measured

In 1852, surveyors concluded that Everest measured just 29,000 feet. They found it so implausible that they added two feet.

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Says the adage that “Caesar’s wife, in addition to being honest, must appear so.” Something similar happens with topography. When in the mid-19th century a group of researchers from the British Royal Geographical Society dedicated themselves to measuring Mount Everest concluded that its highest point was at 29,000 feet (8,839 m). The problem is that this figure was so round (so damn perfect) that it conveyed the false image that it was the result of lax rounding, not of years of calculations. To avoid this, the team decided to be pragmatic: they added two extra feet to the top, an invented addition that left their official size at 29,002 feet, a more ‘serious’ figure. A complicated mission. In the era of satellites and GPS it may seem like a relatively (relatively) simple task, but in its day measuring the height of mountains was a real challenge. headache. Especially if we talk about peaks like those found in the Himalayas. In the 19th century, experts such as Alexander von Humboldt They used the variation in atmospheric pressure to measure, for example, the height of Chimborazo, in Ecuador. Later, in the 19th century, surveyors opted for triangulation. With these resources, in the 1850s, a team hired by George Everestformer surveyor general of India, settled near the border between India and Nepal to collect information from Peak XV, today renamed after the British surveyor. The Indian mathematician Radhnath Sikdar and the rest of his colleagues responsible for calculations on the ground they didn’t have it easybut in 1852 They obtained conclusive results that confirmed that the Himalayas were home to “the highest mountain” on the planet. and What did they discover? Its objective was to improve the unofficial estimates made years earlier by James Nicholson, who placed the peak at about 30,200 feet (just over 9,200 meters). And they did it. After extensive triangulation and mountain data collection, the team hired by Everest concluded that Peak XV measured 29,002 feet (8,839 m). Or at least that’s what was officially announced. There is a version of the story, collected by The American Statistician, IFL Science or Montana State University, which claims that the exact data obtained by the team to which Radhnath Sikdar belonged was 29,000. Not one more foot. Not one less. Science… and appearance. The problem is that this figure may have been accurate, but it certainly sounded unscientific. Those responsible for the mission they were afraid that, upon seeing it, their British colleagues thought that they had made a rough and unrigorous estimate, so they decided to give it a more ‘respectable’ appearance. As? Adding two gift feet. A testimonial growth spurt, but one that conveyed the image that the work had been more rigorous. The explanation is found in a letter published in 1982 in The American Statisticianwhich in turn quotes a paragraph published several years earlier in People’s Almanac. “The first official survey of Everest was carried out in 1852. Surveyors took measurements at six points and came up with an average figure of 29,000 feet. This seemed too round an estimate for an official report, so they added two feet to their published result to make the height 9,002 feet,” collect the article. Some versions They maintain that the idea was not Sikdar’s, but Andrew S. Waughtthe successor to Everest. With respective. What the Everest team may not have suspected is that (‘pretty’ or not) their measurement was not going to be the last word on the subject. They improved the previous estimate of Nicholson and they were surprisingly close to the ‘real’ data, but the truth is that in the middle of the 20th century another study made closer to the mountain set its elevation at 29,029 feet. Since then even that figure has been revised. In 1999 an expedition sponsored by National Geographic concluded that the bedrock is at 20,035 feet. Years later, Chinese experts placed it at 29,017. Since then the data has been corrected again. In 2021, the Nepal Survey Department and the Chinese authorities announced that the altitude is 29,031.69 feet above sea level. Is it that difficult? Of course it is more complicated than it may seem. And not because the tools or calculations we use are more or less precise. Before talking about the height of Everest, several factors must be taken into account. The first is what we take as a reference: the rock or the snow that accumulates on it? The snow layer on the summit is not immutable and its thickness is influenced, for example, by the weather or wind speed. Even the bedrock can experience slight variations. “The mountain is part of a dynamic tectonic environment,” remember from Montana State University. Experts say that in 2015 an earthquake displaced several centimeters Everest. Other studies argue that changes in the Arun River basin are raising the mountain 2mm every year. Now we could even discuss whether Everest is the highest mountain on the planet or that depends on what criteria we follow and whether we look at the height from the base to the top or the distance of the latter with respect to the earth’s center, although that is another debate. Images | Michael Clarke (Unsplash) and Evan Qu (Unsplash) In Xataka | There is something worse than Everest turning into a mountain literally full of shit: scam rescues

Science has measured how dinner affects sleep and the result explains why you wake up craving sugar

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Almost everyone has experienced an annoying night tossing and turning in bed after a heavy dinner or fat. Under this pretext, science has gone one step further to demonstrate that the relationship between what we eat and how we rest is completely bidirectional, making what we eat determine whether we are going to rest better or worse. And the most surprising thing is that sleeping poorly can cause us to need to consume more sugar the next morning. A Granada studio. In February 2026 the magazine European Journal of Nutrition public a revealing investigation led by the University of Granada, where researchers monitored the habits of 146 adults with obesity. To do this, they used special watches to analyze accelerometry over a period of 14 days, to later cross-reference the activity data with dietary surveys of what had been consumed throughout the day. Prohibited items. One of the most interesting conclusions reached was undoubtedly the relationship between certain foods and poor rest. And to be clear, the elements that should be prohibited at our dinner are the following: Saturated fats. Eating excess protein and, more specifically, eating red meat for dinner. French fries, or fried foods in general, reduce the quality of sleep. Alcohol is one of the classics on this topic, since, although it generates a feeling of sleep, it destabilizes its quality. Large meals cause slow digestion and cause nighttime awakenings, preventing you from entering into a deep and restful sleep. Highly recommended foods. On the contrary, the passport to restful sleep seems to lie in another type of nutritional profile. Interestingly, carbohydrates, often demonized at night, were associated with better rest in this study. Although we are not talking about sugar directly from the sugar bowl, but rather complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice or potatoes, because help transport tryptophan to the brain. But in addition, the consumption of oily fish such as salmon or sardines is also recommended, since they are rich in omega-3 and especially tryptophan. The reasons. As we see, tryptophan is key in the diet to induce quality sleep, and it is no wonder. Biochemistry tells us that the tryptophan that we ingest through the diet is converted into serotonin and, subsequently, that serotonin is transformed into melatonin, the well-known sleep hormone. And for this chain to work we need very important factors such as vitamin B6, magnesium or zinc. But this also adds to a much less difficult digestion when talking about foods that are barely fatty and that do not require a lot of work on the part of our body and that do not invite reflux symptoms to appear that can be really annoying at night. Specific foods. With scientific support behind it We find the kiwi, since here a trial pointed out that eating two kiwis, one before going to sleep, reduces the time to fall asleep by 35%. But it also increases sleep duration by 13% due to its contribution of antioxidants and natural serotonin. Additionally, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard or lettuce provide magnesium and tryptophan. And if vegetables are not for you, we also have eggs, either boiled or in an omelet, which provides tryptophan and vitamin B6, along with the classic grilled chicken breast, which is also an excellent source of tryptophan. The rebound effect. However, the true clinical contribution of the research is to show that this problem is, in reality, a cycle that feeds on itself in a dangerous way. Here the researchers found that when participants experienced a poor night’s sleep, breakfast was marked by a higher consumption of sugars and a lower intake of fiber. Images | Slaapwijsheid.nl Debbie Tea In Xataka | We have accepted that “deep sleep” is the standard for sleep quality: science points in another direction

They have measured the brain age of people who usually meditate. The result is that he looks six years younger

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The age reflected on our identity card does not always coincide with the real age of our organs. In the field of neuroscience, the “brain age” has become a fascinating biomarker to understand how our nervous system ages and what factors can protect it. And now meditation seems to have a fundamental role in delaying this clock at least during our rest hours. A new study published in the magazine Mindfulness has found that people who practice meditation At an advanced level they have a “brain age” during sleep that is almost six years lower than their chronological age. A striking fact that opens doors in the study of neuroplasticity and the role that this habit can have in the lives of many people. Although logically we must move away from the idea of ​​suffering a miraculous “rejuvenation” How it has been seen. To understand the finding, we must first understand how this “brain age” is measured, and here the researchers did not use MRIs to see the size of the brain, but instead analyzed the electrical activity through electroencephalograms (EEG) during sleep. Its evolution. Something that is known is that, as we age, the brain waves we produce when sleeping change in predictable ways. Under this pretext, algorithms have been used to calculate a “brain age index” based on these electrical patterns. With these data, if the brain produces waves typical of someone of a similar age, the index is similar to zero, but if waves are produced from someone older, the index is positive. The method. The research team evaluated 34 people who meditate at an advanced level, belonging to the discipline Inner Engineering with an average age of 38 yearsand compared their sleep records with those of several control groups who did not meditate. The result here was that people who usually meditate showed an index that corresponded to people six years younger. That is, their brains, electrically speaking and while sleeping, behaved like those of people almost six years younger, while the control groups showed values ​​close to zero or slightly positive. One more biomarker. The findings fit like one more piece in a scientific puzzle that has been years in the making. Previous research already pointed to global changes in the EEG spectrum and greater neuroplasticity, and it was even seen that regular meditation caused an increase in brain gray matter and a possible neuroprotective effect. However, from a clinical standpoint, it is critical not to confuse an EEG marker with literal rejuvenation. The fact that the brain shows younger electrical patterns at night is an excellent biological indicator of brain health, but this study does not clinically prove that meditation is a proven tool for reversing cognitive decline. You have to be cautious. In this case it cannot be categorically stated that meditating rejuvenates the brain because there may be other factors that have not been measured. We must also keep in mind that we are dealing with a study on only 34 people, so the sample should be increased with the aim of extrapolating it to the entire population. Images | Drazen Zigic in Magnific In Xataka | The best 18 meditation, relaxation and mindfulness applications to have better mental health

have measured for the first time how its disappearance makes us poorer and malnourished

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We have been hearing warnings for years about the global collapse of populations of bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Until now, the debate had often focused on the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, but now a new and pioneering study has just shown that this ecological crisis goes much further by pointing out that the decline of insects It is already directly affecting human nutritionbecoming a very important food safety issue. It is being analyzed. Although some people may wish that these insects would end up disappearing because they disgust them, the reality is that it is not the best of ideas. Here the key piece of this new alert is a study published in Nature that quantified the real and tangible impact that the lack of pollinators has on the environment. What has been seen? The team here analyzed the daily life of 10 agricultural villages in Nepal for a year and cross-referenced data on the abundance and diversity of pollinating insects in the area, the exact yields of their crops and, most importantly, the nutritional status of the inhabitants. Once all this information was cross-referenced, the results indicated that pollinators are directly responsible for approximately 44% of the agricultural income of these communities. But the most critical data is in the diet, since insects guarantee more than 20% of the intake of vitamin A, E and folate. And, by decreasing pollination, Harvests of fruits, vegetables and seeds rich in these micronutrients fall drastically, leaving communities exposed to nutritional deficiencies. A great crisis. To understand the magnitude of this finding, we must look at the global trend, often dubbed in the scientific community and in the media as the “insect apocalypse.” In this case, in 2019 a study set off alarm bells by estimating that 40% of species of insects worldwide is in decline. And the data pointed to massive drops in the number of flying insects in parts of Germany and also in the forest of Puerto Rico. And logically, this global disappearance has consequences, since insects are the basis of countless food webs and essential for nutrient recycling and pollination. Globally, it is estimated that approximately three-quarters of the world’s food crops depend to some extent on animal pollination. Why do they disappear? science is clear that intensive land use and climate change are very important factors when it comes to explaining why these insects are declining. And the regions that suffer the worst declines in insect abundance and diversity are, paradoxically, those with intensive agriculture and little remaining natural habitat, aggravated by rising temperatures. In the end, we are facing a true vicious circle, since the habitat of insects is destroyed and pesticides are also used massively to produce more food, but in doing so we annihilate the very pollinators on which the profitability and quality of those same crops depends. Is there a solution? Here the escape route specified by the research points to the need to plant strips of native flowers around the crops to ensure constant food for pollinators. Furthermore, transitioning towards agricultural models that do not indiscriminately poison our allies is also essential. Images | wirestock at Magnific In Xataka | We have a serious problem with the extinction of bees. The United Kingdom wants to solve it with bricks

We have found the real kraken. It measured 19 meters and reigned in the seas 100 million years ago

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The kraken has been in the ideology of myths for decades and was imagined as a gigantic sea monster capable of dragging ships to the depths with one of its tentacles. But the truth is that it was something completely mythological until now science suggests that in reality they did exist at some point in the history of our planet. When? If we wanted to see them, we would have to take a time machine and travel to about 100 million years ago, where colossal octopuses dominated the depths of the oceans, competing head-to-head with the large marine reptiles of the time of the dinosaurs. And just like points out the published study in Science This finding not only confirms the existence of these giantsbut forces paleontologists to rewrite what we knew about the food chain of the Cretaceous seas. How do we know? One of the biggest problems paleontologists face when studying cephalopods is that their bodies are soft. And, lacking an internal skeleton, it is extremely rare to find complete fossils of octopuses or squids and so the question here is obligatory: how do we know that this giant existed? The answer is in their jaws. Here the team of researchers did not find fossilized bodies, but rather 27 mandibles known colloquially as beaks and similar to those that parrots have. These were found in sites in Japan and Canada and through advanced digital prospecting techniques and analysis of the wear of these pieces, scientists were able to digitally reconstruct the owners of these lethal hunting tools. The species. The taphonomic analysis of these remains has allowed the identification of two main species: Nanaimoteuthis jeletzkyi and Nanaimoteuthis haggarti. But it is the latter that takes all the attention of science. The point here is that by extrapolating the size of the fossilized jaws and comparing them with the proportions of current cephalopods, experts estimate that N. haggarti It was able to reach a length of between 7 and 19 meters, which would far exceed the giant octopuses that are currently in the Pacific, which rarely exceed five meters. The food chain. Until now, the classic view of Cretaceous marine ecosystems placed large reptiles (such as mosasaurs or plesiosaurs) at the undisputed top of the food pyramid, relegating cephalopods to the role of simply being abundant prey. However, this published study changes the rules of the game. It is now known that these octopuses were not just food, but were great predators. Here the level of wear on their jaws has been key to seeing that they had an aggressive diet and that, therefore, they occupied a place at the top of the oceanic food web. The evolution. If we look back, in the Cambrian period we find the humble Nectocaris pteryxwhich was nothing more than a primitive cephalopod which barely measured a couple of centimeters and which serves as a baseline to understand where these animals come from. From here on, millions of years later, evolution had given these animals a large size and tools to become the “krakens” of the Cretaceous. Images | freepik In Xataka | We have stuffed the Gibraltar monkeys with Doritos. His solution has been to eat dirt as if it were omeprazole

Europe has just measured how much wind potential Spain has left. The answer is an overwhelming first place

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If we look at the sky and our plains, the country is an undisputed giant. According to official data from the Wind Business Association (AEE)wind energy is already the first source of electricity generation in our country, covering an impressive 24% of national demand. With more than 31,600 megawatts (MW) of accumulated power distributed in 1,412 wind farms, Spain has consolidated itself as the second country in Europe (only behind Germany) and the sixth in the world in installed power. However, behind this success of “emptied Spain” a broken bridge hides. The wind blows and the blades turn, but we lack the cables to bring that clean energy to the cities and factories where it is actually consumed. And right now, when bureaucracy threatens to suffocate the sector, Europe has just put on the table a report that shows that what we have built to date is just the tip of the iceberg: the margin for growth that Spain has left is not only large, it is overwhelmingly higher than that of the rest of the continent. An overwhelming first place. The confirmation has come directly from Brussels. The Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission has just published the second edition of the report ENPRESSO 2. This scientific document does not make estimates on the fly: it measures the feasible technical potential of onshore wind energy in Europe with a very high geographical resolution of 1 square kilometer. The results position Spain as the leader of the entire EU by a very wide margin. As the expert Joaquín Coronado explains:the figures are stratospheric. In the reference scenario, Spain reaches a technical potential of 183.9 gigawatts (GW) of installable capacity and 415.4 TWh/year of generation. More than double that of Romania and Sweden, the next in the ranking. If we cross this with our current capacity, the conclusion is stunning: the ceiling is very far away. How do we lead with such advantage? The merit of this first place is even greater if we understand how it has been calculated. The European Commission report has applied very strict filters For an area to be considered suitable: the mills cannot be more than 5 kilometers from a road, nor more than 3 kilometers from the electrical grid, and must respect minimum distances from population centers (1 km) and protected areas such as Natura 2000. After passing all these demanding filters, 5.8% of the Spanish territory is available and suitable to house wind turbines. As Coronado explainsour low relative population density in those areas where it is windier gives us a brutal competitive advantage. We are much less sensitive to changes in separation distances (so-called “setbacks”) than densely populated countries such as Germany, France or Poland. Even if Europe forced us to move 2 kilometers away from towns (the most restrictive scenario), Spain would still retain 52.8 GW of potential. It’s not all lights. The energy expert warns of a purely internal problem: “regulatory heterogeneity.” While national regulations establish a separation distance of 500 meters for populations, there are autonomous communities such as the Balearic Islands, Navarra or Valencia that require 1,000 meters, and others such as the Basque Country or the Canary Islands that request 400. This regulatory fragmentation means that the real potential varies drastically depending on which side of the autonomous border the wind blows. The bureaucratic infarction of a “full” network. At this point in the x-ray, it is time to address the elephant in the room. As we have explained in Xatakathe Spanish electrical system suffers a serious administrative “thrombosis”. The network is not physically collapsed, but administratively “full” and underused. Panic broke out when the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) was forced to delay the capacity maps until May because 90% of the nodes appeared in red. Faced with this bottleneckthe CEO of Red Eléctrica, Roberto García Merino, defends himself by remembering that they have 1.5 billion ready to invest, but the paperwork delays works that barely require a year of physical work for up to a decade. As if the internal traffic jam were not enough, we come across France’s external plug, whose pyrrhic interconnection (2.8%) isolates us and forces us to throw away cheap energy to protect its nuclear industry. The risk of dying of success. Spain finds itself at a historical crossroads. We have the climate, the soil, the wind and the endorsement of the EU. If we add to this wind potential the 19 GW of reversible hydraulics already in the pipeline, Spain has in its power to develop the most competitive emissions-free electricity mix in all of Europe. But to achieve that future, heat maps and reports from Brussels are not enough. It is necessary, as experts point out, to homogenize legislation between communities, compensate local populations and, above all, urgently expedite permits to build the network. As a summary from the sector: “The plans are very nice, but they have to be built.” Image | Carlos Teixidor Cadenas Xataka | Macron believes that Spain has “a problem” with renewables. What it really means is that they are “competition”

Saudi Arabia already knows the real price of Neom and it is not measured in billions, but in barrels of oil at $90

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Saudi Arabia is mired in a paradox that revolves around barrels of oil. Years ago the kingdom launched an ambitious program to reduce its dependence on ‘black gold’, a key element in its accounts and public treasury. Under the name of ‘Vision 2030’ basically proposed to diversify its economy with a rosary of projects which included large urban developments such as Oxagon, Trojena or the famous The Line. The problem is that the swings in the price of crude oil (the same one from which he wants to get away) is complicating the things. So much so that the kingdom has already been forced to moderate its expectations. What has happened? We told you a few days ago: Saudi Arabia has had to rethink the Neom megaprojects, the program with which the kingdom wants to promote works such as Trojena or The Line, a futuristic city 170 km long, 500 m high and 200 meters wide built from scratch in the middle of the desert. According to Financial TimesNeom’s president, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is now considering a “much smaller” scale. In fact, there is already talk of a drastic cut in The Line and changes also in Trojena. Is it a novelty? Half. Despite the efforts of Saudi Arabia for showing how the works were progressing, the international press has been warning for some time the difficulties (technical, but especially financial) that the kingdom has encountered to carry out its projects. own FT posted a few months ago a report in which he talked about how Neom’s dream is “unraveling.” His last article It goes further however and helps to understand the context. The cuts come after Neom officials commissioned an audit of the project. And although its final conclusions are not yet known, they seem to be strong enough that there are already architects working on the redesign of The Line. Their goal: to turn it into a “modest” project that can take advantage of the infrastructure built in recent years. There is talk of a change in concept, of a Neom that (without giving up the diversification of the Saudi economy) stops focusing on the “cities of the future” to focus on something much more concrete: data centers. The kingdom insists in any case that Neom is a bet that “aims to span generations” and its discourse (at least the public) is far from being defeatist. What is the problem? Beyond the scale and enormous ambition of the projects (only The Line involves building a 170 km city), Riyadh has encountered a perfect storm. Not even her years of waste (or precisely because of them) have prevented her from being forced to rethink some milestones in her initial schedule. The clearest example Trojena leaves it. There, in its ambitious ski resort, the 2029 edition of the Winter Games was going to be held. A few days ago, however, the Asian Olympic Council and its Saudi counterpart announced that the appointment will have to be postponed indefinitely. Financial Times remember that in the medium term the kingdom also has important commitments that will require it to step on the accelerator. The first will arrive with the international fair Expo 2030. The second, with the 2034 World Cup. Click on the image to go to the tweet. And what does the oil look like? If something they usually repeat analysts trying to explain the development of Vision 2030 (and more specifically Neom) is how the price of crude oil is influencing it. The reason is very simple. Although the financing of Vision 2030 does not fall directly into the budget of Saudi Arabia, its implementation does depend on large projects funded by the State. And it receives a large part of its income through oil. Saudi Arabia is the main exporter of crude oil on the planet, which explains that in 2024 this will represent 60% of public income. In general, oil and natural gas accounted for more than 20% of its entire GDP that year. A few months ago Arab Gulg States Institute (AGSI) I remembered that the weight of the oil business in the Government’s tax revenue is today much lower than a decade ago, when it reached 88%, but it has still accounted for close to 63% in recent years. Not only that. Its technicians recognize that the health of Aramco (the Saudi national oil company) is “vital for the health” of the public coffers and the country. Why is it important? By a simple rule of three. The implementation of Vision 2030 depends largely on the Saudi kingdom and its PIF (the Public Investment Fund), sovereign in nature and chaired by Mohammed bin Salman. And the money they receive is closely linked to the progress of the global oil business. In April of last year, in a complicated context, marked by fear of the trade war and differences within OPEC, Reuters warned of how the fall in the price of crude oil would be reflected in Aramco’s dividends… and these, in turn, in the money that would enter the coffers of the Government and the PIF. “The Government and the PIF will receive 32 billion dollars and 6 billion dollars less, respectively,” collected the chronicle signed by Yousef Saba. Already at that time there were experts who pointed out that this snip would take its toll on some of the projects that the kingdom had in its hands. “Saudi Arabia is likely to depend on debt financing and will have to delay or reduce some planned contract awards,” insisted Karen Young of Columbia University, recalling the nation’s deficit. Is there more? Yes. A key fact that in recent months have slipped several analysts and in which affected these days Brad Setser, CFR researcher, following the latest news about Neom and The Line. It is not just a matter of the price of oil rising or falling in the market, it is that Saudi Arabia needs the barrel of Brent to remain at certain … Read more

I have measured the CO2 of my office for weeks. And now religiously vento every hour and a half

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I’ve spent a few weeks trying The Netatmo Meteorological Station In my office, a ten -square -meter cubicle where the workday passed. August in Valencia is brutal: 35 degrees and 75% moisture at noon are normal values. But what I really wanted to verify was not the temperature or moisture. It was the CO2 concentration. The first Monday I started curious. At 8:05 a.m., with an open window and door since Friday, the sensor marked 438 ppm, atmospheric level. I started working. At 9:30 a.m., 455 ppm, minimum increase. Then I closed door and window to simulate winter conditions. Effects of CO2 concentration on the environment. Image: Vobu. At thirty minutes: 802 ppm. An hour later: almost 1,400 ppm. A little later: more than 1,600 ppm. Had already begun to notice That characteristic mental fatigue, that heaviness That a few days blame for fatigue. That inability to do well what you usually do well, mixed with apathy. It is not placebo, there are plenty of studies that support it. As Este de Harvard and Syracuse of 2015: The levels between 1,000 and 2,500 ppm – manner in offices – reduce up to 15% the yield in complex cognitive tasks. In decision -making, Hasdta 23%. I opened the window but not the door. The CO2 dropped from 1,600 to 800 ppm in 25 minutes. The next day, with cross current: same descent in 12 minutes. Half. A difference that did not expect so marked. In a short time, the level returned to 450 ppm. Graph of the Netatmo application during one of the tests: all night with the empty office, beginning of the morning working with everything open. I closed door and window. And when I reached the peak of almost 1,600 ppm, I opened back and window. And the fall was even faster than the climb. Image: Xataka. This shows the Netatmo app interface the CO2 concentration, visually indicating its condition, along with other values. Image: Xataka. Another test. Only opening door or window, the fall is slower than if we open both to create a current. Something we know always, but now we can quantify and assume with greater awareness. Image: Xataka. Netatmo has an error margin of ± 100 ppm up to 1,000 ppm, ± 10% above. It is not laboratory precision, but to understand your home it serves. The important thing is not the exact number but the evolution and its correlation with how you feel. With the passing of the days, varying openings and closures, I began to detect patterns. Ventilating more frequently than usual, sporadic apathy and mental mist. They are directly correlated with air renewal. Which takes me to the next point: The air conditioning. I sensed that I would not improve the concentration of CO2. Indeed: the air moves and cools, but does not renew it. Purifiers would not help except that they have outdoor entrance. They filter particles, do not eliminate gases such as carbon dioxide. When looking at the graph in more detail it is easy to see that by a lot of ventilation and current that there is, a human breathing inevitably increases the concentration of CO2 in the stay, and in a cumulative way. Although within the appropriate values. Around 6:00 h entered a few minutes (climb), I left shortly (low) and then returned to spend the whole morning (go up) until I went to eat (low). As if he had a presence detector. Image: Xataka. Image: Xataka. I brought the netatm to bedroom. Two people sleeping with a closed window and open door: CO2 rose from 450 to 1,100 ppm. Heavy awakening, feeling of not having rested. Next night with open window: maximum 640 ppm. I woke up remarkably clearer. He has convinced me to sleep with open window even in winter. The station measures more: interior/exterior temperature (with the separate module), humidity, barometric pressure, noise. It is expandable with pluviometer and anemometer. Elegant app, indefinite historical, integration Homekit flawless. But living vertically and without garden, for me the real value is in CO2. On the integration with homekit: when CO2 went from 1,100 ppm, this notification reached me in Mac (image) and iPhone. Image: Xataka. And notification on the iPhone. Image: Xataka. I have learned that working with more than 1,000 ppm is to function at 70% cognitive. The problem: do not notice immediately. Like that second cup that you think harmless until you try to add the head account. Now a lot more. Permanently open windows or, when time prevents it, more frequent openings than before. Do you justify 110 euros This learning? If you work in closed spaces, yes. Not for the apparatus, but for the consciousness it generates. He used to ventilate when “noticed the loaded atmosphere.” Now I know that when I notice, I’ve been working badly for an hour. It is the difference between driving with velocimeter or eye. The paradoxical thing is that after three weeks, Netatmo has taught me not to need it. My body has internalized the times and signs. I recognize that very slight ocular heaviness, that subtle friction in words flow. But Without the sensor’s objective data, I would never have developed this sensitivity. It’s like learning to refine an instrument: you first need the fingerboard, then your ear learn to recognize dissonance on its own. Netatmo Wifi Interior Wireless Meteorological Station, with wall, thermometer, hygrometer, soundometer, air quality, compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple and Google, NWS-AMZ Outstanding image | Xataka In Xataka Science | Can you run out of oxygen if you get into a small room with many people? This device has been assigned to test by Netatmo. You can consult How do we do the reviews in Xataka and Our business relations policy.

We have just measured the longest ray ever registered on Earth: 829 kilometers D

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The rays are huge electrical discharges that in a fraction of second run through the distance between the clouds and the surface of the earth, a distance that can be several kilometers. However, lightning can go to distances a pair of superior magnitude orders. And this is one of those cases. The longest ray. The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed The longest ray observation ever registered. The electric shock toured a distance of 829 kilometers, with a margin of error of about 8 km. To put it in perspective, that is approximately the distance that separates in a straight line Barcelona from Seville. Although the validation by the United Nations Meteorological Office arrived this Thursday, the event occurred almost eight years ago, In October 2017in the United States. The great plains. The ray with its ramifications reached the skies of five states in the central and southern United States. The beginning of his “route” was on the east of the state of Texas, and his end was close to Kansas City, in Missouri. His tour and ramifications also made him pass through the states of Arkansasa, Kansas and Oklahoma. The region of the great plains where lightning was also known as Tornado Alleythe “Alley of Tornados”. This area, the OMM points out, stands out for being one of the areas “with the greatest storm activity known as Mesoescala convective systems”, which also makes it an ideal area for the formation of these “megarrayos.” For 61 km. As explained by the OMM, the new record exceeds 61 km the previous record. That ray also happened in the United States, but later, in April 2020, and reached 768 km, also with a margin of error of 8 km. In both cases, the detection and measurement of these rays was carried out through a method called Maximum Circle Arch. In addition, the OMM emphasizes that the 2017 ray was one of the first events measured with the help of the operational geostationary satellite for the study of the environment of the R (GOES-16) of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). They also explain that this “megary” went unnoticed in a first analysis of the storm, and was not discovered until the review of the data compiled during the stormy episode. Now the details of the analysis carried out by the OMM team have been published In a working document of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Improving prevention. The study of the rays goes beyond establishing records that feed our curiosity about these violent phenomena. Improving our study tools and knowing these events better is key to reducing the risk they imply in several contexts, from aviation to forest fires. “Rays, although they are a source of astonishment, also constitute a great danger that is charged numerous lives every year worldwide, which makes these phenomena one of the priorities of the international initiative an early warns for all,” pointed in a press release Celeste Saulo, general secretary of the OMM. “This record highlights important issues for public security with respect to electrified clouds, (…) that may have serious repercussions on the aviation sector, as well as cause forest fires.” Carrying the accounts. The OMM is the institution in charge of Register extreme atmospheric events Throughout the world, an archive that has other records protected by great magnitude rays. For examplethe lightest ray registered lasted no less than 17 seconds (17,102 ± 0.002 s, specifically), and was captured in Argentina in June 2020. The direct impact of greater size was recorded in 1975 in Zimbabwe, and cost the lives of 21 people. However, the greatest indirect impact occurred in 1994, in Dronka (Egypt), and resulted in 469 people deceased when causing the fire of oil deposits. In Xataka | Two years ago a cosmic ray hit the earth. No one knows where it came from Image | Pixabay (File image)

Airbus’s last military drone has been designed and manufactured in Spain. Its importance is not measured only in meters of altitude

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Spain has just marked a milestone in the European defense industry. Airbus is over assembly of the first SIRTAPa New Generation Tactical Dron which has been designed and manufactured in the country. It is not just a technical advance: it is a declaration of intentions about the role that is sought to play in the development of strategic technologies. The Sirtap has been assembled at the facilities of Airbus Defense and Space in Getafe. The purchase was formalized by the Ministry of Defense in November 2023, with a request for nine complete systems composed of 27 aircraft and nine control stations on land. It is there where the first prototype has taken shape, and where it is now preparing to start the Test Campaign on Earth. The Spanish set by tactical drones The tests, which will evaluate both the structure and the main components of the system and the software, will be extended during the next months. The goal: to leave it ready for your first flight Before ending 2025at the CEUS DEL INTA trial center, in Huelva. According to Airbus, the new drone has been designed to fly in extreme conditions: it can operate between -40 ° C and 50 ° C, land on unpaid tracks and stay in the air for more than 20 hours in a row. To this is added an operational roof greater than 21,000 feet (6,400 meters), which would make it an ideal platform for long -distance recognition and surveillance missions. What Airbus poses with the Sirtap goes far beyond simple recognition. The drone has been thought of as A modular platform capable of adapt to different missions: You can monitor convoys from the air, act as an armed escort, detect electronic signals, participate in electronic war operations or control borders in hostile environments. It can also be deployed in emergency tasks, such as the search for vessels on the high seas or fire support. One of the most outstanding points of SIRTAP is that it has been designed without components subject to Itar restrictionswhich, according to Airbus, facilitates its export to international markets. This feature, together with its modular architecture, opens the door to future versions adapted to different environments, such as a naval variant or with complete weapons integration. A no less detail is that the system is also designed to interoperate with existing command and control networks. The Sirtap breaks into a segment with Several established actors. Uav like him TACTICAL HERONwith its ability to carry several useful loads simultaneously and operate from semi -sighed clues, or the Bayraktar TB2known for its missions in real combat and more than one million hours of operational flight. We also find al Falco Xplorerwith its autonomy of more than 24 hours and flight roof above 30,000 feet. Given that panorama, Airbus drone proposes a promising combination: Itar restrictions free, modular architecture, interoperability with European systems and operability in extreme conditions. Its focus is not to overcome figures, but to offer an adaptable platform, easily exportable and margin to evolve towards naval or armed versions. He has not yet taken off, but his road map places him as an actor to take into account. Images | Airbus Media Center In Xataka | Otto wants to break molds with the Phantom 3500: Goodbye to the windows for passengers, hello to the immersive screens

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