milestone

Europe is months away from registering a demographic milestone that has not occurred since the Black Death: it is literally shrinking

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In June the latest Eurostat data putting the EU median age at 44.7 years (and growing). The reading then seemed more or less clear. Europe’s demographic collapse was bringing it closer to an invisible threshold that was once unthinkable: the Middle Ages. 50 years old. Half a year later, the data has not improved. Historical contraction. Yes, Europe is heading towards a demographic turning point unprecedented since the black plague from the 14th century. After decades of sustained decline in birth rates, the population of the European Union will reach its maximum next year and it will start after a prolonged fallthe first of its kind in centuries. This is not a temporary adjustment, but rather a deep structural change that threatens to redefine the economy, the welfare state and the social balance of the continent. The alarm does not arise only from the total number of inhabitants, but from the aging speed and the thinning of the working-age population, on which the pension, health and care systems built over generations rest. Political panic and a race. counted the Washington Post that, given this panorama, governments of all ideological stripes have entered into a race against time to see if a combination of economic incentives, public policies and cultural messages can reverse (or at least stop) the decline in birth rates. In the Nordic countries, for decades exhibited as a model of conciliation and well-being, commissions of experts have been created to understand why their systems did not prevent the collapse of fertility. In France, the discourse has acquired a almost military tonewith calls for “demographic rearmament” after a drop of 18% in births in just ten years. In the east and south of the continent, especially in countries governed by nationalist forces, the response has been more direct: money, tax advantages and an explicit exaltation of the traditional family as a pillar of the nation. Incentives and results. Italy offers bonuses to working mothers with two or more children. Poland has increased notably the monthly transfers per child and has expanded tax breaks for large families. On paper, these policies seem compelling, even enviable from countries like the United States, where the cost of raising children is systematically cited as the main brake to birth. However, the European experience shows a repeated pattern: even the most ambitious programs barely succeed in slowing the decline, don’t invest it. The problem is not the lack of public effort, but the magnitude of the phenomenon they face. Hungary, the laboratory. No country better embodies the ambitions and limits of this strategy than Hungary. For more than a decade, the government has deployed a support system of a generosity comparable to that of Scandinavia, allocating around 5% of its GDP to family policies, a higher proportion than the United States dedicates to defense. The range of measures it’s wide: leave for grandparents, subsidized mortgages for young married couples, loans of up to $30,000 that become subsidies if the family has three or more children, and lifetime tax exemptions for women with three children, extended to mothers of two children under 40 starting next year. The message is clear: having children is not only desirable, it is a matter of national survival. Initial successes. They remembered in the post that for a time, the data seemed to prove this bet right. Hungary’s fertility rate went from one of the lowest levels in Europe to figures that suggested a sustained recovery. But the relief was short-lived. In recent years, the trend has been reversed and the country has practically returned to the European average. For some demographers, the program did not generate new births, but rather advanced decisions by those who were already planning to have children. Others point out that, although the impact on fertility is limited, the policies have coincided with an increase in marriage, a reduction in child poverty and greater female labor participation. The key question is whether these collateral benefits justify the enormous public spending. State limits. Beyond the checks and exemptions prosecutors, the decision to have children remains deeply personal and increasingly complex. The rise in housing prices, persistent inflation and job insecurity they weigh as much or more than any incentive. Added to this is a factor that is rarely recognized in the political debate: many of the drivers of the decline in birth rates are social advances that no one wants to reverse. Widespread access to contraception, decline in teen pregnancy, and increased education and career opportunities for women have transformed motherhood and fatherhood in a late choice, carefully calculated and, for many, expendable. Modernity as a trap. The fertility drop has spread so widely that many experts interpret it as a consequence inherent to modernity. Parenthood is delayed until one’s thirties, when one has achieved job and economic stability that comes later and later. Social media idealizes a life focused on the individual, travel, and personal freedom. dating apps multiply apparent options, but they make lasting commitment difficult. And a generation raised in small families has less daily contact with babies and children, fueling overly negative perceptions about the sacrifice involved in raising children. A politicized debate. Not everyone considers the population decline to be a tragedy. Some defend assuming it as a gradual transition towards more sustainable societies, questioning apocalyptic visions who talk about “demographic collapse.” In the long term, even in the most pessimistic scenarios, Europe would still have hundreds of millions of inhabitants. But these global figures hide a much more immediate structural problem: the imbalance between workers and retirees. In just a few decades, the ratio of people of working age to each elderly person will increase. will have drastically reducedputting under strain systems designed for a demographic pyramid that no longer exists. The fragility of immigration. For years, immigration has been presented as Europe’s demographic lifeline. However, this option is becomes more uncertain as fertility falls across almost the entire planet. Even countries that until now were large demographic reserves … Read more

China has taken a new step in its high-speed race. The CR450 has just reached a new milestone in its tests

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China has spent years perfecting machinery that not only symbolizes speed, but also industrial precision. Its last exponent, the CR450has shown the scope of that search: in its most recent tests, two trains reached a combined speed of 896 km/h at the intersectiona new record in the Chinese system. It is not an isolated gesture, but a step within the innovation program launched in 2021 to raise the bar for high speed with more reliability and performance. The new registration was confirmed on October 21. During tests on the high-speed line connecting Shanghai, Chongqing and Chengdu, two CR450 trains crossed each other, reaching a relative speed of 896 km/h. In the same test campaign, one of the prototypes once again reached 453 km/h per unit, equaling the record set in 2023. The tests, they explain, are part of the “evaluation operation” that is currently being carried out on the Wuhan–Yichang section, a prior step to a more demanding phase scheduled for 2026. Speed ​​is on the table, but the operation is not yet At first glance, it might seem that two trains traveling at 453 km/h should add up to a crossing speed of 906 km/h. In practice, testing conditions prevent this. As China Railway Group explainedthe exact moment when both units are on parallel tracks it only lasts a few secondsand getting them to maintain the same speed at that point is extremely complex. For safety reasons, technicians increase speed gradually, ensuring stability and synchronization before attempting new records. The CR450 is not an isolated project, but one more piece of the railway plan that China launched in 2021 to raise commercial speed to 400 km/h. The challenge is not minor: maintaining that pace without increasing consumption or noise. Before entering service, the prototype must complete 600,000 kilometers of tests under real conditions, an essential requirement for its certification. This year, trials have extended from the Chongqing to Qianjiang sections to the Wuhan–Yichang line, where technical teams continue to fine-tune the train’s behavior in prolonged use scenarios. How Sina collectsmuch of the CR450’s advancement can be understood by looking inside its engineering. The train incorporates permanent magnet motors with a total power of 11,000 kW. The weight has also been reduced about 50 tons thanks to the use of carbon fiber and magnesium alloys, and the aerodynamic profile has been optimized with a longer nose, 15 meters. They claim that at 400 km/h, the noise level inside the car barely reaches 68 decibels. Although the CR450 has already demonstrated its technical capabilities, its commercial deployment remains without a clear destination. Today there is no operational line in China prepared to travel at 400 km/h. The first that contemplates this possibility is the Chengdu–Chongqing Central Line, approved in 2021 with a base design of 350 km/h and adaptable sections for future tests at higher speeds. According to China Economic Newsthe plan is that next year the train will undergo a more demanding testing phase there, the closest so far to a real service scenario. The development of the CR450 is divided between two of the main railway manufacturers in the country. The CR450AF version has been built by CRRC Qingdao Sifang, while the CR450BF is built by CRRC Changchun. Both They share an eight-car configuration —four engines and four trailers—. Official information indicates that they incorporate advanced communication and braking systems, as well as high stability bogies designed to maintain balance even in extreme speed tests. The immediate future of the CR450 passes through the aforementioned line, where over the next year it will undergo tests closest to real operation. There is still no confirmed date for its entry into service, and those responsible for the project emphasize that the priority continues to be technical validation. For now, we have to wait to see if all the promises of the program materialize and if the new train manages to transfer its laboratory achievements to the operational field. Images | China Railway Group In Xataka | The shortest launch in history: a million-dollar luxury yacht sank just 200 meters from the dock

On his way to become the great resort of Europe, Spain is at the gates of a milestone: 100 million tourists

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There are figures that are more than figures. For some time, the Spanish tourism sector fantasizes with one that says a lot for example about its obsessions, objectives or drift that the industry has followed over the last years: exceed the brand of 100 million foreign visitors annually. In 2024 Spain stayed close, with almost 94 million of foreign travelers, and if things do not twist There are those who believe that this year will grow until the milestone of the three digits will crown. The big question is … What tells us about Spanish tourism? A figure: 100 million. The figures are just that. Figures Sometimes, however, they are loaded with symbolism, as the Spanish tourism sector is checking, it has long immersed in the race for exceed the barrier of the 100 million annual visitors. Last year he stayed close to that round figure, with a balance of 93.8 million of foreign tourists (10.1% more than in 2023), and since then there are many The voices that They have theorized (for and against) on whether the coveted milestone of the three digits will be reached throughout 2025. Is it possible? The million dollar question. At the beginning of summer June observatur I saw it feasible As long as they clarified, the bullish trend is maintained and the market is not shaken by unforeseen events. Others believe that Spain will keep honey on the lips and will not pass from 98 million of tourists or even They slidebased on the INE, which in 2024 was already pulverized by the 100 million mark. A percentage: 4.7%. Vaticinios and elucubrations apart, for now the most reliable track we have to know if Spain will or may not crown the 100 million summit is the statistic of border movements of the INE, which it already brings A ‘photo’ of the first semester of 2025. What does it show us? That there are reasons for optimism. And caution. Between January and June the flow of tourists that visited Spain grew 4.7% to touching 44.5 million, which approximates the country to the annual milestone. Well, right? Yes. And no. That balance hides another less flattering reading. In recent months, the flow of international tourists has clearly slowed down, which shows doubts in turn about the growth rate in the remaining of 2025. Between January and April the influx of international visitors grew between a 3.8% and 10.1%but in May marches until staying in the 1.5% And in June marked 1.9%. Taking into account that in 2024 Spain received 93.8 million tourists, to reach 100 million this year should rise together 6.6%. “The power of banality”. In A column published recently in The country Óscar Perelli of the Master, vice president of Execeltur, took importance to whether the three digits will be crowned this year, the one that comes or the next. “The possibility of reaching in 2025 the 100 million arrivals of international tourists to Spain (not tourists, some visit us several times a year) has raised an exaggerated interest,” warns. “It is the power of round figures and banality.” In his opinion there are other equal or even more relevant parameters, such as domestic demandthe duration of the average stay or the visitor spending. “The important thing is that in 2025 tourism will generate 220,000 million euros in Spain, it will exceed three million jobs, with a daily volume of tourists (Spanish and foreigners) somewhat higher than 7.4 for every hundred residents,” Point out. For now, the Ministry of Industry Calculate that during the first semester the expense of foreign tourists has exceeded 59.6 billion euros. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Beyond the figures. Although it is true that the milestone of 100 million is only that, a milestone, a symbolic brand, actually helps to understand some keys to the tourism sector. The main, saturation. As he is headed towards 100 million visitors or fools with the idea of overcome France and become the busiest destination on the planet (something feasible in 2040, According to Google and Deloitte calculations), Spain dealt with the effects of hypermasification tourist, which has already derived in protests in The streets. Throughout the last months there have been marches in Catalonia, Balearics, Canary Islands either Cantabriabetween Other parts of the countrywhich warn about the effects of massification and cry for a more sustainable economic model. Among other reasons for The impact that has had on the housing market the proliferation of tourist floors, which has even led to local, autonomic and state administrations has moved token for brake to your offer. Going down to detail. The career of the 100 million annual visitors also hides another reality that has marked the tourist drift of the country. As The flights And the accommodation was increasing until reaching record levelsSpain has become more a destination For foreigners than for premises. The reason is very simple: often the latter are already equal or even more profitable travel abroad than to the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands. Prices They have climbed so much that there are even British changing The Spanish coast for Morocco. What do the data say? The INE provides some data that help to better understand that reality. His Frontur statisticson tourist movements at the borders, it shows that in 2024 Spain received 93.8 international tourists10.1% more than the previous year. The growth was led by the British, French and Germans and the most demanded destinations were Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. If we talk about the flow of Spanish tourists the photo is quite different. The Family Statistics that measures the trips made by the population resident in the country reflects that in 2024 the Spaniards we made 184.4 million trips, 0.8% less than the previous year. This setback hides however an even more interesting reading: when we plan our vacations, the Spaniards look more at a time with more interest the destinations located outside our borders. “Internal destination (trips) decreased 2.3% while those … Read more

Quantum computers will change the world when they don’t make mistakes. This milestone is closer thanks to quantum gravity

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Some experts believe that all the effort that is being carried out in the field of Quantum computing Not anywhere. One of the members of the scientific community more critical of quantum computers is the Israeli mathematician Gil KalaiProfessor at Yale University. According to this researcher, the increase in the number of states of quantum systems and their complexity will cause them to end up behaving like classical computers, so the superiority of the former will end up evaporating. However, the absence of unanimous support by the scientific community should not tarnish the notable effort and advances that many research groups are doing, some of them in Spanish institutions such as the CSIC and others integrated into the structure of companies that have very bulky resources, such as IBM, Google or Intel, among others. In fact, as expected, the latter defend that the long -awaited error correction will reach quantum computers and will allow them to face a much broader fan of problems than that of current prototypes. Terra Quantum bets on quantum severity to correct errors The main problem facing quantum computers in the field of error correction is noise, understood as the disturbances that can alter the internal state of the cubits and introduce calculation errors. The strategy for which many of the research groups that are involved in the development of quantum computers are opting for monitoring the operations carried out by the cubits to identify real -time errors and correct them. The problem is that from a practical point of view this strategy is very challenging. QMM technology reduces errors by up to 35% in current quantum processors Logical cubits represent a way to overcome the difficulty of the use of hardware or physical cubits, which are extremely noise sensitive, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Each logical cubit is constructed abstractly on several physical or hardware cubits, so that a single logical cubit encodes a single cubit of quantum information, but with redundancy. It is precisely this redundancy that allows to detect and correct the errors that are present in the physical cubits. The error correction strategy proposed by the researchers of the Swiss Terra Quantum company is not an alternative to the solutions in which we have just inquired; It is a complement. In fact, as explained in the article they have published in Advanced Quantum Technologiesits QMM technology (Quantum Memory Matrix) Reduce errors by up to 35% in current quantum processors. And, in addition, it reaches 94% fidelity using ten times less cubits than conventional methods. An important note: Terra Quantum’s scientific article has been reviewed by pairs. Terra Quantum has tested its QMM technology in IBM superconductor processors, and works. It only requires adding a quantum circuit that does not alter the architecture of the processor, although it is very ingenious. In fact, its operation is inspired by A principle of quantum gravity which maintains that the space-time continuum can be described as a network of me memory cells. It is a complicated idea, it is true, but the really important thing is that we know that this theoretical concept is the one that has inspired Terra Quantum scientists the design of their quantum circuit of errors suppression. Anyway, this innovation joins the effort that IBM, the MIT and other organizations are making to invite us to tie the future of quantum computers with a very reasonable optimism. Image | IBM More information | Advanced Quantum Technologies In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

China has turned the train into its silent road to Europe. The last shipment marks a new milestone in its commercial strategy

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For years, a constant flow of trains starts from the same Chinese city, Xi’an, in the direction of Europe. The last one did it on Wednesday with 55 containers loaded with solar panels, destined for Baku. With him, the city has overcome the 30,000 trains outputs with European destination since 2013, According to Xinhua. The figure refers only to items from Xi’an, not counting the laps. The data impresses, but says even more if observed in context: China has been using the railroad as a strategic tool to approach the logistics heart of Europe. The image of a train loaded with merchandise based on northwestern China has been repeated thousands of times in just over a decade. This constant flow has made the aforementioned Asian city one of the great nodes of the China-Europe Railway Express. This logistics network exceeded in June the 110,000 accumulated services (round trip) as a whole, According to the Official Portal of the Chinese Government on June 10, 2025date on which the symbolic exit was held from Qingdao. Although it is not the only point of origin, it stands out for its regularity, the variety of routes that operates and the prominence it has won in the land transport strategy to Europe. An essential route. The train to Baku is part of the call Medium Corridor or Middle Corridora route that crosses Kazakhstan, borders the Caspian Sea and continues through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye before connecting with Europe. This alternative to the traditional railway axis via Russia He has won prominence in recent yearsespecially after geopolitical tensions in the region. Baku is not a final destination, but a strategic point of passage within this network: from there, many shipments continue by sea or rail to countries of the European Union. What moves with this transport. The train that departed this week from Xi’an transports 55 containers loaded with photovoltaic modules. It is not a rarity. In fact, products linked to solar energy are a usual part of the rail services that cross Eurasia by this route. China dominates the global market of solar panels, according to the International Energy Agency, with more than 80% of the manufacturing capacity at all stages. Although photovoltaic modules have become frequent, they are not the only thing that comes out of this Asian city. The rail services that start from Xi’an also transport electronic products, appliances, automotive parts, machinery, textiles, medical supplies and consumer goods. According to official data, China-Europe Railway Express moves more than 50,000 types of different products, organized in 53 categories. In March, for example, a convoy with European destination left from Xi’an loaded with cosmetics, automotive components and household needs. The advantages of the railroad. In front of maritime transport, the railroad offers clear advantages in certain sections. According to the EIASoffers less transit time, less port congestion and less exposure to geopolitical bottlenecks. The routes that cross Central Asia and the Caspian Sea allow to reduce in several days the journey between western China and Eastern Europe. In addition, this corridor has gained strategic weight since many companies are looking for alternatives to shipments via Russia. For Beijing, having a more flexible rail network is a way to shield its export capacity against changing scenarios. Images | Xinhua In Xataka | Huawei says that it has resolved a technological challenge that will trigger China’s competitiveness in the United States

Jeff Bezos’s space company has advanced Spacex in a key milestone to go to the moon and Mars: zero evaporation

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One of the biggest obstacles to a mission to Mars is not the distance or travel time. It is the fuel. To send a manned ship, NASA estimates that dozens of Cryogenic propellant tons stored for weeks or months. But those liquids do not behave like on earth: in a vacuum, exposed to heat and without gravity, They are slowly evaporating even if the tank is perfectly sealed. That phenomenon, known as Boil-offforces to release the generated gas so that the pressure does not rise dangerously inside the tank. It is a constant loss that, in a long -term mission, can mean tons of tons of fuel lying to space. Therefore, developing tanks capable of preserving this propellant at safe pressure and without losses, which is known as zero evaporation technology, has become a technical requirement to go beyond the low orbit. Zero evaporation: the technical challenge that separates the orbit low from the rest of the solar system Blue Origin claims to have taken an important step To solve that problem. Jeff Bezos’ company has managed to maintain liquid oxygen and hydrogen in stable conditions, without evaporation, using Hardware flight prototype In earth tests (Blue Origin has not detailed whether it is vacuum thermal cameras or conventional banks). Dave clean announced itits CEO, as part of the lunar permanence program, stating that they already meet all the objectives set by NASA in this area. Click to see the publication in x The result is not less: we talk about conserving hydrogen at 20 Kelvin and oxygen to 90 Kelvin, two extreme temperatures, during sustained periods. This makes Blue Origin – which we know – the first private company that publicly and explicitly communicates a zero evaporation condition in cryogenic propelants. In the absence of this technology to vuele and demonstrate in orbit, what is achieved represents the most tangible advance so far towards tanks capable of storing liquid fuel without losses, a key piece to operate ships on the moon or Mars. Storing loss without space is not just a matter of good materials. It is a constant battle against physics. Even the best thermal insulation ends up giving in. Therefore, the path to zero evaporation goes through active solutions that cool the deposit from within. NASA has investigated two: The sub -housing jet and microgotes injectiontwo methods that allow to reduce the steam temperature and prevent internal pressure. Blue Origin has not detailed which of the two uses, but the logic points to the sub -deputy jet, The only tested method So far in microgravity by NASA. It consists of directing a very cold liquid jet where the steam is accumulated. When condensing it, it is avoided that the pressure rises and it is not necessary to release gas. It is a technologically complex system, but so far it has demonstrated greater efficacy and stability in test conditions. Long before Blue Origin announced its advance, NASA had already tested these systems In space. The ZBOT program, deployed aboard the International Space Station, allowed us to observe how a microgravity propellant tank behaves. One of its main discoveries was that the Interaction between the sub -housing jet and steam It does not follow the classic rules we know on earth. The Blue Origin cryogenic system during the ground tests of its zero evaporation technology In ZBOT-1, not only was it possible to control internal pressure with active mixture. Unexpected phenomena were also detected as cavitation, sudden formation of bubbles or flow alterations that could affect the stability of the system. That information – obtained with sensors, cameras and laser measurement systems – has served several companies, including Blue Origin, to design tanks capable of functioning stable in extreme environments. Spacex has not yet announced a zero evaporation solution as such. But that It does not mean that I am not working on it. In collaboration with NASA, The company has developed A cryogenic architecture oriented to reduced evaporation, which has already been validated in flight. In March 2025Starship made a Internal transfer of liquid oxygen in spacedemonstrating that he could move fuel and control his pressure without losing it excessively. NASA Artistic Recreation Although Spacex and Blue Origin are addressing the same general challenge – almaceinar propelants in space without losses – do not work with the same fuels or face the same level of thermal difficulty. Spacex uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, while Blue Origin works with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. That difference is key. Liquid hydrogen must be maintained to one much lower temperature than that of methane or even that of oxygen. In addition, hydrogen is less dense, more prone to escape and much more difficult to isolate. Achieving zero evaporation conditions with hydrogen is therefore a major technical challenge. The advance announced by Blue Origin is not only significant by the result, but by the type of fuel with which it has achieved it. When talking about going to Mars, you often think of rockets, habitats or space costumes. But one of the most serious bottleneck is in something much more basic: conserve fuel. In a long -lasting mission, the propellant is not used at once. You have to store it, transfer it and, many times, keep it operational for weeks without being lost by evaporation. That makes zero evaporation technology a key piece for both future interplanetary missions and missions Artemis To the moon. Images | Blue Origin (1, 2) | POT | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Spain is very excited about the three eclipses that will arrive between 2026 and 2028. The government is worried

Ibai only had a milestone for unlocking on Twitch. And he just got it thanks to evening 5

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This Saturday will take place at the Cartuja in Seville The evening 5one of the events of the year in the world streamer. Ibai Llanos, its headquarters, has converted the annual boxing event between Streamers and Influencers in an event that hitting monitoring records Not only live, but also on Twitch. Therefore, the platform has decided to reward him. Twitch recognizes it. The four million simultaneous spectators that had The 4 evening on Twitchand that may be matched or surpassed this year they have provided this new edition an improvement in the transmission. Ibai said in his Instagram stories That “it makes me very excited” and showed that “you see all the categories, all the categories of League of Legends, chatting, Valorant, special events …”, until finally revealed that “we have Our own category On Twitch of the evening of the year, what madness. If someone is going to talk about the evening, you are going to react to a video, you are going to make predictions, this is the category. “ History of a phenomenon. What began in 2021 as a friendly challenge between content creators, Reven and ElMillor, has transcended expectations, becoming the most important phenomenon of digital entertainment in Spanish. The first edition had limited access to public characters from the entertainment world, but got 1.5 million simultaneous spectators on the Internet. The evolution has been meteoric: the evening has been jumping to increasingly large stages, and Already in its third edition it was the most watched event In the history of the platform. The fourth edition beat the record again. In just four years, Ibai Llanos has converted an experiment among friends into an event that rivals the most important sporting events in Spain, generating an average of more than one million spectators and reflecting the great entertainment power in Livestreaming, whose limits continues to stretch year after year. It has all the meaning that Twitch has decided to reward him. Rounding benefits. The evening is also the main economic catalyst in the Spanish streaming industry. The fourth edition of the event generated around 400,000 euros of direct benefits for Ibai Only from Twitch, not including additional income from tickets and sponsorships, while payment to participants exceeded 1.2 million eurosestablishing new salary standards for digital entertainment. The impact on the advertising market is equally forceful: the first three editions doubled the number of sponsors compared to the previous year, with brands such as Alsa and Grefusa GEneruming more than 15,000 interactions each on social networks. Ibai entrepreneur. And the definitive leg to generate all this amount of benefits is Ibai Llanos himself, which with the evening 5 culminates his transformation From modest Lol narrator in 2014 with income of 30 euros per month to independent entrepreneur that Record the brand “The evening of the year” alone. The key point of this conversion was in 2020 when left his contract with G2 eSports To undertake as an independent creator, a decision that allowed him to negotiate a special agreement with Twitch, obtaining 80% of the profits of his channel, something that few that few Streamers international have achieved. In February 2024 Created Velaris-Kena Productions slcompany of which he is a unique partner, marking his definitive break with Gerard Piqué and assuming the total control of his projects. The fact that the evening has its own category in a giant like Twitch is just one more detail, but one that certifies to what extent Ibai has become an essential presence to understand the industry of the streaming. In Xataka | Ibai is going to launch its own football team to start from the lowest. There is actually a very thoughtful strategy

A milestone that will provide you with all the uranium you need for decades

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Nuclear energy It is essential for China. The development he has experienced in this Asian country during the last two decades supports this statement. In 2002 he only had two nuclear centrals in operation. Today you have nothing less than 58 activity in activity. Only US has more (94). There is no doubt about one thing: during the last two decades China’s civil and military nuclear program It has advanced with a dizzying speed. And it seems that he will continue to do so. Anyway the heart of the nuclear program of the country led by Xi Jinping, and that of any other nation that bets on nuclear energy, It is uranium. This chemical element is present in nature in very low concentrations, usually in rocks, land and water. Hence, its obtaining is expensive and its complex treatment, since it requires chemical processes capable of separating it from the other elements and impurities with which it usually lives. It has 92 protons and many other electrons orbiting around the nucleus, and the latter incorporates, in addition to the protons, between 142 and 146 neutrons. It is important that we remember that the nucleus of an atom is usually constituted by a certain number of protons and neutrons (although not always: the protio, the isotope of the most abundant hydrogen, has a single proton and no neutron in its nucleus), as well as by some electrons that orbit around it. China already knows how to exploit deposits that until now were inaccessible The fact that the number of neutrons of the uranium nucleus can vary, as we have just seen, it indicates that there are several isotopes of this chemical element, which are nothing other than atoms with the same number of protons and electrons, but different number of neutrons. The reason why in nuclear fission reactors An uranium-235 atom is used, and not another isotope of this element or any other chemical element, it is that by bombarding its nucleus with a neutron (a process that is known as induced fission) the Uranium-235 is transformed into Uranium-236, which is a more unstable element. This simply means that Uranium-236 cannot remain long in its current state, so it is divided into two lighter nuclei, such as barium-144 and crypton-89 or Cesium-137 and Rubidio-96, and also emits two or three neutrons (2.5 neutrons on average). And here comes the really interesting: the sum of the masses of the light nuclei It is slightly lower than that of the Uranium-236 nucleus from which they come (“disappears” around 0.1% of the original mass). Where has the mass we lack? Only one is possible: it has been transformed into energy. Its largest uranium deposit lies in the Ordos basin, in northern China Until now, China has obtained the uranium that its nuclear power plants need from their Xinjiang, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan and Sichuan deposits. However, it also matters from Namibia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Canada and Australia, among other countries. The funny thing is that its largest uranium deposit lies in the Ordos basin, in northern China, but has a very important problem: It is very difficult to exploit it. In fact, until just a few months that uranium was essentially inaccessible using existing extraction and processing technology. The technical limitations led to the Chinese government years ago to rule out the exploitation of the mines of the Ordos basin, but in 2023 it changed their minds and decided to launch a project called “National Uranium Nº1”. His plan consisted of Develop the necessary technology To extract and process the uranium of ordos with a purpose: take a giant step on the way to China’s self -sufficiency in the field of nuclear energy. The problem of this huge site was that uranium is disseminated and mixed with other sandstone -shaped elements. And it is difficult to process it without the costs are triggered. Even so, in mid -2024 China produced natural uranium by first time by leaching in situ. And now, According to the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)has produced its first uranium barrel using this method. The leaching in situ requires injecting in the bed of underground ore through wells a solution of carbon dioxide and oxygen that is capable of dissolving uranium. Then it is necessary to pump to the surface the liquid contained in this chemical element and process it. China’s merit is not just having solved this challenge by finding the ideal aqueous solution; is having achieved it from an economically viable and environmentally respectful formalways According to the information that the National Uranium Corporation of China has made public. Image | Xataka More information | Interesting Engineering In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in the planet is a beast with seven reactors. Is ready to return after Fukushima

We have achieved a new milestone into recycling: transform plastics into paracetamol

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The name Escherichia coli It is usually associated with stomach infections, some potentially mortal. Now a genetically modified version could help us synthesize one of the most consumed medications in the world, acetaminophen or paracetamol. And incidentally help us with a no less serious problem, plastic waste. Recycling. A new study He has shown The possibility of using bacteria in the production of paracetamol based on a common plastic, polyethylene or PET terephthalate, using bacteria as a tool. This mechanism can open the way to a cleaner system to synthesize the popular analgesic and antipyretic. Plastic and paracetamol have something in common: both are synthesized from hydrocarbons. That is why the team responsible for the new study wanted to demonstrate that the residue of one could serve as raw material in the manufacture of the other. “This work shows that PET plastic is not just a disposable product or intended to become more plastic: it can be transformed by microorganisms into new and valuable products, including those with potential to treat diseases,” explained in a press release Stephen Wallace, co -author of the study. E. coli. Normally, bacterium populations E. coli They live in our digestive system. However, some variants of this species have the ability to produce some harmful toxins For our body, resulting in pathogens. However, the team responsible for developing this new technique has set something very different and is the phosphate of these bacteria. Using genetically rescheduled specimens, the equipment transformed this bacteria into a key step in the transformation of a residue into a medication. 24 hours. All in a process that requires just 24 hours. This process begins with the decomposition of plastic. In its experiment, the team used bottles, although other types of PET plastics could serve in the process. The team administered tereftallic acid, a derivative of this plastic, to the bacteria carried out by an internal fermentation process that resulted in synthesizing the pharmacological compound. The details of the process were published In an article In the magazine Nature Chemistry. Decarbonizing the process. One of the details of the process prominent by the team is that this can be performed at room temperature. This implies lower energy consumption and therefore “virtually no carbon emission”, opening the way to a more sustainable production of paracetamol. The great challenge is to climb this process to make it profitable at the industrial level. Something that will not be easy for what for now we can only talk about a promising technology that can help us face two major challenges in sustainability: residues derived from plastics and drug production. In Xataka | The end of plastic as we know is probably close. The plastic capable of self -destroying is already ready Image | Niaid / Doctor 4U UK

Japan has made an airport not lose a suitcase in 30 years. Now you have to achieve another milestone: that it does not sink

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Now that that moment of the year is approaching where millions of travelers prepare to face the flights that will take them to the long -awaited holidays, an airport room is also ready for the arrival of one of those evils assumed as part of the package: the lost or lost suitcases. Although there is an exception. In Japan an airport has erected as the most efficient of the planet. They have been three decades Without losing luggage. His problem is another, and is underground. 30 years without a complaint. As we said, in a sector where loss is almost evil assumed by travelers, the Kansai International Airportin Japan, it offers an amazing anomaly: in its three decades of operationhas never lost a suitcase, a baby cart, a couple of skis or a single bag. The feat, which its employees describe with modesty as a simple consequence of following the rules, has made Kansai a reference of silent efficiency. Serving the regions of Osaka and Kyoto, and with 30 million passengers International a year, its record cannot be attributed to a low volume of traffic. What distinguishes it is meticulous attention to detail: from aligning the handles of the suitcases to facilitate their collection until they personally deliver fragile or bulky objects directly in the hands of the passenger. In Xataka Nobody wants to spend three hours on a Saturday. And that’s why hypermarkets go down Operational discipline. Had in Japan Times Tsuyoshi Habuta, supervisor of one of the luggage manipulation companies in Kansai, which behind there is no special training or secret systems. According to him, merit lies in Comply with established processes And act carefully: each suitcase is treated as something valuable, not only for its content, but for what it represents for the passenger. Your team manages some 3,000 pieces a dayand the manipulation procedure of is a ballet Synchronized revisions and cross controls. Each piece is counted not only at the time of check-in, but also during and after the flight. The workers inspect that the number of packaged packages coincide exactly with those downloaded, both in the airplane warehouse and in the safety control rooms. If something does not block, the search begins immediately. The rule of the quarter hour. Plus: There is a tacit rule. Deliver all luggage in the collection zone in less than fifteen minutes From landing is a priority. This system is what has made the airport a world reference of efficiency, being awarded eight times with international awards for its excellence in the delivery of luggage. Airport Aerial View Omotenashi philosophy. Behind this impeccable history is also the Japanese concept of omotenashior hospitality as art. According to testimonies of the workers themselves collected by NPRcommitment is not only with logistics efficiency, but with the happiness of the passenger. For them, excellence is not an objective achieved but a constant improvement, fueled by the humility of learning every day and the responsibility of representing Japanese quality to the world. This collective attitude generates an organizational culture where The error is not allowednot for fear of punishment, but for professional pride. Wonder of engineering. The airport, opened in 1994, is built entirely About an artificial island In Osaka Bay and remains one of the infrastructure projects more ambitious and expensive Never performed. Conceived to relieve the saturation of the Osaka airport, Kansai has evolved to become the third busiest airport from Japan. Its initial construction cost around 14,000 million dollars, but with expansions and adjustments it has reached an estimated value of 20,000 million in 2008figure that, adjusted to current inflation, could double. Endowed with characteristics such as flexible asphalt tracks capable of resisting earthquakes and a high structure on 900 hydraulic cats that allow leveling the terminal as the ground sits, the airport has even resisted the devastating Kobe earthquake 1995 without compromising its operation. Osaka Bay Marine bed The problem: it sinks. It We count a while ago. Despite all his technological advances, Kansai faces a persistent and increasingly worrying threat: It is sinking. Since its inauguration, the airport has already descended about 11.5 meters And it is expected that another additional four meters could descend before 2056, approaching dangerously to the sea level. This situation is due to the fact that it was built on land earned to the sea, a highly compressible alluvial clay base that, under the weight of the artificial island, releases water and contracts, causing the progressive sinking of the soil. Although engineers have tried to accelerate land consolidation through “sand drains” (deep holes stuffed with sand to evacuate moisture), the settlement was not completed before starting construction, and the effects continue to accumulate over time. {“Videid”: “X8ST3IM”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “Japan ride generated with Sora”, “Tag”: “”, “Duration”: “17”} Fight against the sea. In 2018, a powerful typhoon flooded one of the slopesconfirming that the problem is not theoretical or distant. In response, the containment dike rose in 2.7 meters To prevent future floods, but experts agree that these measures are palliative and will not be enough in the long term without a large -scale intervention. Yes, the airport is designed to adjust structurally and adapt to the movements of the land, but the geological environment itself (that species of “wet sponge” of loose clay) represents a continuous and silent threat. Every centimeter that descends more compromises its future viability, and although for now it remains an example of advanced engineering, the countdown to its physical obsolescence has already begun. In Espinof I’ve seen ‘Rogue One’ after finishing ‘Andor’. I still have the impression that they are two half films forced to meet Monument with expiration date. In summary, Kansai is a fascinating paradox: a symbol of what human engineering can achieve and a reminder of the limits that imposes nature. While continuing to operate effectively recognized worldwide (With its unmatched record of delivery of luggage without losses), its future survival asshole a complex equation between technology, resources and political decisions. Without large … Read more

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