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‘Ikea ​​hack’ older ASML machines

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When the United States intensified the trade war with China wearing Huawei as a scapegoattriggered a fierce technological advance by the Asian giant. After the veto of Huawei Bans came to the Chinese semiconductor industry, and one hurt more than the others. ASMLleading European manufacturer in advanced machine manufacturing of deep ultraviolet lithography (or UVP), could not sell its best equipment to Chinese companies. Those of extreme ultraviolet or UVE, specifically. These machines are what the different chip manufacturers use to create their products and the industry depends on them. Think of these SVU machines as a gigantic 3D printer: Silicon wafers are their raw material and on them they “print” the circuits necessary for the processors to work. What’s special about ASML machines is that they are able to print those patterns with a precision impossible for any other machine. With the American veto, and with ASML being the only company with the exclusive technology to create this “printing” process, China had a difficult time advancing not only in its consumer chip industry, but in the rampant race of artificial intelligence. However, Chinese companies They are making progress by tricking the machines of ASML that they had obtained before the blockade. With Huawei and SMIC at the helm, they are pushing the machine and achieving the unthinkable with old equipment. The ‘Ikea ​​hack’ of ASML lithography machines One of the concepts that I like the most in interior decoration is the ‘Ikea ​​hack’. It consists of buying a generic Ikea piece of furniture and transform it into one with more personality and even different functions. It is maximizing the potential of a simple and known structure. A 3D printer, but in a brutal way They are doing something similar from SMIC. A couple of years ago it was a company whose name came to the fore almost daily. No wonder: It is the spearhead of the Chinese semiconductor industry and the one that provoked the wrath of US regulators when they realized that they had not finished off Huawei after the veto. Somehow, SMIC had been able to make 7nm and even 5nm chipsa lithograph outside the reach of the machines that China had. He Huawei Mate 60 Pro Kirin 9000S marked the rebirth of the company’s mobile phonesand the surprising thing is that SMIC I had created it with old machines such as the Twinscan NXT:2000i or the Twinscan NXT:1980i. They were UVP machines acquired before the veto. And, although ASML could not sell new material or make updates that improved the base features of those machines, they could provide support. The issue is that these machines were not designed to create integrated circuits as cutting-edge as those manufactured by TSMC, Samsung or Intel, but the ‘Ikea ​​hack’ by SMIC and Huawei to have 7nm chips is the ‘multi-patterning’ technique. In simple terms, this technique involves having the UVP machine make multiple passes at a single point on the silicon wafer to create denser chips. What an EUV machine would do in a jiffyit takes more time and passes to a UVP because the lenses and lasers that “print” the circuits are less precise. “Chinese factories have made impressive progress without full access to the best equipment that others in the sector, such as TSMC or Samsung, have” – Dan Kim, director of strategy at TechInsights As we read in Financial Timesthe TecnInsights analysis group estimates that SMIC has been perfecting the multi-patterning technique beyond the 7 nm process during these years and that Huawei’s Kirin 9030 processor It is the most advanced created by China to date. The achievement is that: they have done it with obsolete machines. Now, despite the trick of SMIC and Huawei, the process has its problems. To start, the obvious: More passes means more manufacturing time than what it would take a more advanced or SVU machine. But also something more serious: the ‘yield’. This concept applies to the percentage of functional chips obtained from a wafer. They are, in short, forcing the machine. And that translates into more time per chip, more probability of a chip being defective and, in total, higher production costs. China’s ‘Manhattan Project’ Now, and as they point out in the Financial Times, although China does not have extreme ultraviolet photolithography machines, they do have some of the latest, most advanced machines from the previous generation of UVP: the 2050i and 2100i. Were sent by ASML before the veto September 2024 will come into effect, and the United States Bureau of Industry and Security he has a fly behind his ear. A silicon wafer One of the arguments to veto the sale of ASML equipment to China is national security. These advanced chips are introduced in consumer technology, but also in military technology. And, according to the FT, the US administration has been investigating what kind of support ASML has provided to Chinese customers, even considering the possibility of tightening maintenance standards for machines that manufacturers already had. In any case, China continues to push this technology. and in Reuters they go further: a group of former ASML engineers who now work in Chinese companies have managed to decipher the secrets of the Dutch company’s most advanced machines through reverse engineering. As if it were the Chinese version of the Manhattan Project With which the United States built its atomic bomb in World War II, Chinese engineers would have used ASML machine parts available in “alternative” markets to develop more advanced technology than what they officially had at their disposal. ASML CEO stated that China would need “many, many years” to develop that technology, but if they have already managed to decipher the secrets of the SVU machines with reverse engineering, the movie changes completely. There are other difficulties, since the lenses used in UVE machines are Extremely accurate and proprietary from Zeisswhich cannot officially sell to Chinese manufacturers either. According to Reuters, the prototype created by these engineers is capable of generating light in the … Read more

a supermassive black hole older than expected

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Since the James Webb Space Telescope opened its infrared eyes towards the universe, the truth is that everything beyond our atmosphere has gone from being something calm and a stranger to become in a frantic puzzle For all astrophysicists. Their latest discovery points to the oldest supermassive black hole ever detected, something that gives us more data about the origin of the universe. It has arrived to break the mold. This black hole is located in the galaxy GHZ2and its most relevant fact is not that it is really far away, but when it was formed. Approximations place it just 350 million years after the Big Bang. Something that breaks the classic schemes that experts used, since in theory there would not have been enough time for a gravitational monster of that caliber to grow so much. His discovery. As we say, the protagonist of this story is the galaxy GHZ2/GLASS-z12. A discovery that has been made thanks to the observations of JWST and to the ALMA radio observatory in Chilewhich has confirmed its location through different parameters that place it as the most distant and oldest structure that has ever been confirmed. But what has set off alarm bells is not only its distance, but also its composition, since extremely intense ionized carbon emission lines have been detected. To understand the importance of this finding, you have to know that ionizing carbon at these levels requires a large amount of energy. This means that younger and more massive stars have the capacity to do so, but it is not enough to explain the intensity that has been observed in this galaxy. This means that you have to sign up for a Active Galactic Nucleusthat is to say, a supermassive black hole that is gobbling up matter at a frenetic pace. The time problem. The study suggests that this black hole would have an enormous mass compared to its host galaxy. While in the local universe (ours) the ratio between the mass of the black hole and the stellar mass of the galaxy is around 0.1%, in GHZ2 this ratio could shoot up to 5%. This is something that challenges the training theories that are currently are divided into two sides: Light seeds: black holes are born from the death of the first stars and grow little by little. The problem here is that 350 million years is not enough to reach this size. Heavy seeds: huge clouds of primordial gas have collapsed into black holes to form them, but without becoming a star. The finding of GHZ2 points directly to the second option or to “super-Eddington” feeding episodes (eating faster than radiation pressure theoretically allows). Its importance. If this finding is finally confirmed, we would be facing the absolute record for an active supermassive black hole. Until now, this record was in the UHZ1 galaxy about 470 million years after the Big Bang. But now GHZ2 pushes us more than 100 million years back in time, bringing us dangerously close to the very moment it all began in our universe. What really seems clear is that the universe in its beginning was not a boring or slow place. It was a dynamic, violent and rapid time where galaxies and black holes evolved at a great speed that we are now beginning to understand. Images | BoliviaIntelligent In Xataka | Bad news, the Universe has entered its dying phase. Good news, we won’t be here to see it

There are more and more older people dying for falls in the US. And the culprit is an old acquaintance in the West

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We recently discovered that from the age of 35 our performance did not collapse as it had been thought, but rather On the contrary. However, it is a law of life that new problems derived from health and our physical form arrive with old age. In fact, in the United States they have realized one thing: more and more elderly die from falls, and have found the culprit. A growing problem. In the United States, falls have become one of the main causes of death among older people. In 2023 they died More than 41,000 adults over 65 years of injuries associated with fallsand the mortality rate has tripled in three decades. The most vulnerable group, those over 85, went from 92 deaths per 100,000 in 1990 A 339 in 2023. This increase is alarming because it coincides with decades of programs, medical guides and investments to prevent falls that, despite the efforts, have failed to reverse the trend. Drugs as a trigger. Epidemiologist Thomas Farley holds that differentiates it with countries like Japan or Europe lies in the high medication of the greatest Americans. Points to the called Frids (“Fall Risk Drugs”), a group that includes benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants, gabapentin, certain classic heart and antihistamine medications such as diphenhydramine. These drugs induce sleepiness, dizziness or weakness, and are linked to 50–75% more falls in the elderly. His proliferation, in his opinion, explains why deaths multiplied without other factors, such as loss of mobility, poor vision or risk risks, have worsened in the same proportion. Other factors. Other specialists like Thomas Gill and Neil Alexander Matizan In the New York Times That vision. They point out that before death certificates used to attribute the death of elders to heart failure or other ailments, minimizing the role of falls. Today Document betterwhich increases statistics. In addition, medicine prolongs the lives of people with chronic diseases and multiple disabilities, making the current cohort of over 85 years Be more fragile than that of thirty years ago. That accumulated fragility could partly explain why they survive less after a fall. Also, although the use of opioid and benzodiazepines has decreased or stabilized, they have The prescriptions are grown of antidepressants and gabapentin, which maintains the pharmacological exposure. The urgency of the “discomfort.” Before the consensus that drugs play a key role, the emerging strategy It is the “discomfort”: Review and remove unnecessary medication or adjust doses to reduce risks. Networks like the US depressal recordch network They insist that it is easy to prescribe, but difficult to remove treatments once established, by clinical inertia and patient resistance. The list Beers Criteria I already recommend alternative therapiesas cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia, physiotherapy, exercise and psychological approaches for pain, instead of powerful anxiolytic or analgesics. Samurai discipline to the rescue. In parallel to the numbers of the United States, Un work from the University of Tohoku revealed that The re-hoa traditional Japanese practice associated with the samurai that consists of slow and controlled movements of sitting, rising and walking, can significantly improve the strength of the knees and reduce the risk of falls in seniors. In just three months, adults who made this routine for five minutes a day, four times a week, increased on average 25.9% Its knee extension force, compared to 2.5% of the control group. The method, which does not require equipment and minimizes risks of injury, is raised as an accessible alternative to combat the loss of muscle mass and the fragility of age, combining physical benefits with the cultural value of an ancestral tradition adapted to the challenges of modern health. Preventable tragedy. Be that as it may, each fall that causes fractures, brain injuries or dependence is a devastating event that alters lives and generates huge costs. The paradox is that many of these deaths They could be prevented with a more rigorous control of the prescription and with programs that prioritize non -pharmacological interventions. The key, in the case of the United States, points to patients and caregivers demanding their doctors Check the treatments and raise alternatives, because often that conversation does not happen. The increase in deaths from falls in the elderly, far from being an inevitable consequence of aging, reflects failures in the care model and opens an urgency: to balance the extension of life with the quality and safety of those years won. Image | MR.FINK’S Finest In Xataka | We had always thought that after 35 our performance collapsed. Is the opposite In Xataka | China has a huge youth unemployment problem. So much, that some people pretend that they work

August has been an extremely warm month in Spain. That has had a side effect: make us older

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This summer has left repeated scenes: empty squares at the time of the nap, nights in the heat and a Mediterranean turned into a pressure pot. Spain has suffered suffocating days They will go to statistics, but the most serious is not measured in degrees. According to a recent study, heat waves do not leave when the temperature drops. They leave a silent trail in the body: they accelerate biological aging. A disturbing finding. A recent study Posted in Nature Climate Change It has shown that repeated exposure to heat waves accelerates biological aging. The work, led by the University of Hong Kong, followed 25,000 people for 15 years in Taiwan. The results speak for themselves: four extra days of heat wave in a period of two years were translated in nine days added to the biological age of the participants. In manual workers, more exposed to the sun and heat, that effect shot up to 33 days. “The impact of heat on our body is comparable to tobacco, alcohol, poor diet or lack of exercise,” The research team has summarized to The Guardian. The biological clock under pressure. How did they get to that conclusion? The scientists calculated the biological age from different markers: blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol and the functioning of lungs, liver and kidneys. When comparing them with the real age of each person, the conclusion was clear: who had spent more time under heat waves showed accelerated aging. The exact reason is still unknown. The main hypothesis is that high temperatures damage DNA and submit the body to constant stress. “If the exhibition accumulates for decades, the impact on health will be much greater than we have now measured,” has pointed to The Guardian Dr. Cui Guo, main author of the study. More evidence: heat at all ages. This finding does not come alone. In 2024, another job Posted in Nature He revealed that early exposure to cold and heat interferes with the development of the white matter of the brain in children. The consequences, the authors warned, could extend throughout life. The conclusion is clear: heat does not understand ages. Inference affects developing brains; In adulthood, it accelerates the organism’s wear. Can the damage be stopped? The same study offers an interesting nuance: the harmful effect seemed to be reduced over time, probably because people learn to protect themselves better. Searching for shadow, hydrating or using air conditioning made a certain difference. Even so, the biological footprint never disappeared completely. The problem is that not everyone has the same possibilities to adapt. Older people, outdoor workers or those who live in neighborhoods with less resources suffer a much greater impact, As the study collects. Prevention, experts coincide, goes through reinforcing Urban design: More trees, more shadow, better isolated homes and just access to cooling. Individually, recommendations remain simple but effective: hydrate, avoid hours of heat and seek refuge in fresh places. The invisible heat scar. Until now we thought about heat as something passenger: annoying, exhausting and dangerous in extreme days. But scientific evidence points to something more disturbing. The heat, the experts say, does not leave at all when the thermometer goes down: it stays inside, accelerating the wear of the organism and leaving an invisible scar. For researchers, this finding is a turn in the way of understanding health. And the warning is clear: if the planet continues to heat up, we will not only have longer summers, also bodies that age faster. Image | Unspash Xataka | The sea is 30 degrees in the Balearic Islands and that worries meteorologists: the Mediterranean is a pressure cooker

An older comet that the sun has invaded the solar system. The old and reliable Hubble telescope already has photos

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The veteran space telescope Hubble, With 35 years of service behind themcontinues to demonstrate that it is in full form. His last feat has been to capture the first clear image of 3i/Atlas, an interstellar kite that not only comes from outside our solar system, but seems to be older than the sun itself. The interstellar object number three. 3i/Atlas is the third celestial body beyond the solar system that astronomers have detected on our neighborhood, after the mysterious Asteroid 1i/’Oumuamua In 2017 and the Gigantic Comet 2i/Borisov In 2019. The images, taken on July 21 by NASA’s space telescope, offer a detailed first view of the new member of the club. The first alert was given by an astrophysic student nicknamed Astrafoxen In his bluesky profile: “There are many cosmic rays around, but the comet’s comma looks fantastic and bulky.” And indeed, even without processing, the images let a diffuse and active atmosphere intuit around the code core. An unexpected composition. Scientists have already begun to reveal the secrets of the comet. A Preliminary study Based on previous images, he revealed that 3i/Atlas is an active interstellar kite that contains abundant water. However, its cloud of dust looks more like that of type D asteroids: rocks full of silicates with organic molecules, carbon and water ice inside. The composition of the comet’s comma seems to be adjusted 70% to Tagish Lake Meteoritewith the remaining 30% in water ice grains. An older cosmic fossil than the sun. Everything indicates that 3i/Atlas comes from a region of the Milky Way much older than ours. With an estimated age of 7,000 million years, compared to the 4.6 billion years of the solar system, this kite is a time capsule of an era before ours, which especially excites astronomers. First detected on July 1, 2025 by the Atlas poll, the comet has become the priority objective of observatories around the world. One of those who will join the hunt is the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which with The world’s largest digital camera promises to find many of these invaders. Images | Hubble (NASA), Gemini Observatory In Xataka | This is not normal photos of the cosmos: prepare your hard drive to save these hubble wonders

Using a mobile is a real challenge for older people. An Aragonese startup has a promising solution

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Is called Maximilianabut it is not a person. It is a mobile. Specifically, one specifically designed for our elders. The idea that this device raises is unique, already a difference from other mobiles for the elderly, everything is based on trying that these people have to touch anything to communicate with their loved ones both in video calls and normal calls and to alert possible emergencies. Innovating from Aragon. Many business projects are born from personal needs. This happened for Jorge Terreu (Zaragoza, 26 years old), who a few years ago was Erasmus in France and had trouble contacting his grandmother, Maximiliana. This is how the germ of her project was created: create a phone to be able to talk to her without her having to do anything. @Miguessal This mobile can save your grandfather’s life, because it makes video calls down alone. It was created by a grandson for his grandmother, Maximiliana, who did not manage with technology. What began as a gift, is today a mobile that thousands of people use. You can learn more about him at www.maximiliana.es. #Salvarvidas #Emercances #Primerosauxilios #Urgences #security ♬ Original sound – Miguel Assal The principle of something big. Terreu prepared a mobile prototype in which he started the video call and the phone answered alone. He sent it to his grandmother in Madrid and soon realized that this idea could serve many more people. In March 2020, during the pandemic he donated five phones adapted to a hospital in Zaragoza and verified how users were delighted, so he launched the adventure of creating his own company and his project of a mobile for seniors. What would be called, of course, like his grandmother. Maximiliana. They hardly have to touch it. People who use Maximilian mobiles hardly have to touch it, because they can receive video calls or messages without having to play in the interface. If a relative or friend makes a video call, Maximiliana sounds for a few seconds and automatically breaks. If it is the elderly the one who wants to call, the interface is especially intuitive and simple and is based on a “desk” on which the faces of the family appear. Just press one of them to make the call. Emergencies. Maximiliana also has emergency call options. Thus, if for example the elderly falls and cannot handle the mobile with precision, it is enough that it agitates it a bit to activate the emergency call to the assigned contact. In those calls the mobile uses the flashlight to emit the international relief signal. Always located. Another of the Maximiliana options It is what allows to know at all times the location of that elderly, something especially useful if they are lost or misplaced. The software also shows the battery available so that family members can warn that it loads it to continue using it without problems. THE MOBILE AS SERVICE. Maximiliana includes the mobile, the control app for the family and the accessories, such as the cord or antiahogo strap that allows the device to be hung by the neck. The product is not sold as a mobile without more, but as part of a subscription service. The “basic pack” cited costs 24.90 euros per month, but it is also possible to directly hire the SIM card (unlimited calls, 25 GB of the Internet) as part of the “complete pack” for 29.90 euros per month. Includes apps like WhatsApp. Maximilian mobiles remain mobile, and allow to continue accessing applications such as WhatsAppChamber or Gallery. The person in charge of the device – normally, a relative of the elderly – chooses from the control application which applications wants them to appear on the mobile. It is the relative who acts as “administrator”. The relatives of the people who use Maximiliana are the ones in charge of managing and configuring the mobile options. Thus, they can add contact faces, change order (up to six on the screen), or adjust the sound duration. A grandmother like Community Manager. As they pointed out In the countryMaximiliana’s team has been growing as the success of the service has been curdling, but there is a very special component in that template. Your Community Manager It is Conchita Polo, grandmother of Pedro Malo, partner of Terreu in the project. More than the phone matters the service. There are currently good options when offering Mobile for seniors And also tips for Adapt any Android phone To make it easier to use for them, but Maximiliana’s proposal is interesting because everything combines. Take advantage of the idea of parental controls that for example allow to know the location of our children or control the limits of use, but adapting it to a population sector that can certainly take advantage of it in a beneficial way. Image | Maximiliana In Xataka | What five mobiles would I recommend to give my grandfather this Christmas, for simplicity and quality-quality

Telefónica is 100 years old but it is now when you have to decide what you want to be older. Is facing its greatest existential dilemma

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Few companies become hundred. Of those who achieve it, few have survived as many transformations as Telefónica. Founded when the phone was a luxury, a civil war, world war, dictatorships, democracies, republics and monarchies, privatizations, technological bubbles and digital revolutions has lived. But He has never faced a crossroads as existential as the current: Define your identity for the next century. He Mobile World Congress 2025 It has been the scenario where Marc Murtra, in his first months as president, has presented his vision for Teleco. A stand of almost a square kilometer encapsulated this Identity search. The Valencian artisanal spheres that decorated the space – a beautiful wink four months after the Dana tragedy – represented something halfway between tradition and modernity. A Perfect metaphor of a company trapped between two worlds: The conventional teleco that is seeing how its margins are eroded, and the technology company in which it aspires to become. Above, Valencian artisan spheres connected to the failed world to decorate the stand. Below, the Autonomous Drone connected by 5G that starred in a part of the MWC of the Teleco. The metaphor of the two worlds among which Telefónica trapped: tradition (the pure telecation business) and modernity (the technological company in which it seeks to become). Image: Telefónica. An operator in a hostile world The European context does not help. While the United States has three main operators for 335 million people, Europe has 34 for 450 million. This fragmentation, praised by regulators as a low price guarantor, has created an ecosystem where no operator has the critical mass to compete globally. Murtra was not subtle in Barcelona with Your Opening Speech: “It is time for large European telecommunications companies to consolidate and grow to create technological capacity.” A warning: “Europe’s position in the world will continue to decide and will not have the capacity to decide its future autonomously.” What until recently was a business debate has now climbed to geopolitical matter. The new president draws the battle with a sports metaphor: “We operate in a fragmented market, it’s like playing football with a hand tied behind our backs. If we unleash our hands, we will mark a few goals.” A GRADE OF Aid Shared by the CEOs of Vodafone, Orange and Deutsche Telekom, who joined the choir In Barcelona with an unusual voice. Pallete left a perfect paradox on the table: He reduced the debt in half (from 53,000 million to less than 29,000) while the stock value collapsed 57%. The equation is clear: Financial sanitation is no longer enough to seduce markets. The investment seeks growth stories, not survival. And that is where the technological jacket feels better than that of Teleco. And for her they go. The MWC as a declaration of intentions The demos that Telefónica presented in Barcelona are the anticipation of their future bets. It is no longer limited to talking about connectivity, but goes into more complex territories: Autonomous drones integrated with Open Gateway APIS, Security in the face of quantum computing challengesand its digital operations center for cybersecurity. It is striking that the Teleco did not simply show its 5G network, but the applications that can be built on it. Your demo drones He showed cases of health, environmental and logistics use. An effort to be in the value chain beyond the “tube” of data is appreciated. Beyond the dreaded Commoditization. The presentation of its technology Quantum-Safe Networks He anticipates threats that have not even arrived yet, but they will do it when quantum computing is more present than future. The announcement of an excellence center in this field, although without detailing investment or template Xataka On this matter, it shows its intention to become a strategic security provider. Enrique Blanco, outgoing Ctio after four decades in the company, has indicated that they have been working in this field for a decade, conducting limited tests in areas such as Madrid or Vizcaya. But perhaps the most important bet is Open Gateway. Chema Alonso, visible face of digital transformation (although An uncertain future), has presented Agreements with Tiktok, Cabify, AWS, Google Cloud and the Community of Madrid. The goal is convert their networks, so far mere highways, on platforms that generate income. Telefónica wants to monetize its privileged position as an identity validity and position itself as a technological intermediary between citizens and services. However, Under these modernity signs, the structure of a company born to another world persists. Its corporate culture, molded for decades as a national monopoly, collides with the agility that innovation requires. The More than 100,000 employees that still maintains the group contrast with lighter operators. Not to mention the great technological ones. The impossible referents When telecos have tried to reinvent themselves, the results have been lime and sand. AT&T opted to become a media company acquiring Warnerjust to end selling it years later. Verizon bought Yahoo and Aol, and then detach from both in half of what cost them. Deutsche Telekom, perhaps the greatest success case, has managed to better balance its transformation, but as its CEO Tim Höttges explained in Barcelona, ​​”today we make 65% of our income in the United States.” Telefónica’s case is more complex. Its international expansion gave it global scale, but also dispersion (a few days ago He sold his Argentine subsidiary for 1,000 million). And its telephone division Tech points to diversification towards cybersecurity, Cloud and IoT, but still represents a small fraction of total income. In the agora of their stand in Barcelona, ​​where more than one hundred managers have paraded tensing during the fair, Telefónica has sought to project a technological leader image. The problem is that the market continues to see it fundamentally as a teleco with aspirations technot as a true technological company. The transition is a long process. The absent host paradox The MWC has put another painful irony on the table: Spain organizes the largest technological fair in the world While your participation in the development of the … Read more

get older children in whatever it costs

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Last year it was South Korea that began with the initiative. Faced with their demographic crisis, children are a “precious good” that there is care and prepare for a demanding future, so much that they were even starting them Medicar if “they did not give the size”. That germ now seems to have entered China, where competitiveness at all levels, from marriage to labor ascent, is taking many parents to a dangerous escalation. A phenomenon of stature. The height of Chinese children has increased significantly in recent decades, with The greatest world increase Between 1986 and 2019, according to the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a scientific network linked to WHO. This growth has been promoted by improvements in nutrition, access to quality proteins and government programs such as The National School Milk Planthat today distributes free milk to 32.1 million students. However, and despite these advances, many parents consider their children still They are not high enoughwhich has led to a boom in The use of growth hormones and other strategies to increase height. Social pressure. The desire that children are higher is not only a matter of health, but, as we said, it reflects intense competition in labor and marriage markets. In a society where beauty and success standards have been homogenized, the height is seen as A key attribute to obtain better job opportunities and greater attraction in marriage. There are studies. In fact, investigations from the Universidad Deportiva de Pekín and the University of Beijing have confirmed that the highest people in China are more likely to marry and win better salaries. This phenomenon is intensified by the gender imbalance caused by The only child’s policywhich left an excess of men competing in pairs. The companies “push.” They counted in Nikkei That Chinese companies reinforce this trend when establishing height requirements in their job ads, even in positions where it does not seem relevant. An example: A Hangzhou company was looking for a male model for live streaming and only demanded that he measure more than 1.85 meters, regardless of his appearance. For women, the requirement was 1.75 meters. The hormone boom. All this has led to a dangerous escalation of parents. The increase in concern for height has led to an explosive growth In the growth hormone industry in China, which tripled its size since 2018 and exceeded the United States as the largest market in the world. In 2023, the sector reached 12.5 billion yuan (1.75 billion dollars) and remain expanding. In addition, although growth hormones are only authorized for children with hormonal deficiency, many parents seek doctors willing to prescribe them unofficially. For example, the medium counted The case of li taia Changsha filmmaker who began to inject hormones to his 5 -year -old son after noticing that he was lower than 97% of the kids of his age. In a year and a half, the child exceeded the stature of half of his teammates, although the treatment cost him 130,000 yuan ($ 18,000) and coincided with the start of nasal hemorrhages (yes, the doctor ruled out a direct relationship). The figures. Currently, some 700 children are under treatment With growth hormones in the clinic of Dr. Zhu Xinyu in Xiamen, while the Chinese market continues to expand with new treatments that require less injections and longer cycles. It is estimated that by 203010.7% of children diagnosed with hormonal deficiency will receive treatment, compared to 3.7% in 2018. The risks of obsession. Doctors like Zhu and Lu Wenli warned in the report that prolonged use of growth hormones It entails risks like Intracranial hypertension, scoliosis, alterations in blood sugar levels or even possible links with cancer. Thus, parents seem willing to assume these risks and pay the treatments of their pocket, since growth hormones are not covered by the National Health System. How much do we talk about? The annual cost of standard treatment It ranges between 60,000 and 70,000 yuan (8,500/10,000 dollars). The social impact of obsession. Here comes another problem dystopic Added. Nikkei had That the eagerness to make children higher is exacerbating social inequality in China. Families with greater resources They can pay treatments With hormones and training programs, which gives them an advantage in the future work and marriage. As a result, a cycle is being formed in which high children and wealthy families They continue to get more benefitswhile those of lower class are (even more) lagging. Meanwhile, the growing stature of the population is forcing institutions and companies to Make structural adjustments. The cities have raised the minimum height to travel free by public transport of 1.1 meters to 1.3 meters in some cases. For the meters, they have increased the height of its doors from 1.8 meters to 1.85 meters in the newest models. In pediatric hospitals they have had to buy larger beds for larger children, and even the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has proposed to raise the height of the ceilings of new buildings to 3 meters to facilitate the installation of heating and air conditioning systems. In fact, The obsession with height He has taken automotive companies such as Byd and child to start designing cars with more leg space, and children’s clothing manufacturers, which have not yet adapted completely to change, seem to be difficult to find adequate garments for higher children. Pressure from childhood. In some cases, parents impose Strict exercises and diets to maximize the growth potential of their children without resorting to hormones. Cases like Lin Fan’sa mother of Shanghai, who forces her almost 6 -year -old daughter to jump the rope between 400 and 500 times a day, take fish oil supplements and eat more than usual. The girl was of average stature, but in the last two years she has fallen to the lowest quintile, which worries Lin, who measures 1.68 meters and expects her daughter to reach her. For this mother, a young woman who measures at least 1.65 meters will have better opportunities … Read more

It turns out that it is older than we thought

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China is one of the greatest powers regarding megaconstructions. Their Bridges and skyscraper, Even abandonedthey are one of their hallmarks, and that fascination with monumental constructions is not new. Perhaps one of the most representative constructions of the country is the great wall, and although we thought that its more than 21,000 kilometers did not keep secrets, new studies They have shown that we were wrong. And it is not only older than we believed, but is protected by a ‘bioesk’. Rebobinando. The great wall rose to protect the northern border of the Chinese empire. For centuries, other civilizations sought to assault the empire, so the different dynasties were taking over adding sections on the wall. Until now, we thought that the works began at some point between 770 and 476 AC, but an investigation carried out between May and December 2024 by the Institute of Cultural Reliquias and Archeology of Shandong has advanced that date. He Institute He made an excavation that covered 1,100 m² in the town of Guangli that was fruits: they unearthed a section of the Great Wall that was 300 years older than the rest. Specifically, it would belong to the late Western Zhou dynasty, between 1046 and 771 AC Advanced Engineering. This new section, like so many others, was carried out in several phases: the early during the Zhou dynasty and the late, which would overlap with the stretch that we believed older so far. To date the discovery, the team took samples of soils, animals of animals, plant remains and discovered artifacts, carrying out the carbon-14 tests and optically stimulated luminescence test. And there was not only a wall: the civilization of the time was already thinking about large -scale fortification with trenches or pits. The best preserved part is the most recent of those discovered due to advances in construction techniques. During the first phases, used The land apison technique for the wall, but in the last one the compacted land was already used next to metal elements that improved its structure. On the width, it surprises that, while the current one has a width of about five meters, those sections were between 10 and 30 meters. Actually, the great wall is not a single wall, but numerous sections that each dynasty was building Changing the past. Beyond the particular discovery, which is older than we thought, has serious historical implications. As Comment Zhang his, leader of the research, the finding “marks a significant advance in the archeology of the great wall and is a milestone to clarify the origins and development of research for its construction.” The remains of the dynasty wall are not the same, 2,200 years ago … This is because, under this first part of the wall, archaeologists found foundations of two residences that also dated the Zhou dynasty. They estimate that these were semi -subject houses that could have been part of a small settlement linked to the defense of the nearby river. This river was vital for trade with other nearby areas and the decision to build the wall would have responded to the desire to shield the enclave. … that the remains of the most recent Ming wall Apart from the wall and residences, the Zhang team found an old nearby settlement: the city of Pinying that was mentioned in some historical texts. Uniting the points, the archaeologist considers that “his close relationship with Pinying indicates that the wall served not only as a defense mechanism, but as a strategic pillar in the control of the key transport routes” between that settlement, Pinying and other localities. Biocortex. Although discovering that the great wall is older than it was believed, it is the most interesting, it is not the only recent discovery about this megaconstruction. A study Published at the end of 2023, he revealed that several sections of the wall had a kind of shield, a ‘biocostra’ formed by tiny plants without roots and other microorganisms. This is not so weird in rocks and soils of dry areas, but as we read in CNNresearchers do not usually look for it in man -built structures. And, unlike plants whose roots can deteriorate monuments, this scab separates the rock from the air, water and wind, reducing the porosity of the structure and protecting it against elements and erosion. As if that were not enough, it also acts as ‘glue’, improving the resistance of the wall. Vegetation can damage the structure, but those yellowish spots are lichens that are part of biocoraza What is clear is that, the 641 kilometers of the section of the Great Wall of the Qin, a World Heritage for UNESCO, are no longer the oldest. But the most surprising thing is that the wall was building for a longer time than we believed: more than 1,000 years. They were the Ming who, in the mid -1600 AD, arrested their expansion after the annexation of Mongolia, which left the great wall without a defensive purpose. Images | Maximilian Dörrbecker, Mark Holmquist, Jakub Hałun, Bairuilong, Severin.stalder In Xataka | The unstoppable evolution of the Great Chinese Solar Wall: the largest photovoltaic project in the world, portrayed by NASA

Trump freezes aid that could affect feeding of children and older adults

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President Donald Trump ordered to freeze financial aid to several programs, including federal loans, in an attempt to eliminate expenses, but whose decision would even affect food aid programs for children, single mothers and older adults. The measure enters into force at 5:00 pm on Tuesday and has caused outrage, in addition to a group of general prosecutors from several states to submit a lawsuit. This effort of the Trump administration will affect millions of Americans, regardless of whether the State is governed by Republicans, Moveon Civi Action warned. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the freezing of funds is a federal expenditure review and said that direct help to people would not be affected, although several organizations that receive aid funds may not exercise their programs and even congressmen alert the negative consequences. “It doesn’t matter who has voted or where you live, because Trump is taking measures to eliminate programs that help common Americans,” said Rahna Epting, executive director of Moveon Civic Action. He warned that among the programs are those who help children for food, as well as older adults. “(The preschool centers will be blocked), the freezing of Head Start’s help to face the hunger for young children and the end of the Meals On Wheels program for the elderly in need,” said Epting, who accused that, at the same time, Trump defends exemptions for the richest Americans. There is no official report of how many programs will be affected, but it will be known once the executive order enters into force. “In the next few hours and days, we will know more and more about how many programs and people will be affected by the suspension of Trump’s financing,” said Epting. “We will not allow faint -hearted republicans who stay on the sidelines while Trump harms their voters. (…) Most Americans still fight to get ahead and need stability and help, not Trump’s chaos that will worsen their lives and increase costs and ruin our economy. ” Congressmen warn damage Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego (Arizona) criticized Trump’s decision and warned consequences in vulnerability, in addition to affecting various social groups. “Children will go hungry, older Americans will not be able to pay the rent and police departments will suffer budget cuts due to the chaotic freezing of Trump team funds,” Gallego said. “They can’t even write a clear memorandum and now their incompetence is creating chaos in communities throughout the country.” (Tagstotranslate) Food Infant (T) Donald Trump

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