key

two of the best folding with a difference of 500 euros that may be the key

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Now that Samsung has presented its new generation of folding phones, it is a good time to compare them with their competition. In this article we are going to put face to face the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra together with him Honor Magic V6. The differences between the two folding Screens, design and dimensions The two mobiles have very similar dimensions with a variation that is minimal, in practice it is not appreciated. Where we are going to see a clear difference is in the back, since the Honor mobile stands out for its camera module that occupies a large part of the back half of the mobilewhile the Samsung folding maintains the design seen in previous generations with a more discreet module. We also did not find major differences in the size of the exterior or folding screens. Where we do perceive a difference is in the brightness of the interior screen: the Honor Magic V6 offers up to 5,000 nitswhile the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra stays at 3,000 nits. RAM and storage configurations When choosing one of the two phones, we will have several internal storage configurations available. The Samsung foldable has three configurations: 256 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. The Honor folding has two configurations: 512 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM. With this we have to The Honor mobile starts with a superior configuration. The extra storage is good for storing photos, videos and files, while the extra RAM is ideal for processing AI locally. main chambers The two devices have quite a few differences between their cameras, at least in those of the rear module: The Samsung mobile offers a higher resolution in the main chamber (200 MP), allowing you to make cuts in the photo while preserving more detail. On the contrary, the Honor mobile has a larger aperture (f/1.6), so it lets a little more light pass through to the sensor. The Samsung wide angle has a greater opening (f/1.7 versus f/2.2), allowing more light to be captured and performing better in unfavorable conditions, such as when taking photos at night. The Honor mobile has a telephoto lens with higher resolution (64 MP) than Samsung’s telephoto (10 MP), thus allowing greater sharpness in long-distance images. In addition, the Honor mobile supports a digital zoom of up to 100x. Battery and fast charging The battery is important in this type of mobile, especially if we use the internal or folding screen a lot. Samsung is betting on a dual 5,000 mAh battery, while the Honor foldable has a 5,000 mAh battery. 6,660 mAh. Until we can test the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra thoroughly we will not be able to draw conclusions, but it is difficult: when we analyzed the Magic V6 it gave us approximately three days of autonomy with average use, something it achieves thanks to the optimization of the system. In any case, where we do see a very clear difference is in the charging power. The Honor mobile supports a 80W fast wired charging and 66W wireless charging, while the Galaxy Fold supports 45W wired fast charging and 20W wireless charging. Prices The two phones start at quite high prices, but the Honor has something in its favor, and that is that it was launched a few weeks ago, so we can see better discounts than on the Samsung phone. While the Honor Magic V6 It can currently be purchased for a price of 1,699 euros In its 512 GB configuration, the Samsung Galaxy Fold8 Ultra will be launched at a price of 2,199 euros in the 256 GB configuration. However, the Samsung mobile is on pre-sale. Some stores (not all) are offering some discounts for pre-purchase, so you can reserve something cheaper. In any case, it is not as cheap as the Honor mobile. Which folding mobile phone to choose? Why choose the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is the brand’s most complete foldable to date. Where it stands out the most is in: Your ecosystem. One UI works very well, is highly optimized and, as we have seen in previous generations, has functions dedicated to folding phones. Your rear camera module. It is smaller than Honor’s, something that is appreciated when carrying the phone in your pocket. Your main sensor. The 200 MP offers better resolution when cropping photos. DeX mode. It allows you to connect your mobile phone to a monitor or television, which can be useful for working at very specific times. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra (12GB, 256GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Why choose the Honor Magic V6 The Honor Magic V6 is one of the most attractive options in folding phones. Where it stands out the most is in: The battery. It has a greater capacity and its operating system is very well optimized. fast charging. It has faster wired and wireless charging. Your telephoto lens. It has a good resolution and also has a 100x digital zoom. Its price. The Honor Magic V6 is receiving very good offers and its price is currently much lower. Your minimum configuration. The mobile starts with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. Honor Magic V6 (16GB, 512GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Technical data sheet of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and the Honor Magic V6 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Honor Magic V6 Dimensions and weight Folded: 72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9 mm Unfolded: 143.2 x 158.4 x 4.1 mm 215 grams Height: 156.7mm Folded width: 74.5 mm Unfolded width: 145.6mm Folded thickness: 8.75 mm (white) / 9.0 mm (others) Unfolded thickness: 4.0 mm (white) / 4.1 mm (others) 219 grams (white) / 224 grams (others) folding screen 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X … Read more

Parking in the sun in Córdoba and in summer is like turning your car into an oven. Luckily, there is a key trick.

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Sometimes I wonder what a pizza will feel like when I put it in the oven. So I wait until 6:00 p.m., I open my car (which is parked on a street in Cordoba in the sun because I have no other option), I get in, and I think “ah, well like that.” It’s a penance because everything is very, very hot, from the seat to the steering wheel to the gear lever of my humble Seat Ibiza. The air conditioning goes as far as it goes, and by the time the car cools down, my clothes are already soaked in sweat. Since I can’t turn on the air conditioning remotely (I wish), a simple way to at least reduce the impact of the heat when getting in the car is to key trick. Windows down, windows up It is quite likely that your car opens and closes with a little touch. Well, there is a trick (it’s no secret, but it never hurts to remember it) to open and lower the windows remotely using only the controller: If you hold down the car unlock button, the windows go down. If you press and hold the car lock button, the windows close. Using this trick is one of those things that, over the years, I have become accustomed to. In my case, I only have automatic front windows, only the front ones go down. And let’s see, things as they are: This doesn’t work magic, but at least it’s progress.. The car is still hot because well, it’s hot, I’m in Córdoba and I’ve parked in full sun, but the initial shock when getting into the car is considerably reduced. If not even for those, we can always resort to the call “japanese trick“: open a window and open and close the opposite door to renew the interior air and reduce a few degrees. In my case, due to the area where I park, this is not always possible, but if you have space on the sides it may be a good idea. From here on, the mechanisms to cool the car are the same as always: Do the first few meters with the windows down and the air conditioning fan at low revolutions. Once you have reached cruising speed, roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning a little stronger. Use the air recirculation button. Point the air conditioner towards the ceiling. Image | Xataka Via | Gamestar.de

There is a way to retire at age 63 in Spain. The key requirement is not age, it is pension

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Retiring at 63 is possible in Spain, although you have to meet a series of requirements very specific to be able to do it. All this is due to the network of possibilities that do not depend so much on your age, but on your pension or the years you have been contributing. The retirement age The minimum age in Spain has gone from 66 years and ten months in 2026 if you have contributed less than 38 years and 3 months, and to 65 years if you equal or exceed those years of contributions. Early retirements allow you to retire up to two years earlier, and that opens the door to being able to do so at 63, although only in certain circumstances. Three key requirements. To qualify for early retirement, you have to meet several requirements. First of all, you must have contributed to Social Security for a minimum of 35 years. Secondly, you must be a maximum of 2 years younger than your corresponding retirement age. And the third requirement is the key, because the pension you have left after applying the reducing coefficients must be higher than the amount of the minimum pension that would correspond to you when you turn 65 according to your family situation. The key is the pension and the reducing coefficients. With all this, what should be clear to you is that retiring at age 63 depends on the pension you will have if you do so, and that you will not be able to retire early at that age if you will have a pension that is too low. And when calculating the pension you will have, the reducing coefficients for early retirement come into play, whether voluntary or involuntary. These are percentages that are subtracted from your pension for bringing your retirement forward, and the more you want to advance it and the fewer years you have contributed, the greater the percentage that will be subtracted from your final pension. And these percentages are final, the pension you have left after applying them is the one you will receive for the rest of your life. In 2026, the percentages of the reducing coefficients for voluntary early retirement are between 2.81% and 21%. The percentage that you have left will depend first on the number of months in advance with which you request your retirement with respect to the ordinary retirement age. And secondly, it will also depend on what you have quoted. This second part is divided into four different sections. But so that it’s not too much of a hassle, this is the official table where they tell you the sections and reductions: In this way, that maximum 21% is taken away if you want to advance your retirement to the maximum, 24 full months, and if you have contributed for less than 38 years and 6 months. On the other hand, if you only want one month in advance and you have been contributing for more than 44 years and 6 months, your pension will only be reduced by 2.81%. Then, all that remains is for you to calculate your specific case in the retirement simulator of Social Security. There are other types of retirement. Everything we have told you is referring to voluntary retirements, but there are also other cases of involuntary early retirement. These are those that are due to external causes, things that you do not ask for, such as collective or objective dismissals, judicial resolutions of the contract and similar. This modality can lead to advancing the ordinary retirement age up to 4 years if there is a minimum of 33 years of contributions, and if you register as a job seeker at least 6 months before requesting it. But of course, this depends on each specific case. As for the self-employed, they can retire early voluntarily with the same conditions as employees, just as we have explained to you, with the same minimums and reductions. And then there are the officials, for whom it depends on the regime that corresponds to them. General Regime officials have the same conditions and requirements as employees, which we have already explained to you. And those in the Passive Classes Regime can voluntarily retire early at age 60 if they have been serving the State for 30 years. Image | pxhere.com In Xataka Basics | Request a card for Social Security retirees and take advantage of discounts

Europe wants to pay without depending on Visa or Mastercard, and Lidl has just taken a key step to achieve this: with Wero

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Lidl has started to accept werothe payment system promoted by banking in Europe, in its German online store. Even at first it may not tell us much, but a supermarket of the stature of Lidl that adds one more payment method is part of a much broader movement: an attempt by Europe to stop depending on Visa and Mastercard for something as everyday as online payments. We tell you all the details. Wero, “the European bizum”. According to the chain itself has confirmedLidl is the first large supermarket in Germany to integrate Wero into its online payments. Lidl.de customers who have an account in one of the 18 banks that already support the system will be able to pay directly from their current account, in real time, and without the card or any US payment network intervening in the operation. How it works in practice. The process is simple, since it is enough to activate the Wero function once in the bank’s app, similar to the way Bizum works in Spain. From there, when completing the purchase on Lidl.de, the customer can confirm the payment from their own bank (the website automatically redirects them to the app) or scan a QR code with their mobile phone. The money comes directly from the bank account, and in case of return, it returns the same way. There are no card intermediaries involved. Why Lidl and why now. According to collect According to The Paypers, the deployment begins in Germany, but Lidl and the European Payments Initiative (EPI), the entity that manages Wero, already plan to extend its adoption to online stores in Belgium and France throughout 2026, and also incorporate payment in physical stores before the end of the year. Nicola Bracht, head of Schwarz Payment Solutions (the payments division of the Schwarz group, parent of Lidl), explained to the media that the decision responds “to the search for a fluid customer experience” and “data protection and security criteria aligned with European standards”, and has announced that the group expects Wero to continue growing as a transversal payment method across different channels. A European alternative to Visa and Mastercard. wero born in 2023 as a trademark of the EPI, an initiative founded in 2020 by fifteen European banks (including BBVA, Santander, Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas) with the aim of building their own payment alternative that reduces dependence on Visa, Mastercard and PayPal, all of them of American origin. Its name plays on the words “we” (us) and “euro.” The system was first launched for transfers between individuals in Germany, France and Belgium, and has since expanded its scope, first to payments between individuals and companies, and now to electronic commerce. Between the lines. What makes Lidl’s incorporation relevant is not so much the gesture itself as what it represents, since Wero’s arrival in high-volume e-commerce is, precisely, the land where Visa and Mastercard get a good part of their business most profitable in Europe. Until now, Wero moved mainly in the field of transfers between individuals, something similar to what Bizum offers in Spain. That a chain with the scale of Lidl begins to accept it in its online store is a step towards that other field, that of commercial payments, where the dispute with the card networks is really played out. Lidl has not been the only one to announce a similar move. And Decathlon will also accept payments through Wero in Germany on its website, as has confirmed the chain. Economic sovereignty. This advance by Wero also comes at a time when the European payments ecosystem itself is reorganizing to another level. Bizum, together with the Italian Bancomat Pay, the Portuguese SIBS, the Polish Blik and the Nordic Vipps MobilePay, has promoted the creation of a joint company based in Madrid that seeks to make all these national systems interoperable under a common infrastructure with Wero. The president of the Spanish Banking Association, Alejandra Kindelán, counted A few months ago “when we talk about payments, we talk about economic sovereignty, competitiveness and Europe’s ability to decide its future”, and payments have gone from being a simple infrastructure to becoming a question of sovereignty. And now what. The calendar managed by EPI points to Wero reaching more online stores in France and Belgium throughout 2026, and payments in physical stores (via QR and NFC) before the end of the year. We will have to wait to know if with so much alliance and momentum from the banking sector, Wero can end up becoming a real alternative to Visa and Mastercard in Europe. Cover image | Jonas Leupe and VLADISLAV BOGUTSKI In Xataka | Mistral is very far in the AI ​​race. Samsung doesn’t care about that and plans to invest a fortune in it

In 2019 we discovered fungi that metabolize gold. There are already those who want to turn them into the key to space mining

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The story started more than five years ago in Boddington, south of the Australian city of Perth. Over there, among killer animals and gold mines, a team of researchers from the Australian CSIRO discovered something really strange: that certain strains of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum Not only could they extract gold from their surroundings and integrate it into their structure, but by doing so they managed to spread faster than the rest. It seemed like a curiosity, but in recent years the situation has begun to change. But wait, why is this something so “weird”? Good question. After all, we know for a fact that fungi “play an essential role in the 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, researcher in charge of the project, explained, “gold is so inactive (chemically speaking) that these types of interactions are unusual and surprising, I had to see it to believe it.” And he saw it. In fact, it published in Nature Communications. It was the first solid evidence that fungi could play a relevant role in the gold cycle in the Earth’s crust. The “mushroom” of the golden eggs. The mining industry quickly turned its attention to the investigation. Especially right there in Australia. The island continent is the world’s third largest gold producer, but the consensus among analysts was that without new deposits production was going to fall (a lot) in a short time. The direct consequence is that this has made marginal deposits profitable. Initially, the industry thought that the CSIRO investigation could be used to locate these new deposits. As we explained years agoIn Australia it is relatively common to prospect in forests of the aucalyptus family or near termite areas because they have a close relationship with the precious metal. Why not test the soil for 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 companies have appeared that work in what we could call “metabolic mining“That is, using organisms to extract gold. “And why do they want that?”, you might ask. “Isn’t it easier to identify where the gold is and extract it with industrial methods?” Yes, here on Earth, yes. But these companies have their sights set a little further: on space mining. For years we have talked about the existence of huge mineral deposits in the Solar System and, during almost the same period, we have fantasized about being able to exploit them. The problem is that, beyond current technological limitationss, to the danger of normal mining, is added the fact that we are talking about processing metal in space. But what if we use ‘metabolic mining’? The idea of ​​sending modified strains of these fungi (or other types of microorganisms) that They will process the mineral for useverything would become simpler. I don’t know if it’s more viable, but it is simpler. It is much less rare than it seems (we use this type of approach to countless products we use regularly), however taking it to the world of mining seems a little more complex for pure efficiency. However, that is ‘now’. Because there are already experiments in this sense generating platinum in microgravity conditions and ‘metabolic’ copper is moving a lot of money. What’s more, while I write (and while the era of cheap materials is over) several research groups They are growing all kinds of microorganisms with the idea of ​​being able to grow gold sooner rather than later. They are getting it. Image | Dominic Vanyi | Jaap Straydo In Xataka | The next richest person in the world will come from space: the future millionaire of space mining

Spain has the key to the next invasion of the Pentagon

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In 1942, while preparing Operation Torch to land tens of thousands of Allied soldiers in North Africa, General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived to a conclusion that would mark American military strategy for the following decades: a war does not depend only on soldiers or weapons, but on the ability to move them to the right place. That operation turned the Strait of Gibraltar into an essential piece. More than 80 years later, the map still says practically the same thing. The US threatens, the truth is very different. donald trump hardened again his speech against Spain to the point of proposing the breakdown of commercial relations due to discrepancies over military spending and the position of the Spanish Government within NATO. On paper, it seemed like the beginning of a rift between both countries. However, it is enough to observe the movements of the Department of Defense itself to discover an obvious contradiction: while the White House raises the political tone, the Pentagon continues allocating hundreds of millions of dollars to reinforce the two most important US military bases in southern Europe. In fact, hours later Trump himself turned back to the threats: “I must admit that I had problems with Spain, and I still do, but today Spain completely redeemed itself. Spain was very generous today. They agreed to an important payment request, and if they had not done so, we would not have even spoken to them,” he indicated. The valuable letter of Spain. The true origin of the clash was not in the tariffs, but in Iran. When Washington requested to use Rota, Morón and Spanish airspace during the operation against the Iranian regime, Madrid refusedforcing the United States to reorganize part of its deployment from Germany and France. That decision recalled something that for decades had remained almost invisible: although the United States invests billions in both facilities, they remain baces under Spanish sovereignty and its use depends, ultimatelywith the approval of the Spanish Government. Rattan The US response: more money. It we count at the time. What is striking is that the American reaction did not consist of preparing an exit from Spain. Just a few months after the veto, the US Air Force awarded a framework contract of about 400 million of dollars to maintain and modernize Morón during the next decade, guaranteeing its operation until 2036. Far from being interpreted as retaliation, the investment sent exactly the opposite message: the strategic value of the base is so high that no specific political disagreement justifies failing to reinforce it. The track was broken. A few days later a second, even more significant decision appeared. Washington announced the construction in Rota of a huge hangar designed for accommodate transport aircraft strategic as C-17 Globemaster and the gigantic C-5 Galaxydevices capable of transporting battle tanks, helicopters, air defense systems or hundreds of soldiers in a single flight. In an era in which the speed of moving troops is almost as important as weapons, expanding that capacity means preparing for future operations, not abandoning the base. Hummock The explanation is on a map. Rota occupies the entrance to the Mediterranean, one of the most important maritime corridors of the planet, while Morón connects Europe with North Africa and the Middle East in a few hours. Together they form a logistical bridge from which the United States can move ships, aircraft, fuel, ammunition and personnel to various theaters of operations almost simultaneously. Changing that combination to another location does not simply consist of moving troops to another European base: it would involve rebuilding for years a logistical infrastructure that already exists and works today. The impossibility of changing a geography. The own published analyzes The United States agrees that losing access to Rota and Morón would place an additional burden on US forces, even if they could redistribute part of their capabilities to other allied countries. The problem, therefore, does not lie only in the hangars, docks or fuel tanks, but in the place where they are built. Andalusia continues to be the natural gateway to the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East, exactly as it was during the Second World War. The Spanish asset: military logistics. That is why it is difficult to imagine that the business threats end up one day becoming a real rupture between both countries. Trump can use Spain as a political argument in his speeches, but the Pentagon has been sending a completely different signal for months with your budget. Every dollar invested in Morón and every new infrastructure built in Rota reminds us of an uncomfortable reality for Washington: when the next major international crisis, attempted invasion or start of a new war arrives, there is an extremely high possibility that the path towards it will begin again in southern Spain. Image | Commander, US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US 6th Fleet In Xataka | The US threatened to take the Rota base to Morocco. Spain has buried it with an unbeatable offer: more territory In Xataka | The same day that the US threatened Spain and said it did not need the Rota base, the US invested 13 million in expanding the Rota base

I explain how to do it, how to activate your privacy key and the obstacle I found

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we may carry months talking about usernames on WhatsAppbut it is one thing to read about a feature that is coming and quite another to see it appear in our own account. This Monday, WhatsApp, from Meta, opened the reserve of identifiers before they can be used generally, and the first thing I did was try to get mine out of the way. At first I couldn’t do it, but a few hours later the option was already there. And then the interesting thing began: booking it was easy, choosing it not so much. In the earlier published article We already explained the scope of the function: usernames do not replace the phone number to create the account, but they do add a more private way to initiate certain contacts. This time the approach is more practical: what I found inside the application, what steps I followed to reserve my identifier and what detail forced me to change plans when I tried the most obvious option. How I reserved my username on WhatsApp In my case, the journey started from the main WhatsApp screen, in the bottom bar of the application. To the right of Chats the tab appears Youwhich is where WhatsApp groups access to the profile and various account settings. From there I entered Account and then in User namean option that already appeared in the menu. As seen in the screenshots, the path is not hidden, but it does require knowing where to look if we have not yet received a clear warning within the app. The next screen leaves little room for doubt about the status of the feature. WhatsApp does not say that usernames can simply be used, but rather that “they will be available soon” and that, in the meantime, we can reserve ours. It also summarizes the promise of privacy with a simple explanation: the username will serve to keep the number hidden from people who do not yet know it. This nuance is relevant so as not to confuse reservation with complete availability. What we have in front of us, for now, is a way to set aside an identifier before general deployment. By clicking on Create usernamethe first thing I did was try my own name. It is a quite natural reaction when a platform opens the pool of identifiers: before getting complicated with numbers, hyphens or combinations, we try to stay with the cleanest form possible. In my case, I wrote Javier and waited for WhatsApp validation. The response was not exactly what I expected. The message was quite specific: “This username is only available on WhatsApp Business.” That is, it did not seem like a normal case of a busy identifier, but rather an availability conditional on the type of account. In practice, this introduces an interesting nuance for those who try to reserve very simple names, especially proper names, because some, apparently, can be left out of a personal account even if they appear associated with another channel. In my case it didn’t make sense to jump to WhatsApp Business. Then I tried another logical option: my last name. It was a reasonable alternative, because it was still easy to remember and fit well with the idea of ​​sharing a personal identifier without resorting to a very long combination. This time WhatsApp did show a much more conventional notice: “Username is not available“There the problem was no longer the type of account, but pure and simple availability, something to be expected in a function that comes to a service with a huge user base. At that point it was time to decide whether to continue trying combinations or choose a reasonable option and continue with the process. I opted for the second. The name I ended up saving was not the cleanest nor the one I would have chosen in an ideal world, but it did what I needed: to clearly identify myself and serve as contact information without exposing my phone number. After accepting the identifier, WhatsApp displayed the message you expected to see: “Username reserved.” The reservation does not end entirely on that screen, because WhatsApp also allows you to adjust who will be able to contact us through the username. In the section Contact me by username I found two options, and the one that was marked by default was All. That is, if I left the configuration as is, anyone who knew my identifier could use it to initiate that first contact. For a function that is presented precisely as a privacy layer, I think that setting deserves review before closing the process. The other option available was People who know my password. When selected, WhatsApp generates a key that works as a second filter for that first contact by username. The idea is simple: it is not enough for someone to know our identifier, they would also have to know that key to be able to start the conversation that way. Here is an important detail that should not be overlooked. In my experience, it is not enough to enter People who know my password and see the password generated by WhatsApp. If we then go back or simply close the application, the setting is not applied and the configuration remains at All. For that additional filter to really work you have to click on Save key. Only then is the key registered and can be consulted later from the same section. That said, we must keep in mind that we are talking about a gradual deployment. If you enter WhatsApp, follow the same route and it still does not appear User nameit doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong or that your account has any problem. In my case, the option was not available when I heard the news and appeared a few hours later. It is best to keep the application updated on iOS or Android and check again later, because WhatsApp will gradually activate the reservation. It is … Read more

The blue crab is a pest throughout the Mediterranean. In Italy they have found the key to resist the invasion: cultivate oysters

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It’s not no newcomer to the Italian coasts, but still the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) represents a huge headache for the Government of Georgia Meloni. Originally from the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, this crustacean with powerful pincers, a bluish color and a voracious appetite has turned Italy’s clam and mussel production upside down, causing millionaire lossesthreatening jobs and affecting the country’s culinary tradition. To combat it, in Italy they have resorted to huge networksthey have financed their capture and have even opened their restaurants to blue crab. Now, in the absence of results, they are adopting a new strategy: farming oysters. A blue and pincer threat. He Callinectes sapidus (the famous blue crab) is recognized above all for its tone and its claws, so powerful that they allow it to easily climb and break fishermen’s nets. However, there is another trait that defines it much better: the voracity. An insatiable predator, it devours clams, mussels, fish eggs, other native crabs with weaker shells… The same resources that have kept thousands of fishermen afloat for generations and nourished part of Italian gastronomy. It is assumed that the Callinectes sapidus takes in Italy since 1940but now its expansion begins to reach unsustainable levels. “A desert”. “The blue crabs are eating everything. This stretch of lagoon is turning into a desert,” regretted a few years ago from the Po Delta Gianluca Travaglia, a 52-year-old fisherman dedicated to catching clams. The situation was so drastic that, he admitted, some of his colleagues no longer used networks. “The crabs swim towards them and break them.” In 2023 Flu Fedaa sector association, estimated the economic impact of the invasive species at about 100 million euros in Italy. According to his calculations, the predator was killing about 90% of the young clams in the Po delta. Daniela Borriello, from Coldirettishared in 2024 another estimate: In the northern Adriatic, the area most affected by the invasion, production has plummeted by 80%. “The jobs of 3,000 people are in danger.” Looking for solutions. The situation is so dramatic that both the authorities and the fishermen themselves have sought ways to stop the plague. In the Venetian lagoon, for example, clam farmers have come to “fortify” your nurseries with nets that appear five feet above the water. Without success. Crabs climb and break them. Campaigns have also been launched to remove tons of crabs from the coasts and invested million of euros in the fight against the invasive species, although without great results. The warming of the oceans and the absence of predators do not make it easy for fishermen either, so some time ago in Italy they took heart and they applied an old strategy: ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. Or eat them, if necessary. The chefs they started looking ways to include the invasive species on your plates or look for new marketslike the US or China. Is it a solution? It certainly doesn’t seem optimal. And for several reasons. To begin with, more and more scientists warn of the environmental risks of ‘invasiveness’the trend of opening local cuisines to invasive species and turning species like blue or Kamchatka crab into ingredients. In the specific case of Callinectes sapidus, Their consumption does not seem to be arousing passions in Italy either, despite the attempts of some chefs to incorporate them into their pasta dishes. The Italian economic environment Quifinance assures that only 15% of blue crabs find an outlet in the food market and their commercialization is limited by the complexity of their processing. In fact, other avenues are already being tested, such as its use in feed. Oysters to the rescue. Beyond the nets, mass captures or their incorporation into local cuisine, in Italy they have deployed another strategy to fight against blue crabs. Which? Bet on oysters. As points out Il Sole 24 Orethe idea is very simple: move from clam nurseries to the cultivation of oyster varieties that, due to their characteristics, are much more resistant to attacks by blue crabs. It’s not just theory. In the Sacca di Goro lagoon (located in the Po Delta), fishermen’s cooperatives they have already diversified its production betting on stras. “More resistant”. “A first step has been taken thanks to the financing, through the Development Fund, of a study dedicated to the enhancement of crab meat,” comments Roberto Saviniby Confcooperative Romagna-Estense. “At the same time, cooperatives have begun significant investment in the cultivation and marketing of certain oysters.” Even media like The Republic have been echoed how there are fishermen dedicated to clams who have decided to switch to oysters, “more resistant.” One of the most recent cases It is left by the Goro cooperatives, in Ferrara, which, faced with the harassment of the blue crab, have decided to give more weight to oyster cultivation. Specifically, the professionals from Gorino and Sant’Antonio have begun to invest in varieties that are a priori more resistant to the new predator (such as Mignon or Lampa) and that at the same time can have an outlet in the Italian gastronomic market. Solved then? No. The commitment to oysters is just one of the strategies deployed by the Government and Italian fishermen. And it is not without challenges either. One key is the image that oysters have. Unlike clams, a large part of the market continues to view them as a luxury item. To solve this and aware of the opportunity they represent for the fishing industry, Italy has considered reducing its VAT, passing it from 22 to 10%. “Oysters are a luxury good because they are expensive, not because nature has made them luxurious,” recognize the Minister of Agriculture. Another challenge is to expand the gap that oysters now occupy in the market. Fedagripesca estimates that Italians consume around 10,000 tons of oysters annually, the vast majority (97%) of foreign origin. “Italy, with its more than 7,000 km of coastline, could compete with France for the title of cradle of the oyster, recovering a production … Read more

NASA wanted to keep a key antenna active. A culture of “personal heroism” ended up achieving the opposite

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There are infrastructures that seem made to escape the problems of the Earth. The Deep Space Network from NASA is one of them: a network of giant antennas designed to communicate with probes and ships that travel far beyond our immediate environment. But even a system designed to talk to deep space depends on something much closer: trained people, clear procedures and decisions made under pressure. What a space agency investigation has just pointed out is not only a costly breakdown, but a weakness that is difficult to ignore in a network that we take for granted. The Goldstone Incident. The episode occurred on the DSS-14 antenna, a 70 meter facility located in the Goldstone complexin California. NASA published a version with redacted parts of the final report on the incident recorded on September 16, 2025, which left the antenna out of service since then. The damage occurred when the structure rotated beyond its limits and stressed cables and hoses, including those for the fire suppression system. The consequence was a flooding of the base with more than 750,000 liters of water containing glycol and estimated damages between 4.1 and 4.6 million dollars. The incident chain. The report does not allow each step to be reconstructed with complete clarity, because the public version hides almost all the details of the six critical events identified by NASA. The failure did not appear suddenly. First there was a hydraulic limit system that stopped working at an unspecified time, then an anomaly on September 15 during a communication with Juno and then maintenance and diagnostic tasks. In this process, the antenna was taken several times to its rotation limits, until the safety margin ended up disappearing. The weak point. If this story is surprising, it is because it takes place in a place where we tend to imagine everything measured, written and reviewed down to the last detail. But the NASA investigation describes something much more earthly: insufficient training, procedures that were not up to par, and too much reliance on undocumented routines within the facility. In a network like the DSN, designed to maintain communications with very distant missions, this changes the reading of the incident. It was not just an antenna that turned too much, but an organization that, at that particular point, had left too much room for the informal. Misunderstood heroism. The report also points out a work culture based on what he calls “personal heroism,” an expression to describe teams willing to do what is necessary to keep the antenna going. On paper it sounds like a compromise, but research presents it as part of the problem. That drive led some people to take on tasks outside their qualifications, work long hours until they accumulated fatigue, and skip tests that could delay their return to operations. The conclusion is harsh: having agreed to leave the antenna in a failed state would probably have prevented the outcome. Specific duties. The report includes 20 recommendations, with one especially clear idea: NASA needs to encourage technical rigor over “personal heroism.” From there, internal correction measures come in, such as reinforcing training and reviewing procedures. Additionally, the agency is looking for similar scenarios beyond the Deep Space Network itself. Deep Space Network. DSS-14 is not just any antenna within the Deep Space Network. It is one of the three 70-meter antennas in the network, the largest category within a system made up of 14 antennas distributed between California, Australia and Spain. In early 2026, it looked like the antenna would return to service in May, before being taken out of operation in August for a major upgrade scheduled until October 2028. NASA, however, now maintains that it will remain out of service, although the DSN will remain operational thanks to the other antennas in the network. Images | POT In Xataka | Voyager 1 will reach a light-day distance in November, but this will be its last major record

While the heat ‘Spanishizes’ Europe at full speed, Spain begins to ask itself a key question: whether it will have to ‘saharize’ itself

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During recent summers, as heat waves have spread their tentacles across the continent, we Spaniards have seen ourselves vindicated. At last, Germany discovered the napFrance would fall in love with the blinds and England would have to admit that dining late has its benefits. It was seen, let’s face it, as a cultural victory. We did not have the other side of the coin: that climate change is a treacherous animal and, while Europe flirts with our habits, customs and solutions, we are being forced to abandon them. The question was not whether we will manage to ‘Spanishize’ Europe; It was whether we are going to have to ‘saharize’ Spain. What we are doing is not enough… In the midst of a heat wave, it becomes evident that many of the things we have been doing no longer work. But the truth is that the heat is no longer “an isolated episode.” According to the State of the Climate of Spain 2025 According to AEMET, the average temperature has risen 1.75 °C since 1961. In 2025, 25 records were broken for warm days and none for cold days (when one would expect five of each) and, as far as we know, summer lengthens by about nine days per decade. The consequences have changed radically and can be seen with a single piece of information: the The need for refrigeration in Spain has multiplied by 2.6 between 1982 and 2022. In this sense, Royal Decree-Law 4/2023 has already certified the obvious: the Spanish working day has to be legally subordinated to the thermometer and to the AEMET notices. In Xataka Experts agree that opening windows at night and closing them during the day is no longer the best strategy against heat. …and, in fact, we are stopping doing many things. The nap is a good example: only 16% do it daily and the 60% of Spaniards never sleep. It is due to the social evolution of the labor market, it is true; but also because at certain temperatures, the nap is no longer restorative and we can only turn on the air conditioning. When talking about ‘Saharanization’ there is a controversial component, of course; but there is also a grain of truth. There is extremely striking thingsfor an average Spaniard (like drinking hot drinks because they help regulate body temperature more efficiently than cold drinks) that make all the sense in the world in a very hot climate. And it is reasonable to think that there are many of those things that we will tend to adopt. It has always been said that Islamic culture tended to conceive houses ‘inwards’ and gave a lot of weight to internal domestic life, but do we really believe that it is a free decision and not a cultural adaptation to a very warm environment? {“videoId”:”x8006fc”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”How to sleep when it’s very hot and you don’t have air conditioning”, “tag”:””, “duration”:”217″} There is more, much more. Because the signs are there. Cities are reacting: Barcelona has gone from 197 climate shelters in 2021 to more than 500 this summerwith coverage of 99% of the population within less than ten minutes walk; Bilbao, for its part, has around 131 spaces. Leisure also changes and Summer bookings to Norway up 37% while the north of the peninsula gains tourists. That is, it is no longer whether we change “habits, customs and solutions” but how we do it. We should talk more about this because that is where a good part of our near future lies. Image | Sam Williams In Xataka |ENT doctors agree: “Sleeping with air conditioning forces the nose to work excessively” (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news While the heat ‘Spanishizes’ Europe at full speed, Spain begins to ask itself a key question: whether it will have to ‘saharize’ itself was originally published in Xataka by Javier Jimenez .

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