problem

A video game is recruiting the brightest minds of Russia for war. The problem is that they still go to school

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Russia gave a blow this week revealing a video of a few minutes. In it, the interior of what they have called as “the largest secret factory of combat drones on the planet”, located at some point in Alabuga, in the Tartaristan region, was prisoned. The piece showed us a huge army of drones with their workers assembling the pieces. However, there was something else: most were not adults, They were teenagers. A video game and a war. History is part of an investigation and exclusive to Russian media in exile The Insider. Apparently, since the summer of 2022, under the appearance of an educational and entertainment platform called Berloga (“Bear Dirridge”), Russia has been recruiting hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren in a progressive technical-military training system focused on the development and use of drones, camouflaged after video gamescompetitions and programs with academic incentives. The game, approved Personally by Putin And symbolically presented in the busy city of Sebastopol, introduces children into a children’s narrative in which “smart bears” They defend The vital resource of “bees” insects, a barely concealed allegory where bears are Russia and Ukrainian bees. From the first levels of the game to participation in face -to -face competitions and the physical assembly of drones, children are guided along a route designed to transform them In technicians and operators useful for the Russian military complex, all while assures them that “they should not say that it is for war.” From command to the welder. Berloga is not an isolated initiative, but the entrance door to a broader educational network built by the so -called agency for Kremlin strategic initiatives, in which They converge NTI Technology Clubs, the TALANT student achievement monitoring platform and the national archipelago intensive. These programs are connected to each other through competitions As great challengesin which thousands of students work in solutions to “technological” problems (which often have undercover military purposes) proposed by companies associated with the Russian State. Screen capture of the concept of a superpesado launch vehicle with a water -based launch system from the “Large Challenges” program Privileged minds to war. He counted the medium That the students who stand out are rewarded with extra points in the national exam, presidential scholarships and direct entries in companies in the defense sector, such as Geoscan, Yakovlev or Almaz-Agent. The tasks presented to them range from the Improvement of the navigationN from UAVS to the design of unmanned vehicles launched from floating platforms, through automated drone detection systems and laser loaders for tactical use. Although J is requiredUstify the projects As if they were for civil use, the students themselves admit That it is a formality: the real objective is military. Children engineers. Adolescents who participate in these training skills and networks not only program or design prototypes, but some (related to research for themselves) They train soldiersthey set up FPV drones and work to undercover military laboratories in exchange for contracts by work with the consent of their parents. The components they use in the contests are the same as they then use in the operational versions of their creations. In other words, knowledge flows directly to the front. Dual technology. In one of the cases, a young man named Stas developed a kamikaze drone low cost to replace current models of the Russian army whose price exceeds $ 10,000 per unit. Another, Vladislav, collaborated with a state company for Test war teams electronics about its own air platform. Companies, Like Geoscan or Yakovlev, segment their operations between civil and military branches, a common practice that allows maintaining the legality facade against international sanctions. This structure of “dual technologies” is held by officials such as Vice Minister of Commerce Vasili Shpak, who argues that there is no longer a clear distinction Between the civil and the military. The official narrative line points to a future in which all technological innovation will be automatically usable for the war conflict. A photo of the Official Telegram Channel of Zarnitssa 2.0 Child Military Training Child involvement in these programs goes beyond technical learning. Here it seems Intensive archipelagowhich in its beginnings covered various sectors, and has been reconverted in an almost exclusively drone course. Includes exercises like Recognition, electronic evasion, drone launch from land stations or search for objectives with thermal cameras. In parallel, Berloga allied in 2024 with Zarnitssa 2.0the modern version of a Soviet military game. The program, financed with millions From rubles of the state budget, he has trained tens of thousands of schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 21 In the use of weapons Compressed air, Wannera-47 rifles massers, drones flight and choice of military specialties such as Zapador, UAV operator or political instructor. Discrepancies. Some schools are They have complained that both students and teachers have been forced to participate. Zarnitsa It is managed For the Yunarmiya Youth Movement (Young Army), linked to the Ministry of Defense and that in 2025 will receive More than one billion of rubles in subsidies. For the Russian authorities, the objective It seems clear: Detect military talent from an early age and channel it to the defense industry. War pedagogy. There is much more, since research emphasizes that this mass and silent recruitment of minors for war purposes is being institutionalized with Explicit support of the Kremlin. Putin has ordered drone competitions for children since the age of 7, and new school subjects Centering national security include training with UAVs. The official goal is to achieve “technological sovereignty” by 2030, and today’s adolescents are expected to become the military operators of tomorrow. Officials such as the Deputy Minister of Education Dmitry Afanasyev defend The formation of children in military technology under the pretext that “there are no purely civil applications.” In His wordseven a agricultural drone operator You must have combat competitions, as in China. Thus, Russia is institutionalizing a war pedagogy where the child ceases to be a citizen in training and becomes an anticipated military resource. Rights of the … Read more

What Spacex has achieved with Starship is incredible. The only problem is that he has done it at the expense of the health of his employees

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Spacex has no paragon. The speed at which it assembles its rockets, the tests and itera in its design is far from the competition. But it comes with a hidden cost: a rate of injuries that multiplies by four of its rivals and reminds the security figures of 30 years ago. Context. Starbase is the Starship operations basethe place where the Aerospace Company of Elon Musk manufactures and proves the gigantic Rocket Starship with the ambition to launch thousands of ships to Mars in the coming decades. Although the program has achieved unthinkable technological feats, its frantic rhythm and its vertiginous deadlines are having a high human cost, especially if the risks assumed by Spacex are compared with the usual caution of the space industry. Six times more work accidents. Official data analyzed by Techcrunch They reveal that Starbase suffers six times more occupational accidents than the industry average, which makes it the rocket factory with the highest risk of injury in the United States. The Spacex headquarters registered a rate of injuries that multiplies by four of its rivals and resembles the figures of 30 years ago, when the security protocols were more lax. The figures are public. They leave The database of the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and use a standardized metric: the total rate of registrable incidents (TRIR), which calculates the number of injuries in one year per 100 full -time workers. Are public data that Spacex is obliged to report. And they are overwhelming. Starbase’s trir in 2023 was 5.9. That is, for every 100 employees, there were almost six recordable injuries. In comparison, the average of the space vehicle manufacturing sector was 0.7. And the average of the entire space sector was 1.6. A 30 -year setback. Although Starbase’s trir improved 4.27 in 2024, it is still a fact comparable to that of the sector 30 years ago. In 1994, the average trir was 4.2. In Starbase, with 2,690 employees in 2024, more than four injuries per 100 employees was 3,558 days of work with restrictions and 656 days of low labor. Anomalous even within Spacex. Starbase is not only a black point compared to the rest of the industry, but also within Spacex itself. None of the company’s facilities approaches the figures in southeastern Texas, with the exception of risky rocket recovery operations on the high seas (with a 7.6 trir). While Starbase registered 4.27 in 2024, the Falcon rocket factory in Hawthorne (California) recorded 1.43. A figure closer to that of competitors such as Blue Origin (a 1.09 in its Florida factory) or United Launch Alliance (1.12 in his Alabama factory). On the other hand, Starlink Terminal Factory in Bastrop registered 3.49, the Redmond satellit factory registered 2.89, the McGregor engines factory recorded a 2.48. Move fast and break things. Elon Musk’s philosophy works when applied to rockets, but squeaks when applied to the safety of his workers. What does Musk say? That the traditional media lie. Or at least that said when Reuters published that Spacex had not declared injuries that included amputations, crushed members and a death For a burst of wind that launched a worker from a truck. What does NASA say? NASA contracts with Spacex They include specific clauses that would allow the agency to intervene in case of a “serious security violation”, as a “repeated” sanction by the OSHA. The high trir rate, alone, is not enough to activate these clauses. Image | Spacex In Xataka | Starbase residents voted to be the city of Spacex. Now a letter has reached the right to their property

You have the solution ready before the problem appears

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Nvidia is where it is by chance. Just two weeks ago the company led by Jensen Huang reached a capitalization value of 4 billion dollars. It is the first company in history that materializes this milestone. Largely His overwhelming success of recent years It is the result of the privilege position it occupies in the hardware industry for artificial intelligence (AI) with a global market share higher than 80%. However, to find the authentic reason for its success we have to go back to its origins. According to Tae Kim, the author of the trial book ‘The Nvidia Way’this company continues to compete today thanks to two qualities of Huang: its perseverance and its intuition. Thanks to them, he managed to overcome in 1998 a crisis that He was about to end Nvidia. And thanks to them this executive has developed a surprising capacity of anticipation. Nvidia has trouble making the H20 GPU, but the solution is on the way ‘The dilemma of innovators’ It is one of Jensen Huang’s favorite books. The ideas that Clayton M. Christensen exhibited in 1997 have helped him not only to place his company in The privilege position that currently holds in the technology industry; They have also allowed him to keep it at the top of success for more than two decades. And, above all, they have taught him how to anticipate the blows and how he can prepare to fit them. The last one received it in April. And is that in the middle of that month the US Department of Commerce imposed new restrictions to the export to China of the GPU for AI H20what in practice caused this chip to stop arriving at the Chinese clients of this company. This news Nvidia’s shares sank 6% in the bag because I could no longer attend the commitments linked to the H20 GPU that it had acquired. Among the Chinese clients who had bought great amounts of this GPU, and who presumably planned to continue doing it, were Tencent, Alibaba or Bytedance. The most advanced TSMC manufacturing lines have a very high demand and there is an endless waiting list Finally, like We explain to you on July 15Nvidia has made the Department of Commerce review its regulation and allow you to sell the H20 GPU in China again. “The US government has assured us that licenses will be granted. We hope to start deliveries soon,” Pray a statement from Nvidia. But, once again, this company has stumbled upon a problem. When the Trade Department restricted the export of the H20 GPU, Nvidia asked TSMC to stop the manufacture of this chip. It is normal. It was expressly designed for the Chinese market and was not going to be able to continue selling it in China. Now resume large -scale production of the H20 GPU in the TSMC nodes is a problem because the most advanced manufacturing lines They have a very high demand And there is an endless waiting list. A priori this scenario could be a hard blow for Nvidia because it would prevent him from serving his Chinese clients, but the solution has been on his way for many months. And it is that the company’s engineers have been working on A new GPU with Blackwell microarchitecture The latest generation that is intended to occupy in China the place of the H20 chip. In fact, presumably TSMC began in June the production of The B30 GPUwhich is how it seems to be called. What we know at the moment is that this chip for AI will be less capable than the H20 GPU, as is logical, and also that its price will move between $ 6,500 and $ 8,000. For domestic users it is a lot of money, but in the field of professional GPUs for AI it is a moderate price. In fact, the H20 GPU costs between $ 10,000 and $ 12,000. Image | Nvidia More information | Commercial Times | The Information In Xataka | The US gives Huawei a great opportunity: to get its new chip for AI with the Nvidia market in China

We have detected the greatest fusion of black holes seen to date. It is a problem for our theoretical models

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One of the enigmas that most intrigue astronomers is that of Black holes of intermediate size, those black holes halfway between the holes of stellar mass and the supermassions such as the one that dominates in the center of our galaxy. These are black holes with masses between 100 times that of our sun and those that multiply this star mass by millions. GW231123. A group of Ligo-Virgo-Kagra (LVK) collaboration researchers (LVK) has announced The detection of the greatest clash between two black holes registered to date. The discovery has occurred thanks to the gravitational waves generated by the impact, whose signal has been called GW231123 by those who detected it. November 2023. The name of the signal refers to the date on which it was observed, on November 23, 2023. The study of the detected waves led those responsible for the new study to estimate that the resulting black hole had a dough some 225 times higher than that of our sun. Until now the most massive had been “alone” 140 solar masses. It was in 2021, the GW190521 signal. Estimates indicate that the 2023 signal was the result of the collision between a black hole of 100 solar masses with one of 140 solar masses. That is, only one of the black holes was already as massive as that of the fruit of the largest shock detected so far. From this event not only highlights its magnitude, but also the fact that the speed of rotation of black holes was surprisingly high. A new enigma in heaven. All this planet an important unknown for the team. As they explain, the holes of such mass cannot be formed from the death of a star, at least based on what contemporary physical models say. The only way we know can be formed is through the fusion of smaller black holes. LVK. In 2015, the Ligo experiment made history detecting for the first time the clash of two black holes through the expansion of gravitational waves associated with such a violent event. This pioneering experiment has been company in Europe and Kagra for years (Kamioka gravitational wave detector) In Japan. Together they have already detected more than 300 clashes between black holes. The details of the study They have been presented In the 24th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GR24) and 16th Conference Edoardo Amaldi on gravitational waves, a joint conference held this week in Glasgow, Scotland. Not so easy to observe. The detection of GW231123 “pushed the limits of both gravitational wave detection technology and current theoretical models,” says the responsible team. Analyzing these types of events through gravitational waves is not easy, but knowing more about them can help us unravel some key mysteries of the cosmos. “Black holes seem to turn very quickly, almost to the limit of what is allowed by Einstein’s theory of relativity,” explained in a press release Charlie today, co -author of the study. “This makes the signal difficult to model and interpret. It is an excellent case study to push the development of our theoretical tools.” Looking for the midpoint. Theoretical tools that perhaps help us reveal the secrets of the elusive black sized black holes. Today we do not know very well how these holes are formed whose mere existence implies the certainty that we still do not know about our universe. In Xataka | What happens if you fall into a black hole, explained in a simple way in an overwhelming NASA simulation Image | POT

The big problem of marine wind is cables. Germany has a plan to avoid them

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In the middle of the North Sea, an anchored barge off the German coast does not transport merchandise produces fuel. It is not science fiction: it is the first floating floor that converts wind, seawater and air into energy for the future. Short. In the port of Bremerhaven, Germany floats a rare platform. At first glance it looks like another industrial barge, but in reality it is a floating laboratory that prepares for something unpublished: to manufacture synthetic fuels directly in the sea. More in depth. The project His name is PTX-Wind and is part of the national H2Mare initiative, focused on the production of clean energy on the high seas. It is promoted by the Institute of Technology of Karlsruhe (Kit), together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Technical University of Berlin. The installation has not yet left the port, but it is already ready for its next phase: operating in real conditions against Helgoland. The purpose of the kit with this test is clear: show that e-combustible in the high seas can be generated, without electricity or land infrastructure. No cables, network or land firm. One of the most striking things of this platform is that it is not connected to any electricity grid. It works totally autonomously, using only wind energy, seawater and the surrounding air. What you get from there transforms it into liquid fuels ready to use, without net emissions of CO₂. According to Professor Roland Dittmeyer, director of the Institute of Microprocess Engineering of the Kit and project coordinator, this installation not only seeks to demonstrate the technical viability of the system, but also learn to climb it for future large industrial platforms. The heart of the barge. Inside, this platform integrates several advanced technologies that, together, form a Power -to-X (PTX) chain (PTX). In other words, they convert renewable electricity into fuels or other chemicals. The giant laboratory has a first phase of Direct air capture (DAC)which extracts carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. After that, desalination to transform seawater into water suitable for electrolysis. That water is divided into hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis fed by wind energy. Finally, a synthesis is used Fischer-Tropsch to combine hydrogen with CO₂ and generate liquid hydrocarbons, also known as e-combustible. The entire system has been designed to operate in a modular, flexible and disconnected way of the electricity grid, adapting to the natural intermittency of the wind. This allows maintaining active production even in variable conditions, a key aspect for its replication at an industrial scale. First in your class? While there are other hydrogen production projects on land or offshore wind platforms, none until now had gathered all these pieces in a single floating and autonomous structure. According to Interesting Engineeringthis is the first plant that converts marine renewable energy into liquid fuel without depending on the mainland or electrical networks. The point is that not everything can plug. Today, many sectors already advance towards electrification: cars, heating, even some trains. But there are industries – as aviation, maritime transport or heavy chemistry – that still depend on liquid fuels with high energy density. The e-fuels, like those produced by this platform, They are a neutral alternative in carbon that could replace diesel or kerosene without the need to completely redesign airplanes or ships. And the best: they do not compete for agricultural lands nor consume fresh water. When operating directly in the sea, they take advantage of the wind potential and avoid costly terrestrial infrastructure. According to the Federal Ministry of Investigation of Germany (BMBF)also helps relieve pressure on local electrical networks. Not only diesel. Although for now the main objective is liquid fuels, the team behind PTX-Wind is also investigating other possible production routes, such as Synthetic methane (compatible with current gas networks), The green methanol (useful for maritime transport or chemical industry) and renewable ammonia (It works as a hydrogen bearer or as fertilizer without emissions). The sea as a new energy border. More than a prototype, the PTX-Wind platform represents a scalable and adaptable model for the production of fuels in the high seas. Its modular design would allow to replicate this technology in different coastal areas of the world, creating a distributed network of floating refineries of clean energy. At a time when climatic solutions are urgent and promises often stay on paper, this floating barge is a tangible example that innovation is already out there, literally floating in the sea. Image | Unspash and Kit Xataka | There is a place where Spain is losing a good part of the renewable electricity that generates: the Toledo-Ciudad Real-Granada axis

The AI has folded the price of an ultrarrao metal. The problem is that we need it to store renewable energy

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Two technological revolutions are redefining, at the same time, the entire energy sector: the transition to renewable sources and the unstoppable boom of artificial intelligence. The first needs cheap and efficient batteries. The second has an insatiable data appetite and needs hardware to store them. The problem is that both are colliding in the market of An ultrarrao metal: Ruthenium. And the AI is winning the battle. Ruthenium is in historical maximums. In the last year, this discreet silver gray mineral has become The unexpected star of raw material markets. Its price has doubled, reaching $ 25,720 per kilogram, according to data from the Johnson Matthey metal refining that Bloomberg collects. The figure not only eclipses gold or silver increases, but also touches its historical maximum of $ 27,970, reached 18 years ago. What has unleashed this fever. The answer is in data centers that feed artificial intelligence. Ruthenium, a Platinum Group metal, is exceptionally hard and versatile. One of its applications in electronics are high -capacity hard drives, which use a river layer of less than a thick nanometer to greatly increase data density. As the generative AI and the Cloud Computing They demand to store astronomical amounts of information, the demand is triggered. But the background problem is scarcity. Ruthenium is one of the most rare elements of the earth’s crust. It is obtained almost exclusively as a byproduct of platinum mining, and its annual supply is tiny: just 30 tons last year. Unless the investment in mining increases, analysts expect the market Enter in deficit next year. That is, the demand exceeds the supply. Not only does it need Ruthenio. In addition to hard drives, metal is a vital component in Several of the most promising chemists For massive energy storage batteries. Ruthenium oxide offers unique capacitance and loading and discharge speed, so It was intended to be used in Super Current before the AI duplicate its price. It is also a necessary metal In lithium-oxygen batteriesconsidered one of the next great revolutions in batteries for its very high energy density. But these cells depend on efficient catalysts. Ruthenium nanocatalysts achieve extraordinary capabilities and life cycles, but with the current price they are unfeasible. How it affects the energy sector. No sector is able to face investments as large as that of artificial intelligence. The AI is staying with the Ruthenium to save data while the entire planet faces another urgent challenge: store energy to abandon fossil fuels. Intermittent renewables, such as solar and wind, need large -scale batteries to keep the energy they generate when the sun shines or the wind blows, being able to use it later when night falls or the wind stops blowing. According to the International Energy Agencyin 2023 42 GW of capacity in batteries were installed, more than double than the previous year. It is an impressive, but insufficient figure to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The world needs to multiply that rhythm by six and reach about 1,500 GW of storage capacity from here to 2030 (of which 1,200 GW would be batteries). Is there any alternative to Ruthenium? There are other technologies that allow storing large amounts of data, but they are very expensive, so the industry continues to bet on ruthenium. In fact, a report by International Data Corp. provides that sales of hard drives with Ruthenium will increase 16% this year, dragging metal stocks. Researchers from all over the world have spent years developing new advanced batteries assuming a price for ruthenium that, although high, was manageable. Now, the explosion of the demand for AI has created a cost curve that no one anticipated, and that forces to start from scratch. Image | Metalle-W (CC by-SA 3.0) In Xataka | There are companies spending millions in storing hydrogen. Germany has just stored it in bicarbonate

We are champions in productivity with medium and large companies. The problem is that with SMEs we lose by win

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The OECD data has been putting the red lantern to Spanish productivity decades. However, that perception does not Low productivity in Spain It does not fully adjust to the reality that reflect the Recent OECD reports. Such and as they highlight in The confidentialalthough the global data show a very discreet increase, companies of between 10 and 250 workers exceed productivity to the average of their peers in the OECD. However, the big problem is that 95.1% of Spanish business fabric is made up of SMEs with between 0 and 10 employees. What the OECD says about Spain. The OECD, in Your productivity report Of 2024, it evidences that the average annual growth of the hour per hour worked in Spain has been 0.5% per year, while the OECD as a whole has registered an average of 1.2%. That places the country clearly below the average of the Club of developed economies. Despite this scenario, a BBVA Foundation Analysis On the evolution of the total productivity of the factors (PTF), which combines the productivity of labor and capital to leave a photo closer to the reality of companies, says a growth of 0.9% interannual of this parameter. Which reinforces the conclusions of the OECD on the growth of productivity in Spain, which is like the Second country with greater growth of productivity in the last two decades. However, beyond the global data of Spain, the graphics of the OECD productivity study value the largest companies already medium -sized as a productivity engine in Spain. Thus, the OECD evidence that the mismatch in productivity is not so much between Spain and Europe as a whole, but among the different company sizes within the country itself. Total productivity of the factors (PTF) by country. Source: Productivity Council of Spain Microenterprises: many and unproductive. As recognized From the report From the Productivity Council in Spain, the most relevant feature of the Spanish productive fabric is that 95.1% of Spanish companies have less than ten employees, confirming that microenterprise is the standard in Spain, not the exception. According to the OECD dataSpanish microenterprises generated in 2023 an added value of $ 56,990 per worker, compared to $ 108,356 per employee generated by large companies. That means that large companies are 90% more productive than SMEs. The productivity of microenterprises is 15.3% below the OECD average and represents one of the main ballasts for the national average. He OECD diagnosis On microenterprises it is clear: having many very small companies limits the Productivity improvements and investment capacity. Medium companies approve with note. The highlight of the international comparative analysis is that, according to the OECD, “Spanish medium -sized companies have a productivity higher than the EU average, standing above the other advanced countries in their category.” In percentage terms, Spanish companies of 10 to 49 employees are 8.7% more productive than the OECD average; those of 50 to 250 employees 9.1% and those of more than 250 employees 5.2%. In other words, only 4.9% of companies in Spain would be above the OECD average, occupying avant -garde positions in terms of competitiveness in markets International The challenge: increase size and investment. The recipe that the OECD gives to Improve productivity Of these microenterprises it is clear, but it is not simple to apply: it is necessary to seek improvements in productivity through Investment and innovationimproving the value added by employee so that the business fabric gains size. According to 2023 dataSpain is at the tail in investment in machinery, ICT assets and i+d. Precisely, a Report of the Bank of Spain He pointed to productive investment as the key to business growth. The report emphasizes that private business investment had not managed to recover prepondondemic levels, while public investment in this area had recovered and grew at a good pace. In Xataka | Some researchers have analyzed the working day in Spain: the same thing that 40 years ago is worked, but in worse jobs Image | Unspash (Sherman Yang) We believed that in Spain we were not productive, but medium and large companies exceed the OECD average. That is the problem

Our computers are literally full, the problem is that it is almost impossible to extract it. Or we believed

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Gold is one of the metals with better electrical conductivity. For this reason, it is used in many electronic components, mainly in computers, but also in smartphones or sound systems. The problem is that extracting it from these pieces is very complicated and the cost it means does not compensate. Or we believed. Swiss researchers They have created a method to extract precious metal from a serum protein. Find gold in the trash. The components where gold is used most They are the PCB or printed circuit plates that we find in all types of devices, from computers to smartphones. It can also be found in processors, connectors and HDD hard drives. The problem, as we said, is that the existing methods to extract this metal are very complex and expensive. In addition, it is often necessary to use very toxic chemical components, although that does not stop that many Try it in your own houses. For all this, it is often not worth the effort to the small amounts that are extracted. The extraction process. Whey protein. Researchers at the Federal Polytechnic School of Zurich have managed to extract gold with a new more efficient, sustainable and cheap method. As? With serum protein ‘whey’ (yes, the Gym shakes). To do this, they submitted proteins to acidic conditions and high temperatures. These form nanofibers that are added to a gel and, after drying, forms a kind of sponge. It is not the first time we hear that Whey protein is used for similar purposes. A few months ago China managed to recycle the electric car batteries thanks to the glycine present in these shakes. Who was going to tell us that in addition to getting strong, it would serve to extract gold or recycle batteries. The method. The researchers used 20 computer base plates, from which they extracted all metal parts and dissolved them in an acid bath that ionized the metals. The next step was to submerge the sponge in the solution. Although there are other metals that adhere to the fibers that form it, the researchers discovered that gold ions adhere much better. Once “captured”, the sponge is heated and the ions are released and can melt to create a gold peep. Cheaper. The 20 motherboards resulted in a 450 milligrams gold cupcake with 91% purity (the remaining 9% was copper), or what is the same: 22 korates. At the current price of gold, La Pepita would have a value of about 35 euros. It is not much, but the researchers affirm that the cost of the materials and energy necessary for extraction is 50 times less than that of gold obtained. The next step is to climb this technology to be able to apply it to the market. Images | Eth zurich In Xataka | Our dependence on lithium batteries is worrying. These are the alternatives that aspire to replace them

The Ave to Andalusia seemed a perfect alternative to the car this summer. Has encountered a problem called Toledo

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We are on July 14, summer trips to the south of Spain multiply. High speed had to offer a quick exit to the sea from Madrid, connected to Malaga by trains of up to three different companies. But, in what we have been from the month, the problems have multiplied until thinking that the usual is already suffering some type of delay. Catastrophic misfortunes. In case their own problems were their own, this weekend Spanish high speed has suffered more and more delays. Even for reasons that have nothing to do with the trains themselves. Catalonia and suspensions or delays caused by heavy rains They are a good sample of this. But the worst part, again, takes Andalusia. The Autonomous Community has had a first look in July to forget. After 15 days in which the delays have been a constant, yesterday, Sunday, July 13, A fire next to the tracks Among the Cordoba municipalities of La Marota and Santaella cut the circulation again. In total, only Renfe already registered 10 modifications at his schedules. In the afternoon, at 5:49 p.m. they pointed out that The circulation would gradually restore. Own problems. The fire next to the tracks has only been the drop that has filled the glass of a weekend that had already registered problems on Saturday. An incidence in the Adif facilities again caused delays in trains that were directed on the way Andalusia or Madrid. Again, a good handful of trains recorded delays of more than an hour on the ferrous roads of the Andalusian region. The incidence in the facilities was found in the vicinity of La Sagra (Toledo), where at the beginning of July the biggest Ferroviaro problem was recorded in these first two weeks of the month. 13 hours arrested. Julio began his journey in summer in a very worrying way in southern Spain. Thousands of passengers (it is estimated that more than 16,000 people) were affected by a problem in the lines that extended for more than a day. The problem caused a collapse in the high -speed line that resulted in the suspension of services and The stop (without assistance) of more than 13 hours of a train that ended up meeting the night. Over there, An old woman had to be treated For respiratory failure. Many reproaches … Since that stop happened in high Andalusian speed, the government, Adif and Ouigo have been sent Cross messages for the problems caused. The origin of the fault He was in a disconnection of an ouigo train with the signal recognition system, mandatory to continue operating. His stop forced to stop the trains that circulated below. The cluster of vehicles caused an over -line over the line that resulted in a fault of a Renfe train. The latter did not unwill for a problem in their own systems that force disconnection to avoid breakdowns in case of over -overdraft. Ouigo has not rejected his involvement in the incident but he did defend himself from The words of María Jesús MonteroMinister of Finance and Vice President of the Government, to whom open microphones captured her criticizing the company. The French blamed Adif that Insphorastructure had to endure unforeseen Like these. … And few solutions. After the chaos of the first days of summer, Adif announced that he would carry out an emergency action on the line and that he got to work to identify the weak points of the Andalusian connection. A movement that Ouigo pointed out how insufficient. Those actions They were going to be carried out in La Sagra. Yes, exactly at the same point where the over -the end of the month of July was produced that ended with all the circulation stopped for more than 13 hours. There, ADIF plans to perform an emergency action by changing the location of various elements of the catenary. Two weeks later, trains stand up again in the same place. Photo | Nelso Silva In Xataka | Ouigo has partially retired from Madrid-Barcelona. Then, prices have struck in Andalusia

I thought I had a problem with the ABS of my car, but it caught me in surprise to see that it was something completely unexpected: rats

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The ABS light flashing on the dashboard is never a good sign. Almost none Witter of the dashboard It is, but when the engine witness also adds, you start imagining four -digit figures in the workshop budget. The funny thing is that when I took my car to fix it, I discovered something that I never imagined what would happen: The rats ended up biting several cables Internal of my car. The initial diagnosis. When I arrived at the workshop with the warning lights on, the mechanic, after an inspection of the car, assured me that I could change everything The ABS system. A new one for my Seat Ibiza TDI 1.9 of 2005 can be a rather important expense, one of those expenses that you think if you better pass it, since it is dangerously approaches the price through which I could sell the car today. The price of the second -hand and scrapping ABS system, the thing changes. One can lead normally if the ABS does not work, but it is a risk for security, since it compromises the emergency braking and we do not have that help that the car gives us at critical moments, allowing our brakes to end up blocking. The real problem. After almost a week in the workshop and a more detailed inspection, the mechanic discovered the authentic cause of the failure: the ABS system cables and some that communicate with the engine They had been bitten. It was not a normal wear or component failure, but the rats had been roying the car cables. For a rat, gnawing cables and objects that are in its path is their day to day, since their teeth do not stop growing throughout their lives and need some means to polish their teeth. What a pity they had to run into my car. Unexpected, but in a way, relieved. What seemed like a serious problem with the brake system and the emergency light of the engine was solved with a cable repair. The joke came out for about 120 euros. A considerable relief compared to the complete change of the ABS that initially the mechanic had raised. From the workshop they repaired the damaged cables and the dashboard warning indicators were turned off. The background problem. Now the real challenge is not in the car, but in the garage. It is a private garage under a floors building where several vehicles park. Days before I had already seen a rat that was shot from under my car to a hole that is right next to my parking space. From the workshop they recommended preventive measures such as spraying in the vain motor or placing camphor balls, especially useful when the car remains a long time stopped. Of course, this should be done with the car standing and cold. I bought the spray as a temporary measure until they finished solving the hole in the garage. And now what. The priority is to cover the garage hole where the rats access, since the alternative remedies will be of little if the problem persists right next where I appear. Fortunately, it seems that garage insurance will cover the workshop spending, which good news for that part. In addition, we are already mobilizing the community to solve the problem of rats. I could have changed their garage directly, although things are not currently to make this decision lightly. We will see what everything is left. Cover image | Michael Fusert and Svetozar Cenisev In Xataka | The best -selling cars in 2024 and 2025 in Spain

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