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All their missiles, fighters and bombs need a mineral that China has vetoed them

June 10, 2025 by usatoday24

The news took place in April. So, the Chinese government He formalized his answer To tariffs approved by the United States adding to its list of export restrictions a series of metals that went unnoticed for the general public. However, when the United States and Europe have been made numbers To replenish their arsenal sent to Ukraine and the East, they have encountered a problem of difficult solution. Them A component is missing essential. And only China has it. The mastery of the samario. Yes, China has exposed a critical vulnerability in the Western Military Supply chain by imposing severe controls to export Samarioa strange metal for the manufacture of heat -resistant magnets used exclusively in military applications. These magnets, fundamental in components As missile engines, smart bombs and combat fighters, they are irreplaceable due to their ability to withstand extreme temperatures without losing magnetic strength. Since China produces the entire samarium of the world, and has stopped its export under a new licensing system claiming national security motifs, the United States and its European allies now face the real possibility of Not being able to replenish Its advanced armament reserves, especially and as we said, after its intensive deployment in Ukraine and East. Announced dependence. Had the New York Times That the agency of China is not new: since the 70s, the Western Armed Forces trusted a French plant that closed in 1994, unable to compete with the cheap and environmentally lax production of the Chinese city of Baotou, in the interior Mongolia. Despite decades of dispersed warnings and efforts, such as Mine reopening From Mountain Pass in California after the Chinese embargo on Japan in 2010, the United States never developed a viable production of samarium. Leaf, reactivated in 2014broke the following year for Chinese competition. MP Materials, its new owner, relaunched operations in 2018 and received pentagon funds to process samarium, but never installed The necessary equipment for lack of customers willing to cover high costs of the reduced market. Meanwhile, another project backed with federal funds (a Lynas plant in Texas) was never built after regulatory problems In Malaysia. The lost link. And here comes one of the keys to understanding the “problem” of these nations. The largest samarium user in the United States is … Lockheed Martinwhich uses around 23 kg for each F-35 plane. The new Chinese regulations not only stop the direct flow of samarium, but also requires based licenses In the final consumerwhich blocks indirect exports to military contractors. Although China has granted permits for certain magnets destined for the automotive industry (such as those used by disposses or terbio in brakes and addresses) has not given signs of releasing Samario’s supply, given its limited civil application. This hardening coincides with Chinese sanctions to US contractors linked to Weapons sales to Taiwanwhich reinforces the use of samario as a geopolitical pressure tool. An X-35A JSF performing flight tests at the Edwards Air Base in California Other critical applications. A few weeks ago Japan Times summed up Very well what rare metals consisted of and how they influenced the different industries. The seven metals restricted by China (Terbio, Itrio, Disposio, Gadolinio, Luthacio, Samario and Scandio) fulfill crucial functions in both civil and military industries, from the generation of clean energy to the advanced defense. The Terbiofor example, it provides thermal resistance to the magnets used in submarines and aircraft, but it is one of the most scarce elements even within the rare earth deposits themselves. The ititriumvital in treatments against cancer and superconductors, it has historically been extracted in the United States but must still be processed abroad. Disposioresistant to heat and key in the energy transition, is essential for magazine turbine and electric cars magnets, and also for nuclear reactor control bars. The majority of the supply of these three metals goes to Japan, South Korea and, to a lesser extent, to the United States. The nuclear spectrum. For its part, The gadolinio It is widely used in magnetic resonances due to its magnetic properties, but also appears in nuclear reactors and electronic components. The Luthaciodenser than other elements of this list, acts as a catalyst in oil refineries, while the samario, as we said, protagonist in recent blockages, forms magnets that resist extreme temperatures and that are essential in combat planes, turbines and advanced guide systems. Finally, The Scandioof marginal production for half a century, it has applications in military aviation, bicycles and tracers to detect leaks in pipelines, thanks to its resistance and radioactive properties. As We have counted other times, the lack of infrastructure to separate and process these materials in the United States or Europe aggravates their structural dependence on China, which already supplies More than 90% of American imports. Asterisk. Interestingly, China has not included in this round to the neodymium and the praseodimiumtwo of the rare metals most used in the manufacture of permanent magnet motors, essential for electric vehicles and wind turbines. These two elements are still produced in the Mountain Pass mine, in California. Even so, American production barely reaches a fraction of global demand, and China’s dependence is still critical. A strategic urgency. In short, in a context in which the United States and its allies try to accelerate the replacement of reduced arsenals and ensure deterrence, The bottleneck From the samario he highlights the risks of having subcontracted for decades the strategic inputs to China. The commercial conversations In London they seek to reactivate the flow of these metals, but the expectations that Beijing reversed their new licensing system are rather scarce. Meanwhile, the United States and Pentagon face the dilemma of how to reconstitute a national supply chain for an essential resource whose production, for its cost and limited scale, has proven to be commercially unfeasible No sustained subsidies and long -term political commitment. The samario, invisible to the general public, thus becomes a symbol of a new era of technological and military rivalry, where industrial sovereignty is again a … Read more

In 1971 the Soviet Union decided to end the droughts. So he started throwing nuclear bombs into the rivers

May 27, 2025 by usatoday24

The story took place in the 1970s, when the Soviet Union launched one of the most ambitious and far -fetched engineering projects in its history: diverting the course of the great Siberian rivers so that, instead of flowing towards the Arctic, they would transport its waters to the arid regions of the south, such as Central Asia and the south of Russia. The problem was the solution to achieve it: they turned to “Pacific” nuclear explosions To dig colossal channels. The impossible epic. As we said, to carry out such a plan, Soviet planners did not spare in extreme methods. The most emblematic episode was the experiment called Like “Taiga” of 1971, in which three equivalent nuclear devices To the Hiroshima bombs They triggered simultaneously underground to create a channel that connected the basins of the Ríos Pchora and Kama. What happened? That the only thing was the known today Like Nuclear Lakea body of still radioactive water in the middle of the boreal forest, and an ambitious dream that ended up being a monumental failure. Despite the use of low -fission explosives, The detonations They were detected until In Sweden and the United Statesunleashing international convictions for violate the treaty of partial prohibition of nuclear tests. Soviet logic. The idea of redirect rivers It was not really new: already at the end of the 19th century, thinkers as Igor Demchenko They dreamed of flooding the depressions of the Caspian and the Aral to improve the climate. Under Stalin and, later, during the Cold War, the project acquired A new impulse. For the Soviets, the immense water flow that flowed to the uninhabited north was an intolerable waste. On the other hand, taking it to the south could make Central Asia an agricultural vergel, save the dying Aral Sea and, incidentally, affirm the Soviet power over the Central Asian republics. With the support of almost 200 scientific institutes and dozens of thousands of peoplechannels of up to 1,500 km were planned to divert 10% of the water from the OB and Irtish rivers to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Inspired by feats like Roman aqueducts and convinced that man had submit to naturethe leaders planned to complete the titanic work For the year 2000. The fall of the hydraulic myth. However, the magnitude of the project caused an unprecedented reaction. During the 80s, the opposition of scientists, writers and intellectuals became one of the First environmental campaigns massive in the history of the USSR. Figures like the hydrologist Serguéi Zalyguin They denounced not only the exorbitant cost and the low scientific support of the plan, but also the iEcological mpactos Catastrophic that would bring: climatic alterations, loss of unique habitats, flooding of cultural sites, and even possible changes in Siberian ice formation. The final blow came with the sadly famous Chernobyl disaster In 1986. The tragedy, which evidenced the risks of nuclear power Badly managed, he diverted resources and political attention, and just four months later, Mikhail Gorbachov formally canceled the river investment plan. For some, it was a response to environmental pressurebut for others, simply the recognition that the USSR already I couldn’t pay for it. Zombie idea. Although the project seemed buried together with the Soviet Union itself, The BBC counted that his spirit has persisted. Throughout the decades, figures such as former Moscow Yuri Luzhkov have advocated for retaking it. And in February 2025, two Russian scientists returned to Defend the idea In a National Journal, arguing that the current technical advances and the geopolitical reorientation of Moscow made Asia more viable. Some have even suggested that reducing the discharge of warm water to the Arctic could mitigate climate change, although studies such as The Oceanographer Tom Rippeth They warn otherwise: altering the flow of rivers could destabilize the stratification of the Arctic Ocean and accelerate the thaw. Resource as identity. If you want also, beyond its technical or ecological justifications, the river reversion project represents a vision deeply imperial: Russia as a power that dominates not only territories, but vital resources. The possibility of transferring water Towards Chinafor example, would fit with the extractivist model that has defined the country for centuries. As Historian Paul Josephson pointed outit was a form of internal colonization, to “modernize” Central Asia through public works and Slavic settlements, imposing the seal of the Soviet state into the landscape. That mentality lasts and, for some, Siberian water remains an underutilized treasure that must one day channel towards economic development and political power. Radioactive legacy. It is the last of the legs to analyze for the events that took place. Today, The nuclear lake It remains one of the few visible vestiges of this colossal hydraulic fantasy. Although radiation levels have decreased, some areas remain dangerous. The lake, surrounded by mounds of earth and oxidized warning signs, is visited by curious Like blogger Andrei Fadeevwhich described the BBC as “a beautiful place, apparently quiet, but with invisible scars.” As allegory, the landscape encapsulates the ambition out of context of the project: transform rivers with atomic pumps, fold the will of nature with underground explosions and turn water into a geopolitical domain tool. Surprisingly, half a century later, the idea has not died at all. Image | Dmitry TerekhovSentinel In Xataka | In 1958, the US wanted to simulate a nuclear attack against the USSR: he ended up releasing a bomb on the coast of one of his own cities In Xataka | In the 50s United Kingdom he had an idea to bend the pulse to the USSR: a nuclear bomb with live chickens

The digital attack that paralyzed a nuclear plant without bombs and without anyone seeing it

May 22, 2025 by usatoday24

More than a decade ago, the world discovered a new type of weapon. I had no eyes or soldiers. Only lines of code. It was called Stuxnet and was able to sabotage an Iranian nuclear complex without internet connection. A computer worm that destroyed centrifuging designed to enrich uranium. Without alerts. No explosions. Without anyone knowing, at first, what was happening. All that we tell in our New Xataka episode presentsAvailable in the Xataka YouTube channel. Our partner Jota García, who reconstructs step by step how an operation of this caliber is told. The story starts in Natanz, an underground installation, hidden under tons of concrete in full Iranian desert. “From the outside it seems not special (…) but underground, thousands of centrifuging work work in full performance,” he says. Who decided to act? And why wasn’t a direct military intervention chosen? Apparently, with Iraq’s precedent, that road was ruled out by the country that wanted to stop this Iranian project. The alternative was Develop malware With a concrete mission: destroy without being seen. “And if instead of attacking with soldiers, we attack a computer virus?” Jota says. The trick? Infiltrate a simple pendrive in a completely isolated network. Once inside, the worm camouflaged. I watched. I expected. And only if I found the right industrial controllers, I went to action. “He didn’t attack immediately. He moved silently, analyzing everything around him.” Thus he managed to sabotage about a thousand centrifugators without the technicians being able to explain what he was failing. But there was an error. Malware spread out of Iran and ended up arriving in the West. What happened then? Who discovered the code? And what did they find inside? In the video we review how an investigation of The New York Times connected Stuxnet with the NSA, the CIA and the Mossad. Also the clues that analysts found in malware. “Stuxnet exploded four 0-Day vulnerabilities at the same time. An irrefutable proof that there was not a group of normal hackers.” Since then, nothing has been the same. Stuxnet was the first great digital attack with physical consequences. “Stuxnet was the first notice. The first great warning that the next wars can be invisible. ” Today, security threats are still present. We see them in hospitals paralyzed by Ransomware, sabotaged pipelines, In bank malware that empties accounts. Even USB pendrives remain a real threat in many organizations. Did you know this story? To what extent do you think We are protected today? We invite you to give the play in our video and leave your comments. Images | Xataka In Xataka | This hacker began to collaborate with the secret service after being arrested. What nobody knew is that he kept stealing big

In 1956, the US published two maps that showed the contamination of atomic bombs. And they were key to spying on the enemy

January 25, 2025 by usatoday24

On July 16, 1945, it was a historic day: in Alamogordo, in the New Mexico desert, the First nuclear detonation in history. The Trinity test was a success that led to the development of the ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ bombs that, a few days later, They launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the test, the scientists bet on the results, with some bets that pointed to the destruction of the State of New Mexico, the ignition of the atmosphere and even the incineration of the planet. Obviously, that did not happen, but what did happen is that Each nuclear launch He sent a large number of particles to the atmosphere. And two maps published in 1956 reflected the consequences of these releases. Nuclear tests. Although the world was horrified by what happened in the two Japanese cities when the United States decided launch the only two nuclear bombs Used in combat so far, the powers continued to test the limits of the newly discovered technology. Thus, from the United States they continued with launches in Pacific Islands. Russia also quickly began to develop its nuclear program, with tests such as the ”Tsar pump‘That had about 3,000 times the power of the launched in Hiroshima. These launches by both countries were a muscle sample in full cold war, as well as a deterrent tool. ‘IVY Mike‘. One of the US test releases was that of ‘Mike‘, a bomb launched on November 1, 1952 that vaporized an island, leaving a crater of almost two kilometers and 50 meters deep. It was the first detonation of a hydrogen pump, causing a 3.3 -kilometer radio fire at the time of the explosion, with a fungus -shaped cloud that stabilized 41 kilometers high. Lookout Mountain studies immortalized the moment, adding later sound, since they recorded it without it. The rays were not part of the postproduction, but appeared just after the detonation: Disaster. The consequences for the Eneetak atolón in which it was launched were tremendous. The expansive waves devastated the vegetation not only of the objective island, Elaugelab, but of the closest. In addition, it caused a radioactive rain and ships almost 60 kilometers away saw how pieces of radioactive corals fell on the helmet. The area had remained seriously contaminated And, as we can see in these satellite images, Elfelab simply disappeared. THE ATOLON BEFORE AND AFTER IVI MIKE Atmospheric movement. With the rise of these tests, a team of researchers from the United States Meteorological Service published in the journal Science two maps that immortalized a historical fact: the trip of the radioactive particles around the globe. Declassified in 1956, the first one shows the global and relatively rapid atmospheric diffusion of radioactive particles. The explosion has a very clear starting point, but as soon as the particles enter the atmosphere, they continue their expansion through the rest of the globe thanks to the air currents. Radioactive particle dispersion. It was a very simple map, more than anything visual, but the second was much more explicit. It was a map of isoline Particles even to American and Canadian soil. In Europe, these radioactive particles had been largely diluted. Observation networks. It was not the first time that the movement of pollution had been studied, but it was somewhat reserved for great events, such as Krakatoa volcano explosion in 1883. With these maps, researchers wanted to demonstrate that, with the right tools, it was already easy to track volatile tracers in the atmosphere. And Ivy Mike’s were a good excuse to study. Researcher Sebastian Grevsmühl published the study A few years ago and comments that, apart from satisfying scientific curiosity, maps had a more pragmatic utility. On the one hand, they helped build the idea of the world’s contamination on a global scale thanks to atmospheric movements, developing that everything has consequences. On the other, they were a tool that the nuclear powers had to monitor enemy atomic activities. Nuclear espionage. With these tools, Russian and American researchers could know if the opposite had detonated a nuclear artifact … even if he had not done it public, but also if they were using nuclear reactors or producing plutonium. So much so that, in 1949, the United States sought to determine the progress of the German nuclear bomb measuring Xenon-133 in the air. To do this, they used B-29 bombers and 24 land stations distributed by the planet to collect air samples that would determine if they were developing something. This is how, thanks to the collaboration with the British army, they discovered that, in 1949, the Soviet Union had successfully carried out a first nuclear test. Over the years, the tools evolved to cross radiological, seismic and sonic data that allowed to determine both the presence of radioactive elements and enemy nuclear bombs … and estimate their power. And much of that began with works like the one led to the two previous maps. Images | Sebastian V. Grevsmühl, Mit Press In Xataka | The amazing story of the man who survived the two atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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