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That Oracle speaks out on the soap opera between NVIDIA and OpenAI is a bad sign. That it will not have benefits until 2029, too

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Oracle counted in a tweet that the agreement between NVIDIA and OpenAI has “zero impact” on your financial relationships with the company that owns ChatGPT. This is more complicated than it seems, because the AI ​​business could end up collapsing if a large company like NVIDIA or Oracle shows even a hint of doubt towards OpenAI. The latest statements by Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, have made the market nervous, although Oracle’s path is not very encouraging either. Why is it relevant? Oracle just announced that will raise between 45,000 and 50,000 million of dollars this year through debt and equity issuance to build cloud infrastructure for its large AI clients. Among them, OpenAI stands out with a contract of 300,000 million of dollars for five years that starts in 2028. The problem is that OpenAI is not profitable right now, and Oracle needs OpenAI to raise capital so that it can pay it. It is a circular financing circuit where everyone depends on everyone Keep signing checks. The numbers don’t add up yet. The contract with OpenAI involves about $60 billion annually starting in 2028. To fulfill it, Oracle must buy approximately 400,000 chips NVIDIA’s GB200, with an estimated cost of $40 billion just for its flagship data center in Abilene, Texas. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s total revenue in 2025 was around $13 billion, according to Bloomberg. Oracle is betting its bottom line that a company that currently burns more cash than it generates can pay bills equal to five times its current annual revenue. The alarm signals. In January, investors accused Oracle of hiding the need for more debt to finance its AI infrastructure, according to Reuters. Oracle’s debt-to-equity ratio is at 6x, and credit default swaps reached levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis in December, according to point Bloomberg. In addition to all this obstacle, Oracle’s action has fallen 50% from its September peak, when it announced precisely the agreement with OpenAIerasing some $460 billion in market capitalization. ANDnegative n until 2029. Developing data centers for AI has pushed Oracle’s free cash flow into negative territory, where it is expected to remain until 2030, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Jefferies esteem that the company will need to raise more funds in 2027 and subsequent years, since cash flow will not return to positive until 2029. Oracle plans to raise 50 billion: half through equity, with convertible preferred securities and a share sale program of up to 20 billion, and the other half through a single bond issue in early 2026. Between the lines. What really worries the market is the structure of mutual dependence. NVIDIA funds OpenAI. OpenAI pays Oracle. Oracle buys chips from NVIDIA. Everyone’s income growth depends on everyone else continuing to write checks. When Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, declared to journalists that the 100 billion agreement with OpenAI “was never a commitment” and that they would invest “step by step”, Oracle had to come out with that tweet to calm the waters. And that tweet is precisely the type of communication that worries investors. Cover image | IEEE Awards, Hartmann Studios, Wikimedia Commons In Xataka | The CEO of Airbnb is clear that there are companies with too many meetings: his trick is to follow Jony Ive’s philosophy

There are people so against sleeping that they have even made caffeine patches. It’s a bad idea

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If the 90s were the decade of nicotine patches to save the lungs and the 2000s that of transdermal contraceptives, 2026 has given birth to a different and more revealing obsession: wellness patchmania. If we thought we had seen it all in the universe of digital self-care —tapes to cover the mouth and sleep better, stickers to lose weight effortlessly or nighttime facial bandages that promise wake up with botox effect— the last frontier is here: patches to have energy, concentrate more or sleep better or reduce appetite. Simply peel off a small sticker, adhere it to your skin, and trust it to do its job. The so-called wellness patches or wellness patches are transdermal adhesives that promise to release active substances through the skin for several hours. As brands explain and advertising campaigns, allow you to avoid pills, bypass digestion and offer a slow and constant release of ingredients such as caffeine, berberine, B vitamins, melatonin, magnesium or plant extracts such as ashwagandha. According to The Guardianit is a market that is increasingly saturated with products that promise to treat “the most common symptoms of everyday life”: fatigue, stress, lack of sleep, menstrual discomfort or low mood. Many of these patches are sold in bright colors and designs designed not only to be worn, but to be seen. Well-being stops being something intimate and becomes a visible sign. The phenomenon is not new in medicine: nicotine patches, contraceptives or some hormonal treatments have been used for decades with proven effectiveness. The difference, As several experts point outis that these medical patches work because the molecules they release are suitable for passing through the skin and because they have passed rigorous clinical trials. In the world of wellness, that requirement disappears. An increasingly tired society The appeal of these products lies more in their aesthetics and comfort than in their effectiveness. In other words, there is no need to swallow a pill, prepare a drink or change routines: just stick something to your skin. As pointed out in The Atlanticpatches fit perfectly into a culture obsessed with constant self-optimization and hack vital. Furthermore, by being visible, they turn the user into a brand ambassador: they generate conversation, social validation and the feeling of doing something for their own health. However, the scientific consensus is quite clear. As Michelle Spear explainsProfessor of Anatomy at the University of Bristol, the skin is not designed to absorb substances, but to block them. Its outer layer, the stratum corneum, acts as a wall formed by dead cells and lipids that prevents the passage of most compounds. Only some very specific molecules can pass through it easily: small, fat-soluble and without an electrical charge. Nicotine or estradiol meet these conditions. Many of the substances present in wellness patches such as vitamin B12, minerals such as magnesium or iron, or plant compounds such as berberine are too large or water-soluble to pass through the skin in significant quantities. In other words, if a substance requires high oral doses or even injections to be effective, the probability that a sticker will be able to deliver it in a useful way is very low. Added to this is the lack of independent studies that show that these patches can correct real deficiencies or treat health problems. The problem of “feeling better” Immunologist John Tregoning suggests a key question: How do you measure whether something works when the effect is “feeling better”? Tiredness, stress or concentration are deeply subjective experiences, influenced by multiple variables. Sleeping more, changing routines, eating better or simply believing that something will work can alter perception. Beyond the lack of effectiveness, experts warn of possible side effects. From the British environment have collected cases of dizziness and feeling of weakness after using patches with berberine. Added to this are skin irritations, allergic reactions and a false sense of security that can delay seeking medical attention. When the patch is no longer harmless. Caffeine patches are promoted as a gentler alternative to coffee or energy drinks. However, testimonies collected in different media they mention nervousness, difficulty sleeping or feeling overstimulated. The problem is not just the caffeine, but the inability to control the dose: unlike a drink, the patch continues to release it for hours, even when the body no longer needs it. Berberine poses a different problem. These patches are marketed as appetite suppressants or metabolism accelerators, and have even been compared – without scientific basis – to drugs such as Ozempic. The experts remember that there is no solid evidence berberine can be absorbed effectively through the skin or cause significant weight loss. Furthermore, these products are becoming popular in a context of the return of aesthetic pressure and the obsession with thinness, especially among young women. The risk is not only physiological, but cultural: presenting hunger control as something that can be turned off with a sticker reinforces an instrumental and problematic relationship with the body. The patch as a cultural symptom The underlying question cuts across all sources: why do we look for such simple solutions? As Deborah Cohen points outwe are medicalizing normal life experiences. Sleeping poorly, being tired or losing concentration are not always pathologies; Many times they are logical responses to a demanding, hyperconnected and poorly rested environment. However, we live in a culture that prefers shortcuts to rethinking. It is easier to put on a patch than to review schedules, workloads, expectations or rest habits. These products do not promise to change life, but to make it more bearable without questioning it. They function, in that sense, more as a cultural pain reliever than as a health tool. Most experts agree thatif a patch makes someone feel better and does not cause harm, its occasional use is not necessarily dangerous. The problem arises when they are presented as real solutions to complex problems or when they replace basic habits such as sleeping, resting, eating well or consulting a health professional. Perhaps the success of caffeine and berberine … Read more

Deepfakes are much more than a bad joke. Now the Government wants them to be a violation of the right to honor

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The year started with X filling up with photos of women in bikinis. Everything was normal, except that it was other users who “undressed” them using Grok, Elon Musk’s AI. In the midst of the revived debate about deepfakes, the Government has announced a new draft law with which they seek to combat them. Against deepfakes. The text It is a modification of the organic law of civil protection of the right to honor, personal and family privacy and one’s own image. According to the Minister of Inclusion, Elma Saiz, “it is a more protectionist text, adapted to new technologies.” The “ultra-impersonations carried out with artificial intelligence” or deepfakes They will be a crime when the affected person does not give their consent and the objective is to undermine their moral integrity, generating sexual or humiliating content. In these cases there may be a prison sentence of up to 2 years. The draft also raises the age of consent for image transfer to 16 years (currently it is 14 years). However, the text continues to consider use to damage the reputation of the affected person to be illegitimate, even if they have given their consent. After death. The main novelty of this reform is that it contemplates the protection of the image or voice even after the death of the person, as long as it has been specified in the will. As they point out in The Countrythis could directly affect some true-crime content in which it is used AI to recreate the image or voice of murder victims. Another case that is considered is when the perpetrator of a crime tells details of the crime in podcasts, interviews or other media. If your story reopens the victim’s wound, it will be considered an unlawful interference with their rights. Let us remember the case of book by José Bretón. The exceptions. Those that already existed in the old law are maintained, such as recordings authorized by a judge or the publication of private conversations, as long as their content is news of general interest. The novelty is that specific AI exceptions are included. The image or voice of a public figure may be used if it is in a creative or humorous context. Of course, they must clearly specify that AI has been used in its creation. Was it necessary? This is the question that some lawyers like Borja Adsuara in his X profile. His argument is that the current law already protects the right to honor in all areas, so it was not necessary to mention new technologies such as social networks, AI or deepfakes. However, it must be taken into account, as they point out in Reutersthat the European Union is requiring member countries to regulate deepfakes, especially those with non-consensual sexual content, by 2027. Previous cases. The Grok case has reignited the debate about deepfakes by the volume of images generatedbut it is not the first time that this type of practice occurs. In 2023 there was the first massive case in Spain when some teenagers generated fake nude images of several minors. Recently we also learned about the first fine from the Spanish Data Protection Agency for a minor who used an app to “undress” a classmate. Image | Unsplash (edited) In Xataka | The United Kingdom is tired of people bypassing porn blocking: their new idea is to block it on iOS and Android

Washing chicken “to clean it” sounds hygienic. Science says it’s a bad idea (and very dangerous)

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“Chicken should never be washed.” This time, it was Higinio Gómez (one of the most renowned gourmet polleros in Spain) who reopened the debate in an interview in El País. But the issue is recurrent and inexplicably generates very opposing positions: from those convinced that washing chicken is a way to “remove germs or dirt” to those who, rightly, say that it is a terrible idea. But, as Gómez himself would say in his establishment, ‘let’s go in parts’. What’s wrong with the chicken? Let’s start with the most basic: nothing happens to the chicken. The risk linked to ‘washing chicken’ has nothing to do with the chicken itself. It has to do with cross contamination: the bacteria from raw chicken (which would be eliminated during preparation) transfer to the hands, sink, countertops, and various utensils. Often, in fact, when washing chicken we end up putting those bacteria in foods that are ready to eat. The EFSA estimated in billions of euros annually the impact of pollution Campylobacter (a bug especially linked to chicken). Sometimes it’s because you cook it wrong, yes; but often it is due to handling raw food without any type of rigor. What the evidence says. In a now classic observational study by the North American USDA, was discovered that, in fact, what I just explained was what really happened: among those who washed the chicken, 60% contaminated the sink and up to 26% ended up transferring bacteria to the salad. And, in fact, we already have experimental studies that explain the mechanism: beyond the obvious, “washing generates droplets capable of transferring bacteria and increasing environmental pollution” And why do people insist on washing it? That’s a good question with numerous answers: from the cultural and historical heritage (after all, when the chicken was slaughtered at home, washing did make more sense) to a lack of sense of control that ends up turning against us. Let’s be practical: How to avoid cross contamination when cooking chicken? Separate raw chicken from other foods: It is a good idea to keep the chicken raw separated from other foods. This is always true, but especially with all those that are consumed raw (such as fruits and vegetables). Use different utensils: We have talked about it with the cutting boardsbut it is especially effective advice with knives and other utensils. In fact, the recommendation is that, if we do not have several sets of utensils, wash them carefully between uses with hot water and soap. Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly: After handling raw chicken, you should not only wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds; Instead, we should disinfect all surfaces with which it has been in contact. Image | Christian Guillen / Imani In Xataka | Washing raw chicken increases risk of foodborne infection

everything that is homey is bad for your health

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Christmas is many details: the endless advertisements, the lottery that does not play, the mantecados and the nougats, the posadas, the tíos, the red flowers or the festivals of lights. But one of the most characteristic, at least for me, is the smell of burning wood. I don’t know if it’s because of the hypnotic effect of the fire, the heat they generate or the aroma of burning wood, but a good fire makes a home. So much so that it has become part of the archetypal image we have of him. There is only one small problem: it kills us slowly. At this point, Sam Harris is right.. For some reason, people think that breathing winter air scented with burning wood is something radically different from lighting a cigarette or smelling car smoke. I don’t know, it’s like it has an aura of a “natural thing” that purifies it and makes it harmless. But no, nothing like that. If something is repeated over and over again in the scientific literature is the certainty that there is no amount safe of wood smoke to breathe. And this smoke has hundreds of carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic or simply toxic compounds. The UN calculations It’s not just hysteria: children who live in homes with fireplaces are more likely to develop asthma, coughs, bronchitis, sleep problems and breathing disorders. What’s more, inhaling wood smoke (no matter how little) affects the lung immune system, increasing the likelihood of colds, flu and other respiratory infections. Come on, it’s bad for your health. As Harris pointed outIn 2000, the UN estimated that the use of fossil fuels in the home caused almost two million deaths premature. Almost double the number of traffic accident deaths. And yet, we do not take it for granted. Although it is true that most of these deaths occur in countries where cooking is still done with wood or charcoal, the truth is that there is no compelling reason to continue burning wood on a regular basis. (Matt Seymour/Unsplash) It is not that the problem of fireplaces is equivalent to that of cigarettes, it is that in some ways it is worse: the “passive smokers” are no longer those next to us, but the entire neighborhood. This is, without a doubt, a curious phenomenon: the idealization of a heating system that is severely harmful to health. Something that, furthermore, as Harris points out, is difficult to accept, that they are so normalized that we are not able to assume it without great efforts. Isn’t it time to retire chimneys once and for all? In Xataka | In its conquest of Christmas, Tartar has introduced a new tradition in Spain: the “Australian New Year’s Eve” In Xataka | One more Christmas, it’s time to talk about ‘The Holiday’ for what it is: one of the most influential films of the 21st century Image | Hayden Scott

Psychology knows that we are turning bad education into diagnosis

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A decade ago, if someone behaved selfishly in a relationship, we would clearly say that they were “selfish.” Today, you will most likely hear that that person has an “avoidance bond” or that his or her behavior is a “response to past trauma“. That is why today psychology has come to explain absolutely everything, but there is a problem: we are pathologizing everyday life. A new idea. The psychologist Ángela Fernández recently threw a dart at the center of the debate: “not everything is trauma or anxious attachment; sometimes it is simply a lack of education.” And this phrase is not just an unpopular opinion; is the summary of a growing concern in the scientific literature about how the “trauma culture” is blurring the boundary between pathology and character. “Overpathologization.” The concept is not new, but it has never been so relevant. scientific literature I already warned about the tendency that exists to look for an illness in every action we do inappropriately in daily life. In this way, modern psychology runs the risk of turning normal activities or reactions, such as sadness after a breakup or work stress, into a medical problem. This increase in diagnoses It has a pretty dangerous side effect.: trivializes serious disorders. When we call any emotional wound or inconvenience “trauma,” we are eroding the perception of human resilience, and in the process, downplaying those who truly suffer from PTSD. If everything is trauma, nothing is. In the Anglo-Saxon clinical field, the term “Trauma Culture” has been coined. Publications in Psychology Today warn that this fashion of seeking an explanation clinic for every emotional reaction can be counterproductive. Far from helping, it pushes people towards therapeutic interventions that they don’t fit your real problempreventing grieving or learning processes that are simply part of growing up. This is something that is added to by different psychotherapists who emphasize that considering each conflict that exists in a couple as a “response to trauma” mixes everyday stress with pathological conditions that are truly very complex. All this does is create a generation of people who consider themselves “broken” by default, instead of understanding that frustration and conflict are inherent to human interaction. It is selfishness. One of the most controversial points of Fernández’s criticism is the mention of “lack of education” or maturity, and the bibliography seems to agree with him. Published works in ScienceDirect about the “egoism-altruism spectrum” suggest that certain harmful behaviors are not explained by a “deregulated” nervous system, but by personality traits such as lack of empathy or manipulation. Something that is innate to a person, and that can hardly be treated. In this way, we have subclinical psychopathic traits: people who do not have a mental illness, but who show excessive interest in their own well-being. In these cases, the clinical diagnosis acts as a “cloak of invisibility” that exempts the person who causes some type of harm from personal responsibility. An excuse. That is why if I have had bad behavior, I can create an “invisibility cloak” effect that exempts me from personal responsibility. This way, I can blame this behavior on the parents or my own personal past, as if it were an “attachment trauma.” But the reality is that, often, these are unempathetic patterns that should be treated from ethics and education, not from the psychiatry manual. The danger of labels in infancy. Different scientific reports point because we are labeling normal variations in children’s behavior as mental disorders. This means that what was once a restless child or one who had difficulty following rules, today runs the risk of being quickly diagnosed and medicated. By turning behavioral problems into psychopathologies, we are missing the opportunity to teach discipline, limits, and frustration tolerance. As experts point out Birchwood Clinic, extensive use of these labels increases anxiety and medicalizationcreating a dependency on the health system for problems that, historically, were resolved in the social and family environment. The verdict of science. Social media has created a market of “pocket diagnostics” where selfishness is disguised as “self-care” and rudeness as “emotional limit.” However, clinical psychology insists: for something to be a disorder, there must be significant functional impairment. That is why being inconsiderate towards others does not make a person a psychiatric patient, but sometimes you simply have to grow up. Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Those born between 1950 and 1970 have a psychological advantage over other generations: they are entering their “peak”

They have dismantled the latest Huawei phones and what they have found is bad news for the US: 57%

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May 2019, this was the date the United States declared that Huawei was “a threat to national security”thus becoming the first major victim of the trade war against China. Without being able to use American technology, the company was mortally wounded, or that’s what we believed so. Today, Huawei has not only achieved return to the top of mobile phones in Chinahas also become the banner of technological independence. 57%. It is the percentage of Chinese-made components that we can find in the Huawei Mate 70 Ultra launched in 2024 and the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra launched this same year. They tell it in Nikkei Asia where, in collaboration with the Japanese firm Fomalhaut Techno Solutionshave disassembled both models to analyze the internal components. It is the result of six years of efforts to become independent despite the vetoes. The turning point. The US veto forced Huawei to look for alternatives and create new national supply chains. In 2020, the percentage of Chinese components in Huawei flagships was only 19% and in 2023 it increased to 32%. Reaching 57% in 2024 represents a jump of 23 points, which is said to be early. The countries where most of the components that Huawei managed to supply came from were Japan, the United States and South Korea. Processor. It is the Kirin 9020, the first manufactured entirely in China and most critical component of all. It is a 7nm chip manufactured by SMIC. To achieve the 7 nanometer process they would have used multi-pattern techniquesquite a technical feat considering that they do not have access to the newer machines, but rather have done so by “tweaking” old ASML machines. More components. There are more key parts that have managed to be manufactured entirely in China, such as the RAM memory, which is produced by ChangXin Memory Technologies, or the storage, produced by Yangtze Memory Technologies. For OLED screens, almost all the components are Chinese, specifically from the company BOE Technology Group. Challenges. The 2019 veto was a near-death blow for Huawei; sales fell dramatically and there were moments when we had serious doubts about its continuity, until it began to resurface. Being able to manufacture critical components in China is an enormous achievement, but there is a reality and that is that, technologically, Huawei is several years behind. To put it in context, the Kirin 9020 that they launched in 2024 is at the level of the Snapdragon 855 or the A12 Bionic launched in 2018. The challenge now is to manage to cut positions and Huawei is already doing it. The Huawei Mate 80 Pro mounts the Kirin 9030which has managed to cross the 7nm barrier and reach 5nm. Furthermore, recent leaks indicate that They have managed to copy an ASML SVU machine which would allow them to go even further, although at the moment it is not ready to produce commercial chips. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Huawei is coming back. And not everyone is prepared for what is coming

We have been lowering the toilet lid all our lives for hygiene. Science has bad news: it is not enough

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Every time we flush the toilet, a small invisible “rash” occurs in the bathroom. It is not a literary exaggeration: science calls it ‘toilet plume’, or toilet plume: a phenomenon by which a Water discharge launches thousands of microscopic particles into the air loaded with everything you just deposited in the cup. A piece of advice. For years, it’s been pretty simple: lower the lid before pressing the toilet button. However, recent research suggests that this gesture, although useful, is not the definitive shield we thought. A microscopic volcano. When the water enters the cup with force to clean the residue that we have deposited, the impact generates bioaerosols. These droplets are so light that they can remain suspended in the air for minutes or even hours, something that can be quite dangerous for those people who have low defenses. A biological cocktail. According to the scientific reviews that have been done on the matter, the invisible clouds we are talking about are real cocktails with numerous biological agents. For example, bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Clostridium. This is something that is magnified when we say that in a single gram of feces there can be up to 1,000,000,000,000 viral particles. And this is something that is magnified in public bathrooms, as scientific studies have shown that bacteria are not only found near the toilet, but also on the floors and sinks, confirming that pollution does not remain stagnant in the air. The myth of the cover. A priori, lowering the lid should be a clear solution to prevent bacteria from escaping, and although it helps a little, the reality is that it is not perfect. According to science, Lowering the lid reduces the dispersion of visible droplets by 30 to 60%being a substantial improvement to prevent heavier particles from landing even on the toothbrush. However, there is a design problem: the gap between the cup and the seat. The finest aerosols (particles less than 1 µm) are expelled under pressure through these slots. In experiments with viruses such as MS2, it has been proven that up to 57% of aerosols manage to escape even with the lid closed. And once outside, their size allows them to avoid many conventional air filters. It’s not just disgust. As microbiologist Raúl Rivas explainsthis is not just a debate about aesthetic hygiene. Flushing the toilet without lowering the lid releases many viruses and bacteria that may even be resistant to antibiotics. But this is something that is greatly amplified in public bathroomswhere ventilation is poor and where there are a large number of people per day. Here there is a high concentration of particles that, due to their small size, can be inhaled or deposited on the surfaces we touch such as the doorknob or the paper dispenser. What should be done. Science doesn’t say to stop lowering the cap, as it’s still best for larger droplets, but it suggests it’s not enough. That is why the tips that we can apply especially in the domestic sphere are the following: The summary is quite clear: the toilet is a very efficient microbicidal aerosol generator, and lowering the lid is the first step although it does not replace good hygiene and ventilation. Images | Giorgio Trovato CDC In Xataka | We have been believing that bacteria are a weapon against tumors for 150 years. And finally we have discovered how

The loggerhead turtle is increasingly common on the Spanish coasts. It is a bad sign about the Mediterranean

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The Mediterranean is being invaded. The ‘fried egg’ jellyfish or the imposing lionfish They are two undesirable new tenants, but there is one animal that is much less annoying, It is not invasive and yet it is a problem that it is colonizing the western Mediterranean. This is the loggerhead sea turtle. And it is another adaptive response to climate change. The loggerhead turtle. Its scientific name is Caretta caretta and is one of only two species of sea turtle (the other is the Chelonia mydasor green turtle) that reproduces in the Mediterranean beaches. If you look at the map, its distribution is worldwide. They enjoy warm waters with a wide range of surface temperatures (a range between 13 and 28 degrees Celsius), but things change during the spawning season. Nesting females prefer temperatures between 27 and 28 degrees, making Mediterranean beaches an ideal area to lay eggs. The traditional spawning grounds in the Mediterranean were the eastern area, especially the Greek beaches, but something is happening: an increase in temperatures is creating a double imbalance. A determining factor. It is curious, but temperature controls both the willingness of turtles to nest in an area and, and this is almost the most important, the sixth of their hatchlings. The sexual determination of chelonians depends on the incubation temperature in the eggs buried in the sand. With this strict fan of 27-28 degrees, a balanced population between males and females is achieved. With higher temperatures, there is a imbalance towards the predominant birth of females. This is a problem for the turtle population itself, since an imbalance of this type would put the species at risk. And even more curious is that mature females have instinctively found a biological refuge on the coasts of the western Mediterranean, where the beaches are somewhat colder (for the moment). The objective is to ensure greater sexual diversity. Increase in nesting. HE esteem that, in the Mediterranean basin, there are about 8,000 eggs per year. The traditional places are Greece, Türkiye, Libya, Tunisia and Cyprus, but little by little we are seeing that change in the balance. In 2001 found a first nest on a beach in Almería, in Vera, and since then loggerhead turtle nests have been recorded in other parts of the geography of the western Mediterranean. The turtles They are spawning in Spainbut also in Italy, Malta and Tunisia. In addition to the Almeria coast, the areas in which the turtles are creating nests are Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, Murcia and they have been observed in Fuengirola and Marbella. Conservation and awareness. There are organizations that, increasingly, point out that nesting has been increasing in recent years, and regardless of what it means at a climatic level, it is another problem due to the human factor. In countries “accustomed” to this, where nests are protected, the population knows not to interfere with them. In others where turtles are beginning to nest, it is possible that we, maliciously or unintentionally, interfere with the reproductive cycles of a species that is considered under threat. That is why it is also they throw citizen awareness campaigns to inform about them and how to proceed if someone finds a nest that is not already being monitored. For example, performing events in schools on biology and conservation of the species. It is also perform awareness work with fishermen as a target audience, since fishing activities are one of the main causes of death. Likewise, when a clutch is detected, there is the possibility of protecting the nest in situ (where the turtles have to hatch correctly and take the infernal path to the sea) or take the eggs to controlled breeding centerswhere they mature and are subsequently released. Turtle nursery in Fuerteventura Poison beyond the heat. But there is another problem apart from climate change and human action: the pollutants that are poisoning the turtles. In recent years there has been studied the liver of at least a dozen loggerhead turtles, finding traces of PCB, PCDF and PCDD. These are chemicals, pesticides that alter the immune and hormonal systems of turtles. It is something that comes from the hand of the esurface runoff carrying chemical waste from agriculture and industry to the rivers that subsequently flow into the sea. And torture, unfortunately, is becoming a thermometer of the state of our waters, both in terms of temperature and the presence of chemicals that are already altering the fauna. Images | H. Zell, Dionysisa303 In Xataka | The owner of Loro Parque in the Canary Islands charges against animal rights activists. And with this it reopens the debate on the existence of zoos

Toledo has stretched its Christmas season to last 49 days and attract more tourists. Some neighbors think it’s a bad idea.

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Day of celebration for some. Outrageous to others. The one of Friday, November 21 It was a night of conflicting feelings in Toledo. While the City Council celebrated the official switching on of its Christmas lights (the early risers of its history) a group of neighbors gathered in the historic center to protest the ‘bill’ of mass Christmas tourism. For them, long celebrations of 49 days (until January 8) marked by crowds and difficulties in continuing with their lives. The (mega)Christmas. They do not reach the height of Vigo, which turned on its lights November 15 and probably won’t turn them off until well into Januarybut Christmas in Toledo will be much longer than usual this year. The City Council decided advance one week the implementation of its lighting and redoubling its commitment to attract tourists: if in 2024 the red button is pressed on November 29in 2025 it was activated the 21stwhen they started to shine 1.1 million LEDs100,000 more than a year ago. The result: Christmas brighter and more extensive that are remembered in the Castilian-La Mancha town. A percentage: 94.25%. The bet seems to have gone well for the City Council, which a few days ago he stuck out his chest due to the flood of tourists it received during the Constitution and Immaculate Bridge. According to the data provided by its Tourism Councilor, the city achieved a hotel occupancy of 94.25%, which, he emphasizes, consolidates it as “one of the preferred destinations” for visitors. As a reference, the year-on-year increase in visits has exceeded 47%. Visitors came to Toledo from Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, ​​Seville, other towns in the province of Toledo and even travelers from France, Italy, Argentina and the USA. The tourist boom was not limited to just the long weekend. Although Christmas has not yet started as such, The Spanish posted last week a series of photos that show that the historic center of the city was crowded again on the weekend of December 13 and 14. One coin, two sides. Greater influx of visitors usually translates (not always) in more business for restaurants, more guests in hotels and a greater number of potential clients for commerce. In Toledo, however, there are those who has raised his voice to warn that all this does not come for free to the city. And not just because of the cost of Christmas decorations. The same Friday that the mayor presided over the ceremony a group of residents of the historic center turning on the lights they concentrated to denounce the impact that crowds and mass tourism have on their lives. Is it something new? No. The debate on tourism (and its impact) it’s not new in Toledo. In fact, a few months ago the City Council gave the green light to an ordinance that seeks precisely to “promote a balanced coexistence between visitors and neighbors” and sets limits to the use of megaphones or tourist groups. This Christmas, however, the patience of the neighbors seems to have been exhausted. First for the phenomenon of Christmas tourismwhich transcends to other areas of Spain. Second, because this year Toledo has decided stretch your holidays. “Dangerous streets”. The most critical residents warn of the saturation of the historic center and how this affects their daily lives. After all, those who live in tourist areas are forced to continue with their routines (working, shopping, walking the dog…) with the streets crowded with visitors. “There are a lot of people circulating. I understand that they come to do tourism, to enjoy themselves, but they should be aware that there are people living there who are carrying out their normal daily lives,” explains to elDiario Natacha, a neighbor of the Historic Center who complains about the “overcrowding” on weekends. One of her neighbors, Carmen, goes even further and warns: “The streets are becoming dangerous.” And what is the solution? There is who poses distribute the tourist offer throughout the town to decongest the historic center and seek a “more livable” city model. One thing is clear: Toledo is forced to deal with two realities that seem to collide with each other. A, the discomfort on the part of its inhabitants with the agglomerations, something that is clear with their protests. The other reality is that tourism is a fundamental (and inalienable) source of wealth for the region. In 2023, for example, it assumed 7.3% of GDP of Castilla-La Mancha. Beyond Toledo. Toledo is not the only city that has encountered such a dilemma. In Vigo too have registered protests of neighbors and groups critical of the Christmas lights phenomenon, which according to the City Council attracts several million of visitors to the city in a matter of two months. Perhaps the most critical voice is that of the Vigo Central Zone Neighborhood Association, which complaint that the holidays become “a period of circulatory chaos, mobility problems, security problems, dirt and noise and light pollution in the heart of the city.” Your complaints already They have arrived at the court. Images | Toledo City Council In Xataka | There is a reason why Vigo is announcing its Christmas in Japan. And it has little to do with Japanese tourists

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