desert

A plant was on the verge of extinction in the Mojave Desert. So they built a solar park on top

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The Mojave Desert is not only a paradise when it comes to filming movies, setting video games and name operating systems: It is also home to thousands of plant species that are accustomed to an extremely hostile climate. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 species and a very specific one is in danger of extinction. Until they decided to build one of the largest photovoltaic plants in the United States on top of it. The Gemini Solar Project. In short. The journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution revealed a few weeks ago the results of a curious study. The ‘threecorner milkvetch’ plant (which has a name for everything except a plant) went from 12 specimens in the Mojave Desert to 93. This plant was being evaluated for inclusion in the Endangered Species Act in the United States and not only has its number multiplied: the new plants are larger and produce more flowers. And they have “only” had to build one of the largest photovoltaic plants in America on top of it, next to Guanchoi in Chileto achieve it. Threecorner milkvetch. It is a creeping plant that has curious needs: it only grows in sandy soils of the Mojave Desert. However, it is dependent on rainfall because its seed remains dormant in the soil and only germinates and reproduces with favorable rainfall. In dry years, it remains completely unnoticed, waiting for a little rain. And it is so rare that the species remains under evaluation for status as threatened or endangered under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations. In the same desert there is another threatened species: the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii. The habitat of the two species should be the last one on which it would be decided to build a photovoltaic plant, but there is the Gemini Solar Project. The plant Megaplant. When such an installation is to be carried out in the desert, a technique known as clearing and leveling is used. In essence, all vegetation is removed, the land is leveled and prepared for install the pillars of the solar panels. Not only is a lunar landscape created, but any type of latent seed beneath the surface, such as that of the threecorner milkvetch, is destroyed. However, the Gemini Solar Project’s approach was different. The company wanted the land because it is especially ‘fertile’ within the US to harvest sunlight, but concessions had to be made. One was to minimize the alteration of the habitat of both species to conserve the desert surface with all its biological resources, preserve the topsoil and adapt the facility to the natural relief. On the US Geological Survey website we can see photos of little turtles between the panels. Works. This is part of what we know as ‘ecovoltaics’, with a branch called ‘agrovoltaics’ that we have also talked about and that, although it can be used by companies as a facelift, it serves to unite energy activities with agricultural activities. In the study on the impact of the Gemini Solar Project and the evolution of the plant, researcher Tiffany Pereira discovered what we have mentioned: there were more plants and they were healthier. This showed that the energy company had done its part by not destroying the soil because the seeds had been able to germinate, but they found something else. The plants inside the installation evolved earlier than those outside it and grew not under the panels, but in the strips between the rows. This implies that they still need intense sunlight to mature. The yellow zone is where the Sun shines the most hours. The blue one is the stripe that varies depending on the position of the Sun. The red one is where direct light never shines. Okay, but then… what is the role of the panels in the improved evolution of these plants? The hypothesis used by the researchers is that the panels provide partial shade on the groundslowing down evaporation. We have already said that seeds are dormant until they have the necessary humidity conditions to germinate, and in this context, a more humid microclimate has allowed plants to grow more and produce more seeds. Not all the field is oregano. Now, like almost every scientific study, we look at the other side of the coin. The rainfall in recent years has been favorable and we will have to see what happens with periods of prolonged drought. In a few years we could talk about long-term effects. But, in addition, this absence of plants under the panels could indicate a possible loss of potential habitat in very humid years. In any case, Pereira’s study is not isolated. Other studies point to improvements in both the number of flowering plant species and pollinators in agrovoltaic installations in a state like Minnesota. AND in China there are also indicators that those photovoltaic plants in deserts is contributing to the moisture pocket construction in which plants can thrive more easily. As we said, it remains to be seen the impact of the panels on the creation of a “new” biodiversity in the long term, but for now, what is evident is that it is not necessary to raze land to build a photovoltaic plant. Images | DRI, Tiffany PereiraGemini Solar Project In Xatka | The biggest fiasco of solar energy is in the Nevada desert: it is useless and its promoter blames a Spanish company

the Great Trade Route through the Mongolian Desert

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At the end of the 19th century, as Japan emerged as an imperial power after the Meiji erahis army undertook an ambitious cartographic project to precisely know the territories beyond its borders. Those maps, prepared by the Imperial Japanese Army with methods that combined espionage, foreign sources and field work, were classified as state secrets and for decades remained hidden in military and university archives. Today, those maps have revealed a fascinating route. A forgotten runner. For centuries, the so-called Great Mongolian Route was a key artery of Eurasian tradean east-west route that crossed southern Mongolia connecting northern China with Central Asia and beyond, serving as a northern alternative to the better-known routes of the Silk Road. Despite its historical importance, it had been blurred between travelers’ stories and scattered references, without precise cartography that would allow it to be reconstructed in detail. That gap is what is now filled through a historical work, a published study in the Journal of Historical Geography by Chris McCarthy and his colleagues demonstrating for the first time that the Great Mongolian Route was not a literary abstraction, but a perfectly structured corridor, designed to enable the regular transit of camel caravans through some of the most arid and hostile landscapes on the continent. Military maps as secrets of the past. The researchers behind the discovery say that the key to rediscovering the Great Mongolian Route has been in the gaihōzuthose maps prepared by cartographers of the Imperial Japanese Army between the end of the 19th century and the Second World War, which systematically covered vast regions of Eastern and Inner Asia. Conceived with strategic and classified purposes For decades, many were on the verge of disappearing after the war (there were instructions to destroy them), but some were saved quietly and ended up in university archives that little by little became accessible to the public. Gaihōzu W6N2N map panel: Explaining the maps. The maps were not simple military sketches: they synthesized information from Chinese records, ancient Russian uprisings, and, in some cases, Japanese field work, resulting in a surprisingly accurate representation of routes, wells, monasteries, oases and geographical features key to survival in the Gobi Desert. Owen Lattimore’s map of several Inner Asian caravan routes, including the Great Mongolian Trail, whose name appears next to the location of Gurbun Saikhan Confirm the map on the ground. Recent work has gone beyond the archive, touring more than 1,200 kilometers on the ground to verify to what extent those sheets coincided with current reality. The verification has confirmed about fifty nodes (from water sources to settlements, caves and sacred places) spaced at intervals of about 24 kilometers, a distance that fits exactly with the average day of a camel caravan. Plus: the oral traditions of local shepherds, the physical traces of secular transit and the persistence of toponyms have reinforced the idea that these maps captured a refined logistical system, one in which each stop was essential to making the journey possible. Gaihōzu W9N2N map panel Caravans, tea and benefits. Although the main objective has been to document the infrastructure of the route, everything indicates that was parte of the historic tea trade, with Chinese goods traveling west and steppe products returning east. Inscriptions found in caves and oases speak of journeys of up to 120 days for heavy caravans and faster journeys, of about 90 days, for urgent transports seeking extraordinary benefits. The harshness of the route did not deter the merchants, moved by the promise of “triple benefits,” a reminder that these routes were not only avenues of cultural exchange, but high-risk economic gambles. From stories to cartography. For decades, knowledge of the Great Mongolian Route depended almost exclusively on the descriptions of the explorer and scholar Owen Lattimorewhose diagrams offered a conceptual vision of the corridor. Now, the combination of his stories with the millimeter detail of the gaihōzu transforms that diffuse image into a concrete and verifiable layout, where each lake, well or monastery has a clear function. The result not only recovers a lost route, but shows to what extent these military maps constitute an exceptional file of landscapes, economies and ways of life just before modern transportation erased centuries of mobility caravan in the interior of Asia. Image | McCarthy et al. 2026 In Xataka | The entire history of the Iberian Peninsula year by year, summarized in six minutes of interactive map In Xataka | Our conception of the world has changed a lot during history. This map illustrates all its forms

For thousands of years, human beings have avoided crossing the Taklamakan Desert. Now China is raising fish there

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For more than 1,500 years, the merchants who traveled the Silk Road dared with oceans, mountains and jungles, they dared with endless walks, with warlords, with hunger and pain and the cold; with one of the most destructive epidemics in history; but they did not dare with the Taklamakan. That sand hell (whose name comes from the word ugiur for “abandon, leave alone, leave behind”) is not only the second largest dune desert in the world, but it moved, invaded and devoured everything around it. It’s been a nightmare for thousands of years. Well, now, China is farming fish right there. As? As it sounds, Xinjiang has been committed to producing fish and seafood “in the middle of the desert” for years. And no, obviously, it has nothing to do with “releasing fish in the sand” as if it were worms from Arrakis. The key is saline-alkaline water, lined ponds and recirculation techniques. It is not a revolutionary approach (already We have talked about similar techniques), but without a doubt Chinese producers are taking it to another level. Xinjiang aquaculture production was 196,500 tons in 2024. And, of course, the “desert seafood” boom raises questions about water, energy and scalability. From the promise of fresh fish… We are talking about a very harsh physical context (annual rainfall of less than 100 mm, very high evaporation and salinized soils): thus, the entire Tarim sub-basin depends on melting snow to provide water. Therefore, on the table, there are two clear approaches: the first, which has become popular in the Westtalks about the construction of monitored ponds. And this is already, in itself, very effective: “species such as grouper, mullet, shrimp, oysters and pearl musselsyes reach commercial size with survival rates close to 99%”, always according to the available data. But that’s just the beginning; just a proof of concept. …to the promise of mar. As explained by several chinese mediathe final horizon of the project is much more ambitious: creating a sea in the middle of the desert. That is, take advantage of the water associated with saline-alkaline soils and saline lakes to simulate marine conditions with technical adjustments, circulation systems and cultivation of microorganisms. And thus be able to breed species normally linked to the sea. But can that be done? Of course you can. We have the technology to do it. In a world where aquaculture already exceeds extractive fishing in volume, the interesting question is not that: the question is whether the model is scalable without aggravating tensions over water in a hyper-arid region dependent on snowmelt. What the industry that sees tons of fish emerging from the desert is asking is something even more basic: is it possible that the beginning of the end of commercial fishing is beginning? Image | On Magnet | China is exporting millions of shrimp with antibiotics to the world. And they could end up on your table

240 km without curves, in the middle of the desert and with truck traffic

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Imagine driving for more than two hours without turning the steering wheel even a single degree. No curves, no noticeable slopes, no changes on the horizon. That is the reality of Highway 10 (Highway 10) of Saudi Arabia, which holds the Guinness record as the longest straight road on the planet with a completely linear section of 240 kilometers. A highway born for a king. Highway 10 stretches 1,480 kilometers from Ad Darb to the border with the United Arab Emirates, but it is its segment between Haradh and Al Batha that has received all the attention. The road was originally built as a private road for King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, although today it has become a fundamental artery for the transport of goods between the center and west of the country with the Emirates. The Empty Quarter desert as a setting. The road crosses the Rub’ al Khaliknown as the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert in the world. The area itself explains why it is possible to build such a straight line: there are no mountains to surround, valleys to cross or geographical features to avoid. Just sand and more sand as far as the eye can see. The infrastructure is completely paved and has mainly two lanes in each direction, supporting intense truck traffic that crosses the desert. Speed ​​limits adjusted for heavy traffic. The maximum speed allowed on this highway varies depending on the type of vehicle: passenger cars can travel up to 120 km/h on fast sections, buses 100 km/h and trucks 80 km/h. Although in 2018 were announced Upper limits of up to 140 km/h for light vehicles in certain sections, the constant presence of heavy transport makes maintaining these speeds complicated in practice. A mental challenge more than a physical one. Believe it or not, driving on the straightest road in the world is not as easy as it seems, especially due to fatigue. The monotony of the desert landscape and the total absence of visual stimuli can cause drowsiness and even a dangerous disconnection while driving. Added to this is the occasional threat of camels wandering across the road. So, although the route is ‘easy’ to handle, mentally it can become a nightmare. Not for nothing is it found in Dangerous Roads website. Reinforced security measures. Aware of the risks involved in driving on such a monotonous road, the Saudi Ministry of Transport and Logistics has implemented various improvements safety features, including paved shoulders, reflective pavement markings (known as “cat’s eyes”), protective barriers, kilometer signs, and directional and warning signs. Here the driver’s attention must be vital, especially on a road with so few changes. Other legendary straights. Before Highway 10 snatched the title, the Australia’s Eyre Highway boasted the record with a 146 kilometer straight stretch through the Nullarbor Desert. Although almost 100 kilometers shorter, this Australian road remains one of the most unique driving experiences on the continent. Also noteworthy are roads such as ND-46 in North Dakotathe United States, or some sections of the Argentine Route 40which although they do not compete in length of absolute straightness, offer endless kilometers of visual monotony. Cover image | City Vibes In Xataka | Yes, the V16 beacons transmit your position in the event of an accident. No, the DGT cannot “spy” on you with them

China has a gigantic desert in Tibet with countless hours of daylight. And he’s filling it with solar panels

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A year ago we had in Xataka how a huge solar park in the Chinese province of Qinghai, in the heart of the Tibetan plateau, served as an ecological experiment: under the panels, the shade retained moisture and made vegetation sprout in the middle of the desert. Today, that same place – the Talatan Solar Park – has become something much greater. It is the largest clean energy facility on the planet, a “blue sea” of silicon that already covers more than 600 square kilometers at three thousand meters above sea level. Where before there was nothing, China is lifting an energy ecosystem without comparison in the rest of the world. The scale has multiplied. Where last year there was talk of a 1 gigawatt solar park, today a complex extends that reaches 15,600 and 16,900 megawatts and continues to expand. Its area – between 420 and 610 square kilometers – is seven times that of Manhattan. Furthermore, it is not alone since 4,700 megawatts of wind energy and 7,380 megawatts of hydroelectric dams are deployed around it, completing an unprecedented hybrid system. The result: enough renewable energy to supply almost all of the plateau’s needs, including the data centers that power China’s artificial intelligence. According to CleanTechnicaevery three weeks China installs as many solar panels as the entire capacity of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydroelectric project in its history. A global clean energy laboratory. The Tibetan plateau, with its pure, cold air, has become the most ambitious energy laboratory in the world. There, China is experimenting with an electricity production model based exclusively on renewables. Electricity generated in Qinghai—40% cheaper than coal, according to the NYT— powers high-speed trains, factories, electric cars and data centers. In fact, the region is home to new computing centers dedicated to artificial intelligence, which consume less energy thanks to the altitude and low temperatures. “Hot air from servers is used to heat other buildings, replacing coal-fired boilers,” explained Zhang Jingang, vice provincial governor. In the words of Professor Ningrong Liu, in his column for the South China Morning Post: “China is not only leading the transition to green energy; it is building the 21st century energy scaffolding that sustains its industrial leadership in electric vehicles, batteries and solar technology.” Three sources that beat in unison. The magnitude of the project is only possible thanks to centralized planning that combines three main sources: solar, wind and hydroelectric energy. During the day, Talatan panels capture more intense solar radiation than at sea level; At night, thousands of wind turbines collect the cold breezes that sweep across the plains. When both systems fluctuate, hydroelectric dams balance the grid. Also, from the New York Times They described a system reversible pumping: excess solar energy during the day is used to raise water to reservoirs located in nearby mountains, which release that water at night to generate electricity. And under the panels, life returns. The shade of the plates reduces evaporation and soil erosion. According to China Dailythis year the vegetation has recovered up to 80% and 173 villages have benefited from the associated livestock farming. A local shepherd, Zhao Guofu, said: “My flock has grown to 800 sheep and my income has doubled since I grazed between the panels.” The perfect geography for the sun. No other country has taken solar generation to similar altitudes. The altitude plays in favor of physics, at 3,000 meters the air contains fewer particles that block light and the low temperatures reduce the thermal loss of the panels. This efficiency is multiplied in Qinghai, one of the few areas of the Tibetan plateau with large plains, where it is possible to build without the limits of the mountainous relief. The Talatan Desert, once an arid and worthless land, has become an energetic jewel. local authorities offer symbolic leases and have developed roads and high-voltage lines connecting the plateau with the industrial centers to the east. That energy travels more than 1,600 kilometers to factories and cities. According to CleanTechnicaChina already operates 41 ultra-high voltage transmission lines, some longer than 2,000 miles and up to 1.1 million volts. The global scale: no one comes close. Other countries have tried to generate clean energy at altitude, but with modest results. Switzerland, for example, inaugurated a small solar park in the Alps, at 1,800 meters, with barely 0.5 MW. For its part, in the Chilean Atacama Desert, a 480 MW project operates at 1,200 meters. By way of comparison, the Talatan complex multiplies the capacity of the Bhadla Solar Park in India, and for more than seven that of the Al Dhafra Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates, which until recently held records. The superpower of clean energy. China produces and consumes more renewable energy than any other country on the planet. In 2024, was responsible of 61% of new solar installations and 70% of global wind power. That same year, it achieved the capacity targets it had set for 2030. In the first six months of 2025added 212 GW solar and 51 GW wind, and the country’s carbon emissions fell for the first time. In this context, Talatan Park is both a symbol and an infrastructure. China is exporting its renewable technology around the world, from Asia to Africa, following the logic of Belt and Road Initiative. For the academic Ningrong Liu: “China wants to stop being the world’s factory to become the engine of the world’s factory.” It is not just about manufacturing panels, but about selling the complete model: engineering, financing and know-how to build green networks in other countries. The less visible side of the miracle. It’s not all clean energy and pastoral harmony. In its report, The New York Times recalled that access to Tibet remains strictly controlled by the Communist Party, and that Western media were only allowed to visit Qinghai on a government-organized tour. There are also human and environmental costs. CleanTechnica documents how the giant power lines that transport energy from west … Read more

Chile had a desert full of used clothes. Now you have something to brag about

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Just a few years ago, images of the Atacama Desert, covered by mountains of discarded clothing, they went around the world. From space, satellites they captured a multicolored mosaic in the middle of the arid land of northern Chile: thousands of tons of T-shirts, jeans and coats that had ended up there after crossing oceans and continents. Today, Chile is in the news again, but for a diametrically opposite reason. The country achieved the Guinness Record of the largest clothing exchange in the world, with more than 2,300 garments in perfect condition exchanged for eight hours at the La Moneda Cultural Center, in Santiago. A turning point. The event was organized by The Ropantic Showa pioneering start-up in circular fashion founded by María José Gómez Gracia. The initiative not only sought to break a record, but also to denounce the global overproduction of clothing and the environmental consequences of excessive consumption. “We have normalized that clothing is a completely disposable item, that shopping is a form of therapy,” Gómez Gracia explained. In Chile, each person consumes 32 kilos of textiles per year, generating more than 572,000 tons of waste, according to the Ministry of the Environment. This context makes the record not a simple cultural event, but a collective response to an environmental emergency. From desert catwalks to ‘re-commerce’. The change began with activism and creativity. In 2024, the NGO Desierto Vestido, together with Fashion Revolution Brasil and the Brazilian agency Artplan, organized the Atacama Fashion Week: a parade in the middle of the desert with models wearing clothes rescued from landfills. According to The Guardianthe pieces—designed by Brazilian artist Maya Ramos—were made with clothing found among the waste, symbolizing the four elements: earth, fire, air and water. A year later, that alliance gave rise to a revolutionary idea: “Atacama Re-commerce”an online store that gives away clothing rescued from the desert, charging only the cost of shipping. The project—promoted by VTEX, Fashion Revolution Brasil, Artplan and Desierto Vestido— seeks to convert the act of shopping online in a form of environmental activism. In just five hours, the first collection sold out and more than 200,000 people signed up for future releases. “It’s a simple and powerful way to transform commerce into consciousness,” summarized the creative Pedro Maneschy. A problem with fast fashion. This phenomenon has generated an environmental and social emergency. The United Nations warns that the textile and footwear industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of the planet’s wastewater. Global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014, and consumers they buy 60% more today of garments than two decades ago, keeping them half the time. For years, Chile was the final destination for discards from Europe and the United States. It is estimated that about 39,000 tons of clothing ended up in the illegal landfills of the Atacama each year. “We live five minutes from the garbage dumps and we breathe the smoke from the burned clothes,” denounced Ángela Astudillo, co-founder of Desierto Vestido, to The Guardian. Now, the country has become a circular economy laboratory. Projects like EcoFiberwhich makes insulating panels from used textiles, or Atacama Re-commercewhich rescues garments to reuse them, show that sustainability can also be an economic opportunity. From a court ruling to a circular country model. Last September, Chile’s First Environmental Court issued a historic ruling that forces the State to repair the Atacama “clothing desert.” The ruling orders a comprehensive plan to be presented in six months that includes the removal of waste, its safe final disposal and the restoration of the landscape. “The environmental damage is proven and the State must materially repair it,” said Minister Marcelo Hernández Rojas. The ruling, celebrated by organizations such as Desierto Vestido and Greenpeace Chile, sets a regional precedent in terms of environmental responsibility. In parallel, the Extended Producer Responsibility Law (REP)—which forces companies to take responsibility for the waste they generate— has incorporated textiles as priority products. And universities like Chile are already working on models that professionalize the restoration of garments and generate local employment, according to DW. Furthermore, the shift is also cultural. More and more young Chileans are opting for responsible consumption. “Massive consumption of clothing is normalized. I made the decision to buy almost everything second-hand or barter,” Antonia Jerez told21 year old student. “Buying new clothes is no longer fashionable, there are too many going around the world,” added Catalina Navarro, 23. This generational change reflects a new relationship with fashion: more conscious, local and circular. From symbol of excess to emblem of change. For years, the Atacama Desert was the mirror of global consumerism: a landscape where the labels of Zara, H&M or Nike mixed with sand and dust. Today, that same place is transformed into a symbol of environmental and social resilience. “We went around the world for the mountains of clothes in the desert; I hope they recognize us today for the solution,” pointed out María José Gómez Graciafounder of The Ropantic Show. The challenge is not over. There are still thousands of tons to remove and a global culture to transform. But Chile has shown that fashion can also be a tool of change. Image | skyfi and The Ropantic Show Xataka | There are so many “low cost” clothes accumulated in the Atacama landfill that can already be seen from space

How the Atacama desert shows the ecological price of decarbonization

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Lithium has become white gold. Has become A strategic element Due to its importance in the global energy transition. Among other things, and While we find alternativesis what allows us to create batteries for electronic devices, but also critical systems for the decarbonization such as electric car batteries and those of renewable energy storage. There is a problem: extracting it requires huge amounts of water. Chile has one of the greater lithium reserves in the worldand its exploitation shows us the hidden cost of the energy that wants to “save” the planet. Atacama. The Atacama desert, located in northern Chile, is very peculiar. It is about driest desert in the worldbeing 250 more arid than the Sahara. It is a gigantic garbage dump Due to the fast fashion culture, but it also has huge solar parks that are the country’s energy pride: 500 operational projects and another hundred under construction. In addition to sun, there are minerals like copper –that China is accumulating at pleasure-, iron, gold and silver, but also other strategic such as Boto or Lithium. Within the region, the Salar de Atacama stands out. It is this area that has large lithium concentrations that have allowed Chile to become the largest global exporter of this element during the last two decades. It is so important that the Chilean regulatory regime gives the State property over lithium, considering it “Non -concessionable” and restricting foreign exploitation only to special contracts. Salar in 1995 In 2005 And today Ecosystem transformation. In the superior images we can see how the landscape of Salar has been transformed from 1990 to the present, with Lithium farms Greater and bigger. And something that we can see with the naked eye is the amount of huge ‘swimming pools’. The process of obtaining lithium is based on the evaporation of brine, being something that consumes billions of liters every year that is extracted from both the surface and the subsoil. In Atacama Salar, that is causing sinking, Loss of vegetation and of the rich microscopic diversityas well as the emblematic fauna of the place: the flamenco. Faviola González, biologist of the Chilean National Reserve, is one of those who complaint that the population of flamenco has decreased in recent years. It is not just your observation. As we read in the BBC article, the Natural Resources Defense Council, based in the United States, published a report in 2022 in which it indicated that almost a third of the native Algarrobos began to die in 2013 due to the impact of mining. Without brake. This transformation of the landscape has led to judicial demands, especially by indigenous communities that denounce the degradation of water resources and the loss of cultural identity of the desert. Because yes, Atacama’s is a desert, but with great biological wealth. The problem is the aforementioned Importance of lithium for the country. Chile is within the so -called ‘Lithium Triangle’ with Bolivia and Argentina and, as the second largest world producer and holder Of the largest reserves on the planet, it has the power to dominate the supply chain. It is an economic engine, with a value My dear of exports of 2,895 million in 2024, and its importance will go more. HE wait That the global lithium demand exceeds 1.3 million tons in 2025, with the forecast to triple by 2040. Measures to mitigate damage. And here comes the big question: if the lithium is needed to decarbonize the planet, but at the same time we are damaging the ecosystems in their obtaining, is there nothing we can make? Valentí Barrera, SQM Lithiuum Sustainability (the Chilean company that manages some of these farms) affirms that understand the concerns of indigenous communities and are carrying out pilot programs to mitigate the impact of mining. One is the Lithium extraction directly from brinewithout the need for evaporation pools. Another is the reinjection of water on earth once the lithium is obtained. The problem is that they are arguments that do not convince those who live from that land, who have seen the ecosystem disappear and who They affirm that they do not have a significant carbon footprint and that electric cars will go to Europeans and American, but contaminated water will be left. Because at some point, lithium will run out and the miners will leave. EITHER The price will fall so much which will cease to be profitable to extract it to Mansalva. Images | Google Earth, Coordenação-Geral de Observção da Terra/inpe, Heretiq In Xataka | The Atacama desert is one of the most arid places on the planet. And right there a handful of “crazy” is trying to get water out of the fog

An American military seemed like a cybercrime genius. He was given his own searches on how to desert Russia

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Cameron John Wagenius had no criminal record or a dark past. He had a military uniform, 21 years and a career ahead in the United States Army. But in his spare time, from his bedroom in Texas, It connected as “Kiberphant0m” to telegram groups and forums where stolen credentials are purchased and databases for thousands of dollars are sold. I knew how to move, how to enter without being seen and how to extort technological companies from the shadow. According to the Department of Justicefor more than a year he directed a campaign that affected at least ten organizations. It was made with private credentials, accessed protected networks and much more. He did it as he continued charging the army and fulfilled functions as an active soldier. Until everything fell apart, not by a filtration, or by a technical error. For himself. The soldier who moved as a professional cybercrime Wagenius and his accomplices were coordinated through encrypted chats. They shared passwords, discussed vulnerabilities and talked openly about their next objectives. They used Tools like SSH Brutea brute force solution to enter protected systems, and acted quickly to move stolen data in some of the best known cybercrime forums of the moment. Once they got access, they launched threats. Sometimes privately, sometimes publicly. They threatened to publish the stolen information if they did not receive money in return. In some cases, they came to sell the data directly. In others, they used that information to launch attacks from Sim Swapping and supplant identities. The goal was always the same: money. The Department of Justice estimates that they tried to extort at least 1 million dollars to the victims. But while all that happened, Wagenius did something that FBI agents did not expect to find so easily: I left trace. According to judicial documentsin October 2024, in full swing of its operation, it began to search Google how to escape from the country. Literally. These are some of the searches he made from his personal account: • “Where you can desert an US military without being extradited” • “US military personnel deserting Russia” • “Russia Embassy – Washington DC” • How to get a fast passport “ In parallel, I wrote to his contacts with phrases such as: “The fun is that if they ever discover me, They can’t immediately arrest me by military law. That gives me time to disappear. ” The reality was another. Not only did he not escape. All this activity was recovered, documented and used as proof to demonstrate not only its crimes, but its intention to escape. Wagenius was arrested and declared himself guilty of several serious positions: conspiracy to commit electronic fraud, extortion in relation to computer crimes and aggravated identity. He had already admitted before, in another case linked, his involvement in the illicit transfer of confidential telephone records. His conviction, which will be read on October 6, could add up to 27 years in prison. The charges have different weight: electronic fraud can cost up to 20 years; Computer extortion, up to five; and the theft of aggravated identity entails a mandatory penalty of two additional years that cannot be combined with the previous ones. Wagenius had knowledge. I knew how to move around the network and how to hide behind proxies, vpns and Tools that in theory had to protect it. But something in his strategy went wrong. Now he is paying the consequences. Images | Xataka with Gemini Flash 2.5 | Kevin Ku In Xataka | Sam Altman believes that a serious crisis is coming with the AI fraud. The problem is that it has strong interests in the solution

As the Puerta del Sol is a tree desert, Madrid has had an idea for this summer: putting awnings

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With the thermometer Nailing with the 40ºC of maximum and a sun of rigor, if there is something sued today in the streets of Madrid is shadow, a shelter in which to enjoy a refreshing truce before continuing on their way to the office, house or the institute. To create one of those ‘Climate shelters’ In the urban heart, a few weeks ago the City Council He started installing Toldos in the middle of the Puerta del Sol, 32 panels with which he wants the square to stop being a pan. The problem is that its installation has unleashed a considerable stirboth for the solution itself and its cost. Shadow, where is there a shadow? The Puerta del Sol is an emblematic, sculptural place, forced to Thousands of tourists Every year and central node of Madrid. The problem is that something key is missing, especially in summer: shadow. Your around 12,000 m2 They are a wasteland in which it is difficult to protect themselves from the sun, a problem when the city faces a heat wave like the one in these days. There are those pulling irony It refers to the square as ‘La Sartén del Sol’. Why is there no shadow? Because it was never considered necessary. The City Council argues that in its 163 years of history the square never had “elements of shadow”, although there are who holds that in his day he had some trees and more than a century ago he already incorporated awnings. Historical debates apart, the Consistory assures that today the configuration of the Plaza conditions what can be done or not in it: below, scarce 20 cm of the pavementrests a slab that separates the square from one of the largest subway stations in the city, in addition to galleries. And why is it important? Simple. Because what is done in the square should take into account the huge structure that opens below. Martínez-Almeida team remember That a few years ago it was studied to plant trees in the only area of ​​the square that does not have infrastructure under the pavement, but the Municipal Historical Heritage Commission ended up lying the initiative. The reason? The vegetation perhaps threw some shadow and refresh the environment, but the idea did not respond to historical or urban criteria. He simply proposed to plant trees where he could, without contributing more reasons. What if we put awnings? In the absence of trees, good are Quita and Pon, a solution that is already used in the street of other Spanish cities punished by the sun, such as The center of Seville either Malaga. That is the idea that the City Council was raised, which launched its administrative machinery to project, hire and install a system of panels that cover part of the square. They wait, but the fabrics began to settle Two weeks ago. The awnings, 32 in total, are manufactured with Microperforated PVC ivory and have been arranged in such a way that they offer shade to pedestrians that walk from Alcalá to Arenal. To hold them, anchors were installed on the facades, tensioners and stainless steel masts in some granite banks. The idea is to use a threaded tubes system to place and remove panels throughout the year, as is done in other cities in the south. Why is there debate? For several reasons. Input by the solution itself and its effectiveness. “They are not a simple ornament or a whim: they are a late and expensive response to an urban policy of the PP, which for years turned our public spaces into authentic cement plates,” criticism in The country Pedro Barrero, socialist spokesman in the Commission of Works and Equipment. To that debate contributes that the square was reformed Just a few years ago With one millionaire investment without those guaranteed works shadows in the environment. Another background debate is whether the square may or may not host trees, beyond the handicap that the subway station is underneath, or if there are better alternatives to the awnings. The City Council insists in which the configuration of Puerta del Sol dates back to the nineteenth century and this will be “the first time you have shadows in its 163 years of history.” The proposal also received the approval of the Historical Heritage Commission. The big question is … Is it used for the 12,000 m2 of the square a solution that has demonstrated useful for narrow streets? Are there more factors? Yes. The price. The installation of the awnings will require considerable investment, around 1.5 million of euros that add to the cost of the reform of a few years ago. In networks there are who questions That a million and a half are reversed to a work that, in the end, will mean the installation of about thirty PVC awnings. From the City Council they clarify that to carry out the project they have had to carry out studies and undertake works that are not appreciated with the naked eye, such as adapting the banks, emptying them and providing them with steel plates to ballast the anchor of the masts. The goal? Ensure that the canvases endure wind gusts without the foundation affecting the structures located under the square. Images | Madrid City Council In Xataka | People have started rowing to touch their ass to the statue of the bear in Madrid. Makes as little sense as it seems

He is watering the desert with wind energy

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The impulse for clean energy has entered the Spanish field strongly. In many places, the new energy projects collide with neighbors, landscapes and life forms that carry generations there. In the north, there are neighborhood protests For the proliferation of wind turbines that alter the landscape. In agricultural areas of the south, solar panels compete with traditional crops. And meanwhile, in Lanzarote, they have found in the wind a tool for something very different: water. Transforming irrigation. As reported The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through a press release, have launched an action to modernize the irrigation of 300 hectares in the northeast of Lanzarote, specifically in the municipalities of Tinajo and Teguise. The intervention, which is executed by the Public Company Seiasa, will focus on horticultural crops and will benefit 667 irrigators, although other sources raise this figure to 697, as He has published the province. The total investment amounts to 24.4 million euros, not counting the Canarian indirect general tax (IGIC). The Lanzarote council has contributed a quarter of the budget and has acquired the land where the rafts are located, As he pointed out Diario de Lanzarote. The rest is financed through the recovery, transformation and resilience (PRTR) plan, with European funds Next Generation. Watering with seawater. The work is articulated around an inverse osmosis, currently under construction together with the northeast treatment plant in Lanzarote, in the area of ​​the saint. From there, the water will be driven through a pumping station to two agricultural areas, where it will be stored in a tank of 4,000 cubic meters in the knife and in a raft of 38,000 cubic meters in tincheche, such as Diario de Lanzarote has detailed. The entire infrastructure will have a telemedida and telecontrol system, which will allow automation and optimize the use of water, something crucial in a territory where each drop counts. Part of the energy that feeds the system will come from a wind turbine. It is not the first or the last. The use of wind turbines in Lanzarote to boost irrigation is not an isolated case, but part of a broader trend in the Canarian archipelago: take advantage of their extreme natural conditions to test technological solutions that could be key in the energy and agricultural future. The combination of desalination, clean energy and automation makes these islands live laboratories. In other areas of the archipelago it is also being experienced with innovative solutions. In iron, for example, they have been trying more than a decade Energy self -sufficiency with renewablesalthough they continue to partially depend on diesel. In Gran Canaria, a laptop fed by renewable energy has been installed to demonstrate that Drinking water can be produced without resorting to fossil fuels. In addition, on the islands as a whole It is exploring The use of the strength of waves to generate drinking water, through a system that converts the energy of the waves into electricity that feeds a desalination plant. These experiences, distributed by different islands, are part of the same impulse: try, rehearse, anticipate. An agricultural laboratory. This type of infrastructure suggests more than the improvement of irrigation in a specific area. In a country increasingly affected by drought and The energy increasethe viability of the field will depend largely on how resources as basic as water or energy are managed. In this context, Lanzarote, with its extreme conditions, works almost as an agricultural laboratory. And what is rehearsed there – or not – can mark the way for other agricultural areas that seek sustainable alternatives without giving up producing. The combination of unconventional sources of water and renewable energies does not solve all the dilemmas of the sector, but opens a space to rethink the agricultural model at a time when the current system shows clear signs of exhaustion. Image | Ignacioromeroperera and Unspash Xataka | A perfect storm looms over Spanish olive oil: heat, pests and a problem of productive capacity

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