Measuring

The question is not whether you poop glyphosate, but how much glyphosate you poop. We have been measuring this popular herbicide wrong all our lives

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In those wheat macaroni that are in your shopping basket, in the jar of lentils or even in the beer there may be traces of glyphosatewhich is probably the most used herbicide on the planet. Weeds are common in agriculture and this chemical is highly effective. However, you can minimize its presence by avoiding ultra-processed cereals, opting for local products from the EU or better yet, buying organic. We were looking wrong. We know that glyphosate is present in the environment and the European Union regulates the limits maximum residues, but the reality is that there has always been difficulty in accurately measuring how much reaches our body. Because until now, we almost always looked in urine. This international study published in Science Direct The focus has changed to feces and here things change. Feces are the black box. Because this research has revealed that feces are a much more precise black box for the analysis of glyphosate in humans than urine and reveal an alarming reality: exposure to glyphosate is much higher than official statistics say. Urine testing was just the tip of the iceberg. The reason for this is how our body absorbs and rejects it: glyphosate is expelled through the feces due to its low intestinal absorption rate. Since it cannot pass through the wall of the intestine to reach the blood (from there it would go to the kidneys), it remains trapped there and ends up expelled in the feces. In a 24-hour period, 90% leaves in the feces and only a small amount reaches the urine (between 0.5% and 6% in humans). Why is it important. Because the international standard for monitoring glyphosate it’s urinewhich implies an underestimation and therefore an underestimation of the risk. Furthermore, this finding affects not only people directly related to agriculture; it is enough to consume common products present in the diet. And it doesn’t just affect humans: the study also shows its presence in farm animals, domestic cats and even bats, which means that the herbicide is moving throughout the food chain. In short: the study forces us to rethink how we monitor the presence of chemicals when safeguarding public health and the ecosystem. Modus operandi. This study proposes the use of feces as an alternative and potentially better matrix than urine for glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA (until now, the usual). To do this, they analyzed 716 human fecal samples and 249 animals from 11 countries (10 European and Argentina) taken in 2021. The research team used an advanced analytical chemistry technique called hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS). Thus, glyphosate was detected in 71% of the European samples and in 100% of the Argentinian samples and are much higher than those present in the urine samples for the same individuals, 35% and 86% respectively. They saw glyphosate in conventional and eco farmers, residents of agricultural areas and general consumers. An alarming biological conclusion. If there is one thing that is clear from the study, it is that if 90% of glyphosate is in the feces and not in the urine, it means that this chemical spends much more time in direct contact with the digestive system than we thought. And therefore, the current safety limits are probably based on incomplete and undersized data, which underestimates the real health risk. It is not only the toxicity itself (which is low), but also the cumulative effect on the microbiota and long-term cellular damage. And glyphosate can act as a selective antibiotic that alters the intestinal microbiota, killing beneficial bacteria and allowing the proliferation of pathogenic ones, is cataloged As it is probably carcinogenic to humans, it can act as an endocrine disruptor to our hormonal system or induce oxidative stress. In Xataka | We have a problem with pesticides in agriculture. And a bigger one with the panic they generate In Xataka | The big problem of agriculture in Spain is the one that nobody wants to address: it rains less and less and we want to plant more and more Cover | Giorgio Trovato and Ibadah Mimpi

Science has been measuring whether size matters for years. A study with 3D simulation has the most complete answer

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It is probably one of the most recurring questions in the history of humanity and, yet, one of the ones that accumulates the most myths per square meter. Leaving aside popular culture and internet forums, scientific literature has been trying for years to quantify what is true about the importance penis size. Science to the rescue. A published study This year, PLOS Biology wanted to resolve a question that has undoubtedly generated many jokes and also some complexes in the male sex. And the truth is that the short answer to this question is that size does matterbut perhaps not for the reasons most men believe. The signal theory. Until now, many studies were based on simple surveys to answer this question. However, this study has gone one step further by using 343 3D figures to evaluate the response of more than 800 participants. The goal was to understand penis size not only as a reproductive tool, but as an evolutionary signaling trait. The results. In the investigationfemale participants rated men as more attractive, which combined three factors: greater height, a “V” shaped torso (wide shoulders and narrow hips) and a larger penis. But there is a very important nuance. Attraction doesn’t follow a line of “the more the merrier” ad infinitum. The study in this case detected diminishing returns, since after a certain size, attractiveness does not increase proportionally, but rather there is a ceiling. Competence. But men also went through this study to evaluate the size of other men. In this case, it was highlighted that they perceived those with larger genitals as more competitive rivals and with greater fighting capacity. This suggests that, evolutionarily, the size could have served as both sexual ornament and a signal of status or threat towards other males, similar to the antlers of a deer. What they prefer. If we move away from evolutionary theory and go to stated preference, the baseline study remains the one published by N. Prause in PLOS One in 2015. This work is key because it differentiated, for the first time with rigor, between the type of relationship sought. In this case, using 3D models on heterosexual women, a preference was specifically shown for a slightly larger size, averaging about 16.3 cm in length in an erect state and 12.7 cm in circumference. But in the case of stable couples, the preference dropped slightly to 16 cm and 12.2 cm in circumference. The key reading. The first point to note is that circumference matters more than length in visual choice. The second is that these measures are only “slightly” above the population average. A mechanical reality. This is where science busts most porn myths. A narrative review published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2023 analyzed the existing literature To answer the million-dollar question: does a larger penis give more pleasure? The answer is a very nuanced ‘it depends’. Science points out in this case that there are few high-quality studies that manage to directly link size with the organism, and the results are heterogeneous. But if we draw a clear conclusion, the truth is that the quality of the relationship such as trust or communication correlates more strongly with sexual satisfaction than the size of the penis. Male anxiety. If female preferences are moderate and satisfaction depends more on technique than size, why is there still so much anxiety among society? The studies in this case They point out that there is a great disconnection between reality and male perception, since approximately 38% of men report some degree of dissatisfaction with their penis. However, the vast majority of couples have a positive view of their partners’ genitals. Images | Deon Black In Xataka | Desire in times of stress and screens: this is how the era of programmed sex was born

We lead all my life by measuring battery capacity in mobiles. Mah’s war makes no sense

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How many more mah, better. We have been thinking about the specifications of a phone and, to a large extent, is something true. A greater capacity battery is usually a more capable battery with respect to a smaller. Despite this, there is a somewhat more complex unit of measure, but even more precise, traditionally used in the technical sheet of computers: Los watts-Hora (WHE). This is the most precise way to determine how long we can use our device, without leaving the capacity to your fate. We are going to explain, without delving too much into technicalities so as not to complicate your life, why we have been imprecisely measuring the battery capacity of our mobiles. Why do we measure in mah. The commercial standard for the phones battery is the Miliamperio Hora, a very useful measure for small devices with constant voltages. In addition, it is much more striking to indicate closed figures, such as 5,000mAh, than to tell that your mobile has a 19.4 Wh. However, its two main problems are, in the first place, when there is a voltage variation (you will soon understand why) this measure ceases to make sense. Although MAH is easy to understand, it does not provide an exact estimate of available energy, which can lead to incorrectly assume how long the battery will last in specific situations of use. Water measurement time. The watts -hora (WH) are the most precise unit to measure battery capacity, since they reflect the amount of energy available depending on voltage and current. He watt (w) It is the power unit, which indicates how much energy is consumed per unit of time. It is more useful to know how the battery will be used during the daily use of your mobile. The battery voltage is not constant: it is varying as its percentage of load and useful life changes. A battery, At the end of your useful lifeIt does not provide the same voltage as when it is new. In fact, if you have a modern car or motorcycle, you surely have access to real time voltage and you will see how you change as you use the vehicle. The mobile battery is lowercase compared to these, but also suffers small voltage variations. The ease of calculation. Even if the voltage was constant, the watts time would be an ideal measure. For example, if your mobile phone had a 5,000mAh battery and a typical voltage (the most common in phones) of about 3.85V, that battery would translate into 19.25 WH (capacity (MAH X Voltage / 1,000). Knowing the data, it would be enough to know the consumption in watts to deduce almost exactly how much the battery would last. In a concrete situation, as a very demanding game that leads to consume 6W constantly the division would be easy: 19.25 wh/6W = 3.2h. A data that stables: about three hours of screen with the mobile spending all rag This is why in segments such as computers, where consumption is crucial and marketing (something) less important, WHH is established as a standard to measure battery capacity. Image | Apple In Xataka | A battery that is not wearing after 850 cycles. This group of researchers has made it possible

There are women on Tiktok measuring their menstrual cycles with an intelligent ring: the popularization of ondoing

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The smart ring has gained ground in the daily life of many people. This device Wearable It has proven useful to monitor health indicators, but the real impact has been among women. The ring During the last months, Tiktok has been filled with women’s videos talking and testing Oura Ring. This ring monitor in ovulation, menstrual cycles and pregnancy. The device Monitor various physiological parameters such as body temperature, resting heart rate and heart rate variability. Thanks to these indicators you can know the hormonal levels and the menstrual cycle. They all want it. This fever responds to a demand for many women to avoid being behind calendars, making accounts or having to aim it in a app. In this way, women can have control of its most adjusted cycle and is able to identify the hormonal patterns with precision for those that They want to conceive. However, some of these videos, Very shared In networks, they are being labeled as “Pay Commission” By Tiktok himself, indicating that a good part of the reviews and positive comments are undercover advertising. It is not the only ring. This new fever on the monitoring of the menstrual cycle is not specific to the OURA. He Ultrahuman Ring It is also gaining popularity among the different users, while the most famous watches, such as Apple Watch or those of Samsung, have not yet bet on this function. Comparing both rings, a user has pointed out That the main differences are aesthetic and the subscription model: while Oura requires a monthly payment, Ultrahuman no. In the era of measuring everything. In full boom of the Wearable And to measure all the parameters of the body, there was a technological blind spot that was leaving out in the middle of the population. According to A Scientedirect studyonly 12% of female health apps met basic medical standards. From the medium Cityam lo has attributed to a gender bias in Silicon Valley: “It was prioritized monitoring running on ovulation.” In this way, startups like Clue or Oura Ring They are trying to correct it, because technological ones had not yet noticed to cover this niche market, According to Femtech. To what extent can we trust? The Wearable Like Oura Ring with Natural Cycles They have represented A technological leap in monitoring the menstrual cycle, allowing women to have greater control over their reproductive health. However, Your reliability collapses Before irregular cycles, inconsistent use or factors such as stress, as well as in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (SOP) or endometriosis. Calculating the days. Some women have indicated That it is a good contraceptive alternative without hormones, but it is not. The United States Food and Medicines Administration (FDA) He has approved as an alternative without hormones for those women with regular cycles who wish to get pregnant with the rhythm method. In other words, the ring calculates that days is more or less likely, but it is not a contraceptive method as They explain Some gynecologists. In addition, some Tiktok users They have become pregnant for believing that this method worked. Although technology has advanced to satisfy a need for female health, it is important that the users are aware of the limitations and the “small print” that comes with this new device. Image | Tiktok Xataka | Oura arrived from the cold but is burning: the company prepares to win the war of the smart rings

The problem is that we are not measuring it well

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Artificial intelligence is transforming the work world and business at a speed never seen before. However, this technological advance also raises an important challenge: to measure the real impact of the In productivity. Traditional metrics do not correctly capture the contribution of AI since they only focus on specific process factors, not what economists call Total factors productivity. In other words, it is not enough that only improve a certain link In the production chain, but the improvement must be given throughout the process, obtaining a greater value of all the resources used in it. Therefore, one of the pending subjects will be Develop adequate tools To measure the productivity that AI contributes in those new parameters. AI is only a tool. Automation promoted by AI has already begun to make differences in sectors such as financial, technological and manufacturing. These AI tools allow Automize repetitive tasks and release time for activities that require human skills such as strategic decision making. However, that change of time use It is not reflected in productivity because The quality of work is not recorded or the long -term improvement of the company’s strategy. A study Harvard Business School revealed that generative AI can increase the speed of execution by 25% and individual yield by 43%. However, its impact is not uniform: while some sectors obtain immediate benefits, others do so in the long term. The “J” of productivity. Historically, technological innovations have followed a pattern known as “Productivity J curve“. Erik Brynjolfsson, economist and teacher of Stanford, explains that this model describes how companies that adopt new technologies in their processes initially experience a Reduction in its productivitythen bounce and rebound it. Some examples were seen with the adoption of the steam machine, electricity or the use of computers, whose positive effects took decades to consolidate. The generative AI does not escape this pattern. Although some companies may experience growth in their productivity, many face an initial fall due to the need to adapt their internal processes and train their employees, making this increase in productivity applaud over time. Default AI is a mistake. A proof that AI alone does not represent an improvement in productivity is The studywhich carried out the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. The study discovered that the use of Chatgpt had an immediate impact on the resolution of certain tasks, while others were resolved in less time when a human without AI intervention was carried out. Therefore, the productive growth paradigm only because of the fact of impleting AI has a huge asterisk. This growth is conditioned by the type of industry and economic activity that companies develop. The implementation of AI in the field of manufacturing or the primary sector requires greater investment and adaptation time, than for other companies in the services or financial sector. Time is the best productivity indicator. A Published article in Bloomberg On this subject made a flag of the popular saying “time is gold”. It pointed out that AI automation can be a “throwing weapon” that improves the productivity of some sectors, but sinking that of others. Its author set the Autophagus kiosks They already have some fast food establishments. With them, the company saves the salary of some ATMs receiving orders and charging them, which increases the productivity of the company. However, this solution makes use of the unpaid time of customers. What if those customers were other companies? Its productivity would be affected since its employees must use their time by making “your orders” and loading with the cost of automation that is saving its supplier. The new gold mine is not doing more, but less. This approach puts on the table the role of AI in the industry to take advantage of its ability to Automate processes. These processes consume a lot of time on the working hours of workers (such as Amazon already pointed out), so the challenge is to automate them so that workers use that time to improve their products, such and As I pointed out Jensen Huang. Rather Measure productivity in terms of how much does an employeeperhaps new metrics should be taken that collect factors such as What do you do your working time and How are they improving The product. This is a great change with respect to industrial metrics based on the amount of product produced per hour. In Xataka | “I have three years of work”: more and more IA managers believe that AI will end up removing the position Image | Unspash (Remy Gieing)

Apple Watch technology in headphones. Measuring heart rate is no longer just a clock

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Apple bought Beats Music and Beats Electronics in 2014 and, although the AirPods are still the most recognizable headphones of the company, the development of Beats has not stopped since then. The Powerbeats pro 2 They are the new beatic headphones and, in addition to respecting the hook format that works so much in the sports market, these are the first headphones under the Apple umbrella that land with A curious function: heart rhythm monitoring. These headphones, at a technical level, arrive with cancellation of active noise, adaptive equalization, space audio, Apple H2 chip and total compatibility with Apple devices (hands -free with Siri, network search, link with a single touch, etc.) They promise an autonomy of up to 10 hours Of continuous reproduction, they work with Qi wireless loaders and are resistant to both sweat and water. What is expected of beats that are launched at a price of 299.95 euros. What does a cardiac monitoring sensor paint in headphones Made the presentations, the clear doubt comes in its key specification. These powerbeats are capable of Measure our frequency in real time. They become the first Beats product to incorporate this monitoring. But how do they work in headphones? According to Beats, a lot of development has been invested to design and locate these control sensors. In this case, They are located right next to the padand make green light more than 100 times per second. The company details that the years of research in heart rate control of Apple Watch have been used to continue this development in the headphones, reducing technical architecture to 1/16 of its original size to integrate it into a headset, without compromising comfort or precision. Beyond marketing, Apple has trimmed Apple Watch sensors to implement them in these headphones. And, yes, they will only work if you have both positions. The goal is to offer an alternative to the smart watch, so that athletes can measure their heart rate while wearing headphones. They are a solution for those fashionable sports, such as Crossfit or Hyrox, in which it is not possible to train with a clock placed. Headphones as a health complement Apple has not been the first to introduce heart rhythm sensors into headphones. Amazfit got it in 2020 with its Powerbudssome headphones of less than 100 euros, and Anker sells his Soundcore with a “similar” technology. The quoted is mandatory because, to date, Apple Watch heart rate measurement is one of the most reliable proposals. If Beats has managed to take this technology to its headphones, at least on paper, They should lead this land. Beyond this particular case, these headphones They will be an excellent thermometer. They can be the door that, in the near future, Apple Airpods incorporate heart rhythm sensor. A movement that would make enough sense, seen the clear health approach that the company’s products have. Image | Beats In Xataka | Apple Watch 10. Who is who in the Smart Watches range of Apple

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