Gold

that of a gold toilet of six million dollars

by

The history of latrocinio is almost? as old as that of humanity itself, but few chapters have left as delusional, unexpected and embarrassing as the one that was lived more than five years ago in Blenheim Palacethe luxurious residence of Oxfordshire (United Kingdom) in which in 1874 the Premier Winston Churchill. The reason is very simple: in September 2019 a band of thieves took from there neither more nor less than a heavy toilet of almost one hundred kilos. Of course, it was not any toilet. The toilet in question was a work of art elaborated with solid gold of 18 carats and valued in six million dollars. To understand what happened in Oxfordshire in 2019, it is necessary to go back a few years ago and look to the other side of the Atlantic, to New York. There, in 2016, the controversial artist Maurizio Cattelan He decided to elaborate a piece with which he intended to offer a satire about the excesses of the American art and sleep market. He called her ‘America’ and the work itself (exact!) consisted of A gold toilet. Something more than a sculpture The most striking thing is that Cattelan not only manufactured his famous gower with 18 carat gold, which explains that the piece coasts the whopping of six million of dollars. That was provocative, but not enough for Maurizio Cattelan, author of Performance as controversial as ‘La Nona Ora’a sculpture that shows John Paul II hit by a meteorite, or the most recent ‘comedian’, a banana attached to the wall with adhesive tape that in 2024 was auctioned by 6.2 million. No. The most curious of ‘America’ is that it was a toilet Fully functionalthought so that people could use it just like the toilet of their home or any bar. Hence, the piece ended up installed in one of the sinks of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, where about 100,000 people They queued to see it … and experiment how it was to relieve solid gold. The performance liked it so much that in 2019 it ended up crossing the Atlantic to expose itself as a loan in the Blenheim Palaceone of the most solemn places in Oxfordshire County and throughout England. After all, it is one of the best examples of baroque architecture in Great Britain, is considered a World Heritage for UNESCO since the late 80s and is the place where Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born in November 1874. If in New York the work had caused sensation, in Oxfordshire things were not different. Between both place there was a crucial difference: those responsible for Blenheim They underestimated the risks that someone could take the toilet. “It won’t be easy to steal,” assured In 2019 Edward Spencer-Churchill, of the Blenheim Art Foundation. “It is connected to the network. And a potential thief would have no idea who used it for the last time or what he ate.” In summary, the toilet was connected to the piping and drains of the palace, weighed almost one hundred kilos and also people used it to leave their debris there. In addition, it was an avant -garde work of art, which eclipsed in some way its strictly material value. So … who would want to steal it? In Blenheim the idea sounded so far -fetched that surveillance had a weak point at night. When the palace closed its doors, the bathroom cubicle was left without supervision, outside the closed circuit of cameras. Crassus error. ‘America’ was art, but also gold, kilos and more kilos of 18 carat gold. It is said that only metal cost about those dates some 3.6 million of dollars. And that represented a caramel too appetizing for thieves. Result? It happened that it was expected. On the night of September 14, 2019, shortly before five o’clockA, a band of criminals broke into the farm of the palace, raided the building, the toilet started, loaded it in the trunk of a car and came out whistling. All in just five minutes. The ajar and close with an eye that left the security of the enclosure or the police without margin to react. ‘America’ has only two days on exhibition in Oxfordshire. Almost six years later, the recordings of the cameras and the investigations of the agents themselves allow us to better understand how the famous blow of the Váter of the six million dollars was given. The band, composed of five peopleused two stolen vehicles To sneak in the farm hours after the last guests left, then they broke a window and used decks and levers to start the lyric of the toilet and separate it from the palace pipe system. Once the task was completed, they loaded the piece in one of the cars and escaped. Recently Eleanor Paice, employee of the palace and slept that night in an apartment for Blenheim staff, related to the BBC How he lived that night more than five years ago: he woke up startled when he heard the noise of broken crystals and ran to the main courtyard when he felt the alarm. Once there I just gave him time to see the outcome of the robbery. “There were shadows and quick movements. I saw them approach the vehicle, get on … and go shot,” he recalls. At first the team did not know what thieves had taken. The first thing Paice thought for example was in a churchill relic. Only when examining the stays they realized what had happened and that the thieves had caused a small flood. “If the golden toilet that was there was beautiful, perfect, majestic and immaculate, this was the opposite. It was shattered,” confesses The executive director of the Palace, Dominic Hare. The institution knew how to react after the disaster. The staff covered the burst with police tape and decided that, in the absence of the famous solid gold toilet, that crime scene became part of the exhibition. The claim attracted the … Read more

The earth’s core has a “escape.” And it’s gold

by

Our planet hides, thousands of kilometers under our feet, a mainly composed nucleus ironwith an important nickel concentration, and also with other intermingled elements. And among these latest elements, there is gold. Gold leak. Gold that, according to a recent study, It is leaked towards upper layers, in the direction of the surface and through the land mantle. A gold, in addition, that would have “escaped” of the earth’s core along with other precious metals. A tiny portion. Gold has been considered, since time immemorial, a precious metal and its “rarity” has been related to the value we have given to this element throughout the history of mankind. “Rareness”, quoted, since it is a contextual rarity. Gold is rare on the surface of our planet and in the most accessible areas of the cortex through mining. But this element is not universe in the universe, and it is not scarce on our planet Earth. So much that the “superficial” gold represents less than 0.001% of the total of this gold. Before and after. Someone might wonder why the gold of our planet has been distributed so capricious. It is because this cast has little or nothing capricious, and the reason is in the geological history of our own planet. When the land was still in the process of formation, about 4.5 billion years ago, gold and other metals ended up trapped in the planet’s core, due to gravity. Until now we believed that these metals would have been separated from the surface by the terrestrial mantle. The origin of surface gold, following this logic, could be for example in spacethanks to the infinity of meteorites that have reached the surface of our planet throughout its geological history. After the track of Ruthenium. This, we pointed out, not only with gold, also with other similar metals such as The Ruthenium (RU). The recent study was based precisely on this metal and a significant fact: that the Ruthenium typical of the Earth’s core presents a significant abundance of a concrete isotope, Ruthenium-10 (100ru), which distinguishes it from superficial root. The team responsible for the new study analyzed Ruthenium traces found in the volcanic rocks of the Hawaii archipelago to determine the presence of the 100ru isotope. Something that would have been impossible a few years ago, The team stands outit has now been possible thanks to new tools developed for analysis. Analysis that allowed linking the ruthenium found in these rocks with the earth’s core, which implies that this metal from the border region between the nucleus and the mantle would have risen until it sneaks into the volcanic magma. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Nature. Aboard the convective magma. Investigating what happens under the surface of the Earth has been over the years a task on the verge of the impossible. The propagation of the seismic waves revealed at the time very valuable information about the mantle and the nucleus, but increasingly precise measurement techniques have gone Opening new doors Over the years. In Xataka | We take centuries without understanding how gold nuggets formed in quartz. The answer was in electricity and tremors Image | Göttingen University (Openai)

has detected the transformation of lead into gold

by

Isaac Newton has gone down in history One of the most talented physicists and mathematicians that have existed. In fact, for many scholars it is The most relevant scientist who has existedand it is a very respectable statement if we ponder their contributions to science and the modest means that were available to the end of the 17th century. However, Newton did not dedicate his life only to physics, mathematics or theology; He also consecrated to the study of alchemy. The Royal Spanish Academy defines it in its first meaning as “the set of speculation and experiences, generally of a esoteric nature, related to the transmutations of the subject, which influenced the origin of chemistry.” The second meaning is also a bit disturbing: “wonderful and incredible transmutation.” Alchemy as Isaac Newton and other explorers saw it, for identifying them in some way, does not have a scientific support. However, serious science has identified mechanisms that explain under what circumstances a chemical element can be transformed into another. Newton would have loved to participate in this CERN experiment The stars are The authentic chemical elements factories of the universe. Inside the reactions of nuclear fusion They trigger the production of the chemical elements that we can find in the periodic table until reaching iron. From the latter it is not possible Extremely energy cosmic events. As it is, nature has taught us that there are mechanisms capable of carrying out the transmutation with which the ancient alchemists dreamed. In fact, Radioactivity It is one of these phenomena. We can define it as the process of natural origin that explains how an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy in the attempt to achieve a more stable state. And to achieve this emits radiation. A stable atom is “comfortable” with its current structure and does not need to do anything, but an unstable precise detach from a part of its energy to achieve a state of less energy and greater stability. On the way to a completely stable configuration, it will continue to detach itself from a part of its energy and will be transformed into other chemical elements. Despite its mass each lead core travels inside the LHC to 99,99993% of the light of light Since nuclear physics arose at one time halfway between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century scientists have achieved transform some chemical elements into others In his laboratories. CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) has done it recently. And he has succeeded causing the frontal collision of lead nuclei in its main particle accelerator, the LHC (large hadron collider). When these nuclei collide with a very high energy there is a plasma of quarks and gluones, which is nothing other than a state of extremely dense and hot matter. Each lead core has a considerable mass because it contains a large number of nucleons: 82 protons and 126 neutrons If we stick to the isotope of this most abundant and stable chemical element. Despite their mass each of them travels inside the LHC to 99,99993% of the speed of light, which triggers the production of a photon pulse. Under these conditions, the most interesting thing is that a process known as electromagnetic dissociation takes place. It consists of when a photon interacts with a lead core has the ability to trigger oscillations of its internal structure that can cause the expulsion of a small amount of neutrons and protons. A golden core contains 79 protons, so the expulsion of 3 protons from a lead core causes it to become gold. The physicists of the Alice of CERN experiment have observed, in addition to the conversion of lead to gold, Talium and Mercury production in these experimentation conditions. It is exciting that the human being has been able to design and build the machines that are necessary to carry out an experiment like this. Image | Cern More information | Physical Review c In Xataka | CERN has achieved something unprecedented: transform smartphones sensors into an antimatter chamber

Meta has a very long history by replicating rival applications to become gold. Edits is the most recent case

by

If you have opened Instagram throughout the day, you are likely to find reels or stories talking about Editsthe new finish line focused on short video edition. It was an expected response to Capcutmore than welcome to offer an alternative to an application that barely had rivals in the market. Beyond the app, which is still a free Capcut clone with less functions (at least in this initial easy), the key point of this launch attends to a strategy that has been running for years: copying to kill. Edits arrives at the right time. Instagram has had a lot of time to launch a video editing application. But, as usual, he has done it with him Timming more precise possible. In mid -January the government of Donald Trump Baneaba Tiktok And, next to her, Capcut. Just a few hours after the baneo, Tiktok He returned to apps stores with an extension that is still in force. But little or nothing was discussed that Capcut was never available again. It has been right now, in full uncertainty what will happen to the apps of Bytedance (company behind Tiktok and Capcut), when Meta has decided to launch edits. The goal only cares about creators. Content creators are the pillar that supports apps such as Instagram and Tiktok. And there is quite curious data in this regard, according to data from Sefici. The Nanoinfluencers (less than 10,000 followers), have a 5%participation rate, the highest. The microinfluencers (from 10,000 to 100,000 followers), 4%. The macroinfluencers, with more than 100,000 followers, are 7% in participation. Why is it important to understand this? Because in the business model of this social network there are many users consuming content (and advertising), but few creating. And it cannot be consumed if there is nothing created. And want to take them to your land. Capcut is the third more downloaded application in iOS worldwide (nine million downloads) and the ninth on Android (18 million downloads). In combined, 27 million users and the seventh application worldwide, above Telegram, Snapchat and Threads. They are barbarian figures for a video editing app. Instagram has especially optimized edits so that the videos uploaded from this app have the highest quality. Additionally, it has integrated creator statistics into the app itself so that creators have access to the panel from edits. Something very similar to what Tiktok does with Tiktok Studio. It is a shout to heaven so that creators stop using the bytedance tools (payment in the case of Capcut Pro) and begin to move towards the finish lines. Copy to kill. There is something that Meta knows how to do very well: copy functions. He did it in 2016 by launching Instagram Stories, A frontal blow (an almost accurate copy) of Snapchatbut integrated into an app with many more functions. Instagram Stories did not take Snapchat in superior active users, becoming one of the main monetization tools of the platform. Today, an ad is displayed every three stories. Next to nothing. In the case of Tiktok, Reels He has not managed to steal user base. But, again, Meta took the opportunity to copy a winning and emerging idea (the videos in short format), to get a new monetization tool. A golden opportunity. Today, Instagram is still the only real competition for Tiktok. If the app fails to survive in the United States, victory will be overwhelming (it is its second market outside of China). And there, as usual, goal will be prepared to bring all the functions and tools that were already present on the rival platform. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Instagram Reels: 21 tricks and functions to get the entire game to this alternative to Tiktok

In 2019 we discovered some fungi capable of metabolizing gold. There are already those who want to make it the key to space mining

by

The story Start more than five years ago In Boddington, south of the Australian city of Perth. Over there, Between murderous animals and gold mines, a team of researchers from the Australian Csiro discovered something truly rare: that certain fungus strains Fusarium oxysporum Not only could they extract gold from its surroundings and integrate it into their structure, but in doing so they managed to spread faster than the rest. It seemed a curiosity without more, but in recent years the situation has begun to change. But, a moment, why is something so “weird”? Good question. After all, we know of good ink that fungi “play an essential role in degradation and recycling of all types of organic material (Like leaves or bark), but also in the cycle of certain metals such as aluminum, iron, manganese and calcium. “Why would it be different with gold? Because, as Tsing Bohu explained, a researcher in charge of the project, “Gold is so inactive (chemically speaking) that this type of interactions is unusual and surprising, he had to see him to believe it.” And he saw it. In fact, lo published in Nature Communications. It was the first solid evidence that fungi could have a relevant role in the gold cycle in the earth’s crust. The “mushroom” of golden eggs. Quickly the mining industry put his eyes on the investigation. Especially right there, in Australia. The continent island is the second largest gold producer in the world, but The consensus among analysts It is that without new deposits the production was going to fall (and much) in a short time. Initially, the industry thought that CSIRO’s investigation could serve to locate these new deposits. As we explained years agoin Australia it is relatively common to do prospects in forests of the Aucaliptos family or near termites because they have a close relationship with the precious metal. Why not analyze the land in search of those strains of Fusarium oxysporum? But there is one more possibility. As Eduardo Bazo explained to Eugenio Fernández In a very interesting interviewin recent years there have appeared companies that work on what we could call “Metabolic mining“That is, in using organisms to extract gold. “And what do you want that?” You could ask. “Isn’t it easier to identify where gold is and extract with industrial methods?” Yes, here on earth, yes. But these companies look a little further: in space mining. For years we have talked about the existence of huge mineral deposits in the solar system and, for almost the same, We have fantasized to be able to exploit them. The problem is that, Beyond the current technological limitationsS, to the danger of normal mining, is added the fact that we talk about processing metal in space. But and if we use ‘metabolic mining’? The idea of ​​sending modified strains of these fungi (or other microorganisms) that They will process the mineral for useverything would become easier. I don’t know if more viable, but simpler. It is much less rare than it seems (this type of approaches we use to innumerable products that we usually use), however to take it to the world of mining seems a little more complex by pure efficiency. However, that’s ‘now’. While I write (and while The era of cheap materials ends) Several research groups They are cultivating all kinds of microorganisms with the idea of ​​being able to grow gold sooner rather than later. Image | Dominik Vanyi | Jaap Straydo In Xataka | The next richest person in the world will come from space: the future millionaire of space mining

There are young Spaniards earning $ 10,000 a month in the Australian coal mines. But everything that shines is not gold

by

“I’m going to show you how $ 5,000 every two weeks in Australia.” This is how a young Spanish named ‘Tonylopezz13’ opens a Video on Tiktok which was published a few days ago and that went viral. The premise is attractive, especially when we have the 13,81.33 euros of minimum salary in Spainbut it turns out that ‘Tony’ is not such an isolated case. There are more young Spaniards, but also from other countries that move to Australia with a goal: work in a mine. Of course, it has a small print. The Australian dream. Foreign immigrants in Australia represent a low percentage compared to other nationalities, but since 2015, when visa ‘was created’Working Holiday‘, fate became something more attractive. Australia has a high cost of life, but also one of the Base salaries higher in the world ($ 24.10 per hour, depending on the sector, becoming much higher in technological, health or mining jobs) and this visa allows a young man between 18 and 30 years to spend 12 months in the country. There are another series of visas, such as students who allow you to work certain hours per week or those who are issued to qualified workers who are hired by an Australian company. Since then, it is estimated that some 5,000 young Spaniards access the Australian labor market, many in this way and, as we see on social networks, some to work in Mines. Coal. Australia is one of the most muscle countries in the production and export of coal. Mainly, their mines are located in the state of Queensland, where there are giant mines such as BHP Mitsubishi Alliance or the mine of Carmichaelone of the largest in the world with a production of 60 million tons per year. In recent years, the Australian mining industry has faced criticism due to underground water pollution, the possible contamination of the coral barrier and, in general, due to the environmental impact that these mines have, but the activity remains one of the most important, at the economic and foreign trade level, of Australia. FIFO. And you also pay well. In a mine there are many types of positions and we can say that, depending on the role, the salary It moves between 70,000 and 150,000 Australian dollars a year. If it is a qualified position, that range is limited to between $ 90,000 and $ 150,000. These works for which a lower qualification is required usually follow a model called Fly-in Fly-out Or FIFO, which is nothing more than an attractive name for conditions that involve working about two weeks in a row with 12 -hour day day and then go home to rest … to wait for you to call you again. Temporary or casual, go. Influencers miners. The works that are usually done consist of cleaning of rooms and rooms, in the dining room or in the kitchen of the mining installation. It works, but you also earn a lot of money and it is something that young people from all over the world are making known in networks such as the aforementioned Tiktok, but also on Instagram or on YouTube Shorts. There are many publications under hashtags like #Miningalia either #FIFOAUSTRALIA in which they show their day to day and where money for only a few days of work almost always has a leading role. And they are true Influencersnot so much because of the virality of one two concrete videos, but because of the effect they have on people who want these conditions. Sienna Mallon. It is an example. This young Australian gained popularity, precisely, for giving visibility to her day to day as an employee of a mine. He studied agronomy and has played several roles in coal and gold mines, speaking in his networks about the challenges and benefits of the FIFO model and accumulating in the process about 450,000 followers among Tiktok and Instagram. Effect called. There are hundreds of comments in Mallon’s videos in which you ask how it can be applied to these jobs, something that we can also see easily in ‘Tony’, with Spanish people, but also Latin American asking for information on how to access these jobs. “When I met these videos on Tiktok, I told myself that I had to take the opportunity,” says a 25 -year -old in Lemond. All paid. And those salaries are really attractive. The first thing is that they are so high for both qualified personnel and without training because the mines are They locate in remote places. That is, they have to offer an incentive for people to want to go to those places very, far away from the cities and where you will have to make life during the working hours. But it is also attractive because there are practically no expenses. In the videos of these influencers you can see how they have private rooms with everything you need, free food, entertainment rooms, gym and, obviously, field to walk around, so you can save everything possible or invest in trips to meet the country during the rest week. Asterisk. But before you start looking at how much a ticket to Australia costs, there are other details to know. “The pay is good, but the day is exhausting,” says another young man in Lemonda, and it is something that goes in the line of people like ‘Tony’ who do not hesitate to affirm that they do not want to sell “the motorcycle to anyone: life during those 14 days is shit” focusing on ‘Tony’, on the video of 5,000 dollars every two weeks clarifies that the salary is high because it is a temporary worker. That is, you work two weeks for ten hours a day for 4,898 Australian dollars – about 3,000 euros – and then … it’s over. If you like you, they may call you again, but they may not do it. In another video sample How he was sleeping more than a week … Read more

Lidl took a limited version of Dubai chocolate. Hours later I was exhausted gold price in Vinned

by

The idea was good. At least on paper. A few days ago Lidl decided to delight cocoa lovers by selling, in a very limited way, its own version of the “Dubai chocolate”a delicatessen based on cocoa, pistachio and Kadayif Turk who despite his short life has managed to reach the Holy Grail of Modern Marketing: The virality In networks. For more Inri, Lidl sold its tablets for 4.49 euros, well below of what the brand that has popularized them cost, Fix dessert chocolatier. The problem is that Lidl’s offer lasted Only a few days. And that unleashed a Chocolate furywith tails in the super, early risers, Cabreos And also Some speculation. Chocolate obsession. That chocolate raises passions is not a novelty. If what we are talking about is “Dubai chocolate” However, passion directly becomes virality and obsession. Although the phenomenon around him is relatively recent and starts after In 2021 Fix dessert chocolatier The flavors of the Middle East will combine in a tablet with the classic chocolate, in just a few years the sweet Dubaiti origin has earned a legion of fans. Videos circulate (many, many) on networks How to prepare it at home, recordings of Influencers that They give their opinion about Its flavor, Explanations Why is it so popular, comments of pastry experts … And that Fix Dessert Chocolatier tablets are not exactly cheap. Much of his secret is in Your recipethat combines chocolate with milk, pistachio paste, tahini and kunafa mass or kataifi noodles. All in tablets of considerable thickness and with an outer touch. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Where there is an obsession … There is a good business. And that has not long to understand Fix Desert, but also other companies that have sought ways to take advantage of the enormous interest in these ounces of chocolate stuffed with pistachio. One of them was the Lidl supermarket chain, which a few days ago announced in networks The launch of a “Dubai” tablet prepared by JD Gross, its brand of “Premium chocolates”. His announcement generated considerable expectation (with more than 32,600 likes in the original Instagram publication and news about the launch in various media) and ended up combining three factors difficult to harmonize. Which is it? The expectation for the launch, the obsession around the Dubai chocolate and the haste. The Tablets of the German chain were put for sale by 4.49 eurosquite less than those of the Dubaiti brand, and (most importantly) for a very limited time. In Your adLidl already warned that they would be available in their stores only a few days: from Friday 21 to Sunday 23. And what happened? Scenes similar to those seen in stores during large pitches or remind of the golden years of the sales. Chocolate fever resulted in early risers and tails of customers who wanted to be the first to reach the sweet shelves. Maybe it seems exaggerated, but in Tiktok they can be seen some Videosof people who, despite being in a Lidl early in the morning they had run out of their Dubai tablet. “They have brought this. You explain to me where you go with this!” He complained a Tiktoker While teaching a small completely empty cardboard box in the chocolate section. “Everyone here at nine in the morning, logically with that small palace we have run out of Dubai chocolate. But well … we will continue trying.” It is not the only one. Others They opted directly for going to more supermarkets. From the shelves to Vinted. Not all those tablets sold in record time by Lidl ended up starring videos in networks, devoured or stored in the pantries of Dubai chocolate fans. A few ended in a very different place: second -hand sale platforms. In Vinned For example, ads could be found from individuals determined to take advantage of the very high demand of the sweet Emiratí. Of course, at prices quite superior to those who charged Lidl in his supermarkets. On Saturday a user He complained In X that the tablets that were on sale in stores for less than 5 euros were offered in Vinned for 20, 35, 50 or even 60 euros. “People who are selling Lidl’s Dubai chocolate in Vinned, you give a lot He complained On Friday another tweet. Looking at Spain … and beyond. Dubai chocolate fever is not exclusive to Spain. In the United Kingdom Lidl met A similar phenomenon When a limited edition of its Dubai -style chocolate is released: a surprising impact on networks and a delirious sales rhythm of 72 tablets per minute through its Tiktok channel, according to The data that manages The Grocer. In less than an hour and a half They had exhausted all stocks. The phenomenon is not exclusive to the German chain. Other brands have also tried to take advantage of the interest that the chocolate with a pistachio and Kadayifboth supermarket chains and chocolate companies or even small businesses. All often have a peculiarity: their chocolate is not exactly economic. The boards do not require an exorbitant disbursement, but the price per kilo is analyzed 37 or even 80 euros. Images | Tiktok and Lidl In Xataka | The secret for a healthier chocolate is in prebiotics and probiotics. And now we know the “recipe”

illegal gold mining

by

2025 is being a disastrous year for coffee lovers And also of chocolate. The two products have lived a Price climbing almost unprecedented in recent months due to Common problems as the difficulties in the supply chain due to transport and bad harvests for weather. But if we put the magnifying glass on cocoa, we must talk about another problem that threatens the industry and that will cause huge increases in the price of chocolate. And that problem is illegal gold mining, a new “gold fever” that is being lived in the main cocoa producing countries. Galamsey. Ghana is the second country that produces the most cocoa. The first is Ivory Coast, but although cocoa continues to move millions, there is something that attracts attention: only the last year, Ghana lost 20% of its total cocoa production. As we say, this joined bad harvests for diseases in plants and climate change, but the result is the same: a crisis in the price of chocolate. The theory tells us that, if cocoa is worth more, farmers should be benefiting (especially with a cocoa that surpassed The $ 10,000 per ton in the New York Stock Exchange), right? Well, the truth is that it is not so simple and, in addition, these farmers have seen a more profitable business: underbound gold. So much that there are many that are going on to that practice that already has a name: Galamsey. Corruption. This is how farmers are spreading for a new gold fever that is much more lucrative than cocoa consumption. The motivation is that the price of gold is rising, but the big problem is that, as we said, it is an illegal mining, in which the land is exploited without regulation and without measure. In Financial Times We can see how there are dramatic cases of farmers who, after working for years in foreign lands, gathered enough money to rent their own land and start a cocoa plantation. When he arrived to start working the land, he realized that he had been invaded by illegal miners, leaving the land totally unusable. From the government it has promised to harden the fight against this galamsey, but there is a problem: a system in which institutional corruption is deeply Enquistada and that it will make it complicated that you fight against something so lucrative. ECOCIDIDE. The problem goes beyond crops, since professionals from other sectors are abandoning their jobs in search of gold. Kwabena Samuel was a carpenter until she became illegal miner, stating that it was not easy to leave her profession for this, but that it was “a matter of survival.” Apart from the social consequences, this illegal mining is damaging the earth. Different associations and organizations have denounced that the miners devastate extensive cultivation areas with heavy machinery and that once they reach a farm, both the earth and the water sources are useless due to the intensive use of chemical products. Last year, the state water supply company cut Up to 75% distribution in certain areas due to unsustainable levels of contamination. Illegal gold mining is not exclusive to Africa. So are some areas of Peru From Ghana to the chocolate tablet. And the production drop is already palpating. In the United States and during the last year, chocolate in retailers increase 10% its price. It is something that is being felt throughout the world (The Christmas nougat already experienced it). And manufacturers like Lindt (which had already increased its price more than 6.3% at the end of 2024) or Nestlé have already warned that the price will continue to rise for 2025. Ivory coast, heat that you go out. Something that makes this an even more serious problem than is already (both economic and pollution) is that it does not directly concern Ghana. Ivory coast is also threatened by this illegal gold mining and there are already estimates that suggest that, in the face of 2050, more than 50% of cocoa culture lands could be lost in the country due to that mining, diseases in plantations and climate change. Chrysistunity. And where there is a crisis, an opportunity also opens. In this case, who can get something good from the problem is Ecuador. The estimates They suggest that the Latin American country would advance Ghana on the right as the second largest cocoa producer. It would not be something in the long term, but in the future as immediate as 2027, causing Ecuador to become an even bigger player in the cocoa world and joining strength with its powerful coffee industry. Only time will say what to do, but, although it is true that fighting climate change is difficult If we do not agreefighting illegal gold mining should be easier. The problem is that it is tremendously lucrative and that, as these reports point out, at the time there are higher political interests, the task is complicated. And all that is going to translate into shortage, more expensive chocolate and land contaminated by decades. Images | Lady Castro, Das Morton, Planet Labs, inc In Xataka | A chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio has become the most desired viral in Tiktok: Dubai’s “chocolate”

The next the gold era are the data centers and Softbank has seen it perfectly

by

In 2025 the technology giants will dedicate a lot, a lot of money to data centers. Microsoft speaks of 80,000 million dollars of investment and google of 75,000 million. Not to mention Stargate projectwho plans to go further and Invest 500,000 million dollars With softbank and openai as protagonists. And precisely SoftBank seems to be preparing an important movement to take advantage of this true gold fever. Ampere in the spotlight. As indicated in Bloomberg, SoftBank is in advanced negotiations for the acquisition of ampere. The firm designs and manufactures processors for servers in data centers, and does so using ARM technology. 6,500 million valuation. Ampere is participated in 29% by Oracle, and the current estimate of its value is around 6,500 million dollars. In 2021 SoftBank already negotiated a possible investment that placed the ampere value at 8,000 million dollars, but since then the competition and evolution of the semiconductor market has made this assessment change. ARM would have a great ally. Wednesday ARM presented Your fiscal results. Although income grew 19%, he warned that he would not be able to reach the maximum income for the income of 2025 he had previously advanced. That caused a fall of 6% of its actions. The company, which is the pillar of the mobile segment, has long tried to make the leap to the market and AI market, and ampere would be an interesting ally in that area. Promising chips. Ampere presented its ampereone processors last year, which is expected this year they reach Have a version of 256 cores. This chip, manufactured with 3 Nm photolithography, will have an important competitive advantage: efficiency, something crucial for data centers. Attracting data centers. Precisely having more efficient chips and that consume less energy is increasingly important for data centers, than They threaten with “swallow” up to 1,000 power in 2026. Truce between ARM and Qualcomm? There is one more interesting factor. Qualcomm is current ampere ally since both are developing an inference chip of the set. The funny thing here is that ARM was involved in a legal process with Qualcomm. However Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, He indicated Wednesday At the Conference for Investors, he stressed that ARM had withdrawn the demand for violation of the license agreement. That announcement seems to be able to be related to the negotiations between SoftBank and Ampere: if Arm “has made peace” with Qualcomm, a possible ampere-anm-qualcomm triplet raises important advantages in order to compete in a market as complex as this. Image | Miki Yoshihito | In Xataka | Qualcomm dodges a lethal bullet and is winning his judgment against ARM: that is crucial for the future of his PC chips

In addition to Gold and Rare Earth China has an ace in the sleeve to lift its economy: old orange peels

by

We knew that the Chinese nation was not going wrong with The “Gold Fever” of the 21st centurysomething similar in terms of mining fever unleashed in California in the mid -nineteenth century, but without the dazzling element so precious and marked by rare earths. However, if what is about “pure gold”, they were not badly assorted after finding One of the biggest giant gold deposits. In fact, China has “Gold” even in trees. Xinhui’s gold. This enclave, a seemingly ordinary district in the city of Jiangmen, province of Guangdong, has turned this part in the epicenter of a lucrative industry based on something that a priori should not have great value: The aging tangerine peels, known there as Chenpiand whose production and commerce have transformed the local economy. In the background: some peels valued by their medicinal and culinary properties, an element that can reach astronomical prices, coming to be sold for $ 9,650 around 500 gramswhich reflects its status as a precious asset both in traditional Chinese medicine and in luxury gastronomy for elites. Historical origins and benefits. CNN counted last week in a large report that the use of Chenpi in traditional Chinese medicine dates back to the Song dynasty (1127-1279)with records that highlight its properties to strengthen the spleen, improve digestion and benefit the respiratory system. In that sense, the shells, scientifically called citri reticulatae pericarpium, contain antioxidants and flavonoids With potential for stabilize blood pressure and prevent obesity. And from all places, the Xinhui region, located at the confluence of the Xijiang and Tanjiang rivers, offers unique soil and water conditions that enrich the peaks with a higher micronutrient content than those grown in other areas. That said, to be considered Authentic Chenpithe shells must undergo an annual drying process for the sun for at least three years, being carefully stored for the rest of the time. Typology. Exist even Four main types of Chenpi According to the time of the harvest: those of green peels, collected before maturation, those of second red tangerine peels, collected in November, the large red peels, completely mature in December, and finally those of red shells, harvested after This station, and with a higher sugar content. Industry boom and economic impact. In recent decades, the Chenpi industry has promoted unprecedented economic growth in the Xinhui region. The production of these peculiar shells has turned the region into an economic power, contributing approximately 23,000 million yuan (3.2 billion dollars) in 2023, and Representing a quarter of Jiangmen’s GDP. In this regard, local businessmen like Zhou Zhiweiwho left Hong Kong in the 1990s to return to Xinhui, have played a crucial role in the consolidation of the industry. Zhou, now vice president of the Chenpi Industry Association of Xinhui, says it manages annually around 163 tons of shells, contributing to the Xinhui positioning as the main world producer. Chenpi Chenpi revaluation for elites. In the end, such an exquisite product has ended where other similar ones: in high gastronomy. Here names such as the renowned chef chi wai chef, The Legacy House restaurant In Hong Kong, who has been promoting the incorporation of Chenpi in haute cuisine, exploring its potential beyond traditional medicine. Inspired by his childhood in Xinhui, LI has introduced exclusive menus that highlight the diversity of flavors of the Cenpi according to their age, harvest and origin, emulating the appreciation for the Terroir In the wine industry. Exclusive dishes with the “gold” peel. In fact, in The last gastronomic menu that the chef is offering Com diners can enjoy dishes such as the swim bladder soup with heads with a lamb, made with Chenpi over 50 years, highlighting “its deep flavor and amaderated notes.” Also the mere stew steak with six -year shell “with sweet nuances” thanks to the postin -winter harvest, or the lobster rolls with bamboo straw, accompanied by 13 -year -old shells, which says they contribute a slight flavor to oyster due to its origin in the riverside region of Meijiang. In addition, Li says that It seeks to transform the perception of Chenpishowing that its initial, well -balanced bitterness becomes a sweet and sophisticated taste, symbolizing the relationship between bitterness and sweetness in life, according to the old Chinese proverb. Innovation and future of Chenpi. Chenpi production has evolved over time, with advances in harvesting and storage techniques. Currently, producers use both the shells and the mandarin pulp (previously discarded) to manufacture health and enzyme products. In Xinhui, Initiatives such as Chenpi Villagea cultural and tourist center dedicated to the mandarin peel, reflect those efforts to diversify the industry. In this complex, products such as ice cream, coffee with Chenpi dust and culinary memories are offered, attracting tourists and consolidating that cultural identity of the region. As producer Zhou explained to the CNN When observing the boom of the market, Xinhui has managed to focus and give importance to advanced manufacturing and diversification of Chenpi products, ensuring the sustainability of the long -term sector. A region that has achieved something fascinating: to raise an ingredient as humble as a simple tangerine peel aged in “gold” at all levels, both economic and cultural for the region. Image | Zhionghwaong Sham, Simon Law In Xataka | China has given one of the largest treasures ever found: giant gold worth 83,000 million dollars In Xataka | China still has no avant -garde lithographs. Even so, it is making gold with mature nodes

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.