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We have small and giant black holes, but the intermediate ones do not appear. Now some scientists have designed a method to search for them and they already have two candidates

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Today astrophysicists have a lot of information about black holes. They have even been photographed. However, there are only two types of black holes for which a multitude of evidence has been found: supermassive black holes, which are colossal in size, and stellar black holes, which are formed by the collapse of a star when it runs out of fuel. Supermassive ones usually have masses between 100,000 and 10,000 million solar masses. The stellar ones are much smaller, with approximately a mass equivalent to that of 3 to 100 suns. So what happens in the intermediate range? Don’t black holes of intermediate mass exist, between 100 and 100,000 solar masses? This is a question astronomers have been asking for a long time. Theoretically, they could exist, but no evidence has been detected. Now, a team of scientists from Yangtze University in China, has devised a method which could be useful to find them once and for all. Gravitational microlensing of fast radio bursts. These scientists have used a method that is based on searching for fast radio bursts that have experienced a gravitational microlensing deformation. These deformations are caused by massive objects that stand between the path of the blast and the Earth. By studying the effects of these disturbances, its mass can be calculated. For this reason, these scientists have analyzed a catalog of these bursts, looking for those that may have been distorted by gravitational microlensing and have been left with two candidates whose mass would correspond to an intermediate black hole. The best? They also fit with primordial black holes, so they could even serve to better understand dark matter. Clarifying concepts. Now let it be understood. Fast radio bursts are short bursts of radio waves, which come from far away, beyond the Milky Way. There is no consensus on its origin, but many have been detected, it even seems that there are a large number in a single day. For their part, gravitational microlensing are formed when a very massive object comes between a light source and the Earth. It is so massive that, due to the action of gravity, it doubles space-time and, with it, the path of light that reaches Earth. As a result, multiple and/or magnified images may form. The point is that fast radio bursts themselves can be altered by gravitational microlensing when a very massive object crosses their path. Gravitational microlensing Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). This is a Canadian radio telescope initially designed to map the presence of hydrogen in large fractions of the observable universe. Thanks to its large collecting area and field of vision and its bandwidth, over time it was seen that It was also very useful to detect fast radio bursts. They are very fast, but when observing so much sky at once they do not go unnoticed. For all this, the authors of the study that has just been published have analyzed the CHIME catalogwith special attention to bursts that at some point have suffered a disturbance by gravitational microlensing. Two candidates. Of all the distorted bursts they found, there were two whose size matched possible black holes of intermediate size. One had between 539 and 609 solar masses and the other between 1,544 and 2,571 solar masses. Curiously, there were no galaxies or galactic clusters around it. When black holes form through physically well-known collapse processes, they are usually in the centers of galaxies. However, when they are isolated, as is this case, what is expected is that they are primordial black holes. That is, black holes that formed in the early stages of the Big Bang, before there were even stars that could collapse. something unexpected. These scientists expected to find intermediate black holes, but they may also have found evidence of the origin of dark matter. One of the hypotheses about this mysterious matter that makes up most of the Universe is that it is partly composed of primordial black holes. The problem is that the existence of primordial black holes has not been proven. With this new study, two birds could have been killed with one stone: demonstrating that intermediate mass black holes and also primordial black holes exist, in turn helping to unravel the dark matter mystery. Without a doubt, it is a cosmic carom that is worth continuing to investigate. Image | THAT | POT In Xataka | Stephen Hawking made a prediction about black holes in 1971. A new signal has proven him overwhelmingly right

The ‘Chinese Netflix’ has designed a plan for AI to generate the majority of its content within five years. It sounds risky

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iQiyi, China’s largest video streaming service with more than 400 million monthly active users, announced in its annual content presentation in Beijing which expects AI to generate most of its movies and series within five years. Its founder and CEO, Gong Yu, summed it up before a room of producers and directors with a succinct phrase: “It’s a once-in-a-decade opportunity. We have to go with the tide.” Why is it important. iQiyi is not a minor platform betting on a trend. It is the subsidiary of streaming of Baidu, shares with Alibaba and Tencent the online video oligopoly in China, and operates in the streaming largest in the world by number of users. Whether it decides to pivot towards content generated entirely by AI affects how the rest of the platforms that tend to follow in its footsteps will produce, distribute and monetize audiovisual entertainment. The context. iQiyi has been losing audience for years to Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok owned by ByteDance. Short video has cut into the time that Chinese users spend on long video platforms. The result is that its revenue has fallen by 13% in the first quarter of 2026. The company, listed on Nasdaq, has also applied for a second listing in Hong Kong seeking closer capital. The announcement of the pivot towards AI comes from a certain pressure. In detail. The center of the plan is Nadou Proa suite of AI tools that the company presented on April 20 and that, it says, can manage practically the entire film production process: script, storyboardvideo generation and final assembly. The software does not work with its own models, but rather integrates those of several direct competitors: Alibaba, ByteDance and Kuaishou for the domestic market; Seedance 2.0 and Google I Spy 3.1 for the international version. iQiyi has also launched a library of virtual assets and “signed” talent for third-party creators to generate new content using the platform’s characters and universes. The incentive strategy to attract these external creators involves… An extra 20% on advertising and subscription revenue for those who produce content with Nadou Pro. An inaugural catalog of 16 AI-generated films, in science fiction and anime. A public goal: release a commercially successful AI-generated film before the end of summer 2026. Yes, but. The question that remains to be seen is whether anyone will want to pay to see that. Recent history does not invite optimism. AI-generated video has shown some traction on TikTok and Instagram, where the cost of user attention is practically zero and the scroll Erase any disappointment in a tenth of a second. That this tolerance is transferred to a two-hour feature film for which someone pays a monthly subscription is another story. Between the lines. Gong Yu has said that iQiyi will continue investing in professional production, but in the same sentence he has clarified that this type of content will reduce its relative weight on the platform. The direction is quite clear. The risk is that viewers of C-dramas and the anime Koreans who have made iQiyi great are exactly the type of audience that has the least tolerance for ‘AI slop‘. Main loser? The producers and directors who filled that room in Beijing when Gong Yu announced the pivot. iQiyi has designed a system where independent creators can use Nadou Pro to generate content and earn a percentage of the advertising revenue. It’s the same model that YouTube has applied for years with human content, now transferred to AI. In this scheme, professionals in the sector go from being the protagonists of the production chain to being, in the best case, supervisors of a process that they no longer control. In Xataka | In China, 470 series made with AI are produced per day. 99.9% of them do not reach anyone Featured image | iQiyi, Xataka with Mockuuups Studio

This space company has designed the suit for astronauts that you would also want to wear on the street

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The private space company Vast has presented at the 46th Space Symposium the suits that its team will wear both in training on Earth and in missions in space. These are aesthetically appealing clothes, but above all they have been manufactured with careful consideration of the needs of astronauts. on the International Space Station. Thus, the aim is to facilitate both their movements and their ability to work. Both with and without gravity. As explained in a Vast statement former astronaut and company advisor Megan McArthur, in space the body takes on positions that it does not take on Earth. Additionally, when working in microgravity, it is necessary to always have your hands free and tools within reach. They may be necessary at any time. For this reason, spacesuits must put comfort and operability above all things. Pockets, zippers and hooks. Vast’s spacesuit consists of two pieces, which can be worn separately or as a jumpsuit, joining both parts with a zipper. It has a multitude of pockets, like cargo pants. The main difference with any garment with pockets that can be worn on Earth is that each of them is intentionally placed to squeeze out their use in microgravity. They are right where they are needed. On the other hand, astronauts may need to access tools quickly, so opening and closing the zipper of the pocket takes up too much of their time. That’s why spacesuits also have hook-and-loop closures on the pants legs. Mobility comes first. The suits are made from a lightweight, breathable and flexible material with rear vents and shoulder gussets, allowing full range of motion. In addition, it is tailored to each astronaut, so that the fit is completely personalized. Many tests ahead. Vast has just signed its first contract with NASA to take its astronauts to the International Space Station in 2027. During all that time, just as the hardware necessary for the mission is thoroughly tested, the relevant tests will be carried out on the spacesuit. Above all, it must be confirmed that the materials are safe, durable and compatible with the space station environment. There is no washing machine in space. Both the Vast suit and the rest of the uniforms used by astronauts on the International Space Station, They must be dirt resistant and quick drying. Thus, crew members can wear the same clothes for several days without problem. Clothes that get dirty faster, such as underwear, are changed more often. They are placed in airtight bags and, when enough accumulates, they are added along with other waste in a cargo vehicle that is sent to Earth, so that all of these waste products are burned as they pass through the atmosphere. Not to be confused with the extravehicular suit. What Vast has just presented is the uniform of its astronauts. This should not be confused with the extravehicular suit, which is used on flights and spacewalks to protect astronauts from radiation, fire, or extreme temperatures. The uniforms They are something much simplerwhich can even be worn on Earth to attend events. Still, these are not random garments. There is also a lot of technology behind it. Vast Seasons. Vast’s goal is to support continued human presence in space in the future, with an eye toward space research, industry and tourism. To this end, this company has several space station projects, both single module and multimodular. They also plan to build a station with artificial gravity in the future, something that has not yet been achieved. But first they must gain experience and hours in space. Therefore, the first step will be to take its astronauts to the International Space Station. Now, thanks to NASAhave their first private mission in these facilities on the horizon. If all goes well, the launch window will open in summer 2027. Images | Vast In Xataka | This woman has been accused for years of committing the only crime that has taken place in space. It was all a lie

It was a triple trap designed by North Korean hackers

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A Spanish blockchain developer was almost a victim of one of the cyber espionage operations more sophisticated ones circulating right now. The bait they used was something as innocent as a job offer sent via LinkedIn. Which It seemed like a professional opportunity. It was actually a trap designed by one of the hacker groups most dangerous north koreans and best financed in the world. The case was analyzed by Claudio Chifafounder of cybersecurity company DLTCodeand coincides with another attack documented a few weeks before vs. Chris PapathanasiouCEO of security firm AllSecure. Two almost identical attacks, two different countries, the same perpetrator: the Lazarus groupthe unit of government digital operations from North Korea. The job offer had a cat in the bag In the Spanish case, the contact came in the form of something as common in the LinkedIn environment as a job offer as a strategic advisor in a decentralized video game project with 100% remote work and flexible hours. After a brief conversation, the supposed recruiter sent a link to advance the hiring process by calling the candidate for a 45-minute video call. After that initial conversation, the bait that would have completed the trap came into play: downloading a repository and opening it in Visual Studio Code to review it. In the case of Papathanasiou, the modus operandi was virtually identical: A LinkedIn profile offered him a job at a company it described as “a rapidly growing team developing the first decentralized AI operating system,” also with a Calendly link (a meeting scheduling tool) to schedule the call. During the video call, the supposed selection manager briefly used the camerashowing a face that matched the LinkedIn profile which he was using as a cover, although the voice did not fit with public videos of that person that Papathanasiou later found. “I started recording mid-conversation once I became suspicious,” said Papathanasiou, who suspects the attackers used surveillance technology. deepfake for impersonate the identity of your interlocutor. Claudio Chifa, on the other hand, became suspicious due to the sum of small details that did not quite fit with the project they were offering him: “The interlocutor’s accent had nothing to do with Portugal, the instructions in the GitHub repository were clearly generated with some AI, which also made me doubt the quality of the project. But, above all, it was the insistence on releasing the code on my machine for an advisory position,” the cybersecurity expert stressed. Three traps in one shot Both the repository analyzed by Chifa and DLTCode and the one investigated by AllSecure hid three independent infection mechanismsdesigned to be activated simultaneously when the folder was opened, so that, if one failed, the other two acted as a backup, completing the job. The first took advantage of a feature in Visual Studio Code that allows you to configure automatic tasks when opening a project. The malicious command was executed in a hidden window, leaving no trace visible to the user, and could adapt to the victim’s operating system (Mac, Linux or Windows). The second mechanism operated during the usual project installation process using npm (the package manager or component installation tool used by JavaScript programmers). At that time, the attacker’s server automatically received all the credentials stored in the system, including keys from services such as AWS, Stripe or OpenAI, and took full control of the computer. The third front of attack was linked to the previous two, so that it was enough to open the folder for all three will be fired at the same time and take their respective positions. “The smartest thing about this attack is that it does not depend on the victim do anything extraordinary. They don’t ask you to run an .exe, they don’t ask you to deactivate the antivirus, they don’t ask you to do anything that activates your alarms. They ask you to open a folder in your code editor. Something that a developer does fifty times a day,” highlights Chifa. Designed to leave no trace The history of the repository analyzed by DLTCode reveals that the operation has been active since September 2025, with eleven control servers from which the attackers manage malware remotely rotated throughout that period. When AllSecure attempted to analyze its attack from AWS servers, Lazarus operators detected that the source IP belonged to a data center and immediately severed the connection. That doesn’t give you an idea of ​​the level of active surveillance this group has over its own infrastructure. The final objective of both attacks was the same: steal cryptocurrency walletsbrowser passwords, SSH keys (remote server access codes) and any stored credentials in the system that may be useful to them in the future. The FBI esteem that the Lazarus group has accumulated more than $1.5 billion stolen in cryptocurrencies through campaigns of this type. How to defend yourself against these types of attacks What saved Chifa from falling into Lazarus’s trap was stop to analyze the code before executing it. Something about the meeting didn’t add up to him and he decided to investigate first. Papathanasiou did the same and, under suspicion, created an isolated virtual environment and analyzed the repository from there instead of opening it directly on his computer. For programmers and software engineers, who have become the main target of these cybercriminals, experts recommend disabling automatic task execution in Visual Studio Code, always inspect the configuration and installation files of any project received externally, and never run code of unknown origin outside of an isolated environment. “The most important precaution is to distrust any selection process that asks you to run code during the first contacts. No legitimate company needs you to open a local repository on the first call. If someone contacts you on LinkedIn with an extraordinary project and a few days later they are asking you to download code, that is the time to stop,” warns the founder of DLTCode. If you suspect an attempt to attack in Spainboth the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) … Read more

Stress was designed by evolution to save your life. Modern chronic stress is taking it away from you

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It is easy to hear in this society the phrase “I am very stressed” because we have more and more demands on us in the workplace or staffand the truth is that it is something that is gradually being used as a “crutch” to associate it with mental fatigue or lack of time. However, the reality is that the great effect that stress has on our body is generating very relevant physical problems that can alter us in the long term. Its effect. The immune system is a fundamental part of our body that defends us against microorganisms, but also against cells that do not follow a natural division and that, without this control, can continue ahead. generating cancer. That is why taking care of it is fundamentaland constant stress is one of your worst enemies by reducing your ability to act. There is no need to demonize. To understand the damage, we must first be fair with the stress, since logically there are situations where you have to have stress to be able to stay aliveand without that ‘stress’ our species would literally be extinct a long time ago. And to understand it, if we ‘travel’ thousands of years ago, if a lion chased a human, the body released adrenaline and cortisol, preparing the immune system for possible injuries and enhancing short-term defenses. The problem with modern life is that the “lion” is no longer a specific predator, but the mortgage, work or constant anxiety. But it is a problem. When stress becomes chronic, it becomes a poison for the body, since, according to different articles, the perpetual state of alert overstimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Here the result is a sustained elevation of cortisol that, paradoxically, ends up causing “glucocorticoid resistance,” which are the molecules that are naturally produced to reduce inflammation. The body is then flooded with stress hormones, but your cells stop responding properly to them to curb inflammation. And as we have seen on many occasions, long-term inflammation brings more problems than benefits. The defenses. The immune dysfunction caused by this chronic condition is perfectly documented. An example is in the classic Cohen study which already mapped out the physiological mechanisms that make us more vulnerable to infections, but experimental studies and reviews from 2025 give us an exact cellular x-ray of what we lose. Among the examples that stand out, we have a drastic reduction of NK cells which are our first line of defense against viruses and tumor cells. Furthermore, both T lymphocytes (which are fundamental cells of the immune system) such as B lymphocytes see their response capacity diminished, making them unable to ‘destroy’ microorganisms that enter our body. But if that were not enough, chronic stress ages the immune system before its time. In a loop. Perhaps the most fascinating discovery that science points to is the connection between the immune system and mental health through neuroinflammation. Here, chronic stress is literally wearing down the body by continually adapting, causing the immune system to skyrocket. proteins related to inflammation that can travel to the brain and activate microglia, which is the ‘defense’ system of the nervous system. The result? A neuroinflammatory environment that is directly linked to the development of depression and anxiety disorders. And logically, if we have anxiety, stress will continue to increase, causing more inflammatory proteins to be released that will continue to affect the brain. It’s not forever. Here science points out that the damage caused by stress is not perpetual, but can be reversed at any time through interventions psychological interventions focused on stress reduction, as well as regular physical exercise. This has shown that chronic inflammation can be reduced and normal immune system cell function restored. That is why now rest and mental health should not be seen as a luxury, but rather we must begin to see them as an important biological shield that can greatly extend our lives if we manage to keep it under control. Images | creativeart on Freepik In Xataka | We thought staying up late was just a bad habit: It’s your body complaining about stress, according to an anxiety expert

Your refrigerator has a compartment designed for eggs in the door. It’s the worst possible place to keep them.

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Almost all refrigerators on the market, when purchased, come with an accessory designed specifically for this purpose: an egg cup that goes on the shelves of the appliance door. This has become the place that many of us look at at first to catch the eggs, but the truth is that it is the worst refrigerator place to save the eggs. The thermal trap. The reason lies not in the fragility of the food, but in a microscopic enemy that surrounds us and can be potentially dangerous: the Salmonella. Here the main problem with the refrigerator door is that it is the area most exposed to thermal changes, since every time we open the refrigerator to get milk, water or simply to think about what to eat, the temperature on the door shelves fluctuates drastically. Here are the regulatory bodies of the United States They are quite clear pointing out that these constant rises and falls in temperature are the ideal breeding ground for bacterial growth. Furthermore, as pointed out by the South Korean Ministry of Food, the door is prone to generate condensation, creating a humid environment that facilitates the proliferation of pathogens in the shell that end up in the food when we break the eggs in the same bowl where we beat them (something also not recommended). The ideal temperature. To keep salmonella at bay, the temperature must be stable and below 4°C – 10°C, since under these conditions, the growth of the bacteria is suppressed by more than 99%. But this on the refrigerator shelves is something that is not always achieved. What the studies say. Here the science is quite clear with different studies that have pointed to the survival of strains such as Salmonella Typhimurium and the Salmonella Enteritidis in very specific conditions. A 2021 study demonstrated that at room temperature the bacterial load increases alarmingly in both the white and the yolk. On the contrary, keeping them at 5ºC limits their multiplication and reduces virulence. But if we come more to the present, a study launched in 2024 found that, under alternating temperature conditions, that is, in cycles of 25 ºC to 5 ºC, similar to taking food in and out of the refrigerator, salmonella manages to migrate to the yolk in 64% of cases. How to preserve them. Taking all this into account, the big question is: what should we do when we get home from the supermarket? In this case, the health authorities point to two strategies, the first being to put them directly on the interior shelves, preferably on the lower or middle ones. In this way, the temperature remains stable below 4ºC, and especially if it is at the bottom of the refrigerator. Do not throw away the cardboard. Although we usually take eggs out of their boxes to put them in plastic egg cups for convenience, the truth is that it is a mistake. That is why the second conservation strategy is to keep them in the original packaging, since the cardboard not only protects them from possible knocks, but also acts as a crucial barrier against moisture loss, prevents the shell from absorbing odors from other foods and protects the egg’s natural cuticular barrier. Images | Onur Burak Akın Katie Bernotsky In Xataka | The internet has become obsessed with drinking hot water in the morning. Science is clear about what it does (and what it doesn’t)

All about Lepas, the new Chery Group brand that arrives in Spain with Chinese cars designed specifically for Europe

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Spain is experiencing a flood of Chinese brands in the automobile market. Manufacturers from this country have considered that Spain is a perfect country for their entry into the European market. Their reasons: key ports to unload cars and a customer who values ​​the quality/price/equipment ratio above brand loyalty. This is candy for Chinese companies. These brands have the challenge of winning over the customer with new models whose added value is, as a general rule, a very attractive price compared to the offer of Western vehicles, always with the same size, equipment and/or technology. With all this in mind, the Chery Group has started in Spain with Omoda and Jaecooin addition to Ebro Although it is a brand with Spanish capital, it uses the models that arrive in kits to Barcelona to build its own cars in our country. To these companies is now added Lepas. Chery will have a third own brand in Spain as a first step in an expansion that should continue throughout Europe soon. The objective is to put on the market a car that begins to target the premium market. This is your plan. What is Lepas and where does it come from? Lepas will be the third brand of the Chery Group to arrive in our country and is the youngest company of the automobile conglomerate since it was created in 2024. It must be taken into account that Chery already sells the Omoda and Jaecoo brands in China but also Jetour, iCar or Exeed. The name, they point out, is the mixture of “Leopard” and “Passion” and aims to position itself as an alternative company created specifically for Europe. It must be taken into account that Chery Group was founded in 1997 and has been exporting cars outside of China for more than 20 years. Its main market, until its arrival in Europe, was South America, but the objective is to continue expanding its borders in the coming years. With this roadmap in mind, Lepas will position itself as a brand designed by and for Europe. Its cars will be Chinese but the brand assures that it is about “responding to new customer profiles in different markets”, so the differentiation with Omoda and Jaecoo should be evident in the next launches. Omoda is, right now, the most youthful brand in Chery’s catalog. The conglomerate has positioned this company as an attractive bet for the most urban client, with a striking aesthetic and somewhat more aggressive or sporty shapes. Jaecoo is committed to the more rural market, with more or less mild offroad ambitions and a somewhat more country aesthetic. Lepas will occupy a slightly more refined position. The shapes of their cars, we assume seeing their first launch, will be softer and less aggressive. Everything indicates that Chery wants to have in Lepas an alternative with a slightly more premium character than its two previous brands. We are not talking about fighting with Audi or Mercedes but we are talking about playing in a league superior to the general league, halfway between both worlds. Lepas L8 Lepas L8, his first car For now, the Lepas landing comes with the Lepas L8. This car is an SUV 4.68 meters long, 1.87 meters wide and 1.69 meters high with a clear family vocation thanks to a trunk capacity of 507 liters. As a plug-in hybrid, it promises a range of up to 1,300 kilometers following a scheme that is common in other models of the group: 1.5 TGDI engine with dedicated DHT hybrid transmission and offers 205 kW (279 HP) of power and 365 Nm of torque. The promised electric range is up to 100 kilometers supported by an 18.4 kWh battery. Interior of the Lepas L8 The car is built on a multi-energy platform that allows plug-in hybrid versions to be put on the market, like this case, and completely electric or extended-range electric options. The latter is a type of car that works the vast majority of the time as an electric car and has a small gasoline tank to generate electricity and support electrical technology in case of emergency. The interior of this Lepas L8 has a steering wheel similar to that of the Omoda 9 so we found soft plastics and attractive design of the steering wheel, with only two horizontal spokes. It has wireless charging for your mobile phone and a large vertical screen. It is a differentiation from the Omoda options, whose screen is horizontal. Some functions with physical buttons are also maintained, although the air conditioning is carried out on the screen. The company points out that the car will arrive with more than 20 ADAS driving assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control, parking assistant (with remote parking) or “540º panoramic camera.” In the future In addition to this Lepas L8, the company’s roadmap involves continuing to send cars to our market. We are talking about the Lepas L4 and L6. At the moment, we know very little about these two cars. Yes we have confirmed that the Lepas L4 is an urban SUVof about 4.30 meters that will help the company to lower the price of entry to the brand. We are not clear, however, what the technology will be and if it will be based on exclusively electric specifications or will add options with combustion engines. The little progress that the brand has made is that the car is already being manufactured in Wuhu, where the Chery Group headquarters is located. As for the Lepas L6 we find ourselves in the same situation but this time we are talking about a compact SUV. We will know the details throughout the year. If we talk about its launch. The company’s roadmap involves putting the first cars on the market at the end of this first half of 2026. Therefore, all the details of the Lepas L8 and the first contacts should arrive shortly before the summer. In the coming months we should know all the … Read more

Spanish cities are collapsed because they were not designed to go “from the periphery to the periphery”

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For decades, commuting to work in large Spanish cities had a clear logic: workers lived on the outskirts of large cities and They traveled every morning towards the center to their jobs. It was a fairly stable urban model, reinforced by transportation networks designed to take workers to the large office districts of the urban area. However, in recent years this pattern has been changing as the price of land in the center has skyrocketed and companies have also had to move to the periphery. As and as it portrays The Countrythe problem is that cities are not designed to move from periphery to periphery, and that movement has become in a daily mousetrap for millions of employees. In recent years, many companies have chosen to move your offices to peripheral areas where land is cheaper and there is space to build large office complexes. This movement has made it possible to build huge business campuses that would be unviable in the urban centers of large cities with high demand for land such as Madrid or Barcelona. In Madrid, the north of the city has become one of the main destinations for this type of projects. An example is the Telephone Districtlocated in Las Tablas, which occupies about 22 hectares and concentrates more than 12,000 workers in a single business complex. The records of the Residence-Work Mobility Atlas of the Community of Madrid show that districts such as Fuencarral-El Pardo (where the Telefónica District is located) are already among the areas with the highest concentration of employment in the region. Barcelona experienced a similar process with the development of 22@ technological district in Poblenou, where numerous technology companies and corporate headquarters have been setting up shop in the last two decades. The transformation of this old industrial neighborhood created a new employment center outside the historic center of the city. Employment is moving, but so are prices The problem with this migration of companies to the periphery of urban centers is that when thousands of workers begin to concentrate in a specific area, the real estate market usually reacts quickly. Proximity to work centers increases the value of neighborhoods nearby, which ends up raising rental and housing prices. This increase, in turn, forces employees to move to municipalities even further away from the city center and the offices where they work. The result is a constant increase in daily trips within the metropolitan area. In Madrid this phenomenon is reflected in the labor mobility figures. According to the recorded data According to the Mobility Atlas of the Community of Madrid, every day 1.2 million people enter the capital from other municipalities to work, compared to the 790,000 who did so in 2016. Something similar is happening in the city of Barcelona, which after the growth of 22@ has attracted workers from numerous municipalities in the metropolitan area, congesting the northern and southern access roads and the city’s ring roads due to the traffic generated by these employees at peak hours, such as and how collect traffic congestion report of Inrix of 2025. All these congestion problems have their origin in the fact that the large transport infrastructures (metros, trams, Cercanías, bus lines, etc.) of the large Spanish cities have been designed for decades with a radial structure. They were planned to connect the peripheral neighborhoods with the city center, which was where most of the employment was concentrated. When new business centers began to grow outside the center, that structure began to show its limitations. Many workers no longer need to go to the urban area, but rather travel between peripheral areas that are not directly connected by public transport. A very clear example of this is the demand of the residents of Tres Cantos for an axis that connects them with… The A-6, not with the center of Madrid. This requires long journeys or several transfers, something that often makes the car faster. Even if it means getting stuck every day on the way to work. Furthermore, public transportation in many cities has become a lottery with constant delays and breakdownswhich generates uncertainty when considering alternatives to the private car. The increase in long trips to work and dependence on the car is clearly reflected in traffic data. According to the TomTom Traffic IndexMadrid registered an average congestion level of 38% in 2025, which is 3.6 percentage points more than the previous year. That level of traffic means that traveling 10 kilometers during rush hour can take about 34 and a half minutes, at average speeds. close to 17.5 km/h. The report also estimates that Madrid drivers lose around 98 hours a year in traffic jams during rush hours. When daily journeys are long, the accumulated time can multiply and reach up to 500 hours per year per person lost in traffic jams. Barcelona faces a similar situationwith a level of congestion in its urban center and access roads of 41.1%, which is one of the highest figures in Europe. In Xataka | The worst traffic jam in history: two weeks, more than 100 kilometers and thousands of cars detained in China Image | Commons

Meta just bought one designed for AI agents

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If we look back, the history of social networks is deeply linked to a very specific idea: connecting people. For years, platforms like Facebook were presented as places to keep in touch with friends, family or co-workers. That logic is still present, but the panorama is beginning to incorporate new actors. Meta has confirmed the acquisition of Moltbook, a platform created for artificial intelligence agents to interact with each other within a social network-like environment. The purchase. We are facing an agreement that does not go unnoticed. As part of the transaction, Moltbook creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will join Meta Superintelligence Labs, the AI ​​unit led by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI. The company has not revealed the economic conditions of the operation, but a spokesperson told TechCrunch That the arrival of new talent opens new avenues for AI agents to work for people and companies, and their approach to connecting agents represents a novel step in a rapidly evolving space. A social network for agents. What differentiated Moltbook from other platforms was precisely its approach. Instead of focusing on human profiles, the site allowed AI agents to post messages and interact with each other within a forum-like format. Many of these agents used OpenClawa tool that connects models like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Grok with common messaging applications, including iMessage, Discord, Slack or WhatsApp. That combination turned Moltbook into a very striking experiment within the technological world, to the point of leaving the most specialized circle. An experiment with risks. The rapid popularity of Moltbook also exposed some major problems. Security researchers discovered that the platform had flaws that allowed human users to impersonate AI agents and publish messages as if they were autonomous systems, so that the environment designed for interaction between agents was not as solid as it seemed. Wiz also detected a vulnerability that exposed private messages, more than 6,000 email addresses, and more than one million credentials. open question. All this leaves an open question that still does not have a clear answer: how will Meta leverage this purchase in its artificial intelligence strategy. While there are clues, he has not explained how exactly he plans to use this project within his products or research. What we do know is that the operation comes at a time when large technology companies are competing for talent, tools and new ideas around autonomous agents. Images | Dima Solomin | Moltbook In Xataka | OpenAI is hitting the brakes with Stargate. The reason: Oracle builds yesterday’s data centers with tomorrow’s debt

Spain is preparing a data center specifically designed to have AI for war. The surprise: it is in Soria

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More than two thousand years ago, on the hill of Numanciaits inhabitants preferred to resist to the end rather than surrender to the siege of the legions of Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus. That story of defiance against a superior enemy has remained engraved in Soria’s memory as a symbol of resistance. Now, a few kilometers from that place, in the Valcorba industrial estate, the Ministry of Defense wants to build another kind of fortress: a data center named Numant-IA, where defense will no longer be measured in walls or swords, but in servers, algorithms and artificial intelligence. A unique project. While we live a technological-military schism in the USSpain accelerates in a project that precisely combines both sections. The Government has launched Numant-IA, a data center with a notable investment and totally dedicated to offering computing for AI. Here there are, yes, two notes that stand out. The full name of the project will be the Center for Advanced Defense Technological Capabilities, and its investment is part of the Annual Contracting Plan of the Ministry of Defense (Pacdef) from 2026. It includes 7,868 proposals and 156 framework agreements with a combined value of 10,102 million euros. Soria, new technological capital. The data center announced by the Government last September and that already it was outlined months before, it will have its headquarters in Soria. The project will take advantage of a space provided by the Soria City Council and that covers an area of ​​almost four hectares in the Valcorba industrial estate. Lieutenant General José María Millán, director of CESTIC, already warned then that said center will carry out the “incorporation of artificial intelligence systems for the benefit of the Armed Forces.” Military applications. The initial investment, which was 70 million euros, has been increased to almost 130 million euros according to El Heraldo de Soriaand will be assumed by the Ministry of Defense. Its resources will be used for applications that will process classified data in the area of ​​operations and logistics, and military applications will be an integral part of its mission. This project confirms other movements of the Armed Forces such as the development of Gonzalo, that “ChatGPT” for the army which is precisely designed to support this type of tasks safely. Employment and template. About 20 people will be a permanent part of the staff of this center that will operate 24/7 once it is operational. The construction of the data center, the Department of Defense states, will generate “a significant economic and employment impact on the city.” We know when, but we don’t know what. The Ministry of Defense has indicated that the project has a construction period of 24 months, and therefore they hope that it will theoretically be ready by early 2028. What we do not know is what type of infrastructure it will house or what the real capacity of the data center will be. 67.88 million euros will be dedicated to information systems and servers – unspecified, perhaps because they are not yet defined – while construction will be allocated 58.68 million euros and a third item of 1.65 million euros has no specified purpose. Sovereignty and decentralization. Choosing Soria as the location for this data center responds to the decentralization strategy of the Armed Forces. The defense budgets demonstrate this with a distribution of these funds throughout Spain in different projects that try to avoid the danger of excessive centralization of critical centers. The movement also answers to others that we have been seeing for months and that make it clear that in Spain and Europe they are trying to find solutions that allow us to have the highest possible degree of digital sovereignty. Image | Ministry of Defense In Xataka | Spain’s main problem is not weapons, fighters or drones: it is the number of hands it lacks to use them

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