Blue

What is the blue dot at the top of your Android mobile

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Let’s tell you what is the blue dot that will soon start to appear on the screen of your Android mobile. This is a new indicator similar to the green and orange dot which already appears on many devices, a privacy indicator that tells you when an app is accessing specific sensitive data on your mobile. We are going to start the article by explaining what this blue dot on the mobile screen means, and the fact that it can appear or disappear from it. Then, we will tell you what you should do in the event that this point appears for no apparent reason, an indicator that an app could be doing something behind your back. What does the blue dot on your phone’s status bar mean? The blue dot in the status bar that appears at the top right of the screen of an Android mobile means that an app is accessing your location. Every time your phone is sending your location the dot will appear, and then it will disappear when it stops doing so. This is a method with which your mobile phone tells you the exact moment in which the location permission is being used. The goal is that apps do not use your location without you knowing itand that you can detect bad behavior in applications. Therefore, with this three types of colored dots will appear on your mobile screen: green dot: Indicates that an application is using your mobile camera. orange dot: Indicates that an application is using your mobile microphone. blue dot: Indicates that an application is using your mobile location. At the moment, this indicator has already begun to arrive to some Google Pixel phones, such as the Google Pixel 10a. However, it is expected to become a standard indicator that will also soon begin to reach other Android phones from brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, and others. What to do if this point appears for no apparent reason This blue indicator will appear whenever your phone is using location data. If it appears when you do not have an application open It is because someone is accessing them in the background. If you see that your location is being used but you don’t know what application it may be, it is best to check your location access permissions in the settings of your Android mobile. To do this, go to Settings and go to the section Privacy and security. Once inside, click on Privacy Settingsand inside access the section Permissions manager. This will take you to a list with all the permissions on your mobile, and you must click on the permission Location. By doing this, you will go to a list where you will see all apps that have permission to access your locationboth those that do it at all times and those that can only be accessed while you use them. Here, you can review which applications you are giving this access to, and you can revoke it from any that you consider should not have it. Images | Noelia Hontoria In Xataka Basics | 47 free and open source alternative Android applications that respect your privacy as much as possible

Amazon had everything ready to attack the Starlink monopoly. Until Blue Origin exploded into pieces

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On April 20, 2023, the inaugural flight of SpaceX’s Starship took place. Less than four minutes later, the space vehicle explodedbut that was not what was amazing. The amazing thing was that all the company staff celebrated that explosion applauding wildlyas if it had been an extraordinary success. And the truth is that it was, because this launch was part of the company’s incremental philosophy: it doesn’t matter if the rockets explode, because (for the moment) that is what they have to do. When the Blue Origin rocket exploded last weekthere was very little to celebrate. And that is a big difference between both companies. This was not an explosion “by design”. There is a critical difference between the Starship prototype explosions and that of the New Glenn: intent. While SpaceX uses its tests to push its rockets to the limit and learn from those often controlled destructions, the New Glenn that exploded a few days ago was theoretically a production vehicle intended to complete operational missions. It’s one thing to lose a rocket with no payload that is designed to learn from mistakes, but quite another to lose one with a payload that real customers depend on. Blue Origin runs out of ramp. The economic impact of this accident goes beyond the cost of the lost vehicle. The fundamental problem is that Blue Origin currently has only one operational launch pad for the New Glenn, the LC-36, and damage to the tower and support systems could paralyze the company’s activity for months. In a recent update the company indicates who is already working on that ramp “And we have a good reconstruction plan in place.” Bad news for Kuiper. This explosion has also left in the air the deployment of the first 49 satellites of Amazon’s Juiper network, which depended on this launch. The company needs to put thousands of satellites into orbit to compete with Starlink, and every month of delay in the New Glenn is a month of advantage for Elon Musk. NASA and the lunar calendar. But the New Glenn is also a key piece for the logistics of NASA’s Artemis missions. The explosion may force the space agency to rethink its priorities and even delay missions to the Moon planned for the coming years. NASA is running out of plans B, and is increasingly dependent on a single supplier (SpaceX) when that is precisely what Blue Origin could have mitigated. Reliability pays off over time. We have a good example of SpaceX’s trial and error strategy with the Falcon 9. Today it is one of the most reliable rockets in the world with a success rate of over 99%: to date it has carried out 644 missions, of which 641 have been successful. Failures like that of September 2016 They served to learn and mature, and a decade later the Falcon 9 have become almost “boring” due to their reliability. Blue Origin seems to have wanted to skip stages by coming to market with a product that wanted to be perfect, but reality has shown that it is very difficult to achieve that reliability without stumbling. And this setback has been big. The opportunity cost. It is estimated that the economic losses of the destroyed vehicle they hover 150 million dollars, but the true cost is in the penalties for delays and the loss of confidence of future customers. The technical and reputational debt that Blue Origin faces is notable, and it remains to be seen how a company that needed success more than ever will react. Monopoly by accident. The clearest consequence of this setback is also striking: the winner is SpaceX, which is even more dominant than it was in the space launch market. The explosion of the New Gless is terrible news because it eliminates competition, and without a rival that can guarantee launches, access to space will continue to be a bottleneck controlled by a single company and, of course, by its founder, Elon Musk. The tycoon, yes, published a message in X upon hearing about the explosion saying “I’m sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly.” Image | Blue Origin In Xataka | In 2018, Elon Musk put his own car into orbit. Eight years later it is still circling the Earth

If you thought the blue zone in your city was expensive, wait until you see what it costs to moor a yacht at the Formula 1 GP in Monaco

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The Monaco Grand Prix is, by far, the most glamorous career of the Formula 1 World Championship. Not so much because of the fact that each of its curves keeps a memory of the most successful drivers, but because of the enormous showcase of luxury and opulence when celebrating with one of the most exclusive ports in the world. Not everyone can access the most exclusive spaces at the Monaco GP. Beyond the VIP stands, the real epicenter of luxury It is on the yachts moored in front of the circuit. The mooring of a superyacht during that weekend costs a real fortune, only affordable for the richest in the world. In fact, not even the world’s great fortunes, such as Jeff Bezos, They have a guaranteed position among the privileged few who can afford to watch the race of Formula 1 from the deck of your superyacht. Three million for a front row seat During the week of the Grand Prix, Port Hercule stops being a normal port and becomes a meeting point for the greatest fortunes on the planet and their yachts. Whether you like Formula 1 or not is secondary. The week before the Grand Prix, the parade of enormous superyachts begins, such as the Symphony by Bernard Arnault, founder of LVMH, who take positions highlighted in the Monegasque port. The specialized medium Yacht Harbor estimated that the 2017 test brought together yachts valued at more than 2,000 million euros in Port Hercule. Kismet superyacht, 122 meters long However, not having your own yacht is no excuse for not enjoying a front row seat at sea to enjoy the only Championship race that can be seen from the deck of a luxurious superyacht. Yacht rentals during the race test week skyrocket. The portal of boat rental luxury Cecil Wright offers those types of services and allows you to rent the Kismeta true floating mansion for the modest price of three million euros for one week. While on the streets of Monte Carlo the single-seater engines make the most of their performance, inside the Kismet Up to 12 guests can be accommodated in eight suites. The yacht is equipped with every detail so that guests only have to relax in its Balinese-inspired spa, which includes a hammam, sauna and cryotherapy chamber, waterfall shower and chromotherapy bathtub, gym and yoga studio. One of the covers of Kismet In addition, it allows you to experience all the excitement of the race from any of the jacuzzis on its luxurious decks, and all of this is attended by a crew of 36 people. “Parking” at a Monaco GP Once you have rented the right superyacht to blend in with billionaires and royalty, all that remains is to find a mooring for the yacht. Kismet. Port Hercule is the only port with adequate depth for mooring superyachts of that category. This port offers about 700 berths, but the most sought-after place is the so-called Trackside Zone, where the boats are located next to Quai des États-Unis, Quai Jarlan and the first two positions of Quai U. That is, in the mooring line closest to the circuitwhere the single-seaters pass just a few meters from these yachts. According to the table of Port of Monaco ratesthe price of the mooring is calculated based on how close it is to the runway and the length of the superyacht. Docking a yacht in the port of Monaco during the race ranges from 5,668 euros for a yacht of less than 19 meters in the Port of Fontvieille area, the furthest and without vision of the track, to tripling its price as we get closer to the track, with a mooring price of 16,087 euros for the same 19-meter yacht. Mooring Zone 1 is at the end of the tunnel straight, just when the cars must brake. Passing mooring zone 2, from which you can see the chicane of the Pool areato the Trackside Zone (zone 1) implies a price increase of 25.7%. During the Monaco Grand Prix, mooring a superyacht like the Kismet122 meters long, in the Trackside Zone (zone 1) It can cost around 160,000 euros only for docking during Grand Prix week. Its high price is justified because its proximity turns the Trackside Zone into a kind of floating stand. The yachts are in front of one of the most recognizable parts of the track, right where the cars leave the tunnel and launch towards the Nouvelle Chicane area, one of the classic images of the Monaco Grand Prix. It is a point where the drivers must reduce their speed to follow the curve and face the Pool section, so the millionaires see them pass at a slower speed and the single-seaters can be seen in more detail. Without a doubt, the most millionaire form of watch a formula 1 race. In Xataka | Madrid has been fighting for its F1 Grand Prix for years. Ozempic’s rich heirs also want a Grand Prix in their town Image | Flickr (CaterhamF1)

Blue Origin had a plan of 12 launches for this year. A fireball at Cape Canaveral just changed everything

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Bad news for Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company. And his New Glenn rocket It exploded this morning into a huge fireball while conducting a ground test at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The accident, which fortunately left no injuries, is a good blow for the company in his race to compete with SpaceXjust when this was going to be his definitive breakout year. That has passed. Around 9:00 p.m. local time (3:00 a.m. on Friday on the Spanish peninsula), the New Glenn exploded during a ‘hotfire’, a test in which the rocket engines are turned on while the vehicle remains anchored to the platform, without taking off. The objective of this test is to check the operation of the engines before a launch. Blue Origin itself He spoke on his X account of an “anomaly” and confirmed that all personnel were located and safe. According to collect The Guardian, the fireball destroyed the platform and the orange glow was seen more than 180 kilometers away, while residents of nearby towns noticed tremors in their homes. A year that was going to be the year of takeoff. The blow is especially hard because of the moment it arrives. Blue Origin had marked 2026 as the year to finally gain pace. Its CEO, Dave Limp, even stated in an interview with Ars Technica that the company could reach double digits in launches this year, until matching its production rate of 12 rockets, and even considering reaching 24 if manufacturing continued to improve. They also mentioned the 12 launches in their request to the FAA to operate from Cape Canaveral. The problem is that it was more of an ambitious goal than a realistic forecast, since the New Glenn has started the year without having flown again since November and experiencing several setbacks. The explosion has now turned that goal into a chimera. Bezos’ reaction. The founder of Blue Origin took the drama out of the matter, counting in Elon Musk also reacted to the event briefly: “Very unfortunate. Rockets are difficult.” Why it is important. The New Glenn It is the key piece with which the company wants to confront the dominance of SpaceX, and it is also called to play a central role in NASA’s Artemis programwhich seeks to return astronauts to the Moon. Just a few days before the explosion, the agency had awarded Blue Origin a contract to participate in the construction of a lunar base. The moment could not have been worse. A streak of setbacks. Blue Origin has accumulated a series of catastrophic misfortunes. On its third flight, in April, the rocket managed to land its reusable booster on a barge at sea, but its upper stage failed and failed to place the satellite it was transporting for AST SpaceMobile into orbit, which ended up falling and disintegrating in the atmosphere. That failure sparked an investigation by the FAA, the US air regulator, which just last week had given the rocket the green light to fly again. Thursday’s test was precisely the preparation of its fourth mission, in which it was going to deploy satellites of the network Leo from Amazona direct competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink. Amazon clarified that none of those satellites were on board at the time of the explosion. Damage assessment. Both the FAA and NASA spoke out quickly. The regulator pointed out that the test was outside the activities it licenses and that it did not affect air traffic. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, on the other hand counted that “spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing a new heavy-lift capability is extraordinarily difficult.” The agency promised to support a thorough investigation and, above all, to evaluate how what happened affects its lunar programs. And now what. What we will now see is how Blue Origin rewrites its calendar. NASA was counting on New Glenn to launch the first missions to its lunar base this year, and the agency itself has acknowledged that they still do not know how this accident will affect the mission with Artemis. On the other hand, SpaceX has its own problems with the Starship, also under review by the FAAwhile preparing a historic IPO. The terrain is quite hot. Cover image | NASA Space Flight In Xataka | SpaceX seemed unreachable in its race to the Moon. Blue Origin is proving that anything is possible

Google search engine is killing blue links. So more and more users are finding refuge in DuckDuckGo

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Search things on Google it’s not the same anymore. The technology giant is turning its traditional search engine into something very different in which AI is taking control whether we like it or not. The good news is that if we don’t like it, we have alternativesand precisely in DuckDuckGo They are taking advantage of this opportunity very well. Times change. For nearly three decades, Google has been the gateway to that traditional list of blue links that the search engine presented as results. In recent years, the search engine is becoming an AI engine that tries to anticipate the user’s intentions and autocomplete queries with long answers. AI Overviews. The arrival of AI Overviews (AI Summaries) has made the search engine answer questions directly at the top of the page, but that move is being heavily criticized. The reason is simple: Google is killing those blue links it defended for more than 25 years. The new AI Mode goes in that same direction and points to a future in which we will not ask the Google search engine things, but simply talk to it. DuckDuckGo takes advantage of its opportunity. DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg recently stated that “Google is imposing AI with no way to disable it.” This has not pleased a certain sector of users who are beginning to use alternatives that give them back control. That’s good news for DuckDuckGo, which has seen more and more users start using its services: Downloads of the DuckDuckGo app in the US grew by an average of 18.1% weekly, and peaks of 30.5% were reached on May 25 The adoption rate on Apple devices was even higher, with an average rise of 33% and a peak of 69.9%. Visits to specific page free of AI, noai.duckduckgo.comincreased on average by 22.7% from week to week. Searches like before, and private. The advantages of DuckDuckGo are striking for those looking for alternatives to the Google search engine. To begin with, DuckDuckGo has that aforementioned page that avoids any trace of AI. If you want to use AI canbut in that case you will have access to somewhat more modest models (Claude 4.5 Haiku, GPT-5 mini, Llama 4 Scout, you can pay to access better models) but with which your conversations will remain private. In addition, DuckDuckGo deletes IPs and prohibits the use of those conversations to train models. It is an extension towards AI that iron defense of privacy that since its inception has differentiated this search engine… although there have been some controversy about it. Google doesn’t even flinch. Despite this growth in downloads and visits to its search services, DuckDuckGo remains an alternative with an anecdotal market share in the search segment. Worldwide it has a 0.71% share compared to Google’s 90.02% and Bing’s 5.14%. Anti-AI shelter. Google’s dominance here is absolute and it seems almost impossible for that to change, but even so DuckDuckGo is clearly positioning itself as the refuge for those who see AI as an unnecessary—or unwanted—complication when performing searches. Kamyl Bazbaz, head of company policy, explained it with a simple statement: “people simply want to be able to choose.” Business model at play. The shift towards AI seems to be beneficial for Google, whose search revenue grew by 19% in the first quarter of 2026. It is a striking fact considering that theoretically AI results make it difficult for advertising to enter the search engine, but Google seems to be solving it with native advertising from AI Overviews or Keyword auctions in AI Mode. This is added to the recommendations of affiliate products that also seem to be working and promoting a business model that is being renewed in parallel to what the search engine is doing. In Xataka | Google already knows how to make its AI Overviews more human: use Reddit content ruthlessly

It’s an epidemic of blue spots

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On typical Ticketmaster concert ticketing maps, sold seats in the stands are displayed in gray. Those available, in blue. When there are too many blue dots, artists start making excuses: medical problems, family commitments, unfinished albums. But in 2026, those excuses have already been heard too many times. So much so that the press has already given a name to this epidemic. Blue dot fever. “Blue dot fever” is the term that has circulated on networks and specialized media to describe an unusual wave of tour cancellations in recent months. Literally: on Ticketmaster concert seating maps, where there should be gray what you see is blue like the blue sea. And this debacle has had a previous symptom: at least ten top-level artists have canceled or postponed dates so far this year, with Live Nation/Ticketmaster productions taking up much of the list. Who canceled? The names are well known in the United States: Post Malone and Jelly Roll delayed a third of their joint stadium tour. Meghan Trainor canceled her entire Get In Girl Tour in the country, citing a desire to spend more time with her family after having her third child. Zayn did the same with his dates in North American venues, although he kept those in the United Kingdom (we discuss the importance of that detail below), citing unspecified health reasons. Those who do not hide. There are more honest ones, and we can pull on that thread. The Pussycat Dolls They canceled 32 of their 33 dates in North America “after making an honest analysis” of the results of his tour. They didn’t talk about sales, but it’s not necessary either. Rapper Kid Cudi was the only one who spoke bluntly: upon canceling his date in Birmingham, Alabama, he posted on Instagram: “I wanted to give you a special experience, but ticket sales haven’t been strong enough.” The reasons. The average price of a concert ticket in the United States has passed from 82 dollars in 2020 to 144 dollars in 2026. And to that we must add transportation, parking, food and drink within the venue and, in many cases, accommodation. A Post Malone fan explained why didn’t you go see him: “The prices are crazy. I love it, but I’m not going to pay $400 to see it from afar.” Regular tickets for the cheapest leg of his stadium tour cost between $231 and $346. More expensive if it is better. In fact, not all tickets have increased in price in the same proportion. As detectedthe prices of the cheapest tickets have remained relatively stable, while those of the premium zones have skyrocketed. That partly explains why the Pussycat Dolls’ Ticketmaster website showed almost 80% of their seats unsold even after cutting prices to $30. Behind the climbs. Blaming high prices is staying on the surface. In reality, the market has become saturated. The money that many fans kept during confinement was spent on the 2022 and 2023 concerts, and there was still enough left over for the Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the meeting of Oasis. In 2026, the pockets are empty. In that same article, an analyst states that “there is a kind of return to reality, and that clashes with the inflation and the increase in fuel prices that we see in the general economy.” Of course, the price of gasoline, skyrocketed by the conflict in Iraq, has made the logistics of the tours more expensive… and depleted the budget of the attendees. Added to this is the competence of 2026 Soccer World Cupwhich takes place in North America and will absorb a significant portion of leisure spending during the summer. Too many artists They have overestimated the demand after seeing the results of previous megatours. Hold on Europe. Although it is a more or less globalized crisis and has reached artists from countries like Mexico, where Los Ángeles Azules, Ximena Sariñana or Natalia Lacunza have canceled or postponed dates, the truth is that we are talking almost exclusively about America. In Europe the concert bubble keeps growingperhaps because the stadium tour model is more intrinsically North American, and in Europe we are not as dependent on the exclusivity of that style. It’s Live Nation. The paradox: Live Nation, the company that dominates ticket sales in the United States (about 80% of the market), published results of first quarter of 2026 with revenue 12% higher than the previous year and advance ticket sales 22% higher. So, is Blue Dot Fever a mirage? Rather it is a warning, as are also dynamic prices that doubled the cost of Bad Bunny’s tickets in Spain in minutes, internal messages from Live Nation managers describing their own clients as “idiots” from those who are “stealing with full hands” or the debate about whether macro concerts are devouring to the rest of the music market. Blue Dot Fever is the warning that the climb cannot be infinite, and with all the cards in one hand, disaster may be just around the corner. No matter how good the quarterly financial results look. In Xataka | Gustavo Cerati died in 2014. That has not prevented him from appearing at the last Soda Stereo concert

Blue Origin equals SpaceX in rocket reuse but fails in the mission

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Blue Origin has reused the propellant of its New Glenn rocket for the first time, reaching a milestone that until now had only been achieved by SpaceX. With this achievement, it is one step closer to its main competitor, which is also beginning to hinder its path to the Moon. However, this launch has been accompanied by some errors that still allow Elon Musk’s company to breathe easy. The good and the bad. Last November, Blue Origin managed to recover the propellant for the first time with which he had launched a New Glenn rocket into space. Their goal was to reuse it, exactly as SpaceX already does routinely. That second achievement has been a long time coming, but it finally took place this Sunday, April 19. The launch was carried out successfully, but there was a problem: The satellite it was carrying as a payload was placed in the wrong orbit. Therefore, although this is a giant step for Jeff Bezos’ space company, there are still details to be refined. Background. Blue Origin had already managed to reuse the propellant of a rocket, but it was not a New Glenn rocket, but a New Shepard. This one is smaller, so it was less of a challenge. To match SpaceX, it needed to do the same with a larger rocket. For this reason, the company’s goal has long been set on reusing the first phase of a New Glenn. This one measures 98 meters high. The New Shepard only 18 meters. A failed attempt in January 2025. To reuse a propellant, it must first be recovered. This occurs after the rocket launches. The two phases separate and, while the second continues the journey to leave its payload in place, the first returns to Earth. Ideally, a vertical landing or splashdown should occur, so that the propellant can be recovered intact. Blue Origin already tried this with a New Glenn rocket in January 2025, but a failure to fire the engines during descent prevented it from being done correctly. In November, however, complete recovery was achieved. That has been the propellant that has now been reused. SpaceX has reused its Falcon 9 hundreds of times Other companys. In reality, the only space companies that have achieved reuse of this type have been Blue Origin and SpaceX, although there is another that has done something similar: Rocket Lab. In their case, a vertical landing of the first phase does not occur, but instead It lands in the ocean with the help of a parachute. It is also useful, but recovery is more complicated. Furthermore, this company has not yet achieved complete reuse of the recovered rockets. Other companies, like the Chinese LandSpacethey also intend to follow in the footsteps of SpaceX, but are still carrying out tests. Importance for the future. Rocket reuse is important for many reasons. To begin with, what companies look at most: their economy. Not having to manufacture a new propellant with each launch greatly reduces costs and allows investment in other technologies. On the other hand, it is useful and necessary for reduce space debris levels. SpaceX does not stop generating new space junk by sending satellites into space. Few experts consider that the reuse of rockets will compensate for that, but it continues with its particular space greenwashing. SpaceX has made a lot of progress in this regard. Their reuse of rockets has already become routine, with more than 500 reused takeoffs from its Falcon 9. It has also been possible to reuse the powerful Starship. Even Rockets have been recovered in flight with a kind of giant Chinese chopsticks. Now, Blue Origin is closer, but if they want to continue in the competition they must be more accurate. An investigation is underway as to why the satellite did not end up in the correct orbit. When you find the answer, you can look for solutions. Images | Blue Origin | SpaceX In Xataka | Jeff Bezos asked his parents for their life savings to found Amazon. They only asked him one question: “What is the Internet?

The rarest chicken in Spain is blue and lives in Extremadura. What we don’t know is for how long

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Human beings are ungrateful animals. For decades, while we miserably worked the land, those blue chickens (rustic, tough and independent) were very good for us. The battered farmhouses of Extremadura, toasted by the sun, extractivism and simple life, were full of them. But then modernity, cities and supermarkets came… and they became a hindrance. Today, despite the fact that in recent years the institutions have stepped up, there will be about 2,000 chicken specimens Extremaduran blue. The Extremadura Blue Hen Breeders Association has 23 farms, but most people raise them for personal consumption or as a simple hobby. It is the rarest chicken in Spain and that, believe me, is saying a lot. A country without half measures. In Spain there are 21 poultry breeds in danger of extinction. This means that 95.4% of all registered native poultry breeds are threatened. In fact, 84% of all native breeds (whether they are birds or not) are in danger. And it is curious because, in short, we live in an unparalleled agricultural power. Spain is the second largest chicken producer of the European continent (only behind the United Kingdom), the third in beef and the first in pork (although swine fever can change this). Although, to tell the truth, it is not that curious. In fact, that is the problem. The emergence of industrial poultry farming since the 50s it was cornering local breeds for the benefit of commercial hybrids specialized in pure and simple production. Therefore, deep down, we are not talking about a problem of great economic magnitude. We are talking about two central issues in the present and the future of the ‘Spain emptied‘: the territorial management model and the question of what we do with genetic heritage. Since its recovery began in 1991 (when only specimens were found in five towns in the region), the situation has improved greatly. But not enough: all those questions are still on the table. And they are not easy questions to answer. Because, and in this case the blue Extremaduran hen, is a good example of the problems that arise as soon as we start working on the matter. because the underlying question is whether a livestock breed can be preserved if no one can make a living from it. And not only because the regulations They are designed for industrial poultry farming (and represents a very considerable obstacle), but for the paradox that hides in a simple Extremadura hen: the realization that not even at the time with greater institutional support (MAPA logo, breeding programs, germplasm banks, etc…) this breed can take its commercial leap. Is it a warning to sailors? Is it the future we have to live? Image | Mentxuwiki In Xataka | China is so clear that the future of pork lies in ‘skyscraper farms’ that it is doing something: taking them to other countries

We know it as “the red planet”, but 3.37 billion years ago Mars was almost as blue as Earth

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The mystery of Mars and water has a new chapter. The missions like Curiosity in the Gale crater they show clear evidence for the existence of liquid water lakes for thousands or millions of years. That climate models show that the early Mars It was a cold place. with temperatures significantly below the freezing point, it was elucidated with seasonal ice shields. However, among the pending subjects of Mars astronomy is knowing how much there was water and when was there. Mars was (half) blue. A recent study published in the scientific journal npj Space Exploration echoes the discovery of a “tide line” that explains that there was once an interconnected water system. Ignatius Argadestya, the lead author of the study, explains that although today Mars is a dry and reddish planet: “our results show that in the past it was a blue planet similar to Earth.” In fact, they have been able to demonstrate the existence of the deepest and most extensive ocean that has existed on Mars to date, account the scientist that half the red planet was once blue: “an ocean that extended across the planet’s northern hemisphere.” Valles Marineris in Hi-Res The “deltas” of Mars. More specifically, they have investigated geological formations called deposits with steep front located in the region of Valles Marineristhe largest canyon system in the solar system. Using very high resolution images from Cassis of the European Space Agency and the CTX and HiRISE from NASA (the latter provides a maximum resolution of about 25 to 30 centimeters per pixel), have been able to identify these deposits with identical morphology to the river deltas that we see in rivers such as the Ebro or the Danube when they flow into the sea. Thus, on Mars there was a time when water flowed from the mountains through branching channels until it reached a kind of lake or sea, where sediments were deposited. These deltas end in an abrupt step that is located at exactly the same altitude at different points on the planet, between -3750 and -3650 meters with respect to the reference level of Mars. About 3.37 billion years ago. This is not a geological coincidence, it is that at one time there was a body of water like a sea that maintained a stable level for a long time: it is a mark of the shore of a primeval Mars, since these deposits were formed between the Late Hesperian and Early Amazonian periods. According to the research team, that was the time in the history of Mars with the greatest availability of liquid water on its surface. Why is it important. Already had applied previously the existence and size of this Martian ocean, but its conclusions come with more precise and direct evidence. In addition, they have been able to determine when the water peak occurred on Mars. The deltas found constitute a magnificent base to study their sediments in depth in search of traces of life because where there is water, there could be life. On the other hand, among the next steps is to understand how Mars went from having an ocean that occupied half the planet to being a frozen desert. In fact, there are already clues: the research team detected desiccation cracks and dunes on these channels, which indicates that after this aquatic period, there was a progressive drying until they became arid. In Xataka | Mars has just entered the exclusive club of planets with rays. This is discouraging news for NASA. In Xataka | We had been wondering for decades how Mars could have water, cold and life. Today we finally have an answer Cover | Javier Miranda

Blue Origin’s space tourism numbers have been leaked and they are crazy

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A few years ago I saw a Spanish civilian cross the Kármán line leaving our planet was a generational event. Today, space tourism is about to normalize what was extraordinary and we have the clearest example in Alberto Gutierreza 42-year-old businessman from Valladolid and founder of the platform Civitatis who this Thursday managed to be the fourth Spaniard to theoretically reach space. His story. He did it on board the NS-38 mission from Blue Origina flight of just ten minutes that takes off and lands in Texas, but which represents another milestone in the private space race and consolidates the profile of the “tourist-astronaut” with a high heritage behind him. Because the truth is that it is not something very economical. 10 minutes. Takeoff took place at 10:26 CST (16:26 Spanish peninsular time) from the Blue Origin Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas. The ship used was, once again, the reusable New Shepard system, a rocket designed specifically for suborbital tourism. All this with a plan that has followed the “Swiss clock” script to which we are accustomed in these missions. At the moment of launch the ship’s engine accelerated until it exceeded the March speed 3, and when it was already at a good altitude, the capsule was undocked and continued to ascend up to 106 kilometers above sea level, exceeding the Kárman line which is located at 100 km altitude. Weightlessness. But the experience sought with this type of attraction is to experience the phenomenon of weightlessness for a few minutes. Specifically, there were 3 minutes in which Gutiérrez was able to unhook himself from his seat belt to observe the curvature of the Earth while he was literally floating in space. It hasn’t been cheap. Although Blue Origin maintains official secrecy about the dynamic prices of its tickets, the sector has quite clear figures. And to enjoy these three minutes of weightlessness you only have to pay $150,000 just for admission to reserve your seat. But it does not logically stop here, since industry sources and leaks Previous estimates place the total cost of the ticket at around one million dollars. A price that not only pays for experience, but also for status. More and more difficult. With this type of space excursions aimed at the richest on our planet, the truth is that an interesting debate opens up about the label of “astronaut.” Although technically the Kármán line has been crossed with this trip, the FAA modified its criteria in 2021 to narrow it down much more. In this case, it no longer provides commercial astronaut wings to space tourists, but opts for a simple registration on its website. That is why for the agency, being a passenger is not the same as being an operational crew, although surely for all those who participate here it is a great life experience that is undoubtedly spatial. It’s not the first. As we have said, with this flight, Alberto Gutiérrez puts his name on a very short list. Before him, only three Spaniards had crossed the space border: Pedro Duque, Michael López-Alegría and Jesús Calleja. Although it is clear that this is an experience that is quite limited to those people who have a large wealth and decide to invest it in a unique experience. Last minute surprise. The NS-38 mission has not been without logistical setbacks. The original crew of six underwent a change just three days before launch, as Andrew Yaffe had to retire due to illness on January 19, being replaced by Dr. Laura Stiles. And there was luck with this replacement, since its inclusion allowed the launch date to be maintained, which had a very limited launch window, in order to guarantee its safety. Images | POT In Xataka | Manufacturing materials to produce chips in space is not science fiction. It is a very real plan that is already underway

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