finally

Women consistently sleep worse than men. And science has finally discovered why it is

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For years we have been able to have a perception in many homes: the women tend to sleep worse, wake up more and feel more tired than men. This is something that for a long time has been dismissed as a subjective perception, but Science has now wanted to close the debate, pointing out that it is not only a perception, but that there is a gender gap documented. The data. The Global Sleep Survey 2025carried out on a massive sample of more than 30,000 people in 13 countries, has produced a key figure: 38% of women have problems falling asleep more than three times a week, compared to 29% of men. Something that in Spain is not a very different situation, since according to the cross-sectional studies recently published in Naturewomen have much higher scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), indicating worse subjective quality. In this way, while 44.6% of Spanish women report poor sleep quality, in men the figure drops to 30.1%. A paradox. Tests with motion sensors suggest that women sometimes have higher “sleep efficiency” on paper, but it is perceived as greater exhaustion. The person responsible for this is the sleep fragmentationwhich is related to constant waking up or even in mothers due to having to get up to care for a baby, for example. The hormonal factor. It is undoubtedly one of the big differences that exist between men and women, since estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate drastically during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy or menopause. In the specific case of menopause it can be seen as a drop in the level of estrogen, in addition to produce alterations in bone formationalso increases the immediate degradation of rest. The data indicates that 51% of the Menopausal women suffer from sleep disordersshown a big difference: 44% of women in this stage report serious problems compared to 33% of non-menopausal women. If we go to pregnancywe see something similar with physical (from discomfort) and hormonal disruptions that create a pattern of alertness that often doesn’t fully recover until years after childbirth. The mental load. Beyond the hormonal load, the social factor is, perhaps, the most difficult to correct. One of the most important is the role that women have in many cases regarding the care of other people. According to the data compiled by the University of Michigan and diverse reviews on BMJ Openemployed women wake up twice as often as their partners to care for children or dependent relatives, even when they are the main breadwinners of the home. This “caretaker” role keeps the brain in an “alert” situation, making it attentive to whether a baby cries at night or a dependent family member has any need. This causes 76% of caregivers to report poor sleep quality.since the brain cannot unconsciously disconnect to monitor the well-being of the environment. Its consequences. Poor sleep not only means being tired the next day, but also has more serious clinical consequences. One of the most important is the increase in the probability of having a metabolic diseasesuch as diabetes. In addition, it increases accelerated cognitive deterioration and causes an increase in anxiety and depression disorders. And what is interesting in this case is that the female brain in sleep deprivation is more vulnerable to emotional dysregulation. The solution. The scientific community, from the Sleep Research Institute (IIS) to publications in Frontiers in Psychiatryagrees that it is not enough to increase “sleep hygiene” by leaving your cell phone before going to sleep, for example. It mainly aims at social therapy, making changes in the structure of the home that avoid fragmentation of sleep by getting up to take care of someone, for example. But logically, if you are in a perimenopause situation, you should also choose to go to the doctor to receive pharmacological treatment whenever there is significant hormonal deregulation. Images | Slaapwijsheid.nl In Xataka | If you fall asleep in less than five minutes, you don’t have a “superpower”: it’s a warning signal from your brain

Europe has finally approved how to help Ukraine. The great paradox is that the most unexpected vote has been imposed: that of Russia

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Europe has finally closed an agreement to guarantee financing for Ukraine for the next two years through a loan of 90,000 million of euros backed by the common budget of the Union, a decision taken after more than 16 hours of negotiations in Brussels and under explicit pressure to avoid a financial collapse of kyiv at the beginning of 2026. In the background, a crystal clear idea: Russia has imposed its “vote”. The lifeguard and a pulse. The pact comes at a particularly delicate moment, with the United States and Russia advancing conversations parallels about a possible end to the war and with Trump publicly urging Ukraine to accept a quick agreement. For European leaders, the loan is not just an economic instrument, but a way to reaffirm that the EU wants and needs to have its own voice in any outcome of the most serious conflict experienced on the continent in the last eight decades. The political message is clear: Europe cannot stand by while others decide the future of Ukraine and, by extension, its own security. The failure of the ideal plan. For months, Brussels’ preferred option was to use the fences of 210,000 million euros in Russian sovereign assets frozen in Europe as collateral for a large “reparations” loan for Ukraine, a formula that made it possible to finance the war effort and the functioning of the Ukrainian state without directly resorting to European taxpayers’ money. The idea was powerful, both economically as symbolically: that Russia would pay, at least indirectly, for the destruction caused by its invasion. However, the plan fell apart at the last moment, a victim of the legal, financial and political risks involved in touching that capital, above all and as we told yesterdayfor a handful of countries. Russia, in fact, has already initiated legal action denouncing an illegal confiscation, and fear of economic or judicial reprisals grew as the decisive summit approached. Bucha and the passing of the war A pragmatic agreement. Faced with the impossibility of closing ranks around the use of frozen assets, France and Italy led a more pragmatic alternative: use the common EU budget to issue debt on the markets and channel the funds to Ukraine. The result is a two year loan which guarantees immediate liquidity to kyiv, although it is more expensive and less scalable than the original option. To achieve consensus, a complex political architecture was also accepted: Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic will not assume obligations direct financial measures, a key condition to avoid an internal blockage. Still, the agreement was presented as a minimal but necessary victory. Ukraine gets the money it needs to survive and Europe avoids a picture of total paralysis at a critical moment. The resilience narrative. From kyiv, Zelenskiy celebrated the agreement as a real reinforcement of Ukrainian resilience, underscoring both the arrival of funds and the fact that Russian assets remain tied up. For the Ukrainian president, the combination it is essential: short-term financial security and sustained strategic pressure on Moscow. Zelenskiy had defended the use of frozen assets until the last moment, appealing to moral, legal and historical justice criteria, but he accepted the compromise. like a lesser evil facing the existential risk of running out of resources. The EU, for its part, insists that Ukraine will only have to repay the loan when Russia pays reparationsa formula that keeps the narrative of Russian responsibility alive without yet crossing the line of direct confiscation. Belgium and type C accounts. It we explained yesterday. In the background of the agreement there was a key actor: Belgium. Most of the Russian money frozen in Europe is there, guarded through critical financial infrastructure like Euroclear and linked to mechanisms such as called type C accountsdesigned precisely to immobilize assets without transferring ownership. Brussels demanded “unlimited” guarantees against possible Russian demands and retaliation, a level of protection that the rest of the partners were not willing to assume. The final result, although presented as a European commitment, essentially coincides with what was best for Moscow: that its sovereign capital not be confiscated or used as direct collateral. Russia loses access to the money, but retains the fundamental principle that these funds remain formally its own, avoiding a far-reaching legal precedent. If you also want, indirectly, Europe has chosen the safest path for itself and, at the same time, the least disruptive for the Kremlin. Europe and its limitations. So things are, the agreement leaves an ambivalent feeling. On the one hand, it shows that the EU is capable of mobilizing massive resources to support Ukraine and prevent its financial collapse in the middle of the war. On the other hand, it exposes again structural limitations of the European project when it comes to quick and risky decisions in foreign policy and security. The plan based on Russian assets promised to be more forceful and transformative, and the loan backed by the common budget is more conservativeslower and more politically comfortable. In a context in which Washington presses for an agreement and Russia hopes to buy time, Europe has chosen legal stability and internal cohesion over a direct financial confrontation with Moscow. Ukraine thus receives the oxygen it needs. The strategic pulse, however, is far from resolved. Image | RawPixel In Xataka | Ukraine’s biggest problem is not Russia. There are three European countries trapped in a perverse mechanism: type C accounts In Xataka | A Soviet missile is destroying Ukraine’s helicopters. The paradox is that it is not from Russia: it comes from the West

If there is finally peace in Ukraine, Russia has a surprise for the rest of Europe

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The talks in Berlin have revived the idea of ​​an agreement to end the war in Ukraine like never before, to the point that Donald Trump has assured that peace is “closer than ever” after prolonged contacts with both European leaders and Vladimir Putin. If this horizon occurs, Finland has just sounded the alarm. The peace that appears. The United States has put on the table a plan that, according to its own negotiators, would solve around 90% of friction points and that includes a ceasefire supervised by Washington, security guarantees powerful and a central role for Europe in the stabilization of the country. kyiv admits real progressalthough he emphasizes that the territorial issue remains the most painful core of the negotiation, with Russia demanding concessions in the Donbas that Ukraine is reluctant to accept. Still, the general tone is contained optimismwith the feeling that, for the first time since 2022, there is a minimally viable political architecture to stop the fighting. Security guarantees. The key element of the plan is a package of security guarantees described by US officials as the most robust ever offered to Ukraine, with explicit parallels to NATO’s Article 5. Europe is ready to lead a multinational force on the ground, a “coalition of the willing” that would help regenerate the Ukrainian armed forces, protect its airspace and guarantee maritime security, always with political and operational support from the United States, although no US troops deployed in Ukraine. Furthermore, Washington would assume supervision of a ceasefire and an early warning system for possible violations, while European countries would legally commit to act in the event of new aggression. For kyiv, these guarantees are the essential condition to accept any freezing of the conflict, even leaving aspirations such as membership in NATO on hold, something that Zelenskiy has come to openly raise. The hidden price of peace. However, beneath this apparent diplomatic advance lies growing unrest on Europe’s eastern flank. Finland has issued a warning as clear as it is uncomfortable: peace in Ukraine will not mean the end of the Russian threat, but very likely its geographical displacement. According to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Moscow would take advantage of the end of hostilities to redeploy forces towards NATO’s borders, especially in the Baltic and northern Europe, strengthening its posture vis-à-vis the Alliance in a period of just three to five years. From Helsinki, it is insisted that Russia would continue to be a revisionist power and that interpreting peace as a general de-escalation would be a strategic error of the first order. The eastern flank prepares. The most exposed countries already act accordingly. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are on track to spend more than 5% of its GDP in defense, well above the traditional objectives of NATO, while coordinate common capabilities in air defense, drones and ground forces, and are working to accelerate the movement of troops and weapons across the continent. Finland, with its historical culture of preparation against Russia, maintains bunkers, strategic reserves and training programs civil, despite going through a serious economic crisis. These countries fear that a peace agreement will lead some European partners, further away from the front, to relax their attention and their military spending just when, in their opinion, the threat would be reconfiguring and not disappearing. Europe and a decision. The debate comes in a critical week for the European Union, forced to decide whether to support financially to Ukraine in the long term, unlocks the use of frozen Russian assets and assumes that your future security It depends less on Washington and more on its own deterrence capabilities. Orpo has been explicit by warning that Europe cannot afford to just talk about peace, but must act quickly and resourcefully, because there is no credible alternative plan if support for kyiv fails. Thus, the paradox is strongly imposed: the advance towards peace in Ukrainefar from closing the chapter on European security, could open another equally delicatein which Russia, freed from the Ukrainian front, once again strains the continental chessboard and forces Europe to finally face the strategic consequences of a conflict that never was only from Ukraine. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | Something unprecedented has happened in North Korea: a video has revealed that they are sending their soldiers in Ukraine to the “slaughterhouse” In Xataka | The drone war in Ukraine is complete nonsense: the manuals that were useful two weeks ago are a death trap today

After years of searching, I have finally found the perfect Weather app for Android. And he just received superpowers

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If the question is how many weather apps do we have available on Android, the answer is “yes”. This is great because we have a lot to choose from, the problem is precisely that: there are so many that finding the one that is perfect for me seemed like a utopia. I finally found it and To my surprise, it’s from Google. Its problem, and because of how long it took me to discover it, is that it is a bit hidden. The weather app that Google doesn’t want you to use I’m not talking about the classic Google weather app that comes pre-installed on many Androids, but about the other Google weather app, one that It is only on the Google Pixel and what I discovered thanks to my colleagues from Xataka Android. The app is called ‘Pixel Weather’ or, in Spanish, ‘Pixel Weather’. It premiered with the Pixel 9 in 2024 and remains exclusive to Google mobile phones. That means that if you try to install it from the Play Storeit will tell you that “none of your devices are compatible.” But don’t despair, you can have it on any Android thanks to the installation via APK. However, remember that there are risks and download it only on reference portals like APKMirror. An exquisite and very functional design Pixel Weather has the design you would expect from a Pixel-only app. I really like the Material You interface because it is very clean and clear; Even in apps with many features like this one, it makes all the elements look super clear and conveys a feeling of simplicity. The interface is beautiful On the home screen we have the very large temperature and below it the different blocks with information such as the hourly forecast or the forecast up to 10 days. Below we have more information, all with a design reminiscent of a panel of widgets of different sizes. The good thing about Pixel Weather and why it has conquered me is because It is completely customizable. Do you prefer to have higher wind speeds? No problem, just hold down on the block you want to move and drag it to the new position. The only thing you won’t be able to move is the hourly forecast, which always remains fixed at the top, but everything else can be moved freely. We can move all the blocks as if we were arranging the home screen icons. Sliding down we have more widgets with different designs, such as the UV index one that is shaped like a sun or the humidity percentage widget that simulates being full of water. I also like it because at first glance it seems like a very simple app, but in reality it has much more information; By clicking on each of these widgets we obtain the hourly forecast about the specific data we are consulting, such as wind speed or relative humidity. The two widgets available talking about widgetsthe app offers us two to add to the home screen. The smallest one only has the temperature and an icon of the weather status, while the large one gives us the hourly forecast and more details such as the thermal sensation. I especially like the small widget for its oval design. Now with the best Google model That the app is very beautiful and functional is very good, but if the data it offers is not accurate, it is not of much use. This is not the case with Pixel Weather, in the time I have been using it it has been correct in its rain forecasts with quite a bit of accuracy regarding the time, but it has also been a few days ago. Google DeepMind announced that they have integrated WeatherNext 2his AI weather prediction model more advanced. According to DeepMind, WeatherNext 2 generates forecasts up to eight times faster than the previous model and its accuracy is better in 99.9% of variables. The innovation is that it uses an FGN or ‘functional generative network’ that injects noise into the model to achieve forecasts that are physically realistic. They have also integrated it into Google search, Gemini and will soon be in Maps. Images | Amparo Babiloni, Xataka In Xataka | The most beautiful, exciting and hopeful thing about November has come out of England and it is a weather forecast

finally an AI gadget that doesn’t make me wonder why it’s not just an app

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When in Xataka They offered me to try the Plaud Note Promy reaction was predictable: “another AI gadget that can be an app.” For a couple of years we have been seeing technological gadgets that promise to change our lives thanks to AI, sometimes with terrible resultand in general being solutions in search of a problem. But the Note Pro surprised me. Not because he does magic, but precisely because he doesn’t try to do it. This design only makes sense when you have it in your hand The product photos are very deceiving with this device. On the screen it looks like any other piece of junk, just another aluminum rectangle. When you take it out of the box, the reaction is to say “how cool is this.” It is literally the size of a credit card and just 3 millimeters thick.. We are not talking about “fine to be an engraver”, but fine, period. It’s ridiculously fine. Here, next to the AirPods Pro case to size it better. Image: Xataka. The first thing you do is try to fold it, because your brain doesn’t process that something so thin can have four microphones, 64 GB of storage and battery for 30 hours of continuous recording. The brushed aluminum finish is impeccable, with the kind of quality that makes you think of Apple. And I say this as criticism and as a compliment: They are clear about who they are copying, and they do it extraordinarily well. Well, that’s ridiculously fine. And well finished. Image: Xataka. The less than one-inch AMOLED screen is a detail that seems superfluous until you use it. It is not to watch videos, but to confirm at a glance that you are recording, how much battery you have left, and if you have marked any highlight. Nothing more, nothing less. It is design with purpose, not ornamentation. The screen has its purpose beyond being an indicator of the remaining battery. Image: Xataka. The uncomfortable question: why not just use an app? This is where it gets interesting. Because yes, you have options like Otter.ai or the native recorder on your mobile with automatic transcription. They are free, or almost. They already live in your pocket. Why on earth would you want to spend $179 on a separate thing, plus a subscription that ranges from $20 a month to $250 a year? The honest answer is that for most people, it doesn’t make sense. If you record one meeting a month, use your mobile. If you need to transcribe from time to time, Otter is more than enough for you. But if you live in meetings, briefingsinterviews, calls with clients, presentations… the equation begins to change. The Note Pro frees you from cell phone dependenceand that is more valuable than it seems a priori. When you record with your cell phone, that cell phone is busy. On many occasions you cannot consult documents, take notes in parallel or respond to an urgent message. And above all, you can’t let it run out of battery just when you need it most. The Note Pro is a single function deviceand that specialization is its strength. It charges via magnetic pogo-pin connector. Image: Xataka. 🔌 Image: Xataka. The recording quality also makes a difference. The four MEMS microphones pick up voices up to five meters away with remarkable clarity, and the AI ​​processing to separate speakers works surprisingly well. In tests in meeting rooms with six people, it correctly identified each voice without the need for anyone to speak in ordered turns. Otter.ai on my mobile usually works great, but tends to mix voices if two people are talking at similar volumes. But let’s be clear: the gap is not abysmal. Modern apps also work well. The advantage of the Note Pro is cumulative, not punctual: better battery, better audio capture, a device that you can leave on the table without worrying about interrupting notifications, without anxiety in case someone calls in the middle of recording. And also, if you have an iPhone with MagSafe, there is a wallet with which you can stick the Plaud to it and even be able to record calls. The Plaud Note Pro inside your MagSafe wallet. Image: Xataka. Also here. Image: Xataka. The button highlight: small detail, big difference There is a feature that sounds trivial on paper but that in use I have found to be extraordinarily useful: the highlight. During a recording, if someone says something important, you press briefly and the system marks that moment. Not only to locate the fragment later, but for the AI ​​to prioritize that information in the summaries. Bright. I’ve tried this on long presentations and the difference is brutal. Without highlightsthe summary gives you a medley where what is important can be diluted between ramblings. With highlights strategic, the summary goes directly to the decisions, commitments, critical points. It’s an elegant way to guide AI without having to write prompts after. Kudos to whoever had this idea. The AI ​​behind it: powerful but expensive Hardware is only half of the equation. The magic happens in the Plaud app, which processes the recordings using models from Google, OpenAI or Anthropic. You can choose which model to use for each transcriptionwhich is a level of control I wasn’t expecting. When starting a transcription we can choose between automatic and personalized transcription. If we choose the second, we can even choose the model to use. And it already includes the recently released Gemini 3 (although in beta). Image: Xataka. The different views of a transcript: summary, geolocation and recognition of who the key person is (if introduced at the beginning), key points, thematic index and complete transcript. Image: Xataka. The transcription is excellent. Comparatively better than Google Meet or Zoom in my experience, although that may depend on accent and environment. What is really interesting are the summary templates: you have everything from meeting minutes to Q&A format for interviews, to class notes or … Read more

We have been fed up with spam calls for years and operators are finally going to do something: MasOrange will be the first

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We have talked about countless methods to try to deal with incessant spam calls; tricks to identify themas record them to be able to report… Operating systems have protections such as Google call filter and even The Government has promoted regulations to finish them off. It is striking that, given this panorama, we have not seen initiatives promoted by the operators themselves until now. MasOrange lays the first stone Image: MasOrange The operator has been the first to launch a tool to protect your customers from spam calls and fraudulent, it is a call filter that works directly on your network. To do this, MasOrange has teamed up with Hiya, a company specialized in caller identification using AI. The function It’s called ‘Visible Call’ and what it does is identify incoming calls suspected of fraud or spam. Through a notice on the screen, customers can decide whether to pick up or not. The functionality is free and will be activated on all terminals that have the function VoLTE. MasOrange’s proposal is very similar to other call filters such as Truecaller or the one that is integrated into the Android Phone app. The difference here is that it works directly on the network, so it will not be necessary to install any app. The first proposal to a problem that comes from afar The problem of spam calls is not something that started the day before yesterday; We have been suffering from them for years and it is not only about annoying business callsin recent years Telephone frauds have skyrocketed. The situation was such that we should have taken action on the matter much earlier. The operators They started blocking fraudulent calls and SMS this yearbut it was not on his own initiative, but as a consequence of the package of measures promoted by the Governmentwhich includes blocking calls from international origin and prohibition on making commercial calls using mobile numbers. According to an OCU survey from June of this year, 92% of respondents claimed to receive spam calls. This was before the new regulations came into force, but currently things are not looking much better. According to Facuaas of October of this year 4 out of 10 consumers continue to receive commercial calls. MasOrange brings its first proposal to a problem that, despite the obstacles, continues to find cracks through which to sneak through. Now the rest of the operators need to follow in their footsteps. Image | Pexelsedited In Xataka | Apple introduced the SPAM call filter as the star feature of iOS 26. It took me a week to deactivate it

We have been believing that bacteria are a weapon against tumors for 150 years. And finally we have discovered how

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In the fight against cancer, there are many treatments that are emerging, being the immunotherapy one of the most innovative, although there are also other alternatives such as based on LED light. Now therapies continue to advance and science is already pointing to a group of bacteria to be able to destroy tumors without depending on the immune response, opening a new era in oncological medicine. It’s not something new. The idea of ​​using bacteria to treat cancer is not new: already in 1868 the German doctor Busch observed that some cancer patients experienced remissions after bacterial infections. Later, William Colby developed bacteria-based treatments that they laid the foundation of modern immunotherapy. However, these traditional therapies require a functional immune system, which is a serious problem for patients who are immunocompromised due to cancer. The present. a study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering presented an innovative “drug-free” strategy that uses a group of bacteria to fight cancer, rescuing this old idea of ​​bacteria against cancer. This treatment has not only demonstrated powerful antitumor efficacy, but it has done so by achieving complete remission of the tumor and, most importantly, it has been maintained for years in mouse models, even in those who are immunosuppressed. The most relevant thing is that the fact that a bacteria helps us with this disease has been achieved without the need to use genetic engineering that alters your RNA. And also, without generating toxicity on the body. A priori they are all advantages. A bacterial duo. The protagonists of this therapy are a bacterial group called AUN, composed of two specific bacteria: Proteus mirabilis (nicknamed A-gyo) and Rhodopseudomonas palustris (UN-gyo). And although we may all have in mind that bacteria are bad for humans, the reality is that They help us (a lot) starting with all those that are in our intestine. When this bacterial duo was administered directly into the blood of tumor-bearing mice, the results were dramatic: complete tumor remission and prolonged survival. And it wasn’t magic. How does it work? It is the obligatory question after seeing the results of this study. The researchers explain that what these bacteria do in short is block the arrival of oxygen and nutrients to the tumors, which literally causes them to suffocate. And a tumor is nothing more than a set of cells that have an advanced metabolism. When taking away their food they end up dead. In essence, these bacteria can reach the tumor and enter its interior, as if it were a Trojan horse. Upon arrival, it causes very small blood clots to form and only in the blood vessels that go to the tumor. In this way, blood clots block the passage of blood and, therefore, its food source. Bacterial transformation. Bacteria are STILL not passive agents, but are dynamic actors that change their behavior when detecting cancer. In this way, the study observed that the A-gyo bacteria undergoes a “wonderful fibrous transformation.” This change is not random. It is specifically activated when the bacteria encounters “oncometabolites“, chemical signals emitted by cancer cells. This highly mobile form of “swarm”, together with the toxins and hemolysins secreted by the consortium, seems to be responsible for the tumor vascular destruction without affecting the rest of the healthy cells. A safe treatment. Using live bacteria as therapy may sound risky, but the study spends much of its time demonstrating the safety and control of AUN. The first thing that has been seen is that the bacterial strains have a unique non-pathogenic profile. Furthermore, to achieve a 100% complete response and avoid the lethality of a single high dose, the researchers developed a “double dose” regimen: a first injection at a low dose, followed days later by a high dose. The low dose “primes” the body, consuming aggressive neutrophils and mitigating the risk of severe cytokine release syndrome. Looking to the future. Although the experiments were performed in mice, the therapy was tested against human cancer cell lines in xenograft models. In this case, cells from human colon adenocarcinoma, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer were used. The results in this case were very clear: all the tumors tested successfully disappeared in the mouse models, without very serious side effects. In this way, we are faced with a therapy that does not require any type of drug a priori and that can be self-managed. The authors of the study point out that this approach can revolutionize cancer therapy, but there is still a long way to go. Images | CDC In Xataka | Colon cancers are increasing alarmingly among young people. We have a suspect: sedentary lifestyle

After a love-hate relationship with cinemas that has lasted for years, Netflix has finally decided what it wants them for

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Netflix finally seems to have assumed what its relationship with cinemas is: using theaters as promotion and as a way to create community with specific and very striking releases, which includes the theatrical release of the sumptuous ‘Frankenstein’ from Guillermo del Toro to the latest and highly anticipated episodes of ‘Stranger Things’. But although now there is complete calm, this relationship has gone through notable ups and downs: from the initial devotion and wanting to become a major of Hollywood to confront the old guard head-on, reaching this current middle ground that benefits both cinemas and the platform. Many moves. For more than a decade, Netflix has radically transformed the audiovisual industryfirst revolutionizing the home consumption model and then challenging traditional film distribution and exhibition systems. Currently, Netflix is ​​a giant available in more than 190 countries, with its own production that competes directly with the majors from Hollywood. And until reaching that point, Netflix has gone through very diverse stages: it tried to position itself as a conventional super-producer, there were controversies, triumphs at the Oscars, a certain cold phase of disagreement and, finally, a more pragmatic adoption of the theatrical space. Devotion and confrontation. In its first years of original production, Netflix wanted to play an important role within the conventional film industry. One of its first early milestones was the 2015 release of the film ‘Beasts of No Nation‘, both in selected rooms and on the platform itself. streaming. A bold move, since it involved challenging the traditional model of release windows that until then gave up an exclusive period of time in theaters before reaching other formats: Traditionally, this window could last between 90 and 180 days. The conflict begins. The powerful North American cinema chains and the most prestigious festivals began to openly reject Netflix moviessince they considered that the absence of a long theatrical window affected the overall profitability of the releases, and would end up damaging the theatrical experience. This situation led to public tensions given that Netflix excluded from some major film festivals for several years. Netflix he defended himself saying that their model prioritized the viewer’s experience at home and that they understood the theaters as a complement and not the core of their business. At the same time, it was generating more and more original production, of increasingly higher quality and budget. And COVID arrived. Netflix’s position backed by traveling companions like HBO (paradoxically, property of a majorWarner, which was beginning to see a clearer benefit in the streaming that in the rooms) had as its fruit a crisis of the film distribution model. The situation became particularly acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the decline in viewers, completely settled the streaming experience and gave rise to decisions that were, in a certain sense, the final straw for classic distribution: majors traditional companies such as Disney and Warner releasing blockbusters of the caliber of ‘Mulan’, ‘Black Widow’ or ‘Kong vs. Godzilla’ at the same time on their newborn platforms. streaming and the cinemas. Have a mania Significantly, in May of this same yearTed Sarandos, executive director of the platform, criticized the theatrical experience, which he defined as “outdated” and “restricted.” He stated that the long-running theatrical window, traditionally defended by cinema chains, is not compatible with their business model. And although Netflix recognizes the cultural value of theatrical cinema, for many of its releases, “streaming first” is what drives success and the construction of fandoms. Already then he stated that each film has a “tailored” strategy regarding its relationship with theaters, and that is what we are seeing now. Of course, without passing up the opportunity to say that Netflix is ​​not destroying Hollywood, but “saving” it. Change of strategy. In recent years, Netflix has begun to show an evolution in its strategy regarding movie theaters, adopting a more pragmatic approach. One of the milestones that mark this change, and which was already mentioned in the aforementioned interview with Sarandos, is the decision to make outstanding theatrical premieres for productions with a high potential for cultural and popular impact. Significant example: the premiere of the final season of “Stranger Things” in select theaters, a move that combines the platform’s drawing power with the community and promotional effect of the theatrical experience. Netflix knows well that the theaters are remnants of the past, but they still have an indisputable communal power of attraction: there are films that appeal to specific audiences and very juicy areas of the fandom, as was the case with ‘The K-pop Warriors’. This film was a milestone: the first Netflix title to reach number one at the US box office, which makes clear the company’s ability to use theaters not only as a traditional distribution channel, but as a space to amplify platform phenomena. Hybrid model. Netflix’s current strategy is a hybrid model: it combines the strength of streaming with the cultural and promotional value of the cinema experience. Instead of seeing the rooms as a distribution channel, Netflix uses them as a speaker. Not as competition, but as strategic promotion allies. It is clear that Netflix has discovered what it can get out of traditional exhibition: Now it remains to be seen if the theaters understand what they can get out of a hypothetical (and much-needed) symbiotic relationship. In Xataka | 13 premiere movies and series to watch in November 2025 on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and streaming

China had been testing a mysterious satellite in orbit for years. A counterespionage company has finally revealed what it was

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On October 16, the starry skies of the Canary Islands were illuminated by a spectacular fireball that crossed the sky from south to north. It was not a meteorite, it was a Chinese satellite that until a few days ago had been a complete mystery. A mystery called XJY-7. Since its launch in December 2020, as part of the maiden flight of the Long March 8 rocket, the Xinjishu Yanzheng-7 had been an unknown. China officially described it as a “new technology verification satellite.” Aside from a blurry render, the world knew almost nothing about its configuration, purpose, or capabilities. And although its re-entry was news in itself, the real news is that, just before it disintegrated, an Australian company managed to photograph it in orbit, finally solving the mystery of what it was and what it was doing up there. Counterespionage in orbit. Using its network of satellites to photograph other objects in orbit, the Australian company HEO achieved what ground-based radars could not: take photos of the XJY-7 up close. The images and the 3D model that HEO built from them revealed features that China had neglected to mention. According to the company has declared to SpaceNewsthe satellite was not a simple test platform; It was equipped with “a large radar antenna” and, most tellingly, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) antenna. It was a spy satellite. SAR is an advanced remote sensing technology that allows high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface to be obtained in any weather conditions, day or night. The “mysterious” test satellite was, in reality, an advanced surveillance and remote sensing satellite. The HEO observations also revealed a fascinating detail about its design: the satellite had fixed solar panels. This forced it to “rotate its entire body” to maintain power generation, a behavior that the Australian company was able to verify through multiple simultaneous observations from different angles. Satellites that monitor satellites. Traditional monitoring methods (ground-based radars and telescopes) are no longer sufficient to monitor the activity of other nations in orbit. HEO uses a network of more than 40 sensors in flight to take satellite-to-satellite images for your clients. When one of its associated satellites passes near a target, it takes a photo of it. It is a “non-invasive flyby method” that offers real photographs where you can see antennas, panels, thrusters and payloads. With this technique, HEO has managed to identify more than 80 space objects before they appeared in any public catalogue. In an environment where satellite constellations are deployed by the dozens, knowing whether an object is an operational satellite, a piece of space junk, or what type of antenna it carries is crucial for intelligence and defense. Mysterious until his re-entry. Ironically, the mystery that surrounded XJY-7 in its useful life also accompanied it in its death, as the United States Space Command never issued a reentry alert. This is “strange” for an object of this size, says expert Marco Langbroek. It is estimated that XJY-7 had a mass of between 3,000 and 5,000 kg. That an object weighing more than three tons bypassed re-entry warning systems highlights the gaps in conventional space tracking. Even worse when it comes to a satellite with secret capabilities. Image | H.E.O.

110 years later we finally know what sank the ‘endurance’ in the Antarctic. The culprit was not the ice: it was much worse

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He Endurancethe legendary ship of Ernest Shackletonbecame a symbol of resistance and heroism after its sinking in the icy waters of the Weddell Sea in 1915. There began the myth, because during more than a centuryits end was wrapped in a halo of mystery, attributed to the lethal coup of the ice against its rudder. Now, science He has revealed That the truth was more complex and, in a way, disturbing: the ship was never prepared to survive. The myth and the truth. As we said, for more than a century, 110 years to be exact, Ernest Shackleton’s heroic story and his antarctic ice crew was accompanied by the conviction that the endurance was the wooden ship more robust of his timevictim of a fatal blow of the ice against his helm. However, Recent research They have dismantled that narrative. The thorough analysis of the wreck discovered in 2022 reveals that the ship I was convicted From the beginning: it was not a single impact that sank it, but the accumulation of compressive forces that crushed their weak structure and, very important in the final story, Shackleton I probably knew When he left for Weddell. The expedition trapped. Endurance sailed in 1914 with the ambitious plan of cross the Antarctica on footbut at the beginning of 1915 he was caught in a solid ice. For ten months the crew resisted on board until the pressures began to deform the ship. The covers were combined, the helmet vibrated with a crash and the newspapers of the sailors picked up the sound of the creak of the wood under huge forces. On October 27, 1915 Shackleton ordered to leave the shipand weeks later the helmet ended up sinking after a succession of pressure onslaught that started masts and opened the structure in two. Idealized cross sections of the first Antarctic ships. The endurance was of the type (a); The type Deutschland (B) Fortress with mud feet. Far from being the invulnerable ship of the legend, the endurance was born as a ship of Polar and Hunting Tourism of bears and morsas in the Arctic. Its design lacked the critical reinforcements to survive trapped in an icy sea: it had no diagonal beams that kept the bands of the helmet or racks that supported the machine room, its most fragile area. Over there, According to witnesses As the scientist Reginald James or Captain Frank Worsley, the iron plates combined and the soils bulging while the ice pressed incessantly. The Rudder and the keel departed, but they were not the cause but the consequence of that structural weakness. Pecio discovered in 2022 Shackleton knew it. It is one of the keys that light has seen now. The most revealing thing is that Shackleton I did not ignore Those defects. He had participated in rescues from other ships shattered by ice and advised the German Wilhelm Filchner reinforce with diagonal beams Your Deutschlandthat thus managed to survive eight months trapped. Even in a letter to his wife he admitted that the endurance was not as solid as The Nimrodthe ship of your previous expedition. Even so, He acquired it Without modifications, moved by the urgency of undertaking a colossal project in the midst of their debts, their personal failures and competition with other explorers for reaching Antarctic glory. The re -written history. He New study of Jukka Tuhkuri Disassemble the myth of the invulnerability of the endurance, showing that it was an inappropriate ship faced with a relentless environment. However, this finding does not decrease the figure of Shackleton, but it frames it With more realism: A leader who risked aware that the adventure could cost the ship, but that miraculously saved his entire crew. At a time when polar exploration was a jump of faith towards the unknown, the wreck of the endurance was not only the end of a ship, but the proof that even the stronger wood yields Before ice pressurewhile human will manages to survive where the technique fails. Shared destination. The truth is that the Endurance drama It was not an isolated episode. Decades earlier, in 1876, twelve American whales They sank in front of Alaska for lacking the necessary reinforcements against compressed ice, dragging with him the livelihood of hundreds of families. Something similar happened in 1903 with The Antarctica Swedish ship trapped and shattered in the Weddell Sea. And, in contrast, the case of Deutschland It demonstrates how simple modifications could make the difference between sinking and survival. If you want also, all these episodes draw a pattern: polar ice does not forgive improvisations or risk economies. Shackleton, with his leadership instinct, achieved what other captains They did not achieve: save all his men, although at the expense of expose them to sacrifice of a ship that had never had to face the brutality of the white continent. Image | Picryl, PicrylFalklands Maritime Heritage Trust In Xataka | More than a hundred years later, we have found the remains of Shackleton’s ‘endurance’ sunk in the Antarctic In Xataka | We have been trying to rescue the shipwrecked with the oldest computer in the world for 120 years. We just took a huge step

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