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the remains of a 17th century nobleman that have not decomposed over the years

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In the crypt of a small rural church in Kampehl, a town in Brandenburg, one of the most studied and controversial corpses on the entire continent has been lying for more than three centuries: that of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz, a feudal lord of the town who died in 1702. What is so special about a nobleman? German Prussian died more than 300 years ago? That at this point he should be decomposed and not only is he not, but his body is preserved in an exceptional way, that is, mummified naturally, without anyone embalming it. The discovery. It was the year 1794 when, while the Kampehl church was being renovated, workers opened the family crypt with the intention of moving the remains and demolishing the vault. Over there they found three coffins: two contained completely decomposed corpses and in the third was the body of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz, quite intact, dry and with an appearance reminiscent of leather. The nobleman was a mummy that preserved recognizable facial remains, remains of hair and part of the clothing they used to bury him (another thing is that with the passage of time and desecrations he remained naked, which earned him that nickname). Since the coffin had no name, the initials on the shroud served to identify him. The Kalebuz knight is extremely well preserved for his age. Via: Anagoria The character. If the state of preservation of Christian Friedrich von Kahlbutz is already striking, his life (and the legends that have emerged around it) are not far behind. The knight Kalebuz (that is the correct spelling according to the parish book of the Köritz church) was not actually a knight by military rank (he was a cornet) but by belonging to the nobility, he participated in the Battle of Fehrbellin and he won but not before injuring his left knee, as they say. Stay with this last piece of information. As a reward, they granted him the lordship of Kampehl. There he married and had numerous legitimate children and many others illegitimate. Among other things, because among its practices was the right of stay. In 1690, a servant named Maria Leppin accused him of the murder of her fiancé, Pastor Pickert, supposedly because the young woman had denied him the right to stay. One of the (many) good things about his status was that swearing that he had not been was enough for acquittal. And so he did in the court of Dreetz. The legend tells that in that oath he said something like: “If I am the murderer, may God ensure that my corpse never rots.” Since the original trial records no longer exist, there is no way to verify it. The hypotheses of its natural embalming. Leaving aside the explanation of the divine promise for obvious reasons, several explanations for the mummification of the Kalebuz knight have been proposed over the years: Mummification by healing (yes, like sausage) is the main one: the coffin used was of exceptional quality, made of double oak and raised on four legs, which allowed dry air currents to extract moisture from the body before bacterial decomposition. This was helped by a well-ventilated crypt, the sealing of the coffin to prevent access by ghoul insects, and the condition of the corpse itself. Apparently Kahlbutz probably suffered a serious lung disease (such as tuberculosis) and was already very deteriorated, with little nutritional substrate for microorganisms. This is what is deduced from comprehensive analysis report of the team Professor Andreas Winkelmannprofessor of anatomy at the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane. The effect of ingesting toxic substances. Another hypothesis that is more difficult to verify point to the chronic ingestion of toxic substances common in the pharmacy of the time (such as arsenic or mercury) that could have impregnated the tissues with compounds that inhibited decomposition, in addition to, of course, slowly poisoning him. After three centuries, these substances transform or volatilize and leave little analytical trace. Soil conditions. In addition, there is research that suggest that the sandy and dry composition of the crypt subsoil could have been a contributing factor in the extraction of moisture. Mummification by healing, the main hypothesis. Anagoria Yes, but. The passage of time, looters and legends do not make it easy to shed some light and science on the mystery of the good preservation of the Kalebuz knight. The fact that the trial records do not exist is in fact the least of the problems. The thorniest thing is identity: trusting everything to the initials of the shroud is a delicate matter. In 1983 a computed tomography made by Professor Meinhard Lüning at the Charité Hospital in Berlin found no trace of the knee injury. Neither does the 2024 investigation. Furthermore, Knight Kalebuz had two sons with the same initials, although it is not recorded that they died in Kampehl. In 2024 they also did a DNA analysis and there they could neither confirm nor deny that tuberculosis was the cause of death. In short: it is not known what ended the life of this nobleman. The most disconcerting thing is that the CT scan showed a pencil in the middle of the chest cavity. The only explanation is a subsequent manipulation: in 1895 the doctor Rudolf Virchow performed an extraction of tissue leaving a hole in the chest, which made it possible for someone to insert the object. The pencil was identified as Faber brand and dated between 1900 and 1920, which fits with the period in which the mummy was already on display to the public. In Xataka | A treasure hunter looted a shipwreck, did not reveal where he had kept the treasure and spent 10 years in prison. Now you are free to get it back In Xataka | We just discovered that a semi-legendary Nile king really existed thanks to a 17th century document found in trash Cover | Wikimedia and Mmoka

If the question is why men don’t wear skirts, the answer lies in the 18th century: the Great Male Renunciation

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We have it so internalized, so assimilated, that perhaps you have never thought about it, but here goes one of those questions that sound like a truism: Why do men and women dress differently? Why is it that when we go to a wedding, a gala or an elegant dinner, it is taken for granted that they will wear a more or less sober suit and discreet colors while they will wear dresses and heels? Why are ‘men’s’ clothes usually more functional than women’s clothes? And already, why don’t we wear skirts, like was wondering recently David Uclés? As is usually the case when we talk about fashion (social trends in general), none of the above is the result of chance or simple whim. Why do you dress the way you dress? Things as they are: if you are a man (at least in the Spain of 2026) and you go to a meeting in a dress and heels, it is quite likely that your colleagues will be surprised to see you cross the door. However, the same clothing on a woman would be considered very normal. Because? That same question was recently asked by the writer David Uclés. And it’s not the first. Before him, others had already slipped it, such as the designer and photographer Ana Locking, who in another recent interview on the SER network encouraged men to be much more risky when selecting their wardrobe. “If you want to feel sexy today, dress sexy. The boys’ legs are super sexy, the boys’ necklines are super sexy. Open your neckline, wear a skirt, some shorts, some ankle boots with a little heel,” encouraged Locking after lamenting that, as they mature, men “clip their wings” when they confront the closet. “What they will say comes into play a little bit, feeling vulnerable.” Is it just social pressure? It depends how you look at it. Fashion in itself is a social construct, but the tendency that leads us men to opt for sober clothing and banish skirts, heels and clothing that may be considered ‘extravagant’ from our wardrobes is explained by another reason: the story. In fact, it is not a guideline that has always been applied. Come take a walk through the Costume Museum or El Prado to prove that when it comes to men’s fashion, sobriety has not always been synonymous with good style or elegance. For example, this canvas of King Philip V with his family painted in 1743 by Louis Michel van Loo or this other work from the end of the 17th century, also preserved in El Prado, and in which Jacob-Ferdinand Voet shows us Luis Francisco de la Cerda, IX Duke of Medinaceli. Is there anything that catches your attention about them? Wigs, high heels and brilli brilli? Exact. If you look at both works you will see that the men wear wigs, heels, stockings, loose jackets that fall almost like skirts, and an abundance of bright colors, the kind of clothing that at that time (late 17th century, first half of the 18th century) denoted status. If you think about it it makes sense. What they show us Jacob-Ferdinand Voet and Louis Michel van Loo They are characters dressed in colorful outfits, although they are not what we would say ‘functional’. But… Why should they be? If anyone could afford that kind of clothing it was aristocrats who didn’t have to work. Who doesn’t like heels? William Kremer explained it well in 2013 on the BBC when reviewing The history of high heels and why men stopped wearing them. Again, it may sound like a far-fetched question, but it actually makes a lot of sense and reveals even more about our history. For centuries heels were worn in the Middle East as part of horse riding clothing. And not only for aesthetic reasons. With them Persian soldiers could stand on the styles, stabilize themselves and adopt a good posture to use the bow. When at the end of the 16th century sha Abbas I of Persia He sent a diplomatic mission to Europe to gather support. The nobles noticed the Persian-style shoe. They liked it so much that over time they began to wear high heels that highlighted their size… and their social rank. And all that with heels? That’s how it is. “One of the best ways to convey status is through the impractical,” commented in 2013 Elizabeth Semmelhack, of the Bata Footwear MuseumToronto. Perhaps heels were not very advisable for walking through the countryside and the paved and potholed streets of the 17th century cities, but did the same nobles who posed for chamber painters dressed in clothes as luxurious as they were cumbersome have to do so? “They don’t work in the fields nor do they have to walk a lot.” Why did they stop being used? Times have changed. And the way of thinking. When they review the history of fashion (especially men’s fashion) historians usually stop at the Enlightenment, between the mid-17th century and the beginning of the 19th century, a time in which intellectuals opted for a way of thinking in which what was rational and useful was prioritized. Also education about privileges. Status is no longer an inherited gift, but the result of training and work. As far as fashion is concerned, this translated into a new sensitivity that favored the use of garments comfortable and functional. In England, for example, even landowners ended up embracing a more practical style, better suited to managing their properties. At least that’s how it was among men. The rational aspect stood out among them; The emotional nature was highlighted in them. Did only the Enlightenment influence? No. The Enlightenment mentality played a crucial role, but historians usually point out an episode that (although inspired by the Enlightenment) is much more specific, both geographically and temporally: the french revolution. Against this backdrop, the way one dressed became more than a simple aesthetic choice or a mark of status. … Read more

Germany has found a source of perovskite for solar panels in an unusual place: bullets from the 17th century

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Solar energy is, with the permission of wind energy, the renewable energy that has stood out the most and best in the energy transition on a global scale. There are already solar parks everywhere: from fields that They fill the emptied Spain to deserts passing through the tibetan plateau and also in high seas either in lakes. And although the most common technology is crystalline silicon, perovskite is the great promise. There is a compelling reason to bet on perovskite: a record efficiency certified in a laboratory. up to 26%. However, a large-scale deployment of perovskite solar cells requires a large-scale, sustainable supply of high-purity lead iodide. We have come across lead: a toxic element whose mining is not exactly sustainable. On the not-so-good side, recycling it to the required purity levels is a technical challenge that a German research team at the Helmholtz Institute in Erlangen-Nuremberg has just solved. And in what way: have achieved converting 17th century musket balls into high-performance solar cells. The idea. It consists of a process of upcycling (upcycling) in two stages: first a non-aqueous electrochemical route and then purification through the crystallization of single crystals, quite different from traditional methods based on strong acids and large volumes of water. To demonstrate the robustness of their method, the team used lead bullets from the 16th and 17th centuries as raw material, a truly complicated material in that it contains carbon residues, metallic inclusions and oxidation patina. If the process can clean up this type of historical residue, it can handle virtually anything you throw at it (obviously any lead residue). Recycling bullets into solar cells transforms lead waste into a clean energy source. Why is it important. Perovskite solar cells require extraordinarily pure lead iodide, and achieving that level of purity from contaminated waste was until now a challenge without a practical solution that this research has solved: the team manufactured solar cells with their recycled material and obtained 21% efficiency, practically identical to the 22% of devices manufactured from industrial synthesis. Beyond the technical result, the process solves two problems at the same time: it offers a way to supply the enormous demand for lead iodide that will be generated by the take-off of perovskite solar cells without resorting to new mining and at the same time eliminates a toxic pollutant whose current management is expensive and environmentally problematic. Context. As we mentioned above, lead is an abundant waste: it comes from used car batteries, electronic scrap, construction materials or ammunition, among others. Lead recycling is dominated by car batteries, which have very high recovery rates in developed countries. The problem is in the rest: In 2018, only 48% of the world’s residual lead at the end of its useful life was recovered and in more dispersed flows such as electronics or construction, the recovery is even lower. Conventional recycling returns metallurgical-grade lead, useful for batteries and alloys, but far from what the solar industry requires. In addition, they are slow processes that generate toxic gases such as nitrogen oxides and large quantities of contaminated wastewater, up to 70 liters per kilogram of lead iodide produced. Traditional high-temperature purification methods are expensive and complex. More robust, adaptable and cleaner extraction and purification methods are needed for perovskite technology to truly scale. How they do it. The bullets are cleaned with dilute nitric acid, melted and molded into rods that act as electrodes in an electrochemical cell with acetonitrile and dissolved iodine. When current is applied, lead reacts directly with iodine and precipitates as lead iodide with 94% efficiency. Doing it this way, in a non-aqueous medium, is a deliberate decision to avoid introducing impurities that would accelerate the degradation of the perovskite. The resulting lead iodide still contains metallic impurities, so it is not suitable for solar cells. That is why it is subjected to a second purification stage through crystallization at a controlled temperature for about 70 hours. The process is exceptionally selective: as the crystal grows, it expels contaminating metals such as silver or copper, raising the purity of the material to levels comparable to or even higher than the highest quality commercial standard. Yes, but. The process works and the results are solid, but scale matters: at the laboratory level, productivity is just 0.05 grams per hour and each purification cycle lasts about 70 hours. The leap to an industrial scale requires solving the recovery of organic solvents, controlling the passivation of the electrodes and substantially improving the productivity of the process. The research team does not hide it: the chemistry is proven, but the distance from the laboratory to a real production plant is long and will determine whether we end up seeing perovskite panels made with recycled lead or if this remains like a shiny piece of paper in a drawer. In Xataka | Germany has had a crazy idea to solve one of the problems of renewables: covering a lake with solar panels In Xataka | 800 meters deep in a 175 million year old rock: Germany’s solution to nuclear waste Cover | By Branch and Soren H

an Arabic document from the 17th century has confirmed its existence

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If we think about characters and civilizations in African history, most of us think of the pharaohs and pyramids of Ancient Egypt and little else. However, there is much more and you don’t have to go far from that enormous continent: just to the south, following the river inland, there were powerful kingdoms with their own kings, their own cities and their own cathedrals (yes, I said cathedral). One of those kingdoms was called Makuria, and its capital was Old Dongola, a great city on the banks of the Nile that for almost a thousand years was a center of power, commerce and culture. Curiously, while Europe was living through the Middle Ages, Dongola was a prosperous Christian city that even stood up to the Arab armies that conquered North Africa. Over time it declined, became Islamized and was almost forgotten, buried under the desert. The history of the region Nubia It is almost a documentary silence. It’s not that nothing happened: it’s that almost nothing was written or what was left had not been excavated. In that darkness, a small fragment of Arabic paper recovered in a garbage dump in ancient Dongola (the north of present-day Sudan) has just marked a before and after. The discovery. The document measures just 10 × 9 centimeters, it was found in a garbage dump inside Building A.1 of the Old Dongola citadel (what has been popularly known there for centuries as the “King’s House”) and it is an administrative order issued in the name of King Qashqash. The king orders a subordinate named Khiḍr to arrange an exchange of sheep with their offspring, cotton cloth, and a headdress between several individuals. The text was written by the scribe Hamad and the research team behind the paper considers that it is probably the response to a previous letter, suggesting that there was an active epistolary network around the court. It is, simply, the king working on his task of administering, managing assets and relationships within his network of power. The first face of the King’s order. M. Rekłajtis/PCMA in Barański et al. 2026 Why is it important. The relevance of the discovery has several levels, but the most direct and immediate is to confirm the historical existence of Qashqash, of which there was previously only evidence through oral tradition, including fragments of the Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt of Wad Ḍayfallāh. This book compiled in 1700 compiles the biographies of the most important saints and religious teachers of the Sudan, based on stories that had been transmitted orally from generation to generation. Beyond that confirmation, the discovery sheds some light on what the “Dark Ages” of Nubia were like. For centuries the image left by Leo Africanus in the 16th century predominated, describing the king of Nubia as a monarch perpetually at war. This document demonstrates the opposite: the region was politically active and its king was not on the battlefield, but rather involved in the daily management of goods and networks of reciprocal exchange, which was the central mechanism of political power in precolonial Sudan. Context. Old Dongola was the capital for centuries of the Christian kingdom of Makuriaone of the most powerful medieval African kingdoms in the Nile Valley. In the mid-14th century it ceased to be so, and the city progressively contracted until it was reduced to its citadel and its immediate surroundings. What followed is the period that historians call the Sudanese “Dark Ages”: three centuries in which Dongola was caught at a geopolitical crossroads: with pressure from the north by Ottoman Egypt, from the south by the Funj sultanate, and meanwhile its society was Islamized. It was in that delicate context that Qashqash probably reigned between the second half of the 16th century and the first years of the 17th century. one of the first rulers of that dark period that has been able to be verified. How have they done it. The PCMA research team at the University of Warsaw have combined three independent avenues to date and contextualize the document: with numismatics using Ottoman silver coins from the same stratum, radiocarbon of organic matter from the garbage dump, and cross-literary genealogy, combining the Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt and the account of the traveler Evliya Çelebi, the documented descendants of Qashqash. The convergence of the roads has made it possible to reconstruct the limits of when his reign was. Qashqash is just the tip of the iceberg. The document is also a linguistic testimony of the first order: written in Arabic, it has grammatical irregularities and colloquial spellings that show that although it was not fully established, it was already the language used by the chancellery. In short: evidence of the gradual Arabization of Nubia, which was adopted and adapted. Another interesting point is that archaeological evidence and local oral memory confirm each other. Building A.1 has been called the “King’s House” by the inhabitants of Dongola for centuries and the descendants of Qashqash continue to live nearby. Finding the royal order precisely there is no coincidence: it is archeology validating what the community had remembered for generations. In fact, the collaboration between the research team and those who live there has been close, something they consider essential for a correct interpretation. Shedding light on the dark ages. The Qashqash order is only the first published result of a much larger corpus as the project has recovered approximately fifty Arabic paper documents in Old Dongola, including letters, legal and administrative texts, and written amulets. The first analysis points to communication networks that connected religious, administrative elites and possibly nomadic leaders of the region. A comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the set will shed some light on the political, legal and social history of pre-colonial Nubia. In Xataka | A cargo sunk in a Swiss lake 2,000 years ago confirms it: the Roman legions did not deprive themselves of anything In Xataka | A treasure hunter looted a shipwreck, did not reveal where he had kept the treasure and spent 10 years … Read more

the astronomical event of the century is approaching

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Many of us still have the healthy envy of seeing the spectacular images of the total solar eclipse who toured Mexico, the United States and Canada two years ago. It was an event that paralyzed a continent, especially in the so-called “strip of totality”, the areas that were left completely dark. Well, the next great cosmic event has Spain as a global protagonist. And we won’t have to wait long. August 12, 2026. In just four months the first total solar eclipse visible in Spain since 1905 will take place, a unique opportunity in more than a century. Together with Iceland, which will enjoy 58 seconds of totality, we will be the only country in the world that will be able to see all phases of the eclipse. And let’s be honest: in the middle of August, our chances of having clear skies are considerably better than those of Icelanders. Context. A total eclipse occurs when the Moon aligns perfectly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow that plunges the lucky ones into twilight darkness in broad daylight. In the event of 2026, this shadow, the strip of totality, will be about 300 kilometers wide and will cross Spain from west to east, from Galicia to the Balearic Islands. The autonomous communities that will remain under the shadow cone of totality are Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, the Basque Country, La Rioja, Aragon, Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands. Madrid will be right on the edge, with a fleeting totality in the north of the region. But the rest of the country will not be left empty-handed and will witness a very deep partial eclipse, with coverage of more than 90% (and up to 74% in the Canary Islands, with Lanzarote as the island with the best seats for the show). Almost two minutes. An essential tool to plan the observation of the eclipse down to the millisecond is the interactive map by Xavier Jubier. This resource is the gold standard for eclipse hunters because it allows you to click on any point on the map to obtain the exact times of each phase, the duration of totality, the altitude of the Sun in the area… You can also consult the map of the National Geographic Institute. The eclipse will begin just before sunset. The totality phase will take place around 8:30 p.m. (peninsular summer time), with the sun already very low on the horizon. This turns observation into a race against time against the setting sun. In cities like Oviedo, totality will last 1 minute and 48 seconds, just a few moments longer than in Burgos, León or the island of Mallorca, which is emerging as one of the most tourist places to see the eclipse (with the disadvantage that the Sun sets earlier than in the northwest of the peninsula). Safety first. As much as it may tempt us to look directly at the Sun, even partially eclipsed, can cause permanent eye damage. During all partial phases (before and after totality), it is necessary to wear glasses certified to view eclipses or indirect methods to observe it. For the rest, it will be enough to find an elevated observation place, with a horizon clear of mountains or buildings to the west so as not to miss what will undoubtedly be the astronomical event of the century. In Xataka | Half of Spain waits expectantly for the historic eclipse of August 2026. The authorities are already thinking about the problems In Xataka | Spain is very excited about the three eclipses that will arrive between 2026 and 2028. The Government is worried This article was originally published in June 2025. With the eclipse approaching, we have recovered and updated it.

Japan sent the wrong creature to eradicate snakes from an island. The disaster was so big that it took half a century to solve it

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Once again, desperate situations lead to extreme measures. Save a species sometimes it involves “exterminating” another. We have seen it in South Africa and his plan to annihilate miceeither injecting radioactive material into the horns of rhinosthe cases of hunt the wild cator the plan for exterminate half a million owls. However, sometimes things do not go as governments imagine. In Japan they know it perfectly. The incident of ’79. The story begins in 1979 on the Japanese island of Amami Ōshima, located in the Kagoshima prefecture. That year, Amami’s rabbit is rediscovered (Pentalagus furnessi), an endemic species and considered a “living fossil” due to its evolutionary antiquity. Before the discovery, the rabbit was thought to be on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss and hunting. The discovery marked a before and after for the conservation of the species and highlighted the importance of protecting the natural environment of the island, home to many other unique species. An event that also highlighted the need for greater conservation efforts at Amami Ōshima, for example trying to eradicate or control the snake population. A wrong “bomb”. Thus, a few months later, Japan launched a plan. Introduces around 30 mongooses to the island with the intention of ending the population of snakes, specifically the habu (Trimeresurus flavoviridis), which represented a threat to the local inhabitants. The idea, on paper, was a seamless plan: that the mongooses, which are natural predators of snakes, would reduce the number of habus and improve security on the island at all levels. However, that project was far from infallible. The mongoose was not the ideal creature to eradicate snakes. Firstly, because they are animals active during the day, therefore, they could not catch the nocturnal habu snakes, which continued to inhabit the following decades without problem. What happened as a result had an enormous ecological impact. A specimen of Trimeresurus flavoviridis Predation of endemic species. Thus, during the day, instead of focusing on the habu snakes, the mongooses began to prey on a wide range of native species, including several that had no natural enemies on the island until then. That seriously affected the local fauna, especially endemic and endangered species, like the same Amami rabbit that had just been happily announced months ago. Hundreds of thousands of mongooses. The situation reached such a point that the mongooses, brought in to eradicate one pest, had become an even larger and more dangerous one, one that It reached around 10,000 copies. at its peak around the year 2000. The truth is that Japan had already started a mongoose control project in 1993 that was expanded over time. As? Around 30,000 traps were set on the island to capture the animals and cameras with sensors were installed to monitor them. In addition, local residents formed the so-called Amami Mongoose Bustersa team specialized in capturing mongooses (they captured thousands). The end? In 2018, the last official capture of a mongoose on the island occurred. It occurred in the month of April, and since no creature has been captured for a long period of time, the expert panel, which is tasked with determining whether the animal is eradicated from the island, estimated that the eradication rate was between 98.8 and 99.8% in February last year, reaching a preliminary conclusion that it is reasonable to say/think that mongooses are eradicated from the island under the current circumstances. Finally, on September 3, 2024, Japan’s Ministry of Environment declared eradication of non-native mongooses on the island of Amami-Oshima, declared a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. The statement was based on the opinion of the expert group on scientific grounds, taking into account that the capture of mongooses has not been confirmed for more than six years since the last one in April 2018. A unique case. The ministry itself did not hide the disaster that was the attempt to control the snakes in 1979. In fact, and as the administration has announced, it is one of the largest cases in the world in which non-native mongooses that had been established for so long have been eradicated. After the statement, the government explained that it will remove the traps that were placed on the island, although it will continue to monitor with cameras to prevent a new group of these small creatures from entering again. After all, if it took half a century to get them out of there, any contingency method is more than understandable. A version of this article can be foundlaunched in 2024 Image | Animalia, TANAKA Juuyoh, Patrick Randall In Xataka | “There are so many that you can hold them with your hand”: the daily nightmare of a town in Pontevedra with flies In Xataka | Salamanca faces its biggest environmental plague in decades. And the problem is that you can’t legally stop it.

We have been believing for more than a century that the appendix is ​​a useless organ and an evolutionary error. We were very wrong

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If there is an organ with a bad reputation in human anatomy, it is the appendix. For the vast majority of people, this small worm-shaped pouch connected to the large intestine only serves one thing: to become inflamed, to cause appendicitis urgently and have us undergo surgery. But the truth is that it is more useful than we thought, since science has seen that it has a great impact on our immune system and also in life expectancy. An evolutionary success. Something that marvels me about evolution is that it does eliminate everything that has no use for humans, but if the phylogenetic branch has been maintaining it, it is for a reason. and here a 2013 study analyzed the anatomy of 361 species of mammals and the results were devastating: the appendix is ​​not exclusive to humans and great apes, but has evolved independently at least 32 times. And the question is: why? This theory was later reinforced with a 2017 analysis which identified between 29 and 41 evolutionary gains of the appendix, compared to the very few losses that stood at less than seven. And in biology, when a trait evolves repeatedly in completely different lineages, it means one thing: it provides a crucial adaptive advantage for survival. Its usefulness. If it doesn’t help digest leaves as Darwin believed, then… What does it do? The latest research, including a comprehensive 2023 review published in The Anatomical Record, confirm that the appendix acts as a microbial reservoir and a support for the immune system. This way we know that the appendix is ​​filled with lymphoid tissue and is strategically located outside the “main flow” of the intestine. And it works as a kind of bunker for our microbiome, and in this way, when we suffer a severe intestinal infection that “sweeps away” our bacterial flora, the appendix releases beneficial bacteria hidden inside to quickly recolonize the intestine. And tested. A 2023 study showed that primates with appendages have a relatively lower risk of severe diarrhea episodes early in life, reinforcing their vital role as a protective shield against deadly infections. Its relationship with longevity. The most fascinating discovery about the appendix came in 2021, where a team of researchers published in the journal Ecology and Evolution a study in which they crossed data from 258 mammal species. Controlling for variables such as body size and phylogeny, they looked for patterns between the presence of an appendage and the lifespan of the species. The conclusion they drew was none other than determining that the presence of the appendix is ​​directly correlated with greater maximum longevity. And the reason is in positive natural selection. In this way, by drastically reducing mortality caused by infectious diseases and diarrhea, species with an appendix have a clear survival advantage that allows them to extend their life expectancy. Image | Eugene Chystiakov In Xataka | We have been measuring death wrong: science now believes that our biological expiration date is more hereditary than we thought

In 1850, Almería inaugurated one of the largest hydraulic works in 19th century Spain. It was a complete disaster

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It is May 8, 1850, Níjar (Almería). Although the promoters have been trying for months, finally the inauguration of the Isabel II reservoir will not have the physical presence of the Queen which gives it its name. But they are not going to let that ruin the moment, their moment. We talk about what may be the largest hydraulic work of the Andalusian 19th century and one of the most ambitious on the peninsula: 35 meters of stonework built at will by more than a thousand private investors that culminate the old dream of the Duchess of Abrantes, to build a dam along the Rambla del Carrizal. A dam doomed to failure. Money in abundance. In 1821, in the heat of the mining boom in the Sierra Almagrera of Almería, Diego María Madollel He created ‘Irrigation of Níjar’ and obtained tax exemptions from the crown. The idea was simple: build a stone structure 44 meters long and 35 meters high with the idea of ​​irrigating more than 18,000 hectares in Campo de Níjar and Campohermoso. Over the next 40 years, Madollel would learn that there are many ways to fail. The first was almost immediate. The second took almost twenty years and the third, in 1842, with the constitution of the Níjar Reservoir Company, seemed to be the good one. The businessman gathered more than a thousand shareholders from Almería, Murcia, Málaga, Madrid and Valencia (people who had become rich from the mines, wanted to invest, but did not know much about the matter) and got the state to declare the project a ‘public utility’; but, five years later, the project could not get off the ground. It wouldn’t have started, but In 1848 the drought began. A persistent, sharp and prophetic drought… but that promoted the construction of the swamp. Madollel saw his opportunity and began selling water rights. The construction moved forward, the Murcian Jerónimo Ros took control of the construction and by 1857 not only the dam was finished, but also a very complex system of irrigation canals and pipes. Madollel had built a hydrological Ferrari: but the road was not in condition to go more than 20 kilometers per hour. How much everything goes wrong. Despite the very long development, the promoters did almost everything wrong. To begin with, they did not carry out hydrological studies of the area and that prevented them from realizing that the riverbed did not have enough flow to fill the reservoir or to irrigate 18,000 hectares. Furthermore, they did not realize that the regime of the boulevard was ‘torrential’: when it rains, it does so torrentially and that causes enormous amounts of sediment to be washed away. By 1871, the reservoir was completely blocked. The failure was enormous. Or almost. Because, although it is true that today the prey is a relic for hikersthe truth is that Madollel did have some vision. Today the Campo de Níjar is the epicenter of one of the largest seas of plastics in the country. The hydrological pressures are the same or worse, but this shows that it doesn’t matter how many times the climate twists our hand, the man is there to try again. Image | ANE In Xataka | The reservoir that would “never be filled” is opening its floodgates: 23 years later, the largest swamp in Western Europe is completely full

We have been hearing talk for days about the “storm of the century”, this is what AEMET says about it (and about the trend of fattening meteorological headlines)

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It’s curious. A “storm of the century” concept has been around for days and, in the last hoursa date has even been set: February 25 would be the moment in which the storm would reach the country’s coasts. And I say that all this is curious because, in short, it is inaccurate, a ‘journalistic hook’: a lie after all. This 25th changes time, yes. But what the models describe is more like an Atlantic front (with rain in Galicia and some instability in the Canary Islands), than a truly exceptional episode. But let’s take a look because there are more things to take into account. What do the models say? That is the big question: AEMET and the rest of the specialized media draw a very different scenario. Galicia stands out with relevant accumulations (we are talking about 20–40 l/m² in the area from A Coruña to Pontevedra), but little else: in the rest of the areas where it rains, the quantities are much more discreet. In most places, almost testimonials. On the other hand, it is also possible that it will rain in the Canary Islands, but (unlike the peninsula) it will be a DANA in Morocco. And then? So, nothing. We won’t have big announcements; neither by winds, nor by rain, nor by coastal problems. AEMET is worriedYeah; but due to the persistent rainfall that may accumulate in the northwest. For the rest, if there is any news on the table, it is that a phenomenon that has been somewhat missing is going to return: the haze. There will be no “storm of the century” and that, of course, is excellent news. After all, we come from a winter that has been nothing more than a huge chain of storms. This has led to a whole process of social desensitization that is forcing popular meteorological information to raise the threshold until it borders on (or settles into) sensationalism. And it’s not the best time to do it: as AEMET itself points outit is possible that we are approaching a new era of precipitation in Spain. Climate change is increasing precipitation extremes globally. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to play ‘Peter and the Wolf’ just when things are starting to change. Image | Torsten Dederichs In Xataka | We already know exactly how much climate change was to blame for DANA in Valencia (and the figures are devastating)

A century ago Denmark built an island to defend its capital. Now it is full of tourists and is sold for ten million

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The world has started 2026 slope of an island linked to the Kingdom of Denmark, but Greenland is not the only island dependent on Copenhagen that makes headlines. In it Øresund Strait There is a small Danish island that in recent weeks has also sparked interest due to its history, status and (above all) ownership. His name is Flakfortet and in this case, unlike Greenland, there would be no problem with Donald Trump controlling it. Of course, first you would need to go through the cash register and pay 10 million euros. The reason: Flakfortet is actually an old military fortification built on an artificial island and in private hands that has just gone up for sale. What has happened? that the Danish real estate market has incorporated an unconventional piece: a maritime fort built on an artificial island. That’s what they advertise on their page. Lintrup & Norgarta Danish firm specialized in real estate that for a few weeks advertise the sale of the Flakfortet fortress, located in the Øresund Strait. The property is offered for 74.5 million of Danish crowns, equivalent to about 10 million dollars. “The island has modern facilities and historic structures and is visited by thousands of people each year,” highlights the agency. The announcement has attracted the attention of media outlets such as the German newspaper Bildthe specialized medium Yacht or the Danish public broadcaster TV2which specifies that the complex reaches 30,000 square meters (m2) and there are around 10,000 built. Among its facilities, the island includes a large marina and a heliport. But what is Flakfortet? A vestige of the First World War. And a huge and picturesque reminder of the turbulent start of the 20th century. Flakfortet is a maritime fortress built on Saltholmrevan artificial island built from tons and tons of stone, concrete and sand in the Saltholm Strait. In fact, it is located between saltholm island and Copenhagen. Flakfortet was not the result of a whim or megalomania. It was promoted at the beginning of the 20th century, after the Defense Agreement of 1909 with which an attempt was made to improve the fortifications (land and sea) that protect Copenhagen from enemy attacks. To be more exact, his works were developed between 1910 and 1916. And what was it used for? The idea was to shield neighboring Copenhagen by sea. Hence, Flakfortet was projected as a true fort, capable of hosting around half a thousand soldiers and equipped with powerful cannons. Danmarks Nationalleksikon remember which in its day was equipped with howitzers, half a dozen cannons and anti-aircraft artillery. However, its role during the two great conflagrations of the last century was rather modest. In fact, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, with the project still uncompleted, frustrated the plans to equip it with modern howitzers. In the 40s it was occupied by the Wehrmacht and in the 50s it returned to Danish hands, although without much success. At the end of that same decade it closed as a naval anti-aircraft fort and during part of the 1960s it hosted the HAWK 541 Squadron of the Danish Air Force. Over time it was rented to the Copenhagen Sailing Union and was converted into a marina in the 1970s. And in recent decades? His military past is behind him. After the Danish army decided to abandon the fort the weapons were dismantled and the casemates abandoned. As the 20th century progressed, the soldiers gave way to sailors who arrived aboard sailboats, tourists and history lovers fascinated by the fortification’s past. The next major chapter of his chronicle was written in 2021, when Denmark sold the island to Malmökranen AB, a Swedish company that acquired it for around 400,000 euros. It may not seem like a lot of money, but the company had to invest significantly more to remodel the facilities and modernize its services, which includes a restaurant, a desalination plant that supplies the island with drinking water, and generators. These improvements, added to a ferry service that connected the island with Copenhagen and the interest aroused by the fort’s military past, explain why Flakfortet attracted up to 50,000 visitors in high season. Good business, right? If we ask Malmökranen right now, the business seems to involve more the sale of the island than its direct management. And it’s not something new. In 2015 the complex already looked for a buyer without much success. More than a decade later, its owners have decided to try again, asking for even more money for facilities that have a port and heliport. The agency in charge of the sale wait that the island will attract the interest of specialized investment firms or millionaires looking for a “secluded and quiet” property. Nor do they rule out that the Danish State itself decides to recover Flakfortet because it considers it “a critical infrastructure” and its location. If it is finally an individual who takes over its reins, they should keep in mind that they cannot do whatever they want with the old fort: since 2002 It is considered a historical monument, so any significant work must have the OK of Heritage. The island must also remain open to the public. Images | Wikipedia and Google Earth In Xataka | China has been dumping tons of sand into the ocean for 12 years. And now we are seeing islands emerging in the middle of nowhere

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