clean

Europe produces more clean electricity than fossil electricity for the first time. The hard part starts now

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For years, the European energy transition advanced without completely displacing fossil fuels. Last year marked that turning point. According to the report European Electricity Review 2026wind and solar generated 30% of EU electricity in 2025, surpassing coal, gas and oil combined for the first time, which fell to 29%. As Dr. Petrovich explains by Emberwe are facing record growth. It is not normal to go from a 20% to 30% quota in just five years, but the numbers are there. The energy map is changing: there are now 14 EU countries where wind and sun generate more than gas or coal. In this scenario, Spain, Greece or Hungary already play in the league of solar powers. Beyond statistics. The milestone does not imply that Europe has left fossil fuels behind or that gas has disappeared from the system, but rather that it changes the hierarchy of the electricity mix. For the first time, variable renewable energies come to occupy the center of the electricity mix, while fossils are relegated to a technical and security support role. According to Emberrenewable energies as a whole contributed 48% of the EU’s electricity in 2025, practically half of the total, a figure that remained stable even in a year marked by adverse weather conditions, with less wind and less rain than usual. Coal, the most polluting fuel in the system, continues its withdrawal. In 2024 it fell to 9.2% of the European electricity mix, a historical minimum compared to the almost 25% it represented a decade ago. Gas, for its part, rose slightly compared to 2024, although it is still 18% below its 2019 maximum, confirming that its role in the system is increasingly residual. This rebalancing has consequences that range beyond the energy mix: Dependence on imported fossil fuels continues to be the main source of price instability and strategic vulnerability in Europe, even outside the climate debate. Five years that changed everything. The sorpasso – as it has begun to be called in the sector – is not the result of a mild winter or a stroke of meteorological luck. It is the consequence of sustained growth, especially in solar energy, during the last decade, accelerated very notably in the last five years. According to the reportsolar generation grew by 20.1%, this being the fourth consecutive year with increases of more than 20%, an unprecedented growth rate in European energy history. In absolute terms, solar reached 369 terawatt hours (TWh), more than double that of 2020, and the annual increase in 2025 alone is equivalent to the electrical production of three French nuclear reactors. A dizzying growth. This expansion responds mainly to the installed capacity. In 2025, 65.1 GW of new solar power was added in the EU, distributed almost equally between large plants and self-consumption on rooftops. All community countries increased their solar production, and in several of them—Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands—the sun already provides more than 20% of national electricity. As for wind power, although more affected by the weather conditions at the beginning of the year, it remains the second largest electricity source in the EU, with 17% of the total, above gas. The system, therefore, begins to rely structurally on variable renewables, something unthinkable just a decade ago. The reverse of success: when gas continues to set the price. Despite the historic advance of wind and solar, 2025 made it clear that gas continues to have a disproportionate weight in the European electricity system, especially in price formation. According to the think tank, gas-fired electricity generation increased by 8% in the EU, mainly to compensate for the drop in hydroelectric energy caused by the drought, and this greater use of gas raised the electricity sector’s import bill to 32 billion euros, 16% more than the previous year. The impact was especially visible in the electricity markets. Ember detects that price spikes They are concentrated in the hours with the highest gas use, while the hours with abundant solar and wind tend to make electricity cheaper. In 21 European countries, wholesale prices rose in 2025, driven almost exclusively by these fossil time slots. This is where the paradox of the current system: although gas no longer dominates by volume, it continues to set the marginal price of the market at critical moments. In other words, despite the oversupply, the price structure continues to be conditioned by fossil fuel when there is a lack of wind or sun. The new energy frontier. Ember’s report devote an entire chapter to what it considers the next big front of the transition: storage and system flexibility. Without these pieces, he warns, the sorpasso runs the risk of remaining a statistical victory. This was one of the large deficits of the European transition: investing massively in generation without doing so at the same pace in networks and storage. Batteries are now emerging as the piece that connects renewable success with stable prices and security of supply. Last year, the EU exceeded 10 GW of large-scale batteries in operation for the first time, more than double that of 2023. In addition, there is a portfolio of projects that could raise that figure above 40 GW if fully implemented. The first signs are already visible in countries like Italy, where batteries have begun to cover part of the demand during peak gas hours, reducing prices and displacing fossil generation. Physical bottlenecks: European infrastructure. It is not just a question of how much energy is generated, but where it enters and how it circulates within the continent. Europe has reduced its direct dependence of Russian gas, but continues to face physical limitations in terminals, transportation networks and cross-border connections. This substitution of Russian gas has been slowed by the slowness in the construction of critical facilities, such as regasification terminals and high-capacity networks, and by the insufficient interconnection between national electrical systems. This bottleneck explains why countries with abundant renewable production, like Spain, often cannot easily export that surplus, or why the European … Read more

Washing chicken “to clean it” sounds hygienic. Science says it’s a bad idea (and very dangerous)

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“Chicken should never be washed.” This time, it was Higinio Gómez (one of the most renowned gourmet polleros in Spain) who reopened the debate in an interview in El País. But the issue is recurrent and inexplicably generates very opposing positions: from those convinced that washing chicken is a way to “remove germs or dirt” to those who, rightly, say that it is a terrible idea. But, as Gómez himself would say in his establishment, ‘let’s go in parts’. What’s wrong with the chicken? Let’s start with the most basic: nothing happens to the chicken. The risk linked to ‘washing chicken’ has nothing to do with the chicken itself. It has to do with cross contamination: the bacteria from raw chicken (which would be eliminated during preparation) transfer to the hands, sink, countertops, and various utensils. Often, in fact, when washing chicken we end up putting those bacteria in foods that are ready to eat. The EFSA estimated in billions of euros annually the impact of pollution Campylobacter (a bug especially linked to chicken). Sometimes it’s because you cook it wrong, yes; but often it is due to handling raw food without any type of rigor. What the evidence says. In a now classic observational study by the North American USDA, was discovered that, in fact, what I just explained was what really happened: among those who washed the chicken, 60% contaminated the sink and up to 26% ended up transferring bacteria to the salad. And, in fact, we already have experimental studies that explain the mechanism: beyond the obvious, “washing generates droplets capable of transferring bacteria and increasing environmental pollution” And why do people insist on washing it? That’s a good question with numerous answers: from the cultural and historical heritage (after all, when the chicken was slaughtered at home, washing did make more sense) to a lack of sense of control that ends up turning against us. Let’s be practical: How to avoid cross contamination when cooking chicken? Separate raw chicken from other foods: It is a good idea to keep the chicken raw separated from other foods. This is always true, but especially with all those that are consumed raw (such as fruits and vegetables). Use different utensils: We have talked about it with the cutting boardsbut it is especially effective advice with knives and other utensils. In fact, the recommendation is that, if we do not have several sets of utensils, wash them carefully between uses with hot water and soap. Wash hands and surfaces thoroughly: After handling raw chicken, you should not only wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds; Instead, we should disinfect all surfaces with which it has been in contact. Image | Christian Guillen / Imani In Xataka | Washing raw chicken increases risk of foodborne infection

Nepal imposed a $4,000 bail on tourists to clean Everest. Now you have more garbage and a problem

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If we talk about remote, isolated and inaccessible regions, few places reach the level of Everest. The highest mountain of the planet (at least if we take sea level as a reference) is not within everyone’s reach. Crowning it requires years of preparation, acclimatization and in-depth knowledge of mountaineering, in addition to spending a few tens of thousands of dollars in tickets, equipment, fees and Sherpas. Despite that, despite all its rigors, Everest has become a monster touristified full of tons and tons of garbage. In Nepal they just checked that this problem, that of the accumulation of waste in the mountains, cannot be solved even with the threat of paying thousands of dollars. Hence, the Government is already considering tougher measures. What has happened? That Nepal has realized that the threat of sanctions is not enough to prevent Everest from becoming a gigantic landfill frozen. More than a decade ago, its authorities adopted a measure with which they intended to clean the mountain: each climber who wanted to ascend to the roof of the world must first deposit $4,000, a kind of deposit that would only be recovered if he returned from his expedition with eight kilos of waste. The objective was clear: for the mountaineers to collect their garbage. If they did, they got their $4,000 back. If not, they lost the deposit. The idea looked good on paper, but it has turned out to be a fiasco. Over the past few years, mountaineers have returned from their climbs with backpacks full of debris to unlock their bails, but that hasn’t improved Everest. On the contrary. Why’s that? Very simple. Because (paraphrasing the Spanish proverb) ‘the law is made, the trap is made’. Tourists who have set out to conquer Everest have spent the last few years returning with rubbish to claim a refund of their money, but what at first sounds so positive has actually meant a problem for the mountains. The reason? The origin of these wastes. Climbers collect waste, true, but in lower altitude camps. Things change if we talk about the highest bases, where loading and eliminating waste is more difficult, expensive and even dangerous. Hence, the waste problem continues to be worrying and has even worsened in the most sensitive areas: the camps located closer to the summit. “From the highest bases people tend to return only with oxygen bottles,” explains to the BBC Tshering Sherpa, executive director of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee. “Other items like tents, cans and boxes of packaged food and beverages are left there, mostly abandoned. That’s why we see so much trash piling up.” What has been the result? A fiasco. The Sherpas themselves recognize that the pollution problem has worsened in the camps closest to the summit. After all… Why descend loaded with garbage from the top of the mountain if 8 kg can then be collected in the lower camps? As if that were not enough, managing the $4,000 deposits has resulted in more paperwork for Nepalese officials. Although the problem of dirt has not been solved, the majority of mountaineers recover their deposits, which translates into an “administrative burden” for the nation. Does it work that badly? In the country there are those who speak directly of a “defective norm” that fails in several key points. The main one, surveillance. “From the checkpoint above the Khumbu Icefall there is no supervision over what the climbers do,” comments Sherpa. Hence, it is not a problem for tourists to leave their garbage at the top of the mountain and then cover the quota with waste from lower camps. There is also another important handicap. The rule requires climbers to return with 8 kg of waste, but there are studies that warn that a climber produces much more waste during his stay on the mountain, at least if the weeks of acclimatization are taken into account. To be precise, we are talking about 12 kg. Is the problem that serious? Yes. The figures speak for themselves. Estimates may vary from one study to another, but they generally show that after years of tourism, Everest has become a large landfill in which dozens of tons of waste accumulate. And that includes everything from packaging, store remains, ropes… and even kilos and kilos of feces. It is not at all surprising if you take into account the great popularity that the mountain has been gaining over the last few decades. Although the expeditions are not affordable for everyone (some estimate that they cost between 40,000 and 60,000 dollars) every year hundreds of climbers land on Everest. The Telepragh esteem that around 600 mountaineers try to climb the mountain every year, which represents a huge flow of climbers who arrive accompanied by equipment and Sherpas. There are many, but the figure falls short when compared to the activity that was recorded in the area before the pandemic. Statista calculates For example, in 2023, 656 successful promotions were recorded, a figure that exceeded 800 before the health crisis. And now what? After assuming that their previous bailout plan “did not show tangible results,” the Nepalese authorities want to toughen their conditions to tackle the pollution problem. They have a new plan on the table that includes a cleaning fee that It would be around $4,000.although with an important nuance: in this case would not be refundable. The idea is that this flow of thousands of dollars will serve to finance the conservation of the mountain. “With the new plan we will deploy qualified rangers paid for by the cleaning fee collected from climbers,” comments Himal Gautamfrom the Department of Tourism. If the measure goes ahead, it will join others that in recent years have sought to improve the preservation of Everest, such as the increase in rates administrative or even the norm which since 2024 requires mountaineers to carry bags to collect their excrement. Images | Akunamatata (Flickr), Mari Partyka (Unsplash) In Xataka | When a storm hit Everest, a … Read more

an army to “clean up” the most dangerous and lethal area of ​​Ukraine

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For months now, Western intelligence services and military analysts they were warning about what something deep was changing in North Korea: thanks to Russian support, the Kim Jong-un regime was beginning to accelerate the modernization of your armywith advances in missiles, drones and even signs of technical support in programs as sensitive as that of nuclear powered submarines. Moscow appeared to be breaking strategic taboos to shore up an isolated ally, but a key question remained unanswered. Now, it is beginning to become clear what the real price to pay for this military leap is. Alliance sealed with blood. As we said, the reactivated Moscow-Pyongyang axis alliance out of mutual necessity The true price of one side has been revealed with brutal clarity: North Korea is paying back its support for Russia by putting its own soldiers in the most dangerous task of the Ukrainian war. Not as advisors, nor as a symbolic rearguard, but as extreme risk meat, sent to clear minefields in active combat zones, where the probability of being killed or maimed is structurally high. The confirmation has come from Kim Jong-un himself, in an unusual gesture of propaganda transparency, and marks a qualitative leap in the degree of North Korean involvement in the European conflict. Engineers in the hell of Kursk. The North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia belong to specialized combat engineer units, sent to the Kursk region to carry out demining work after fighting with Ukrainian forces. This is a technically complex mission and psychologically devastatingeven for well-equipped professional armies, and even more so for troops coming from one of the most closed and disciplined regimes on the planet. According to the official datathe operation lasted about 120 days and resulted in the death of at least nine soldiers, although Western and South Korean intelligence services they estimate that actual North Korean personnel casualties in the war could run into the hundreds. Before these engineers, up to 15,000 troops North Koreans would have fought alongside Russian forces in the same region to expel Ukrainian units. The tacit agreement. The logic that supports this deployment It is as simple as it is disturbing. Russia, in need of men, ammunition and regeneration capacity after years of war, offers North Korea that in exchange what else do you need: fuel, food, financial aid and, above all, access to advanced military technologies that could modernize its military and its missile and weapons programs. For a regime suffocated by international sanctions, selling highly disciplined military manpower is a strategic asset. It is not just ideological or diplomatic support: it is a direct transaction in which Pyongyang exchanges human lives for economic and military oxygen. Scenery of the sacrifice. Over the weekend it was learned that the engineers’ return was celebrated in Pyongyang with a carefully designed ceremony to transform loss into epic. Kim Jong-un embraced wounded soldiers, some in wheelchairs, consoled families of the dead and awarded the dead with the highest state decorations, promising “eternal luster” to their sacrifice. The broadcast images by the KCNA agency show the leader kneeling before portraits of the fallen, placing flowers and medals, and talking about “miracles” achieved in deadly zones converted into safe spaces. All of this is part of a deliberate effort for normalizing the sending of troops abroad and strengthening internal support for a decision that, in any other context, would be politically explosive. Russian landmines laid during Ukraine’s advance in the 2022 Southern Ukraine counteroffensive. It reads “from a pure heart” and “with love from Russia” Propaganda and obedience. The official story goes beyond the tribute. North Korean state media they have spread images of soldiers advancing without hesitation through minefields or under intense fire, as well as scenes of wounded combatants committing suicide with grenades to avoid capture. It’s not just war propaganda: it’s an internal message of absolute disciplinewhere individual life is completely subordinated to the State and the leader. In this framework, the soldier is not an armed citizen, but rather an expendable strategic resource, trained to accept missions that other armies would consider almost suicidal. From ideological allies to operational partners. North Korean involvement is not limited to sending men. Pyongyang has supplied Moscow large quantities of projectiles of artillery, missiles and various weapons, de facto reactivating a mutual defense treaty inherited from the Cold War. However, the deployment of troops on the ground marks a new frontier: North Korea is no longer just a distant supplier, but an operational actor within the war. The choice of demining it is not coincidental: It is an essential, dangerous and inconspicuous function, perfect for an ally that can take losses without being accountable to public opinion. Disturbing precedent. That a State sells its soldiers to clear mines in a foreign war is not only a dark anecdote from the Ukrainian conflict, but a disturbing precedent. It demonstrates the extent to which war is becoming internationalized in layers, incorporating actors who exchange support not out of long-term strategic affinity, but out of sheer regime survival. In this scheme, North Korea has found an extreme way to break its isolation, while Russia obtains something increasingly scarce: men willing (or forced) to walk where no one else wants to. The price of this alliance is no longer measured in treaties or speeches, but in steps taken. on mined ground. Image | GoodFon, Stefan KrasowskiMinistry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | “It’s a level 10 Godzilla, but they only see a tiger”: South Korea’s surprising response to North Korea’s rearmament In Xataka | North Korea has been sending weapons to Russia for months. In return, Russia is giving him what he craves most: a functional army.

clean our ejaculations of microplastics

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In the universe of biohacking extreme, Brian Johnson operates in a league of its own. The technological millionaire, known for his ‘Blueprint Project’ which aims achieve eternal youth With funding of two million euros, it has announced a drastic reduction of microplastics in its body, measured in the most intimate place possible. His testicles. The problem of microplastics. One of the great enemies of today’s society is undoubtedly in the microplastics and the endocrine disruptors that surround us. Bottles, containers, food…they can be a source of this type of elements that can threaten our integrity. And it is something that is currently under investigation, because at the moment it is not known exactly what having a high concentration of microplastics in our bloodstream. Science has pointed out in the past that in the testicles it was possible to find high levels of microplasticsbut until now we didn’t really know what implications it had. And this is where Bryan Johnson wanted to investigate it within his project to obtain the mechanism to turn back the ‘biological clock’ and calm his doubts about how it affected male fertility. But this is something very worrying throughout Europe in general, since we live in a time where in Europe The experiment. How are demonstrations done in science? With clinical trials if done with humans. In this case, Johnson was used as a proper subject in what is called ‘experiment n=1‘. To do this, he analyzed the concentration of microplastics in semen and blood in different periods of time, as mentioned. in a post by X. In this case, the measurement of microplastics in his semen pointed to the following: In November 2024 it was 165 particles per milliliter. In July 2025 it was 20 particles per milliliter. Here you can see a significant reduction in the concentration of microplastics in the semen, but the same thing also happened in the blood with a reduction from 70 to 10 particles per milliliter in a matter of seven months. He had literally managed to ‘wash’ his semen to remove the microplastics from his semen with the aim of improving his fertility. Beyond the shock initial measure of plastic in semen, Johnson assures that his results offer “new hope” for the detoxification of these contaminants. But what is true in all this? Are we really that contaminated? And does his “cure” make any sense? Based on science. And it is something that is being investigated right now. Specifically, a meta-analysis of 36 studies published in Environmental Pollutionit was confirmed that microplastics are a clear enemy of male fertility. induce oxidative stress in the reproductive system, which triggers testicular inflammation, cell death and therefore a reduction in testosterone levels that can influence the concentration of sperm per milliliter of semen. But it doesn’t stay here, it a second study published in Science of The Total Environment analyzed the 23 samples of human testicles (from autopsies) and 47 from dogs. They found microplastics in 100% of the human samples and in all of the dog samples. All of this made Johnson clear about one thing: stay away from all the plastic that would end up in your food. The detox. But… How do you clean semen? This is the big question that we may all have in our minds (and that we would want to ask if he is right). And although Jhonson himself admits that it is a hypothesis, his team believes that the therapy ‘most responsible’ for this drastic reduction is the sauna. His protocol is intense: 20 minutes daily at 93°C (200°F), with a peculiarity: “with ice on the testicles” (a common practice to protect spermatogenesis from extreme heat). But this is something that is complemented with other strategies such as: It’s true? The hypothesis suggests that the sauna is the detoxification system, but now it is time to look for evidence that can contrast it. Right now, in the literature you can find certain articles that try to support this. In order to see something of a relationship we can go to a 2012 study published in Environ Public Health which confirmed that sauna-induced sweat is effective in eliminating heavy metals such as cadmium or lead and also plasticizers such as bisphenol (BPA) and phthalates. However, there is a crucial difference: plasticizers are not microplastics. He BPA is a chemical molecule that detaches of plastic; Microplastics are physical particles. Currently, there is no direct scientific evidence that physical plastic particles can be excreted through sweat. What happened. So, taking all this into account, the obligatory question is this. Johnson’s “detox” is most likely a success of his second strategy: avoidance. By stopping ingesting and absorbing microplastics (thanks to filtered water and not using plastics in the kitchen), your body has had the opportunity to cleanse itself through natural means. The role of the sauna, although plausible for chemicals associated with plastic, it remains speculative for the particles that are the issue in this case. It is reversible. Beyond the sauna, the most important information that Johnson provides is hope. One of the great fears that one may have in this case is that the contamination was cumulative and irreversible, but based on this data, this is not the case. Although this must be taken with a lot of caution because statistical significance stands out by its absence, as does external validity. In order to reach a conclusion of this level, a complete study would have to be carried out, protocolized with groups of men formed randomly and respecting the principles of “Randomized Clinical Trials”. And this result may be the first step for science in the field of fertility to try to investigate much more in this regard. Images | FlyD In Xataka | vh

list of options to use it and organize and clean your cloud

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Let’s tell you options for using Gemini to organize your Google Driveso that you can have your cloud cleaner and more organized. If you’ve been using Google Drive for years, you may have a bit of chaos, you may have accumulated files you don’t need, and there may be things duplicated or in scattered folders. If you are a paying user of Geminiyou are going to have the artificial intelligence from Google implemented within Drive. And if so, then you will be able to use it to organize, select and filter content that is not useful and you can delete. It is not an automatic or extremely fast process, but it will take much less time than doing it by hand. What you can do with Gemini in Drive Let’s tell you what things you can do with Gemini in Drivetasks with which you will be able to organize your content in the cloud much more. We are going to do it in list format. To activate the actions, you will only have to click on the Gemini button within the storage service. Summarize content: You can ask it to summarize the contents of a file, but also of a folder and all the files in it. This way, you will be able to know if there are any files that clash with the rest without having to review them manually. Specific information about folders and files: You can ask specific questions, such as the size of a folder or file’s contents, format, date, or ask about anything else related to the content. Answer questions about a folder: You can ask any question about a folder, from the number of files, the subject, the total size, you name it. Find folders and files: You can ask Gemini to find folders and files by name or other characteristics. Find folders and files by specific data: You can ask it to search for all files larger than 10 MB, for example, all videos, all files uploaded in certain years, all files with a certain word in the title, whatever you need. Resume to file button: Within a file you can also ask for a summary, so you can take a look at what it looks like but not have to read it when deciding what to do with it. In Xataka Basics | How to force Gemini to create images of proportions and sizes you want instead of always making them square

Clean energy has made the electricity market cheaper. But what we pay for is no longer energy: it is stability

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Spain is a unique case in Europe: it has managed to ensure that gas and coal barely influence the wholesale price of electricity – only 19% of the hours this year, compared to 75% in 2019. according to a report by Ember. Thanks to this, the average Spanish wholesale price was 32% lower than the European one. However, something does not add up: the consumer still paying an expensive billwhy doesn’t the receipt go down? Let’s go in parts. Since 2019, Spain has added more than 40 GW of new solar and wind capacity, doubling its renewable power. In the first half of this year, 46% of the electricity generated was clean. But on April 28, 2025 came the blow of reality: the great blackout. A concatenation of electrical failures and lack of operating margin left much of the country in the dark for hours. The ENTSO-E preliminary report discarded that renewables were the direct cause, but it did reveal a structural problem: the Spanish network was not prepared for so much intermittent generation without sufficient flexibility. Since then, Red Eléctrica operates the system in “reinforced mode”activating more combined gas cycles to stabilize the voltage. According to Emberthat strategy has come at a high cost: in May, gas-based network services represented 57% of the final price of electricity, compared to the usual 14% before the blackout. The underlying problem. Spain produces more clean electricity than ever, but cannot fully take advantage of it. The lack of grid, storage and interconnections is leaving thousands of solar and wind megawatts unused. Although there is now a plan in place to reinforce those connections that act as a bottleneckthe reality is that when there is excess clean energy and it cannot be exported, it is “thrown away”. He curtailment (wasted renewable energy) has tripled since the blackout, going from 1.8% to 7.2%, according to Ember. Furthermore, the country continues to lag behind in flexibility. Regarding investment in batteries, it arrives late: Spain is placed in fourth position in the electricity market, but it is thirteenth in batteries, with only 120 MW installed. Despite to have planned a total of 16,000 MW planned for 2030. The reason for these problems is structural and can be understood with the investment made in networks of such only 30 cents For every euro allocated to renewables, half the European average. In other words, we have more sun than cables. The cost of fear. The problem is not only technical, but economic. As the analyst Javier Blas recalledoperate in reinforced modeeither since April it has cost consumers an additional billion dollars. And that is just the beginning: the approval of the new re-reinforced mode could add another 3,000 million euros and open the door to increases in fixed rates by the marketers, as the UNEF has detailed in statements to El Español. The cost of keeping the network “in tension” is transferred directly to the invoices, even if the wholesale price is low. Ember’s own report points out that the wholesale market price It only covers approximately half of the electricity bill, the so-called “energy component.” The rest – networks, tolls, taxes, stability of the system – does not decrease even if electricity becomes cheaper at source. Therefore, falling wholesale prices do not automatically translate into lower bills. The ghost of the blackout again. Six months have been enough for another feared blackout to return. Red Eléctrica warned of “sudden voltage variations” in the peninsular system, so serious that it asked the CNMC for permission to urgently modify several operating procedures. Among the measures: more room for maneuver to act before the operating day begins and stricter control of reactive voltage. An express adjustment of the country’s electrical operations to contain the ups and downs of voltage, just as my partner described. The REE itself insisted that “there is no imminent risk of a blackout,” but the truth is that no one is calm. “The grid operator has been operating in reinforced mode since April 29, activating gas plants with greater intensity and reducing solar and wind energy,” Blas pointed out. Every day that passes in these conditions adds costs that end up being passed on to customers. The ghost of the blackout is still there: less visible, but more expensive. From patches to clean flexibility. After the blackout a reform package was approved (Royal Decree-Law 7/2025) with measures to strengthen the network and promote storage. Although the decree was rejected in Congress, many of its provisions are being applied in other ways. Among them, the installation of eight synchronous compensators stands out—devices that stabilize voltage without using fossil fuels—and a portfolio of 2,600 MW of batteries, of which 340 MW already have permission. From Ember has been calculated that the compensators will involve an investment of 750 million euros, but will save 200 million a year by reducing the use of gas for network services. The objective is clear: to move from gas as a crutch to clean flexibility as the basis of the system. The Spanish paradox. Spain is Europe’s energy laboratory: the country where renewables have shown that they can reduce the wholesale price, but also where it is clearer to see how expensive it is to sustain this transition without robust networks. As explains Ember’s reportaround 50% of the Spanish electricity bill corresponds to the energy component, which has become cheaper. The rest are system costs and from there, although the megawatt-hour does not cost less, the final bill barely goes down. A major challenge. Spain has shown that it can have the cheapest electricity in Europe and, at the same time, one of the highest bills.Because the energy transition is not measured only in megawatts or solar panels, but in cables, stability and trust. The challenge now is not to produce more clean energy, but to make it arrive—and be paid for—fairly. Image | Unsplash Xataka | A ghost haunts Spain: the ghost of another massive blackout caused by network tension problems

The new strategy against Alzheimer’s is not to attack, but to ‘reprogram’ the brain to clean itself

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Alzheimer’s can be resemble a great fortress with a large number of defenses that makes it very difficult for us. One of its most formidable defenses is blood brain barriera biological wall that protects the brain from harmful substances, but, ironically, also prevents the entry of most drugs. In Alzheimer’s patients, this barrier not only blocks help, but also becomes an accomplice to the disease. But we have already found a way to access and attack this pathology. The investigation. A team of scientists has been able to develop a radically new strategy to treat Alzheimer’s. Instead of trying to force entry into the brain, they have created smart nanocapsules that “reprogram” the barrier itself to do its job again: actively cleaning up toxic waste. Something that they have already tested in mice, and they have given spectacular results: a reduction of almost 45% of the amyloid load in just two hours and a cognitive recovery that was maintained for six months. The problem. In order to understand this advance, we must know exactly how ‘access’ to our brain works. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) ​​functions as an incredibly strict customs checkpoint. Like any border, it must have an entry and exit gate and in this case it is the LRP1 receiver. In the case of a healthy brain, LRP1 will be responsible for capturing beta-amyloid proteins and transporting them out of the brain for elimination. But in the case of a brain that is already old, and more markedly in Alzheimer’s, the amount of these LRP1 receptors is reduced, causing beta-amyloid to end up accumulating in our neurons, causing this disease to begin to show signs of presence. The discovery. In this case, the research team discovered that the fate of the LRP1 receptor depends on how it interacts with the molecules that bind to it. This is where the concept of “greedy,” or total bonding strength, comes into play. Very strong union. If a molecule clings too tightly to LRP1 (as beta-amyloid aggregates do in Alzheimer’s), the receptor activates an emergency pathway that sends it directly to be destroyed in the cellular “dumping ground” that is the lysosomes. This makes the problem even worse, as it eliminates the few exit doors left in the brain to take out the ‘garbage’. Moderate union. Or average greed. If the binding is “just right,” the receptor activates a non-destructive express transport pathway (the PACSIN2 pathway). This pathway creates a kind of tubular tunnel that transports cargo through the barrier quickly and safely, preserving the LRP1 receptor so it can continue working. In fact, this pathway even promotes the expression of more LRP1 receptors, which is what interests us most in this situation. The result. Based on this principle, the researchers designed nanocapsules called “polymersomes” (A₄₀-POs). They are tiny spheres decorated with a very specific number of “keys” (angiopep-2 ligands) on their surface. The number of these keys was calculated to achieve that perfect “medium greed”, with the aim of achieving the result similar to that of a moderate union. Results. When they administered these nanocapsules to model mice with advanced Alzheimer’s, the effects were surprising. A massive brain cleanse was achieved in just two hours, causing beta-amyloid protein levels in the mice’s brains to be reduced by 45%. In order to confirm that the protein was not just moving from place to place, its blood levels were measured. The result was an 8-fold increase, which shows that the blood-brain barrier was expelling the ‘waste’. The tests. In order to see the result in practice, behavioral tests such as the Morris water maze were carried out. Here treated Alzheimer’s mice showed significant improvement in spatial learning and memory. In this case, their performance became comparable to healthy mice without the disease. Most strikingly, these cognitive benefits persisted for up to six months after a single course of treatment, suggesting a long-term restorative effect. More than a drug. This work represents a paradigm shift. Most therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s treat the blood-brain barrier as an obstacle to overcome. This new approach treats it as a dysfunctional biological system that can be repaired by adding more exit doors for the organism to maintain this homeostasis. By using these nanocapsules with the “perfect keychain”, not only is the existing beta-amyloid removed, but the brain’s natural cleaning mechanism is reactivated. The treatment was able to restore levels of LRP1 and the beneficial transport pathway (PACSIN2) while reducing the destructive pathway. In essence, nanocapsules are not the drug itself, but a tool to reprogram the biology of the brain so that it heals itself. Although the results have been obtained in mouse models and the path to human trials is long and complex, this research opens a completely new and hopeful therapeutic avenue. The idea of ​​”repairing the barrier instead of just breaking it down” could be the key not only to Alzheimer’s, but also to other neurodegenerative diseases where transport and brain clearance play a key role. Images | Bhautik Patel In Xataka | We have a new “theory of everything” to understand Alzheimer’s. Its key is in some small granules

Clean energy investment already bends fossil fuels

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There is an old narrative that states that the energy transition is a chimera, and that clean energies can barely be a complement to a system that will necessarily remain anchored in fossil fuels. But the data tell a very different story. We are living energy transformation faster in historyand money is the clearest proof of it. Short. World energy investment for all 2025 is estimated at 3.3 billion dollars. According to the International Energy Agency2.2 of those billion are destined for clean energy technologies and infrastructure. Two thirds of the investment. Just a decade ago, this proportion was unthinkable. It is invested in energies without emissions almost double what is invested in fossil fuelsa reality that shows that financial markets have chosen a clear side. The star king. The greater transformative force This transition is photovoltaic solar energy, with a global investment of 450,000 million dollars planned by 2025. This leadership is not accidental. Solar panels have gone from being the option for becoming the most economical way to generate electricity in much of the planet. Each dollar invested solar technology generates 2.5 times more energy that a decade ago. In 2015, the investment ratio between clean energy and fossil fuels was 2 to 1. in 2024, That relationship reached 10 to 1in large part thanks to the collapse of the prices of the photovoltaic components. An imminent sorpasso. The growing domain of renewables is not only reflected in investment, but also in their role in the Mix. In 2025, renewables They will overcome coal as the first source of electricity in the world. Coal will fall below 33% in the energy mix for the first time in a century, and renewables providing more than a third of the global generation. For now, it is not a homogeneous change. The bulk of the investment is concentrated in developed economies and in China, which in 2024 mobilized more than 625,000 million dollars in clean energy. Emerging markets and developing economies barely represent around 15% of world expenditure on clean energy. But the projection is global: starting from a very low base, the investment in these other regions has grown 50% since 2020. The beginning of the end for fossil fuels. The formula is simple: as the renewables become cheaper and more efficient, they move to fossil fuels. A few months ago, United Kingdom closed its last coal central. Its emissions have already fallen more than 50% compared to 1990. In 2025, for the first time, coal generated less than half of Poland’s electricity. Although the path to total decarbonization still has enormous challenges (such as the modernization of electrical networks, which remain a bottleneck, As we have seen clear in Spain), Renewables have reached a turning point, at least in the face of investors. The combination of solar, wind and battery storage is increasingly cheaper and reliable. The adoption, which was slow at the beginning, is now an exponential curve. Image | IEA (CC by 4.0) In Xataka | Forget the industrial revolution: the fastest energy change in human history is happening now

China seeks that each glass facade produces clean energy

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In recent decades, electric self -consumption has grown unstoppable in many countries. First were the roofs covered with photovoltaic panelsThen they arrived The solar balconies. Now, innovation points even higher: converting each glass window into a clean and transparent energy generator. A team of Chinese researchers has just presented a technology that could transform the glazed facades of buildings into invisible solar centrals. A panel that is not a solar panel. The research of the University of Nanjing, Posted in Photonix magazinepresents a transparent, colorless and unidirectional solar concentrator (CUSC). The device is applied directly to the standard glass of a window and allows you to capture sunlight without altering its appearance. How does it work? A simple explanation of the process would be that the window looks the same as always, but the special coating causes part of the sunlight to “slide” to the edges of the glass. There, small solar cells transform that light into electricity. In summary: the window is still transparent, but behaves like a hidden solar panel. From a more technical point. The secret is in some layers of colestric liquid crystals (CLC), which redirect sunlight selectively. The glass maintains a visible transparency of 64.2% and a chromatic reproduction index of 91.3, very similar to that of a normal window. The tests are promising: a prototype of just an inch moved a 10 MW fan under the sun. And the simulations show that a two -meter window could concentrate the light 50 times and reduce by 75% the amount of solar cells necessary, As explained in the investigation. Self -consumption reinvents itself. The rise of these innovations fits the global bipv tendency (Building Integrated Photovoltaics), the integration of photovoltaic into architectural elements. As we have detailed Xatakathere are already solar railings such as the solar system, developed by the Canadian Miterx, which turns balconies into electric generators. Europe will also force all new construction buildings to be zero emissions from 2030. This accelerates the search for solutions that not only produce energy, but also respect urban aesthetics and take advantage of each possible surface. China steps on the accelerator. It is no accident that this innovation arises in China. The country has become the largest World Laboratory of Solar Energy, with a deployment at an unprecedented pace. As we have indicated Xatakaonly in the first quarter of 2025 installed 36 GW of solar energy on roofs, more than Europe in several years. In total, there were 60 GW in just three months, figures that show the magnitude of its bet. With this context, the transparent solar window is not only a laboratory experiment, but one more piece in a national large -scale electrification and decarbonization strategy. While Europe progresses with bureaucratic procedures, China seems determined to cover roofs, balconies and now also facades with technologies that generate clean electricity. Forecasts The Nanjing equipment already works to improve broadband efficiency, optimize polarization control and apply this technology beyond skyscrapers: agricultural greenhouses and transparent solar screens are two of the fields in which its use is raised. “The design of the CUSC is a step forward in the integration of solar technology in the environment built without sacrificing aesthetics,” He has underlined Eurekalert Professor Wei Hucorresponding author of the study. A future of generating facades. The cities of the future could be covered with glass that not only lets the light pass, but also feeds with it. From solar balconies to photovoltaic railings, self -consumption is evolving towards complete integration in urban architecture. The window that does not seem solar panel, but it is, is emerging as one of the most promising innovations to meet the climate challenge: each facade as an invisible solar plant. Image | Freepik and Center for Liquid Crystal and Photony/ Nanjing University Xataka | One of the most arid areas in China is reverde. The reason: a plant with seven million solar panels

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