engineering

China has launched an underwater creature into the sea that defies naval engineering

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Year 1953, the US Navy launches USS Albacorean experimental submarine whose “water drop” shape seemed so strange that it broke with decades of naval design. Many officers doubted the concept, but it ended up being just as effective underwater. that ended up influencing in practically all modern submarines built since. More than seventy years later, another image of a submarine with an unconventional silhouette once again raises the question of whether we are seeing the beginning of a new revolution. The creature that breaks the rules. The satellite images captured in a Shanghai shipyard have revealed something extraordinary: a large Chinese submarine that looks like dispense with the sail or tower command, the structure that for more than a century has been considered an almost mandatory piece in underwater engineering. The appearance of this design has attracted attention because it challenges one of the most established conventions of modern naval warfare. It is not a small experimental prototype, but rather a platform for about 120 meters in lengthlonger than many nuclear attack submarines currently in service, suggesting that China is exploring concepts much more ambitious than a simple technology demonstration. Designed to perform underwater. The main advantage of removing the candle is purely hydrodynamic. When that large structure that protrudes from the hull disappears, the submarine reduces resistance As it advances, it improves its fluidity in the water and can optimize speed, maneuverability and acoustic discretion. The less noise a vessel generates, the more difficult it is to detect it using sonar, a fundamental aspect of modern underwater warfare. Added to this is the possible incorporation of an X-shaped tailassociated with greater navigation agility and safety, as well as the probable use of an encapsulated propeller pumpjet typea technology intended for reduce further the noise during submerged operations. Images of the new submarine at the JN Shipyard in Shanghai on June 1, 2026. The importance of what is missing. Precisely because the sail has been a universal feature on modern submarines, its absence raises numerous questions. Traditionally this structure houses periscopes, sensors, antennas communications, electronic masts and ventilation systems. It also provides an elevated position for surface navigation, improves the crew’s situational awareness and can even be used in certain logistics missions or operations under the polar ice. Giving it up means accept limitations important operational functions, so Chinese engineers must consider that the benefits obtained compensate for these sacrifices or that there are technological solutions capable of replacing part of their functions. Images of the new submarine at the JN Shipyard in Shanghai on June 1, 2026. Eight years of silent experimentation. Because as they remembered TWZ analysts, The appearance of this submarine has not arisen from nowhere. The same shipyard already built in 2018 a much smaller vessel that also lacked a sail and likely served as a test bed to validate design concepts. That prototype practically disappeared from the public spotlight for years, but it now seems clear that it was part of a broader research program. The progression from a model measuring just 45 meters to a platform that rivals nuclear submarines in size shows that China has spent years perfecting this idea before taking the next step. Images of the new submarine at the JN Shipyard in Shanghai on June 1, 2026. The link with the submarines of the future. The initiative also fits with other signals recently observed in the Chinese shipbuilding industry. In 2024, the CSSC state corporation presented a concept of a large unmanned underwater vehicle whose silhouette was remarkably reminiscent of these low-profile designs. That project contemplated missions as diverse as attacks against ships, laying mines, supporting special forces or even acting as a mother ship for other underwater drones. Although the new submarine detected seems too large to be completely autonomous, the similarity between both concepts suggests that China could be developing a family of platforms based on the same design philosophy. An army in full transformation. We have been counting it. The appearance of this submarine coincides with a profound modernization of the Chinese submarine force. Beijing is incorporating increasingly advanced models, developing new submarines nuclear weapons and even experimenting with hybrid designs capable of combine different shapes of propulsion. US officials have recognized on several occasions that the quality of Chinese submarines is progressively approaching that of the most modern Western models. In parallel, the People’s Liberation Army Navy continues to expand to a higher pace that of any other navy in the world, driven by the need to project power in the Pacific, the South China Sea and other strategic regions. More questions than answers. Of course, the official name of the submarine, its internal systems or the exact mission for which it was conceived are still unknown. However, satellite images have left an impression hard to ignoreA: China appears to be testing an idea that for decades was relegated to theoretical studies, experimental prototypes and laboratory concepts. If he project prosperscould mark the beginning of a new generation of submarines where the traditional command tower ceases to be an unquestionable necessity and becomes another option within the evolution of underwater warfare. Image | X, Vantor In Xataka | The US has always been the largest nuclear power on the planet. China has already surpassed it in something: submarines In Xataka | The US Navy warns Congress: China is erecting the largest nuclear barrier in its history under the sea

Benidorm triples its population in summer and does not run out of water. The secret is a miracle of invisible engineering

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We assume that when we turn on the faucet water comes out. It is an almost automatic, everyday gesture that we rarely stop to think about. However, ensuring that this resource springs up clean and safe in Benidorm, a city that its population triples In the middle of the summer high season, it requires a true miracle of engineering and management. In the Marina Baixa, one of the regions of the Valencian Community with greater water stresscatering to millions of annual visitors is a colossal puzzle. As reported by local mediathe philosophy of those who operate this gear is perfectly summarized by Ciriaco Clemente, manager of Veolia in Benidorm: “In a territory where the pressure on water resources is structural and permanent, guaranteeing that the water reaches the tap in perfect sanitary conditions and that, once used, it returns to the environment without damaging it is not an option, it is an obligation.” The challenge of quantity and quality. The water challenge is not exclusive to the Alicante coast, it is a national problem. According to official data from the Ministry of Health (SINAC)the quality of water in Spain is increasingly threatened. The filtration of nitrates from industrial agricultural activity is saturating the self-cleaning capacity of many aquifers, putting local water treatment plants in hundreds of municipalities in check, especially in inland Spain. While much of inland Spain deals with nitrate pollution, Benidorm faces its own perfect storm: extreme seasonal demand and the threat of shortages. The city not only needs to ensure that there is enough water for everyone, but that its quality is impeccable under all circumstances, regardless of whether it comes from the Guadalest reservoir, the Amadorio reservoir or the Bajo del Algar Canal. To overcome this crisis, the tourist capital has shielded itself around two essential infrastructures managed by Veolia: the Drinking Water Treatment Station (ETAP) and the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Beyond thirst. Water quality is synonymous with public health and economic survival. In fact, consuming water with nitrate levels close to or higher The European legal limit of 50 mg/L carries serious risks, and recent medical studies suggest that even much lower thresholds could be linked to oncological problems. Treating water to the millimeter is, therefore, a matter of life or death. On the economic level, as the newspaper highlights Informationfor the enormous hotel plant in Benidorm, opening the tap and letting water flow with total health guarantees “is not a secondary detail: it is a basic requirement to operate and to maintain the trust of visitors.” In addition, the system must be able to withstand the onslaught of the weather. According to Alicante Plazathe ETAP faces extreme scenarios after episodes of torrential rains, when the water collected arrives with enormous turbidity due to the dragging of sediments. Given this, the plant adjusts its treatments in real time. “Our responsibility does not end with there being water; it ends when that water reaches the tap in perfect condition,” says Noelia Llinares, ETAP plant manager, in these media. Leaving behind traditional management. As detailed by Veoliathe answer is in technology. A digital ecosystem has been deployed in Benidorm that includes network-wide sensors, leak detection algorithms and remote control systems. This has allowed the milestone of reducing water losses in the network to minimum levels of 5%. To support this burden, ETAP itself already received a powerful injection of more than 9 million euros in its last major expansion in 2010. But the cycle does not end at the sink. The WWTP works under a strict circular economy philosophy: used water is not waste, it is a resource. Today, 35% of the water that reaches the treatment plant is already reused, mainly for agricultural irrigation. And there is an extra factor that adds complexity: wastewater treatment plants are electricity devourers. To counteract this, María José Martínez, head of the WWTP, details that the facility uses byproducts such as biogas or sludge to generate its own energy. “The objective is clear: for the plant to become increasingly self-sufficient and for its environmental footprint to be as small as possible,” says Martínez. The next challenge: squeeze regeneration. Behind all this there is an ambitious project underway: the Regenerated Water Master Plan. The short-term objective is to take advantage of up to 2 additional cubic hectometers of regenerated water for purely urban uses, alleviating the suffocation of conventional sources and reinforcing the network against drought. Benidorm has empirically demonstrated that the high numbers of mass tourism and water sustainability are not antagonistic concepts, but rather necessary allies. In a context marked by climate change, the experience of the city of Alicante provides an inescapable journalistic and vital lesson: intelligent water management is no longer a simple competitive advantage or a green slogan. It is, purely and simply, a question of survival. Every drop counts, from the moment it is dammed until, thanks to engineering, it is regenerated to start again. Image | Diego Delso Xataka | The future of 150,000 hectares of crops is decided today. We have been fighting for decades, but the wars over water have only just begun

The CEO of logistics gives way to the CEO of engineering

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Tim Cook has announced that will step down as Apple CEO on September 1. will replace you John Ternusits senior vice president of hardware engineering. This long-awaited generational change represents an important change in the DNA of the leadership of one of the most valuable companies in the world. Why is it important. Cook was a genius of logistics, supply chain and business diplomacy. Ternus is very different: we are talking about a mechanical engineer who has spent 25 years (half of his life) designing, testing and manufacturing Apple products. Apple goes from a leader who optimized how products are made and sold to one who decides how they are conceived and built. The sign that anticipated everything. In January 2026 we say that Cook had put Ternus in charge of Apple’s design teams. The move was not officially announced, but Mark Gurman made it public in Bloomberg. It was the definitive signal and Cook’s succession had been on the agenda for some time… and Ternus was the number 1 favorite. Until then, design at Apple had functioned as an independent fiefdom, a direct inheritance from the Jony Ive era. That it became dependent on hardware engineering meant that in Ternus’ Apple, technical execution rules over aesthetics. It’s not that design stops mattering. He is no longer the king as he once was. What Ternus has achieved and what he hasn’t. Its footprint is on practically all of Apple’s current hardware catalog: Apple Silicon on the Mac. Intel’s transition to its own chips has probably been Apple’s most important technical decision in the last decade. In chip architecture, the main merit is attributable to Johny Srouji, Ternus’ replacement. In product execution (a MacBook Air without a fan, sustained performance, record autonomy, coherent integration with the SoC…), the credit goes to Ternus. We are possibly in the best Mac cycle in history. iPhone. Not everything in the iPhone is yours, but the build quality, thermal management, choice of materials, and internal integration are. iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch. He has participated in the launch of several new generations and product lines. What is not his fault is the stagnation of the iPad as a platform. That is a software and strategy problem, not the hardware, which is excellent, so we have to ask Craig Federighi and Tim Cook about it. Between the lines. The best comparison we can make here is not so much between Cook and Ternus but between Cook and… Steve Ballmer. Steve Ballmer was a sales and operations CEO who multiplied Microsoft’s revenue but missed the mobile revolution. Cook has been an operations and services CEO who has multiplied Apple’s revenue, but whose tenure has not produced a game-changing new product on the level of the iPhone or iPod. The Apple Watch took several generations to find its place, AirPods are a resounding success almost ten years later, but conceptually they are not a new category. The Vision Pro are in a limbo from which we will see how they emerge. Ternus arrives with a profile closer to the product. And that, in a product company, matters. Besides, Apple has appointed Johny Srouji as Chief Hardware Officera new position that unifies hardware engineering and hardware technologies under his command. It is important for two reasons: Srouji was about to leave. Months ago it was learned that he had informed Cook that he was seriously considering leaving the company. Apple has retained him with more power and responsibility. Confirms that Apple Silicon is the central strategic bet. Ternus’s first big decision as incoming CEO has been to shield his most valuable piece. Yes, but. Ternus inherits a company with pending tasks that cannot be resolved with good hardware alone: AI. Apple Intelligence has arrived with a notable delay (in various senses) with respect to Google, Microsoft and OpenAI. AI is fundamentally software, models and services. Ternus comes from iron. Regulation. The App Store is more controlled than ever and not only in the EU. Commissions, alternative payments and third-party stores are going to define a good part of the coming years. Tariffs and supply chain. The manufacturing structure in China that Cook has built and optimized for many years is now threatened by the Trump administration’s trade policy. The need to surprise. Apple hasn’t launched anything that evokes the ‘effect’ for a while. wow‘so common in the Jobs era. And now what. Cook, as has happened several times with the old guard, is not leaving completely. He will be executive president, focused on the relationship with governments and regulators: the same diplomacy that he has managed with reasonable success for 15 years remains in his hands. Apple does not lose Cook. It relocates it where it can provide the most value now. Ternus is 51 years old. Cook was 50 when he took office.. If Apple maintains its pattern of long tenures, Ternus may be at the helm for a decade or more. Apple’s commitment is to believe that its difference compared to Google, Microsoft and OpenAI will not be in the most powerful AI model, but in how it integrates AI into hardware that people touch, carry and use every day. That’s where Ternus has an advantage that no one else has. If that bet is correct, Apple has chosen the perfect CEO. If the AI ​​battle is won in the cloud and in models, you may have a problem. In Xataka | The foldable iPhone is getting closer every day: this is everything we know about it so far Featured image | Xataka

Einstein told us how to do it, engineering tells us it’s almost impossible

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After the success of Artemis IIscience already has its sights set on the colonization of the Moon or Mars. The problem is that, for this to be possible, it would be necessary to develop technologies that do not exist today. For example, you can spend a short time under the effect of microgravity, but if someone wanted to spend very long stays in space, much longer than those of the International Space Station, they would need artificial gravity generation systems. If not, your health could seriously deteriorate. And how is that gravity generated? Theoretically we know it, the problem is getting it. Einstein gave the first clues. In his Theory of Special RelativityEinstein described something known as the equivalence effect, which stated that gravity and acceleration are indistinguishable effects when they have the same value. That is, since the force of gravity on Earth is 9.8 N, equivalent to an acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared, if an astronaut traveled in a spacecraft that ascends with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s², he would feel his feet clinging to the ground, even without gravity. For this reason, all theoretical projects to create artificial gravity are based on this principle. Too much fuel. One option would be the example we have seen. A rocket accelerating at 9.8 m/s². The problem is that to maintain this figure constantly unfeasible amounts of fuel would be needed. It is not something feasible. Better spinning. Given the technical impossibility of the first option, all projects aim at centripetal acceleration. That is, the acceleration that a rotating body maintains. If we were inside a ship that rotates with a centripetal acceleration of 9.8 m/s², we could imitate gravity. But there is a problem. Centripetal acceleration is equal to angular velocity squared times the radius of the spin path. As if it were the spoke of a bicycle wheel. Angular velocity is the speed at which that object rotates. If the radius is small, a very high speed is needed to achieve a given acceleration. And of course, the people inside that circular ship would end up very dizzy. On the other hand, in very large ships it would not be necessary to turn so quickly. Therefore, for a small ship it would not be viable, but perhaps something like this could be achieved if a new space station is built in the future. In fact, There is a project to build a luxury hotel in the space that would be shaped like a giant wheel. It would be constantly spinning, with the exact radius and speed to mimic the effect of gravity. Doesn’t anyone think about the Moon? The objective of lunar bases is that their inhabitants can be directly perched on the selenite surface. The same would happen with the Martian bases.. They would have to be on the surface. Therefore, it would not be viable to be inside a flying wheel. On the other hand, a wheel could be built to which the lunar colonizers would go from time to time. Just enough to reverse to a certain extent the harmful effects of microgravity. It would be like a kind of microgravity spa. This is something that a team of scientists from Kyoto University has already designed. They have named it The Glass. The consequences can be very serious. When we are not subjected to gravity, body fluids can travel to the headcausing brain inflammation and vision problems. This also affects the circulatory system, as it can increase pressure in specific vessels, such as the jugular vein. Even the heartbeat would be affected. On the other hand, by not needing to be in a rigid posture, the muscles gradually atrophy and the bones lose density. All this without counting possible neurological, balance or intestinal problems. Long stays in a microgravity situation are unfeasible, so it will be necessary to have a clear project to develop artificial gravity. If we want to live in space, we will really need it. Image | Orbital Assembly Corporation and Kyoto University In Xataka | We knew that Mars has gravity. Now we have just discovered the unexpected effect it has on the Earth’s climate

engineering challenges are greater than expected

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That Apple is going to launch a foldable iPhone It’s a rumor that has been circulating for yearsbut it does not materialize. According to the latest information available Nikkei AsiaApple is already doing engineering tests with its foldable mobile phone, but they are not going as expected. First tests, first problems. According to sources in Apple’s supply chain, the foldable iPhone has already begun the testing phase necessary before mass manufacturing can begin. However, more failures have appeared than initially anticipated and they will need more time to adjust the design and manufacturing processes. critical moment. April and May are an “extremely critical” period to pass these engineering tests. Currently, the foldable iPhone is in the engineering validation testing phase (EVT) and is a crucial step in ensuring they can be mass produced smoothly and without problems. According to Nikkei, Apple’s plan is to produce between 7 and 8 million foldable iPhones, which represents 10% of the total volume of the new range, and launch it this year, but if it does not pass this phase in time, it could put the entire calendar at risk and push the launch to next year. The market is eagerly waiting. They started out as niche devices, almost a rarity, but the foldable market has been growing year after year and, according to IDCin 2026 it will grow 30% year-on-year. One of the arguments that IDC gives to support that figure is, precisely, the launch of the highly anticipated folding iPhone. According to the firm’s head of devices, “This launch is likely to boost awareness of the category and generate interest among consumers. Apple is often a catalyst for widespread adoption of new categories.” Maybe they have to keep waiting another year. The promise that never comes. As we said, the rumor of the folding iPhone has been circulating for years. It started around 2021 when, Analysts said it would arrive in 2023. This never happened, but nothing quelled the rumors. Along the way, Samsung, Huawei, Honor and OPPO have already launched several generations of their folding phones, perfecting the design to achieve ultra-thin bodies and better quality screens. In this sense, the longer the foldable iPhone is delayed, the higher the bar is. What we think we know about the foldable iPhone. There have been many leaks, but a few months ago one of the largest to date occurred. According to leaked data, the folding iPhone will have a book format (like the Samsung Fold) with a 7.58-inch internal screen and a 5.25-inch external screen. The design will be ultra-thin and will eliminate FaceID in favor of TouchID on the side button so that it can be unlocked whether open or closed. In Xataka | iPhone 17e, analysis: the best and the worst of Apple in a mobile that is not only contained in the price Cover image | Concept of Ben Geskin

China has been pushing the boundaries of engineering for years. Its gigantic high-speed tunnel boring machine has just given another example

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China has been developing large infrastructures and its own machinery to execute them for years, with projects that tend to stand out for their size and the technical control they require. It is not just about building more, but about doing so under increasingly demanding conditions. This pattern is repeated in very different areas, from energy to scientific research, and also in transport infrastructure. Under this logic, the appearance of new machines and projects is not an exception, but rather the continuation of a clear trend that now adds a new chapter with the “Linghang” tunnel boring machine. The advance. “Linghang” has completed the section under the Yangtze Riverwith a continuous excavation of just over 11 kilometers, according to CCTV. The machine began its journey on April 29, 2024 from Chongming Island, in Shanghai, and after 23 months of work, it completed the underwater section of the river, surpassed the south dam and came ashore in Taicang, in Jiangsu province. The movement is not minor: it involves completing the section under the watercourse, one of the key points of the work, and leaving the project one step away from its next milestone. What’s behind. The operation is integrated into the tunnel Chongming-Taicanga key work within the Shanghai-Nanjing section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu high-speed corridor. With a total length of 14.25 kilometers, this infrastructure brings together several technical milestones, including the world’s longest single head excavation distance in a high-speed tunnel, with 11.32 kilometers, and a maximum depth of 89 meters under the Yangtze. The design contemplates the passage of trains at 350 km/h even in the underground section. The machine inside. The tunnel boring machine used in this project has unusual dimensions even within this type of work: it measures about 148 meters in length and weighs around 4,000 tons. according to Global Times. It is equipped with an intelligent control system called I-TBM, designed to automatically manage a large part of the excavation process, from internal pressure to the forward position or the exit of the material. Added to this are elements such as high-pressure seals, a long-lasting main bearing and a cutting head prepared to withstand demanding conditions under the river. A project that is not an isolated case. In recent years, the country has built facilities such as the Three Gorges Dam, the FAST telescope either the EAST reactorprojects that, although they belong to different areas, share the same base: scale, technical control and own development. In this context, this type of machinery is best understood not as a specific milestone, but as one more piece within a sustained line of work. A close reference. In Spain, the Mayrit tunnel boring machine, currently in use in the expansion of line 11 of the Madrid Metrooffers a useful point of comparison to understand the magnitude of this type of machinery. Measuring about 98 meters in length, weighing around 1,500 tons and with a diameter close to 9 meters, it is a large piece of equipment within the European context. Images | CCTV In Xataka | Czechia wanted to build a highway and found a problem: an intact 2,000-year-old Celtic city

This is how the most brutal engineering work in urban history was born

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London Underground, known in our language as the London Undergroundis one of the most famous public transportation networks in the world. With more than 543 units, 408 kilometers long and 274 stations, this precious piece of the United Kingdom capital is capable of handling up to five million passengers a day. Now, this service did not become what it is today overnight. London Underground has a fascinating history, a history that, by the way, began more than 160 years ago with a completely innovative project for the time: the construction of an underground railway. Let’s go back in time. In the 1830s, London was the largest city in the world. It was a rapidly growing global economic epicenter that needed to decongest its streetsso the idea arose that trains They will begin to move underground. The problem was that until then nothing similar had been implemented. After many years of being just a proposal on paper, a test tunnel was built in 1855 at Kibblesworth. After this step, which turned out to be a success, work began on the world’s first underground railway, a circuit between Paddington (then Bishop’s Road) and Farringdon that entered service on January 10, 1863. The locomotives ran on steam engines and the carriages were lit with gas. It was basically like putting up a traditional railway system in a closed placewhich translated into inconvenience for passengers, who often had to travel in a polluted environment with high temperatures. In any case, the metropolis continued to grow and there were more and more transportation initiatives with private investment. Therefore, in 1868 the first section of the Metropolitan District Railway was inaugurated. This was a service that ran between South Kensington and Westminster (now part of the District and Circle lines). Electricity reaches trains Both services continued to expand as tunnel construction techniques improved. On December 18, 1890, The City and South London Railway launched the first electric railway. This was a very important advance because it allowed us to solve some of the main drawbacks of the service. In 1905, electrification came to the District and Circle lines, but the London Underground network operated as separate systems. This changed after 1906, when companies began to make their way deep into the city to unify. In all this, the name ‘Underground’ did not yet exist. Artist’s representation of a platform on Baker Street London in 1906 The companies that had come together for the project proposed different names, including ‘Tube,’ ‘Electric,’ and ‘Underground,’ but the latter was the winner. In this way, in 1908 it appeared for the first time the name ‘Underground’ in the seasons, and he did it with the roundel symbol that we know today. The technological progress of the London Underground seemed unstoppable. That same year, electronic ticket-issuing machines arrived and in 1911 the first escalators were installed. In 1929, manually operated doors began to become extinct. These were updated with pneumatic systems. Until this point, the service was operated by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL). In 1933, however, underground transportation services merged with the railroads and bus services under the London Transport brand, which was overseen by the London Passenger Transport Board. That same year Harry Beck’s map appearedan element intended to guide users. The system had grown so large that some stations were just meters away, while others were kilometers away. It is a cartography that was received with skepticism, but ended up triumphing. Aldwych tube station, in 1940 For the first time, decisions about London’s public transport services were perfectly coordinated. This allowed us to improve the service and outline an ambitious improvement plan. However, the outbreak of World War II in 1939 meant that the plan could not be completed as originally envisioned. The underground transport service was converted into a huge air raid shelter between September 1940 and May 1945. Some stations were also used during the war as a warehouse to keep valuable historical items safe, for example pieces from the British Museum. After the war, in 1948, the London Passenger Transport Board acquired a public role. HE nationalized and became the London Transport Executive, years later being renamed the London Transport Board and operating under the orbit of the Ministry of Transport. The system also suffered several tragedies. In 1975 a train heading south did not stop at the final terminal and crashed at the end of the shift. 43 people died and 74 were injured. In 1987, a fire claimed 31 lives at King’s Cross station. Later, in 2005, an attack on the London transport system It caused 52 people to lose their lives. Nails contactless cards called Oyster They were implemented on the London Underground in 2003, but by 2014 you could already pay directly with contactless bank cards. By 2016, some lines provided evening service on weekends. Currently the service is run by an organization called Transport for London (TfL) which comprehensively manages the city’s state transportation strategy. Images | Joel de Vriend | Nelson Ndongala | Tomas Anton Escobar | Tom Parsons | Will H McMahan | The Graphic (Wikimedia Commons) | John Jackson In Xataka | The unfinished dream of the Roman Empire: a 125-kilometer train to link Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus In Xataka | France has been torpedoing the possibility of AVE reaching Paris for years: Renfe’s plan is now regional ones In Xataka | In 2007, Japan made a cat the station master of a dying train line. Today that line is saved

reverse engineering with an unprecedented weapon

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In wars, innovation is rarely born in a vacuum: it has often emerged from carefully observing the adversary. Throughout history, some of the most profound military transformations came not with entirely new weapons, but with the reinterpretation of existing technologies that changed hands. Now, in the 21st century, when the AIthe unmanned systems and the industrial production accelerated speed sets the pace of the combat, that old dynamic has once again taken center stage in a way that is as unexpected as it is revealing. The debut of American kamikaze drones. Yes, the United States attacked Iranian territory within the framework of Operation Epic Fury together with Israel, but what was truly unprecedented was not the magnitude of the air offensive or the coordination between both countries, something that we saw very few months ago in the same scenario, but the debut in combat of the LUCASthat is, the long-range kamikaze drones used for the first time by US forces. Launched from the ground by Task Force Scorpion Strikecreated specifically to introduce this type of capabilities in the region, the LUCAS acted as loitering munitions capable of flying long distances, staying in the zone and launching against their target in a single use. Their low cost, around tens of thousands of dollars per unit, contrasts with the price and production complexity of traditional cruise missiles, which allows them to be used in sufficient number to saturate defenses, coordinate network attacks, and maintain human oversight while operating with partial autonomy. For the first time, Washington was not only talking about cheap drones as a complement, but was actively integrating them into a real campaign against a sovereign state. The weapon returned to its creator. The strategic key to the attack lies not only in the technology, but in its origin. It we count some time ago. He LUCAS design part directly of the Iranian Shahed-136the same model that Tehran has employed for years in the Middle East and that Russia has used brutally in Ukraine. After obtaining a copy, the device was analyzed and reengineered by American companies, adapting it to their own standards and a more networked architecture. In essence, Washington used one of the oldest practices of warfare to bomb Iran: reverse engineering. It was not just about copying a platform, but about appropriate your logic operational (cheap weapon, long distance, volume versus exclusive precision) and turn it back against whoever popularized it. The result is a investment symbolic and even doctrinal: The country that had perfected the use of low-cost drone swarms became the target of its own reinterpreted strategic model. Tactical surprise and demolition. If we expand the frame of the photo, the use of drones was integrated into a much broader offensive based on precise intelligence and extreme timing. He told in a report the new york times that the CIA and the Israeli services managed to identify a meeting from top Iranian commanders in Tehran, including the supreme leader, which allowed the timing of the attack to be adjusted to maximize the initial impact. The combined operation drones, cruise missiles, long-range artillery and a massive aerial surge that sought to neutralize anti-aircraft defenses and dismantle the chain of command from the first strike. The result was the removal of key figures of the Iranian political-military apparatus and obtaining air superiority in a matter of hours. In this context, the LUCAS did not act in isolation, but as part of a distributed attack architecture that combined saturation, precision and speed to prevent an immediate coordinated response. Cheap drones vs millions. The use of LUCAS also showed a deeper trend that the war in Ukraine has pontificated: the growing vulnerability of advanced air defense systems to cheap and numerous platforms. Iran had demonstrated that even the most sophisticated defensive architectures can be overwhelmed by waves of relatively simple drones. The United States now applied that same logic, exploiting the cost-effect relationship to impose pressure and force the adversary to spend much more expensive resources on interceptors. If you will, the long-range kamikaze drone stops being a weapon of peripheral actors and becomes a fully integrated tool in the arsenal of a superpower, altering the traditional equation between cutting-edge technology and volume of fire. From Rome to the missile age. The reverse engineering employed by Washington is not a modern anomaly, but rather a historical constant. In ancient times, Rome copied Carthaginian vessels to build your fleet. In the Middle AgesThey used siege machines captured, and already in World War II, rocket and bomber programs were fed by enemy technology and scientists. One of the most famous cases was that of German V-2 ballistic missile developed by Nazi Germany at the end of World War II. Both the United States and the Soviet Union captured rockets, plans, and scientists. Washington joined Wernher von Braun in its space program, while Moscow did the same with its own equipment. That reverse engineering was the direct basis of the missile programs and, later, the space race. And during the Cold War. Also, because both missiles and guidance systems changed hands to be disassembled and reproduced. One of the most famous cases was that of the strategic bomber B-29 Superfortress. When several American B-29s made forced landings on Soviet territory, the USSR dismantled them piece by piece and produced an almost exact copy: the Tupolev Tu-4. It was, once again, an extreme exercise in industrial reverse engineering, to the point of replicating even defects in the original design. The pattern, as we see, repeats itself: capture, study, adapt and improve. What changes is the speed and technical complexity. In the case of the LUCASthat cycle closed in the 21st century with remarkable speed, also integrating autonomous coordination and network warfare capabilities that multiply its impact. The practice is ancient, but its execution is contemporary. A new stage. He attack on Iran marks a turning point because it includes for the first time the United States as an active user of long-range … Read more

It had been listed as “scrap” in a museum for 100 years. Now we know that it is the piece that advanced Egyptian engineering by 2,000 years.

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If we think about the ancient egyptian technologythe images that come to mind are the monumental ones pyramids of giza or the great obelisks of the New Kingdom. However, the foundations of this technological feat were forged long before, as pointed out by a new archaeological study that has identified the oldest rotating metal drill in Egypt, a discovery that advances the mastery of this tool by more than two millennia and that rewrites the history of the technology in the Nile Valley. Where was it found? The story of this discovery, the truth is, could fit into a series called “Archaeological CSI”, since it all started with an identified object like a tiny piece of metal that measures just 63 millimeters and weighs 1.5 grams. This was excavated a century ago in tomb 3932 of the Badari cemetery in Upper Egypt, and had lain forgotten ever since. Literally ignored in a drawer at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, was this object that caught the attention of a research team that decided to follow his trail using the most modern technology. A drill. What was initially classified as a simple and insignificant punch was actually a bow drill. This is the conclusion of this new exhaustive analysis of the piece, where they have been able to see unmistakable marks of its mechanical use such as rotational grooves, a specific curvature for tension and microscopic remains of leather rope. How it worked. What today is a drill that works connected to electricity, in ancient times, the bow drill worked by winding the string of a bow around an axle that held the drill bit. In this way, by moving the bow back and forth, the drill bit rotated at high speed. Its importance. As the researcher points out, the Egyptians had the ability to master this rotation technology more than two millennia before the first sets of drills that humanity knew today. This once again shows us how advanced it could be in its context in the art of construction. Unusual alloy. The big question here is how such an ancient tool could drill hard materials without deforming. And the answer is in chemistry. In this case, the researchers they used portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and saw that the drill was not made of just copper, but was an alloy of arsenic, nickel, lead and silver. A combination that is not coincidental, since the presence of arsenic gave the copper a much higher hardness, transforming the metal into a high-performance tool capable of resisting continuous friction. The trade. Beyond the mechanical value, for historians this mixture of metals is also really important because it points to strong commercial connections with the eastern Mediterranean, revealing that predynastic Egypt was not only innovating technologically, but was connected to a global network of exchange of exotic materials long before the unification of the pharaohs. The technological history. Until now, the official narrative placed the perfection of these rotating metal tools much later in the Egyptian timeline. But now, this tiny forgotten object forces us to recalibrate our understanding of human ingenuity. Images | Martin Odler Osama Elsayed In Xataka | To transport us to Ancient Egypt, researchers have been doing one thing for months: smelling mummies from 5,000 years ago

the discovery that forces us to rewrite the history of engineering

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The old one city ​​of petrasculpted in the majestic reddish rocks of modern-day Jordan, has always captivated the world for its architectural monumentality. But the truth is that there was still much to discover here, and a recent team of archaeologists has focused on the bowels of its urban engineering and the ssystem they used to transport water in a desert environment. The discovery. Archaeologists have unearthed astonishing evidence pointing to a water system of unprecedented sophistication in this region, and which has transformed the understanding of how the Nabataean civilization managed to thrive, and not just survive, in a very arid desert environment. Where was it seen? This discovery has been published in the magazine Raise by the team led by archaeologist Niklas Jungmann where he has documented the findings in the ‘Ain Braq aqueduct after surveys that began in 2023. Now the researchers have been able to reveal a complex network of aquifer infrastructures that challenge previous conceptions about the hydraulic technology of antiquity in the Near East. What has been seen? The epicenter of this astonishing discovery is the identification of a secondary conduit made up of lead pipes that extends approximately 116 meters. The point is that the presence of these lead pipes It is an extraordinarily rare phenomenon, especially outside the context of complex buildings or large Roman baths. In Petra, this conduit was not a mere fortuitous pipe, but a highly precise piece of technology integrated into a system that combined open channels carved directly into the natural rock with these advanced metal conduits. Its function. The function of this hydraulic system was to exhaustively regulate the pressure and flow of water. The researchers here point out that the lead section functioned mechanically as an inverted siphon, which is a great technical feat that allowed the water to overcome the pronounced unevenness in the terrain. And with these levels it could be very easy for the pipes to collapse, but with the mechanism that they devised at the time, it made it possible to give pressure to the water and maintain the momentum wherever it passed. More complex. Although this type of inverted siphon has attracted a lot of attention, nine conduits, a large reservoir, two cisterns and seven smaller tanks must also be added to the system. All this aimed at capturing scarce water, minimizing its evaporation and supplying the desert city. Its evolution. The study goes further by pointing out that the aqueduct system experienced at least two major phases of development. The first was characterized by the use of lead, an expensive and demanding material. Here experts link this majestic work with the era of the Nabataean king Aretas IVindicating that this system would have been vital in supporting key monuments of the city, such as the Great Temple. The second phase focused on the installation of a terracotta conduit next to the original. This transition to a much cheaper and easier to replace material demonstrates the flexibility and long-term technical efficiency of Nabataean engineering. Its importance. Having found this evidence of a complex hydrological system forces historians and archaeologists to rethink the level of technological development in Petra. Beyond their famous rock-cut architecture, the Nabataeans were true masters of water. And it is no wonder, because it was necessary to have a good infrastructure capable of challenge an unforgiving desert that could condemn those cities that did not know how to evolve and adapt to the conditions where they were developing. Images | Brian Kairuz In Xataka | Archaeologists have been searching for Hannibal’s war elephants for centuries. They only had to dig in Córdoba

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