cold

An engine that the United States tried to build without success in the Cold War

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The new space race has brought back the attempts to develop rocket engines much faster. And it is not NASA, but the European Space Agency who is chasing the old dream. Context. The thermal Nuclear Propulsion Motor (NTP) is an almost as old idea as the space race itself. In the same 1961 speech with which John F. Kennedy promised to take a man to the moon, he also requested funds for the Nuclear Rover rocket with the promise of “an even more exciting and ambitious exploration of space.” More than 60 years later, space nuclear dream is still a unfulfilled promise. Europe wants to try. Interplanetary trips twice as fast. That is the central promise of nuclear propulsion, and ESA believes that it is an attainable future to reduce the nine months of earth-marte travel to half. With the help of the heavyweights of the French space and nuclear industry (CEA, Arianegroup and Framatome), ESA has concluded in his study alumni that technology offers “huge increases in performance” and “can be operated safely.” Meanwhile, in the United States. NASA has had to end its last attempt to develop an NTP engine. He Draco projectdirect heir to the initiatives of the 60s (the Rover and Nerva projects), has fallen into the Trump administration cuts. The justification of the White House for cutting is that they are “expensive investments” and “there are other alternatives.” The news has fallen as a jug of cold water for those involved. Bhavya Lal, former associated administrator of the NASA, He said to Spacenews: “We have spent almost 20,000 million dollars in space nuclear energy since the 50s and the only system we currently have is a radioisotope generator the size of a 100 watt bulb.” Many possibilities. One thing is the generators of the Martian Rovers or the Voyager and New Horizons probes, which use the heat of passive disintegration of the plutonium to generate some electricity with their small radioisotope generators (RTG), and a very different one is an active fission reactor to generate a massive thrust (a NTP rocket engine). New Horizons illustrates the difference well. It was one Mission to explore Plutobut it passed through the dwarf planet without the capacity to enter its orbit, obtaining just 24 hours of data. With nuclear propulsion, I could have orbized for years, and the scientific return would have been immensely superior. Oh, irony. Jared Isaacman, Trump’s nominated to direct NASA that was removed when Elon Musk lost its influence on the White Househe was a supporter of the development of this type of engines. The NTP are “exactly the type of thing in which NASA should concentrate its resources,” he said on one occasion. Now, Without Isaacman And with the Canceled Draco project, Europe embarks cautiously on the path of nuclear propulsion while the United States step back. Kennedy’s promise is still waiting. Of course, the things of space go slowly, and there are still a few viability studies before the European thermal nuclear propulsion engine takes shape. Image | POT In Xataka | Electronuclear and Nuclear Fusion Propulsion are the options of science to take us to deep space

It is a cold war relic

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In the month of March, the United States announced a strategic turn for Boeing’s military arm to Boomo and saucer: they gave him the device contract that must replace Washington in the highest drawer of military technologies. It was called F-47aspiring to replace the F-22 and overcome its scope. In other words: since then, if someone wanted to face the United States should have the new hunt among their thoughts. China does not have it so clear. What infuses them “fear” is more than 70 years old. Technological hierarchy. The result comes through an analysis prepared by researchers from the Early Alert Academy of the Air Force of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) in Wuhan, where they have identified the strategic bomber B-52 Stratofortress (A relic of The cold war With more than 70 years of service) as the nuclear attack platform most threatening in the United Stateseven surpassing modern poachers like The F-35a and invisible bombers such as B-2 Spirit. The study, published in the magazine Modern Defense Technologywas based on simulations of a penetrating air operation against naval or land objectives in China, within the conceptual framework of an American air counterattack campaign (PCA). Against all forecast, the analysis concluded that the B-52H represents the greatest danger in the phases of deployment, penetration and attack. The key? Your ability to carry four nuclear bombs Tactics B61-12 already its constant modernizations in radar and electronic war. Obsolete only in appearance. There are more, of course, since the study highlights that B61-12 bombswith a power equivalent to 300 tons of TNT, they are designed mainly for deterrence, but could be used to neutralize critical nodes and access denial systems (A2/AD) In case of conflict. Despite its longevity, the B-52H stands out in front of more modern platforms for its load capacity, its operational scope and the robustness of its updated systems. Consequently, Chinese researchers conclude that, in a limited nuclear attack scenario, this veteran bomber would offer the greater “strategic value” For Washington. Moreover. The report even refers to a motion from the US Congress to restore the nuclear capacity of about 30 units of the B-52H, which reinforces its tactical relevance in the current context. B61 bombs on a portabombas Deterrence from the air. The EPL team was not limited to identifying threats: proposed concrete response measures, such as strengthening surveillance, interception and air defense capabilities along strategic routes. In addition, he stressed the need for INtensify military intelligence To discern if air attacks are conventional or nuclear, given the dual nature of many American platforms. In front of poachers such as the F-35A or bombers such as B-2, the researchers recommended the intensive use of Electronic War and Cyber ​​attacks as tools to disturb your navigation and communications. A list of priority objectives was also established based on their relative threat, being the plane of Early alert E-3 Sentry considered key in conventional scenarios, while airplanes as the C-17 or the B-1b Strategic Bombarder They were classified as minor threats for their limited roles and outdated systems. Tactical precision. Finally, the work tells that he avoided predictive models Based on artificial intelligence. He did, as they explain, for the concerns about their opacity (“Black Box”), opting for methods based on games and human judgment assisted by objective data. The assessment of threats was developed from sensitive technical information on US and Chinese systems, although at this point the sources were not specified. For example, it is mentioned that furtive aircraft such as B-2 and F-22 have transverse radar sections of only 0.1 m², this means that, a priori, it would allow its detection by Chinese radars at 400 km. This technical precision is framed in the context of the rapid development Chinese of Hypersonic missiles Antiacereos, which could intercept white to more than 1,000 km away, and reflects a regional denial strategy that Beijing has expanded in sensitive areas Like Taiwan and the sea of South China. Nuclear and Taiwan. In fact, the report does not seem that it has been commissioned just becauseof course. In a recent essay, former Undersecretary of Defense of the United States, James Anderson, already He warned That any future crisis in Taiwan would probably imply nuclear threats (implicit or explicit) by China, despite its official “not first use.” Under that prism, and in this framework of growing tension and bilateral technological sophistication, the recognition of B-52 such as the more serious nuclear threat Not only redefines strategic perceptions about the military balance between great powers, but also underlines how, in the era of drones (Ukraine) and the Cybernetic wara colossus From the twentieth century it can continue, even today, the biggest carrier of the Apocalypse. Image | US Air Force, United States Department of Defense In Xataka | If the Russian nuclear doctrine needed a signal, Ukraine has just tightened the button: it’s called Storm Shadow and comes from the United Kingdom In Xataka | In the middle of the Cold War, France designed a nuclear rearme plan for Europe. Now sound strongly

In the middle of the cold war, the yoke had the honor of becoming “the worst car in history.” Threat with returning as electric

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It was manufactured for almost thirty years and those who remember it do so with that half smile that only brings you the nostalgia and paternalism of those who love a child knowing that his brother is much smarter. It will return in 2027 in electrical format and retain some of its hallmarks. Hopefully, for the good of all, that it does not retain all its hallmarks. We talk about the yoke, a car that became famous in the Soviet Yugoslavia and that will return to life in 2027 in purely electric format. At least That is what Serbian businessman Aleksandar Bjelić wants. Congratulations, has created the worst car in history Small, simple, affordable … Soviet. The yoke was one of those cars that went down in history on the other side of the steel curtain for its proposal to motorize the masses. Like the Riva Lada in Russia or the Trabant in the Berlin and Communist Germany, the Yugo was part of the history of Yugoslavia during the 80s. In fact the car survived the country itself as eThe yoke remained in production until 2008. His secret resided in the simple of the proposal. Fiat 128 shortened variant, the car was a small utility that was manufactured in Serbia. A three doors that set everything to sit the passengers on top of four wheels and in front of a steering wheel. Its origin must be sought in Kragujevac, Serbia. Over there, Zastava Automobili He assembled cars that exploded a Fiat license. That is, the same as I was doing Seat before Volkswagen passed. Among those licensed cars was the Fiat 128 that the company exploded in Yugoslavia with the novel name of Zastava 128. Jokes apart, the car was a success that added 1.5 million units sold by adding its different bodies between 1971 and 2008 when the car stopped selling. In the 80s, Zastava He decides that he has to offer a cheaper version and puts on the market the Zastava Yugo or Zastava Koral, a cut version derived from Fiat 127. The car is a success in Eastern Europe in part because of its iconic image. It has logic taking into account that the car looks like Volkswagen Golf. In fact, if we observe the first generations of both, it looks a lot at Volkswagen Golf. As much as to affirm that Giorgetto Giugiaro He should not have given the concept many turns when he was commissioned to look for a form to the yoke. Thus, with the firm of Giugiaro and the promise to put on the market a simple car the Zastava Yugo began to make a name. Under his hood he set up a simple Fiat engine of 908 cc and 45 hp. A power that gave the last name to the car when it was exported out of Serbia as a yoke 45. Later a slightly more powerful version of 1.1 liters and 55 hp would arrive. A 1.3 -liter and 65 hp option was even put on the market. As we see, it didn’t seem The car you would buy to travel large kilometers. In spite of everything, you have to understand the time and that, of course, neither Yugoslavia first nor Serbia later had to invite those kilometers. That was what Malcolm Bricklin should not have understood, the businessman who in 1985 wanted to introduce the yoke into the US market. Let’s review, a small, simplistic car and with a dwarf engine on a highway in the United States. It didn’t seem the best of ideas. And it wasn’t. “Cheap to buy. Terrible to drive”. With these words they define Hagerty from the United Kingdom to the healthy yoke that was sold in the United States as a Florida yoke. And that was a version above the aforementioned yoke 45. A car, the healthy one, which mounted a more powerful engine, in versions of 1.4 and 1.6 liters to get a better performance on the road. The lower version, that yoke 45 was sold in the United States with the name of Yugo GV. It was, by far, the cheapest car on the market. But the rolling quality was as bad that it was considered the worst car in the world. The criticisms were so bad that it quickly became a joke, it would have been a meme with wheels if at that time The word “meme” would have existed. Almost immediately, the car was made a hole in the hearts of the fans. In fact, you can find a book written by Jason Vuic entitled exactly like this: Yoke. Boom and fall of the worst car in history. The fascination was huge by a car that simply accounted for breakdowns due to pairs and offered poor results in security tests. So bad was the experience that was the car with the worst note of customer satisfaction in the prestigious JD Power in 1986. Precisely In JD Power they explain that in the Consumer Reports analysis it was specified that “the car dragged up to 100 km/h” and that in the best case the peak speed reached 86 mph (about 138 km/h). But those criticisms arrived after many buyers had already done with the car. A yoke giving everything Its price was so low that they sold more than 1,000 units on the first day. Then, the nightmare of the owners began. The spark plugs collapsed Because the United States gasoline was not adequate, the distribution strap had to be repaired at 30,000 miles (about 48,000 kilometers). Little by little, the ear mouth extended and the lawsuit plummeted. So plumme that according to the American portal they were sold with 2×1 offers despite its low price, with the idea of ​​the concessionaire to take them off as soon as possible. The performance was so bad that in 1992 the American subsidiary of the company broke. However, the car continued its performance in Serbia. The company came to 2008 When it … Read more

Where we had heat waves before, Aemet only expects rain and cold

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Although there are many areas that have not noticed, the first weekend has been starring large storms in much of the country. And, according to weather models, The thing is not going to stay there. Throughout this week, a new anticyclonic block in the British islands will be consolidated. It is not clear if this is going to open, again, the doors of the Atlantic (some models draw a ‘bridge’ between the Azores and Ireland), but right now the probability that vaguada or cold strokes will begin to get off the cold or storms is very high. So much so that Monday we already have rains. Catalonia, the north of the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the interior of the plateau will have rains, hailstorms and strong winds throughout Monday. During Tuesday the storms will be primarily paid in the northwest third of the country. On Wednesday, According to Samuel Bienerthe storms will be reinforced in “The East Castilla-La Mancha, Sierras de Granada, Jaén and Almería, interior of the region of Murcia, Teruel and the Valencian Community.” But, as I say, that’s just the appetizer. Because if the models get right We will have a Dana (or a cold storm, it is not yet clear) near the peninsula at the end of the week. Be that as it may, this assures us a very unstable first Miad: unstable skies, water and Reasonable temperatures – Well below normal ,. A rare spring. If we lift the view and look at a couple more weeks, the forecasts are quite clear: everything seems to indicate that a long storm period awaits us. As they explain in CazatorentasIt is a direct consequence of the blockade. That draws a spring very different from the previous ones. Different? Not so much because of the temperatures that, with nuances, are within normal in most of the country. The nuances are that, on the coasts, they will be “slightly warmer than normal” and that, at the southwest end, they will be “slightly colder than normal.” This, already, gives us a good track of the expected rains. Except the Canary Islands and the Northwest Third, The models wait that rainfall in May is more intense than normal. Everything seems to indicate that summer can more and the tap will end up closing, but all this planets interesting things. The most important is what will happen now. Change of trend or simply an extremely weird year? Image | ECMWF In Xataka | May is putting a March face: Aemet’s great question is if 2025 will definitely end the drought

In the Norwegian cold war he devised a plan underground to detain the Soviet. Invasion to Ukraine has reactivated it

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The story took place at some point in The cold war. The plan started from a premise: how to contain a more than likely Soviet naval attack by one of the key maritime corridors in the Arctic Ocean? Thus the Term Bear Gap and a plan that germinated in a series of underground constructions with which Norway would put its grain of sand. Today, and after the Russian invasion in Ukraine, these secret constructions have reactivated. The origin of the bases. As we said, during the Cold War, the strategic location of Norway, close to the then Soviet Union, carried out the country to carry out a plan: build approximately 3,000 underground facilities destined to protect aircraft, submarines and troops both Norwegians and allies before a possible attack by Moscowand thus placate the offensive. Many of these structures, camouflaged in mountains and fjords, remained in secret even for the local population. Among them, the Bardufoss Air Base and the Naval Base of Olavsvernauthentic fortified complexes excavated in rock which had hangars, command centers, maintenance areas, fuel storage and underground exits designed to resist nuclear attacks. The reactivation. As I counted The BBC weekenddecades after the collapse of the USSR, Norway has decided to reactivate Bardufoss and Olavsvern due to the deterioration of regional security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the increased activity Russian military in the Arctic since the mid -2000s. The Bardufoss Air Base, opened in 1938 and Used by Germans During World War II to protect TIRPITZ battleshipwas adapted in the postwar to protect combat planes against a possible Soviet offensive. Today, modernized and equipped to accommodate F-35 Lightning IIits main function is guarantee survival of these aircraft before threats such as kamikaze drones, whose effectiveness It has been tested In the Ukrainian conflict. Unlike improvised solutions in battlefields, such as networks or tire covers, Bardufoss offers real protection thanks to their hardened shelters under the mountain. One of the underground bases used in the past by the United States Olavsvern and its importance. It We explained recently. The Naval Base of Olavsvern, built from the 50s With strong financial support from NATO, it was conceived to control The so -called Bear Gapa vital maritime step between the Norwegian coast, the island of the bear and Svalbard, where they traditionally travel Russian submarines towards the Atlantic. Olavsvern has an underground port with direct exit to the sea, dry dock, control center and large logistics facilities, protected by thick layers of Gabbro and a monumental anti-explosion door. Although Its closure in 2009 and its subsequent private sale (in A controversial operation that even allowed access to Russian vessels), in 2020 the company Wilnor Governmental Services, linked to the Norwegian Defense Ministry, He regained his control And he began his rehabilitation. Currently, the base has once again received active military presence and, As we countthe United States Navy has shown great interest in using it for its nuclear submarines. Bear Gap. It is of a strategic term used to describe that maritime corridor between the coast of Norway, the Bear Island (Bear Island) and the Svalbard archipelago, in the Arctic Ocean. The area is considered a key step or natural strangulation (Chokepoint) where Russian submarines and warships that seek to leave from the base of the fleet of northern Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, towards the North Atlantic. During the cold war and even today, NATO considers this corridor a Critical point to monitordetect and, if necessary, block Russian naval forces, since it is one of the most accessible routes that connects the Barents Sea with the Atlantic. Hence, bases such as Olavsvern and other Norwegian facilities in the Arctic have so much strategic importance. Controlling or monitoring this step is essential to prevent Russian submarines with strategic (nuclear or conventional) missiles can operate freely in the Atlantic. The Arctic Resurgence. Far from being an isolated phenomenon, the reactivation of these bases is part of a broader trend. Russia He has reopened nearly 50 military facilities Arctic of the Soviet era, while countries like Sweden They have reactivated its underground naval base of Muskö and China has built New underground complexes For submarines and command centers. They will, meanwhile, too has followed this path with his “Missile City” In the Persian Gulf. Norway, aware of the intensification of Russian military exercises in the Arctic and their renewed interest in exploiting natural resources in the region, has resumed its defensive logic of dispersion and protection undergroundnot only for its strength, but also as an essential point of support for NATO. Utility and limitations of bunkers. It is the last of the legs to be treated. Despite their apparent strategic value, experts warn that Reactivate old bunkers presents Important challenges. Many have been dismantled, flooded or present degraded structures, making their modernization expensive and complex. In addition, the truth is that facilities such as Olavsvern have already been identified by satellites as a potential objective for decades, reducing any type of surprise factor. Thus, analysts also agree that underground facilities are still One of the best defenses Faced with modern aerial threats, including guided missiles, provided that their vulnerabilities are correctly updated. Norway seems to bet on resilience and deterrence, accepting that, given strategic uncertainty, underground security remains a prudent and effective option, especially in a region where Russia seems determined to project all its can. Image | Rawpixel, Marine In Xataka | The US plan B in the Arctic is an underwater cave in Norway. The only drawback is that it is not for sale In Xataka | Trump wants to keep Greenland. There are two countries for which it would be a serious problem: China and Russia

The US was prepared for total destruction in the cold war. This map for nuclear apocalypse illustrates it

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The launch of Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bombs It was a turning point. Practically, marked the end of the Second World War while starting a Cold war in which the United States and Russia were carried away by nuclear ecstasy. The two powers engaged in a nuclear career without controlbut it is not that they developed the crazy bombs: there were also lists of enemy objectives. And on an interactive map prepared by Future of Life We can see about 1,000 objectives to which the United States would launch a nuclear bomb. But there were many more. The map. In 2015, a study of the United States Strategic Air Command was declared – SAC – that showed a thousand potential objectives in the case of nuclear war. If this possibility flew over the heads of some with the recent Ukraine War, imagine the stage in a cold war in which you could have the feeling that the enemy could squeeze the “button” at any time. There are more than 800 pages in which the objectives of these strategic bombings with nuclear weapons are detailed to erase any enemy presence. In it map From the George Washington University we can not only appreciate some of the main objectives, but the secondary objectives of each of them. For example, if we select Berlin, we can see the objective list And consequences of that study of 1956. Beyond the cities, another priority was the aerodromes, keys to a Soviet counterattack, specifically those located in Belarus. Easting east. Apart from military objectives such as strategic points and aerodromes, the listIt includes more than 1,200 cities of the Soviet block. It is where we can see that more dots are gathered on the map of Future of Life and range from cities of Eastern Germany to China. Moscow would fall into the Red Square, directly (and on this map we can see the Impact of different bombs in any city). The Asian giant, will fight or not next to the Soviet block in case of war, was something that did not matter to SAC. He treated them as hostile, selecting military objectives, but also the Beijing capital. And something that several of the bombed cities have in common is that the SAC already assumed objectives of “population.” The bombs. The plan was well mounted because there was not only a list of objectives, but also the type of weapons that would be used. They would use a combination of atomic and thermonuclear weapons with yields between 1.6 to 15 megatons. Far from the 50 megatons of the Soviet Zar pump, but much more than the 16 kilotons of Little Boy and the 21 kilotons of Fat Man, which wreaked havoc in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The megabomba. We have talked about the tsar pump, or tsar bomb, and in the United States there was also talk of it in 1956. It is not only the bomb that has caused the largest nuclear explosion so far, but it was 3,000 times more powerful than ‘Little boy’. The Russians had that bomb and the United States wanted an equal. In the declassified material, it is detailed how the SAC wanted a 60 megatones bomb. Not only did they identify him as something key in order to be tremendously deterrent but, in case of Soviet surprise attack, they could launch it at a strategic point to “ensure significant results even with a very small force.” In that nuclear ecstasy, the nuclear physicist Edward Teller (“Father” of the bomb H) proposed 1,000 metatones dissositive and up to 10 gigatons. 10 gigatons equals explosive power 670,000 times greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb. Luckily they did not do it, since affirmed that “would contaminate the earth”In the end, the US did not develop such a monstrous bomb. Nor the 60 megatones that the SAC wanted. And the media. And, within the plan, it also specified how the pumps would be launched. There were two systems: for the delivery of B-47 bombers, the United States would use its bases in the United Kingdom, Morocco and Spain. They would also use the B-52 from the US, although they were starting their journey. For the missile system, the eyelets would be loaded in the Snark, Rascal, Cross Bow and IRBM missiles. The first was a failure in the evidence and the great priority of President Eisenhower were the IRBM. These intermediate -reach ballistic missiles projected scope of up to 2,700 kilometers and the idea was to deploy them and throw them from the United Kingdom. Insured mutual destruction. But well, the United States had its Soviet axis attack plan, but the USSR also had its own. In the Soviet plans the Western military infrastructure, the industrial centers and large cities in both the US and its allies entered. They would do it by hydrogen pumps, tactical pumps that could mount on torpedoes and missiles released from mobile platforms. But although the logic could not reign in the massive development of weapons, the fear and that position of both ‘Mad’ countries did, or ‘insured mutual destruction’ that marked that, if a country launched a nuclear attack, automatically the other would respond with a proportional force. This led to threats over the years (such as the deployment of American missiles in Türkiye and Italy or the subsequent crisis of Cuba missiles, but fortunately it did not reach more. And what happens today. In 1986, the two countries reached the zenith of their nuclear arsenal and, from that moment, they dismantled much of their arsenal. The USSR came to have more than 40,000 heads while the United States reached 23,317, but as we say, different pacts and that tension that dissipated with the fall of the Berlin wall caused them to get rid of much of its arsenal. The problem is that other countries -china- have developed and are found enhancing its own nuclear arsenaland in recent years there is a kind of new … Read more

This is how they managed to endure the cold

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Let’s start at the beginning: although it may seem like perogrullo, In the Middle Ages it was cold. It was cold, but not so much. At least, in Europe, there was a warm period (the “Climate optimal“) that systematically relieved the living conditions of the Europeans of the time. But around 1300 the thing changed radically: the Small Middle Ages He had started. Was A disaster. And not only because of the cold, epidemics and the loss of entire crops, it was that European peoples did not have the necessary technology to warm themselves at home without putting their lives at risk. No radiators, without chimneys, without crystals in the windows … the houses of the continent became unhealthy mousetracks full of associated risks. And how did they warm up? That is the question that The history and disseminator professor Nuisia RARRIDI is made. After all, no matter how cold the temperatures of western Europe did at that time they had to be terrible. AND, As Raridi says“The houses were permanently crossed by air currents.” We talk about a time when we had to “choose between leaving the light and the cold or neither.” There weren’t windows? There were, of course. They were small and normally had no crystals. As Raredi explainedthe glass for the windows “appeared in the cathedrals around the 10th century.” Before that (and later), it was common relativamene to see churches that used basalt to try to solve the problem of light. Because the glass problem is that it was expensive. In fact, it was not until after 1300 (when the techniques had improved and the cold began to accentuate) when they began to be used in private homes – especially in accommodated houses. And the issue of fire? How were there no chimneys? According to the documentation that He has collected RARRIDI“The chimneys, as we understand today, did not develop before the thirteenth century.” Until that time, as we can see in many places on the planet, the families lit fires in the center of the house and, consequently, the smoke filled the entire room (and went out where it could). As if that were not enough: the homes were very badly isolated. “The medieval houses were often made of wood and were poorly isolated”, which meant “a real problem in the coldest months.” Hence the tapestries, carpets and canopy beds were popular (which, “were extremely practical: the curtains that surround them served to retain heat and protect themselves from cold”). It doesn’t hurt to remember that for centuries, Europeans slept within cabinets and the explanation to her is this same. Cold, heat and vice versa. Despite what Paleoclimatic discussion has become popular for the debates of Climate changeright now we don’t have much to learn about medieval techniques to pass the cold. However, knowing what we were, always helps expand the imagination about how the human being can live. Image | Krzysztof Kowalik In Xataka | The Middle Ages was not as dark as they told us

The extreme cold has not touched Spain for two years and experts fear that we are about to see a third. With all that implies

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Spring is just around the corner and, we like it or not, this means that we can start drawing conclusions. The first is that every minute that passes is more likely to finish winter without seeing any “cold wave.” And that is not even what most worries meteorologists. Because the real problem is that it would be the second consecutive winter without cold waves and a third would be at hand. With all that this entails. Isn’t it a bit precipitated to give the winter for dead? The truth is not. Although this week an extremely cold mass of air will cover a good part of Europe, Spain will escape from it. And on March 1 (which is when climate spring begins) is very close to be able to house realistic hopes about an extreme cold episode. And, in the background, what we are going to see this week summarizes very well what has been going on two winters: we have not suffered powerful cold irruptions. They have all stayed north. It is a story that is repeated again and again. But it’s not so weird either, right? That is true. The cold episodes become more and more rare in Spain. In fact, this January can only be described as very warm (Although we have suffered a handful of cold nights). A example that Roberto Granda puts It is that of Molina de Aragón. The average minimum between 1991 and 2020 is -3.3º, but this year it has been at -0.3. The data speak for themselves. In the end, As I pointed out A few years ago our partner Javier Pastor, “is not that it is very cold now, it is that we do not do it because it is no longer so common.” With this in mind, the question begins to be … how long can this last? “Unusual and worrying.” That is, what would happen if the winter of 2026 is still on the same line? The answer, According to Samuel Biener de Meteoredit is summarized in those two words: “Unusual and worrying.” Because we have documented other consecutive warm winters (those of 97 and 98, those of 2000 and 2001 or those of 2023 and 14); But we have not seen three consecutive yet. And we know it will arrive. Because, As Biener points outwarm winters are being increasingly frequent. It is a matter of time that we fit three. And what is the problem? More than a problem (that too), we talk about a fear: that warm winters stop being an anomaly and become the norm. That change is a large-scale disruption of the country’s socio-ecological system. It is no accident that, a few months after the drought, The data begin to be so bad. Again. Not only climatic pressures They hit us stronger than everthe thing is They don’t let us replenish. And that will lead us to the edge of the precipice again and again. Yes it’s true. The current climate is full of paradoxes: Historical ice minimums live with snow maximumstudies on The weakening of the Gulf current They coexist with others that point to nothing has changed in substantial terms and thus a long etcetera. However, there is something that Yes we know is that we are vulnerable And if we don’t prepare ourselves, Let’s be much more. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | Spain faces the driest climate in its last 1,200 years. The fault is the Azores Islands

that does not return the cold

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In less than a week, the European giant Yara has announced The paralysis of its ammonia center in Hull, England, a decision that has been made by natural gas prices. And what do they have to do? Gas is an essential component within the FERTILIZANTS MANUFACTURE and with the increase in the price of gas are being affected. Short. The price of natural gas in Europe has firmed again, reaching values ​​that were not observed since the energy crisis of 2022. The analyst and energy expert Javier Blas has published In their X (formerly Twitter) account that European gas prices, according to the TTF reference index, have exceeded € 58/MWh. So that it can be understood, if we talk about oil, it would be equivalent to $ 100 per barrel. This situation has had a special impact on sectors that not only use gas as a source of energy, but also as raw material, such as chemical, metallurgical and fertilizers. Gas prices in Europe are triggered by their maximum in two years as demand increases. LSEG SOURCE In data. In the last month, gas prices in Europe have increased by 30%, driven Because of the coldest temperatures, a lower generation of renewable energy (Dunkelflaute) and low levels of storage. This increase He has evidenced That gas stores do not reach half their capacity, while last year they reached 67% at the same time. The analysts They have estimated That, if the demand follows this trend, prices could reach € 84/MWh. The graphic shows the volatility of gas prices from the beginning of 2023. The reasons behind the peaks come from the gradual reduction of Russian gas flows to Its total interruptiontogether with the growing competition with China for LNG, has intensified Pressure on prices, which has reduced the availability of gas for the European market. The critical point for the industry. The profitability threshold for many energy intensive industries is in gas prices between € 50 and 60/MWh. In 2022, when prices exceeded this level, companies like BASF decided to drastically reduce their production in the continent due to high costs. The reason is because the chemical industry is particularly vulnerable, since it uses gas not only as a source of energy, but also as raw material. Other affected sectors include the production of steel, glass and ceramics, where gas represents a significant cost. As analyzed in FTif the gas price remains high the industrial impact will be very large for all of Europe. In addition, the products we have mentioned could be more expensive, feeding inflation and reducing the competitiveness of European exports. The situation could also impact economic growth, especially in countries with strong industrial base such as Germany, France and Italy. Forecasts If winter is still cold, pressure on gas prices could be maintained. Europe will have to resort even more to its strategic reserves and Increase LNG importsalthough this will depend on the availability of supplies in the global market. At the governmental level, measures such as industry or incentives for consumption reduction could be taken. Price forecasts will depend largely on the climate in the coming weeks and the evolution of demand in Asia. Image | Pexels Xataka | Forget the industrial revolution: the fastest energy change in human history is happening now

This is the official price of the first mobiles that change color with the cold

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At the end of last year Realme announced the real series 14 proa family composed of two terminals: the Realme 14 Pro and his older brother, the Realme 14 pro+. After being released in China, the company has just confirmed that the two smartphones They will be launched in Spain And, incidentally, he has revealed his official prices. These two devices are framed within the mid -range and stand out for the peculiar finish of the rear. Because? Because they are the first phones in the world that change color with the cold. Made the presentations, we will review the rest of the technical file and to know the official prices and availability. Realme 14 Pro and Realme 14 pro+ technical record Realme 14 pro Realme 14 pro+ dimensions and weight 162.8 x 74.9 x 7.6 mm 179 grams 165.3 x 77.3 x 8 mm 194 grams screen OLED 6.77 inches curve FullHD+ resolution (2,392 x 1,080 pixels) Refresco rate: 120 Hz Tactile sampling rate: 240 Hz Typical brightness: 800 nits Pico shine: 4,500 nits 100% DCI-P3 OLED 6.77 inches curve FullHD+ resolution (2,800 x 1,272 pixels) Refresco rate: 120 Hz Tactile sampling rate: 240 Hz Typical brightness: 600 nits Pico shine: 1,500 nits 100% DCI-P3 processor MEDATEK DIMENSITY 7300 GPU Mali-G615 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Adreno 810 GPU RAM 12/12 GB 14 GB Dynamic Ram 12/12 GB 14 GB Dynamic Ram Internal storage 256/512 GB 256/512 GB rear camera Angular: 50 MP, 1/1.95 “, FOV 79º, F/1.8, OIS Monochromo: F/2.4, FOV 89º Angular: 50 MP, 1/1.56 “, FOV 84º, F/1.8, OIS Periscope: 50 MP, 1/1.95 “, fov 33º, f/2.65, ois Great angle: 8 MP, FOV 112º, F/2.2 Front camera 16 MP, F/2.4, FOV 85º 32 MP, F/2.0, FOV 90º battery 6,000 mAh Supervooc 45W load 6,000 mAh Supervooc 80W load Operating system Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0 Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0 connectivity Dual Nanosim USB type c 5G NSA Y SA Wifi 6 Bluetooth 5.4 GPS Dual Nanosim USB type c 5G NSA Y SA Wifi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 GPS others IP68/69 resistance FUNCTIONS OF IA Cold -sensitive rear Footprint reader on screen 2x microphones 2x speakers IP68/69 resistance FUNCTIONS OF IA Cold -sensitive rear Footprint reader on screen 2x microphones 2x speakers price 8/256 GB: 429.99 euros 12/512 GB: 479.99 euros 8/256 GB: 529.99 euros 12/512 GB: 579.99 euros Oh, how cold! One of the most striking features of the Realme 14 pro is that its rear changes color. The company has implemented a design called “Unique Pearl” that makes the rear have a texture “similar to that of a marine shell” (in principle, there are no two equal mobiles) that changes color with the cold. Thanks some Thermochromic pigmentsthe terminal changes from pearl to blue when the temperature drops from 16ºC. When the temperature rises, the color is white again. On the left the Realme 14 pro and the right model Pro+ | Image: Realme edited by Xataka This is one of the great claims, but we will have to wait to have it in hand to see how it works. For the rest, both models are quite similar: similar size, somewhat higher weight in the Pro+ model and a generous camera module in the upper area that houses two or three lenses, as we look at one model or another. On the screen the thing is not very different. Both ride Curvos OLED panels of 6.77 inches and 120 Hz of refresh rate, but curiously, it is the standard model that has levels of higher brightness: 800 nits in the Pro vs. 600 nits in Pro+. The same with the local peak brightness, whose difference is abysmal: 4,500 nits in the Pro vs. 1,500 nits in Pro+. In resolution, however, the older brother wins by scratching a good handful of pixels in both directions. Two engines, two brands Realme 14 Pro | Image: Realme There are significant differences in the engine, since the company has opted for MediaTk for the most “basic” model and by Qualcomm for the most complete model. Thus, Realme 14 pro rides a MEDATEK DIMENSITY 7300while the Realme 14 pro+ incorporates a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 of Qualcomm. Differences in performance should not be very pronouncedbut it is likely that the Qualcomm model will exceed Benchmarks to Mediatek. However, the experience should really be couple especially because, otherwise, they are exactly the same. Both terminals incorporate up to 12 GB of RAM, up to medium Tera internal storage and the ability to expand RAM in a virtual way. The battery is the same in both models, 6,000 mAh, but the fast charge is much more powerful in the pro+. There are also no important differences in connectivity, beyond the pro+ model only admits Bluetooth 5.2. What should be highlighted is that neither of the two mobiles has NFC, so it will not be possible to pay with the mobile. What both models have is all kinds of AI functions, both edition and productivity. Clear differences in the camera Cameras del Realme 14 Pro+ | Image: Realme We pass to the part of the camera, which is where the crumb is and the big difference between both terminals. The Realme 14 Pro rides a really basic set consisting of a Sony IMX882 sensor of 50 megapixels and a monochrome sensor. That’s all. Neither wide angle nor telephoto, just a useful sensor and another support for light measurements. The older brother, meanwhile, has that same sensor under a Periscopic lens with optical zoom of three increases and up to 120 digital increases. The thing is that it is accompanied by a Sony IMX896 main sensor of 50 megapixels and a wide angle of eight megapixels. It is clearly a much more powerful camera. The Realme 14 pro+ rides a lot of cameras much more complete The same goes for the SEFIES. The Realme 14 Pro has a 16 megapixel sensor, while the Realme 14 pro+ folds the resolution and … Read more

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