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AI already knew how to create images. OpenAI says it has found the missing piece with the new ChatGPT Images 2.0

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Over the last few years we have seen image generators become increasingly more spectacular, faster and also more popular. The problem is that a striking image is not always useful to work with. It is one thing to ask for an astronaut cat and quite another to obtain a usable marketing poster, a coherent vignette or a graphic that respects what we have asked for. That’s where OpenAI now wants to move the conversation with its new model: not so much towards the pretty image, but towards the useful image. The answer. What OpenAI proposes goes in that direction. The company led by Sam Altman He maintains that his new model is not only created to generate attractive images, but to solve visual assignments with more intention and less trial and error. In the presentation he went so far as to state that “images are a language, not decoration”, a fairly clear way of summarizing where he wants to take the product in a present with quite a bit of competition. The thesis is that: that asking for an image in ChatGPT It’s less like launching a creative prompt and more like commissioning a piece that we can actually use. The missing piece. If the firm wants us to talk about something more than showy images, it had to improve exactly the points where these models usually fail. Here they promise important changes on three very specific fronts: following complex instructions more precisely, better organizing elements within the image and reproducing dense text with greater reliability. In other words, we are not only looking for more beautiful results, but also less ambiguous and more controllable ones. Think before you draw. One of the novelties that OpenAI tries to highlight most strongly is that this is its first image model with reasoning capabilities. Translated into practical terms, the company maintains that, when a model with “thinking” is chosen within ChatGPT, the system can take more time, structure the task better, rely on the web to search for updated information and review its own results before delivering the image. And we have tried it, asking for the image of two people walking along Gran Vía, in Madrid, near Cines Callao, and some notes on activities to do in Spain during May. These are the images that we can see in the cover image. The keys. OpenAI talks about game prototyping, storyboards, marketing creatives, comics, social graphics and other materials where both content and form matter. To sustain that ambition, the company says it has improved on two delicate fronts: the handling of non-Latin text, with advances especially in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi and Bengali, and the more faithful reproduction of very marked visual styles. It also expands the possible formats, with proportions of up to 3:1 and 1:3, resolution of up to 2K and, in certain modes, the possibility of generating up to ten images within the same request with continuity between characters and objects. The competitive context. This announcement also cannot be read as if OpenAI had suddenly discovered a new market. Midjourney has already become a clear reference for works with a strong artistic charge, Nano Banana has attracted attention for its conversational editing capabilities and FLUX 2 has become strong in photorealism. With that board in front, the company seems to be looking for another angle. Rather than contesting each terrain separately, it tries to present ChatGPT as an environment where the image is not generated in isolation, but as part of a broader flow, something that on paper can be attractive if it really delivers what it promises. It’s already starting to unfold: One of the keys to the announcement is that OpenAI ensures that the model does not remain in the showcase phase, but is beginning to reach a product. The company places its deployment in ChatGPT for all users, including Free and Go, and associates the most advanced results with Plus and Pro, as also reported by Engadget. Additionally, it takes you to the API and Codex, a sign that they don’t want to limit it to casual use within the chat. If your strategy involves turning the image into another work tool, it made sense for the deployment to start precisely there. Images | Xataka with ChatGPT Images 2.0 | OpenAI In Xataka | Amazon wants to win the AI ​​race at any price. That is why it has invested both in Anthropic and OpenAI

One piece of information perfectly summarizes the book bubble in Spain: 95% of those published do not recover costs

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The Spanish publishing sector closed 2025 with historic figures: 76 million printed books sold and a turnover that was close to 1,250 million euros. A record. The cold water came a few weeks later, at the annual booksellers’ conference, where it was certified that almost half of the titles available on the shelves had sold absolutely nothing. Who says so. The data was presented by CEGAL, the Spanish Confederation of Guilds and Associations of Booksellers, in theXXVII Congress of Bookstores held in Valencia in February 2026and has been extracted from LibriRed, the confederation’s own tool, which monitors in real time the final sales in more than 1,000 independent bookstores and chains throughout the country. The figure includes novels, essays and comics, both new releases and catalog contents, but (importantly, we are talking about physical bookstores) Amazon and school textbooks are excluded. The specific data. They are that revealing: 13.2% of the titles sell a copy throughout the year. 19.4% do not exceed ten. Only 4.5% of the books that reach bookstores reach 100 copies sold, a threshold that often does not even cover the costs of a launch. In other words, 95.5% of the books available in Spanish bookstores do not have the slightest economic impact on the publishing industry, not to mention that they are directly deficient. In Xataka If you hate justified text, we have good news: you’re most likely right You bill more, you sell the same. This is the paradox that the CgK consultancy put on the table with its Book Market Data 2025 report: The sector reached close to €1,250 million in turnover in 2025, 4% more than the previous year, which represents a historical record. However, total units sold rose just 0.2%, and novelty units sold on average 2% less per title than in 2024. Further analysis of the report They spoke of a statistical illusion typical of inflationary markets, because what has actually grown is the average price of the book. And this benefits the large groups, with catalogs in high rotation. Why is this happening? In its analysis of the Cedal report, El País collected statements from editors such as Enrique Redel, from Impedimenta, who affirms that there are titles that are not published to sell, but to take up space on the shelves, especially by large groups. The strategy is to publish many titles assuming that most will fail, hoping that one or two best sellers compensate for the losses of the rest. More than 90,000 books are published each year in Spain, about 240 newspapers, and theReturn rates range between 30% and 40%. It is a feverish cycle of full-speed rotation, paradoxically inconsistent with the calmest of cultural activities. {“videoId”:”x7zmsee”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”11 WEBSITES to DOWNLOAD FREE EBOOKS for your KINDLE Xataka TV”, “tag”:”Kindle”, “duration”:”321″} Who can afford it. The two large publishing groups, Penguin Random House and Planeta, in whose shadow it has been for decades the Spanish industry, and which account for more than 40% of the copies sold in bookstores. Fleeing this suffocating single direction are independent bookstores, which offer more than twice the variety of titles than the large chains: more than 525,000 titles compared to 229,633. In this way, visibility is concentrated in a few titles that rotate for a longer period of time, while the rest are buried in excessive catalogs. Some reasons. When looking for factors that exacerbate this situation (the two large groups can suffocate the market with their continuous rotation, but there must be more compelling reasons for so few sales of so many titles), CEGAL points to self-publishing: publishing has been democratized, but the reader’s attention has not. A book without a publisher behind it, without distribution, without promotion and without prior prescription is born practically invisible to the market, and it is normal that many of these launches do not sell anything. ¿AI provides tools to multiply these throws effortlessly? The percentages skyrocket exponentially. In Xataka They are not your imagination: the best-selling books are increasingly simpler and contain less elaborate sentences The difference with other cultural media is in the abundance of second chances. A film that does not perform in theaters can recover the investment in streaming, where consumption already rivals that of theaters. The book that does not sell in its first weeks on the shelf returns to the publisher, returns to bookstores in negligible quantities and is often physically destroyed after months languishing in warehouses. Perhaps finding new ways of dissemination and renewed lives for books would be the solution to this veritable overdose of books without readers. Header | Photo ofBree AnneinUnsplash (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news One piece of information perfectly summarizes the book bubble in Spain: 95% of those published do not recover costs was originally published in Xataka by John Tones .

Europe has been committed to digitizing our identity and the first piece of the puzzle is provided by Spain: the driving license

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Europe wants gather all your documentation on your mobile. IDs, medical history, academic titles, bank card. A single digital wallet for any management in each of the member countries. From Brussels they want to standardize the use of their digital application for everyone and the first document that will officially cross borders will be the driver’s license. Something that in Spain, precisely, It doesn’t catch us by surprise. The European Union approved in May 2024 the eIDAS 2.0 regulationthe rule that obliges all member states to make a digital identity wallet available to their citizens before the end of 2026. The legal framework establishes that each country must have at least one digital wallet solution available before the end of that year. The long-term goal is that by 2030, around 80% of European citizens are expected to use the digital identity wallet. But what exactly is this wallet? Called EUDI Wallet, andIn practice, it is an application that we will have to install on the phone and where the citizen can store and share their credentials: from the DNI to the passport, driving license, medical prescriptions or university degrees. The idea is that we can do it in any EU country and without the need to create additional accounts or depend on private platforms. driving license, the first piece Of all the documents that will fit in this European wallet, driving license is the first to move. In the end, it is a document that tens of millions of people use every day, which is already digitized in several countries and which has an immediate practical application, beyond being able to identify ourselves. Several countries have announced that they will launch their version of the EUDI Wallet with limited functionalities, including digital driving license for use in face-to-face controls. The idea is to expand the system in layers: start with what already works, and build on that. From Biometric Update they point out that wallet interoperability between different countries is the most complex technical challenge, as it requires constant standardization and cross-testing between national systems. Surprisingly, Spain takes the lead While a good part of Europe is still studying how to articulate its solution, Spain is already underway myDGTthe app of the General Directorate of Traffic that has been operational since 2020. Spain was the first EU country to launch a digital card, and today the application serves six million users with 14 different procedures without having to go to any traffic headquarters. The miDGT digital driving license has full legal validity before any authority within the national territory. If you already use it, you will have noticed that the card incorporates a dynamic QR code that changes every few minutes to avoid impersonations and allows you to check in real time that the data is updated. The main limitation is that the miDGT digital permit It is only valid in Spain. If you travel abroad, it is still mandatory to carry a physical card, because other countries have not yet officially recognized this digital format. And that is precisely what the EUDI Wallet comes to solve. In addition to miDGT, Spain’s digital ecosystem goes further. Here we also have the app My Citizen Folderwhich helps us centralize a multitude of procedures with the public administration in a single point. And on the other hand, relatively recently we also have the app MIDNIwhich is simply a digital version of our identity document so that we can show it directly from our mobile phone. Germany accelerates from behind Each member state finds itself at a very different starting point. In the case of Germany, its government approved a legislative reform in November 2025 that lays the foundations for the digital driving license, and the Bundestag ratified the bill just last month. For the country, the goal is to have the national digital card available before the end of 2026. Thus, in Germany drivers can now carry their vehicle’s registration certificate in digital format. They do this through the i-Kfz app, developed by the German Federal Printing Office and the Federal Traffic Agency. The driving license itself is integrated into that same application. It will start as a volunteer One of the most relevant aspects of the EUDI Wallet design is that its use is voluntary. In principle no one is obliged to have it. But history repeats itself, and seeing what we have already experienced with the great digital transitions (online banking, contactless payments, making an appointment online…), it is possibly the first step so that something that begins as something optional ends up being the norm and whoever does not use it in the coming decades has the risk of being at a disadvantage for certain procedures. In Mexico they have a similar messalthough there they are going through a bigger problem that involves several fronts. On the other hand, it should be noted that the system also incorporates quite complete security and privacy measures. An example: if someone needs to prove that they are of legal age to buy alcohol, the wallet could confirm only that information without revealing name, address or any other personal information, something that in computing is known as Zero-Knowledge (an architecture to verify one piece of information without revealing other more sensitive ones). Bad business for a minor who wants to buy alcohol, but a return to ‘excuse me sir, could you buy me beer?’ The regulation establishes that citizens will have full control over what data they share with third parties, and that wallets will have to publish their code under an open source license to ensure transparency and independent audits. The outlook is green in several countries With the December 2026 deadline upon us, the reality is that not all countries will arrive at the same time or with the same level of functionality. Netherlands, for example, already has pointed out that will probably not meet the deadline, and several member states are starting from digital identity infrastructures that are still … Read more

It is called CY8, and it is the missing piece to transport tons

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In some of the most extreme environments on the planet, such as plateaus above 4,000 metersair density can reduce the takeoff ability of an aircraft by more than 30%forcing a complete redesign of how any cargo is transported. For a long time, that has limited what can be moved… and, importantly, where. The “air truck” of Beijing. Yes, China has just successfully tested a pilotless “air truck” in the form of a drone. It’s called CY-8 and its first flight in Zhengzhou was not only a technical test, but the confirmation of a concept: an unmanned aircraft capable of combining large load capacity with operational flexibility that until now was reserved for much more complex or infrastructure-dependent platforms. Designed to charge. The CY-8 stands out for a very clear logic: moving weight efficiently. With a maximum weight of 7 tons and a 3.5 ton loading capacitypractically equals its own useful weight, something key in logistics operations. Your closed cellar 18 cubic meterswith front and rear access, allows you to accelerate loading and unloading processes, reducing time on the ground and increasing the pace of operation in environments where every minute counts. Operate where others cannot. The local media reported that the true advantage of the system is not only in how much it transports, but in where can you do it. The CY-8 can take off in less than 500 meters and operate on basic tracks, allowing you to access high mountain areas, isolated regions or island environments. It is optimized for extreme altitudes such as those in Tibet and for territories with limited infrastructurewhich greatly expands its radius of action beyond conventional airports. Autonomy, range and versatility. With more than 3,000 km rangethe drone not only connects remote points, but does so without the need for pilots and with the ability to adapt to multiple missions. Plus: can be set up quickly for logistics transportdisaster relief, emergency communications or reconnaissance tasks, making it a hybrid platform between civil and military, designed to respond to changing scenarios. Pilotless logistics. The development of the CY-8 is part of a growing competition to dominate heavy unmanned aerial transport. China is already working in even bigger modelswhile the United States explores alternatives with vertical takeoff that completely eliminate the need for runways. In this context, the CY-8 represents a more or less intermediate bet: it does not eliminate the infrastructure, but it does reduce it to the essential minimum. More than a drone, a strategic piece. Beyond its numbers, this “monstrous” drone redefines a key idea: in conflicts or crises, it is not enough to arrive, we must be able to sustain. This type of platform makes it possible to maintain supply chains in places where it was previously complex or impossible to do so. Therefore, more than an isolated technological advance, this kind of Chinese “air truck” points to a paradigm shift: logistics, silent and constant, as the true engine of any modern operation. Image | x In Xataka | China just showed the world what comes after the combat drone: 96 drones with a science fiction launch In Xataka | For years we have associated drones with propellers: in China they explore an alternative inspired by nature

Neither drones nor missiles nor AI, the war in Ukraine has turned a vehicle from 1950 into a key piece: the M113

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Some of the most produced military vehicles in history exceed 80,000 units manufactured and remain in service in dozens of countries decades after their design. In many cases, their longevity is not due to their power, but to something much simpler: that they simply work, are easy to repair, and never completely disappear. An unexpected veteran. While the algorithms and drones freelancers starred on all the covers of war innovationsin recent times the war in Ukraine has turned in key piece to a vehicle from the 1950s as it was the M113and that says much more about the conflict than any next-generation system. On a battlefield dominated by advanced technology, this armored transport has resurfaced not because it is the most powerful, but because it fits better than anyone else in a war of attrition where the important thing is not sophistication, but the ability to resist, move and continue operating day after day. Simple wins. The M113 was designed for another timebut its qualities (mobility, mechanical simplicity and ease of production) make it have converted surprisingly effective in Ukraine. The reason: in an environment saturated with drones and artillery, where any vehicle can be destroyed in seconds, the key is not so much to survive everything as to be able to be repaired quickly and return to the front. Its ability to operate off-road, transport troops or even drones and adapt with improvised protections makes it a versatile tool in a conflict where conditions are constantly changing. Drones and the rules. The truth is that the proliferation of drones has reduced the usefulness of many traditional systems, including heavy tanks, forcing both sides to rethink how they move and fight. In this context, the M113 does not stand out for its weapons, but for its logistical function: carry soldiers, equipment or drones to forward positions. War, from that perspective, is no longer decided so much by direct fire, but by who manages to best position their resources in an environment monitored from the air, and there this vehicle fits perfectly. Russian “Giga Turtle” captured by Ukrainians Meanwhile, Russia adapts in its own way. On the other side of the front, in recent weeks Russia has attempted to respond with radically different solutions, such as the return of called “giga turtle”in essence, over-armored versions of tanks designed to resist drone attacks. Huge and slow, these machines prioritize protection over mobility, making them easier targets despite their toughness. His reappearance reflects the same conclusion that has been imposed on the battlefield: vehicles are still necessary, but they must adapt to a constant threat from the air. War of attrition and quantity. Ultimately, the success of the M113 It also has to do with something much more basic: that there is a glarge amount of stock available for these models. Thousands of units produced over decades allow Ukraine to quickly replace losses in a war where attrition is brutal. In other words, compared to more expensive and scarce modern systems, this vehicle offers something essential for the fight: continuity. In an extremely slow conflict that is already measured in years, it is not whoever has the most advanced weapon who wins, but whoever can continue fighting the longest. The real change is conceptual. If you like, all this points to a deeper conclusion: the war in Ukraine is not necessarily rewarding the newest, but rather the most useful in an extreme context. AND the M113 symbolizes this change like few others, where cutting-edge technology coexists with solutions from another era that they still work because they respond better to the real needs of combat. In a scenario dominated by drones, sensors and constant fire, the key is not so much to reinvent warfare, but to adapt to it, even if that means returning to vehicles designed more than half a century ago. Image | Armed Forces In Xataka | While everyone was looking at Iran, a drone has made a hole so big that it seems impossible to cover it: the one in the roof of Chernobyl In Xataka | Russia is building its largest warship in the Black Sea. You know it, we know it and the Ukrainian drones know it

a Spanish company is the key piece

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Europe has embarked on the adventure of technological sovereignty. It is pointing to several fields at the same time, being the space sovereignty one of them. Pursuing this objective, the European Defense Agency -EDA- has just awarded a research contract to an aerospace consortium with the aim of creating a military satellite Optimized for very low Earth orbit. And the Spanish Sener will be the one to lead that space A-Team. In short. The EDA contract is for 15.65 million euros and the objective is as mentioned: to create the first European military satellite concept especially used for VLEO space. Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal and Slovenia are the countries that are financing the project baptized as VLEO-DEF, and the Spanish Sener will have the task of leading 16 other companies belonging to those five countries. This is not the first time we have talked about Sener Aeroespacial. It is the subsidiary of the SENER group and is one of the Spanish companies who participates in the ambitious rearmament plan of the European Union. It has more than 4,000 employees and its experience covers space, guidance, control and unmanned systems. Very low Earth orbit. Before seeing what the satellite will do, let’s see what very low Earth orbit is. Call too VLEOis the orbital strip that is between 150 and 400 km altitude. It is the lower end of low orbit and, although it may not seem like it, it is actually very close to the Earth’s surface. This brings key benefits such as the ability to capture images with much greater detail, a better signal-to-noise ratio in optical and radio frequency sensors and, above all, very low latency. After all, it is closer than other satellites and the signal must travel a shorter distance. However, it is not a comfortable strip. The atmosphere at that height generates very intense friction and there is an aggressive chemical environment. This implies that the satellites are not “floating”, but rather require almost continuous propulsion. And, in addition, the materials must be very resistant to resist corrosion and, basically, not disintegrate after a short time. VLEO‑DEF. And the idea, precisely, is that. The consortium must find a way to develop a military satellite specifically designed to operate at around 250-350 kilometers altitude in a sustainable manner. The duration of the project will be 36 months and the 17 companies will have to find the key to the technologies that allow the future construction of satellites to operate in VLEO. Because, although this field is very interesting for scientific and observation research, in the military spectrum, flying at that distance from the Earth seems very interesting to achieve what we have mentioned: a much clearer and more detailed observation of the territory. And it is important because we constantly see that they “keep an eye” on what neighboring countries are doing, which has allowed us to know some Chinese operations or the North Korean military ship disaster. Sovereignty. If the program comes to fruition, such an observation satellite can provide key data in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions by being capable of offering much faster communication between the satellite and military commands. With VLEO-DEF, the ultimate goal is to pave the way for future VLEO satellite constellations for border security, protection and intelligence, all within the aforementioned sovereignty. The Ukrainian War and the gas cut by Russia, the case of Greenland with the United States and blackmail of the American president have awakened in the EU that idea that they should start to fend for themselves in fields where they previously delegated to the allies. That is why rearmament began, but also the search for energy alternatives, rare earth, defense programs with European AI and cconstruction of data centers and semiconductor factories. And in all these programs, Spain is emerging as a key partner with space programs, chip development, renewable matrix and with projects for data centers. In Xataka | “Elon Musk can monopolize everything,” warns Arianespace, which has been launching all of Europe’s satellites for 40 years

Navantia has just received a key piece to achieve it

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If one looks at the evolution of conventional submarines, there is one constant that repeats itself: the race to stay underwater as long as possible. It is not just about speed or weapons, but about autonomy in immersion, a factor that directly determines the discretion of the platform and its patrol capacity. When a submarine has to interrupt that cycle to ventilate, manage gases or refuel, its operating margin is reduced. For this reason, much of the engineering behind the new submarines focuses precisely on solving that problem. And that is where the technology that Spain is integrating comes into play. in the S-80 program. The jump of the S-80 submarine. Amper, through its engineering subsidiary Proes-OSL Iberia, delivered to Navantia the carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂) catalytic reactors for the submarines S-83 “Cosme García” and S-84 “Mateo García de los Reyes”. These devices are part of the atmosphere revitalization system, integrated into the AIP compartment. According to the company itself, the project started in 2022 and the equipment has already received official certification from Navantia after completing the corresponding technical verifications. A key piece. The delivery announced by Amper has to do with a very specific element of the submarine’s technical ecosystem, the system responsible for maintaining the interior atmosphere within safe parameters during operation. Revitalization of the atmosphere in the submarine. The reactors developed by the company allow the controlled elimination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the compartment where the AIP system is integrated. The technology uses a catalytic combustion process that purifies these gases and helps maintain breathable air on board. In detail. The S-80 incorporates an AIP system developed by Navantia called BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology). This system produces hydrogen on board using a reformer that uses bioethanol stored on the submarine. This hydrogen is then combined with oxygen in a fuel cell that generates electricity to power the ship’s systems during the dive, an architecture designed to extend operational autonomy without depending exclusively on batteries. What it means to stay underwater for weeks. Navantia explains that the BEST AIP system is designed to allow conventional submarines to remain submerged for prolonged periods in different environmental conditions. In that scenario, the unit reduces the need to interrupt its immersion cycle to manage power or interior atmosphere. Navantia links this greater autonomy with an expanded patrol area and with a “zero Indiscretion Coefficient”, a term it uses to describe a decrease in the probability of being detected during the mission. modern submarine. The design of the S-80 responds to the idea of ​​a modern ocean submarine capable of operating on long missions. Navantia describes the platform as a highly automated system that can be operated by a crew of 32 sailors, with eight additional spaces for on-board personnel. The ship is approximately 80 meters long, about 7 meters in diameter and has a submerged displacement of close to 3,000 tons. In addition, it can exceed 19 knots underwater speed and reach depths greater than 300 meters during operation. Apparently it is just one more component in the long list of equipment that makes up a submarine. However, systems like these are part of a much broader logic within the S-80 design. Each of them contributes to sustaining the operation of the submarine for longer periods without the need to modify its diving profile. As subsequent units in the series integrate these developments from their initial configuration, the S-80 program will show the extent to which these technologies can translate into greater operational autonomy underwater. Images | NAVANTIA In Xataka | The war in Iran is about to begin a suicidal combat: there are missiles, drones and kamikaze ships in the most fearsome point on the planet

It had been listed as “scrap” in a museum for 100 years. Now we know that it is the piece that advanced Egyptian engineering by 2,000 years.

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If we think about the ancient egyptian technologythe images that come to mind are the monumental ones pyramids of giza or the great obelisks of the New Kingdom. However, the foundations of this technological feat were forged long before, as pointed out by a new archaeological study that has identified the oldest rotating metal drill in Egypt, a discovery that advances the mastery of this tool by more than two millennia and that rewrites the history of the technology in the Nile Valley. Where was it found? The story of this discovery, the truth is, could fit into a series called “Archaeological CSI”, since it all started with an identified object like a tiny piece of metal that measures just 63 millimeters and weighs 1.5 grams. This was excavated a century ago in tomb 3932 of the Badari cemetery in Upper Egypt, and had lain forgotten ever since. Literally ignored in a drawer at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, was this object that caught the attention of a research team that decided to follow his trail using the most modern technology. A drill. What was initially classified as a simple and insignificant punch was actually a bow drill. This is the conclusion of this new exhaustive analysis of the piece, where they have been able to see unmistakable marks of its mechanical use such as rotational grooves, a specific curvature for tension and microscopic remains of leather rope. How it worked. What today is a drill that works connected to electricity, in ancient times, the bow drill worked by winding the string of a bow around an axle that held the drill bit. In this way, by moving the bow back and forth, the drill bit rotated at high speed. Its importance. As the researcher points out, the Egyptians had the ability to master this rotation technology more than two millennia before the first sets of drills that humanity knew today. This once again shows us how advanced it could be in its context in the art of construction. Unusual alloy. The big question here is how such an ancient tool could drill hard materials without deforming. And the answer is in chemistry. In this case, the researchers they used portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and saw that the drill was not made of just copper, but was an alloy of arsenic, nickel, lead and silver. A combination that is not coincidental, since the presence of arsenic gave the copper a much higher hardness, transforming the metal into a high-performance tool capable of resisting continuous friction. The trade. Beyond the mechanical value, for historians this mixture of metals is also really important because it points to strong commercial connections with the eastern Mediterranean, revealing that predynastic Egypt was not only innovating technologically, but was connected to a global network of exchange of exotic materials long before the unification of the pharaohs. The technological history. Until now, the official narrative placed the perfection of these rotating metal tools much later in the Egyptian timeline. But now, this tiny forgotten object forces us to recalibrate our understanding of human ingenuity. Images | Martin Odler Osama Elsayed In Xataka | To transport us to Ancient Egypt, researchers have been doing one thing for months: smelling mummies from 5,000 years ago

In South America there is a bird that camouflages itself as a piece of wood. And a young Uruguayan has insisted on finding him

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In the depths of the South American forests lives a bird that has inspired legends, myths and night terrors and is called the ‘ghost bird’, although his real name is urutaú. At first glance it is just a piece of wood that acts as an extension of the tree on which it perches like a chameleonbut behind this mimicry lies a biology that makes many scientists very curious to see it live even if it is really complicated. An ornithologist. The urutaú is not a bird that one finds by chance, but one must know how to look. Mauricio Silvera, a young Uruguayan amateur ornithologist who has been observing birds since he was five years old, knows this premise well, and according to a recent report from the BBCMauricio has turned observing this elusive species into a true passion. In popular culture, the melancholic song of the urutaú has fueled all kinds of folklore and rural legends in South America. However, for observers like Silvera, the true “magical power” of this species is not in the myths, but in its plumage and its peculiar way of ‘hiding’. A chameleon. It is no wonder, since we are not talking about it going slightly unnoticed, but rather its ability to imitate the bark of trees It is so perfect that sighting records on scientific platforms often require exhaustive photographic confirmation. And it is no wonder, because without this evidence it is difficult to convince the experts that they are not looking at a simple branch and a small irregularity that corresponds to this bird. How he does it. Disappearing in broad daylight is not something easy to achieve, but here science has different answers that go far beyond the simple color of their feathers. The key is in visual crypsis, where research shows that these birds not only have a plumage pattern that blends with the environment, but also make active decisions about where to perch in trees. And it is that a 2017 study on the choice of backgrounds showed that these birds carefully select the place where they rest to maximize the coincidence of patterns with their environment, which increases the survival rate against predators. And if they don’t see it, they can go completely missing. Modify your smell. Beyond the visual, researchers were able to see in a fascinating 2022 study that these birds have the ability to change your scent profiles in different seasons to prevent predators from being able to smell them. Echolocation. Unlike most birds, owls have developed this system, emitting acoustic signals to navigate in the darkness of Venezuelan and South American caves, similar to bats. Furthermore, their role in the ecosystem is vital, since research into the “secret life” of these birds reveals that they are formidable seed dispersers. They spend entire days in the trees regurgitating the seeds of the fruits they consume, acting as true foresters who maintain the ecological connectivity of Neotropical forests. A story of the search. As we see, it is not easy to find this bird and that is why Mauricio Silvera relates that finding it is “an adrenaline rush like in the chest of not knowing what to do: whether to scream, take the photo and tell someone.” Even this biology student makes a very comical simile when he sees that it is “almost like looking for Pokémon and seeing how many little birds you find and if you find the rarest one.” Your adventure always begins with a location or a photo that indicates that the bird may be present in a specific place. But due to its great ability to hide, it means that your trips do not always end with a photograph of this bird, much to your misfortune. Images | Wikipedia In Xataka | “Emergency room mentality”: the Dutch philosopher convinced that saving snails is saving ourselves

Shahed drones were a piece of cake for Ukraine’s helicopters. Russia has just transformed them into its biggest nightmare

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In it huge catalog of innovations improvised measures brought by the war in ukrainefew are as revealing as the decision that Russia has taken to address one of the main vulnerabilities of its drones. In essence, they have turned the Shahed-136 (symbol of its saturation strategy through cheap and disposable platforms) in a rudimentary anti-aircraft fighter. The mutation. What was born as a suicide drone with autonomy to travel hundreds of kilometers following pre-programmed routes has been transformed, in some variants, into a system piloted in real timeequipped with cameras, modems and now with the R-60 missilea veteran infrared-guided missile from the 1970s that, despite its compact size, retains the lethality of a weapon capable of cutting a helicopter in two with its load of continuous rods. The broadcast images by Ukrainian organizations and electronic warfare experts confirm the presence of the R-60 mounted on the Shahed’s noseand the interception of one of them by a Ukrainian Sting drone illustrates that Russia is experimenting with the idea of ​​​​transforming a disposable projectile in a reactive vectorcapable of confronting the devices that, until now, acted as unpunished hunters of these platforms. The new tactical ecosystem. The success of the Ukrainian helicopters in intercepting Shaheds (with devices sporting dozens of shoot-down marks and crews accredited with hundreds of downed drones) had turned these aircraft in key pieces of low-level air defense. The combination of moderate speed, predictable trajectory and total lack of situational awareness made the drone a almost static whitevulnerable to cannon blasts or volleys used at close range. But the introduction of the R-60 upsets that balance: although the platform remains clumsy, slow and limited in maneuver, the simple fact that some drones can carry missiles will force Ukrainian pilots to rethink their proximity to the target. Each interception stops being a procedure and becomes in an unknown about what version of the enemy they will encounter. Extra ball. Even if the actual kill capability of the armed Shahed is small (and the operational window for targeting with a short-range missile is narrow) the statistical nature of swarm warfare change the calculation: In thousands of launches, just getting into a good position will be enough to cause the loss of a valuable helicopter. Technical limitations. The R-60, known by NATO as Aphidwas designed for supersonic fighters, not slow drones intended as loitering munitions. Its integration into the Shahed poses obvious challenges: the operator must manually retarget the drone until it is pointed at the target, achieving an adequate angle to allow the infrared seeker to acquire the thermal signature and maintain alignment long enough to authorize the shot. He narrow field of vision of the missile, the Shahed’s low maneuverability and the possibility of helicopters using infrared flares reduce the chances of success. However, historical experience shows that even imperfect weaponry can achieve victories if the tactical environment favors it. Remains of an intercepted Shahed with the R-60 attached The precedent. If we go back we have the Predator armed american with Stingers in 2002 (failed but deterrent), which reveals that these configurations do not seek air superiority, but rather force the enemy to act with caution. Just as Ukrainian unmanned ships were armed with missiles To scare away the Russian helicopters that were harassing them, Russia adopts the same defensive-offensive logic: a single one of these armed drones, hidden among a swarm of externally identical devices, forces the adversary to increase distance, use more expensive means or modify its interception doctrine. Drones against drones. The Shahed armed with an R-60 is not, by itself, a transformative weapon. It is, however, as symptom of evolution continued unmanned combat. Russia has expanded the Shahed family into versions with real time controljet variants already produced in its own factories and possible improvements based on artificial intelligence for dynamic target identification. Ukraine, for its part, develops interceptors low-cost that allow us to shoot down Russian drones without risking manned aircraft or spending expensive missiles. Every innovation generates a countermeasure: if Ukraine popularizes cheap hunting drones, Russia studies equipping the Shaheds of tiny turrets or new sensors, and if these become reactive, Ukraine adapts its doctrines and strengthens its electronic warfare. The conflict has entered a phase where the value is not in the perfection of each platform, but in the ability to produceadapt and deploy thousands of them in an environment where the line between offensive and defensive becomes blurred. The most dangerous sky. It is the result of these advances. The introduction of Shahed-R-60 marks a turning point because it erodes one of the few stable advantages that Ukraine had maintained: the capacity of its helicopters to hunt drones with relative safety. Now each aircraft must consider the possibility, however remote, of facing a missile that was not foreseen in the original mission design. This not only complicates interceptions, but forces disperse risks and rethink routes, altitudes and speeds. The Ukrainian sky, already saturated with suicide drones, cruise missiles, loitering munitions and manned aircraft operating in densely contested airspace, add another variable to an operational equation in constant mutation. And it is likely that this is just the beginning: the integration of missiles is a first step towards drones that, in addition to attacking by saturation, can defend themselves or even escort other devices in combined waves. Image | Telegram, X In Xataka | There is tourism that flies en masse where tragedies have occurred. So the Low Costs are preparing to travel to Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine’s problem with peace negotiations is simple: if it rejects them, Russia will get tougher in the next ones.

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