problem

Albacete offers up to 500,000 euros for hunting rabbits. The problem is what to do with them afterwards.

by

Spain, rabbit landtoday he pays to get them off his back. When the Phoenicians set foot on our coasts, they saw ears and burrows before cities and that is how they named the peninsula, i‑spn‑yaa curious place name that ended up as Hispania. Or so the theory goes, one of many. Now Albacete has set up a subsidy system so that hunting societies contain an overpopulation that destroy their crops. The real problem is not only about how many are killed, but what is done with them afterwards and why the model produces plagues again and again. A plague that concentrates. The province of Albacete is experiencing a paradox that is actually repeated throughout half the country. On the one hand, the wild rabbit is listed as an endangered species in many habitats; on the other, it is a plague on agricultural strips and on the margins of large infrastructures. In Castilla-La Mancha, hundreds of thousands of rabbits are estimated to be captured each year; only so far in 2026 are they talking about 603,000 copiesand 30% of them leave the fields of Albacete. The regional administration has been chaining “hunting emergency” resolutions for years. That is, we seek to find the key between a balance of fauna and environmental regulation. And, at least in La Mancha, Albacete, Cuenca and Toledo, they have not been able to find it. Because more than a homogeneous explosion we are talking about hot spots next to roads, railway lines, intensive irrigation and protected spaces where the rabbit finds shelter, food and the absence of predators. How the half million works. This is not the wild western. Let no one expect an envelope for each animal killed. The Albacete Provincial Council has announced a line of subsidies amounting to 500,000 euros aimed at local non-profit hunting societies. Of course, based in the province. Each entity can request up to 9,000 eurosonly once, for a specific project linked to wild rabbit damage control. The money is processed electronically, through the provincial electronic headquarters, between July 21 and August 10, 2026; The companies justify the actions until October 31. And this shock plan does not clash with other aid: the call makes it possible to make this aid compatible with other public lines, as long as they are aimed at the same purpose. Because? Because it fits with the four million euro regional plan for rabbit overpopulation. Is it necessary to kill? In the past, this “social hunting” received local and even private help from crop protectors. Now alternatives are being sought: the village clubs insist on fencing, hunting nurseries and management of water and food points for wildlife. That is, it should be financed around the infrastructure around the rabbit and the verb “kill” is the last option. And if there is only one alternative, killing will always be that savagery that no authority should authorize. The dominant model continues to be intensive hunting, with a shotgun, ferret and nets in extended periods thanks to the emergency declarations from some regions. In Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha, this shock works in the short term: in Aragon, between 2019 and 2021, a control plan eliminated 1.8 million rabbits in 125 municipalities. Despite the 18 measurementsIn Castilla-La Mancha, more than 46% of the territory is affected by this plague, “which translates into some 364 municipalities with direct damage.” Save them to kill them. WWF and other research teams have been pointing out for years that mass hunting reduces damage during the campaign, but the following year the effect fades and the population grows again. If there is shelter and food, there is overpopulation. And the problem comes from afar, from the dynamics of crops with larger and more homogeneous farm surfaces, with less mosaic of crops, fewer boundaries and less presence of natural predators. The ancient stone walls served as homes, but also as regional limiters. Now the rabbit runs free in no man’s land. Associations like PACMA they add also another nuance, remembering that the Generalitat of Catalonia authorized the release of more than 12,000 rabbits from hunting farms to repopulate hunting reserves in 2021, and that the same administration later declared the hunting emergency and the use of biocides such as aluminum phosphide. Inflate the population first and then resorting to massacres when the population overflows is, to say the least, counterproductive. What do you do with so much rabbit?. The great unknown is the same as always. The emergency resolutions and the regional shock plan already include the possibility of marketing the meat of captured rabbits, as long as they are immediately slaughtered and delivered to authorized wild game handling establishments with health guarantees. This is the responsible thing to do, not leave them stranded. own manchego plan document It contemplates the “useful and sustainable management” of these catches: human consumption, recovery of scavenger fauna, transfer to areas with a rabbit deficit and regulated marketing. What’s more, for the farmer or hunter to get paid it is not enough to kill, he must communicate the actions 24 hours in advance to the administration, comply with the conditions of the emergency resolution and then justify expenses on fences, piles and others. Foxes and eagles, off or out of coverage. Ecologists in Action denounced the Albacete Agriculture Delegation itself, which authorizes controls on predators such as the fox in the midst of a rabbit plague (and Spain needs them, just like the wolves). This, according to estimates, reinforces the ecological imbalance and leaves the farmer with fewer natural allies on the field. The rabbit right now is halfway between resource and waste, subsidy object and marketable piece. Kill them and leave them for the scavengers? It could be dangerous from an environmental point of view. And even more so if they eat animals with myxomatosis. Kill them and eat them? It depends on the market: the price of the piece has fallen in recent months. This is also a symptom that the agrarian structure has a … Read more

For years, “fecal doping” has been a problem in elite sport. Now science wants to democratize it

by

In 2019, a team of scientists from Harvard University monitored the bacterial flora of 15 Boston Marathon runners during the week before and after. They made many discoveries, but one was especially interesting: after the competition, everyone suffered a significant increase in bacteria of the Veillonella genus. It was already known that exercise alters the microbiota And, in fact, it wasn’t particularly surprising that these bacteria (which break down lactic acid and therefore reduce fatigue) were in there. What they wanted to discover was something else. Therefore, they took samples of this flora and introduced them into mice. The result was a very significant increase in physical resistance. Since then, there are people trying to take advantage of this. The treasure hidden in the intestine. Now a team from France has studied the intestinal microbiota of elite athletes with high aerobic capacity (footballers and cyclists). The central idea was to see if there were differences in the composition of the flora and its functionality compared to non-athletic people. The first surprise is that the more sports the subjects did, the lower the diversity of their microbiota. And I say that it is surprising because, as Rosa del Campo tells us through SMC Spain“this is associated with an unhealthy condition.” However, in this case it seems that “it is justified by the specialization of these bacteria in the intestine.” That is, by subjecting the microbiota to more demanding environments, it self-regulates to optimize itself. However, as he says the researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Hospital, that is not the most interesting thing. “The most striking thing is when they evaluate the ability to reproduce this in mice.” What have they done? They have taken very sedentary and very athletic people and “have transplanted their feces to mice for several days.” The result shows that “the aerobic effort capacity in mice is conditioned by the microbiota.” Because? Although the research is still somewhat preliminary, everything seems to indicate that “it is fundamentally due to glycogen consumption, good sugar control and production of short chain fatty acids.” What implications does this have?? Well, it seems like quite a few. It must be remembered that for years the anti-doping agencies working to fight against microbiomic doping. In fact, everything seems to indicate that the “fecal transplant“It is a common practice in certain elite sports environments. But the question, as always, is whether this can be scaled. If we can begin to intervene in the microbiota on a massive scale to improve the health of broad layers of the population. For years now, the probiotics boom has caught big pharmaceutical companies on the wrong foot and has flooded the market with pseudoscience. However, and although it is true that in recent years Doubts have arisen about how much health we can achieve through the stomachOr, the possibility is still on the table. Image | Julien Tromeur | Miguel Amutio In Xataka | This pill is shit but it can save your life

Spain seems to have solved the problem of aid for the purchase of electric cars. It only took seven years of chaos

by

The aid to buy an electric car is chaos. They should stop being so soon. Very soon, in fact. Or, at least, that is the (umpteenth) promise that the Government has made in this regard. He announced it in the Council of Ministers, confirming that the presentation of the bases to receive the Auto+ Plan is just around the corner. This is what we know. What has been announced. He Auto+ Plan It should be up and running in the next few days or, at the latest, a few weeks. That is what has been announced in the press conference of the Council of Ministers where the first details have been given of how aid for the purchase of new completely electric vehicles should be unblocked. In the statement before the media, however, no more details have been clarified than those that were offered in February 2026 when the project was already late compared to the promises. That is to say: the aid will take into account the cost of the vehicle, its place of manufacture and the origin of its batteries. What did we know? Last February, The Government confirmed that aid for the purchase of electric cars They will be delivered as follows: Category Maximum aid amount Vehicle type Percentage received based on price Manufacturing Tourism (M1) 4,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,250 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,125 euros) Maximum of 45,000 euros before taxes: Up to 35,000 euros: 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,125 euros) Between 35,001 and 45,000 euros: 15% of the maximum amount of aid (675 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (675 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (450 euros euros) Vehicle (N1) 5,000 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (2,500 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (1,250 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (1,250 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (750 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (500 euros) Moped (L3e, L4e and L5e) 1,100 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (550 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (275 euros) Maximum of 10,000 euros before taxes: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (275 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (165 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (110 euros) Quadricycle (L6e and L7e) 1,500 euros Electric: 50% of the aid (750 euros) Plug-in and electric hybrid with extended autonomy: 25% of the aid (375 euros) No maximum limit: All vehicles receive 25% of the maximum aid amount (375 euros) Vehicles whose assembly and final completion prior to marketing has been carried out in an EU industrial facility will be allocated: 15% of the maximum aid amount (225 euros) Additionally, if a part of the battery manufacturing process (at least it must include the assembly of the battery packs): additional 10% of the maximum aid amount (150 euros) In 2025 it has already been promised that these aids would be direct at the time of purchase. That is, the customer would leave the dealership without the obligation to advance the aid and waiting to receive the money in their bank account. The claim is recurring since 2019 when the first MOVES Plan was approved but that promise disappeared with the extension of the MOVES III Plan and it was said that it would be active with the application of the Auto + Plan. The deadline for this Auto+ Plan to come into force was January 1, 2026. However, weeks before it began to work, The dealers already indicated that they were not willing to advance the aid. Not, at least, if they had no guarantee of receiving the money within a reasonable period of time. So, who is going to provide the aid? It is something that is yet to be confirmed and that we will not know for sure until the aid bases are officially published, which should happen in the coming days. In Xataka we have contacted Ganvam (National Association of Vehicle, Repair and Spare Parts Sellers) who claim to have no confirmation of how this aid will be delivered. From Faconauto (Federation of Automotive Dealer Associations) yes, they have assured us that the aid can be obtained at the time of purchase but that the more specific details will arrive when the bases are presented. A loan that was a matter of faith. The intention, therefore, is that the customer can finally leave the dealership being very clear about the price of the car. The concessionaires’ employers assure us that there is no signed commitment of the time that the State will have to deliver said aid and that this is something that we will only know when the bases for the aid are published. Until now, manufacturers have been advancing help with an interest-free loan for 12 or 18 months (depending on the brand) in the hope that the client would receive the money before the bank received the payment of that fee, which can reach up to 4,500 euros. That is to say, it could be the case that the client ran out the deadline … Read more

Europe has a problem with the size of its cars: the "carspreading" threatens to devour thousands of parking lots

by

New cars sold in Europe they are a little longer every yeartaller and wider. The phenomenon already has its own name, “carspreading”, and according to a new report from the environmental organizations Transport & Environment (T&E) and Clean Cities, if this trend is not stopped, it will have direct consequences both on road safety and on the parking available in our cities. We tell you the details. What is happening. The report, published by T&E and Clean Cities, has analyzed the evolution of the size of new cars sold in Europe from 2000 to today, and has projected two possible scenarios until 2040: one in which growth continues at the current rate, and another of “adequate resizing”, in which specific policies return the average size of vehicles to the levels they had in 2015. The difference between both scenarios is, according to the authors, alarming. In detail. The data show The average length of a new car increases by 1.2 centimeters each year, while its height and width grow by 0.5 centimeters each year. The height of the hood, which is precisely a key element that directly affects pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision, also rises at the same rate. If nothing changes, the study estimates that the average height of the hoods in the entire European vehicle fleet will reach 86.2 centimeters in 2040. All this despite the fact that, as the same report emphasizes, families are becoming smaller and cars transport fewer people on average than before. In Xataka Michael O’Leary, Ryanair: "Von der Leyen is very good at giving speeches, but he is useless in boosting competitiveness in Europe" Why it is important. As highlighted in the study, andThe size of cars has a direct impact on the chances of surviving a crash. The higher the hood of a vehicle, the greater the risk that the impact will occur on the victim’s torso or head rather than the legs. According to figures collected in the study, an increase of 10 centimeters in the height of the hood increases the risk of death for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists by 27%, and up to 81% in the case of children. If the current trend continues, the report estimates that in 2040, 40% more child pedestrians could die on European roads than in a scenario in which cars are limited in size. The key figure. Comparing both scenarios, T&E and Clean Cities they estimate that the difference in the number of deaths of vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and people with mopeds) could reach 400 additional deaths per year in 2040 in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Adding the intervening years, between 2026 and 2040 this accumulated difference would amount to 2,500 adults and 79 additional children who died, according to the report. And parking is not spared either. The other major effect of “carspreading” is the loss of street parking spaces. The study predicts that European cities will lose between 8.5% and 14% of their surface parking capacity by 2040 if the size of cars continues to grow uncontrollably. London and Berlin could lose around 100,000 places each, while Rome would lose around 95,000. In the case of Madrid, the loss could reach 41,000 places, according to the report’s calculations. In Xataka Omoda and Jaecoo already sell more cars than Citroën, Nissan or Ford in Spain. And they are very clear that their secret is not the price Between the lines. “Many automakers have followed a strategy that prioritizes larger, more profitable vehicles over smaller models,” explains Isabell Büschel, director of T&E in Spain, pointing out that “our roads are increasingly dominated by huge off-road vehicles that pose a physical danger to other users.” From the United Kingdom, the T&E director in that country, Anna Krajinska, sums it up as a “market failure.” “The result is a double harm: city councils are forced to redesign streets around larger vehicles, sacrificing parking capacity, public space and safety,” he continued. Not everyone sees the problem the same way. Edmund King, president of the British Motor Association (AA), nuanced to the BBC that, depending on the design, some large cars can be safer for both occupants and pedestrians, so he considers it “too simplistic to assume that larger cars are always more dangerous.” For his part, Mike Hawes, head of the British manufacturers’ association SMMT, argued that it is the consumers themselves who, with their purchasing preferences, end up influencing the design of vehicles. What organizations ask for. T&E and Clean Cities they claim European regulators several measures to stop this trend: A limit of 85 centimeters of bonnet height and 192 centimeters of width for new cars, applicable to approvals from 2033 and to all sales from 2036. Tax reforms that penalize the purchase of large vehicles. An update to Euro NCAP protocols to assess the visibility of young children from the driver’s seat. Changes in municipal parking rates depending on the size and weight of the vehicle. In Xataka César Franco, engineer: “We have preferred to inaugurate over conserve. Nobody applauds that a bridge is still standing” Along these lines, Carmen Duce, coordinator of the Clean Cities campaign in Spain, point to experiences such as that of Paris, which “is already considering differentiated rates for parking”, as the type of measures that, in his opinion, “must be taken urgently to guarantee a fairer redistribution of public space.” And now what. The report comes precisely at a time when the European Union maintains as its objective its “Vision Zero” strategywith which it aims to eliminate road deaths by 2050. The distance between that objective and the current trend of growth in the size of cars is, according to T&E and Clean Cities, increasingly evident. Lucien Mathieu himself, a T&E analyst, poses it as an open question that regulators and manufacturers will have to answer in the coming years: “Where do we stop?” Cover image | Aditya Rathod In Xataka |Good news, Michelin has finally … Read more

The municipality of Cuenca is perfect to see the eclipse: the only problem is that it is an incomprehensible gibberish

by

Could you draw the map of your town or city from memory? Well, now imagine that it breaks into two pieces, and that to get from one to the other without leaving your own municipality you have to cross half a mountain range. Come on, you have to stick a piece of cellophane on it as if it were a bridge and overlap parts. That is Cuenca every day: a city council that governs 911.6 square kilometers distributed like someone bursting a vase against the map of Castilla-La Mancha. A Rorschach test that falls apart in the hands of more than one property registrar. Was it so difficult to do things well? An empire made of grass, stone and mountains. It seems not. Only thirteen municipalities of the 8,119 that Spain has exceed the size of Cuenca capital. The largest is Cáceres; Within the region itself, Almodóvar del Campo and Albacete also win. But more than 80% of that territory is forest. It is, by far, the municipality with the most forest mass in Spain and is at the top in Europe, a title that many sources mistakenly attribute to Geneva. Not in vain does it pour water into two different seas: the Júcar, which crosses the territory up to five times, dies in the Mediterranean. The Cuervo and the Escabas, tributaries of the Tagus, flow into the Atlantic. The Spanish territorial organization, based on the assignments of 1833 by the “reformist” absolutist Javier de Burgos, is based on municipalities linked by proximity to the nearest province. The objective was clear: that no town would take more than a day’s work to reach its provincial capital. Cuenca thought otherwise. The forum that started it all. Guilt is medieval.In 1177 Alfonso VIII gave the newly conquered Cuenca its entire territory.. We talk about mountains, pastures, rivers, salt mines and mines. The limits, for another day. In the mid-18th century the city already controlled more than 208,000 bushels of pasture, a third of the entire mountain range. Neighboring towns, starting with Huélamo, had been trying to find land for generations: lawsuits with Beamud in 1750, boundary disputes with Valdemeca, illegal crops in the Cuenca pastures of Valduerguinas and El Codorno to prevent the capital’s flocks from grazing there. And so, crumb by crumb, in 1804 Huélamo and Tragacete fought over the same usurpations as their grandparents. The historian José María Sánchez Benito, who has dedicated a good part of his work to the territorial articulation of the Land of Cuenca in the Late Middle Ages,documented how the Cuenca council itself actively decided which villages retained population status and which were declared depopulated. And this implies direct fiscal and territorial consequences: the village without sufficient population lost its territory to the neighboring town with more weight. The current map, according to their work, is a scar from centuries of small administrative wars. The fight continues. That habit of discussing every meter has not died. Cuenca and Albarracín (Teruel) have been litigating since the end of the 19th century over El Entredicho, a 2,000-hectare mountain at the very source of the Tagus River. We count it in 2024: The National Geographic Institute ruled in favor of Albarracín, the Ministry of Territorial Policy ratified the decision, and Cuenca appealed to the National Court, where the case remains open. Elena Camacho, head of the Territorial Delimitations service at the National Geographic Institute, explains the dilemma of the mess: when the first official boundaries were drawn at the end of the 19th century, “they went to the priest, who was generally the one who knew how to write, and they asked him to draw a map of what his town was like.” That sketch, made without instruments or GPS, is the legal basis that is still being discussed today by civil engineers, lawyers and two entire autonomous communities. 180, 130 or 60 kilometers? The figures vary depending on who calculates them: some speak of 180 kilometers in a straight line between the extreme north and the south, and almost 300 by road; others, more conservative, lower it to just over 60. The real record for municipal remoteness in Spain is held by Almería, whose term includes the island of Alborán, 92 kilometers from the coast. And although the exact figure for Cuenca is disputed, what no one disputes is that it takes more than half a day by car to cross the municipality from end to end without leaving it. What’s more, we can even consider “islands” in its strict sense. Among tiny towns, with their own town hall, completely surrounded by the municipality of Cuenca, stands outVega del Codorno, which only has a border with Cuenca. In almost 33 km² it has just over 140 inhabitants. HE split from Tragacete less than a century ago. Before they were Vega del Codorno de Abajo and de Arriba. Tragacete, in turn, also borders only Cuenca. Poyatos would limit the same if it were not for a strip attached to it, Huerta de Marojales, which belongs to Cañizares—a municipality with which it does not even border. And Buenache de la Sierra and Palomera share an enclave without being the same town. Crazy. An eclipse to make peace. What is clear is that Spanish geography will do its thing again, in a good way, on August 12, 2026. The city of Cuenca will be one of the few Spanish provincial capitals within the band of totality of the first visible total solar eclipse on the peninsula. In more than a century. And it will look luxurious. The total phase will arrive at 20:32, last between 54 and 56 seconds, with the Sun just 6 degrees above the horizon to the west-northwest, and will set shortly after, at 21:09. We will have to look for a clear viewpoint on that side – the Serranía has plenty; The mythical ones are the Ventano del Diablo, near Villalba de la Sierra, and Castillo de Cañete, less crowded, higher, better for many. Any … Read more

Wanting to avoid fires in Oviedo, the cleaners have encountered another problem: the Civil War

by

If we believed that Spain had already cataloged every last vestige of the Civil War, bad news. Artillery corners still pop up like mushrooms in autumn. Scars of a territory that reminds us of a broken country. Imagine the look on the faces of the city hall’s cleaning professionals when they put the brushcutter where it didn’t belong. Imagine the face of the municipal crew of Oviedo: cleaning any path in the municipality of El Campón in the middle of July, the machine trips over reinforced concrete and an embrasure from 1937, hidden under the ferns for 89 years. Anyone who knows Mount Naranco is not surprised. Those who only follow guided routes, tourist plates and school manuals, will be amazed. A front under the bushes. The archives say that Oviedo endured a republican siege in 1936 which ended up breaking towards October. So, Naranco was filled with trenches to watch the steps towards Grado. In El Rebollal they counted thirteen positions: two for machine gun, eleven for rifle. Campo Cimero has thirty-one, distributed in four arches towards the northwest, the largest defensive complex in Asturias. To cite an example, in Ayones the nest preserves its original geometry: seven sides on the outside, cylinder on the inside, built in 1937 by the Republicans. And of course, the undergrowth does not erase these structures, rather it preserves and contours them. And except for the nationalist constructions of Pando, almost everything preserved in this area—Rebollal, Campo Cimero, Fitoria, Ayones—is republican. Spain’s wounds. Although no one has the exact figure, the BunkerAtlas portal has registered and geolocated 192 positions. It is more of a sample than an official census, of course. Madrid concentrates almost 19% of what is catalogued; Catalonia is around 16%; Navarra 12%; Aragon 11%. And almost six out of every ten registered structures were built during the Civil War, by both sides. Only in Madrid have they documented more than 2,000 fortifications in a hundred municipalities, about 500 concrete; The capital already has 531 inventory tokens between Casa de Campo, El Pardo and Ciudad Universitaria. In the Pyrenees, the Franco regime designed Line P: ten thousand bunkers planned along 500 kilometers of border. Luckily the work stopped with less than half built, about 4,000, and became obsolete around 1980. Multiply that by each front—Ebro, Jarama, the Oviedo fence itself—and the real figure is surely around tens of thousands. Most remain under brambles, awaiting clearing. Who decides what is saved. Spain catalogs this heritage since the Historical Memory Law of 2007, expanded by the Democratic Memory Law 2022—revised March 2026—. Both require identifying and protecting these remains, and in some cases opening them to the public. The problem, as always, is one of resources: inventorying thousands of kilometers of trench costs money that does not always arrive, and each recovered nest depends on a city council, a memory association or a forestry crew that stumbles upon it. Present over past, as always. Let’s think about The Carmen of the Martyrsthe most beautiful garden around the Alhambra, which stands above the old Corral de los Cautivos, where Christian prisoners spent the night in Arab dungeons. After the Civil War it served as a residence for young people. In 1970, a hotel project razed a good part of the historic forest, until neighborhood protests stopped the work. Or the Turó de la Rovira. Everyone knows it as the Carmel Bunkers, although the name is a historical error: there was never a bunker or underground shelter there. What the Republic installed in 1938 was an open-air anti-aircraft battery, four 105 mm Vickers cannons, to stop the bombing by Italian aviation over Barcelona. When the war ended, the Republican army disabled the pieces and withdrew, leaving the concrete empty. Today is the most photographed sunset in Barcelona, ​​a nest of tiktokers. The other urgency: summer rules. The reality is that the vestige found in El Campón responds to a key action and none of this should stop the clearing. On the contrary. The summer of 2026 is already the worst start in the historical series: June closed with 90% more burned area than the average of the last twenty years, and quadrupled the data for the same month in 2025. The Almería fire devastated nearly 6,600 hectares, with projections that are close to 7,000. The European Union launched its largest historical firefighting deployment and it is not easy to suspect that it is still insufficient. Perimeter clearing responds to the law. Although the hoax that environmental regulations prohibit cleaning the mountain circulates every July; Neither the 2030 Agenda, nor the European Green Deal, nor the Forestry Law prohibit clearing. They demand it, with an annual plan. Memory and prevention do not compete. All you have to do is notify Heritage, let the nest breathe for a while in the sun and then decide what to do with it. The Civil War remains buried in half of Spain; chainsaw is just what is needed to clear brush and clean up against the spread of fires. Image | Flickr (Diego Valera) In Xataka | In 1938 Spain was divided in two. So two “Gordos” were delivered from the Christmas Lottery

Salamanca has a problem and that problem is not being controlled

by

In Spain we have a problem and they are called ticks. In recent weeks, the Junta de Castilla y León has confirmed two cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (FHCC) in Salamanca, both linked to tick bitesone in a 68-year-old man and another in an 84-year-old man, admitted and isolated according to protocol at Gómez Ulla. Previous epidemiological reports already placed Salamanca as the Spanish province with the highest number of CCHF diagnoses in recent years, with several cases in 2024 and 2025, which has led to it being described as a risk area within national maps. Worst? That is spreading. Going to the countryside, risky sport. In the Béjar region they talk about the “proliferation” of ticks and warn that certain rural environments have become hot spots for the genus. Hyalommathe main vector of Crimea-Congo in Spain. “You can’t go there to the countryside, come on, in no way,” says Antonio Muro, professor of Parasitology at the University of Salamanca, within the framework of the 24th Congress of the Society of Parasitology. The problem is that the risk is not homogeneous and depends on the ecosystem, humidity and fauna present. Spain today registers more ticks, in more places and during more months of the year, with a presence both in rural areas and in urban parks and peri-urban areas. The fault? Various factors; climate change and the favor of the entry of wildlife into cities. City ticks. In Madrid, the concern has spread to the Sierra de Guadarrama, Miraflores, Buitrago and to the south, such as in Aranjuez, where veterinarians warn of proliferations linked to the heat and spring rains. Anecpla also maintains that the presence is no longer limited to the countryside and it is also easy to find outbreaks in parks, urban gardens and even coastal areas, because its biological cycle is lengthening, with activity earlier and later in the year. Researchers from INIA (National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology) such as Felix Valcácel They point out that there are now ticks in metropolitan environments because rabbits, hedgehogs and wild boars approach garbage cans, beaches and green areas, depositing the parasites, which then settle on people who are walking or having a picnic. The activity season has also been extended: previously it was concentrated between March and October, with the peak in June and July. Now it is easy to spot specimens throughout the year because temperatures exceed 10 degrees. This means that the risk of being bitten exists both for hikers in Béjar and for families who go with children and dogs to the park. Although not all ticks are the same. Lyme and Crimea-Congo. These are the two diseases that worry the most. The Lyme disease It is transmitted mainly by Ixodes ricinusa wet climate tick that feeds on wild animals infected by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. From there, to humans. After the bite, the first symptoms are usually a rash (skin erosion), headache, fever and fatigue. Of course, the clinical picture varies greatly between people and can become chronic if it is not diagnosed and treated in time, with joint, neurological or cardiac involvement. This is how they emphasize it from Health. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a serious virus that in Europe it is associated with ticks of the genus Hyalomma -above all H. marginatum and H. lusitanicum— widely distributed in dehesa areas and drier climates, such as parts of Castilla y León and Extremadura (Cáceres). Symptoms: high fever, muscle pain, intense discomfort, digestive symptoms and, in severe cases, bleeding and liver disorders; lethality in hospitalized patients can around 30%. In the last decade, around twenty cases involved a third of deaths. Identify them and take action. In the humid and forested north they predominate Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis punctata. They are small, dark in color, found in bushes and tall grass and are mainly responsible for the risk of Lyme. To the question about whether a tick can kill you We already know that it is, so it’s better not to take it as a joke. In the Meseta and drier areas, such as part of Salamanca, Soria and Ávila, there are abundant Hyalomma lusitanicum and Dermacentor marginatus: they are larger, with ringed legs, “with visible eyes”, very mobile and capable of following a host over the ground for a certain distance. Is it affecting tourism in the area? What’s going on: in March records were set about a series of historic figureswith a total of 129,387 travelers and 101,924 overnight stays in the first quarter in May alone. The general photo of the market depends a lot on weekends and short getaways, yes. Associations like ANECPLA agree that the key is not to cancel trips, but to change the way you go to the countryside: long, light-colored clothing, pants tucked into socks, closed boots, appropriate repellents, walking in the center of the trails, avoiding sitting on the grass and keeping the dogs dewormed (flea pipette, collar, pills on duty, etc.). Recent guides estimate that, while in central Europe there are about five relevant species, in Spain between 15 and 20 are detected, which complicates the risk message and forces more emphasis on prevention. In fact, the recommendation is that, after a trip to the countryside or to areas of dense vegetation, you check your body, whether it is an adult, child or pet, paying attention to the groin, armpits, waist, scalp, behind the ears and navel, where ticks look for thin skin and good blood flow. What to do if you have been bitten. If a tick attached to the skin is detected, it must be removed as soon as possible with fine-tipped tweezers (eyebrow tweezers usually work, if done carefully), holding it as close to the skin as possible and gently pulling upwards, without twisting or crushing the body, without applying alcohol, oil or Vaseline, and then cleaning the area with soap and water or antiseptic. In the following four weeks, it is key to monitor for fever, … Read more

Madrid is preparing to have robotaxis this fall. The problem is that almost no one is clear how it is going to work.

by

Madrid is about to become the first capital of the European Union with driverless cars circulating through its streets. Uber, Waymo, Cabify and several Chinese technology companies are already fighting for a million-dollar business that, according to current plans, should begin rolling out after the summer. Although there are still quite a few questions unresolved. What is happening. Uber was the first to announce the movement. In June confirmed an alliance with the Chinese technology company WeRide to operate in Madrid sensorized electric vans manufactured by Geely, the Chinese giant that also owns Volvo Cars or Polestar. To make it possible, Uber relies on two partners: Moove Cars, which provides the VTC licenses (of which Uber itself owns 30%), and Avomo, which is responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the vehicles and which already manages similar fleets in Austin and Atlanta. The legal framework. To launch a service of this type, three pieces were needed: regulation, licenses and fleet. According to share From El Confidencial, the first two were “the most conflictive” and had already been resolved, so now “it is the companies that have to take the step.” So, on the one hand, the DGT is in charge of homologating and technically certifying vehicles, while the Community of Madrid manages authorizations, insurance and the distribution of licenses between operators, based on changes in the regional Mobility Law. To avoid new conflicts with taxis, the regional government has chosen not to issue new VTC licenses, but rather to reuse existing ones with a limit of 100, to which a specific permit called “additional authorization for autonomous transport” will be added. According to El Confidencial sources, they point because the first pilots could start in central Madrid, Leganés and Móstoles, with Alcobendas also on the table. The Waymo mystery. Alphabet subsidiary has registered In just two weeks new companies in Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid (Waymo Iberia), adding to the one it already had in Munich since June. The name chosen for Spain, “Iberia” and not “España”, suggests that the company is also looking at Portugal, which has recently opened a legal framework favorable to autonomous driving tests. Even so, the commercial registration is only the first step, so it does not give us clues about a possible launch date, since to operate in Spain Waymo needs VTC licenses. Of the country’s three large fleets (Moove Cars, Auro and Vecttor), the first is already committed to Uber and WeRide, and Auro has confirmed that it is not negotiating with Waymo because it is focused on its expansion in Germany. This leaves as the only plausible way an agreement with Vecttor, the fleet owned by Cabify, which acknowledges maintaining “open conversations with the leading companies in autonomous mobility technology”, although it clarifies that, for the moment, “we do not have any closed alliance.” The Phoenix precedent, where Waymo just broke their alliance with Uber to recover its cars and operate with its own app, suggests that its long-term plan is to dispense with intermediaries as soon as it gains its own brand in each market. What Uber doesn’t count. The company announced in style that its robotaxis would arrive in Madrid before the end of the year, but for our part we did not receive a response from either Uber or WeRide about how many vehicles there will be in the first phase, whether the service will cover the entire city or just some neighborhoods, or whether any user will be able to order a car without anyone at the wheel. On the other hand, the DGT itself confirmed us last month that there was no request from Uber or its partners to test autonomous vehicles. The organization remembers that there are three test phases: a controlled one (maximum three cars, always with a safety driver), an extensive one (up to ten, also with a driver) and a pre-deployment phase, where the vehicle limit disappears and the driver becomes optional, although always supervised remotely. Right now, the only company in that last phase in Spain is Tesla, which test your FSD system with 30 vehicles throughout the national territory. The risks that Waymo already knows. Just like stand out From El Confidencial, the experience in the United States leaves two clear warnings. The first is vandalism, since in June, anti-ICE protesters burned five Waymo vehicles in Los Angeles, each valued between 150,000 and 200,000 euros, forcing the suspension of service in the city. The second, more serious for the business, are technical failures. And in just one month, Waymo had to first recall 3,800 cars for entering flooded roads and then 3,900 (97% of its fleet) for a software error that led them to sections of highway under construction. Despite this, the company defends that its cars suffer 94% fewer serious or fatal accidents than those driven by humans, and 84% fewer accidents with cyclists or motorcyclists. And now what. The calendar indicates that, starting in November, the first Uber robotaxis will begin to be seen in Madrid, with a safety driver at the wheel during the first months until the service becomes fully autonomous. The routes will be requested from each operator’s app and the cost is still unknown, but they are expected to be more expensive. Waymo is still a sea of ​​doubts, since it has a company created, but it still lacks a fleet partner to start. And at the bottom of the board we have Cabify and Bolt, who could be added later with vehicles from the Chinese companies Pony.ai or Baidu. Cover image | Hoseung Han In Xataka | A veteran Tesla engineer has summarized his workers’ feelings about the FSD: “We have all seen it fail”

The oldest human remains in Antarctica are more than 200 years old. The problem is that it doesn’t make any sense.

by

In 1912, the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott He arrived at the South Pole convinced that he would be the first to set foot on it. There he found an unexpected surprise: a tent with the Norwegian flag and a letter from Roald Amundsen They showed that someone had been more than a month ahead of him. The history of polar exploration is full of “firsts” that, with the passage of time, have ended up being revised. The remains that should not be there. Antarctica has never had a permanent population. When humans arrived on its shores, it was already a continent too cold and isolated to be inhabited without modern technology. That is why it is so disconcerting that the oldest human remains found there belong to a deceased woman. between 1819 and 1825just when the first documented explorations of the continent were just beginning. A half-buried skull. The discovery occurred in 1985, when the Chilean biologist Daniel Torres Navarro found a skull partially buried on Yámana beach, Cape Shirreff. Years later they appeared other scattered bonesincluding a femur, which probably belonged to the same person. Analysis suggests that she was a young woman, possibly of Chilean origin, whose death occurred sometime between 1819 and 1825. The chronology turns the discovery into a puzzle. The problem is not only who that woman was, but when she died. The first confirmed observation of Antarctica is usually attributed to the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820. If the dating of the remains is correct, the woman lived exactly during the period in which the first expeditions were just beginning to approach the continent. This temporal coincidence makes it extremely difficult to explain how he ended up in one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet. The first Russian expedition to Antarctica (1819-1821) The hypotheses and the mystery. Researchers are considering several possibilities. The first suggests that he could be part of a group of seal hunters from the 19th century who abandoned it after his death. The second proposes that she died on board a ship, was buried at sea (as was common then) and that the currents, together with scavenging birds, They would later disperse their remains to the beach where they were found. None of these explanations have been proven and, four decades after the discovery, new remains have still not appeared that would allow us to reconstruct what happened. The alternative. While that enigma remains open, another study invites us to review another of the great certainties about the continent. Researchers at the University of Otago maintain that Polynesian sailors, and in particular the explorer Hui Te Rangiorathey were able to reach the Antarctic waters already in the 7th century. The hypothesis is supported by Maori oral traditions which describe a frozen ocean, large masses of ice and a dark, fog-covered landscape, descriptions that some specialists consider compatible with the Southern Ocean. Between legends and archaeological evidence. The authors of the study make it clear that these traditions do not constitute a definitive demonstration that the Maori ever contemplated Antarctica. However, they do question the idea that the history of the continent began exclusively with European expeditions of the 19th century and claim the role of indigenous traditions in the reconstruction of the great oceanic explorations. If this interpretation ends up being confirmed, the first human contact with the southern tip of the planet would be more than a thousand years ago to what usually appears in history books. Two investigations that force us to look with different eyes. The two studies They speak of very different times, but they converge on the same conclusion: we still know surprisingly little about the first human contacts with the most isolated continent on Earth. One suggests that Polynesian navigators could have arrived much earlier than previously believed. The other remembers that the oldest human remains found there belong to a woman whose presence remains extraordinarily difficult to explain. Two centuries after his death, the biggest mystery is not who he was, but why he appeared on the only continent where, quite simply, no one expected to find it. Image | US Embassy, Bourrichon In Xataka | The map of Antarctica has been made for decades. And yet we just found something that changes what we knew about her. In Xataka | Antarctica was practically the last corner of the Earth immune to touristification. That’s ending

The raw milk that Haaland drinks is authorized and regulated. Even so, in your kitchen it can become a serious problem.

by

After seeing how it is performing in the World Cupmany people want to be like Erling Haaland. There are things that you are born with, like being almost 2 meters tall. Others are trained, such as their soccer skills, but you also have to have a certain innate talent. What we can try is to eat like him to be just as strong. That is why there are so many media outlets that have covered their diet, which highlights foods such as sourdough bread, eggs, coffee or raw milk. Yes, raw milk. The Norwegian footballer does nothing illegal, of course. In fact, buy raw milk from authorized farms for the sale of this drink that he describes as a superfood. The problem is that, even if purchased from authorized establishments, raw milk can be very dangerous. It is necessary to handle it at home following very specific safety measures, which are not always easy to achieve. If not done properly, an innocent glass of milk can become a food time bomb. Therefore, before increasing the hype of this type of food by announcing them as part of the stars’ diet, we should make these measures clear. What are the risks of raw milk? Raw milk is milk that has not undergone the pasteurization process to eliminate contamination by possible pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, its consumption can be very dangerous. Among these organisms are the causing diseases such as listeriosis, Q fever, typhoid fever, salmonellosis and brucellosis. The risk is especially high in vulnerable people, such as immunosuppressed or pregnant patients. In all of these people, the aforementioned diseases can become quite complicated. However, the consumption of raw milk can be a problem for the entire population, even without being vulnerable. Pasteurization is commonly used with liquid foods and consists of heating them to a certain temperature for a specific time and then cooling them quickly. This temperature varies depending on the type of pasteurization. For example, in what is known as slow pasteurization (LTLT)the food is heated to 63ºC for 30 minutes and then quickly cooled to 4ºC. Instead, the rapid pasteurization (HTST) resort to heating at 72ºC-75ºC for 15 to 20 seconds. Again, it is immediately cooled to 4ºC. Finally, there is the ultra high temperature (UHT) pasteurizationwith which temperatures of 135ºC to 150ºC are used for only 2 to 5 seconds, also followed by immediate cooling. The latter is what is normally used in milk, as it not only destroys pathogenic microorganisms, it also eliminates spores that could cause poisoning later. Although it is true that it may produce slight changes in flavor, the nutritional conditions remain intact. Therefore, it is the most worthwhile technique for this type of food. What security measures should be taken? Consumption of raw milk it is not prohibitedbut it is very regulated. In SpainFor example, only those establishments that have registered in the General Health Registry of Food and Food Companies (RGSEAA). Logically, these establishments must comply with a series of very exhaustive hygiene measures and undergo periodic health checks. Furthermore, milk must be sold bottled and inform on the label about a shelf life of less than three days after milking. On the other hand, the label must include recommendations for use and conservationsuch as the importance of boiling milk before consumption and the temperature at which it should be stored (from 1ºC to 4ºC). Dairy farms must meet very exhaustive criteria to be able to sell raw milk Where does Erling Haaland buy milk? As he himself has shown on his social networks, Erling Haaland buy raw milk at Greenoaks Farma dairy farm located in the English county of Cheshire. This establishment meets all UK criteria for the sale of raw milk. We can also assume that Haaland follows all subsequent safety regulations when handling milk at home. Even so, great care must be taken with the advertising of this drink, since, in reality, it is very difficult to comply with all the established safety regulations. Be careful when handling raw milk Livestock from farms that meet the safety criteria for the sale of raw milk undergo regular veterinary examinations. However, some bacteria as Escherichia coli either Salmonellathey can naturally be in the udders of healthy cows. Therefore, milk can also become contaminated and must be boiled. Now, boiling it is not as simple as we think. There are studies which suggest that, when heating milk at home, it must be exposed to 63ºC for 30 minutes, 72ºC for 15 seconds or a sustained boil. Very few people have a kitchen thermometer and, if they do, it is not easy to ensure domestically that all the milk has been subjected to the necessary temperature for an adequate time. Therefore, at home it is best to boil milk. The bad thing is that there is a problem. Milk rises very quickly when it starts to boil, so we usually rush to lower the temperature so that it doesn’t spill. Thus, it is not heated for enough time to eliminate all the microorganisms. That’s why, in a thread on his Twitter account from 2018food safety expert Gemma del Caño explained that it is advisable repeat the process 3 times. It is something that is not indicated on the labeling, so almost no one does it. Another thing that is not usually done is the rapid cooling that is carried out in pasteurization. On the other hand, not everyone has their refrigerator at the right temperature or does not handle milk properly once it has been boiled. The consequence is that, in many cases, boiling raw milk is not enough. What about Haaland? Haaland has no problem. We have already seen that he buys milk from an authorized establishment and, on the other hand, no one denies that he handles it properly. The problem is that he has been a benchmark for a long time, but he is becoming even more so in the current football competition, which is why many people want … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.