important

We have been confusing celiachy and gluten intolerance for years. The difference is important but invisible to the naked eye

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In recent years we have seen that celiacía or celiac disease and gluten intolerances They were visible. Although today society is more familiar with these terms, the fact that the element that unleashes both adverse reactions of our body is the same, gluten, implies possible confusion between one disorder and another. Let’s start with the basics: What is gluten. Gluten is a protein that we can find in the grains of some plants, among which we can highlight wheat, rye or barley. Gluten can even be extracted and used as an additive to give some texture and flavor. However, in the supermarket we will also find products that highlight in its packaging the absence of this protein. The reason is that many people feel adverse reactions to their consumption. These reactions have different origins but similar symptoms, which makes many people not familiar with the differences between these two disorders. Celiacy It is an autoimmune disorder. When celiac people consume buttocks, their immune system is unleashed and damages intestinal villi. These are microscopic projections that are part internal lining of the intestine, fundamental when absorbing nutrients. The damage caused hinders precisely the absorption of nutrients after the autoimmune reaction is unleashed. We do not know of the existence of a cure for this disease and it is little that we know of its origin. We do know that there is a hereditary component: people with celiac relatives are more likely to suffer from this disorder. Among its symptoms, abdominal pain, gases, constipation, apparently inexplicable weight loss, among others, can be found. Gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity or Non -celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is also unleashed as a reaction to gluten consumption and presents some similar symptoms to celiac disease. However, in these cases, experts are not clear about the intervention of the immune system because antibodies are not detected in our body’s response to protein consumption. This adverse reaction can also make symptoms arise in our digestive system, including gases, diarrhea or constipation; as well as symptoms of other types such as headache, joint pain or rashes. Little by little we study this type of problem, but there is still little we know about this intolerance. Similarities and differences The fundamental difference between gluten and celiacan intolerance is what makes the latter a more serious disorder, and it is the damage that appears in the intestine and that can affect how our body absorbs our body nutrients. This damage does not occur in intolerant people. He Autoimmune origin It can also be seen as an important difference. Both disorders share some symptoms but it is also important to cut the gluten of diets also leads to a rapid improvement of these symptoms. So how is each condition diagnosed? When we feel that gluten feels bad for us We can submit to some tests that tell us if we have celiacy. A Antibody test You can tell us if our body is generating an autoimmune reaction by processing gluten. We can also make a genetic test that tells us if our genes are related to a propensity to suffering from the disease. Finally, a biopsy can indicate if we present intestinal lesions of celiacism. If the tests do not indicate the probability that we suffer from this disease but our symptoms refer by ceasing to consume gluten, it is likely that the diagnosis is NGCS. “Celiac disease is a disorder of the immune system that damages your small intestine even when you eat a small amount of gluten. Celiachy also runs in the blood,” Explain Alberto Rubio Tapiaof the Cleveland Clinic. “(Non -celiac gluten sensitivity) is a digestive disorder, not an immune system problem. NGCS does not damage your intestine and does not tend to repeat itself in families.” As if this were not enough, there is another disorder that can sometimes lead us to confusion. Celiacía and intolerance should not be confused with food allergiesespecially with the Wheat allergy. Being wheat, an important gluten source, falling into this error can be easy. A not very severe food allergy can cause similar symptoms that could be confused with those of celiac disease or with gluten intolerance. Other symptoms of allergies, such as itching in the eyes or respiratory problems can help us distinguish this third problem. Distinguishing between the three conditions is more important than it seems. The most severe food allergies can put our lives at risk, but celiachy is also related to serious health problems that can occur in the long term. Celiac people tend for example to present a Greater risk of suffering from intestinal cancer, lactose intolerance or type I diabetes. In Xataka | What is xantana rubber, the thickening additive that replaces gluten: how it is used and nutritional value Image | Wesual click

The broken bones of a dog from 16,000 years ago tell an important story: it was already our pet

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Although sometimes we forget it when We look at certain dogsthese animals were wild one day. It is not clear to what exact time Dog domestication beganbut what is evident is that, for humans, it was A ‘technological’ revolution. There are hypotheses that point to a domestication that would have occurred 40,000 or 20,000 years ago, but the most consistent tests point to Some point 14,000 or 17,000 years ago. There are several deposits in which evidence of the existence of the dog has already been found as a domestic animal, being the specimen found in Guipúzcoa the oldest known to date. In 2021, however, we found more than archaeological remains of a domestic dog: we find the proof that, in the stone age, Humans already worried about these animals. Maybe Not as much as nowbut there are those who think it was when we started to be ‘Pet Friendly’ as a species. The Paleolithic dog and the two sides of our early coexistence with them The discovery occurred when a group of speleologists was exploring the Cave of Baume Traucade to the south of France. In a cavity about 160 meters underground, they found something unique: a practically complete skeleton of an adult bitch. And the analysis Recently published It allows us to know all the details of the copy. The researchers consider that it is the remains of a dog of about 26 kilos of weight and a height to the cross of about 62 centimeterssimilar to that of a current Husky. With about 16,000 years old, it is in the category of “Paleolithic dog.” This represents the transition stage between the Wild and domesticated specimens. Even so, as impressive as their conservation, taking into account their age, they are the brands they found. Mietje Germonpréfrom the Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium, led the analysis and Comment That the humans of the Paleolithic began to collect wolf puppies from their burrows and to raise them at home as ‘pets’. The good condition of its bones allowed a comparative analysis with Lobosmodern dogs and other prehistoric fossils, but above all something caught attention: trauma marks. The team of researchers found evidence of several broken vertebrae that had healed, indicating that those humans of the past were already worried about caring for dogs when they were injured. However, the story of this specimen has a traumatic end. Literally. In addition to the bones that managed to heal, the researchers also found two sharp wounds in the scapulae that did not heal. This suggests that they occurred shortly before the animal’s death and, above all, that those wounds were produced by human weapons. It is impossible to know if he died at the hands of the tribe that took care of it or a rival faction, but it seems clear to infer that, in those early years of domestication, The relationship between dogs and humans was tensewith interest on the one hand, but fear and violence on the other. And, although finding that moment in which the dog ceased to be a wild animal and became our best friend is fascinating, it is also to verify how that company during millennia is causing that Dogs continue to evolve. The key? Our relationship is now not so based on work, but in closeness. Image | Paul Bill In Xataka | There is someone whose brain is synchronized when you look into his eyes. And that someone is your dog

The reservoirs are almost 22% above the average of the last decade. There is an “but” important before celebrating

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The forecasts of meteorologists seem to indicate that spring You have your days counted: Next week we will see an increase in the temperatures and models of the State Metorology Agency, they foresee that in the middle of June the rainfall is less than what is usual for these dates. Despite this, this short spring has been intense, and that It has been reflected In the reservoirs. 77.5%reserves. The latest data indicates that the water reserve has been placed this week at 43,407 cubic hectometers (HM³), 77.5% of its capacity. As it stands out The Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, to this have contributed “abundant” rainfall in the Peninsula and especially in Lugo, where 55.8 mm have been reached. The internal basins of the Basque Country (95.2% of its capacity), the Duero (92.6%), and the western Cantabrian basins (92.2%) They are the ones closest to their theoretical maximum. In the south stands out The River Basin Odiel, red and stonesat 91.7% of its capacity. Almost 22% more than average. We have been more than a year in which the reservoirs accumulate more water than the average of the previous 10 years. The current 43,407 hm³ represent an increase of 21.79% above the average of the past decade, 35,641 hm³. It is good news, but it should be remembered that the data of the Decenal has been significantly weighed by last decade. If we go To data from five years ago, we will see that the average filling of the previous ten years (2010-2019) was 74.3% global and 71.8% if we focus on the reservoirs of consumptive use. The average of the last 10 years is now quite far, in 63.7% for the set of reservoirs, and in 58.1% if we focus on consumptive use. Unequal state. As usual, there are marked differences in the filling level of the different basins. We indicated before some of those that are closest to the full filling, all of them above 90% of their capacity. At the other end, the southern and southwest basins remain at relatively low levels, highlighting the safe basin, at 31% of its capacity. The positive reading is that even this basin has seen its level of filling in recent months. This last week, in fact, the basin has seen an increase of almost 1% compared to the previous week. The Andalusian Basins of the Mediterranean, also among the most empty, have also experienced a slight increase in their volume, until approaching the 57.6% of its capacity. The negative note is put by the Guadalete and Barbate basin, the second with the lowest average filling (at 54.88%), which has lost six Hm³ in recent days, a reduction of 0.36%. Of course, the basin shows a markedly superior filling last year by these dates (30.28%) and also slightly higher than the average of the last 10 years (53.31%). The end of spring. The state of the reservoirs allow us to face with slight optimism an uncertain and imminent summer. Meteorological forecasts They point out a drastic increase in temperatures in the next few days, and not just that. Aemet’s medium -term predictions also indicate that the trend of the coming weeks will not only point to warmer temperatures than usual by these dates, but also towards precipitations below average. This seems to imply the end of spring, at least from the meteorological point of view, and the beginning of a summer that we do not know what will hold us. In Xataka | “Thank you so much, reservoirs.net”: Spanish men are developing a peculiar obsession with swamps Image | Alina Rossoshanska / Miteco

Ozores was a day the most important person in Spain. To the point of delaying the premiere of ‘The Empire Contraataca’

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He has died Mariano Ozoresone of the best known and box office directors in the history of Spanish cinema. Although his cinema has always been despised by critics, his films were infallible blockbusters that put on his competitors on his competitors. Including ‘Star Wars’, whose first sequel had to give in to the overwhelming power of Pajares and Esteso. Long live ozores. Mariano Ozores was one of the main exponents of the Spanish popular comedy since the sixties. His ability to connect with the public was notable thanks to a style that balanced the accessible and the irreverent: as Bruguera of flesh and blood bruguerahis films were simple in the form, but corrosive in what was navigating below. The costumbrista typology, the Spanish scenarios, the explosive humor: key was its style, for example, to strengthen what was known as’Landism‘, pure Hispanic anthropology with the best comedy deals of the time. Great successes. In addition to the films with Alfredo Landa, without a doubt his greatest successes were the ones he signed at the service of Andrés Pajares and Fernando Esteso. With them he signed the legendary ‘Los Bingueros’, sociological phenomenon and more grossing film of that year in Spain, but also ‘The Energy’, ‘Los Liantes’ or ‘Father there are nothing more than two’, up to a total of nine. The 96 films of his vast filmography They were seen for about 90 million viewers. He was the authentic author of the Spanish commercial cinema, when those things made no sense in our industry. Fast, quickly. In 1980, Pajares, Esteso and Ozores had collaborated three times: ‘Los Bingueros’ took the cinema to million and a half spectators and their immediate continuation, ‘The Energy’, of that same year, also went from one million audiences. In both cases they were very short -term films, as usual in the cinema invoiced at infernal speed at the time: ‘Los Bingueros’ was shot taking advantage of the legalization of bingos in Spain; ‘The energy’ was inspired by A nuclear accident in Pennsylvania that horrified the world. The following, take advantage of the international success of ‘Rocky’ in 1976 and ‘Rocky II’ in 1979. Roque III, our Rocky. In just twenty days, Esteso, Pajares and Ozores have their parody, ‘I did Roque III’, where Pajares gives life to Roque Third, a sparrow who lives at a friend’s house, a former Jockey come less. To remove it from Enmedio, the friend decides to take advantage of Roque’s past as an amateur boxer and convinces him to face the national welter champion, Kid Botija. By the way, this boxer named Mortadeliano gives life nothing less than Dum Dum Pacheco, champion of the time whose life, between excesses, fame and prisons, gives for several chronicles and It is currently claiming. Darth Vader reculates. The journalist Juan Sanguino tells it in the documentary ‘Pajares & Cía‘: The power of Pajares and Esteso at a box office to Fox, who decide to delay the premiere of’ The Empire counterattack ‘on the planned date, so as not to coincide with’ I made Roque III ‘. This premieres on September 19, 1980 and the ‘Star Wars’ movie, October 3. “They were the real phenomenon, the real Blockbuster“Sanguino says. Ozores can boast of being the only Spanish filmmaker who has bent to the almighty franchise. In Xataka | The Spanish box office cling this year to a phenomenon: the safe and ‘father there is only one 4

Android 16 premieres one of the most important redesign in the history of the Google system. This is Material 3 Expressive

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Great day for Android users. Although we have already tried the first versions of Android 16in which there were hardly any changes with respect to the previous version, Google has formalized the changes that will reach this new iteration. Among them, one of the most careful designs in recent years, one that says goodbye to the above with Material Designand that completely redefines the system interface. Material 3 Expressive. From the arrival of You In 2022, Android has been quite stagnant in design. This is not bad news: Google’s operating system currently has a quite careful UI, and has given enough time for all applications to adapt to the interface. However, it already touched a change, and even more so with the suspicion that iOS 19 It will also be one of the biggest changes in UI in Apple’s history. Material 3 Expressive acquires its own identity. It is the natural jump after Material Design, and puts upside down what we had met to date. An even more casual, customizable and complete design language. A new design language. Android 16 will grind, a lot. Material 3 Expressive arrives with even more color palettes and a redesign in key aspects such as the notification panel, status bar (the classic Android vertical bar becomes horizontal such as … iOS), native applications, adjustments … It has been given a walk to the interface to show how well marry the new shades. The launcher remains practically identical, with a downhill bar, the icons with full freedom as usual and native widgets that have also been redesigned. It is important to emphasize that Google is showing this interface in a Google Pixeland that in the rest of the devices will present certain changes. Gmail in you material | Gmail in material 3. More news. Do you remember the “Live Activities” of the iPhone? They also arrive at Android with Material 3 Expressive, a joint work of Google with the rest of the developers so that applications can show real -time information. It is especially useful in food tracking, flight -related apps, and even in Google Maps itself. System animations, transparency effects have also been improved, and renowned the native Android apps themselves to adapt to this new design language. As you can see in the superior image, the changes are quite deep, and have as its purpose not only a more attractive design, but to improve the interaction (much larger and more accessible buttons). Also for Wearos. Google wants to unify the design language of its software, and Wearos It is part of it. Material 3 will not land only on Android, the Google operating system for smart watches will also reach. The interface in this type of devices will virtually completely changed, with much larger icons, redesigned icons, new color palettes and a much more intuitive experience. Everything has been rethink to make it easier to interact with these smaller screen devices. It announced in the same way Gemini’s arrival to Wearos in the coming months, to interact with him as we do with the smartphone. Gemini in the new versions of Android Auto. Of course, this new design will also reach Android XR and partially to Android Auto. There will not be a single Google product based on Android that does not enjoy the new material 3. For when. Android 16 will premiere material 3 from this month of May, so the next betas for the Google Pixel are expected to release the new design. As always, it will not be until the final version when this design is fully official and stable, so it is to arm yourself with patience to enjoy it in the rest of the devices. As always, in addition, it will depend on the efforts of the manufacturers themselves or not this design language. Many customization layers have their own language and do not respect Google design lines too much. Image | Google In Xataka | The best apps for Wear OS (2025)

The bone of the sardines is an important source of calcium. And it is not the strangest food that this mineral gives us

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Calcium is a fundamental element for our body and, especially. Surely we have heard throughout our life (and especially in our childhood) that you have to drink milk to gain calcium For our bones. While milk is far from being the only food capable of nurturing our bones with this mineral. First of all, perhaps it is convenient to explain why we need calcium, because the notion that calcium is good for our bones, although exact, does not give us excessive information either. Fundamental for the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and 99% This is precisely in our bone structure. That is why His lack It can cause problems such as rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. But calcium also exercises as electrolytea mineral with electric charge that our body uses for various functions. In it Case of calcium Specifically, its presence in muscle cells allows us contract and relax our muscles and transmit signals through the nervous system, in addition to helping blood and hormones circulate through our body. It is difficult to talk about calcium without starting with dairy. These are the foods that we most associate with the element. Milk contains abundant calcium and some of its derivatives contain even more. In a natural yogurt, low in fat (about 125 grams) we can find Approximately 248 milligrams of calcium. Some cheeses contain calcium concentrations that are even superior. However, there are foods that can contribute both calcium and dairy products. Or even more. Some calcium sources can be surprising. We can find abundant calcium in vegetables such as the Brocoli, Kale or Collized, or in the Berza or cabbage. But perhaps the most surprising plant source is another sheet: that of the ortiga. Cooked, this urticating plant can contribute us Around 125 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams of product. Diverse sources Another important calcium source is in fish. We know that calcium in our body is concentrated in the bones, but the bones of other animals also have calcium. Normally we do not consume food with bone, but there are exceptions. For example, the thorns of The sardines. This makes this fish, consumed with bone as we usually do for example when we eat it, be it Another unique calcium source. The drinks that we usually use as an alternative to milk are, curiously, a source of calcium in themselves. The reason is that these are usually made from calcium -rich foods. Soybean is one of them (and therefore also other derivatives such as tofu), but also some nuts such as almonds. Some of these drinks can also be enriched with calcium to strengthen this contribution. In general, we can also find various foods enriched with calcium, including dairy, juices, and flours and their derivatives. We can even find Calcium supplements If we require them. The calcium content of a food is not the only thing that should matter. The reason is that our body does not always absorb all calcium present in these. In the absorption of this mineral, another nutrient plays a fundamental role, the Vitamin d. This micronutrient plays a key role in the absorption of calcium and also phosphorus. In Xataka | The lack of protein represents a risk to our health. These are the key symptoms to identify it Image | Monicore

China had never been an important actor in global oil production. That is starting to change

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Recently, China has completed drilling of the vertical well of oil deeper from Asia, reaching a depth of 10,910 meters. At first glance, it may seem one more achievement In that career for megaestructurebut it is a symptom of something else: a strategy to reinforce your energy security and reduce its dependence on foreign crude. Record on record. In March 2025, China reached a new peak in its oil production, with an average of 4.6 million barrels per day, According to data cited by Global Times. This figure marks the culminating point of a trend that It has been in silence for years. Despite the fluctuations of the market, especially with the tariff war, Chinese production has continued to increase in a planned and sustained way. Drill, Baby, Drill. Or in Chinese: Zuan Ba, Bao Bei, Zuan Ba. This famous motto that is coined to Trump could also be applied to China. However, what happens in the Asian giant is a very different version. As He explained The energy analyst Javier Blas, Beijing is betting on squeezing his former conventional fields, many of them active from the Era of Mao. Summarizing it more easily: while in the US fracking and horizontal schist drilling They are based on profitabilityIn China, energy security is priority. In fact, state giants such as CNPC, Sinopec and Cnooc They have invested For years around 80,000 million dollars annually to sustain this strategy. In addition, the country is known for being a large importer of oil, so during these years the reserves were not known. However, in this growing silent production, According to Reutershas achieved a 167%replacement ratio. The state oil company CNOOC has declared that its proven reserves exceed 7 270 million barrels, which ensures stable production for the next 10 years. A strategy inwards. This year is fulfilled The established period for China’s autonomy with its “seven -year action plan to improve oil and gas exploration and development efforts”. Although its objective is not only to produce more, but to depend less and less abroad and not have to be subject to the tensions of global geopolitics. But for now …Keep importing and has changed a couple. Chinese refineries are importing Canadian crude record amounts after cutting American oil purchases at 90% due to commercial tensions. As has indicated Bloomberg, the expansion of a pipeline in western Canada, opened less than a year ago, has already provided China and other oil importers of the East Asian to greater access to the vast crude oil reserves in the Alberta tar sands region. Beyond its borders. China’s energy turn does not occur in a vacuum: it has direct implications for the rest of the world. In the first place, greater Chinese self -sufficiency will weaken the weight of export countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, pressing further OPEC+ in its struggle for maintaining crude oil prices. With China pumping more oil locally, its demand for imports becomes more strategic and selective, displacing commercial flows and influencing the global barrel price. In addition, in this way you will have more autonomy to act in commercial tensions without compromising your energy supply. In short, it is sending a clear message: “Each barrel counts.” While the world looks at the Middle East or Texas, the real silent boom is happening in Asia. Image | China News Service and Pexels Xataka | Tariffs are already being charged to their first great victim of the global economy: the price of oil

With O3 and O4-mini, chatgpt reason better than ever. But more important than the model is that we can ask you certain questions

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I read Alberto Romero a few days ago in his great The Algorithmic Bridge counting Three stories who shared something disturbing: they were Three people saved by doing something as simple as asking chatgpt About his symptoms. They did not use Prompts sophisticated or advanced techniques. They only described pain, discomfort, a concern. And they lived to tell. The interesting thing in the conductive thread of these three stories is not that the AI ​​was right (although he did). Is that Natalia came up with asking Chatgpt for that tension in his jaw. It is that Cooper thought about sharing his dog’s analytics. And that Flavio, with an increasing pain, will value consulting a Chatbot In addition to a doctor. The protagonist of these three stories It is not chatgpt, but that previous momentthat moment that someone thinks “What if …?” We live obsessed with what the machines are taking us away. Employment, singularity, creativity. But along the way we are losing something almost equally valuable by our own foot: The ability to imagine unplanned uses, unlikely connectionsways of use that break the instruction manual. The gap is not only between those who dominate technology and those who are not between those who can reimagine it and those who use it following established patterns. Is Like when we buy a new oven. There are those who feel patiently to read the instruction manual memorizing each official function, and those who immediately begin to tighten buttons, turn dials and create combinations that perhaps or the manufacturer conceived. Both will end up cooking, but it is the seconds who will discover that putting the grill A medium power while turning the fan, an impossible finish is achieved to achieve the official recipes. True innovation has always emerged from those who consciously ignore theoretical limitations. The good thing is that, in the same way as Talent is very democratic, This capacity does not understand credentials. A programmer senior You can get stuck by writing code with Chatgpt while a teenager discovers that asking him to simulate difficult conversations before having them. And it turns out that it works as an emotional mirror that never appeared in any manual. The stories that Alberto collects have something more in common: they occur in the medical field, where knowledge has historically been power. Where the diagnosis flows from top to bottom. Where the informative hierarchy is so rigid that it has its own uniform. However, there are Nature, Cooper and Flavio, investing the order, leading to the expert a diagnosis that they could not have formulated but that the AI ​​could detect. It is not a matter of blind faith in technology (Everyone confirmed with professionals). It is something much more subversive: a silent rearrangement of who has access to what information and at what time. While we keep wondering if the machines are going to steal our imagination, the reality is much simpler: The decisive is not what AI takes us away, but what we think about doing with it. There is the true competitive advantage of the 21st century: in that ability to see possibilities where others only see tools with predefined instructions. Natallia, Cooper and Flavio did not save their lives for having access to superior technology, but for daring to think differently. In Xataka | O4-mini is much more than another model of AI. It is the Tesla Model 3 of OpenAI Outstanding image | Xataka

In 1643, Descartes created one of the most important theorems of geometry. We knew he was right, but we didn’t know why. Until now

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In 1643, René Descartes wrote a letter to Princess Isabel del Palatinado in which she simplified a classic problem of Western geometry and offered a solution: the so -called ‘Descartes theorem’; that, according to the famous problem that Frederick Soddy published in 1936 in Natureit can be summarized as “the sum of the squares of the four curvatures is half the square of its sum in figures.” Basically, he found a relationship between the radios of four mutually tangent circles. The problem is that the French philosopher did not explain the reasoning behind that relationship and, in fact, he never managed to find a general formula for more than four circles. His intuition is that this solution existed, but was not able to find it. That has brought mathematicians since then. A couple of years ago Daniel Mathews and Orion Zymaris, from the Australian University of Monash, They decided to try With a radically new approach. What if we use tools of theoretical physics? That was the question that was asked: As Héctor Farrés explainedinstead of pulling the tools of conventional geometry, they began to play with ‘thorn’ (a type of objects of theoretical physics that need a 720 degree turn to return to their natural position). “We use a version of thorn developed by Roger Penrose and Wolfgang Rindler, which applied to the theory of relativity,” The authors said. In this way they achieved ‘re-conceptualize’ circles as algebraic entities that can suffer from geometric transformations. That was the key to obtaining a general formula to be able to describe increasingly complex groups of mutually tangent circles. Why is it interesting? To start because it solves a historical problem of geometry. But, above all, because it does it again and with many ramifications. When Andrew Wiles He managed to demonstrate Fermat’s last theoremthere was some disappointment for the use of modern mathematical tools. In that case it was understandable: part of the grace of the problem was to find the demonstration that Fermat himself said he had discovered (but never wrote). With Descartes’s theorem is different. There was nothing to look for, just a solution to develop. And doing so shows all the potential of mathematics to destroy the limitations that lead us to grip for centuries. In the end, As Arthur C. Clarke said“When a distinguished but elderly scientist says that something is possible, it is almost certain that he is right. When he states that something is impossible, it is almost certain that he is wrong. Image | Frans Hals | Jacob Rus In Xataka | The “Matrix” fillet was always real: philosophical and metaphysical reflections on metovers

What if the constants of the universe are not so constant? We have taken an important step to know. The key is on the nuclear clock

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Atomic watches have meant a before and after in our ability to measure time in an outraged way. These types of watches are precise at such a level that some of the most exact ones would be discouraged in less than a second at the time in which the universe has been existing. Despite this, these watches are not precise enough to solve one of the most important unknowns in physics. Closer to the nuclear clock. Now, however, we are a little closer to achieving a milestone that can open the door to solve this type of doubts, Nuclear watches. These watches will allow us to advance several orders of magnitude in the creation of time measurement apparatus, ultra -precise watches to investigate the new physics. From atomic to nuclear. The nomenclature can lead to confusion, and when we talk about atomic watches and nuclear watches we are not talking about the same technology. While the mechanism of atomic watches depends on the state of excitation of the atom electrons; in the Nuclear watchesthis depends on the particles in nucleus. As its name indicates. Atomic watches depend on the transitions in the state of their electrons. When they absorb energy, they can “jump” in their state. Jumps that can be reversed, only when this occurs, it is the electron that emits energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. Something similar occurs in the nucleus of atoms, only that, being the most isolated nucleus of other physical interactions external to the atom, the transitions of their subatomic particles would be even more precise and reliable than those that occur in the atomic “shell” formed by electrons. Torio-229. To make a nuclear clock work, we also need to transfer energy to the atom, to its nucleus, of course. When we hit the nucleus with a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation, we can change its energy state, as if it were a switch. Nuclear watches, such as atomic, would only have to tell the energy changes in this context. The problem is that causing these jumps in the atomic nucleus is also more difficult. The main difficulty is to excite atomic nuclei enough to cause the “jumps.” To do this we must hit these coherent X -rays nuclei, a high frequency X -ray type and therefore high energy. So much that, in general we do not have the necessary instruments to produce them. “In general”. And, as with electrons, not all these “jumps” require the same energy. Almost half a century ago, researchers realized that the isotope atomic nuclei Torio-229 (229th) It had a jump that required the energy equivalent to that of ultraviolet light. When requiring less energy, building a laser capable of transferring energy to the nucleus, it became Something feasible. Half a century of work. The “Nuclear Transition” of Torio It was discovered in 1976. But that was just the beginning. And it would not be until 2016 that we would observe and measure it. Measure it is key, since if we want to force the transition we must know the exact frequency with which we have to “bombard” the atomic nucleus of this isotope to be able to force it and activate the process. How close are we really? A few months ago, a group of researchers He tested Some of the key elements behind this technology, which allows us to get an idea of ​​how close we are to be able to create a nuclear clock based on 229th. The team tested an ultraviolet laser capable of creating precise energy to force jumps in the state of the nucleus. He also studied a “frequency grid” to directly measure these jumps. In addition, they also studied the transition from Torio-229. The details of the study were Published in an article In the magazine Nature. From dark matter to universal constants. And all this for what? Do we really need more precise watches than atomic? The truth is that this new technology would have important benefits, first for the scientific community, but also for all citizens. These watches They can help us to improve technologies such as GPS and other navigation systems; And also global Internet synchronization, also making the connection faster and safer communications. We would also open the door to more precise measurements that help us clarify some of the mysteries that persecute physicists such as dark matter. Maybe more importantly, these watches could help us develop experiments that resolve One of the most important doubts of physics, the one of universal constants They are really constant And they do not change depending on factors such as the age of the universe or the frame of reference in which we find ourselves, as we until now assumed. In Xataka | Cosmologists are increasingly clear where the most energy particles in the universe come from Image | Nsit

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