planet

It was an abandoned nuclear power plant. Now he has a second life as the most silent acoustic laboratory on the planet

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Two gigantic cooling towers of almost 150 meters high flank what clearly seems to be a nuclear power plant in a rural Washington area. It is actually the acoustic laboratory NWAA Labs, one of the most silent buildings on the planet. An abandoned nuclear power plant. The laboratory was built on the vestiges of a pharaonic project that never saw the light, the nuclear washington Projects of Elma. Plants 3 and 5, part of what was intended to be the largest nuclear energy complex in the United States, were abandoned in the 80s without fissting a single atom. Designed to resist all kinds of impacts and earthquakes, the structures would have been extremely expensive to demolish, so the NWAA Labs adapted to them. The reactor is the reverberation chamber, the turbine room is the anecoic chamber and the old reactor control room is the laboratory control room. The facilities, still marked, remain a “disturbing” maze. The ideal facilities. The NWAA Labs is a project by Ron Sauro, an electrical and mechanical engineer formed in Stanford that combined its beginnings in NASA with being the keyboardist of the group The Rivieras, authors of a gold record in 1963. After a life designing sound systems, Sauro saw the unique potential of this nuclear power plant abandoned to bombing proof. The outer structure, with walls of 1.5 meters thick and eight layers of reinforcement bars, is designed to support an earthquake of magnitude 10 and the direct impact of an explosion of 10 megatons on its roof. The interior structure is isolated from the surrounding terrain by a ditch that minimizes the transmission of vibrations and noise. In another ditch within this, a circular and steel circular container is erected, originally intended for the nuclear reactor. The entire installation rests on a sandstone layer of more than 3,000 meters thick. An almost absolute silence. Thanks to these structures, the NWAA Labs presumes to have the two largest reverberation cameras in the world. Salas where the sound bounces up to 28 seconds without absorbent material, which allows to measure the sound power of a source or the absorption capacity of a material. In addition to the reverberation cameras, the laboratory has anechoic cameras designed to absorb sound and simulate a space without reflections. In these rooms, silence is almost absolute. The background noise is -43 dB (below the human hearing threshold). In the old turbine room, 198 meters long by 106 wide by 24 high, the reflections take so long to arrive (more than 160 ms) that do not interfere with some measurements. Who uses this laboratory. The NWAA Labs performs tests for the audio industry. The speakers are 20% of their business: over here more than 3,000 speakers of some 300 professional brands and high fidelity have passed. But it is also offered to other industries, which prove construction materials, acoustic insulation here, and even noisy washing machines or aircraft cabins. The laboratory also attracts musicians, video game and filmmakers, fascinated by their acoustics and post-apocalyptic aesthetics. Image | Walter Siegmund (CC By 2.5)

The largest military base on the planet

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During The cold warthe Soviet Union prepared for “the worst” building a large number of Underground bases and bunkersresistant structures that could face nuclear attacks. In Germany also tell with a large number of these vestiges of war conflicts of the past. In China, since 1980 there is a group in charge in the creation of deep shelters capable of resisting the most powerful western bombs. The team has silently lifting an unpublished work: the largest military bunker on the planet. A vitamin “pentagon. I told it in exclusive the Financial Times through satellite images. China is developing a military complex of monumental proportions on the Western outskirts of Beijing, one that according to American intelligence would work as a War Command Center Designed to house the High Command of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) in case of conflict, including a eventual nuclear war. The site, informally nicknamed by analysts as “Beijing Military City”it covers about 1,500 hectares (ten times bigger that the Pentagon) and is approximately 30 kilometers from the center of the capital. Satellite images, analyzed by US agencies, show deep excavations and intense construction activity, suggesting the creation of a network of underground facilities strongly reinforced and connected by tunnels, capable of resisting attacks, even with nuclear weapons. Xi Jinping’s plans. The beginning of the works, detected in mid -2024coincides with the EPL preparations for the centenary of its foundation in 2027, date for which President Xi Jinping has ordered that the armed forces develop sufficient capacity to take Taiwan. The Nuclear Arsenal Expansionthe improvement in the integration between EPL branches and the impulse of new weapons systems are part of this modernization strategy. In fact, experts Like Dennis Wilderformer head of analysis of China in the CIA, interpret the new bunker as a clear sign of China’s intentions, not only to consolidate a conventional first level force, but also to strengthen their abilities for a nuclear war. Colosal bunker, absolute secretism. The FT had that more than 100 cranes operate simultaneously in an area of ​​five square kilometers, and according to the Former Image Analyst Renny Babiarzthe infrastructure includes underground facilities connected by hidden passages. The site completely lacks common elements in civil real estate projects, such as exhibition rooms or official mentions on the Internet, which further evidences its military character. In fact, and although there is no visible military presence, there are multiple signs that They prohibit the use of drones or photography, access controls with guards and restrictions to pass through nearby tourist areas, which have been declared “Military Areas” by local residents. Start of excavations in 2024 Echoes of the Cold War. We said it at the beginning. The characteristics of the site remind the Soviet underground bases of the Cold War, and reflect the influence of engineers Like Qian Qihupioneer in the development of resistant structures to nuclear attacks after their training at the former Military Engineering Academy of Kuybyshev in the USSR. Counted on Asian Times That at least since the 1980s, Qian and his team have worked on the creation of deep shelters capable of resisting extremely powerful bombs, such as the American GBU-57A/B.capable of crossing up to 200 meters. Strategic ambition. For their part, US officials point out that the new complex would replace the current center EPL command in the Western hillsbuilt during the Cold War and already considered obsolete for contemporary security standards. The new installation would not only increase the protection of the high command against American penetration weapons, but also allow Integrate advanced communications and have space for future military capabilities. In other words, the dimensions of the complex and its partially buried characteristics point to a unique purpose: to be the main operations center China strategic in case of war. Power symbol. Researchers and analysts also agree that the project presents all the typical signals of a highly sensitive military installation, such as the Use of reinforced concrete and one Network of tunnels deep. In this regard, a Chinese researcher accessed that his size, leaving the Pentagon in “tiny” XI JINPING ambitions for overcoming the United States in strategic capacity. Plus: construction coincides with a transformation process Urbanistic of the surroundings of Beijing, in which homes have demolished in areas such as Qinglonghu, feeding speculation about the nature of the project in Chinese social networks. Precedents China already has military underground facilities, such as Command Center in Xishansouthwest of Beijing, located 100 meters deep, from where EPL maneuvers are directed since 2013. In 2018, researchers identified A karst cave In Xishan’s forest park, with an estimated depth of 2,000 meters and its own water source, an enclave with the potential for the location of a nuclear bunker. That cave is considered comparable in depth to the famous Krubera in Georgiawhich suggests that, in addition to the monumental work, the EPL is exploring reinforced natural locations for future strategic facilities. Background: Taiwan. Impossible to ignore the island. Sources close to the Taiwan Ministry of Defense They have suggested to FT That the EPL is building a new command center, although some experts question the suitability of the ground for underground bunkers. Thus, given the size of the site, it is speculated that it could also house a high -level administrative installation or a large -scale training base. HSU YEN-CHI, INVESTIGIC AND WARGAMING STUDIES IN TAIPÉI, researcher on Talegic and Wargaming, He underlined that the land far exceeds the dimensions of an ordinary military base, which reinforces the hypothesis that the site has a strategic purpose much greater. Official silence. What seems clear about the images is that we are facing a pharaonic work in times of war. Officially, neither the Office of the United States National Intelligence Director nor the Chinese Embassy in Washington offered more comments on the project to the Financial Times. And while Washington carefully observes the progress of the works, Beijing is limited to insisting on its commitment to a defensive policy and peaceful development. However, the scale, secrecy … Read more

Astronauts have become very different from space after a long period outside the planet

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In June 2024, NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the International Space Station for a mission of 8 to 10 days. However, the Starlliner ship problems They delayed their return Until March 2025286 days later. What began as a short stay became more than nine months of microgravity, which It can have deep effects In the body of astronauts: muscle atrophy, loss of bone density, cardiovascular alterations, vision and stress problems. This was its appearance before being thrown into the space in the Starliner ship: And this is its appearance when returning in the Crew Dragon ship that rescued them: Decades of aging Both NASA Like ESA They have studied in depth the effects of exposure to space and microgravity on the human body. One of the most common is the loss of muscle and bone mass. In the International Space Station there is no severity that forces the muscles and bones to work to sustain the body, so the tissues begin to weaken due to disuse. Astronauts lose about 1% bone mineral density for each month that pass in space. Their muscles, especially those of the legs and back, end up atrophy, hence they have trouble standing after landing on earth. To mitigate this effect, the ISS crew are subjected to railway routines: two hours a day on the running tape, static bicycle or resistance exercises. But it is not enough: a study published in Scientific Reports revealed that a stay of more than six months in space can cause bone losses equivalent to decades of aging on Earth. It is common for astronauts to have a greater risk of fractures due to the lower resistance of their bones, as if they were elderly. For Butch and Suni, with an expected bone loss of 9-10%, NASA has established An intensive 45 -day physical rehabilitation program. Even so, for many astronauts the recovery is incomplete even one year after returning. It is lacking two to four years for the muscles of a person to fully recover their original strength after a prolonged mission. Effects of microgravity Upon floating, body fluids are redistributed to the upper body, since gravity does not throw them towards the feet. This causes the swollen face feature seen in astronauts aboard the ISS. But it also has internal consequences: the body interprets that there is excess fluid and reduces total blood volume. With less blood volume and without the need to pump against gravity, the cardiovascular system relaxes. The heart can lose weight of its muscle walls and blood pressure tends to fall. Upon returning to the ground, this adjustment sometimes cause dizziness or even fainting (orthostatic hypotension), since gravity takes the blood again to the legs, and the bodyIt takes time to fall. Astronauts often use special compression suits or increase fluid and salt intake before the reentry to minimize these symptoms. Even so, it is common for them to remain seated, as happened with Butch and Suni when you get off the Crew Dragon, waiting for your body to be rebuilt. Another important physical effect discovered in the last decades of space exploration It is the so-called neuro-ocular syndrome associated with space flights (Sans). Without gravitational attraction, the displacement of fluids to the head can increase intracranial pressure, which in turn slightly deforms eye balloons and compresses the optic nerve. Many astronauts in prolonged stays report changes in their visual acuity: they can develop temporary farsightedness (difficulty seeing closely), which means that their eyes change under internal pressure. In long -term missions, More than 70% of astronauts They have come to suffer Sans. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space and then be compared to his twin brother Markdeveloped an edema of the optic nerve and changes in the retina. Prolonged ungrampidity and the closed environment of the ISS also They affect the immune system of astronautscausing changes in the distribution of white blood cells and in the Expression of certain immune genes In response to the extreme environment. Paradoxically, living in the sterilized environment of ISS can weaken the immune response over time: by not exposing yourself to so many everyday pathogens, the immune system lowers the guard. Cutaneous eruptions, allergies and even reactivation of latent viruses (such as herpes) have been observed due to the decrease in defenses. Radiation and nine months of stress At the same time, prolonged missions astronauts accumulate significant exposure to Solar radiation and cosmic raysnot having the atmosphere as a protective shield. However, a nine -month stay is within the acceptable limits of NASA, since the ISS orbit the Earth only 400 km of altitude. Cell damage It will be a much greater problem In future long -term space flights to the moon and Mars. More worrying are the Psychological effects of prolonged confinement in a space station that orbits the earth 16 times a day. The schedules are not a problem because the ISS follows a strict time routine with the time of the Greenwich meridian. But the lack of natural cycles of light and dark can alter biological rhythms, cause sleep deprivation or reduce cognitive performance. In the end, what can happen more invoice is the psychological experience of being working in a confined environment, far from the family and with a handful of classmates from different countries. In the case of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, this situation was aggravated by uncertainty: its mission was extended due to technical problems, for a long time without a clear return date. Hence Wilmore’s daughter will mention stress Like a problem. The good news is that most body changes in space are not permanent. Approximately 95% of physiological alterations return to normal in the weeks after return. Astronauts typically recover their balance and ability to walk in a few days, fluid distribution is rapidly normalized and sleep disorders tend to improve by reestablishing terrestrial cycles. As for psychological sequelae, career astronauts are chosen for their predisposition to be rendered under … Read more

We thought we were 8,000 million people throughout the planet. Until some researchers began to make numbers

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In November 2022, the UN celebrated that we were already 8,000 million humans on earth. They are estimates, of course, but beyond the figure, the really interesting thing is that in 2023 We do not reach the replacement rate and that humanity will reach its peak at the end of the century to, irremediably, Start falling. But … to what extent can we trust those accounts? It is something that takes time on the table, and now a study It arrives to add more spicy when we affirmed that we have been making it counting. So much that we have left several hundred million people along the way. Can we trust the numbers? “Calculating the number of people on the planet is an inaccurate science.” That was the comment of demographer Jakub Bijak a BBC In the middle of last year, just when the Study of world population perspectives. Something scientific is something exact, but the researcher also commented that the only thing that can be sure when predicting population figures is of the lack of certainty. That, eye, does not mean that demographers get the figures out of nowhere. “It is something difficult based on our experience, knowledge and each piece of information we have,” said Toshiko Kanera, an expert in demographic forecasts. The demographers drink from the data and trends of each country since 1950, but … what if it had not been well told? We are missing millions. In a new study published in Natureresearchers from the University of Aalto in Finland show how the data sets that demographers manage to “deep and systematic” the population figures worldwide. The serious thing is that we would be talking about hundreds of millions more people living on earth. Example of the tools that demographers use in their analysis. Each corresponds to a different bias The rural areas. Josias Láng-Rritter is one of the investigators in charge of the study and points to the accounts made in a specific segment: that of the rural population. “For the first time, our study provides evidence that a significant proportion of the rural population could be absent in the data sets of the global population,” he says. As we say, we don’t talk about a few million, but thousands of millions. “Depending on the data set used, rural populations have been underestimated between 53% and 84% in the period studied. The results are notable, since these data sets have been used in thousands of studies and have widely supported decision making, but their precision has not been systematically evaluated,” says the researcher. The map shows the location of the 307 rural areas analyzed in the study. It was found that the populations reported in the graph were underestimated between 53% and 84% | University of Aalto Biases. Attempts to review these data are not new, but previous investigations have focused on specific countries or urban areas. The researchers at the University of Aalto have wanted to take a more global photo when comparing the five most used population data sets worldwide. They have used maps that divide the planet into high resolution grids and have taken as a very concrete reference: the resettlement figures of more than 300 rural dams projects in 35 countries. Why this dam bias? Because When a dam is builtthe population that lives in the area that will be flooded is relocated and precise resettlement data is usually had. When comparing this population data from 1975 to 2010, the researchers found that the 2010 maps were more precise, but still omitted between 32% and 77% of the rural population. Between 2015 and 2020 the data sets were updated, but the demographers continue to consider that the underestimation of the rural population continues to exist and is a problem that persists in all regions of the world. Consequences. And we are talking about a problem whose resolution is complex. According to researchers, no matter how much the data is reviewed, it is a structural problem. Governments do not have the resources to collect precise data in these rural regions, there is a huge discrepancy between the real population and the one reported in the population maps that are used to carry out demographic studies and that influences decision making. Average percentage of rural population estimated down (red and orange) and overestimated (blue) | University of Aalto And it is important. Current estimates place 43% of 8,200 million World inhabitants in rural areas -And 3,526 million people- and if we take into account that it is a percentage that has underestimated between 53% and 84%, we are not talking about little population, precisely. And it is essential to know exactly how many we are for a simple reason: the redistribution of resources. No data. The lack of precise demographic records can affect political decision making. Ritter sets the example of social decisions. “In many countries, there may not be enough available data at the national level, so they depend on the global population maps to support their decisions: do we need an asphalted road or a hospital? How much medicine is needed in a specific area? How many people could be affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods?” Making quick accounts, in the best scenario – the 53% deviation in the rural population – we would talk about 1,869 million people who would not have counted. In the worst case, in the 84% not registered, we would talk about 2,962 million people. In Nature’s study, they put an example Paraguay, which in the 2012 census may have left out a quarter of the population. Reviewing the methods. In the analysis of the team, there are countries that come out better than others. They put Finland as an example of reliable data, even in rural regions, because they began bringing digital records of the population 30 years ago. However, in countries in which this conscientious digital registry has taken longer to be implemented due to crisis of any kind, … Read more

There is a potentially habitable planet only 59 light years from Earth. The IAC has just discovered it from the Canary Islands

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Spain has a lot to say in the search for potentially habitable explanets. On this occasion, an international team led by researchers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) has discovered a planet in the habitable zone of its star, just 59 light years from Earth. The finding. The newly discovered planet is called GJ 3998 d. It is a superstierra, which means that it is significantly larger than our planet, in this case with a mass six times greater than land. The important thing about GJ 3998 d is that orbits its star Within the “habitable zone”which means that it could have liquid water on its surface, whenever it is a rocky planet like ours. The habitable area. This new exoplanet orbit the GJ 3998which is a red dwarf. This type of star is much smaller and colder than the sun, so the habitable zone is at a lesser distance. GJ 3998 D completes an orbit around its star in approximately 42 days, a sixth part of what lasts a land year. Despite the proximity to the red dwarf, it only receives 20 % more radiation than the earth, which makes it a candidate to house the necessary conditions for life. Neighbors. Another point in favor of this new extrasolar planet is that it is relatively close to us, 59 light years away, which makes it a perfect candidate for more detailed studies in the future. Scientists plan to investigate whether GJ 3998 D has atmosphere and if there are signs of oxygen, which would be a strong indicator of the possible existence of extraterrestrial life. But for this they will have to wait for the future spectrograph Andes of the Extremely large telescope (Elt) of that, who will be able to analyze the composition of his atmosphere. Or to the telescope Exo Life Finder (ELF), currently in development by the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. A red dwarf galaxy. Red dwarfs are particularly interesting because they are very common in our galaxy. They constitute almost three quarters of all known stars. In addition, its low mass facilitates the detection of planets that orbit around it. GJ 3998 has three known planets: GJ 3998 B, GJ 3998 Cy the newly discovered GJ 3998 d. This discovery was possible thanks to the Hades project, an international initiative that uses the Nazionale Galileo telescope (TNG) at the Rocque de los Muchachos Observatory, in La Palma, to look for planets around small and near stars. Image | Gabriel Pérez Díaz (SMM, IAC) In Xataka | The Webb Telescope has observed a planet so extreme that the clouds are rock and in the cold night 600 ºC ago

The Atacama desert is one of the most arid places on the planet. And right there a handful of “crazy” is trying to get water out of the fog

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The oceans and seas house, According to estimates Used by the United States Geological Service (USGS), more than 96.5% of the water on our planet. In contrast, The atmosphere contains A modest 0.001% of this total. The clouds, fog and moisture of the air itself contains somewhat less than 13,000 cubic kilometers that also represent 0.04% of the planet’s fresh water. But in contexts in which the drought squeezes, each drop can count. Collecting water from the fog. A group of researchers He has successfully tested A method to obtain water from the fog. The system was able to collect between 0.2 and 5 liters of water per square meter and day. Secarral To test the method, the team responsible for the analysis resorted to the Municicpio of Alto Hospicio, located in the Atacama desert. This desert houses some of the most arid areas on the planet, in which rainfall barely reaches the annual millimeter. The city depends for its supply of the water contained in underground aquifers, but According to the team itselfthese have not been duly recharged in a period of between 10,000 and 17,000 years. The city extends rapidly and fruit of it around 10,000 of its residents live in informal settlements, almost all of them disconnected from the water supply system. “The collection and use of water, especially unconventional sources such as fog water, represents a key opportunity to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants,” explained in a press release Virginia Carter Hamberini, co -author of the study. A “new” method … A study that managed to show the potential of this technology. The team tested these mechanisms in the surroundings of the city of Alto Hospicio for a year, obtaining between 0.2 and 5 liters per square meter and day. Between August and September 2024, during the season of greatest activity, it was possible to reach up to 10 liters per square meter and day. “This research represents a notorious change in the perception of the use of water from fog, from a rural and rather small -scale solution to a practical water source for cities,” adds Carter Humberini. “Our findings show that fog can serve as a complementary source of urban water in dry areas where climate change exacerbates water deficiencies” The mechanism also has its limitations, they clarify. One of them is that its use is limited to high elevations outside the city limits. … that is not so new. The collection of fog water is not something novel, as Carter Haberini recalls, but it can be a convenient method to be climbed in a context like the present. The Fog Water Collection Appliancessuch as the one used in the study, they consist of a network through which the air loaded with moisture circulates. Part of that moisture is coupled to the fibers of the network and falls through them to a channel that leads to a deposit. The water of the deposit can thus be used in a variety of uses such as human consumption or agriculture. The details of the experiment were published In an article In the magazine Frontiers in Environmental Science. Learning lessons. The viability of fog water collection depends on the geographical characteristics of the environment: both climate and orography can affect the ability of this mechanism to provide water. These favorable conditions can occur in some areas of Spain, where already There are those who consider similar projects. In Xataka | Get drinking water with the brute force of the waves: the ambitious plan of the Canary Islands to face the drought Image | Virginia Carter Haberini

The glaciers are the great forgotten fresh water reserve of the planet. And we are running out of it

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According to estimates From the United States Geological Service (USGS), glaciers, along with the permanent ice layer and snow, house more than 24 million cubic kilometers of water. This represents 1.74% of the total water on the planet, but also 68.7% of fresh water. The risk of losing these reservations is growing. 273,000 million tons. A new study in which the European Space Agency (That) has revealed the rhythm at which the glaciers of our planet have been losing water since 2000. The figures are not hopeful: our glaciers have lost 273,000 million tons of water per year on average. “To put this in perspective, the 273,000 million tons lost annually represent what the world’s population consumes in 30 years, assuming (a consumption of) three liters per person and day,” Indicate in a press release Michael Zemp. Another way of seeing it in perspective is to take into account that the glaciers of this planet, according to the agency itself, contained approximately 121.73 billion tons of ice. During the last decades the glaciers have seen a 5% drop in their volume. In crescendo. The team has also warned that the rhythm at which we lose ice has been growing throughout the study period. The study covered the period between 2000 and 2023 and was divided into two subperiods: 2000–2011 and 2012–2023. Comparing both periods the team found an acceleration in the rhythm at which glaciers lose water: in the second period the loss of ice was 36% greater than in the first. The geographical context also matters. If we previously indicated that, globally, the glaciers had lost 5% of their volume, regional losses are among 2% observed in the Antarctic and Subantarctic Islands, and 39% loss of volume observed in Central Europe. The image shows diversity in the portion of lost glaciers in different regions. ESA/Planetary Visions GLAMBIE. The investigation has been carried out within the framework of the Glambie project (Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise), An initiative of the WGMS (World Glacier Monitoring Service) of the University of Zurich in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and the Earthwave company dedicated to estimate the global ice mass lost by the glaciers. The initiative generated a temporary series for the study period (2000-2023) combining data from different sources. Among them they used satellite observations of the Aster instrument aboard the American Mission Terra and ICESAT-2also from NASA; in combination with data obtained from European and Euro -Eastern Missions Grace, Tandem-X and Cryosat. The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Nature. It is not just sea level. This loss of ice has a well -known plenty of involvement: the nearly 6.55 billion tons of disappeared water from the glaciers have ended melted in the sea, which, according to equipment estimates, has contributed to the increase in the level of the waters in about 18 millimeters, about 0.75 mm per year. However, although the increase in sea level is often the “visible face” of climate change, the problem goes further. And it is that glaciers are an important water reserve. Its thaw contributes significantly to the flow of many rivers. This is the case of the Ebro, which feeds on the glaciers of the Pyrenees in addition to the thaw of mountains in the Cantabrian mountain range and the Iberian system. “Glaciers are a vital source of fresh water, especially in local communities in Central Asia and the central Andes, where glaciers dominate runoff during warm and dry stations,” also explains in the press release Inés Dussaillant, co -author of the study. In Xataka | The fresh water from the planet disappears, something that can also be perceived from space Image | The glaciers of the Chugach mountains, in Alaska. Copernicus Sentinel-2

Philips was the second largest chips manufacturer on the planet. Now it is out of a market led by its creation: ASML

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What we have promised you in the head of this article is strictly true. As Marc Hijink explains in his highly recommended and fresh out of the oven ‘Focus: The Asml Way’during the decade of the 70s of the last century Philips was the second largest manufacturer of semiconductors of the world. The leader in this market at that time was the American company Texas Instrumentsbut the Dutch firm had a long career in the field of innovation and technological development. In the early 70th Philips had more than 400,000 employees, and approximately 90,000 worked in the Netherlands. At that time his business was mainly held on The design and manufacture of televisionsradios, medical equipment, appliances and lighting solutions. His Porfolio was not but that nothing wrong, although his true strength was that absolutely everything was designed and manufactured within Philips. Today this strategy would be impracticable. Anyway, if we stick to the production of integrated circuits, the interesting thing is that the lithography equipment used at that time had also been devised and manufactured by engineers of the company itself. In fact, its first flirting with the semiconductors dates back to the late 50s of the last century. At that time the Philips Board of Directors realized of the enormous potential the chips had And he decided to create several research centers, as well as collaborate with technological universities and laboratories. ASML is the result of an inspired alliance During the decades of the 60s and 70th Philips was already a great technological emporium. In the early 80s he had acquired a lot of experience in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, but the industry sued smaller and capable chips. These requirements represented a technical challenge for company engineers who were responsible for the design of photolithography equipment, so in 1984 the Philips directive dome made a very important decision: he decided to associate with the Dutch company ASM International (Advanced material semiconductor). Currently all companies that produce advanced semiconductors have in their plants the UVP or ASML UVE machines The purpose of this alliance was to take advantage of Philips’s extensive experience in the set -up Design and manufacture avant -garde photolithographic equipment. The result of this collaboration was the birth of ASML (Advanced Materials Semiconductor), the Dutch company that leads the production industry of these machines thanks to the enormous success that their teams have had extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE). Currently all companies that produce advanced semiconductors have in their plants the machines of deep ultraviolet lithography (UVP) or extreme ultraviolet asml. Some of them are TSMC, Samsung, Intel, SK Hynix, Micron Technology, SMIC or UMC. However, once we have reached this moment it is reasonable that we ask ourselves why Philips is no longer a relevant actor in the integrated circuit manufacturing industry. In ‘Focus: The Asml Way’Marc Hijink tells us that after the creation of Asml Philips he settled. Its chips factories lost competitiveness and little by little they ceased to be able to develop the semiconductors required by the market. Jon Yu, the person in charge of the Newsletter The Asianometrysuggests essentially the same During the conversation who has maintained with Ben Thompson, the author of the interesting publication Stratechery. “As they count on ASML, Philips failed. It was a company with Too much bureaucracy and too much clinging to their customs. It is something similar to what happened with the Japanese in the 90s. Philips had already fulfilled his cycle and deserved to conclude, although he apparently sold his participations too soon. “It is a pity. And it is because there is no doubt that in the Current situation to Europe would have two leading companies in semiconductors. * Some price may have changed from the last review Image | ASML BIBLIOGRAPHY | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’by Marc Hijink More information | The Asianometry In Xataka | 2024 has been a year full of uncertainty for chip designers. So much that the market has changed leader

China has become the greatest added value of the planet thanks to feedback

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China wants to stop being the planet’s factory. In fact, you need to stop being. The struggle that holds with the US to get world supremacy It requires that Xi Jinping’s country consolidates as The largest provider of high value services and products. This position would allow him to compete with the country led by Donald Trump on equal terms, something unthinkable just a decade ago. But China is in it. And it’s on the right track. The first stone was placed by the Chinese president in 2015. That year Xi Jinping announced the implementation of a strategy known as Plan “Made in China 2025” whose purpose was to place China as a world leader in 13 strategic technologies. Ten years later he leads in five of them: unmanned aerial vehicles, solar panels, graphene, high -speed trains and electric vehicles/lithium batteries (these last two go hand in hand). And it is competitive in seven others, among which it is worth highlighting semiconductors, Robots either artificial intelligence (AI). This is China’s open secret: industrial and technological overlapping The sanctions that They have deployed USA and its allies During the last three years they have forced China to invest a huge amount of resources with the purpose of becoming their technological industry of foreign countries. Otherwise it would be condemned to stagnation. In this situation it is crucial that we do not overlook that the prohibitions of the US, Netherlands or Japan, among other countries, prevent research institutions and Chinese companies accessing the most advanced lithography equipment and the avant -garde chips. China will take at least five years to have an extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment comparable to those produced by ASML The latter continue to arrive in China Through intermediary companies mostly housed in Malaysia, Singapore or India. However, chips manufacturing machines are another sack. Presumably the country of Xi Jinping It will take at least five years in having a extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment comparable to those currently produced by the Dutch company ASML. However, as we have just seen, if we stick to the Chinese mature integrated circuits it is competitive, but in semiconductors in general it does not lead. The scheme we publish on top of these lines has been prepared by the sociologist and researcher at Princeton University, in New Jersey (USA), Kyle Chan for the highly recommended Newsletter High Capacity. It illustrates very clearly how China has achieved within a relatively brief period of time consolidating itself as a world leader in lithium batteries, electric cars or drones, and being a competitor surpassing in industrial robots, semiconductors or artificial intelligence. The key to the unappealable success of China is, beyond its great economic investment and its human capital, industrial and technological overlapping The key to this unappealable success is, beyond the great economic investment and human capital that this Asian country is investing in these sectors, Industrial and technological overlap. Kyle Chan’s scheme clearly reflects the interdependence that exists between some companies, such as, for example, Xpeng, Nio or Geely electric cars manufacturers, among others, and lithium batteries producers Catl and Byd. This last company also manufactures cars, buses and electric trucks, among other products. As we see in the scheme, China has developed several technological and industrial ecosystems that overlap both if we stick to the companies that are involved in them and the technologies involved. The greatest strength of this country is that it is not strong only in batteries; It is also in electric cars. And on smartphones. And in drones. And in industrial robots. And in many other sectors. Almost all of them are interconnected, well directly, either indirectly. And when one is reinforced by a rupturist innovation all those with whom holds some technological dependence They are also strengthened. Here lies, ultimately, China’s high competitiveness in so many industries of a strategic nature. Image | Alex More information | High Capacity In Xataka | China advances at a dizzying speed in nuclear fusion. It already has something ready that until now only had the Netherlands

Half a year ago we discovered oxygen in one of the most remote places on the planet. Now we want to know more

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A few months ago we knew the news of the discovery of the so -called “dark oxygen.” This oxygen form has little extraordinary from the chemical point of view: these are conventional oxygen molecules. What is not conventional in this dark oxygen is its formation process. A new project. Now, the team that announced the discovery of dark oxygen has announced a new project linked to the presence of these mysterious molecules in the oceanic depths. The objective of this new project is to answer some of the questions raised after the finding, especially the question of whether this process was given in various areas of the oceanic fund. “Our discovery of dark oxygen was a change in the paradigm of our understanding of the depths of the sea and potentially of life on Earth, but threw more questions than answers,” explained in a press release Andrew Sweetman, who will lead the new project. International collaboration. The new project is the result of the cooperation of two intitions, the Japanese Nippon Foundation, in charge of financing the project with a contribution of two million pounds; and the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams), an institution that will lead the investigation. Dark oxygen. Let’s recap, dark oxygen? This concept was popularized last year to refer to molecular oxygen found in the depths of the oceanfar from the sun’s rays, hence the “dark” appellation. Until now, the dominant hypothesis is that oxygen is only formed on our planet through photosynthesis, a phenomenon dependent on the energy emitted by our star. The presence of oxygen in a place where photosynthesis is impossible and separate from surface marine currents, opened the search for alternative hypotheses that explained the presence of these molecules in the inhospitable environment. The response of the team responsible for the finding was in the metals that can be found in the seabed, which, according to this hypothesis they would be generating these molecules through electricity, that is, thanks to electrolysis. Verifying the hypothesis. The new project could serve to verify this theory, questioned by the mining industry, and to explore alternative hypotheses that explain the unexpected presence of oxygen in this environment. Hypothesis like that of radiolysisthat is to say the possibility that it is the radiation that, directly or indirectly, is triggering the process. The team also wants to explore if the processes that generate this dark oxygen They also release hydrogenas well as if this element is used as a source of energy by the bacterial communities that inhabit this area of ​​the ocean. In addition, the study could help us better understand the impact that climate change could have on these ecosystems. Conversations with NASA. The American space agency, NASA, has also shown interest in expanding our knowledge about dark oxygen, those responsible for the project say. “We are already in conversation with NASA experts who believe that dark oxygen could rebuild our understanding of how life is sustained on other planets without direct sunlight,” Sweetman added. Dark oxygen can also help us better understand how oxygen arose on our planet, providing us with information about the emergence of life on earth. Life and oxygen are inseparable concepts, but we do not know completely how this relationship was forged. In Xataka | When it seemed that the controversy of underwater mining was appealing, the discovery of black oxygen threatens to reactivate it Image | Biocyan Campaign

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