experience

“Experience never deceives; only our judgments are wrong”

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When in 1482 Leonardo da Vinci wanted to offer his services to Ludovico Maria Sforza sent him a letter in which he basically presented himself as an engineer especially useful on the battlefield. Only at the end, almost in passing, does he mention his skills as an architect, sculptor, and painter (in that order). The letter It is written to capture the attention of Sforza, an aristocrat more concerned with wars than the arts, but it still reveals something valuable about Da Vinci: although today we remember him as a painter, he saw himself as a man of science. In fact, he left notes that make him one of the great precursors of modern science. There are even those who consider it “the first scientist”. Who was Leonardo Da Vinci? I know, in 2026 that question seems like a truism. Everyone knows who Leonardo da Vinci was, just as we all have a (more or less vague) idea of ​​who Beethoven, Newton, Vang Gogh, Galileo, Alexander the Great or Cleopatra were, to name just a handful of historical figures who have ended up becoming popular icons. However, it is one thing to place Da Vinci in a historical framework or cite his most famous paintings and another to peer into his enormous intellectual complexity, the same one that he allows to be glimpsed in a calculated way in the letter to Ludovico Sforza and in a much more clear and detailed way in his note books. Beyond the brushes. In his mirror writing notebooks, Da Vinci leaves an enormous number of designs that anticipate by centuries what would be the helicopterhe tank or even the submarine; but he also speaks on topics as varied as morality, theology, psychology, geology, anatomy, hydraulics, aesthetics… and that among a long, long etcetera. Some time ago the engineer Eduardo García de Zúñiga (1867-1951) helped us navigate that intellectual tidal wave bringing together a large part of the aphorisms written by Leonardo. The result can consult in the Miguel de Cervantes Library and it is interesting (among other issues) because it reveals something about Da Vinci: although he wrote profusely on topics such as aesthetics or morals, a large part of his annotations focus on purely scientific issues. And that includes everything from notes on geology and anatomy to reflections of an epistemological nature in which he reveals how he understood knowledge and the way to achieve it. Why is it important? Because the first (the notes on his observations) reveal Leonardo’s curiosity and intellectual acuity. The second (the epistemological ones) tell us about something more important: in the 15th century, even before the birth of Galileo, Da Vinci looked at the world with the eyes of a scientist, one who distrusted inherited authority (breaking with scholasticism) and advocated verifying knowledge based on experience. Hence there are those who consider it a pioneer of science. Reviewing your notebooks. Between his syllogisms There are many who point in that direction, including the one who heads this article: “Experience never deceives. Your judgments only deceive when it promises effects that cannot find their cause in our experiences.” What does Da Vinci want to tell us with that phrase? That our great crutch to know the world is experience, direct observation, not inherited knowledge that cannot be verified. “Whoever argues claiming authority does not apply ingenuity, but rather memory,” he emphasizes. Does that mean that we should deny the wise men who preceded us? At all. The key is not to accommodate ourselves to the detriment of rigorous observation, a critical spirit and empirical experimentation. Does it tell us anything else? Yes. Leonardo’s notes are full of reflections that insist on the importance of verification. Of all, the most popular may be “Wisdom is the daughter of experience”, but it is not the only one. In another part of his handwritten notebooks, we read: “Vain and full of errors seem to me the sciences that are not born from experience, mother of all certainty (…). Neither their origin nor their middle, nor their end pass through any of the five senses.” “The true sciences are those that experience has made penetrate through the senses, imposing silence on the arguers and not nourishing their researchers with dreams; those that, on the first known principles, proceed successively and with true unity to the end.” And in case there were still doubts, Da Vinci leaves us advice that is totally valid in 2026: “Flee from the precepts of speculators whose reasons are not confirmed by experience.” Images | Wikipedia In Xataka | Da Vinci’s last secret was not in his paintings or notes, but in his family: a direct link with Barcelona

The flying experience has changed. Airbus thinks it can take it much further with a double bed, bathroom and bar

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For years, flying has been an experience increasingly split in two. While the economy class has been adjusting space and services, the highest part of the plane has become the terrain where airlines and manufacturers try to mark distances with increasingly exclusive proposals. What we have seen now fits squarely into that logic: Airbus has taken advantage of the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026 to show how far you think you can stretch that idea in your A350-1000the model with which he wants to take first class to an even more ambitious level. The European manufacturer has set the direction of its cabins for the coming years quite clearly. In the center there is a “Master Suite” for two passengers, located between the two corridors at the front and designed as the most exclusive space of the entire complex. According to Airbus, there would be access to its own bathroom, a changing area, a bar and a double bed. A series of elements and comforts of a much higher level. Of course, it is important not to lose sight of the important nuance: we are not facing an already closed cabin for an airline, but rather a concept whose development has just started. How Airbus wants to remake the A350-1000 first class To make room for this new first class, Airbus has not limited itself to drawing a larger suite within the already existing space. What it proposes is a deeper reorganization of the area located between doors 1 and 2, making the most of that part of the plane to dedicate more surface area for higher category passengers. According to the company, elements that previously took up space in the main cabin, such as sinks or storage areas, would move to a new central module placed just behind door 1, in front of the cockpit door. Access to the crew rest area would also be moved there, with the idea of ​​reducing inconvenience and gaining privacy. That Airbus has chosen this model to develop the idea does not seem coincidental. We are talking about the largest member of the A350 family, a version that, according to the company itself, is seven meters longer than the -900 variant and can accommodate up to 40 more passengers. In its commercial sheet, Airbus presents it as its reference model in the large fuselage market and ensures that it offers 40% more surface area for premium category seats. Added to this is another argument that fits well with this proposal: high ceilings, a spacious cabin and interior proportions with which the manufacturer believes it can further reinforce the feeling of space. Behind all this there is also a fairly clear commercial reading. Airbus maintains that it already there are 10 clients that have chosen first class cabins for their A350s and adds that around five airlines are currently in the customization phase, so they could study incorporating parts of this concept. So everything seems to indicate that the calendar is moving in the long term: Airbus places the possible entry into service of the first elements around 2030. What Airbus wanted to do here goes beyond showing a striking suite or a conceptual fair image. It also lets us see where the company believes the most exclusive part of the cabin can evolve, with more space, more privacy and an even more differentiated service offering. Still, between that vision and a plane operating passengers there is quite a way to go. For now we are dealing with an idea in development, but an idea that helps understand how Airbus wants to strengthen its more premium proposal in the coming years. Images | Airbus In Xataka | Commercial aviation is based on very old aircraft. The Iran war is going to make it even worse

why Gen Z has fallen in love with technologies that they did not experience

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Technology has been sneaking into almost every corner of everyday life for decades: how we communicate, how we save memories, how we listen to music or how we entertain ourselves. ada generation has enjoyed its own innovations: from the Walkman to the compact camera, including the Game Boy and the Nintendo DS. As the years went by, many of these devices seemed destined to remain as relics in a drawer, surpassed by increasingly powerful mobile phones capable of concentrating almost all possible functions in a single device. However, in the era of the smartphone, AI or virtual reality, some of these “relics” are regaining prominence among recent generations. Compact digital cameras, retro consoles or cassettes reappear in second-hand stores or in TikTok videos where the young people who use them have not witnessed their birth or their rise. Nostalgia or novelty? The “return” or growing interest in vintage technology could be explained as a new wave of nostalgia. Alvaro Soler, sociologist and disseminator in social networksspeaks of a “retro utopia”: an idealized look capable of commercializing aesthetics and products from the past. “May we consume again retro technology “It has to do with the consumption of retro culture,” he explains, giving as an example the success of series like Stranger Thingswhich “make us go back to the 80’s, with consoles and arcade games, but also with fashion, music…”. In this way, Soler explains the market’s ability to take advantage of previous designs or products and present them as something attractive and desirable again. This is precisely one of the nuances that explains the return of retro from places beyond nostalgia. Although some of these devices do awaken memories and have a nostalgic connotation for those who grew up with them, not all the young people who recover them today have used them. In fact, many of them become familiar with these devices through social networks. Soler attributes to these platforms the power that classic advertising had before. They also come into play influencerswhom Soler defines as “figures of success or in whom you have to see yourself reflected.” In many cases, he adds, a large part of their identity is built through what they consume and display. This makes those who follow them more likely to be interested in or consume what they show in their profiles, including vintage technology. Thus, although many young people have not grown up with these devices, they can become desirable objectsassociated with an aesthetic or a way of being in the world. What for some is nostalgia, for others becomes a new necessity. This is the case of Lara, a young woman – who prefers to keep her identity private – who is fond of analog cameras from the 70s (like the Zenit). Although he did not experience either the arrival or the rise of these devices, he confesses in conversation with Xataka find something “unique” about them that attracts you. A camera not to scroll The return of this type of technology also has another reading. For Claudia Pradas, psychologist and disseminator on social networksin a young population overexposed to constant stimuli, screens and immediate rewards, “a more limited technology can be psychologically attractive” because “it reduces the load.” Compared to the mobile phone, which is at the same time a camera, console and music player, these devices have a single functiona restriction that can feel like a relief. “We are constantly exposed to super-overloaded technology that can fatigue us,” he explains, while these devices “can promote relaxation or deactivation of the nervous system, generating well-being.” Therefore, instead of interpreting this boom as a rejection of the new, Pradas proposes reading it as a search for alternatives: devices that allow us to continue using technology but at a different pace. The type of experience they offer also influences. “Old” devices force a more physical relationship that moves away from using the smartphone: insert a cartridge, rewind, press buttons, print a photo… For Pradas, that tactile dimension is key. In a context of digital saturation, “a sensory experience beyond the visual and auditory can help us become more rooted in the present.” Sociologist Soler agrees that the search for disconnection is one of the factors behind this return to previous technologies. Many of these retro consoles, he explains, they do not depend on the internet: they allow you to continue using digital technology, but without constant connection or online services. Something similar happens with photographs. Uploading images to networks or storing them in the cloud does not generate the same relationship with memories as printing them and saving them in an album. On the Internet, he says, images can become more volatile, get lost among thousands of files or become diluted in the continuous flow of content. Instead, developing photos or physically preserving them creates another way of relating to time and memory, “more tangible and lasting.” In a context of hyperconnectivity, changing memories from the digital environment to the physical dimension can also function as a way to organize and preserve what we really want to remember. This power of disconnection is corroborated by Elena, a 23-year-old young woman whose playing with practically discontinued consoles evokes the same tranquility as “when you watch a movie you’ve seen 200 times”; The simplicity of these devices gives you the calm that current video games do not achieve. “Right now (video games) are like a movie, but before everything happened on a very small screen with drawings that could even be in black and white,” he points out. The simplicity and the imperfection that characterize old games—and that extends to the grain of a compact camera or the less clean sound of a vintage player—are part of their appeal. In the face of increasingly perfect and faster devices, these small failures or limitations are perceived almost as a mark of authenticity and humanity. “Old analog cameras have nothing to do with cell phone photographs. I don’t take photos with my cell phone because for me … Read more

Andalusia wants to recover the experience of its retired teachers, but sets one condition: that they do it for free

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The Junta de Andalucía has created a new figure in Spanish public education: emeritus collaborating teachers. The idea is that retired teachers They can rejoin training tasks in schools and institutes to share their experience with active teachers and students. The Board’s proposal It is collected under the Red Share Experience program and can mobilize up to 2,500 retirees a year throughout the community. There is a detail in this measure that has not gone unnoticed: the retired teachers who participate will do so completely voluntarily and will not charge anything, as indicated in the Decree 12/2026 It was approved by the Government Council on February 4, 2026 and has just come into force after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía. ​The objective: not to lose the experience. The Ministry of Educational Development and Vocational Training has presented This measure is considered “pioneer in Spain”, and its objective is to take advantage of the knowledge accumulated by teachers who have spent decades in the classrooms and put it at the service of centers that need it. In the standard, the Board defines the figure of emeritus collaborating teachers, retired teachers with a long teaching career who maintain their link with educational centers and carry out advisory, training and support tasks in complementary activities. The program has legal backing under the Andalusian Education Law of 2007, which in its article 23.4 already contemplated the possibility of retired teachers collaborating in libraries and support management teams. This new decree expands and regulates that framework for the first time. What requirements must be met to participate?. It is not enough to have been a teacher to participate in the project, a series of requirements are required. You must be retired for any reason other than permanent disability, be under 75 years of age when submitting the application and have worked for at least 15 years in public or subsidized non-university centers in Andalusia. Furthermore, you cannot have received a firm sanction for serious or very serious misconduct in the five years prior to retirement, nor have you been convicted of crimes against sexual freedom. A maximum limit of 2,500 places is set for the entire community for each annual call. a report of the UGT union of 2022 confirms that in Spain 34.5% of non-university teachers are over 50 years old, while in secondary school this percentage rises to 38.4%, which indicates that there will be a significant number of potential candidates for this project in the coming years. What they can do and what they are prohibited from doing. The decree that has just been published imposes a very clear red line from the beginning: the emeritus “will not occupy jobs or perform functions typical of active professors.” What they can do is accompany newly arrived teachersmentor intern students, energize the school library, organize talks and workshops, participate in innovation projects, guide students in their academic path or collaborate on the center’s social networks and publications, among other activities. However, although they do not receive a salary for their contribution, the emeritus do have some compensation. The Board guarantees them insurance that covers accidents, illness and civil liability. At the end of each course they will receive an official certification and will have free access to cultural institutions under the same conditions as active teachers. How and when to apply for a place. The program works through two methods of incorporation. On the one hand, there is the open route that allows retired teachers to present a project that any center in Andalusia can incorporate if interested. The concrete route, on the other hand, is designed for those who want to collaborate with a specific school or institute. In both cases, the project must fit into the center’s plan and have the prior approval of the Teaching Staff and the School Council. If there are more candidates than places available in a single center, the tiebreaker is resolved in order of seniority in that center or in the teaching staff. In Xataka | In Spain, those over 65 years of age are working like never before. It’s not passion for work: it’s for retirement age Image | Unsplash (Maxim Tolchinskiy)

On paper they look very similar, but experience tells a different story

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In the midst of the rise of streaming platforms, there are still many reasons to buy an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Xiaomi TV Box. You may want to convert an old TV into “Smart” or you simply want to try another way of consuming content on that screen. But deciding that you want to buy one of these devices is just the first step. The next, and perhaps the most important, is to choose which one best fits what you are looking for. As with any other category of technology products, the decision is not always easy. Several factors come into play that should be evaluated before investing our money. And this is where the Xataka team comes in: we like to try things so you don’t have to. Ana Boriawhich already has thoroughly analyzed devices like the Plaud Note Pro either various smart watcheshas decided this time to put his television to the test to clear up any doubts. Two ways to bring streaming to your television In this Versus, our partner compares the Amazon Fire Stick and the Xiaomi TV Box in key aspects such as image quality. “If we talk about image quality, both devices support content 4K at 60fps“, in addition to being compatible with HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision content,” he comments. And that’s where the interesting part begins. If the two share these specifications, the question almost arises by itself: are there really reasons to choose one over the other? Ana’s tests go further and also address an aspect that for many users can make a difference: the installation of applications. “Last year Amazon announced that it would begin blocking some unofficial applications and even the download of APKs,” he explains, pointing out a relevant difference between both proposals. Now, the situation may not be as clear-cut as it seems at first glance, and in the video you will find the keys to understanding what is happening. The analysis also focuses on other important sections such as the operating system, connectivity or gaming, a field that is increasingly gaining more weight in this type of devices. “With both devices I have been able to install the applicationsconnect the controls and play, but I have not had a perfect experience with both of them,” our colleague advances. If you want to discover which round each device won, which ended up winning in this Versus and what conclusions Ana drew after testing them thoroughly, we invite you to watch the video that we have just published on our YouTube channel. And, as always, we’d love to read from you in the comments: your feedback helps us continue fine-tuning our testing and also inspires future analysis. Images | Xataka In Xataka | Netflix spends 17 billion on producing content and YouTube does it for free. And that’s why YouTube is winning the game

Generation Z is prioritizing “experience” leisure based on word of mouth

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Bars with decorations set in Disney movies, establishments inspired by the 80s, cafes where you can have a snack with adoptable cats. The offer to go out is increasingly specific, more themed, more designed to surprise. In a country wheremeet for a drink“is part of the social DNA, bars have historically been much more than places of consumption: they have been meeting points where we celebrate and catch up. And this ritual has not disappeared. The study Socialization trends and habits points out that bars, restaurants or cafes are the preferred places to socialize for 79% of Spaniards. A figure that places us above the European average: 63% choose to go to bars compared to 48% of Europeans. This preference also translates into a numerical reality. According to INE dataIn Spain there are more than 163,000 drinking establishments – bars, cafes or pubs – which is approximately one establishment for every 290 inhabitants. That is to say: we continue going out, we continue choosing the bar, but something is changing. Because although the habit remains, the way of deciding and living it responds to new logic. “Youth leisure has been reconfigured” Ana, 29 years old—one of the young women who agreed to speak with Xataka preserving his identity—he acknowledges that he rarely goes to “regular bars,” in fact they make him “quite lazy.” He believes that today the new generations tend to prefer a type of leisure that is far from what their parents could have: “In my group of friends (and in general) I see that we go less and less to traditional bars or restaurants and we prefer slightly different places, or even chains.” Raquel, 22, doesn’t usually go to “normal” bars either. And although if you have friends who have a “neighborhood bar” specifically as a “meeting point”, he understands that new generations are attracted to “different” plans: “For example, I saw a place where you make the pizza yourself, they help you make it and then you eat it. That cannot compete with a restaurant or a bar.” For Alejandro MonteroHealth Psychologist and disseminator in social networksyoung people seem to “prioritize experiences that are memorable beyond a habitual pattern of socialization, as could be seen in other generations.” He comments how before the “most frequent and most accessible plan could be going to a bar”, but today there is a “variability” – from jazz shows among hundreds of candles and workshops to paint a picture while drinking wine, to restaurants themed in Harry Potter – that “influences the choice of the leisure plan.” For Raquel, for example, it is increasingly important that the places where she stays be “pretty”something that does not usually fit with traditional bars: “I would tell you that 90% of traditional bars are not pretty (…) I prefer it to be pretty to look at, better than the typical bar with the steel bar.” In this sense, he understands that his generation is “bored” of having a coffee “where they always do” and prefers to go to places where you can “paint your own cup while having a snack.” The coffee, better specialty. In this context, Esther Clavero Mira, doctor in sociology, warns of the danger of “falling into the temptation of thinking that any time in the past was betteras Jorge Manrique wrote.” She talks about how nostalgia can evoke “crowded discos” or “endless bars” that we no longer see today, and because of that “mental album” we can think that young people no longer go out. However, the psychologist believes that “youthful leisure has not disappeared, it has been reconfigured.” The hospitality sector is also aware of this change. Juanjo Cuevas, who has been dedicated to the hospitality industry for more than 15 years, believes that “the future of traditional bars is complicated.” Run a irish pub in Arganzuela, The Towerswhich he himself places “between the neighborhood bar and the theme bar.” “Irish pubs were set up as themed, but not in the same sense as now,” he clarifies. This intermediate position, he explains, also allows him to attract young people, something that, he believes, other more traditional bars have increasingly difficult to do. He sees how more and more young people are opting for themed establishments and leaving the usual businesses in the background. In addition, along with other colleagues, he has detected a change in consumer habits. “They have stopped going to eat. Young people don’t eat in a normal bar,” he says. He explains that they do still go down to have a drink—“beers or wines under their house”—but that when it comes to sitting down to eat the profile is different: “Here the few that come are from nearby companies, offices or neighbors, but young people come to eat, nothing. And the same thing happens to the bars and restaurants in the area, they go mainly retirees and workers.” Social networks, the new “word of mouth” Irene, a 26-year-old young woman, is sure that new generations are more inclined towards experiences, and attributes a “fundamental” role to social networks: “Everything is spread through them. Thanks to social networks I have discovered a lot of plans that I would never have discovered on my own.” For Elena, 27 years old, these platforms are a “great source of information” to obtain “recommendations, compare and see opinions…”. This shows that the change in the type of leisure also affects how it is organized, discovered or decided: “Social networks are the new word of mouth,” explains Ana. Alcohol, better with experiences. According to Montero, in 2024 68% of young people At the national level, they reported the daily use of social networks, something that “affects the way they relate to each other.” They not only influence the accessibility and knowledge of new experiences, but also the construction of a public identity: what we decide to show and share with others. In this search for a “life narrative”, social networks offer young people infinite possibilities to fill their lives with … Read more

Participate in our raffle and get two double Experience VIP tickets for the great technology event in Seville

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In just a few days (March 19 and 20) the first edition of CTx Tech in Seville, a great technology, innovation and talent event with more than 400 hours of content that will welcome more than 15,000 attendees. Xataka is the official Media Partner of the event and, to celebrate, we are going to raffle two double Experience VIP tickets for two people and their respective companions. These tickets, valued at 180 euros each, will allow you to make the most of the event and access everything, from the themed hubs to the VIP terrace, including premium and exclusive areas. To be precise, this is all it includes: Full access to the venue during both days. Innovation HUB (thematic agoras, tech, entrepreneurship and innovation). Public & Social HUB (Auditorium of institutional contents). ADA Auditorium with great speakers and star content. General networking within the CTx ecosystem. Access to Investment Hub Thematic Auditorium (investment, AI, tech). VIP terrace with exclusive service. Premium visibility area to the ADA Auditorium. High-level networking with strategic profiles. As is obvious, it is a great opportunity for both technology lovers, entrepreneurs and professionals. And to add something else, on March 19 at 8:40 p.m. in the ADA Auditorium you can attend, if you wish, the live recording of a special program of Infinite Loop with Javier Lacort and Antonio Ortiz, founder of Xataka and co-presenter of Stochastic Monkeys. How to get two double VIP tickets for CTx Tech Image | CTx Tech Participating in the raffle is extremely simple: you simply have to sign up at this form by entering your name, surname and email. It is important to verify that it is written correctly, since it will be that email that we write to in the event of winning. The deadline to participate will end next Tuesday, March 17, at 9:00 Spanish peninsular time. The winners will be chosen at random through EasyPromos, they will receive an email informing them that they have won and must confirm their attendance within 24 hours. If they do not confirm attendance within this period, the tickets will be distributed to the substitutes also chosen at random. To win, in addition to registering correctly on the draw website, you must be of legal age and resident in Spain. There is no geographical limitationso residents of the peninsula, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla will be eligible for tickets. It should be noted that the prize is two double VIP Experience tickets, but travel, accommodation and per diem expenses are not included. That will be in the hands of the attendees. For more details about the procedure you can consult the legal bases of the draw. Images | CTx Tech More information and registration | CTx Tech

Your experience at Xataka goes up a level with exclusive newsletters, raffles, El Consultorio and more

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Xataka was born in 2004 as a blog for technology fans, and boy has it rained since then. Cell phones were not from that time smartphonesMP3 players were the fashionable devices and I don’t think anyone, not even us, imagined everything that was going to come next. But there is something that has not changed since then: the support we have received all these years from all of you, our xatakeros and xatakeras. Today I want to tell you what the next step is for Xataka, something we have been working on for almost more than a year. Today we announce the arrival of Xataka Xtraa new subscription community with which we want to offer a much more direct relationship between the public and the editorial staff, in addition to including some advantages that we think may interest you. But before going on to detail what Xataka Xtra is, I’m going to skip all the style rules and explain to you what it is not: It’s not a paywall. I want to make this clear from the beginning. Xataka Xtra It is, as its name suggests, an “extra.” A way that we propose to support all of us who make this medium. But the usual Xataka experience does not change: everyone will be able to continue enjoying our open content as before. Xtra is an “plus” for those who want to support us and go a little further. And yes, under subscription. We are aware of “subscription fatigue”, ourselves we have talked about her. In an increasingly hostile environment for those of us who create content for the web, initiatives like this allow us to continue doing what we do and, in the process, thank you for your support through different advantages. Our priority has been to design a value experience while keeping the price as low as possible: at Xataka Xtra you can support us for what a coffee costs each month. We want to continue making content made by humans and for humans. Made by us for you. And we want to maintain a closer and more exclusive relationship with our xatakeros and xatakeras, something that on a large scale today is practically impossible but that we do believe we can achieve with the Xtra Community. And now, let’s explain what it includes Xataka Xtra. What advantages does Xataka Xtra include? Three exclusive newsletters: Chip War (weekly, every Monday): The semiconductor industry is the technological, economic and geopolitical battlefield of our time. Every week we analyze what is happening in the race for chips: from the tensions between the United States and China to the decisions of TSMC, Intel, SK Hynix or Samsung that will determine who leads the next decade. Next X (biweekly, every other Thursday): Biweekly analysis of the trends in technology and science that are changing the present and will define the future: AI, quantum computing, biotechnology, space exploration. Context and perspective on where we are going and why it matters. B-sides (weekly, every Saturday): Five curious and fascinating readings each week. Strange, counterintuitive or unexpected stories that we find on the Internet and that deserve your attention. From industrial accidents that changed the world to surprising scientific research or absurdities of late capitalism. Close and direct relationship with the Xataka team: Exclusive community on Discord: access to our Discord server, only for the Xtra Community. The office: We resolve your doubts with preferential treatment and you will have a direct line with the entire team. Available via email or on Discord. Write to us with your query and our team of editors will try to provide the best solution. Monthly video Q&A with the Xataka team: We provide the team that attends, you set the agenda and what you want to talk about. Giveaways and exclusive benefits Raffles and discounts. Just by being Xtra members you will participate in exclusive draws and have special discounts. And pay attention because very interesting products are coming up to be raffled off. Today we announced the first: a 75-inch LG TV. Advantages and offers with our partners. At launch we will have the following: Nextory: Extended free trial for 45 days. NordVPN: 3 months free for 1 and 2 year plans. NordPass: 10% discount for 1 and 2 year plans. Saily: 10% discount on new hires. Other benefits Xataka Xtra badge in the user profile. It will be seen when an Xtra user comments and on their profile. Ad-free option: For those who want to browse without advertising banners, there is also an option. And this is the beginning: we want to take advantage of the creation of this Xtra Community so that you can tell us what things you miss and would love for us to add. We will design the future of Xataka Xtra together. How much does it cost and available versions Xataka Xtra It is available in monthly subscription mode and annual mode. Signing up is easy, with a couple of clicks, and unsubscribing is equally simple: just by clicking the corresponding button in your Xtra area. The available plans are the following: Monthly plan: 4 euros per month (2 euros per month in introductory offer) Annual plan: 30 euros a year (15 euros per year in introductory offer) Annual plan without ads: 60 euros a year (30 euros per year in introductory offer) For all those who sign up with the introductory offer, the 50% discount remains as long as they do not cancel or change their subscription. As you can see, we have included the possibility of contracting a plan that eliminates all banners from the website and makes reading easier. This has been an addition that we have included based on your feedback, since it was one of the most requested features. Thank you, really and this is Xataka Xtraat least for now, since as I mentioned, the idea is that this fluid relationship with the Xtra Community helps us find other interesting ideas that you may like to … Read more

Science is on the verge of achieving something that would end our human experience as we knew it: suffering

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The Holy Grail of modern pain medicine has always been the same: achieving the analgesic power of morphine without its side effects such as respiratory depression, addiction or tolerance. And although until now it seemed impossible, one study has suggested that the key is not to ‘numb’ the body, but to ‘attack’ the way the brain processes suffering. The study. A team led by Gregory Corder of the University of Pennsylvania has developed a gene therapy that acts as a “switch” for chronic pain. What is revolutionary is not just that it works, but how it does it: it eliminates the emotional distress of pain without erasing the protective physical sensation, keeping the patient safe but free from suffering. The problem is not feeling, it is suffering. Pain has two very clear components: one that is sensory, which is necessary to human survival (as it is to withdraw the hand when we get burned), and the other is the affective or the emotional. This second is what generates the feeling of constant suffering that can destroy the quality of life of a patient who lives with chronic pain or neuropathic pain that affects the nervous system, such as the hated ‘sciatica’. According to the study, titled, the researchers identified a specific group of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). These neurons are sensitive to opioids and are responsible for encoding the “unpleasantness” of pain, and this is where they have tried to attack, but surgically and without pills. The tool used. The scientists used a tool known as DREADD (Designer Receptors Activated Exclusively by Designer Drugs). To do this, through a viral vector, they inserted synthetic receptors specifically into the cingulate cortex neurons of mice with neuropathic pain. From there, they administered a drug that has no effect called DCZ. This compound, despite not doing anything to the body in mice, acts as a key that “turns off” the neurons that have been modified in their brain in a very specific way. The result. The chronic pain behavior disappeared and they began to act like completely healthy animals. However, when exposed to an acute thermal stimulus, they were able to withdraw their paw. In this way, his survival system was working, but his anxiety system was completely turned off. The AI ​​that reads pain. One of the biggest challenges in pain research is that mice can’t tell us “it hurts a 7 out of 10,” which is why scientists classically relied on biased tests. But this is over thanks to an AI called LUPEwhich is a Deep Learning platform and has the ability to analyze hundreds of hours of video of mice moving freely. But what is relevant here is that it has the ability to detect spontaneous micro-behaviors associated with pain that the human eye would miss. Thanks to LUPE, the team was able to objectively confirm that the pain relief was real and not an error of human interpretation. The opioid crisis. The most promising thing about the study published a few days ago is the security profile. Unlike morphine, which generates tolerance, that is, more and more doses of medication are needed to have an effect, and addiction, this gene therapy is completely the opposite. In this way, it does not generate addiction, meaning that the mouse does not have to seek a higher dose to maintain that sensation and the effect remained stable. The arrival of humans. Although the success in mice is resounding, the jump to humans is complex, since we are really different and requires many more safety studies. However, the path is set. The team is already planning the next steps towards clinical trials, although it is something that may take many years to become a reality in our daily lives. Images | Sasun Bughdaryan In Xataka | We have accepted that sport is “medicine” for the body. Now science is discovering its side effects

Being over 55 years old does not only mean having work experience. Now it is also synonymous with being unemployed

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Labor market and demographics are two closely linked factors in which changes in one affect the other. Demographic aging is not only affecting the generational changebut is also generating an unprecedented change: for the first time in historical series, unemployment among those over 55 years of age exceeds that of the population between 25 and 54 years of age. Furthermore, the main difference is that reintegration into labor market for those over 55 years of age It does not occur in the same terms as in the younger segment of the population. This reversal of the historical pattern comes at the height of demographic aging, just when people are asking to work longer to support the pension system. A historic “sorpasso” in the senior unemployment. Historically, people aged 55 years or older registered less unemployment than the rest of younger workers, to the point that in 1994 their unemployment rate for this segment of the population was 9.2 points (11.7%) below that of the group of 25 to 54 years old (20.9%). This favorable gap has been progressively reduced until it disappears in 2023, at which point the differential became negative for senior workers. As stated in the study prepared by the BBVA and IVIE Foundation, in 2025, the “sorpasso” no longer leaves room for doubt and the average unemployment rate for those over 55 years of age reaches 9.8%, compared to the 9.4% unemployment rate registered for people between 25 and 54 years of age. This change occurs in a context of general improvement in employment in Spainwhich indicates a very notable relative worsening of the position of seniors within the labor market. That is, more is hired, but People over 55 years of age are not hired.. More time unemployed. As the BBVA Foundation report reveals, the problem is not only how many people over 55 years of age are unemployed, but also their duration of unemployment. it has been lengthening to the same extent that the gap with those under 55 years of age was reduced. “Their labor insertion is complicated, with longer periods of unemployment, fewer job opportunities and lower quality jobs,” the report points out. The data indicates that 57.9% of unemployed people aged 55 or over are long-term unemployed, having been unemployed for more than a year. looking for a job without finding it. This percentage contrasts with 36.1% among unemployed people aged 25 to 54 and 17.8% among young people aged 16 to 24. When they return they do so with worse conditions.. When these employees manage to re-engage in the labor market, they do so in much more fragile conditions than those they had. Among employees aged 55 or over with less than a year of seniority, that is, they have just joined a company, 52.6% have a temporary contract, 10% are in precarious employment with contracts of up to three months and 4.5% are permanently discontinued. On the other hand, among those employees over 55 years of age who have been in the same company for more than 25 years, temporary employment falls to 2%, there is hardly any precarious employment and discontinuous permanent employment is reduced to 2.4%. They return, but to worse jobs. According to the authors of the report, the differences are also noticeable in the type of occupations they enter after the period of unemployment. Among senior workers with more than 25 years of seniority who maintain their jobs, management, management or highly qualified occupations represent 45.6% of the total, while basic jobs only represent 7%. However, among older people who have just gotten a new job, only 15.6% occupy highly qualified positions and 29.4% end up in elementary occupations. This pattern is even worse than that of younger workers in the same situation: among those aged 25 to 54 who have just started a job, high-skilled occupations reach 29.1%, while basic occupations account for 20%. For the 16 to 24 year old group, these percentages are 27% and 15.5%, respectively. More dissatisfaction. Changing to a job with worse conditions also leads to an increase in job satisfaction for this segment of the active population, which, according to encrypts the studyrecords that 21.5% of newly employed seniors want to change their schedule and 16.4% continue looking for another job despite having found one, compared to 0.8% of their peers who have kept their job. In terms of salaries, the data paint a similar reality. The study by the BBVA and IVIE Foundation shows that the average annual salary of those over 55 years of age is 30,038 euros, above the 26,855 euros of the group between 25 and 54 years of age. But when the focus is placed on newly hired people over 55 years of age, their salary drops to 19,558 euros, slightly below the 19,837 euros earned by those aged 25 to 54 in the same situation and far from the 40,520 euros of senior workers who have not had their careers interrupted. In Xataka | 47% of the unemployed in Spain are over 50 years old. The problem is that many will not return to work until they retire. Image | Unsplash (guven karakoc)

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