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We have taken 60 years to discover that a key treatment against diabetes does not work as we thought

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The drugs may well be the substance that we study the most before getting the market: preclinical and clinical trials; experiments In vitroin animals and in people … everything to make sure the treatment is safe and works. But sometimes the question is another: because works. Because the answer can be so complex that we are late for decades to unravel it at all. Also in the brain. Something like that It has happened with metformina compound used for more than six decades in the treatment of diabetes: a new study has found that This drug It acts in our brain and not only in the liver as we believed before. The discovery opens the door to possible new therapeutic, more effective and precise pathways, in the treatment of diabetes. Rap1. The new study develops around Rap1 proteina protein that is usually found in the brain region known as ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). As the team observed in its analysis, metformin acts in this region “turn off” the rap1 function. Modified mice. To check it, the team administered a high fat diet, with which they emulated the effects of type 2 diabetes, to modified mice so that they did not have the rap1 protein in their VMH. Then they administered several types of drugs against diabetes: metformin, insulin and GLP-1 agonists (peptide similar to glucagon 1). When this protein disappeared, metformin ceased to be effective in reducing blood sugar while the other treatments continued to work. The team performed another test to demonstrate the key role of the brain in the functioning of metformin. For this they inject small amounts of the drug diréctorly into the brains of mice with diabetes. They were able to observe that, in doing their blood sugar levels, they decreased, even with “thousands of times smaller” doses of which they are usually administered orally. Combined action. The new study suggests that the biochemical mechanisms with which metformin acts in our body are more complex than we thought. Until now we knew that the drug acted on the liver and we also had evidence that the intestines also act. Now we not only have evidence that it acts on the brain, but it seems that in this context it responds to smaller doses than is required to act in the other areas of the body. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Science Advances. New treatments. The responsible team keeps the hope that the new discovery will contribute to the development of new treatments against diabetes, drugs that focus on this “path” of the brain. The effects of this drug go beyond the control of diabetes, the team recalls: it has also been linked to slower cerebral aging. Of course, it can also have adverse effects, although uncommon, one of the most serious is lactic acidosis, a serious and potentially deadly disease. In Xataka | This is the great hope of competition to replace Ozempic. Your weapon: banish needles with a pill Image | Sweet Life

Galileo Galilei of the 21st century is an unknown man who has discovered more moons than no one is going to discover

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If they asked you about an astronomer, you would probably think of Copernicus or Galileo Galilei. Maybe Carl Sagan came to mind. If they add “to be alive,” you might answer Neil Degrasse Tyson or, in the event that you are a fan of Queen, Brian May. The name that would hardly come out in the conversation is Scott S. Sheppard, an astronomer as prolific as unknown. The number 1 in yours. Yeah Cristiano Ronaldo He is the greatest scorer in the history of professional football, Scott S. Sheppard is the CR7 to discover objects in our solar system. In total, he has put his name in more than 200 planetary moons: 78 of Jupiter, 119 of Saturn, three from Uranus and three of Neptune. Practically half of all known planetary moons. A record that, as points out Iflscienceprobably will never be overcome, and he has continued to swell it in recent months. The true king of Jupiter. In April, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) confirmed the discovery of two new moons in Jupiter, raising the official total giant to 97. Their provisional names are S/2017 J 11 and S/2017 J 10. Both are small moons and with retrograde orbits, that is, they revolve in the opposite direction to the rotation of the planet, something common in the outer and smaller satellites of Jupiter. And yes, he has discovered them Scott S. Sheppardthat with these two new findings, he adds almost 80 moons of Jupiter to his credit. To put it in perspective: Galileo discovered the first and largest moons of Jupiter in 1610. Since 2000, Sheppard has overwhelmingly dominated the search for Jovian satellites. What is resisting: Planet 9. He extensive curriculum Sheppard looks more like the index of an astronomical atlas than to the discoveries of a single person. In addition to natural satellites in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptunethis astronomer of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC has also discovered 23 minor planets, six candidates for dwarf planets, three comets that bear their name (Sheppard – Trujillo, Sheppard – Tholen and Trujillo – Sheppard) and The most distant object ever observed In the Solar System: 2018 Ag37 “Farfarout”, about 130 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. This is where your work becomes even more fascinating. Many of his discoveries are transneptunian objects such as 541132 Leleākūhonua “The Goblin”. And it is no accident. Sheppard and his colleague Chadwick Trujillo found them while looking for something much bigger: The hypothetical planet nine. Themselves proposed in 2014 The existence of a superstraier -type distant planet to explain the strange orbits grouped from objects such as the Minor Sedna planet. Image | Carnegie Science In Xataka | What types of satellites exist: guide not to get lost in a gigantic network of which we are increasingly dependent

It is a masterpiece of the Spanish comic, but they had to discover ‘Paracuellos’ in France so that we would pay attention here

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It is unanimously considered one of the masterpieces of the Spanish comic: ‘Paracuellos’ by Carlos Giménez is genuinely (for his tone, for his graphics and, of course, for his theme) from here. However, It was not easy to find a hole in our bookstores. As if one of the stunted children of the work were, ‘Paracuellos’ was the result of an initial misunderstanding that forced Giménez to seek space in other markets. And then he returned in style. ‘Paracuellos’ is one of those capital works of the Spanish comic that is simple to find in any bookstore. He coda in that sense with ‘Maus’, with ‘Watchmen’, and within the national space, with Mortadelowith Superlópez and with few more, because the editorial world of comic in Spain is a continuous recycling of successes. But finding ‘Paracuellos’ is, for years, very easy: in fact, Penguin Random House has launched a total edition on the occasion of its 50th anniversary that collects all the volumes of this work in giant format. Their virtues are obvious From the first moment: above all, the exquisite drawing of Giménez, supernaturally endowed to provide overwhelming personality to his creatures, is already in 1975, when he began to create it, absolutely extraordinary. A lot of Children dressed all the same, but each with a very important personality Thanks to the looks, sad and naive, but very distinctive, with which they receive the designs of adults (educators, wardens, nuns, inspectors, family members, members of the phalanx). As a good heir to the tradition of the Españo and the Spanish Berlanguian cartoon, it is the portrait of a terrible situation but without humor disappearing completely from children’s lives. Children marked by fears of very diverse type (to be abandoned, to be beaten, to lose the few privileges that scratch among their peers -because they know how to draw, because they have a toy, because they know how to play football -), but at the same time they are unable to lose their innocence, which turns their adventures into experiences halfway between the endearing and terrible. And, of course, above any other value, there is the ruthless portrait, in the first person (We are not, yes, before a strictly biographical comicalthough in part it is) of an atrocious reality: The life of admitted children in social assistance homes during the Francoist postwar. Children of defeated in the civil war, orphans or families in extreme poverty, educated under the yoke of nationalcatolicism and the Falangist discipline. Hunger, punishments, loneliness, institutional violence … A portrait that, despite its crudeness is not lacking hope and tenderness. Liked more in France The first episodes of the series were published from 1975 in several Spanish magazines such as ‘Thank you very much’, ‘El Papus’ and ‘Yes’. They had a very limited success, so Giménez was forced to leave the work after the publication of only two albums. He told so For rtve.es: “No Spanish editor of the time wanted to publish them in their magazines. They were horrified to see those pages full of familic and sad children with those disproportionate eyes and those most disproportionate ears yet yet.” The absence of eroticism or humor for adults in ‘Paracuellos’ closed the doors in Spain, but In France he found an alternative route in the legendary magazine magazine ‘which began to publish it in 1976. A much more prone market to recognize the talent in the cartoon made it a success and from there jumped to other countries in Europe, similar success. 20 years later, in the late 90s, Giménez resumed the work with four more albums. In 2016 he would return to her again coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the series, with three albums that Finally they would conclude it. ‘Paracuellos’ remains, despite the wide parenthesis over time, and thanks to the integrity and quality of Giménez, as a total work, of a caliber that has made that Your candidacy is presented on some occasion to the Princess of Asturias de las Artes. It is an essential piece of our comic that, however, had to be recognized outside to start appreciating in your country of origin. Header | Penguin Random House In Xataka | The most famous superlupez has not long since existed: how Jan transformed him from parody to adventure

If there is something that biologists did not expect to discover is that billions of moths look at the stars to orient

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Imagine having to travel a thousand kilometers to a place where you have never been. Now imagine you have to do it at night, without GPS, or maps of any kind. To finish curling the curl, imagine that you only have one chance in your life to do so. You don’t have to imagine it because we are not talking about a person, but of moths. The annual pilgrimage of the Bogong moths. This is the feat that billions of Bogong moths (Infusa agrotis) They perform every year in Australia. And scientists have just discovered that they are oriented looking at the stars. This discovery, Posted in Nature magazineconverts the Bogong moth in the first insect of which you have a record that uses a stellar compass for long -distance navigation, a skill that until now was believed reserved for animals such as some night migratory birds. The trip of a life. Each southern spring, these moths undertake one of up to a thousand kiometers. They hatch in the warm plains of southeastern Australia and fly towards a handful of cold caves in the Australian Alps to spend the summer (a process called Estivation). When the fall arrives, those same moths undertake the trip back to their breeding areas to reproduce and, finally, die. The big question that has fascinated biologists for years is how they do it. No one teaches them the way. It is a round trip that each individual performs only once. A team of researchers, led by David Dreyer from the University of Lund, had already demonstrated in 2018 that the moths were sensitive to the magnetic field of the earth, Like other animalsbut they suspected there was something else. They had their eyes on the sky. A planetarium for moths. To confirm your hypothesis, The team designed an ingenious experiment. They captured migration during their migration and introduced them into a flight simulator. This device, similar to a small planetarium, held the moth allowing him to beat the wings and turn freely, while a sensor recorded his flight address. The team did several tests: They canceled the magnetic field: using a coil system, they created an environment without magnetic clues. Thus they made sure that any correct orientation was due to visual signals. They projected a natural starry sky: under an artificial night sky, identical to the one they would see in the time of migration, the moths were oriented persistently in their correct migratory direction: to the south in spring and north in autumn. They turned the sky 180 degrees: In the final test, the researchers rotated the projection of the starry sky 180 degrees. The response of the moths was immediate and amazing: they invested their flight direction almost exactly 180 degrees. They project random stars: to make sure they did not respond simply to the light, they projected an image with the same amount of stars and brightness, but randomly distributed, without forming recognizable patterns. In this situation, the moths flew disoriented, without a clear direction. Unexpected. These results demonstrated without a doubt that the moths not only see the stars, but use them as a true compass to maintain a specific geographical direction for thousands of kilometers. It was already known that other insects, such as players, use the Milky Way to orient. However, they do it to move in a straight line and quickly move away from a lot of manure, a short -term orientation and without a fixed destination. The achievement of the Bogong moth is much more complex. Use the stars to “discern specific geographical directions” and sail towards a “distant objective”, something radically different and much more sophisticated. A brain connected to the stars. The researchers did not stop in behavior. They also analyzed the brain of the moths and discovered visual neurons that responded specifically to the rotation of the starry sky. Interestingly, these neurons showed their maximum activity when the moth was heading south, regardless of whether it was spring or autumn, which suggests that they have a wiring neuronal system to detect a fundamental light blue orientation. This does not invalidate its magnetic compass. In another experiment, the scientists observed that on completely cloudy nights, when the stars were invisible, the moths were still oriented correctly. The conclusion is that the Bogong moth has an incredibly robust and redundant navigation system. It uses both the Earth’s magnetic field and a stellar compass, probably using a system to calibrate the other or to take over when one of the two fails. There are still mysteries to solve, such as what stars or exact constellations use or how they compensate for the rotation of the earth throughout the night. But what is clear is that not only the ancient sailors looked at the stars to find their way. A tiny insect, on his only trip, also does. Image | Pexels In Xataka | If the question is whether there is an “invasion” of moths in Murcia, the answer is that of every year by these dates

In the 50 we decided to bombard food cans with huge amounts of radiation. Thus we discover a new bacteria: ‘D. Radiodurans’

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What happens if we bombard Escherichia coli? Well, many things may probably happen, but what happened in 1956 was that those responsible for this extreme experience discovered a new species of bacteria. They discovered it for a simple fact: Deinococcus radiodurans It is a bacterium with enormous resistance to ionizing radiation. In his experiment, the team submitted the can to a Dose of 4,000 gray (gy) of radiation-γ. A radiation capable of sterilizing almost anything. At first, its discoverers baptized the species as Micrococcus radioduransbut decades of taxonomic work led to reclassify the species as a member of a new genre that was called Deinococcus. The new name of the bacteria: D. Radiodurans. Almost seven decades after the discovery of its first member, the strange family of the deinococcus already has 11 cataloged species. The “strange” is not a saying: the name of this genre comes from the Greek word “Deinos“, Which can be translated as” strange “or” unusual. “ Seven decades of study have allowed us to enter the mechanisms that D. RadioduransUse to get unharmed from exposure to ionizing radiation (it is estimated that the bacteria can leave “rositas” of Dose equivalent to 5,000 gy and get to survive even higher levels) and the breaks of the DNA chains that usually result from this type of exposure. This bacterium uses several “tricks” of survival that, according to An article Posted in 2005 in Naturecan be classified between passive, and active or enzymatic mechanisms. Among the passive mechanisms that this bacterium has, the fact that D. Radiodurans Porta with several copies of its genome and with a condensed organization in its nuclear body. Thus you can avoid the dissemination of DNA fragments generated upon receiving radiation, explains the signatory team of the article in Nature. Regarding active or enzymatic mechanisms, the article explains that this unicellular organism has processes for the Damaged DNA repair. Also how much with mechanisms that limit DNA degradation after receiving radiation. The study continues In the last 20 years we have continued advancing in the study of this strange bacteria. Last year without going any further, the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a new article detailing a study that revealed new aspects of the resistance of this bacterium. The article studied the presence of a series of metabolites of this bacterium that, in combination with manganese, could form a powerful antioxidant agent. The team analyzed a synthetic version of this compound they called MDP, composed of manganese ions, phosphate and a small peptide. As they observedthe MDP components form a much more powerful complex when protecting against radiation than the compounds formed by the combination of manganese and the individual components of the MDP. The resistance of the bacteria can fascinate us but if so much attracts the interest of the scientific community is not only out of curiosity. Discoveries such as MDP antioxidant can help us protect our own radiation body and its effects. If we want to do long -term space tripsprotect us from Cosmic radiation It is essential; as it can also be to protect people who could be exposed to excessive radiation doses here on Earth. We do not know much about the origin of this bacterium but decades of study have given us enough information to rule out some ideas perhaps more typical of science fiction, such as the one that is postulating that it is an extraterrestrial organism or the fruit of the entry into the nuclear era. D. Radiodurans It is a bacterium, which implies a clear bond with the rest of the living beings of this planet and the evolution of its gender does not seem something that can occur in a few decades. The study of this bacterium, and of other similar will continue, either to satisfy our natural curiosity or to try to find new ways to protect us against radiation. In Xataka | The last time we lost a radioactive capsule ended in tragedy: Kramorsk nuclear incident Image | Michael Daly laboratory, uniform Services University / Catalan

The best apps and services to discover which series or film, and help you discover new titles

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We bring you a small collection of services to find new series and movies to seebecause sometimes apps suggestions are quite far from being effective. Therefore, there are other external and third -party alternatives that you can use for this. We will have everything from pages and apps that serve to vote or keep the content of the content you see and have sections of recommendations, to other services that have been specially designed to recommend what to see depending on what you like. And as we always say in Xataka Basics, these are our suggestions, but maybe you know others. Therefore, we invite you to miss any service on the list, tell us in the comments section so that all readers can benefit from the knowledge of our xatakers. Chatgpt, Gemini and the like Conventional artificial intelligence chats are the first to can help you with recommendationsboth in their payment and free versions. All you have to tell you is that you want to find free series and movies, and make recommendations. Here, it is also important give examples of titles that you likeeither generic or better that they are related to the type of series or film you want to find. Thus, they can take these tastes into account to recommend. You can also tell you the genres that you like the most. Justwatch Justwatch is a fairly popular service because you can configure what streaming services you have, and then when looking for series and movies it tells you which one is available. But it also has A system of recommendations and discoveries where to find something to see. In this section you will see recommendations based on the virality of the moment, on the searches that users do. It also has a section of novelties and another for searches many filters which includes rotating or IMDB, genres, languages, countries of origin or premiere years. So you can find the best of the best. IMDB This is one of the main series rating portals worldwide, and hundreds of thousands of users use it to put notes to series and movies. Precisely because of that, it is a place to go to know which are the best and worse ones you can see. In addition to lists with the best series and films in history according to the note of the spectators, it also has A section called What to seewhere you can meet several lists of suggestions. These can be for streaming services, at the favor of others, and even the most popular of the moment. Rotten Tomatoes It has positioned itself as the great successor of IMDB, and stands out because in its notes those of critical experts of film and the rest of the people differ, sometimes having great differences. The web also has its list of news and more viewed series or filmsas well as a page with several articles with recommendations. Taste.io This is a page in which you can calculate your cinematographic taste, and then use this calculation to Make custom recommendations. For that, the web will show you a series of films, and you will have to value them. When various values, a taste profile will be created and will show you the recommendations, also based on other data such as the streaming platforms you have. The premise of this service is that the people who will make best recommendations are those that have your same personal tastes. Therefore, once your taste profile is created, compared to other users With similar tastes to make the recommendations. Tasdive This is a fairly simple service, in which you simply write a series or movie that you like, and then I recommend similar things. In addition, in each of the product sheets you will see how many users like or do not like, as well as reviews. In addition to films and series, this service It also serves other types of entertainmentsuch as music, books, games, and even places and brands. It is not the most complete, but it is easy to use. Likewise pix Since at first we have mentioned artificial intelligence systems, there are specialized pages such as likewise that have also created your own AI to make recommendations of content You just have to enter your website and ask what type of series or movie you want to see. Viewing tracking pages There are many apps to follow and control the series and movies you seewhere you are marking and valuing each chapter or film. Among them you have Time Time, Trakt, Letterboxd either Justwatch among many others. These are services that you can use both on its websites and in mobile applications. These services offer several ways to discover content. On the one hand, You can look what your mutuals are seeing and other people you see that they have tastes related to you. In addition, apps They usually have suggestions sections where you will also find recommendations based on your tastes. Reddit Reddit is the greatest metacomunity in the world, A Community of Communities. On this website, you have many subbredits dedicated to films and series where you can find recommendations of all kinds. There are even omunities such as R/TelevisionSuggestions made exactly for this. It is worth taking a look. Use specialized pages And finally, you can also turn to The analysis and recommendations of specialized pagessuch as our partners of ESPINOF either Sensacine. From this page is where I get many suggestions from new series and films, and as it is also recommended that can also help you. In Xataka Basics | 14 apps and services to discover new music in Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services

14 apps and services to discover new music in Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services

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We bring you a collection of 14 applications and services to discover music Online, so you can listen to it in your favorite streaming service. Some of these alternatives will connect directly to your account in them, but others will simply make you suggestions so that you can then look for them in your reference service. All we are going to tell you are third -party services which are not options included in the platform itself. You have from maps to explore subgenres to algorithms that show you artists similar to those you already listen. Almost all are web pages, but there is also some application. And as we always say in Xataka Basics, these are our alternatives, but not all that exist. Therefore, we invite you to You leave us your recommendations in the comments section In the event that you think we have left some important service, so that we can all benefit from the knowledge of our xatakers. Every Noise At Once For years, this was the best website that existed to explore for all subgenres that existed in Spotify. It was created by one of its employees, although it was fired in 2023 and the web stopped accessing internal APIs, so it is quite static right now, although It is still a great tool of exploration. Its author still works on it and implements new functions, warning things like Spotify has destroyed the entire labeling system in which he worked for years. Everything so you can look for any substubSubgenero you can think of and find musical proposals on this website. MUSIC MAP This is a website that serves to discover artists related to others What do you like. Thus, if there is any that you love, you can have a series of suggestions to explore others related or that are similar. The suggestions are based on what users who listen to the artist who have sought. Simply use the search engine to write your name and you will see a lot of suggestions. Liveplasma It is basically a project very similar to the previous one. You are looking for an artist you like, and this will generate a kind of family tree in which you will see A large number of similar artists. By clicking on one, you can listen to a fragment of your music. Then, it will be your thing to look for them in the streaming service you use. Last.fm Last.FM is the most important page to keep statistics of everything you hear unified. It is open, and you can link it to your account of the main streaming services, even in applications with which to listen to music from MP3 files. Thus, you will have the data of everything you hear. The advantage of having all these data from millions of users is that it also has A powerful engine of recommendationsso based on your musical tastes recommend artists, records or songs. It is always interesting to enter and look at what you have today. Swipefy This is possibly THE BEST APPLICATION OF MUSICand the one that can be joined with Spotify or Apple Music. What he does is analyze the songs you like and use their algorithms to make recommendations, which you can say that you like or do not like. As songs like you like or not, the algorithm will be refined, becoming an interesting “tinder” of music. From each recommendation you can hear a few seconds, and has Links to listen to it in streaming both in Spotify and Apple Music. Gnoosic This is another page of musical discovery based on current tastes. In this case it does not depend on your accounts in streaming services, but You have to write down three artists that you likeand then the web will begin to make suggestions. With every suggestion that the web shows you, you can say if you like it, if you don’t like it or if you don’t know them. And with this, You will be making several recommendations Learning from the data and the valuations you are giving. Shazam This application is the best to recognize the music that is playing Around you. You simply activate it and the app is listening, and then it tells you the exact song that it is about. Upon entering your card, you will have links to listen to it, additional information about the artist and the possibility of adding it to a playlist. Shazam has mobile applications on both Android and iOS. Listen by Label This is a page that allows you Find records by record label. You can look for your favorite stamp, and you will have a catalog with your releases so you can discover music. You can also look for stamps by artist or by musical genre. Garden Radio This is a web page where you can access Online emissions of all the world’s musical radios. You just have to navigate the map to the location you want and ready, you can listen to that live musical station and discover what they are listening to in each country. It is not as comfortable and direct as the specialized websites, but it has some advantages. Because in the end, what they put in the 40s in Spain has nothing to do with what they can be putting in Estonia or South Africa, so it is a good way to discover local rhythms. SMARTER PLAYLISTS This is a spotify -based web tool, in which you can Create smart reproduction lists Based on a wide amount of orders or inputs. You just have to configure this list, and it will be generated automatically. When configuring it you can choose several sources, such as artists, albums, musical genres, and All kinds of filters with those to adapt it to your specific tastes. It can be a bit complex, but quite original. Reddit Reddit is a metacomunity, possibly the largest in the world. On this website users create subnets or … Read more

We begin to discover the effect of microplastics on our body thanks to the most unsuspected thing: tap water

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The heat comes and, with it, the thirst comes. On average, according to some public estimates, household consumption grows up to 44%. But those data are incomplete because, a good part of the water we drink, comes in bottle. In Spain they are sold 5,331 million liters of bottled water every year. And it is a market in full growth. Sales grow annually at a rate of 2.5%. What we usually forget is that this type of product has consequences: the pressure pressure rises. As? What does what? One might think that drinking water rises the normal artery pressure. After all, blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the walls of the arteries. If there is more liquid in the system or more salt, there should be more pressure … But not. Although obviously in extreme cases and, of course, specific conditions and compositions They alter the pressure Within a fork, the system has dozens of mechanisms to ensure that the blood pressure of a normal human being is what has to be. And then? That is what some scientists from the Danube University asked when, in the middle of a very small clinical trial They discovered that the same did not happen with bottled water. The Austrian team discovered that by keeping eight healthy people (of both genres) to a “water regime” of only tap water, His basal diastolic blood pressure dropped. It happened in men and in mujres, but in the latter the effect was much more striking. Because? Right now we only have hypotheses, but the most solid are phthalates (chemical substances that make the most flexible and durable plastic). And, honestly, it is something quite interesting: because, although all the water we consume right now has complex microplastics and substances, the truth is that they do not have the same things. And that is exceptionally good news. Not because with the available information is (or not) advisable to take (or stop drinking) bottled water. But because it is these little things that allow us to improve our understanding of What microplastics do in our bodies. Image | Noppadon Manadee | Engin Akyurt In Xataka | When the tap water knows in rays: the invisible chemistry of drinking water that explains why he knows how he knows (and why he is one of the best inventions in the world)

When tourists discover what are back traumatized

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In the broad (and increasingly disputed) international tourism map a few points are more iconic than the Guiza necropolisin Egypt. And it’s normal. After all, his great pyramid Seven wonders of the ancient world and an archaeological jewel that attracts every year to millions of tourists. The problem is that, as they know Other great destinations distributed By AsiaAmerica or Europe (including Spain), in tourism there is nothing easier than dying successful. And that is what Egypt wants to avoid. A huge business. A few months ago, when taking stock of 2024, the government of Egypt I took chest for its ability to attract tourists from other countries. According to its data last year the country achieved a “record” of 17.5 million of visitors, almost one million more than in 2023 despite the fact that, as Remember your minister From the bouquet, Sherif Fathy, the area is affected by “the geopolitical situation of the region.” His goal is to shoot that short -term figure until reaching 30 million visitors before the decade ends. Egypt’s data may be far from other destinations, such as Spain either Japanbut it is enough for tourism to be one of the great economic pillars of the country of pyramids and pharaohs. Only during the first semester of 2024 the industry generated income from 6,600 million of dollars (some sources speak of a global impact much greater) and the government itself recognizes that its contribution to the national GDP Approaches 10%although there were years in which this percentage reached either exceeded 20%. The sector It is key also as a source of foreign exchange. THE GREAT CLATING: Giza. Throughout its Egypt geography it has important claims, such as Karnakhe Valle de los Reyes, Abu Simbel or the temple of Luxor. However, if there is an iconic (and photographed) point it is The necropolis of the Guiza Plateau, with its Famous Celebrrimas pyramids, just a few kilometers from Cairo. Every year they visit them millions of touristswhich in turn generates an important transfer of buses chartered by tour operators, cars, tourists and professional guides. The result: collapse, long lines and the movement of street vendors. To avoid it, the government has drawn a plan with which it wants to improve the organization on the plateau and end the chaos, as reported A few days ago News Week. Among other measures he has decided to set a new access on the Cairo-Fayum road, reorder the environment and The presence of animals Shot, open a visiting center, restore several graves, boost online ticket sales and also bet on ecological transport in the deposit. “Rooted problems”. One of the key figures behind the changes is the Orascom Pyramids firm, which is investing millions of dollars in the transformation of the area to make it a tourist reference. “This is the world’s largest monument, the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world,” Amin Gazzarin claimspresident of Orascom Pyramis Enerinment (OPE). “The process is complex and challenging due to the need to address deeply rooted problems in the area.” The authorities have already launched A first phase Pilot, as a test, so that the renewed area in the surroundings of the pyramids opens at the beginning of July, coinciding with the implementation of the Great Egyptian museum. The country want to end In addition, end the image of horses and camels in bad conditions in the necropolis. The goal: better manage the flow of visitors, reduce congestion and influence your sustainable destination message. New times, new approach. That Egypt has decided to modernize the script plateau to Improve experience Of its millions of visitors, planting face to chaos, the unusual street sale, congestion in access and betting on ecological transport, with electric buses instead of the traditional Horses and camelsIt is no accident. Egypt is no stranger to something that Spain has proven Already in its own meats: to be an attractive tourist destination it does not arrive with having a great heritage and paradisiacal landscapes. Massification and poor management may make a destination simply end up dying of success. And in recent years, Egypt has found criticism of certain aspects that tarnish the experience of tourists and excursions to places like Guiza or Luxor. “They ruin the experience”. In networks They can be found Tourist complaints about the resale, attitude and harassment of certain vendors, pressures to accept services or poor infrastructure. Not long ago, in A Reddit thread On places that travelers would not return, a user cited Cairo. The reason? “Of course the pyramids are beautiful, but scammers and resellers ruin the experience.” In February Egyptian Streets warned that these problems have become more pressing for Egyptian tourism now than networks such as Tiktok amplify the bad experiences of visitors. Beyond the pyramids. Moreover, in his article Mohamed Khairat warns of negative comments on aggressive sellers, poorly illuminated deposits, women who claim to have felt harassed or even problems at Cairo’s own airport. “Terminal 1, used by airlines Low Costis outdated and chaotic “, Khairat warns. “There is no clear guide on where to go, which leaves disoriented tourists.” The problem is aggravated because at certain points only cash payments are accepted in dollars or euros, which is an extra difficulty for foreigners. The treatment of animals, in the focus. Another key issue is the treatment of animals. In the tourist areas of Egypt it is usual to meet merchants that offer rides in carriages thrown by horses, donkeys or camels. Your figure It has generated controversy In some cities in southern Spain. And of course he also does in Egypt, where Peta has already raised the voice To denounce the situation of at least part of these animals, “sick, injured or hungry” and that their owners deal with “if they were tools.” His criticisms have had an effect. Both institutional and in the sector itself. In autumn the Egyptian government He presented a program Focused precisely on “animal welfare” in its main tourist points, including … Read more

Brazil has taken 23 years to discover that its English judge Albert Lancelot Canterbury is called José and never left the country

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Exactly 10 years ago, a decade, the media made the case of an Australian of Vietnamese origin famous. Its history today is part of that set of surreal stories that were born (and died) on the network. Apparently, the guy, called nothing less What Phuc Dat Bichhe was censored by Facebook due to his name (and his hilarious similarity with “Fuck That Bitch”). Unfortunately, the story in the end was too good to be true. In Brazil it occurred to the resemblance, but for 23 years nobody doubted Judge Edward Albert Lancelot Dodd Canterbury Caterham Wickfield. The “aristocrat” of the countryside. The short version: for more than two decades, the judicial system of the state of São Paulo housed a judge who did not exist. La Tarce: José Eduardo Franco Dos Reis, a Brazilian citizen, managed to pass public exams, graduate in Law at the University of São Paulo and exercise as a magistrate under a completely false identity: Edward Albert Lancelot Dodd Canterbury Caterham Wickfield, a name as extravagant as Anglophile. The farce began in the 80s, when two reis, determined to reinvent itself, falsified his birth certificate to present himself as a British aristocrat born in Brazil but raised in the United Kingdom. In 1995, already officially converted to a judge, the character consolidated with Press Interviews in which he narrated a fictitious childhood between English castles and noble lineages. An institutionalized lie. The really fascinating thing about this story is the time that has gone unnoticed by the authorities. The truth came to light in 2024when two Reis (even using Wickfield’s name) went to a government office to renew its identity document. Although all his legal roles were in the name of his alter ego British, the number of birth registration coincided with that of a Brazilian citizen. The crossing of fingerprints confirmed the suspicion: Judge Edward Albert Lancelot Dodd Canterbury Caterham Wickfield never existed. It was, in reality, a carefully built and sustained character for more than 20 years by “José”, a man who never left the country and who managed to deceive colleagues, institutions and control organisms without anyone questioning his story … despite the obvious theatricality of his name. An unlikely explanation. After discovering fraud, two Reis was summoned to declare. Then, the man appeared under his real name for the first time in decades, although he offered an even more delusional defense: he said that Wickfield was His twin brotheradopted in childhood by a couple of British aristocrats. Nor did he provide evidence or explain the origin of the names, although Media as Folha de S. Paulo They have pointed out the clear and obvious literary inspiration: from Sir Lancelot of The round table Even Mr. Wickfield from David Copperfieldby Charles Dickens. The Prosecutor’s Office formally accused him of ideological falsehood and use of false documents, but so far it has not been able to be located, so it has not been formally notified. A judicial fortune. During his career, “José” accumulated prestige, power and a juicy pension of more than $ 28,000 per monththe same ones that continued to charge even after his retirement in 2018. However, after the revelation of fraud, the Court of Justice of São Paulo has ordered the immediate suspension of his payments, an amount that only in February It would exceed 166,000 reais. No doubt, the case has left the stunned Brazilian public opinionnot only because of the magnitude of the deception, but by the dimension of the structural failure of the institutions that allowed a man to live under a literary identity, absurd and completely invented within one of the most monitored powers of the State. To the small screen. If you want also, the scandal is not only an anecdote of imposture, but a living metaphor of how the appearance, Language and authority can build parallel realities in systems that do not always require rigorous evidence to validate their pillars. The Wickfield-Dos Reis case not only ridicule the judicial system Brazilian, but reveals bureaucratic fragility against the imposted charism and a well -spun narrative (apparently). Plus: that a judge could be inspired by British literature to create their identity and exercise for decades without being discovered, it is both a structural failure and An institutional tragicomedy worthy of a Dickens novel … or a script that I could surely prepare the Netflix very. Image | ITOLDYA, Devianart In Xataka | Indeed, if you doubted that someone was called Phuc Dat Bich, you were right In Xataka | AGLOE: The story of how a city that did not exist until Google eliminated it was introduced into the maps

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