closer

Japan has crossed a red line in the Pacific with the US. China just responded with warships closer than ever

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When in 2013 two Russian strategic bombers They flew over without warning airspace near Japan, forced Tokyo to deploy interception fighters in a matter of minutes in one of the most tense responses in its recent history. The episode, almost forgotten outside military circles, made clear the extent to which there are movements in the Pacific that, even if they last just hours, can change the way countries look at each other for years. A crossing of lines. Japan has taken a step that for decades it carefully avoided: integrating for the first time with combat troops in maneuvers led by the United States in the Indo-Pacific, de facto breaking a political and strategic barrier inherited from the postwar. This movement is not symbolic, because involves deploying soldiers, ships, aircraft and missiles in a real conflict simulation scenario, which brings Tokyo closer to a much more active role within the US military apparatus. The decision, furthermore, occurs in a context of growing concern about Taiwan and for him balance of power in the region, which makes this gesture more than just cooperation: it is a clear sign of strategic alignment. China’s response: closer than ever. Beijing’s reaction has been immediate and measured in kilometers: the deployment of warships on routes much closer to Japanese territory than usual, including transit through waters that it rarely used to access the Pacific. Although China insists that these are routine exercises, the pattern reveals a willingness to press and demonstrate operational capacity in sensitive areas, bringing its military presence closer to points that it previously avoided. Not only that. This movement fits in a trend wider than greater naval aggressiveness around Japan, where each maneuver not only tests capabilities, but also political limits. Everything revolves around an island. The background of this escalation is the Taiwan issuewhich acts as the axis of tension between China and Japan since Tokyo left open the possibility of intervening if a conflict breaks out on the island. Beijing has interpreted these statements as a red lineand has since responded with diplomatic protests, economic pressure and military demonstrations. Every Japanese step in or around the strait is seen as a provocation, and every Chinese move seeks to recalibrate that balance without openly crossing the threshold of direct confrontation. Balikatan: from exercise to message. It is another of the crystal clear readings. The Balikatan maneuvers have ceased to be a simple bilateral exercise to become a multinational display of forceone with more than 17,000 troops and the participation of countries such as Australia, France or Canada. The active incorporation of Japan changes its nature, because it introduces a key actor in the so-called “first island chain”, a geographical and military barrier. designed to contain Chinese expansion in the Pacific. The deployment of anti-ship missiles and live-fire exercises, including the destruction of naval targets, reinforces the idea that rehearsing a scenario of high intensity maritime conflict. The battle for the islands. Also we have talked on several occasions in this chain of territories (which goes from Japan to the Philippines passing through Taiwan) that has become the axis of the US strategy to limit Chinese naval projection. Japan, by integrating more deeply into this system, contributes to the creation of a species of distributed “fortress” that seeks to hinder any Chinese advance towards the open Pacific. For Beijing, however, breaking or surrounding that barrier is a strategic prioritywhich explains the increase in its activity beyond that line and its insistence on operating in waters increasingly distant from its coast. An increasingly fragile balance. The result of all this is a scenario where each movement has a double reading: what some present as routine trainingothers interpret it as a climbing sign. Japan has taken a step that redefines its role in regional security, and China has responded by bringing its naval power closer to a distance it previously avoided, creating an action-reaction dynamic that increases the risk of incidents. Thus, in a global context marked by many other conflicts that could divert American attention, the Indo-Pacific is positioned as the great board where the balance of power of the 21st century is played. Image | CCTV In Xataka | Japan has dozens of “forgotten” islands off the coast of China: it is now preparing for the worst scenario In Xataka | Satellite images leave no doubt: China has concentrated thousands of fishing boats off Japan, and its idea is not to fish

We have covered the ISS in moss with a single objective. And now the possibility of “terraforming” Mars is closer

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Last year, scientists published the results of a study in which they told how they had covered the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) with moss. Although the study It was published in Decemberit was not a Christmas decorative strategy. They wanted to check if this primitive plant is capable of surviving the inhospitable conditions of space. The results were so positive, they could take humanity one step closer to terraforming Mars. A primitive plant to start a new life. The first plants that appeared on Earth were bryophytes, more specifically mosses. They are very resistant plants, capable of growing directly on rocks. From there, they can photosynthesize if they have the right water and nutrients. It is a process in which they capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and generate oxygen. In addition, they generate organic matter that, upon death, becomes the perfect substrate. so that other more complex plants can grow. That is why the study was carried out to see if moss can survive in space. It was proven yes, so it could be an interesting candidate for terraforming Mars or the Moon. The study. Basically, what was seen in the study is that the mosses exposed on the outside of the ISS were able to survive for 283 days exposed to extremely cold temperatures and very intense ultraviolet radiation. When they were returned to Earth after that period, more than 80% had survived. In fact, planting them made them germinate. Carl Sagan already predicted it (more or less). The dream of terraforming other planets is not something new, although it is true that for a long time it was almost a fantasy. In 1961, for example, Carl Sagan made an interesting proposal to terraform Venus. It is known that this planet neighboring Earth It is covered by a dense layer of clouds. Since clouds here on Earth are usually made of water, the famous astrophysicist proposed planting cyanobacteria inside them. These microorganisms have the ability to carry out photosynthesis, like plants. Therefore, they could consume carbon dioxide and generate oxygen. The problem is that it was later discovered that the clouds of Venus are actually made of sulfuric acid, so their proposal became unattainable. Proposals to terraform Mars. No further proposals have been made to terraform Venus, but there have been proposals to do the same with Mars. It’s also pretty inhospitable, but it has a lot more potential. In fact, last year was published in Nature a study that talked about the possibility of turning the red planet into something similar to Earth with only four steps. The first would be to melt the ice, so that it becomes an immense ocean of liquid water. For this, the temperature would have to be increased by at least 30ºC. heat is needed. The second step, therefore, is to obtain that heat. It was proposed to use solar sails that direct most of the solar radiation to these ice reserves. Aerosols could also be dispersed in the atmosphere that cause a kind of greenhouse effect, further retaining solar radiation inside the planet. A vaulted habitat. Although Mars has its own atmosphere, it would have to be reinforced with something that would allow it to create a biosphere. Therefore, it would be interesting to build vaults into which to introduce the first Martian inhabitants. Life that brings more life to Mars. Finally, it would be necessary to use genetically modified-extremophilic microorganisms. These are microorganisms capable of surviving in extreme conditions. For example, microorganisms that survive in media with high salt concentrations or very high or very low temperatures are Extremophiles. Even so, it would be necessary to genetically modify them to make them even more resistant to extremely low temperature and pressure conditions. These microorganisms would be photosynthetic, so that they generate oxygen and organic matter. Moss comes into play. Following the results of the International Space Station experiment, it is clear that moss could be a good complement to these extremophile microorganisms to terraform Mars. Unfortunately, it is estimated that to have the technologies necessary to meet all the requirements we will have to wait at least 100 years. It’s a long time, but with everything humanity has waited for, it would only be a little longer. For now, as the road safety advertisements say, the important thing is to arrive. There are already space agencies trying to date that first step. Let’s start there. Image | Julius A OBARO (Wikimedia Commons) and Freepik In Xataka | Chernobyl was filled with mushrooms after the nuclear accident. Thanks to them we discovered a “new form of photosynthesis”

its latest update brings it closer to Adobe and even Notion

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Canva has built its success on being the non-intimidating tool. Easy, cheap and accessible to anyone. With its new update, ‘Canva IA 2.0’, it points in another direction: it adds connectors with Slack, Gmail, Notion or Google Drive; background automations and persistent brand memory. It no longer competes only with Figma or Adobe. Now it even competes with Notion, ClickUp, Microsoft and Google. Why is it important. 250 million monthly users guarantee that the formula has worked. The question is whether adding all this complexity (conversational design, agent orchestration, scheduled tasks…) makes it more powerful or simply more similar to what already exists. canva It seeks to grow and the risk is breaking the balance that has brought it here. Yes, but. All this comes from a press release. The numbers on their own models (up to 30 times cheaper and 7 times faster than the competition, they say) are published by Canva itself. Real access starts today for the first million users. Until there is real-world testing, the headlines deserve some skepticism. In detail. The main news: Conversational design: create from text or voice, without a starting template. Smart orchestration– AI coordinates internal tools to generate entire campaigns from one briefing. Active memory– Learn the team’s style and brand identity and apply it alone. Connectors: Slack, Gmail, Google Drive, Notion, Zoom, HubSpot and Google Calendar. Scheduled tasks: automations that run in the background without intervention. CanvaCode 2.0: Interactive experiences with import of HTML generated by other AIs. AI Spreadsheets: structured tables generated from natural language. Between the lines. The most interesting thing is not technical but strategic: Canva has strengthened its collaboration with Anthropic to integrate its design engine into Claude, and allows importing outputs of Claude either ChatGPT as editable elements within Canva. They clearly want to be at all the points where an idea is born, not just where it is given shape. The other reading. For years, Canva has been edging into Figma’s territory in professional collaborative design. But the connectors and automations in this ad take them away from that path: this is more like Notion or ClickUp than a design tool. It’s not entirely clear whether that’s an evolution or a loss of focus. Time will tell. What’s coming. The experimental version is available today for the first million users who enter from the home page, with progressive rollout in the coming weeks. Featured image | canva In Xataka | Canva’s most ambitious move is not about AI: it’s about locking everyone inside

Universal quantum computers promise to change the world. Now they are closer thanks to giant super atoms

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The prototypes of quantum computers currently manufactured by IBM, Honeywell or Google, among other companies, are engineering prodigies. However, they have defectswhich currently greatly limits the range of applications in which it is possible to use them. The most important of all of them is that they make mistakes and they are still not able to correct them effectively. Scientists are working on developing advanced error correction systems, and if they achieve their goal, universal quantum computers capable of dealing with a wide range of problems will arrive. The Achilles heel of current quantum machines is the extreme fragility of their qubits. And they are very sensitive to disturbances from the environment. Their interaction with the space around them can cause quantum information to be lost or altered, preventing them from delivering a correct result. This phenomenon is known as quantum decoherence and it has the ability to degrade the quantum states that need to be protected in order to carry out operations with qubits. Currently, researchers are making an enormous effort to design effective strategies for isolating qubits from the environment. However, efforts are also being made to develop less fragile qubits, and therefore less sensitive to noise. This is the plan that several scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are working on. And they have developed a completely new quantum system designed to protect quantum information and minimize interference from the environment. Its purpose is, neither more nor less, to pave the way for universal quantum computers or large scale. Less decoherence leads to more robust and higher quality quantum computers Quantum computing experts maintain that quantum computers that will have the ability to correct their own errors can be used to design exotic materials, and probably also to develop new drugs and in industrial optimization problems, among other tasks. These are some of the applications that the qubits implemented with giant superatoms proposed by the Chalmers University of Technology team led by applied quantum physics professor Anton Frisk Kockum could put in our hands. Giant Superatoms explore two ideas long known to quantum physicists: giant atoms and superatoms. Giant Super Atoms explores two ideas long known to quantum physicists: giant atoms and superatoms. Unlike isolated atoms, a giant atom in this context is an artificial qubit designed to interact with its environment using light or sound waves at multiple physically separated points. This peculiarity allows them to protect quantum states more effectively than conventional systems, reduce decoherence and remember past interactions. The problem with using giant atoms in quantum computers is that they have significant limitations when trying to entangle them. Entanglement is essential in quantum computing because it allows multiple qubits to share a single quantum state and act as a coordinated system. To solve this limitation, the Chalmers researchers have combined giant atoms and superatoms. A superatom is made up of several natural atoms that share the same quantum state and behave collectively as a single larger atom. Lei Du, one of Chalmers’ researchers, explains to us what is a giant super atom: “We can observe it as multiple giant atoms working together as a single entity, allowing them to exhibit a non-local interaction between light and matter. This allows quantum information from multiple qubits stored and controlled as a unit and without the need for increasingly complex surrounding circuits.” For the moment, giant superatoms are a theoretical proposal, but Professor Anton Frisk Kockum and his team are going to try to build a quantum system using them. If they succeed, they could have found a new type of qubit that is much more robust, and, therefore, suitable for use in the development of universal quantum computers. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | ScienceDaily In Xataka | We already know what the chips that will arrive until 2039 will be like. The machine that will allow them to be manufactured is close

We have found a time capsule in the form of salt in Chile. And now finding life on Mars is closer

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As we continue to explore how to get to Mars with Artemis II As a critical engineering and logistics bridge in the form of a long-term trial of interplanetary travel, science continues to search for traces of life on the red planet. And it is not easy: although 3.37 billion years ago an ocean covered half the planetMars is today a dry planet devastated by radiation. The question is where to look for that life. The answer, as incredible as it may seem, may be more than 3,500 meters high in the north of Chile, in the Salar de Pajonales, a landscape that is also desolate where there is a range of extreme temperatures ranging between -23 °C and 26 °C, one of the highest solar radiation recorded on Earth, there is hardly any precipitation and winds that exceed 100 km/h. And yet, there is life. There a research team has discovered that plaster constitutes the perfect refuge for life. Spoiler: Gypsum is a common mineral both on Earth like on mars. The discovery. According to this research, gypsum is not only a sedimentary rock, but also a biological repository. Thus, this mineral is capable of harboring both current life in the form of microorganisms that live within the crystals and preserving molecular fossils and microscopic structures. A kind of time capsule that protects organic material from degradation for millions of years. Why is it important. The consequence of this finding in space research is direct: if gypsum is a “magnet” for biological preservation in hyperaridity conditions, the scientific community knows that the abundant sulfate deposits on Mars (such as Gale crater) are a magnificent place to continue searching for traces of extraterrestrial life. If there was life on Mars, gypsum is a likely place to house its traces. Context. The Salar de Pajonales seems like a place from another planet: it is in high mountains where ultraviolet radiation is high, there is extreme aridity and thermal fluctuations reminiscent of the conditions on Mars from billions of years ago, when the red planet began to dry out. In this scenario, life has learned to hide from the unfriendly surface in a lifestyle endolithic to survive. Thus, the mineral functions as a solar shield and moisture reserve. How have they done it. To read what the rocks contain, the Tebes-Cayo team has applied a kind of high-precision molecular and mineral archaeology: With habitability and climate analysis with a meteorological station that recorded data every 20 minutes for 40 years monitoring water activity. Using x-rays, petrography and microfluorescence to create thin sections to distinguish minerals and their distribution without destroying the sample. With microscope, isotopes and DNA sequencing to identify the microorganisms, the trapped corpses and to confirm that the carbon found has a biological and not a geological origin. Yesyes, but. We already know that gypsum is the ideal candidate to search for life on Mars, but that is based on a hypothetical premise: that it ever existed. On the other hand, and although the Salar de Pajonales is reminiscent of the Red Planet, the conditions on Mars are even more extreme than in Chile (there is almost no atmosphere and it is even colder), which may have affected the preservation in a different way. And then there is the practical application: it is one thing to detect these biosignatures in the high mountains of Chile and another to use a robot thousands of kilometers away for the same purpose. In Xataka | Europe has thought of throwing three robots into a volcanic lava tube and now colonizing the Moon or Mars is closer In Xataka | If the question is “how are we going to build houses on Mars” the answer today is “with bricks made of urine” Cover | Luiza Braun and BoliviaIntelligent

the problem is different and it is much closer

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Bitcoin It has been presenting itself for years as a decentralized system, resilient by design and less exposed to the single points of failure that affect traditional banking. The idea is powerful and, to a large extent, true. But it has an important nuance that is usually left out of the conversation: to function, Bitcoin continues to rely on a very specific physical infrastructure that connects the world and that also conditions its real resistance. The study that puts figures on resilience. A study by the Cambridge Center for Alternative Financebased on eleven years of network traffic and 68 real cable incidents explains something very interesting. The significant disconnection threshold of the clearnet of Bitcoin is between 72% and 92% of submarine cables in random failure scenarios. However, the same work introduces a decisive nuance: this solidity changes noticeably when the problem is no longer random. Decentralization, but not isolation. Just because Bitcoin does not have a central authority does not mean that it works independently of other infrastructures. Its network is made up of distributed nodes that constantly exchange information, but they do so through providers, routes and physical systems that also support the Internet. The Cambridge study itself highlights this interdependence between layers, where the logical and the material coexist. For this distributed network to work, the nodes need to continuously exchange data, and that occurs over a global infrastructure shared with the rest of the Internet. We are talking about submarine cables, terrestrial links, service providers and routing systems that determine where information circulates. Bitcoin’s resilience, according to the study, depends largely on how all these components are organized and connected. Where everything changes is in targeted attacks. Compared to the resistance shown in random scenarios, the study warns of a much more accessible vulnerability when the attack focuses on large ASNs or key routing infrastructures. Damaging cables indiscriminately is not the same as hitting specific surfaces of the network, and this difference paints a very different scenario from that of massive and indiscriminate failures. Researchers support their conclusions with documented events. One of the most significant is the cable cutting recorded on March 14, 2024 off the Ivory Coastwhich affected multiple countries in the region. On a global scale, the impact on the Bitcoin network was minuscule, although at a regional level the consequences were much more visible. Tor’s role in resilience. The study identifies another element that influences the robustness of the network: the growing use of the protocol Tor. According to their data, in 2025 around 64% of Bitcoin nodes will already operate through this network and, in the four-layer model used by researchers, this evolution not only does not weaken the infrastructure, but rather increases its resilience against cable cuts under the current geography of the relays. So, overall, the study paints a less intuitive scenario than is usually proposed. Bitcoin does not seem particularly exposed to a collapse caused by massive and indiscriminate failures in the global infrastructure, but rather to much more focused disruptions. The key, according to researchers, is not so much in the scale of the damage as in where it occurs, which forces us to rethink how we understand its resilience. Images | Jen Titus | Erling Løken Andersen In Xataka | Seedance 2.0 has used Hollywood intellectual property to go viral. Hollywood has used the courts

15 years later it is closer to expanding it

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The project to extend the C-5 between Móstoles and Navalcarnero had been paralyzed for more than a decade. However, the Ministry of Transport has recently offered news. And now is being studied the possibility of including Boadilla del Monte and Villaviciosa de Odón in an alternative branch. It would be the first time in history that both towns are connected by train. We tell you all the details. A history of half-finished works. Cercanías Madrid line C-5 is the most used of the entire network, with more than 72 million travelers annually, according to the Ministry of Transportation itself. Despite everything, the continuation of the line from Móstoles-El Soto to Navalcarnero It has been abandoned for fifteen years after the suspension of the works and the contractual problems that paralyzed them in 2019. The result was half-built viaducts and an outstanding debt with the affected municipalities. What has changed now. The Ministry of Transportation has put out to tender a new feasibility study to update that project and evaluate route alternatives. The novelty is that the analysis would not be limited only to Móstoles–Navalcarnero, as it would also will contemplate a branch towards Villaviciosa de Odón and Boadilla del Monte. According to assured The Villaviciosa City Council’s inclusion in the tour came after having negotiated it directly with the Ministry. In the statement they conveyed to the Ministry “the importance of Villaviciosa de Odón being part of the technical evaluations related to this railway connection, given its strategic position in the metropolitan southwest and lack of interurban transportation beyond the road connection through regular buses.” The study is currently in the award phase. Connected. Both Boadilla del Monte and Villaviciosa de Odón do not have a direct train connection between them. Both depend on the private car, the intercity bus and, in the case of Boadilla, the Light Metro. They are municipalities that have grown significantly both in population and economic activity, but are still tied to the saturation of the A-5, the M-50 and the M-501. For this reason, a Cercanías line would be really good for these municipalities. In fact, they would connect for the first time with Móstoles and the rest of the network. Expectations vs. reality. The town councils involved have received the news with enthusiasm and describe this step as a “first decisive step”, according to share the Madrid Secreto medium, because it is the first time that the branch appears in official documents. But both the councils and the Ministry itself warn that the road is long: first you have to complete the study, then finalize a project, then seek financing and, finally, execute the works. So there is still a long way to go. What’s for sure? Apart from this hypothetical branch, the great transformation of the C-5 You already have a roadmap and budget. The modernization plan includes 28 actions worth 1,350 million euros to expand platforms, build new lanes, renew signaling and build a new station in Móstoles-El Soto. The objective is to increase the capacity of the line by 60% and reduce the incidents that hundreds of thousands of travelers suffer daily. Cover image | Falk2 (Wikipedia) In Xataka | The southern entrance to the A5 underground is already 80% excavated, and there is a culprit that has speeded up the work: the soil

is getting closer to total independence

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Cambricon Technologies is an essential company in China’s plans to challenge the US for its leadership in artificial intelligence (AI). Although it is not as well known as Huawei or Moore Threads, this is one of the companies specialized in designing GPUs for AI with greater growth potential. In fact, in August 2025 received approval of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (China) to raise $560 million for the design of four chips for training and inference of AI models, and also for the development of an alternative to CUDAfrom NVIDIA. Cambricon has notified, according to SCMPto the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which during the fiscal year 2025 has had a net profit of 2,060 million yuan (approximately 257 million euros). In the context of companies whose business is based on semiconductors and AI, it may seem like little money, but it is not if we keep in mind that it was founded just a decade ago, and also that it went public in 2020. In 2025 its income has increased by 450% compared to what it reached in 2024. Be that as it may Cambricon Technologies It is not China’s only great asset to deal with the US in the domain of semiconductors for AI applications. Moore Threads and MetaX Integrated Circuits They have also made known just four days ago an exceptional economic performance that has been driven by the growing demand for Chinese semiconductors in a context in which the Beijing Government seeks to achieve technological self-sufficiency. What China currently has and does not have The chain that supports the manufacturing of semiconductors for AI applications is complex, but China controls most of its links. On the one hand it produces approximately 70% of rare earths that are distributed on the world market, and, what is even more important, it controls 90% of the processing industry to which rare earths must be subjected so that they can be used. Furthermore, it refines nothing less than 99% of heavy rare earths of the planet. The rare earth They have a leading role in the trade, technological and geostrategic war between the US and China. These chemical elements are relatively rare, and, furthermore, they are not usually found in pure form in nature, but what makes them so special are its physicochemical properties. In fact, thanks to them they have established themselves as a very valuable resource in numerous industries, especially in electronics and renewable energy. Moore Threads has developed several GPUs for AI applications that rival some of the advanced solutions from NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei If we stick to the design of GPUs for AI, several Chinese companies are already producing competitive chips. Currently the flagship products that Cambricon has to compete with NVIDIA and Huawei in the Chinese market are the MLU series (Machine Learning Unit) and Siyuan. Moore Threads, on the other hand, has developed several GPUs for AI applications that, on paper, rival some of the advanced solutions that NVIDIA, AMD or Huawei have put on the market. The MTT S4000 and MTT S3000 cards are their most interesting proposals right now. The other indispensable player in the Chinese AI chip industry is Huawei. And their GPUs Ascend 910D and Ascend 920 They are receiving support from some of the Chinese companies that are developing AI models. In this context, the biggest challenge facing China is to develop its own cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technology. Or he will lose his fight for world supremacy with the US. Without 100% Chinese advanced chips, its military capacity, the development of its AI models and the competitiveness of its technology companies will suffer in the medium term. Huawei and SMIC are making advanced integrated circuits, but they use machines from the Dutch company ASML and a technology known as multiple patterning that compromises its competitiveness. This scenario has caused the Chinese Government support with very juicy subsidies to companies that have the capacity to develop cutting-edge photolithography equipment, such as YesCarrierShanghai Yuliangsheng, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), Huawei or SMIC. Time plays against this Asian country. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | SCMP In Xataka | NVIDIA has to deal with the absolute distrust of several US legislators. Your plan in China is in danger In Xataka | The US wants to end Chinese AI chips sold abroad. And China knows how to defend itself

Europe has thought of throwing three robots into a volcanic lava tube and now colonizing the moon or Mars is closer

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While the mission Artemis II Its objective is for human beings to return to the moon after more than half a century later, space agencies continue to investigate how to reach other planets and there space robotics is essential because well: space in general and places like Mars are the most inhospitable for life. So a European research group in which, among other entities, the European Space Agency participates, has introduced an autonomous robotic system inside a volcanic lava tube in Lanzarote, like collects this paper published in Science Robotics. Their conclusions bring us closer to a future colonization of the Moon or Mars. The context. Neither Mars nor the Moon have a flat desert surface, but rather they constitute volcanic worlds where there are underground cavities formed millions of years ago by liquid lava. We are not talking about small cavities precisely: there is space for a city to fit in as long as low gravity allows sizes of kilometers, how this study explains. Lava tubes are present on the Moon, on Mars and also on Earth, without going any further we can find some in Hawaii or the Canary Islands, precisely where the research was carried out: The lava tube of La Corona de Lanzarote has sections that reach 30 meters wide and high, come on, that It’s a cave like a cathedral. Why is it important. Because the space environment is harsh: there are extreme temperatures, radiation and meteor showers, a crude combination that makes it difficult for life to exist or simply to establish an eventual foundation for human civilization. On the other hand, if there is any remains of life or frozen water left, these caves are the ideal place to look for it. These structures are strategic because they function as natural shielding against ionizing radiation, extreme thermal flows and meteorites. So the next generation of robots will have the mission of exploring those underground lava tubes on Mars and the Moon to see what their conditions are like. The Lanzarote experiment. Anyone who has been to Lanzarote will know that it has places that seem taken from outer space. That is where the La Corona lava tube is where three different robots with different roles began their characterization mission without GPS or sunlight: The lookout stays outside mapping the entrance. The Explorer: It is essentially a cube full of cameras that you drop into the hole to look before anyone else. The speleologist, who rappels down to enter the darkness at a depth of 235 meters. The discovery. That they did 3D mapping as they progressed was just one of the objectives of this mission, led in the technical section by the German Center for Artificial Intelligence. But what is as important as how: the robots were not controlled with a remote control, but rather functioned autonomously, making their own decisions on the fly. Their performance in collaborative tasks is essential since in space the radio signal takes minutes to arrive from Earth. First Lanzarote, then Mars. The test carried out on heterogeneous and cooperative space robotics was a success, although there is still room for improvement regarding navigation without light and how the sensors respond to interference from the environment. In Xataka | Mars has just entered the exclusive club of planets with rays. This is discouraging news for NASA. In Xataka | We knew that Mars has gravity. Now we have just discovered the unexpected effect it has on the Earth’s climate Cover | dfki

The electric car needs cheap batteries. And a Spanish region is closer to giving it to them: Extremadura

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It’s just the go-ahead but it’s a key go-ahead. It is what will allow Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to launch a project in Mérida to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP/LiFePO₄). In other words, Mérida will be key to producing essential materials for the manufacture of LFP batteries. Batteries that aspire to be essential in the popularization of the electric car. Merida. It was the place chosen by Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to build a factory that can produce lithium iron phosphate. The project will be located in the Expacio Mérida business park and will extend across 467,000 square meters after the Government of Extremadura has confirmed the approval of the environmental declaration for this factory. The project aims to have financing of 800 million euros and generate 500 jobs to produce the planned capacity of 50,000 tons per year of these materials. In the first phase they will mobilize between 116 and 125 million euros of investment creating about 160 direct jobs, they point out in Motorpassion. Why is it key? The production of lithium iron phosphate is essential for LFP batteries. Batteries are made up of modules and these, in turn, are made up of cells. In each cell there is an anode and a cathode. It is in the cathodes of LFP batteries where lithium iron phosphate sheets are located. Without them, the batteries would not work. In batteries of this type there are small lithium particles on the anode (negative pole). These particles move to the cathode (positive pole) through a liquid electrolyte found inside. This is when the electric current is generated which is then used by the motors to move the wheels. LFP Batteries. LFP batteries are one of the big promises of the electric car to make models cheaper and popularize this technology. It is a technology that offers less autonomy than NMC (cathode formed by nickel, cobalt and manganese) or NCA (nickel, cobalt and aluminum) because they have lower energy density. However, these batteries are cheaper because lithium and iron are cheaper than nickel or cobalt. And, in addition, they are safer and better resist load cycles so they will be more durable. This is essential for smaller cars, which will have less autonomy and must undergo a greater number of charging cycles but with the backpack of not being able to raise its price. Estremadura. In recent years, Extremadura has become relevant in the electric car supply chain. In addition to this lithium and iron phosphate production plant, in Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres) it is already rising a plant to produce complete batteries. This factory was designed to produce NMC batteries but has pivoted to produce LFP accumulatorsso both industries can be connected when the time comes. Additionally, the region is rich in lithium. Next to Cáceres it is believed that there are one of the largest deposits in Europe. The mine that should exploit this deposit has encountered the opposition from some neighbors and environmental platforms which has paralyzed the project. However, up to three of the seven projects that the European Commission wants to carry out in Spain for the exploitation of minerals and rare earths They are in Extremadura. The cheap electric car. To popularize the electric car, China has been betting on LFP batteries for years. In Europe, most electric cars have opted for batteries that include nickel or cobalt because they allow greater charging and discharging power and autonomy but are more expensive. Over the years, this has changed. Renault works with LFP batteries for the entry-level range of electric cars such as the Twingo or the Renault 5 (in the future). Tesla also uses them in the more modest versions of Model 3 and Model Y. In Spain, CATL is going to manufacture this type of batteries in Zaragoza for the smaller Stellantis cars. And Volkswagen too has this type of accumulator in mind for its most affordable electric cars that will come out of the Martorell line. Photo | Mercedes and Google Maps In Xataka | Europe has its hope in the 25,000 euro electric car and Volkswagen already knows who will manufacture it: Spain

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