult night, one day that overflows. Without therapy. Without real follow -up. Only the quick recipe, without time or resources for something else. Dr. Luis Gimeno Feliu, family doctor at the San Pablo Health Center (Zaragoza), Explain in an interview with El Heraldo that “there is a great rush in primary care for the lack of personnel. That leads the patient to the easy resource. The problem is that benzodiazepines create dependence quickly. The ideal is to use them shortly and occasionally, but in Spain they are consumed indiscriminately.” A blow of reality. The continued use of these substances entails real risks. According to the same OCU survey, 65% of consumers have been taking them for more than six months and almost 40% recognize that they would like to leave them. The problem, as indicated in the report, is that many patients do not have adequate psychological accompaniment or real therapeutic alternatives in the public health system. The easy recipe. In this context, we have talked with the clinical psychologist Alejandra by Pedro González Who identifies multiple causes that explain this trend: work stress, precariousness, housing crisis, constant hyperconnectivity and sequelae of confinement have generated a social scenario that favors discomfort. “The health system often responds with a quick recipe. Psychotherapy is more expensive and less accessible, so the anxiolytic becomes the simplest option, even if it is not the most appropriate,” he warns. The demand for psychological care has increased, but the public system cannot absorb it. “The most immediate and cheapest solution for many primary care doctors is to prescribe a drug. Not because they want, but because there are not enough means to offer quality psychotherapy from the first level welfare,” he explains. An anxious generation. For De Pedro, it is not exaggerated to talk about an “anxious generation.” Current society – he explains – encourages immediacy, extreme self -examination and poor tolerance to discomfort. “We are seeing young people with very little capacity to manage frustration, who feel overwhelmed by daily demands and that pathologize symptoms that are completely normal,” he says. Clinical psychologist Fernando Azor, In statements collected by El Confidencialreinforces this idea: “The problem is that many people have not learned to tolerate the physical sensations of anxiety. Taking a pill relieves, but reinforces the idea that these sensations are unacceptable.” To this is added the overinformation through the Internet and social networks. “Many patients come to consultation with a self -diagnosis under the arm and expectations of instant solutions. They are frustrated when something does not work quickly. They live with the alert pilot always on and look for a pill that turns off the alarm,” says De Pedro. The social face of the problem. The report Posted by Infocop (General Council of Psychology of Spain) adds a structural dimension to the phenomenon: the consumption of anxiolytic is triggered between women, older people, unemployed or with lower income. Women consume between 1.5 and 3 times more anxiolytics than men, and 19% of them have at least one package at home. In addition, 13.8% of women have anxiety disorders compared to 7.4% of men. The pattern is clear: the greater the social vulnerability, the greater the consumption of psychopharmaceuticals. Dr. Gimeno, From El Heraldohe insists: “Many consumption of anxiolytics are a consequence of social problems. They should be treated with social responses, not only pharmacological, not even psychotherapeutics.” More awareness, but also more confusion. Although the visibility of mental health has increased largely thanks to social media and networks. Mally digested self -help, misinformation and the tendency to convert any emotional discomfort into a medical pathology concern professionals. “We see people who come to consultation with poorly applied techniques, unrealistic expectations and accumulated frustration,” says Pedro. The health model, in addition, remains focused on reducing symptoms, not on the approach to the origin of suffering. “We do not have a system that helps people understand what is behind their anxiety. Quick solutions are sought, but discomfort is still there,” he adds. The stigma is still present. Despite progress in public consciousness, stigma still exists. “Some patients are ashamed to say that they take pills; others, to admit that they go to the psychologist. It depends a lot on the environment and generation,” says the psychologist consulted. What seems clear is that emotional suffering is more present than ever, and that the answer cannot remain only pharmacological. Solution or patch? The debate is still open. For many patients, the anxiolytic has been a lifeguard. But the risk is to become a silent routine. “If there is no therapeutic work in the background, the problems will return. Because the medication does not change your thoughts, or your links, or your lifestyle,” Alejandra de Pedro concludes. While consumer figures continue to increase, mental health psychologists and professionals coincide in a common message: soling the symptoms is not enough. If it … Read more

The countries with the greatest oil reserves, exposed in this graphic with a sad protagonist: Venezuela

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Humanity is still tied to oil. Although the rise of renewable energies He pointed to one revolutionrecently we have seen that, when things get ugly and We need energy peaksone has to Pull fossil fuels again. The oil companies themselves who got into the renewable car They unchecked a few months agoand that is why it is interesting to know What countries have that oil. And it is something that is illustrated perfectly in this graph. The rich. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With data from the EIAin it the production is not shown, but the reserves. They are two very different things and will make sense immediately. Before that, Venezuela’s reserves are imposing, with 303,000 million certified barrels. Secondly, Saudi Arabia with 267,000 million and, in third place, an Iran in which oil has been the protagonist in recent weeks due to the confrontation with Israel. A lot of distance from Venezuela we have Canada, Iraq, Eau, Kuwait, Russia, the United States or Libya. And, of these last names, the two American countries are those that are separated in the graph because they are not part of the OPEC. OPEC+ and the monopoly. In 1960, five heavy pesos on that list (Venezuela, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi IRK and Rabia formed the organization of oil export countries, OPEC. Its objective was to coordinate and unify oil policies to maintain stable prices, ensure supply and, above all, protect your interests. Over time other countries were added, forming the well -known OPEC+ (which has its own internal cohesion problems. Together, member countries concentrate about 80% of global oil reserves, but although Venezuela has imposing reserves, its production does not go to par due to political blockages and limitations. At its peak, they produced three million barrels per day. Today they are the twenty -first producing country with 770,000 barrels per day, behind countries with much lower reserves. One of the wells that China is operating China wants to sign up for the list. At the top, the United States, Saudi Russia and Arabia lead the ranking with 8-12 million barrels per day, but although it does not appear in the graph, there is a country that we should take into account: China. Currently, the Asian giant is the Greater World Oil Importerbut in recent years it has increased significantly Its internal production. Thanks to pharaonic works that include some of the deepest wells carried out by humanityin March of this year they got a record of 4.6 million barrels per day. It was the highest point in the history of the country and, although inequality was very high between production and import, apart from continuing excavating they have been made with record reserves in recent years. It is calculated that They tell With more than 1,180 million stored barrels that would shield them, for a while, of any cutting in the supply. The United States, for example, also has a reserve to respond to crises and the sources vary, but the updated figures point to about 400 million barrels. Pure and hard strategy. Beyond the obvious importance of oil on the economy of a producing country, we have the Strategic Facet. As oil continues moving the worldhaving large reservations allows countries to exercise their influence on international politics. As? Coordinating production to influence prices and economyFor example. And we have also seen how oil has been a protagonist agent in armed conflicts. The invasion of Iraq, for example, or the war between Iran and Israel that, without affecting the flow of crude oil, already caused that The market will panic. Images | Visual Capitalist, CNPC In Xataka | The oil market faces a triple coup and IEA is clear why: Iran, Opep+ and electric vehicles

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