ruining

Starlink has been ruining astronomers’ nights for years. Now it turns out that their launches are leaving their mark on the climate

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Much has been said about the great light pollution that generate the Starlink satellites from SpaceX. However, not so much has been said about something that, if we think about it, is much more evident. Air pollution derived from launches. Any space launch, in fact, can generate this type of contamination. However, satellite trains require such a large number of launches that it is not unusual for them to be of particular concern to scientists today. 15,000 satellites and counting. A team of British and American scientists has carried out Recently a study brought this problem to the fore and predicted what the effects could be in the short term. This investigation indicates that there are currently around 15,000 telecommunications satellites in orbit, more than 10,000 of which belong to SpaceX. This represents three times as many satellites as in 2020 and the worst thing is that the number continues to increase. As a consequence, according to the simulations of these researchers, by 2029, these satellites could account for 40% of the atmospheric pollution derived from space activity. Also have calculated that by then this sector will be releasing around 870 tons of soot into the atmosphere annually. It would be more or less the same amount released by all cars in the United Kingdom, so action must be taken as soon as possible. Launch and reentry problems. The two key points at which these trains of satellites will put our planet’s climate on the ropes are launch and re-entry. With the first, a large amount of black carbon. These are fine carbon particles that come from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Regarding reentry, it mainly releases aluminum oxides. The satellites must be changed every 5 years. Later, when orbital conditions are favorable, this re-entry can occur, the price for which for the planet is also very expensive. The effects. Black carbon is harmful to the Earth’s climate on two levels. On the one hand, the particles that make it up have a great capacity to retain the heat of the Sun. That is why they play a very important role in the global warming of our planet. On the other hand, they can affect cloud formation in two different ways. Sometimes they prevent their formation, causing droughts, and other times they trigger extreme rainfall. Regarding aluminum oxides, can damage the ozone layerwith all the harmful effects that this entails. The place matters. The main problem with the release of these polluting substances is that it occurs in the highest layers of the atmosphere. The contamination at this height, if space activity did not exist, would be residual. However, the launches deposit that black carbon there, which remains for 2 to 3 years, retaining heat and affecting the clouds. That is why black carbon derived from space activity is estimated to have a much greater effect on the climate than that of ships, cars or power plants, for example. What is to come is very dangerous. It is said that Elon Musk wants to launch a million satellites into space. This is possibly an exaggerated figure. But it is clear that SpaceX has enormous objectives set. In fact, already It is even looking for launch platforms outside the United Statesbecause in his native country there is no room for such ambition. To all this we must add that other companies have increasingly ambitious objectives with their own satellite trains. This is, for example, the case of Amazon with Leo. The situation can become very worrying if alternatives are not sought, such as less polluting fuels for launches or more durable satellites that require fewer re-entries. Science will probably take us there at some point; but, in the meantime, the consequences for the planet will become worse and worse. We have time to solve it, but we must act now. Images | Gwendolyn Kurzen In Xataka | In 2018, Elon Musk put his own car into orbit. Eight years later it is still circling the Earth

AI is ruining the plant world

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AI is infiltrating everything, even the most specific and least technological niches. Crochet fans They know it very well, but they are not the only ones, the community of plant enthusiasts is also living (many times, rather suffering) the effects of AI. Impossible plants, meaningless care advice and entire unions against it. Welcome to another new episode of AI ruining things. Fake plant scams We already talked about the hobby of collecting rare plants. The ones that tend to succeed the most are variegated plants, which means that their leaves have patterns with spots of different colors, and also hybrids between different varieties. In this context, AI arrives and, as it could not be otherwise, a whole wave of advertisements appear selling rare plants. Too rare. In the cover image you can see some examples of this type of ads. Plants with butterfly-shaped leaves and fluorescent color, purple, blue or pink leaves, alocasias of monstrous size… The amount of AI-generated plant photo scams are overwhelming and we have found them all on Etsy, although there are also on other platforms such as Facebook Marketplace or eBay. We already talked about how Etsy had been filled with AI-generated images posing as real illustrations. With plants we have confirmed what we already saw: Etsy is a market of AI scams without any type of control. What you ask for vs what you get. Image: Etsy Searching for “rare plant” numerous accounts appear that sell seeds and bulbs of plants that do not exist, all generated with AI and also in a very noticeable way, without any disguise. Since what they send are the seeds, if someone complains they can always use the excuse of “wait for it to grow”, but many users already realize that Those seeds do not correspond to the advertised plant. Some positive comments from various accounts. We have also found numerous positive comments on some of these stores, but they were as fake as plants. The first is because of the language and the use of emojis, very typical of texts generated with AI, but also because none of these accounts were normal users. One of them was another AI plant shop and the other three were newly created accounts, which only followed AI plant shops. Seeing this I immediately thought of the theory of the dead internet. I have reported one of these stores to Etsy and it has caught my attention that they only allow it to be noted that the items are not handmade or that it is adult content not labeled as such, no scams or AI content. I will update the article if I receive a response. To avoid being scammed with one of these impossible plants, it is best to look for information about that variety of plant specifically. There are plants with leaves that may look fake or painted, such as Begonia Ferox, Caladiums or some Calatheas. If it exists, you will find information online. AI as a plant “doctor” There is another aspect in which AI is very present in the world of plants and that is care. Many hobbyists turn to ChatGPT and other chatbots to ask what’s wrong with your plantshow much they should water them or if they should transplant them. In addition to the chatbots themselves, there are a lot of apps to take care of our plants which have built-in AI functions. We have already seen that AI tends to be complacent and agree with usregardless of whether your answer is wrong and with the advice on plants it was not going to be different. Hallucinations also happen in the plant universe. To no one’s surprise, many times the advice is anything but reliablefrom recommending home remedies that have no scientific basis (such as watering plants with milk), to explaining in detail how to propagate a plant from the tip of a leaf (spoiler, you can’t). To a user on Reddit recommended using thrips as a natural predator to control pests, the problem is that thrips are a pest. The ‘PlantMom’ experiment. Image: Liam Kloppers Another striking case was the experiment carried out by Liam Kloppers which he called ‘PlantMom’in which he set up an AI system based on Google’s Gemma 3 model and put it to take care of a chili plant. The system included light, temperature and soil humidity sensors, along with a grow light and water pump. The result was that the AI ​​misinterpreted the sensor data, turned off the grow light and watered when it was not needed, causing the plant to almost drown. Another use of AI in this world has to do with plant identification. There are specific apps for this and we can also upload an image to a chatbot and have it do the identification. Of course, we must keep in mind that AI always prioritizes giving a response, so If you don’t know a plant you won’t admit itbut will identify it with another different species. At least in this the consequences do not necessarily imply the death of the plant. Cover image | Etsy In Xataka | Asking Claude for advice on your love problems sounds great. Until he gives it to you

Science knows that rain is ruining our health

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We carry a great spell of rain and overcast skies in much of Spain, and this also translates into a strange sensation in our body when we feel stuck in the chair, depressed and even taciturn. And it’s not that we’ve suddenly become lazier or sadderbut it is pure and simple biology that has humidity, microbiology and brain chemistry as triggers. Our ideal humidity. To understand why we can feel so bad, we have to understand what our body needs. Here science already pointed out many years ago that our body is designed to ‘function’ in a narrow range in terms of relative humidity.: between 40 and 60%. In this case, when we are outside this range for a long time, which is typical with these rains where the humidity shoots above 70%, it is when everything changes. And above all it affects those people who are not used to so much humidity and who have not adapted to it, such as those who live in areas that are traditionally very dry. What happens. In these cases, when we are in a situation of very high humidity, science suggests that the defenses let their guard down. Above all, it affects the mucous membranes, which are our body’s first defense barrier, which is compromised. In this case, while very dry air can crack the mucous membranes that require a certain humidity, when you have air with a lot of accumulated humidity, a ‘party’ is organized for the pathogens. The scientific reviews point here that excessive humidity favors the survival of bacteria and viruses, increasing the environmental viral load. The effects at home. If we suddenly feel short of breath or that the asthma that had been controlled has returned, the fault lies precisely in what we do not see. The WHO itself and the CDC have established direct links, since they suggest that structural and environmental humidity turns the house into an incubator. The attack of mold and mites. One of the most important points is in the miteswhich are microscopic organisms that do not drink water, but rather absorb moisture from the air. In cases where humidity exceeds 70%, their population explodes and, according to evidence, this can trigger allergic exacerbations in those more sensitive people. Mold is also one of the main protagonists in these cases, and you just have to see how easily it can appear in bathrooms without ventilation. And even if black spots are not seen, the spores can be in the rooms of the house. The science here is clear: exposure to moisture and mold in the home increases the risk of developing asthma by 30-50%. The effect on the brain. But what we notice most every day is that feeling of being “moody” or “stuck.” And here the person responsible is the lack of light due to being cloudy all day. The neurochemistry here is quite important, since without bright light to tell your brain “it’s daytime”, your body continues to produce melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, during the day. The result here is in fatigue throughout the day and apathy that makes us not want to leave the couch. There are also deficits. But in addition to melatonin, the lack of sunlight in those areas where it is not usual produces a decrease in the production of serotonin, which is one of the neurotransmitters responsible for mood. Less light equals less “fuel” to feel good. AND We must not forget about vitamin D either.which depends on sunlight to maintain optimal levels. Although supplementation has mixed results, observational studies are clear: there is a direct correlation between rainy months, low vitamin D and irritability or depressive symptomsknown as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). What can we do? Although it may seem counterintuitive, the European Lung Foundation point because you always have to ventilate the house a little even if it is raining. The accumulation of internal humidity from our own activities such as cooking, breathing or showering, added to the external humidity, creates a toxic environment. That is why maintaining air circulation and, if possible, using dehumidifiers to try to return your home to that sacred 40-60% range, is the only way to mitigate the impact on some part. Images | Adrian Swancar In Xataka | We say we are “depressed” beyond our means: where does the illness end and where does the illness begin?

Malaysia is tired of its Bitcoin miners ruining its utilities. So he’s chasing them with drones

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Cryptocurrencies continue to boom, but to get them you have to mine and that has significant energy costs associated with it. For some countries it has become a national problem. Kazakhstan closed the door to Bitcoin For this reason and now, the latest example, valued at more than 1 billion dollars, arrives from Malaysia. Malaysia gets seriousto. Malaysian authorities have begun to deploy an unusual surveillance network with the aim of hunt down an illegal Bitcoin mining network. Although the activity is basically legal in this Asian country, there are those who are carrying it out through unorthodox means, something that in turn is causing millionaire losses to the State. How to buy Bitcoins safely and risk-free The hunt. In Malaysia, Police search the streets in search of the hottest spots. They are those in which the alarms go off of its sensors due to irregular power consumption peaks. There are also reinforcements in the skywith autonomous drones and helicopters searching for where unexpected thermal signals occur. The thieves They are protected with heat shields to avoid being discovered and change location from time to time, prioritizing abandoned places, such as ruined houses or disused shopping centers. Behind this peculiar movement is an operation that has become a large-scale “catch-catch” between Bitcoin miners and the country’s police. A 1 billion dollar network. And, although mining in Malaysia is legal, a recent report has found a large-scale fraud. Since 2020, 14,000 illegal Bitcoin miners have been siphoning more than $1 billion worth of electricity from state-owned energy company Tenaga Nasional (TNB). Far from relaxing with the latest fluctuations of this crypto“business” continues to increase. A challenge for the Malaysian network. Beyond the considerable economic cost that these bands are causing in the State, the leaders’ concern lies in the very survival of the energy network infrastructure. The Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation of Malaysia, Akmal Nashrullah Mohd Nasir, has explained that The greatest risk that these fraudulent activities pose for the country is that “they can even damage our facilities. It becomes a challenge for our system.” A legal activity, with asterisks. Bitcoin mining is legal in Malaysia as long as those involved pay their corresponding taxes and do not make irregular use of energy resources. The authorities are not convinced and the debate on a total ban is already on the table. In fact, Akmal has recently stated that “Even if mining operations are compliant, the extreme volatility of the market in which they operate remains a major issue. I don’t believe there is any mining company that can be considered a ‘legally successful operation’ today.” Meanwhile. With the future of Bitcoin mining in doubt in the Malaysian country, the reality today is that the cunning of cybercriminals has become a very lucrative business. From the colossal ElementX shopping center in Melaka, which became another victim of COVID-19, to huge logging yards In Sarawak, miners are occupying unprecedented spaces and causing excessive consumption in the state electricity grid. To hunt them, autonomous drones that search the ground from the sky looking for thermal signals have become another ally of the authorities in Malaysia. A global problem. The electricity consumption of Bitcoin mining worldwide exceeds the total consumption of countries such as South Africa or Thailand, according to a report from the University of Cambridge. And although three quarters of this consumption occurs in the United States, for countries with a more unstable network it can become a serious problem. In Xataka | The latest buzz among drug traffickers is underwater drones. And they are manufacturing them in Spain In Xataka | The first “drone carrier” ship in the world is the new jewel of the Turkish army (and has been designed in Spain)

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