centuries

For centuries, olive leaves were used to feed cattle. Now some grenadines want our nutrition to revolutionize

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How much is an olive leaf? Here is a question that probably has not done many people in the world and the truth is that it has not been asked for a good reason: because it is almost nothing. In fact, historically no more than as food complement to cattle has been used. Changing that it is gerund. Everything else is A field paid to pseudoscience. That is precisely what you want to change The people of the Biorevaleaf operational groupa group of researchers from Granada obsessed in “fully revalue the olive leaf as a source of phytochemicals and nutrients with bioactive character.” That is, obsessed with the idea of ​​converting that “by -product” into an essential piece to extract functional ingredients in food and enriched oils. But is it really for something? On paper, it serves a lot: the olive leaf is rich in fiber, proteins and Other “phenolic compounds such as hydroxytitus, tyrosol, aglicone, oleaceine and oleocantal, “oleuropein.” What begins to tell us research is that allow reducing oxidative damage And, by extension, many of the diseases that arise with age. The first step would be to introduce all these bioactive components in olive oil (creating a whole new generation of enriched producer). But the second would go further and bring those compounds beyond, throughout the food chain. And how do you want to do it? That, without a doubt, is the most interesting part. It is under study, but Cidaf, the University of Granada, the Oleícola company Torres Morente and Agrifood Cooperativas de Granada They are trying of implementing fermentation processes and ecosstable extraction techniques. Spain in front of the future of the olive grove. In the early 90s, Spain and Italy They disputedhand in hand, the throne of the first world producing country of olive oil. This year, for the first time, Türkiye has surpassed the transalpine peninsula and has become the second great international producer. It is no accident. In the last 30 years and while the world produces twice as much oil that then, Italy first stagnated and then began to decline. Today, Italian olivers cannot produce even half of what the country consumes. Figures. According to the Italiaolivicola Studies Center In 2024, half of 1.1 million hectares of olive trees in the country are in the process of abandonment. 200,000 hectares are in a state of total abandonment and more than 300,000 are managed with “purely maintenance practices.” It is a slow agony that Spain tries to dodge. But it is not easy. The productive bands They put producers in a complex balance that threatens to denaturalize the entire industrial sector. It is not an exaggeration: one of the great paradoxes of Spanish olive oil is that, despite growing 15% a year, More than 500 oil mill will close In the next decade. Initiatives like this leaf or as those that are coming doing with the olive bonethey want to solve this by carrying the olive tree: today, the oil mills (and the rest of agri -food industries) are one of the few industrial structures that articulate empty Spain. If we lose them, the rest of the social framework will suffer a lot. Image | Nazar Hrabovyi | Bee Naturalles In Xataka | Spain faces its greatest agricultural challenge of the century: turn 1,901,529 hectares of olive grove before it is late

Hunting has been printed in the National ID of Spain for centuries. Now you have a problem: there is no relief

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Hunting ages in Spain. A lot. Fast. And in a way that invites you to think that in a matter of decades the collective, which until not so long ago He presumed That only federated soccer and basketball surpassed him in the number of federated, he will see his even smaller weight. This is reflected at least A study Posted in People and Nature in which it is analyzed how the practice of hunting in the Iberian Peninsula has evolved throughout the last half century and what are the forecasts for the next decades. The scenario they paint is not precisely flattering and leaves several questions, such as their impact on the mountains. Hunting in Spain, under examination. That is what a group of researchers has done, among which there are several members of the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), In a broad article Posted in the magazine People and Nature. The title already leaves little margin for interpretations: “The demographic collapse of hunting in the Iberian Peninsula”. For analysis, experts have analyzed six Spanish regions (Navarra, Madrid, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia and Andalucía) and Portugal, covering a population of hunters that in 2020 reached 583,575. Work graph published by Mario Gaspar and the rest of the authors in “People and Nature”. A percentage: 45%. One of the first conclusions reached by researchers is that the population of hunters has been reduced notably during the last half century. And if the trend is maintained, it will continue to do so in the coming years. The study It shows that in the last and a half decade the number of hunters fell in the area analyzed by 26%, a percentage that rises to 45% if we expand the focus to 50 years. In practice that translates into moving from about 1.06 million in 1970 to just under 800,000 in 2005 and lowering the 600,000 in 2020. And the researchers already warn that the future does not paint better. “By 2050, if the average trends observed during the last five decades are followed, hunters throughout the study area are expected to decrease by 70%,” They point The authors of the study. As a reference, they remember that in 2007 Spain added 980,000 hunters, the second largest registration in Europe, only surpassed by France. Its calculations point out that in 2050 in the area studied, which does not cover the entire country but much of the territory will remain 176,815. The key: the generational relief. One of the great challenges with which hunting is the lack of wise new. The aging of the population, the rural exodus and social and cultural changes have taken its toll to the collective and that is clearly reflected in Your figures. Researchers talk about the fact that, at least in the regions they have analyzed, “recruitment” has decreased more than 89% in just 50 years. From 44,000 new hunters between 1970 and 1979, it went to less than 5,000 in the 2010 to 2020. And the descents were even greater in regions with a strong tradition, such as Castilla-La Mancha or Portugal, both with falls that exceed 90%. The result is that the participation of young people in hunting has dropped to “Historical minimum”further complicating the future of the activity. The largest proportion of young hunters is found in the smallest municipalities, of less than 100 inhabitants, where it reaches 14%. In the localities with more than 10,000 neighbors that incidence collapses below 1%. Work graph published by Mario Gaspar and the rest of the authors in “People and Nature”. ​ One more aged group. The result is obvious. It is increasingly easy to meet in Spain with major hunters, which have passed 60 years. And more difficult to see twenty -year -old or thirties by the mountain with the shotgun hanging on the shoulder. If the trend does not vary over the next few years the researchers already They warn that in the middle of this century the proportion of hunters who have already blown the 60 candles will go from 40 to 61%, thus becoming a comfortable majority. “The hunting population studied, with about 600,000 hunters, is strongly aged, being the most abundant cohort that between 61 and 70 years, and its prevalence is eight times higher in smaller populations than in large cities,” They reflect The authors of the study. The figures are again revealing: the strip of hunters from 61 to 70 years was the most abundant, with 23%, despite the fact that experts detected that the abandonment of hunting is accelerated from 65 years. The age cohort below 20 years is testimonial, with only 0.92%. Question of changes. Change hunting, but also changes society and the Spanish population itself. In fact your Paulatino Aging It coincides with that of the whole of society and the abandonment of the rural one, another key that seems to affect the practice of hunting. Researchers have proven that the average participation rate is much higher in small municipalities than in the large ones: in the villages of less than 100 neighbors it reaches 8%, compared to 1% in those of more than 100,000 inhabitants. With all the population weight of the latter, he explains that most hunters reside in large locations, especially those between 10,000 and 100,000 censored. The global photo can be even worse for the collective, since, like They recognize The authors themselves, the investigation does not cover the whole of the Spanish territory. “The real decrease rates throughout the Iberian Peninsula are probably higher, since the regions not included in our study, located mainly in the northwest of Spain, are the most aging and where the hunting is likely to have decreased more,” they assume. A fact, several questions. The study of People and Nature It is interesting because it reflects, with concrete figures and percentages, the “demographic collapse” that hunting in the peninsula is suffering. However, those same data leave some important questions, one of them outlined In the report itself: … Read more

Centuries before the Carnival, in Brazil

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From the patron saint festivities to musical macrofestivals, celebrations in society are part of our cultural heritage. And they have been since time immemorial. On the eve of one of the most important festivals in the country, Carnival, a team of archaeologists has published a study on possible seasonal celebrations of pre -colonial Brazil. A fish feast. A new study He has found indications of the celebration of a festival in the pre -Columbian Brazil. This mass celebration would have had banquets focused on the consumption of fish and alcoholic beverages. The study has been carried out by an international team, in which the Institut de Ciència I Environmental Technology (ICTA-UAB), in addition to researchers at the University of York and the Federal University of Balls, in Brazil. The Cerritos. On the banks of the Laguna de los Patos, on the coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, some curious geographical accidents can be found. These are mounds of land created by the prehistoric inhabitants of the region, Charrúas and Minuan, and that are called “Cerritos”. We do not know the exact origin or function of these mounds, but some archaeological remains found in their environment can reveal an important aspect of the life of those pre -Columbian inhabitants of the region. Specifically, how they celebrated. Fermented fish and drinks. Because the recent study of ceramic remains have given important clues about their habits. Following the track of these remains, the team He could find evidence of food and drinks that were cooked or stored in these utensils long ago. They found fish remains and also, for the first time in the region, indications of alcoholic beverage production. These drinks would have been fermented from vegetables such as tubers, sweet corn or palm. Ancient vessels. To achieve this, the team resorted to molecular and isotopic characterization techniques of food waste found in remains of ceramic vessels between 2,200 and 2,300 years old and found in the region. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Plos One. Long before the Carnival. From the results and previous studies, the team interprets that there are indications of the celebration of a kind of tradition associated with fish consumption in the surroundings of the Laguna de los Patos. The team suggests that meetings in the mounds area responded to seasonal celebrations probably linked to the fishing of migratory fish in the region, such as the blonde crowd, they point out. “We see examples of these practices worldwide, often related to the seasonal abundance of certain migratory species. These events provide an excellent opportunity to carry out social activities, such as funerals and marriages, and have great cultural significance, ” Point out in a press release Marjolein Adiraal, main author of the work. Deciphering the cerritos. The study gives us clues about the societies that inhabited the region and therefore on the mysterious hill found in the place. Research gives strength to the hypothesis that these mounds had some ritual or cultural importance, linked in one way or another to these festivities. However, for now we have no conclusive evidence that this was its function. Hence, the team also highlights the need to preserve these places, cultural heritage of the region and key elements to find out new details about the companies that inhabited the region. In Xataka | Gastronomic fashions are 8,000 years old: while in Europe the flesh swear, in the Danube they remained faithful to fish Image | UAB

We have centuries contaminating the seas with mercury. We did not expect the solution to be genetic engineering

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There is something that have volcanic eruptions, oil combustion, waste incineration, chemical substances or gold extraction: they release mercury in the environment. A mercury that ends up deposited in the waters, transformed into methylmercury for millions of microorganisms, stored in fish and, finally, served in our houses at lunchtime. We have a problem with methylmercury. That is obvious. The problem is that it is very difficult to solve. And that is not forcing ideas in another place. What exactly is methylmercury? Mercury is already a global concern due to its persistence in the environment, its ability to bioaccumulation in ecosystems and their important adverse effects on human health. But methylmercury, the most frequent organic form in the marine environment takes the palm. None of this would be a problem if it were not because, in addition, methylmercury is the form “more toxic and the most easily absorbable For living organisms, since it is highly liposoluble and has a great capacity to fix proteins and also shows a high degree of bioaccumulation. “ Is it dangerous? Well yes. High doses of this compound They are very toxic to the central nervous system and especially “for the brain in development of the fetus and in early childhood.” It can cause “mild behavioral problems, language disorders, memory losses, vision and auditory, learning difficulties and development delays.” And we do nothing to avoid it? Yes, we have tried several approaches. In 2013, governments around the world adopted the Minamata Agreement to try to control the “anthropogenic liberations of mercury and other compounds” derivatives. In fact, in the last decade the European Food Security Authority (and its national equivalents) They have been establishing increasingly strict criteria for food with risk of exposure to these compounds. The problem is that it is not easy to control that release and, for now, we cannot do much more than reduce risks. A solution … original. Now, some Australian scientists say they have discovered a new effective way to clean the methylmercury. The Macquarie University Research Team and the Australian Csiro has managed genetically fruit flies and zebra fish to transform methylmercury into a much less harmful gas that is dispersed in the air. The team has modified the DNA of these two animals to insert variants of bacteria genes that make them create two enzymes that can convert the methylmercury into elementary mercury. In general terms, we could say that they inactivate it. It does not become harmless, but its toxicity and bioaccumulation falls very significantly. Oh really? “It still seems to me that we can use synthetic biology to convert the most harmful form of mercury and evaporate it,” Kate Tepper explainedsynthetic biologist and main author of the article. And, indeed, almost science fiction sounds. It must be said that, obviously, we talk about an investigation in the early development phases and much remains to be checked. However, it is a very interesting result. Very dangerous and very loaded with ethical issues, but very interesting for the development of the genetic engineering of the future. Another thing is that we dare to get so far. Image | John Cameron In Xataka | This researcher has been poisoning a lake with mercury for 15 years to see what happens to the fish living inside: now, he finally has an answer

The thermal expansion has been a headache for centuries. Now we are learning how to dodge it

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Heat tends to make the materials expand and gain volume, a volume that is then reduced when the temperature drops. This is a problem for architects and engineers since this effect is very noticeable in metals such as steel. What if we could avoid this problem? A new alloy. A group of scientists has created a new alloy that barely shows thermal expansion along a wide temperature fork. The key to development has been in invar, an alloy with similar properties that has previously been deciphered. 100 years of mystery. Invar is an alloy composed of iron, nickel and other elements with an extremely low thermal expansion coefficient, that is, an alloy that is barely dilated to an increase in temperatures. In a fork that covers more than 400 k (that is, more than 400º Celsius), invaria only expands 0.0001% of its length for each degree Celsius (or for each Kelvin). This alloy was created at the end of the 19th century by Charles Édouard Guillaume, who I would receive the Nobel Prize in Physics In 1920 “for its discovery of anomalies in the steel and nickel alloys.” We have needed a century since the award concession to begin to understand the underlying science in this low thermal expansion. Thermal expansion. The phenomenon of thermal expansion is an old acquaintance. As those responsible for the new work explain, this phenomenon is the result of the same movement of atoms (remember that the temperature is nothing other than that). When the atoms get hot, they move more and that makes more space need, then the material expands. This phenomenon, they continue to point out, is inevitable, but understanding it in detail opens the door to create new materials that somehow balance this effect. To study it, the team resorted to computer simulations that allowed analyzing the behavior of magnetic materials on tiny scales. “This allowed us to better understand the reason why invaria is hardly expanding,” said Segii Khmelevskyi, co -author of the new study. The effect is due to changes in the state of the electrons that occur as the temperature increases. These changes counteract “almost exactly” the thermal expansion of the material, adds Khmelevskyi. From theory to practice. Knowing the theory opens the way to the creation of new alloys capable of overcoming thermal expansion. It is precisely what the study responsible for the study did, put their findings into practice. And the result is what they have called Pyrocloro magnet. The new alloy combines more than two compounds: zirconium, niobium, iron and cobalt. “It is a material with an extremely under thermal coefficient above a range of unprecedented temperatures,” says Yili Cao, development co -author. “The effect is because certain electrons change its status as the temperature increases. The magnetic order of the material decreases, which makes the material contract, ”explains CAO. This effect is precisely analogous to the one seen in invar. The secret is irregularity. The team explains that the marked of the effect is also to the fact that the Pyroclloric magnet does not have a perfect network structure, that is, with the atoms arranged forming a regular and repeated pattern, but more heterogeneous. Some areas contain more or less cobalt which makes the material expand and contract in an almost identical proportion. Development details were published In an article In the magazine National Science Review. In Xataka | Cheaper, durable and ecological: a new material with the help of ruthenium wants to change the rules of green hydrogen Image | Your Wien

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