reasons

In the 19th century they were not particularly sad, but no one smiled in the photos. Although they had reasons for it

by

It’s strange to come across a current photo in which no one is smiling. If we see her, we assume that something is happening: either she wants to give a serious image, or something happens that we don’t know about, or the intention is precisely to go against it, not to smile. However, there was a time in which the usual thing was not to do it, not to show the slightest emotion in the photographs. What is the reason for this attitude? Were they so sad in the victorian englandSpain at the beginning of the century and so on? Actually, there is a very simple explanation. The exhibition. We all know that in the early days of photography, that is, between about 1840 and 1880, cameras required people to remain completely still for several seconds, or even, in the most primitive photos, minutes. Maintaining a natural smile for so long was uncomfortable, and fatigue ended up turning a natural smile into a stiff grimace. Furthermore, any movement resulted in a blurry image, which ran the risk of the model appearing in the photo with a blur on his face like a specter from beyond the grave. Hence the much simpler and more accessible custom of remaining with a relaxed gesture. Decent photographs. But there came a time when photographs did not require more than a moment of exposure, and there were still models with long faces. What was it due to? In reality it was not a technical question, but rather a question of how photography was understood. Perhaps with a vision inherited from when a portrait was a canvas that took days to create, required effort for the painter and model, cost money and could not be reproduced, but rather remained a unique piece. For all this, the portrait was clothed with a certain solemnity. It didn’t matter that these new portraits were much simpler and faster to do: They preserved the aura of dignity and special occasion of the oil paintings. Example: the dead. The legendary photos of the deceased or post-mortem photography They are a perfect example to understand how the medium was perceived for a time. They were a surprisingly common practice during the 19th and early 20th centuries and had a very clear purpose: being still a medium that was not widespread, photography was the only opportunity that many families had to preserve a portrait of the deceased, since they had not been able to do it while they were alive (and with the high infant mortality rate of other times, even more so). Furthermore, with this aura of dignity and pomp that the photograph had, it was incorporated into the elaborate mourning process. Victorian. Smile bad. In the 19th century, smiling openly in public or in portraits was often associated with frivolity, lack of seriousness, or even drunkenness. Educated and respectable people maintained a serious composure. If you have ever seen material from the tone period, let’s say, libertineyou will see what contagious smiles. It’s not that in the 19th and early 20th centuries people didn’t know how to smile: it was the circumstance in which photos were taken. That is why photos have been found taken in more familiar settings, at parties with very close relatives or close friends, where some of this rigidity is lost and people smile widely. Smiling badly, part two. And if we started with a reason as prosaic as “it’s easier not to smile than to smile,” we ended up with another equally practical reason: smiles one hundred and fifty years ago were terrible. The dental hygiene It was much worse than today and the dentures were full of holes, at best. When it came to passing on to posterity, it was normal for the models to decide not to show their teeth. Photo of Lia Den in Unsplash In Xataka | A tractor engine and three floors: this is the Victorian steampunk house that is touring the United States

Someone has analyzed 136 million buildings threatened by rising sea levels. And there are reasons to worry

by

One of the biggest threats we have as a society is undoubtedly rising sea levels. A process that is slow, but that can end up changing the mental maps that we now have from world geography to finish coastal areas of some regions completely flooded. Something that a study wanted to shed light on analyzed building by building flood risk in the Global South. And the result is alarming. The study. Published in npj Urban Sustainabilityis the first to analyze the impact on this scale in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. “The rise in sea level is a slow but unstoppable consequence of the global warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries,” explains Natalya Gomez, co-author of the study. The numbers. The study analyzes the exposure of buildings to different levels of local sea level rise (LSLR), regardless of a specific time scale. This allows the findings to remain relevant as climate projections are updated. In this case the data is quite compelling. First of all, with just 0.5 meters of sea level rise, 3 million buildings would be submerged under the sea. Something that is inevitable right now, even if the most ambitious emissions cuts on the table are applied. If we talk about a five-meter rise in sea level, a scenario that could occur in several hundred years if emissions do not stop, the exposure would skyrocket to 45 million buildings. And in the most extreme case, with a 20-meter rise in the LSLR, the figure would reach 136 million buildings. How it was done. To achieve this level of detail, the scientific team combined several cutting-edge technologies. They used the database Google Open Buildings V2which identifies the location and outline of billions of buildings by analyzing satellite images. This data was cross-referenced with FABDEM, a digital global elevation model that, thanks to machine learning, removes the height of trees and buildings themselves to obtain the true elevation of the “bare ground.” This is crucial to not underestimate the risk of flooding. Finally, they adjusted the calculations using a global tidal model to reflect the water level during high tide, thus providing a more realistic estimate of the danger. Uneven impact. The risk is not the same in all regions, since the study reveals that in the early stages of sea level rise, Africa is the continent with the highest number of buildings affected. However, as the LSLR intensifies, Southeast Asia quickly comes to dominate the flood figures. A key finding is the non-linear nature of the threat. Building loss is relatively high below two meters LSLR, but accelerates dramatically between 2 and 4 meters. Professor Jeff Cardile, co-author of the study, points out that “we were surprised by the large number of buildings at risk from relatively modest long-term sea level rise.” This means that we are not facing a problem that is gradually worsening, but rather one that could reach tipping points with devastating consequences. Many of these buildings are located in low-altitude, high-density areas, affecting entire neighborhoods and critical infrastructure such as ports, refineries, and cultural heritage enclaves. Planning. Beyond the global warning, the study seeks to be a useful tool. Researchers have created an interactive map available through Google Earth which allows policy makers and urban planners to visualize which regions face the greatest exposure. And on this map you will be able to see, building by building, the risk of ending up below sea level as a consequence of climate change. A global problem. Although this study has focused on the effects that will occur in Africa or Asia, the reality is that it is a problem that affects us all. As the study points out, all of us depend on food, goods and fuel that pass through ports and coastal infrastructure that are exposed to this rise in sea level. Thus, disruption of this infrastructure can cause disruption with serious economic consequences globally. That is why this tool can guide climate adaptation strategies, such as the construction of protective infrastructure, the adjustment of land use planning or, in some cases, the planned relocation of communities. As Maya Willard-Stepan, lead author of the study, concludes: “We cannot escape at least a moderate amount of sea level rise. The sooner coastal communities start planning, the more likely they are to continue to thrive.” Images | Chris Gallagher Marc Pell In Xataka | In the midst of climate change, cities only have one question to answer: become a sponge or a mousetrap

there were no reasons to eliminate teleworking

by

Holaluz, the energy marketer based in Barcelona, ​​has been condemned by the Social Court No. 21 after its decision to eliminate teleworking for its entire workforce. This measure, communicated at the end of 2024 and effective from January 2025, which put on the warpath to his staff leading to the resignation of more than 30% of employees. The company justified the measure by organizational and economic causesalleging a bad financial situation. Justice has ruled in favor of its employees. It was a unilateral decision. According to a statement published by the CGT union, the court ruling comes after months of internal tension and after the lawsuit filed jointly by the union and the Holaluz works council. The court has concluded that Holaluz did not provide objective and measurable evidence to support the complete elimination of remote workand that the decision violated the acquired rights of the staff, who had been enjoying five years of a flexible model and three with frozen salaries. Reversible, but negotiated, teleworking. The Social court recognizes that teleworking was part of the contracts of Holaluz employees. That is, this modality was not given as a temporary or exceptional measure. in the wake of the pandemic. In these contracts there was a reversibility clause that reserves the right to review and evaluate the teleworking model under objective circumstances linked to the suitability of the position in each individual case. However, the company applied the elimination of remote work across the board. alleging economic causes and the need to reorganize the way you work. Furthermore, the ruling states that the company acted with little good faith in the negotiation, maintaining a rigid position and without accepting alternatives such as a consensual hybrid model. This lack of openness was reflected in the fact that Holaluz communicated the decision to the staff before closing the dialogue process, thus consolidating the unilateral imposition of the change. It wasn’t just teleworking. In December 2024, Holaluz management informed its staff that it would completely reverse teleworking as of January 2025. This decision did not come alone as it was accompanied by the elimination of benefits for staff such as language courses and health insurance. The set of changes produced in the working conditions of employees was presented as a Substantial Modification of Working Conditions (MSCT) for your entire workforce. The negotiations lasted two weeks and ended without an agreement, which led to the first strike in Spain called for the elimination of teleworking. Forced to go to a distant office. The measure especially affected those employees who had either been hired under the premise of teleworking or who had moved away from the office. The obligation to return to in-person attendance meant new transportation costs and long trips for many. Workers publicly denounced that the change sought to pressure employees to leave the company as a “covert ERE.” Resignation with compensation. The judicial resolution not only declares the elimination of teleworking inadmissible, but also declares as justified the terminations of the contracts of those workers who resigned due to substantial changes in working conditions. In accordance with article 41 of the Workers Statuteany employee who terminates his contract for this reason has the right to compensation of 20 days of salary for each year worked, with a maximum of nine monthly payments. This implies that dozens of former Holaluz employees who resigned after the elimination of teleworking will be able to claim this payment In its statement, the CGT union describes it as “an important victory” for the recognition of labor rights, and assures that this case can set a precedent for unilateralism in eliminate teleworking options in Spain. In Xataka | “It is not a hidden layoff”: Amazon’s CEO has denied that returning to the office is an excuse to reduce his workforce Image | Hellolight, Unsplash (myHQ Workspaces)

A very high percentage of fines that are used in Madrid for the Zbe end up annulled: two reasons explain it

by

The courts 558 sanctions have lying imposed by the Madrid City Council in its low -broadcast areas. The figure represents 97% success in the judicial resources presented by conductors through the platform provided by the dove. Since the Justice of Madrid annulled several of the articles From the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance in 2024, the legality of the Fines System of the Zbe of the capital is questioned. Judicial failure. Only in 2025, the Consistory has accumulated 383 unfavorable sentencesof which 224 included condemnation in procedural coasts, which represents almost 60% of cases. Of all cancellations, 60% corresponds to the Centro District ZBE, 25% to Madrid Zbe and 15% to Elliptical Plaza. Each of these sanctions has a minimum amount of 200 euros. Two reasons. Courts support their decisions on two legal pillars. First, the City Council does not comply with article 242 of the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance, which requires “documenting the installation of visible informative posters that warn about the collection of data or images for access control.” In no case, the Consistory has been able to demonstrate the existence of such regulatory signage, which has caused the cancellation of sanctions. The cancellation of the legal framework. THE SECOND Pilar: The Superior Court of Justice of Madrid annulled The part of the Mobility Ordinance relative to the ZBE, leaving without legal base all the sanctions issued under that regulatory framework. This nullity assumes that the fines lack legal basis by being supported by a regulation canceled by the courts. Despite this, the Madrid City Council He has resorted This decision and continues to sanction. A fundamental fund machine. Madrid foresee Collect this year more than 208 million euros in traffic fines, of which approximately 110 million come from the ZBE. This means that more than half of the proceeds in fines by the Madrid town hall comes from the sanctions in these areas. The figure makes Madrid the Spanish city that enters the most for this concept, raising 3.5 times more That Barcelona, ​​the second on the list. Of the ten cities with the largest population in Spain, Madrid is the most fine. “I despise for legality.” Pedro Javaloyes, Dvuelta spokesman, affirms that this implies “the contempt for the legality and rights of citizens by the Consistory.” “The courts are stopping the city council systematically for the massive and unjustified use of Zbe fines,” he adds. “Not only is there a normative abuse: there is a clear collection intention, at the expense of the drivers, that justice is dismantling sentence.” It is worth resorting to fines. Resorting to these sanctions is becoming what Javaloyes define as “a civic reaction” that “balances the balance between an administration that tends to turn the fine into a collection instrument and a citizen who, otherwise, would be helpless,” he said. For its part, the Madrid town hall assures that Zbe are necessary to meet the air quality objectives. Also remember that the cancellation of the TSJM It is appealedso until the Supreme Court does not apply any other action, the fines will continue. Cover image | Madrid newspaper In Xataka | 2025 is being a relief for the sale of electric cars in Europe. For everyone, except for Tesla

Our brain also “draws the garbage.” And it is one of the reasons why sleep is so important

by

We have known for a long time that sleep is more than rest, it is a vital need such as eating or breathing. Lack of sleep can have devastating consequences on our physical state, but also on our mental state. The big question for many scientists is why, a question that we have not yet answered at all, but in whose resolution we have advanced significantly. Sleep and dementia. A line of research that in recent years has gained importance has been the one that studies the role of the glinphathic system in the relationship between our dream and the appearance of dementia. The key would be in the “cleaning” work that this system exerts in our brain. The glinphathic system. The glinphathic system can be seen in certain contexts such as a cerebral analogue of the Lymphatic system. This forgotten anatomical system exercises different tasks in our body, being one of them to “take out the garbage”, clean the accumulation of waste generated by cells and eliminate harmful substances that may be present in our tissues. The lymphatic system does not extend through our brain, but someone must perform this important task in the central nervous system. A few years ago we began to understand who and how. The problem is that we have not yet managed to find out the most relevant aspects of the call GLINFATIC SYSTEM. Cleaning the plates. This cleaning work could be linked to the appearance of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. In A recent article in The conversationa group of researchers from the Macquarie University formed by Julia Chapman, Camilla Hoyos and Craig Phillips, explained this relationship. This hypothesis is based on the role they play in the appearance of the disorder Beta-amyloid proteins (Aβ). Over time these proteins tend to accumulate in our brain and, if they are not refined, they form plates that hinder the proper neurological functioning, damaging the brain and giving rise to the appearance of the disease. Night work The hypothesis that links sleep and Alzheimer’s way of the glinphathic system is also based on the idea that it is during the dream that the system takes the opportunity to clean impurities and toxins. However, the doubts about what the dream is what this relationship unleashes. As Chapman, Hoyos and Phillips stand out, studies sometimes seem to contradict, for example when measuring if the Aβ levels we find in the brain liquid are greater during sleep or during vigil. From mice to people. One of the problems we find in this line of research is that much of what we know we know it thanks to studies in micewhile the analysis with humans are limited. However, some studies have managed to approach the problem from human biology. An example cited by the team is A study Posted in 2018 in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Pnas). In it the team observed how a simple night of sleep deprivation could cause Aβ levels to increase significantly in the hippocampus. The study therefore reinforces the theory that the dream is closely linked to the probability of dementia. The risks of insomnia. The 2018 study was conducted in healthy people who experienced a night of sleep deprivation. So what about people who have insomnia or similar problems? This issue is different and requires a separate study. According to Macquarie’s team, some analysis carried out with people with insomnia and sleep apneas (interruptions caused by breathing problems) have associated these types of problems with a higher risk of dementia or with lower levels of Aβ. This again seems to support the thesis of a relationship between sleep and dementia mediated by this “cleaning system.” Another relevant issue is how sleeping pills influence, if it is at sleeping facilitate the functioning of the glinphathic system or if on the contrary the effect of these does not facilitate their night activity. A study Made in mice and published this year in the magazine Cell points to the second possibility since these compounds They did not activate the appearance of norepinephrinea compound that seems to perform an important rum in this “drain” function of toxins and other harmful compounds for the brain. In Xataka | We have been detecting a relationship between Herpes and Alzheimer’s years. Now we are discovering that treating one helps with the other Image | Craig Adderley / Milad Fakurian

Australia has analyzed teleworking since before pandemic. His conclusions disassemble the reasons for the return to the office

by

Although teleworking is no longer the preferred option by companies, or at least not their full -time variant, remote work continues to maintain much higher values that those who registered before pandemic. That shows that, in a way, teleworking does arrive to stay in Very specific contexts. Australia has been observing the real impact of teleworking for four years and consolidated data contradict old prejudices. “Working from home makes us happier,” The authors assure of a study by the University of Southern Australia, ciming a new more flexible and productive labor model. Time flexibility: the new office fruit. The Australian study is especially revealing because it began before the pandemic and the rise of teleworking and has been extended for four years, which leaves a much more defined photo of how remote work has impacted on the way of working and its consequences. According to the study, the possibility of choosing from where to work has allowed to improve both the mental and physical health of workers, although there is still a certain friction from corporate culture. According to A report of the International Labor Organization (OTI), the flexibility provided by teleworking is already equal to The emotional salary with which companies try to capture and retain the best employees, replacing other benefits. Most satisfied employees with their work. The data collected by the study reveal that before the pandemic, the Australian worker used about 4.5 hours per week only in displacements to the office. That time optimization It makes those who work from home enjoy “ten extra days of free time a year against those who go to the office”, dedicating 33% of that time to leisure, which implies “more opportunities to be physically active and less sedentary.” A factor that also highlighted the Academic Study which was carried out in Spain from the Lacaixa Foundation. According to the authors, these data “usually go hand in hand with worse mental health and with lower scores in the assessment of our own health.” Thanks to teleworking, employees have gained “hours of rest to sleep and, for example, breakfast more peacefully”, which helps reduce levels of template stress. In turn, this recovered time also has a reflection in healthier habits, such as home preparation or the increase in the consumption of fruits, vegetables and dairy. The result has been a more varied and healthy diet, with less dependence on ultraprocessed foods that require less preparation time. Positive whenever it is by choice. If something has shown us the experience of “forced” teleworking during the confinements of 2020 is that the teleworking It is not for everyone. Since this study allows to contrast the situation of employees before and after the massive arrival of teleworking, it also reveals how it affects that change of work model in workers The researchers found that the well -being and mental health They improved especially when teleworking was voluntarily chosen, while “when employees work from home for obligation, mental health and well -being tend to get worse.” Productivity in evidence. One of the main arguments of companies for the return to the office has been the alleged fall in productivity that was associated with teleworking. In this sense, researchers blame the problem more to an inability to assign tasks and New model management not in a direct casuistry of teleworking. “In many cases, managers who claim that teleworking reduces productivity responds more to a lack of management than a real performance problem,” says researchers in their conclusions. The conclusion after four years of monitoring is unequivocal: work performance and productivity seem to stay stable or, in most cases, improve when working from home. These results coincide With other research that They disconnect the decrease in productivity of the company with the teleworking. The distance does affect the cohesion of the equipment. Great corporations like Amazon wielded The argument of the cohesion of the equipment To impose The return to the office. In that sense, the study prepared by Australian researchers recognizes that “the connection with the classmates is difficult to reproduce at a distance,” admit those responsible for the study, and alert about the risk of loss of cohesion in the work teams. But, as has been demonstrated with some strategies back to the office, the problem can be mitigated by facilitating efficient communication channels. A Recent study Posted in the magazine Naturerevealed that this Team cohesion problem It currently persists with the hybrid day model, provided that consistent communication patterns are not established. In Xataka | A Barcelona company wanted to try the four -day week. He ended up firebaging an employee for having two jobs Image | Unspash (Rodeo Project Management Software)

Some scientists have rowed 225 kilometers in 45 hours between Taiwan and Japan. It seems absurd but there are good reasons

by

In 1947 the Norwegian explorer and ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl He had an idea To demonstrate that the former inhabitants of Peru were able to navigate to the coasts of Polynesia in pre -Columbian times: to manufacture a rudimentary raft and cover the journey himself. Sounds crazy, but experience went well and seems to have created school, like He has just demonstrated An anthropologist determined to reveal how humans were managed to travel between the coasts of Taiwan and the islands of southern Japan. Along with the rest of his colleagues he has chosen to follow the footsteps of Heyerdahl, manufacture a cedar canoe with tools from the Paleolithic and then launch to the Pacific waters. When, where … and how. Researchers who are dedicated to studying the first human settlements in East Asia have a rather accurate idea of ​​when and where the first migrations were made, but there is a question that still takes away their dream: how noses they moved? How did they travel through sea, raffling waves, winds and currents, with hardly any resources? How did the first settlers manage to arrive for example do 30,000 yearsTo the island Yonaguniin the archipelago of The Ryūkyūcurrent Japan? After all, Taiwan is more than 100 kilometers and the distance is even higher from the continent. “Simple questions”. That kind of questions are what the anthropologist was asked a few years ago Yousuke Kaifufrom the University of Tokyo. During his investigations in the deposits of the Okinawa Islands he found vestiges that give away that there were already humans in the region 30,000 yearsbut nothing that clarifies how they got there. “There are stone tools and archaeological remains, but they do not answer those questions,” confesses to The Guardian. That there were no evidence did not mean that Kaifu and his colleagues could not raise hypotheses … and demonstrate them. “We started this project with simple questions: ‘How did the Paleolithic peoples arrive at islands as remote as Okinawa?’ ‘How was your trip difficult?’ ‘What tools and strategies did they use?’ ” remember The Japanese anthropologist. “Archaeological evidence, such as vestiges and artifacts, does not offer a complete vision, since the sea, by nature, drags them. So we turn to experimental archeology, in a line similar to The Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947 of the Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl “. In the skin of the ancestors. Like Hayerdahl and his mythical expedition Kon-Tiki, Kaifu and his colleagues assumed the complicated task of putting themselves into the skin of their ancestors of thousands of years ago. How did they travel? How did they guide themselves? What materials did they use for their vessels to draw the currents of the region? First they tested with Juncos balsas and bamboo, but ended up ruling out the idea. With these materials they obtained too slow ships to overcome The Kuroshioone of the strongest sea currents and that conditions navigation in the northwestern Pacific. His next option was to try a canoe made with Japanese cedar, such as those used in the area thousands of years ago. In order for the experiment to be as faithful as possible to reality, the researchers talled a cedar one meter thick with stone axes and then carved it until opening a cavity inside and giving the shape of a canoe of 7.5 meters of length. The result was ‘sugime’, a boat not very different from those used thousands of years ago. In 2019, after waiting for the sea to calm down, a team of five crew (in which scientists and remakes were included) rose on board and tried it. And how did they do it? As the Paleolithic men, without GPS or any other modern navigation device, would have done only by the stars, the sun, waves and instinct. The expedition started from Taiwan Rumbo Yonaguni, in Kyūshū. The island is not visible from the Taiwanese coast (and in fact it was not for much of the journey, when it was hidden from the waves), but the scientists verified that on clear days it is not difficult to contemplate it from the mountains of Taiwan. Hence the populations of 30,000 years ago they met her. The raft left in July 2019 and its crew had to row more than 45 hours and cover a journey of 225 kilometers before reaching its destination. It was not easy, but the team reached Yonaguni to the second night, reinforcing the theory that thousands of years ago the first Okinawa settlers were able to travel in Canoas from neighboring Taiwan. During the syglura, yes, They suffered crampspain and hallucinations and even were forced to Browse water Often to prevent the raft from getting causing. “They achieved something extraordinary”. The experiment was completed in July 2019 thanks to the support of several institutions but has not achieved authentic impact so far, when the University of Tokyo He has revealed The experience. The reason? A few days ago there was a documentary about the trip and two academic articles published in Science Advances. In one the experts report the 45 -hour experiment between Taiwan and the island of Yonaguni. In the other they share virtual recreations hundreds of possible routes to know which could be the “most plausible”. “The general public usually considers the Peoples of the Paleolithic as ‘lower’, mainly due to their ‘primitive’” culture and technology, ” collect the report. “In marked contrast, our experiment has shown that they achieved something extraordinary with the rudimentary technology they had.” The experiment also confirms the growing interest in archaeological reconstructions and tests with boats that copy old models, something that (in addition to the case of Hayerdahl) we have seen in Indonesian research, France either United Arab Emirates. Images | © 2025 Kaifu et al. CC-BY-AR In Xataka | In 1973 a scientist wanted to find out why we fight. So he crossed the ocean in a mini raft full of strangers

The United States has decided to launch millions of flies with airplanes on its own territory. It has good reasons

by

As killing flies to guns, in the United States they have decided to do it using more flies. Literally. For months the country faces the ghost of the Cochliomyia hominivoraxa fly that in its larval state is a serious threat to cattle, wildlife, pets and even Humans. Hence the country has devised a peculiar strategy to fight it: raise thousands of millions of flies and then release them from airplanes. It sounds crazy, but it makes all the meaning. There is no small enemy. At first glance the Cochliomyia hominivoraxalso known as the New World Barrenning Worm (or NWS) does not seem much. But that is with the naked eye, of course. Although they are not much greater than common flies, in their Larval state they represent a considerable threat, especially for cattle, pets and wildlife. NWS females deposit the eggs in wounds or mucous membranes and, once they hatch, the larvae break through the meat, feeding thanks to their sharp oral hooks. Hence “BARRENOR WORD”. Dead cattle in weeks. The species is so voracious that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) warns of its effects, the risk of cattle and what the nation is played by keeping it at bay. “It is crucial to protect our livestock industry, our economy and our food supply chain,” emphasize. In An interview With the AP Agency, Michael Bailey, director of the American Association of Veterinary Medicine, is even more explicit: the larvae can end a 450 kilos bovine in a matter of two weeks. And why is it news? The boreride worm is An old acquaintance of the American authorities. Although the species is endemic to Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and countries in South America, the US has been looking for a way to prevent the species from expanding north with the help of Panama. Moreover, in his day he already deployed a strategy that allowed him A small outbreak Registered in the Florida Keys in 2017. The problem is that now the larva is calling again at the gates of the southern US, which has put the USDA on guard. “Although the NWS has been eradicated from the country for decades, recent detections in Mexico, at points as north as Oaxaca and Veracruz, about 1,125 kilometers from the border, have led to the immediate suspension of the imports of living cattle, horses and bison in the US entry ports on the southern border on May 11,” I recognized The government recently. Cattle lock and something else. Import blocking is only a small part of the Usda activated plan to curb the expansion of carnivorous parasite. The US authorities also want to have a vast network of facilities that allow him to raise hundreds of millions of NWS flies every week. And are willing to invest millions of dollars to achieve it. The Agriculture Department has already announced the investment of 8.5 million in a southern Texas and other installation 21 million To re -adapt a metapa plant, in Mexico, which was dedicated to the breeding of fruit flies. The idea is that it now focuses on the NWS. Both facilities will also be added to another base of Panama that is already able to raise about 177 million flies every week, a figure that the USDA considers insufficient. Its goal is to get to 400 million. But … raise flies for what? To have fewer flies. I know, it sounds inconsistent, but it makes all the meaning of the world. The flies that leave those hatcheries are not ‘normal’, but special specimens, males sterilized with radiation that can mate, but not (and this is the key) reproduce. The idea is actually very simple: scientists raise millions of flies, billions, and then release them in the fields so that females mate with those altered males. The result are eggs unable to hatch, which translates into less larvae and, over time, in diminishing populations. A solera technique. The technique is interesting for several reasons. For a start, Remember APit is more effective and ecological than resorting to pesticides. In addition, Washington has already proven that the system works relatively well. USDA remember which used the same “biological control technique” to end NWS populations in the 60s and the 2017 Florida outbreak. The same strategy has also been deployed in other places to combat different pests. Los Angeles used it to stop the proliferation of the Fruit fly And Singapore did something similar with the mosquitoes They transmit dengue. ‘Bombing’ of flies. Raising sterile male flies is just the first part of the plan. To work and stop the carnivorous worm, something else must be done: release those diptera strategically. And the US already knows how to do it. The Associated Press agency It has relieved that the government proposes to throw the altered specimens on southern Texas and Mexico. In fact he hopes to have In late of this same year a special installation to disperse insects in the Moore Air Baselocated almost at the border with Mexico. The new farm of southern Mexico would take something more to be ready. It would not be activated until July 2026. Images | USDA (Flickr), APHIS-USA and Wikipedia In Xataka | These worms live in the most radioactive area of ​​Chernobil. To everyone’s surprise, they seem immune to radioactivity

Xiaomi has sold 200,000 electric SUVs in 180 seconds. Tesla has reasons to worry

by

Present a car, open orders that same night and close 200,000 orders in three minutes. Xiaomi with him Yu7 It is not an anecdote, it is the best proof of the meteoric promotion that it is achieving in an industry in which it has been participating for just a year. He managed to win at Tesla Model 3 In China and the plan is clear: to be even more ambitious with Yu7. Xiaomi destroys your own record. 289,000 units sold in just one hour and 200,000 in the first three minutes. Xiaomi has made it clear that Xiaomi Yu7 is destined to be a success in sales. A key fact is that these sales, in the first seven days they are reimbursable, so they do not have to be a direct translation of the final volume. So that you have more context the Xiaomi Su7, the Yu7 sister electric Berlina, obtained 50,000 orders in the first half hour of its output for sale, and a total of 88,898 In the first 24h. Barbarian figures for the company’s first car, multiplied in this second model. Why is it important. Xiaomi has a clear objective with Yu7, aim at the best -selling electric SUV of China. That SUV is the Tesla Model and. Elon Musk’s company closed 2024 with just over 480,000 units sold throughout the year, and claims to have 200,000 orders from the new Model and Juniper In the country. The war between these two models has just begun, but Xiaomi seems to have everything to achieve its purpose. We have the best track in what he has achieved with his electric Berlina. He already succeeded with the SU7. Xiaomi needed no more than a few months to sell in China more than Model 3 of Tesla. He succeeded in December 2024, with 25,815 units compared to 21,046 of his main rival. The figure catapulted SU7 as the Fourth best -selling electric sedan in the countryand closed the year with more than 135,000 units sold in front of the 75,000 Tesla. With just a model in the market, Xiaomi has managed to sneak into the top 20 of best -selling manufacturers in Chinaabove rivals like Lynk & Co and Zeekr. The global photo is still headed by a byd that seems unbeatable, and Xiaomi needs to climb from the 24th place in the ranking Until the seventh since Tesla had last May. It looks like an almost impossible climb. But it is not. The code of sorpasso. Tesla has had excellent months with Model and in China. In March, it was the best selling electric with 43,370 units. That same month, the Xiaomi Su7 (a car that does not even compete in its category), sold more than 27,000 units. Now, Xiaomi finally has an electric car that competes directly with Model Y. one that is also superior in technology, fast charging, autonomy and performance. The damage that SU7 can make to Tesla’s sales is huge, even more at a time when the country is reinforcing support for national brands. It will not be an easy challenge. Image | Tesla In Xataka | The Xiaomi Su7 self -imposed a challenge: to eat Porsche in his own land. And they just got it

Four AI companies control how Half Mundo reasons. It is the greatest concentration of intellectual power in history

by

While the public focus is concentrated in the possibility that the AI ​​will take our job ahead (Business Insider 21% of its template has just announced citing it as a cause, the CEO of Axios has published A text by the chungosAnthropic’s CEO has shouted “that comes the wolf” to justify that only they can save us), In the background something less visible is happening: We are giving our intellectual autonomy in favor of efficiency and comfort. It is not just that four companies –Openai, Google, Anthropic, Meta – are building the infrastructure with which millions of people resolve doubts and make decisions. They not only manage data: they also protect the way we link ideas. The Great Chinese of AI They are out of this equation for a simple reason: their still domestic approach without the international vocation of the Americans. Google (the search engine) was and is influential, but with it we have had to spin our own speech: Cotejar Fuentes, Weighing biases, assume contradictions. The generative AI instead serves a round response that It sounds coherent even when hallucin And that’s why he demands less surveillance. The result is that we are replacing the “internal process” with an external verdict covered with a technological aura that deter the replica. Whatever you say, Chatty. Delegate is too tempting. Save time and headaches. The problem is that we do not subcontract logistics, but criteria. We ask Chatgpt A professional strategy. TO Claude A curriculum. TO Gemini today’s interpretations. In doing so we accept without discussing the biases and empty of a trained model about texts that we will never see. It is an invisible assignment and, therefore, difficult to question. Never before so few hands had defined what questions can be asked and what answers sound reasonable. History has known infrastructure monopolies – electrity, internet, railways – but never one about reasoning patterns. Now another qualitatively appears: It operates on the symbolic plane, where narrative frames are defined through which we understand the world. Very subtle and very decisive. What previously implied a deliberation – read, contrast, imagine scenarios, weigh nuances – today becomes an instantaneous response, of definitive appearance. What to think about euthanasia? How to react to infidelity? What economic model is more fair? We no longer look for elements to think: we look for the correct answer The faster and more comfortable. And we accept as valid the one that sounds best, even if it ignores what does not fit in your narrative. Its effects will not be immediate, but predictable: a slow loss of variety in thought, of ideas out of the ordinary. Platforms have progressive consequences. Tiktok and Spotify, for example, They have made the songs last less and the chorus arrive before. What consequences will the LLMS within fifteen years? If we all consult models that converge towards average responses, intellectual eccentricity – culture rate for innovation – It will be increasingly weird. There is hardly a brake for AI, but perhaps at some point we have to decide how much reasoning we are willing to deliver before staying without it. Outstanding image | Xataka In Xataka | Deep Research is not just a new AI function. It is the beginning of the end of intellectual work as we know it

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.