heat

The heat arrives and you want to drink cold water. Science has a much more effective idea: drink hot water

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Summer arrives and with it staying well hydrated becomes an imperative. The heat will surely make a glass of cold water even more appealing, but it is likely that we have ever heard that the water, better hot. Is it a myth or is there a reason behind? Drink water. Drinking water is the important, hot or cold, keeping our body hydrated is the main objective. Despite this, drinking hot water or cold water is not exactly the same: our body can react differently Before the stimulus. This is what science tells us about it. Better digestion. Hot infusions are a desktop classic. Coffee, tea or chamomile are usual choices to close the food, especially if it has been copious. When consuming these drinks we are, indeed, Drinking hot water. In doing so we are moisturizing our body and allowing water to help the flow of food in our digestive system. Part of the effect we owe it to the mere fact of being drinking water, but there are some studies that suggest that the temperature could play an important role in the digestive effect of this desktop habit. A Study published in 2016 Focused on newly operated patients, he observed that the consumption of hot water in recently operated in the colon had a “positive impact” on subsequent intestinal movements. Do you lose weight drinking water? In 2023, a group of researchers conducted An experiment in which a group of participants had to consume a certain amount of warm or hot water after meals, while the rest had to consume the same amount of water at a temperature without specifying the temperature. As reported by the team, the group that consumed hot water lost body mass more speed than the control group. This could explain why we associate drinks such as tea are associated with weight loss. The diuretic potential of some infusions and the benefits that others have on intestinal transit could be related to the mere act of drinking hot water, but the truth is that the tests we have are very limited, so we still cannot add the hot water to the eternal list of candidates for “miracle diet”. Cool ourselves with hot water. It may seem Little appealingbut hot infusions are a classic in some of the most scorching environments in the world. Our body is about 37º Celsius: if we consume something at a higher temperature, our body will absorb that heat. It doesn’t seem like a good plan. And yet it works (although not always). The key, The experts point outis how our body dissipates heat through sweat. A hot drink can activate nervous receptors by sending the signal that the temperature is greater than what is actually, which in turn does that our body begins to sweat and thus begin to dissipate heat through the water we expel by the skin. To sweat, of course, it should also be hydrated. When may not work? Drinking hot water to reduce our body heat can be a bad idea in some contexts, mainly When moisture is high. Moisture makes sweat dissipated, with it, avoiding it heat. Temperature and hydration. Hot or cold, we began by saying that the most important property of water is that it hydrates: our body needs this liquid to stay alive and drinks are the main source to obtain it. Now, we know that Not all drinks hydrate the sameDoes the water do it indistinctly of its temperature? Maybe not. A Study published in 2013 He calculated how the water temperature affected the rehydration process. A too hot water could induce sweat, causing us to lose some water at the same time we rehydrate. By contrast, water too cold or too hot can also make us drink less. The team observed that a better rehydration was achieved when consuming fresh water, about 16º, a temperature similar to that offered by tap water. In Xataka | It’s time to banish the myth of drinking “eight water vessels per day”, but we have a problem to do it Image | Pixabay

Heat, pests and a problem of productive capacity

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The production of olives, and therefore that of olive oil, has been living a turbulent years. The drought in 2023 put the harvest in check but the return of the rains last year gave the producers a respite. Now the agricultural sector in Jaén has expressed concern about what comes in front. Crisis or regression to the average? Pessimism in forecasts. The coordinator of organizations of farmers and ranchers of Jaén (Coag Jaén) has shown her Concern for this harvest of the olive. Although the association indicates that it is still early to talk about forecasts for harvest, some areas of the province already estimate crops between 30% and 40% below the views last year. Producers They point out several causes Behind this pessimistic forecast, which cover warm episodes as well as the risk of pests, but also the natural phenomenon known as the olive grove. A little propitious meteorology. One of the factors that concern the coordinator is in meteorology. Specifically, the warm episodes we have been living since the end of May. The heat has advanced this year in which the thermometers in several areas of Andalusia came to exceed 40º before the end of the spring month. Of course, this problem may not be extensible to other regions. The rains in the mediterranean environment They could have a positive impact in the crops of the area. Farmers now expect temperatures not to fall during the beginning of the summer in order to reduce the risk of the arrival of Prays. And the pests. There are several pests that threaten the oil harvest this year and among them the most popular is perhaps that of Prays (Prays Oleae), also the so -called olive moth. Already in May, the Junta de Andalucía He warned of “algal levels of attack” associated with this plague. The life of this insect is closely associated with the olive grove and has several annual generations that can affect this plant. The data of the Board are based on the animal’s philophagous generation, which affects the plant leaf. Now the experts They follow the Antophagous Generationwhich affects the plant of the plant. The algodoncillo (Euphyllura Olivina) It is another pest that concern producers. It is another insect whose name derives from the “cotton” appearance that surrounds the nymphs of this invertebrate. The olive grove. Voccas or contracting is a natural phenomenon that occurs in numerous crops. The vocation occurs when crops have difficulties in producing for full performance for two consecutive years. As explained by the coordinator, although in some Jienenses areas the production of last season was “average”, some olive trees “already accuse the verter.” Looking for clues. As Coag Jaén points out in its statementit is still early for truthful estimates of what this year’s harvest will be. As indicated by the Agrarian Association, the olive grove has two “critical” moments for the demand for culture water. The first is the flowering that usually occurs between April and May; The second is maturation, in September. There will be so much to wait a few months before having a definitive idea about what the Cosecha will be like, but what do we know exactly about flowering? The pollen can give us a track. According to Coag Jaén’s own data, the pollen concentration peak in the air occurred on May 19, with 7,711 grains per cubic meter, “far from the maximum peaks of other years when 15,000 grains were exceeded”, in the words of the association. In Xataka | More and more giants get into the Andalusian field and in the olive oil industry. The last: Pepsico Image | Natalia Gusakova

Heat ends, but storms arrive

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The heat is being the undisputed protagonist of this week at the weather. However The warm episode He has his days (or his hours) counted in much of the Peninsula: as of today the extreme heat will live with rains and storms: some communities will have to alert for very different phenomena. Variopintos phenomena. Meteorologists foresee that the warm episode that affects the peninsula will fade in the next few days and that at the beginning of next week the instability will be the dominant tonic. The transition will not be simple: during the next few days some areas will see the arrival of rainfall and storms while others Taguada vs. dorsal. Let’s put some context to understand what is happening at the atmospheric level. A few days ago we saw an arrival of an Atlantic anticyclone and an associated dorsal. The dorsal are areas of high pressures that extend from a high pressures center lengthening the scope of anticyclonic time. The stability associated with high pressures, along with other factorscontributed to a high insolation that warmed the air of the peninsula until it brought us to the current situation. However meteorologists They announce now that a trough display in the next few days the dorsal. That is, from a situation we move on to the opposite, with a region of low pressures associated with a storm changing the meteorological panorama. A heat pause. And how this translates: then that instability will take possession of peninsular meteorology. Some areas will begin to see storms today, but it will be from Sunday, with the arrival of the dorsal, which these are generalized. Heat warnings and storm warnings. The peculiar transition between two weeks marked by opposite phenomena will leave A singular notice map of the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet), a map in which yellow and orange warnings coexist due to maximum and storm temperatures (and also yellow notices for rains). In this sense, today it will be the most unique: 14 autonomous communities (all peninsular except Murcia) will see active notices throughout the day. Of these highlight orange notices due to temperatures of up to 40º Celsius in the Sevillian countryside; and orange warnings for storms inside the Cantabrian cornice, from the Asturian southwestern to the inner Bizkaia. In unknown terrain. Spring is a transit station where changes in the atmospheric situation are not entirely strange. However, we can talk about an anomalous season in terms of meteorology: from a drought we spend some of the months with more rainfall than we have record. Now we return to one more panorama in the tonic of recent years: with a summer that is advanced leaving us extreme heat during the last week of May. To know what will happen during the real summer we will still have to wait a few weeks. In Xataka | The reservoirs are almost 22% above the average of the last decade. There is an “but” important before celebrating Image | ECMWF

The problem of heat arrival is not just the 40º planned by Aemet: also the “tropical nights”

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Heat has come and with him a more annoying phenomenon than the high daytime temperatures: the so -called “tropical nights.” Bad news for those who have problems reconciling with heat. Tropical nights. The warm episode that this week is manifested on a good part of Spain threatens to bring maximum thermometers above 35º in various areas, even above 40º in areas such as the Guadalquivir Valley. However, beyond the maximum, There is another fact to pay attention: minimum temperatures. We talk about “Tropical nights“When the minimum night temperatures do not fall from the 20th Celsius. That will be precisely what happens in areas of the southern peninsula and in the Canary Islands throughout the week, according to the forecasts of the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet). According to Aemet In an informative note Dedicated to the warm episode, the minimum temperatures will rise throughout the week, more slowly and intense than the maximum, yes. The minimums above 20º will affect areas of the southwest quadrant and the Mediterranean coast, also extending to the Ebro Valley during Saturday. On the edge of the “equatorial night.” In fact, Aemet’s forecasts They anticipate minimums that could remain around 24th towards the end of the week in areas of Malaga or Cádiz. This implies that some areas are on the edge of the call “Equatorial Night”, Term that refers to the nights on which the minimums do not fall from the 25th. A anticyclone, and a Dana? But what is happening so that spring has ended so abruptly? Much of the fault has an anticyclone inside located on the waters of the Atlantic, around the Azores. The influence of high pressures will leave us a great atmospheric stability, explains Aemet, with “practically clear skies and high insolation.” But there is even more: from Wednesday, the appearance of a Dana between the Canary Islands and the Gulf From Cádiz I could drag with it a mass of warm, dry and with suspension dust, first to the south and then towards the peninsular center. The result of this would be the additional increase in the temperatures that we will see throughout the second half of the week. Notices for extreme temperatures. Thus, the agency has issued several notices for extreme temperatures for tomorrow Wednesday and for Thursday by maximum temperatures between 37º and 39º. Is there an end in view? The big question now is when this will end. And the truth is that it is still early to venture since uncertainty predominates towards the end of the week, says Aemet. According to Explain the agencyit is “likely that as of Saturday 31 the Dana will dissipate” and that instability in the peninsular northern increases, in turn giving clouds to reduce the failure of these days. In any case, we will have to wait to see if these predictions are confirmed. In Xataka | The reservoirs are almost 22% above the average of the last decade. There is an “but” important before celebrating Image | ECMWF

We have been wondering for two months when the heat arrives in Spain. Aemet finally has an answer: already

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2025 has been a year anomally wetat least for the Iberian Peninsula. The month of April the rainfall was 11% higher To the usual in peninsular Spain, and in recent weeks we have also seen many days marked by rainfall. But perhaps what will mark the end of spring are temperatures. Summer arrives. Meteorologists glimpse on the horizon an increase in temperatures from next week. A change of trend that, according to Trend predictions In the medium term of the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet) could leave us an end of May and a first half of June and warm than usual. The 36º appear. Meteorologists expect that atmospheric stability will be taken over the skies throughout the weekend. This will be translated, they explain from Eltiempo.esin an increase in temperatures. According to these forecasts, temperatures are expected above the 27th Celsius in capitals such as Valladolid or Zaragoza, while cities such as Madrid and Badajoz would exceed 30º. However, maximum temperatures will be seen in the southwest, where the thermometers could be between 35º and 36º. Three warm and dry weeks ahead. If we add to this the Aemet predictionswe can intuit that we are in the advanced transition between spring and summer. The agency hopes that the remaining week of May will be marked by higher temperatures and lower rainfall than these dates would be expected. The thermal anomaly is expected to be between the degree and the three degrees above the average in much of the country, with the interior of the southern half reaching an anomaly between three and five degrees. The situation will be similar during the first half of the month of June, with almost all of the Peninsula watching thermal anomalies above the three degrees on average. Regarding rainfall, Aemet predictions for next week draw a scenario where dry anomaly is the standard, with up to 10 mm less than usual in practically the entire Iberian Peninsula and with dry anomalies of up to 30 mm in localized areas of the northern half. The first half of June will be similar, although uncertainty gains ground. What is happening? The main culprit of this is a phenomenon closely associated with summer: the Azores anticyclone. According to Explain the meteorologist Mario Picazothe trough of cold air that during this Week will continue to lead An unstable time and storms, especially on the Mediterranean coast, will be retiring at the same time that the anticyclone appears in the west. In Xataka | Japanese scientists have taken the lightning rod to the next level: with a drone that hunting lightning Image | ECMWF

Wild urbanization, heat and cockroaches have turned Brazil into the perfect destination of a creature: scorpion

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In Brazil they have realized a serious problem derived from a common evil in a large number of countries. It was intuited that Wild urbanizationadded to the climatic changes And the extreme heat of the planet were an equation that did not predict anything good. The nation has discovered, very much, something else. The atmosphere of many of its cities has led to authentic cockroaches colonies and, after them, those that devour them: scorpions. Silent invasion. Yes, Brazil is currently facing an alarming Scorpion proliferation In many of its cities, a direct consequence of uncontrolled urban growth and climate change, which has transformed urban environments into ideal habitats for these arachnids. How much? According to the study Posted in Frontiersbetween 2014 and 2023, more than 1.1 million bitesa 155 % increase In just a decade, and the projections estimate up to two million new cases between 2025 and 2033. The situation is especially critical in densely populated areas and with precarious services, Like favelaswhere the combination of crowded housing, accumulation of waste and sewerage systems without control has created the perfect scenario for the expansion of scorpions. These creatures find shelter in cracks, debris and pipes, have abundant food (The cockroaches), and enjoy constant temperatures and high humidity. Plus: Some species are capable of reproducing without mate and can survive more than a year Without feeding, which makes them a resistant threat and difficult to eradicate. A public health crisis. The Guardian told that the increase in temperatures, intense rains and prolonged droughts (increasingly frequent patterns in the context of climate change) have favored the expansion of scorpions, whose natural habitat is now complemented by those Modified urban environments For the human being. Previous investigations had already warned of these animals for adapt to citiesbut current data has confirmed that the phenomenon has climbed to become a health crisis. Only in 2024, it is estimated that almost 200,000 people were chopped And at least 133 died, although experts warn that real figures could be much greater, since many affected do not seek medical attention and are treated at home. Although only 0.1% From the bites it is lethal, the most vulnerable victims are children and the elderly, who run a greater risk of dying even with a single sting. For the rest of the population, the symptoms include intense pain, burning, swelling, redness, tingling and nausea, with a recovery that lasts several days. Misinformation and prevention. And here comes one of the legs to deal with the problem. The British media counted That one of the most complex challenges is the erroneous perception of scorpions. According to researcher Manuela Berto Pucca, they are not natural aggressors of the human being, but They act in self -defense. In fact, they perform key ecological functions when regulating populations of urban insects, yes, such as cockroaches. However, its presence in inhabited spaces has generated an understandable and growing fear, especially among the poorest populations, where the fear of a bite is part of everyday life. The key, According to expertsis in prevention: keep the spaces clean and without moisture, seal cracks, place grilles in drains and carefully check footwear, clothing and towels before wearing them. In addition, the Brazilian health system offers Free treatment and antidotes in certain emergency centers, but researchers insist on the need to act quickly at any sting, without waiting for symptoms to get worse. A call to action. Finally, it should be clarified that the phenomenon It is not exclusive from Brazil. Countries like Paraguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Guyana or Venezuela too They have experienced a worrying growth of “Scorpionism”, The medical term that defines the reactions to these bites, making it a health crisis of regional scale. And in Europe? There are more than 35 native species of scorpion, but there are no comprehensive studies on their populations or comparable expansion has been observed. However, what is happening in South America serves as a global warning on the combined effects of that uncontrolled urbanization and climate change. The international scientific community has stressed that this is an avoidable emergency if more sustainable urban policies are applied, effective sanitation systems and public education and prevention campaigns. For Pucca and his colleagues, the current situation should serve as a catalyst for urgent actionsnot only to protect public health, but also to recover the balance between humans and the rest of the urban ecosystem to which these creatures also belong. Image | Aitivamon Natu, Webysther Nunes In Xataka | The United States national dish faces a worrying future if tariffs are maintained: hamburgers In Xataka | Brazil has the only rare earth mine capable of competing with China. The problem for the US is that China has remained

Where we had heat waves before, Aemet only expects rain and cold

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Although there are many areas that have not noticed, the first weekend has been starring large storms in much of the country. And, according to weather models, The thing is not going to stay there. Throughout this week, a new anticyclonic block in the British islands will be consolidated. It is not clear if this is going to open, again, the doors of the Atlantic (some models draw a ‘bridge’ between the Azores and Ireland), but right now the probability that vaguada or cold strokes will begin to get off the cold or storms is very high. So much so that Monday we already have rains. Catalonia, the north of the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the interior of the plateau will have rains, hailstorms and strong winds throughout Monday. During Tuesday the storms will be primarily paid in the northwest third of the country. On Wednesday, According to Samuel Bienerthe storms will be reinforced in “The East Castilla-La Mancha, Sierras de Granada, Jaén and Almería, interior of the region of Murcia, Teruel and the Valencian Community.” But, as I say, that’s just the appetizer. Because if the models get right We will have a Dana (or a cold storm, it is not yet clear) near the peninsula at the end of the week. Be that as it may, this assures us a very unstable first Miad: unstable skies, water and Reasonable temperatures – Well below normal ,. A rare spring. If we lift the view and look at a couple more weeks, the forecasts are quite clear: everything seems to indicate that a long storm period awaits us. As they explain in CazatorentasIt is a direct consequence of the blockade. That draws a spring very different from the previous ones. Different? Not so much because of the temperatures that, with nuances, are within normal in most of the country. The nuances are that, on the coasts, they will be “slightly warmer than normal” and that, at the southwest end, they will be “slightly colder than normal.” This, already, gives us a good track of the expected rains. Except the Canary Islands and the Northwest Third, The models wait that rainfall in May is more intense than normal. Everything seems to indicate that summer can more and the tap will end up closing, but all this planets interesting things. The most important is what will happen now. Change of trend or simply an extremely weird year? Image | ECMWF In Xataka | May is putting a March face: Aemet’s great question is if 2025 will definitely end the drought

Meteorologists are dismayed at the heat wave of Africa and Asia

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“We are witnessing something incredible. By far the most extreme climate phenomenon in world history. Thousands of records are beating brutally from North Africa to Asia. And with margins never seen.” These words They are from Max Herradorone of the greatest public experts in extreme meteorological phenomena. And seeing Maps like the one that opens this articleI don’t lack reason. The best example is Kuwait. According to provisional data, the Kuwaiti city of Mitribah exceeded 46 degrees in April For the first time in history. And, just after, he exceeded 47, then 48 and, finally, he put almost 49. It is not an isolated fact: More than 45 degrees in Egypt, in India or in the Middle East; 45 also in Sudan, 45.7 in Chad, 45.5 in Niger; Central Asia records completely sprayed. We talk about absurdly high temperatures for latitude 30 at this point of the year. In the case of Mitribah they are very close figures to the historical maximum reached. In addition, the heat wave has a huge extension that covers three continents. And, as Herrera points out, everything indicates that the situation It will get worse. Tropical tidbits What is happening? It is a great question. Because heat waves They never come alone. They have serious social implications (more aggressions, more violence, more crimes, more Homicides) In areas of the world that right now are a polvorín: Syria, Israel, Ukraine, Sudan … The problem is that we don’t know very well why all this is happening. A priori, we can think that the same atmospheric dynamics that it has given us an extraordinarily wet March and a much cooler spring of what is usual is the one behind the heat waves of much of Central Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. After all, in meteorology the masses of air are pieces that play a strategic dance between them and the changes that occur in any part of the world, have effects on the rest. An increasingly uncertain future. I do not know if Herrera is right and we are living one of the most extreme meteorological phenomena in the documented history of the earth. However, it is clear that the situation only complicated. Not only because things are changing very fast, but because we don’t know where it goes. Image | Tropical tidbits In Xataka | 35,000 dead and 46 ºC in the shadow. This was the penultimate great heat wave that devastated Europe

The greatest enemy of Perovskita’s solar panels is heat. Some researchers have found a solution: titanium

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The commercial viability of Perovskita solar panels is getting closer, thanks to the different solutions over time. However, there is still a big problem to solve to be able to install them, but a team of engineers has managed to solve using titanium. Short. Researchers from the Technological Institute of Georgia in the United States They have achieved That Perovskita’s solar cells are more stable and support high temperatures. The solution was to incorporate titanium into one of the layers. The problem. The incorporation of Perovskita panels to the market has been a challenge because they do not last long when they are exposed to high temperatures. The reason is in one of its internal layers, known as the hollow transport layer (HTL), which allows the movement of electricity within it. This layer, usually made of a material called spiro-feet, begins to crystallize and lose efficiency when the temperature exceeds 70ºC. The solution. The technique used In research is steam phase infiltration (VPI). In this process, the solar cell is exposed to a titanium gas in a low vacuum environment. This allows titanium oxide/hydroxide (Tiox) to integrate into the HTL layer of the solar cell. In this way, titanium acts as a thermal stabilizer, preventing it from crystallizing and ensuring that panel efficiency is not degraded by heat. As a result, solar cells have preserved more than 80% of their original efficiency after 200 hours of 75ºC tests. An alternative to silicon. The study of the study to continue working the Perovskita panels and not those of silicon has been for several reasons. On the one hand, a cost of costs and energy consumption because silicon cells are much more expensive than those of Perovskita. On the other hand, the study has been conducted with financing from the Office of Solar Energy Technologies of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the United States Energy Department, so alternatives have been sought for do not depend on Chinain a context of Tariff war. More solutions for Perovskitas. The American study is not the only one who is looking for alternatives in this line. An investigation in the United Kingdom has managed to go one step further developing a method that makes solar cells more resistant to external factors such as humidity, heat and physical wear. Forecasts Until now the technology developed by the American engineers group is in patent. Commercial implementation will be pending if researchers manage to find partners and the future of Solar energy in the United States. Image | Georgia Tech Xataka | How a new study has achieved cheaper Perovskita solar panels and more efficiently by capturing light on both sides

We have a problem with heat in buildings. A Navarra investigation knows how to cool them without air conditioning

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Every year we repeat the phrase that this has been the year less hot in the coming yearssince it is one of the consequences of climate change. One of the “traditional” ways that we have to refresh in our homes is with an air conditioning system, but poses an economic problem, because the invoices are not paid alone. However, a new Navarro study has managed to find a solution to refrigerate buildings with hardly any energy expenditure. Short. A research team, Formed by Amaia Zuazua Ros from the University of Navarra and Cristina Salazar Castro of the Luredera Technology Center, has developed a project to cool buildings without the need for air conditioning. Under the financing of the Government of Navarra and within the framework of the Navarro R&D System (SINAI)and with the coordination of Aditechthe proposal has sought to boost new passive cooling technologies through modules coated with nanomaterials, designed to eliminate heat from buildings without resorting to electrical systems. The challenge is not less. In the last 30 years, the energy consumption for the cooling of a home is It has tripled. These data, detailed in the International Energy Agency, have highlighted the impact on global electrical demand. For this reason, reducing this consumption without compromising thermal comfort is one of the great challenges of energy efficiency today. The operation. The system is much simpler than it seems. To explain it more easily, the researchers have identified a material that allows to cool the surface of the building, even when exposed to the sun. On the other hand, they have designed a structure to eliminate accumulated heat and thus improve air circulation on the facade by vertical dissipating modules. In addition, they have developed a system to easily adapt to different types of construction. The possibilities. Since the investigation they have detailed that the implementation of these modules in residential and commercial buildings would mean a reduction in energy consumption aimed at refreshing the environment. In addition, in cities with the large amount of solar panels that are being installed and The urban heat island effectthis new system will help mitigate high temperatures from these factors. However, the researchers, who are optimistic, have explained the challenges they have to overcome and how they should observe the long -term application. However, they have added that this technology represents a step forward in the fight against climate change and the design of more sustainable cities. Any other alternative? In the search for sustainable solutions for refrigeration without energy consumption, researchers from different parts of the world are betting on different approaches. An interesting example comes from Indiawhere a system based on recycled clay has been developed. Inspired by botijo ​​technology, this system uses clay cylinders to reduce the ambient temperature by up to 15ºC by evaporation of water, without the need for air conditioning. Image | Aditech and Unspash Xataka | It consumes five times less and does not need gas: it is the French invention that wants to replace the air conditioning

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