buried

The US threatened to take the Rota base to Morocco. Spain has buried it with an unbeatable offer: more territory

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Since the Madrid Pacts Since 1953, the US military presence in southern Spain has been one of the silent pillars of Western security architecture. Throughout the Cold War, the crises in the Mediterranean and the successive enlargements of NATO, this relationship has survived changes of government, diplomatic tensions and strategic redefinitions without losing its structural weight. Therefore, an idea that had gained strength It worried Spain. The threat that shook the board. It happened in the summer of 2025, when from circles close to the Republican Party slipped the idea of ​​moving the Rota and Morón bases to Morocco in response to the Spanish refusal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP. As the days passed, the debate stopped being rhetorical and became a strategic question of first order. The proposal suggested that Washington could punish an ally considered insufficiently committed by relocating key assets to the Maghreb, in a context of increasing US support for Rabat and internal tensions in NATO over burden sharing. However, beyond the political noise, the real viability of this maneuver depended on much deeper factors than a simple temporary decision. The first reason: anti-missile shields. Rota is not an interchangeable base, but an essential node of the NATO missile shield together with Romania and Poland, integrated into a system of sensors, radars, satellites and command centers that requires millimeter coordination and reaction times of between five and twenty-five minutes. Not only that. Also houses Aegis destroyers equipped with SM-3 missiles and is part of the technical framework whose nerve center is in Germany, all in allied territory fully integrated into the Atlantic Alliance. The simple idea of ​​moving that capacity to Morocco would imply rebuild from scratch critical infrastructures, redesign the legal and operational framework and, above all, locate sensitive parts of the system in a country that does not belong to NATO, with the legal and political complications that this entails. Morocco is not NATO territory. Rabat has offered in the past ports and military facilitiesand its weight as a strategic partner in the Maghreb and the Sahel has grown exponentially hand in hand with US support for the Sahara and normalization with Israel. However, it is one thing to strengthen cooperation and quite another to replace a structural base already established by facilities outside the allied legal and military umbrella. They remembered in Infodefensa that implementing equivalent capabilities there would require extremely complex bilateral agreements, multimillion-dollar investments and institutional guarantees difficult to match those of a European partner, in addition to altering the logistical balance that allows the United States Navy operate with continuity in the Mediterranean, the eastern Atlantic and Africa. A second irrefutable reason. As they said this morning in Spanishfar from reducing its weight, Rota has begun an expansion valued at more than 400 million of euros, a work that involves new docks, semi-buried magazines and maintenance contracts that can reach 90 million annually with up to six destroyers deployed. In this way, Spain has not only authorized the increase from four to six Aegis vessels, but is adapting the infrastructure to double docking capacity and consolidate the base as a high-tech anti-aircraft and anti-submarine node. In political and strategic terms, the operation amounts to a kind of reinforced transfer of territory and operational sovereignty, although assuming, of course, that the base converts Spanish soil into a potential target in the event of conflict. Broken as a structural piece. In short, the presence of thousands of American soldiers, the agreed ceiling in the bilateral agreement and the local economic impact show a relationship that transcends governments and cycles politicians. So that the hypothesis of a transfer If Morocco were to be moderately credible, clear signs of withdrawal should be observed, such as a reduction in ships or a halt in investments, and the truth is that exactly the opposite is happening. There was already a compelling reason why the United States could not take the base to Morocco: its irreplaceable integration in the NATO architecture. And now Spain has just added a second one that is even more difficult to ignore, by reinforcing and expanding that presence with investments and effective transfer of strategic space that consolidate the Rota base. as a structural piece of Washington’s device in Europe. Image | NavyUS Navy In Xataka | In 1953 the United States decided to put a naval base in Rota. Now the facility looks to its future with uncertainty In Xataka | If the question is whether Spain can deny the US its bases to provide air support to Israel, the answer is not so simple.

Marie Curie died 92 years ago. Your personal notebooks are still buried under layers of lead for a good reason

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If you visit the basements of the National Library of France (BnF) and you want to look at some of the bibliographic gems that are kept there, you will most likely be forced to respect a series of measures, such as wearing gloves or handling the books in perfectly controlled conditions. The objective is obvious: protect the volumes. From you, from excessive exposure to light, from degradation. Things change if what you want to read is one of the notebooks that Marie Curie scribbled in her laboratory. In that case it is you who they must protect. Literally. The fact that there are dangerous publications may be a controversial statement that may or may not be shared, but in the case of the folios handwritten by the famous Franco-Polish scientist, it leaves little room for debate. Despite Madame Curie He died in 1934, almost 89 years ago, his notebooks continue to cause concern among archivists. and it is quite normal so be it. When Marie Salomea and her husband, Peterinvestigated in their laboratory with uranium, little was known about the potential damage of radiation, so they did not apply the basic safety measures that govern any radiological task today. So things—supports the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)— “no wonder his workspace and notebooks became contaminated.” Pierre and Marie Curie, in the laboratory, around 1904. To avoid possible risks, the handwritten notebooks are kept in the basements of the National Library of France inside special boxes, made up of several layers of lead. Not only that. As detailed in 2021 by the BBC networkthe French institution requires researchers who want to handle the notebooks in person to first put on some protective suits specials and, of course, that they sign a document in which they exempt them from any responsibility. Is such misgivings justified? When reading requires a special suit For their research, which led to the discovery of polonium and radium, the Curies accumulated, crushed and manipulated enormous quantities of minerals containing uranium in their laboratory. He knowledge about natural radioactivity It was very recent at the time and the couple, who contributed to their research, were unwittingly exposed to its harmful effects. Themselves and, of course, all the material they used. Including notebooks of notes. To understand the conditions under which they worked, it is good review the notes by Marie, collected by Philipp Blom in ‘The years of vertigo: Europe, 1900-1914’: “One of our joys was entering the workshop at night; everywhere we saw the faintly luminous silhouettes of the capsule bottles containing our products. It was a beautiful sight and always new to us. The glowing tubes looked like dim fairy lights.” It was not strange, they say, that the pair of scientists carried flasks with polonium and radium in their coat pockets or kept them in their desk. Marie herself ended up dying in 1934 from a aplastic anemia which was probably caused by his frequent exposure to radium samples and polonium. “Taking into account the half-life of 1,600 years of the radius and the sensitivity of current radiation detectors, it is also not surprising that this contamination is still detectable today,” comments the ACSH in an article dedicated to the topic. The experts, BBC specifiescalculate that given that on average radium atoms take about 15 centuries to disintegrate, it is not unreasonable to think that the notebooks should remain in their lead box during that period. The National Library of France is in any case not the only one to preserve Curie’s notebooks. The Wellcome Collection It also has a volume, digitizedwith notes on experiments and radioactive substances and sketches. The volume dates from between 1899 and 1902 and was written in Paris. To avoid scares in 2014 The Aurora firm examined the material and concluded that it was contaminated with radius-226. The ACSH states in any case that the volume “does not represent an appreciable risk.” Fortunately, the notebook can consult now from homeonline, or even downloaded in PDF. The theme of “the contaminated notebooks” of Curie generate so much interest that it even has your own entrance on the website Marie-curie.eu, focused on the figure of the two-time Nobel Prize winner, and numerous articles have been written on the subject. Notebooks are not the only ones in a similar situation. The BBC explains that the house south of Paris where Marie Curie worked until 1934 is also affected by the radiation levels generated during her experiments. The block has even earned the ironic nickname of “Chernobyl on the Seine”. When he was buried in Paris Pantheoneven Marie Curie herself ended up in a lead sarcophagus almost an inch thick. Image | Aurora In Xataka | In 1968 a man had the idea to create the first tablet in history. The problem is that he was decades ahead of his time. In Xataka | The first hard drives in history were gigantic. Then a miracle happened: miniaturization

Something is going wrong with AI. The US is turning to energy solutions that it thought were buried to power data centers

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The race to develop and operate increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models comes at a cost that is rarely at the center of the technological narrative. It is not in the chips or the software, but in the huge amount of electricity needed to keep active data centers running around the clock. In the United States, this pressure is already being translated into concrete decisions: polluting power plants that were in retirement are being restarted to cover increasing peaks and tensions on the grid. The paradox is evident, the most ambitious advance in the technology sector depends, for the moment, on energy solutions from another era. The problem is not so much an absolute shortage of electricity as a time lag. The demand for data centers linked to AI it’s growing much faster than the ability to launch new electrical generation, especially renewable, in short terms. Building large energy infrastructures takes years, while these complexes can advance in much shorter time frames. Faced with this temporary shock, network operators and electricity companies are turning to what already exists and can be activated immediately, even if it is more polluting. PJM in context. The clash between electricity demand and supply is perceived with special clarity in the PJM region, the largest electricity market in the United States, which covers 13 states and concentrates a very significant part of the country’s data centers. We can understand it as a large regional electricity exchange that coordinates generation, prices and network stability in real time. There, the growth of data centers linked to AI is putting to the test a system designed for a very different consumption pattern, making PJM the first thermometer of a problem that is beginning to appear in other areas. What is a central peaker. The calls central peakeror peak, are facilities designed to come online only during short periods of peak demand, such as heat waves or winter peaks, when the system needs immediate reinforcement. They are not designed to operate continuously, but to react quickly. According to a report According to the US Government Accountability Office, these facilities generate just 3% of the country’s electricity, but they account for nearly 19% of the installed capacity, a reserve that is now being used much more frequently than expected. South view of the Fisk plant in Chicago The case of the Fisk plant, in the working-class neighborhood of Pilsen, in Chicago, illustrates well how this shift translates on the ground. It is an oil-fueled facility, built decades ago and scheduled to be retired next year, that had been relegated to an almost testimonial role. The arrival of new electrical demands associated with data centers changed that equation. Matt Pistner, senior vice president of generation at NRG Energy, explained to Reuters that the company saw an economic argument to maintain the units and that is why it withdrew the closure notice, a decision that returns activity to a location that many residents believed was in permanent withdrawal. When the price rules. The change is not explained only by technical needs, but also by very clear market signals. In PJM, the prices paid to generators to guarantee supply at times of maximum demand skyrocketed this summer, more than 800% compared to the previous year. An analysis by the aforementioned agency shows that about 60% of oil, gas and coal plants scheduled for retirement in the region postponed or canceled those plans this year, and most of them were units peakerjust the ones that best fit in this new scenario of relative scarcity. The bill for this energy shift is paid above all at a local level. The power plants peaker They tend to be older facilities, with lower chimneys and fewer pollution filters than other plants, which increases the impact on their immediate surroundings when they operate more frequently. Coal is also postponed. The phenomenon is not limited to power plants peaker fueled by oil or gas. On a national scale, several utilities have begun to delay the closure of coal plants that were part of their climate commitments. A DeSmog analysis identified at least 15 retirements postponed from January 2025 alone, facilities that together represent about 1.5% of US energy emissions. Dominion Energy offers a clear example: In 2020 he promised to generate all its electricity with renewables by 2045, but after the company projected that data center demand in Virginia will quadruple by 2038, it is now taking a step back. Images | Xataka with Gemini 3 Pro | Theodore Kloba In Xataka | A former NASA engineer is clear: data centers in space are a horrible idea

The bidet is dead. The square meter killed it and Scandinavian design buried it

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In Spanish bathrooms, a classic element is quietly disappearing. The bidet was in almost every home, as inseparable from the toilet as the mirror from the sink. But something has changed. Today, in new urban apartments and modern renovations, the bidet has become a spatial luxury. Instead, as detailed by interior designer Pia Capdevila in Architecture and Design: “Some time ago we replaced them with sanitary showers, which take up less space and are much more functional in small bathrooms.” What do you mean, a faucet? The change has been progressive but unstoppable. Around the 60% of Spanish households They still have bidets, but in new constructions and renovations their disappearance is almost total. The reasons are simple, as interior designer Ana García explains for El Mueble: Bathrooms have been reduced – in cities they are usually around 4 square meters – and every centimeter counts. Maintaining a bidet means reserving about 60 centimeters of width next to the toilet, a space that can be used for a larger shower, a piece of furniture with drawers or simply to gain comfort. In this context, the hygienic shower or “sanitary shower” has become the great substitute. “They are faucets with a small hose and sprayer that are installed next to the toilet. They require almost no space and are very functional,” adds García. In fact, in countries like Thailand or Indonesia, this system—popularly known as boom gun— is the standard of domestic hygiene. A new aesthetic that invades everything. Saying goodbye to the bidet is not just a matter of space, but of cultural and generational change. The architect Carlos Alonso thus sums up the phenomenon in an interview for El Muble: “A client who already has a bidet will surely want to keep it. But one who has never had one will probably not even consider it.” Personal hygiene is understood in a different way, faster and more functional, without additional pieces that interrupt the clean aesthetics of the bathroom. Homes, increasingly smaller and more versatile, prioritize visual order and efficiency. The architect Miriam Gómez in the same medium he points out: “Placing a bidet in the bathroom is a very typical mistake. It takes up a lot of space and is hardly used. We replaced it with a sanitary shower next to the toilet.” Only some cases – large bathrooms or homes with elderly people accustomed to its use – justify maintaining it. But the classic bidet, that low and robust toilet, is already a piece from another era. So what is better? The dilemma is no longer “bidet yes or no?”, but how to maintain the same hygiene without losing space or style. In today’s bathrooms, where the square meter is worth gold, the solutions include compact and functional options. The most common are hygienic showers or side showers, small taps with a hose that are installed next to the toilet and allow you to wash with water without taking up more space. “When space does not allow a bidet, we recommend a faucet attached to the toilet, with two water channels. It is more aesthetic, takes up less space and is just as functional,” explains the architect Carlos Alonso. However, if what you are looking for is one more step in comfort, the future is already here: Japanese toilets – also called smart toilets or washlets – are gaining ground in Spain. According to Architecture and Designmore and more homes are incorporating them, especially in new homes, due to their functionality and compact design. They integrate washing, drying, temperature control and even automatic deodorization functions. Designer Eva Mesa, from Tinda’s Project, explains it with personal experience: “The first time I tried a Japanese toilet I understood that it was a more coherent, cleaner and more evolved system. Once you get to know it, there is no turning back.” And what is more hygienic? Although the bidet has lost ground, medical experts continue to advocate the use of water as the most hygienic method for personal cleansing. According to Dr. Cindy Kina colorectal surgeon at Stanford University Medical Center, water is the standard treatment for removing body dirt in almost all contexts. In addition, it points out that those who use bidets or water showers have between seven and ten times less bacteria on their hands than those who use only toilet paper. Finally, it details that water prevents the irritation that dry paper can cause and is especially recommended for people with sensitive skin, hemorrhoids or in the postpartum stage. The future of the bidet depends on the map. A publication of The Big Data Stats that went viral On networks it showed how more than 60 countries in the world still use the bidet or some similar water hygiene system. The map did not reveal anything that we could not intuit, but it did confirm it with data: the bidet is still alive, although not everywhere in the same way. In Spain, specifically in Zamora, its installation is still mandatory by urban planning regulations, an exception that surprises even municipal architects. Looking towards our Italian neighbors, the bidet is also law: since 1975 it has been mandatory in all bathrooms. For its part, crossing the Atlantic, in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the bidet maintains a strong cultural presence, as deeply rooted as mate or the water bottle. On the other hand, in much of Asia and the Middle East, the custom remains, but in another format: that of the side faucet or manual shower, as occurs in Thailand, India or Egypt, or even in Brazil, where the version with a hose prevailed over the traditional bidet. The bathroom of the future. The trend is clear: the bathroom will be more compact, technological and sustainable. Perhaps in a few years we will remember the bidet as a domestic relic, like the landline or the record player: something that was essential and barely survives today. But its essence—hygiene with water—is still more alive than ever. Because in … Read more

In 1975 they buried “the worst car in the world” under a 45 -ton concrete vault. Now, they have opened the time capsule

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Is it possible to maintain an unchanged object over the years, the decades or even the centuries? This is what the time capsules try to get, containers in which a sample of various objects is saved with the intention of checking years later if they have resisted the passage of time. Or with the intention that, in the future, the descendants of our descendants have objects that allow them to understand how we lived. Those Time capsules They have buried themselves for scientific purposes (The MIT has several distributed by their facilities that celebrate special events) or have been sent to space. But they have also resulted in crazy particular projects such as Harold Davisson, a local merchant who decided that his was going to contain a car. Specifically, a completely new Chevrolet Vega. Finally open This year, summer in Seward (Nebraska) began in a different way. Hundreds of people gathered in this town of less than 7,000 inhabitants to contemplate what life was 50 years ago. They did not project a documentary on the wall, neither did any of the people live then. They simply opened the one that, in their day, was the largest time capsule in the world. 50 years ago, Harold Davisson, a city place decided to bury thousands of objects so that their grandchildren had a first -hand contact with the past. How did he? Simp NBC News. Among the thousands of objects were letters written by Trish Davisson’s parents, the son who fulfilled his father’s dream when he opened the time capsule. But also thousands of objects donated by neighbors 50 years ago. One of them, they collect in the American environment, was excited to discover the invitation of their wedding. But, without a doubt, the most striking object recovered was a completely intact Chevrolet Vega. The car was a purchase of the creator of the time capsule, who looked around the cheapest car he could buy. Its price was not accidental. The Vega gave so much reliability problems that was known by the nickname “Worse car in the world”. Released in 1970, it is not uncommon for the creator of this time capsule will find the car at a good price. He Chevy Vega was born to be the best car among the most affordable options on the market. From maintenance to fuel consumption, with the Volkswagen Beetle and the first Japanese compacts pressing in the market. But Chevrolet wanted to hurry to throw the car that the result was catastrophic. Fifty years after your purchase, now nobody knows what will happen to this Vega so particular. In MotorpasionTrish Davisson’s words rescue who points to this Vega could be the model with less kilometers from all over the world. With small damage of rust on the hood and in the steering wheel, they now consider if the car will end in a museum although nothing has been confirmed. The Chevrolet Vega was, last July, the crown jewel of the opening of the time capsule. This has also been surrounded by a certain controversy because for years it was the largest time capsule in the world. In 1983, however, Guinness record judges withdrew this category after Oglethorpe University (Georgia, United States) protest ensuring that its time capsule not only It was bigger, it was also older. Angry with the situation Davisson decided that he was going to build a new pyramid -shaped appendix to recover the throne. Since 2000, however, the record has a time capsule designed in Guilford (Surrey, United Kingdom) in which representative objects have been kept on what life was like during the change of millennium. Photo | Isommerer and Sentemalan In Xataka | For Shaquille O’Neal the biggest obstacle to conducting a supercar is its height: they have manufactured a tailored corvette

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