Scientists

Superconductor quantum computers are being sabotaged. Fortunately, several Chinese scientists have found those responsible

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Superconductor cubits are extremely fragile. Even so, if we stick to the number of companies that are working on this type of quantum bits it is reasonable to conclude that this is the technology that has greater support and greater investmentso, somehow, is the one that goes in the lead. This strategy is probably the one that will help us to have more cubits, but also It is more prone to make mistakes That ion traps cubits, which are one of the alternatives to superconductors. In addition, these last cubits are characterized by working at a temperature of about 20 millikelvin, which are approximately -273 degrees Celsius, with the purpose of operating with the greater degree of isolation of the possible environment. IBM is one of the companies that have opted to set Quantum computers With superconductor cubits, and plans to make available to its customers in 2029 ‘Starling’, its first large -scale quantum computer equipped with the capacity to amend your own mistakes. However, something happened that can complicate the plans of this and other companies involved in the development of quantum computers. And is that a group of researchers from the Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (China) has discovered that Cosmic rays and Gamma radiation They have the ability to cause errors in superconductor cubits. This discovery is very important because it justifies the need to develop technologies that allow building reliable quantum computers despite the interference of cosmic rays and gamma rays. These scientists have published the result of their research in Nature Communications. Cosmic rays are putting quantum computers in trouble Researchers from the Academy of Quantum Information Sciences of Beijing have carried out this discovery using a 63 -cubits superconductor quantum processor. However, their most ingenious idea led them to install muones detectors within the quantum computer cooling system. This strategy allowed them to realize that gamma rays and cosmic radiation were inducing the appearance of errors in the extremely fragile superconductor cubits, thus weakening their ability to maintain coherence. It is evident that to solve a problem it is essential to identify it and know its origin, so it is good news that these scientists have made this discovery. However, before concluding this article I propose that we review briefly What are these two forms of radiation. Cosmic rays are constituted by high -energy ionized atomic nuclei that move through space at a speed very close to that of light (which is approximately 300,000 km/s). Cosmic rays are constituted by high -energy ionized atomic nuclei that move through space at a speed very close to that of light That they are ionized indicates that they have acquired electric charge because they have been stripped of their electrons, but, curiously, these atomic nuclei are made of the same matter that constitutes us and everything that surrounds us. However, and here comes the first surprise, the atomic nuclei that constitute the cosmic rays are distributed in a different way to the subject that shapes us. Hydrogen and helium are much more abundant in our solar system than in cosmic rays, while other heavier elements, such as lithium, beryllium or boron, are ten thousand times more abundant in cosmic radiation. One of the most important characteristics of cosmic radiation is its essentially perfect isotropy. This parameter reflects that the rays arrive from all directions with the same frequency, which indicates that they must coexist simultaneously numerous sources capable of generating them. And this invites us to ask ourselves one more question: where cosmic radiation comes from. A good part of the cosmic rays we receive proceed from outside our solar system. Of other stars. And travel through space with enormous energy until impacting with the atoms present in the upper layers of the atmosphere of our planet. Finally, Gamma radiationwhich is the most energetic and the most penetrating of all, requires the emission of a high -energy photon, usually known as Rayo Gamma, so the atomic nucleus maintains its original structure. Some of these high -energy photons are able to cross very thick concrete walls and lead plates, so this is the most dangerous radiation form of all. More information | Nature Communications In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

Some scientists have reviewed 99 studies on intermittent fasting. Its results are not very optimistic

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The popularity of intermittent fasting has grown over the last years, partly by a series of scientific studies that endorsed their potential when helping us lose weight. However, sometimes the results of individual studies do not agree with the global image of the matter. Not so effective. A new study has in doubt The ability of intermittent fasting as a superior way of losing weight. The analysis concluded that, although some forms of intermittent fasting could offer a slight advantage, the results obtained with these were not significantly better than those obtained with the simple caloric restriction. The intermittent fasting. The concept intermittent fasting It refers to a series of diets based on a temporary caloric restriction. We cannot speak of a single flash form since this temporary restriction can occur in several ways. Conventional forms of intermittent fasting imply not consuming any food during a specific time window, more or less broad, in certain days, which can be alternate or successive and in different proportions. It can also refer to drastically restricting the calories we consume in certain days of the week. Sometimes a non -intermittent hourly restriction is also included in these diets, that is, a more conventional fast. Review and meta -analysis. Evaluating the effect of these diets is not easy, but over the last decades, various teams of researchers have launched to it, obtaining very diverse results and sometimes even contradictory. Solving this type of discrepancies is what is sought with the tool we call meta -analysis. Metaanalysis start from a systematic review of literature in which the team compiles all studies in the field in a specific time interval. Metaanalysis consists in the statistical evaluation of the results obtained in compiled quantitative studies to obtain an average effect through a broader sample which allows strength to the conclusions. In other words, solve discrepancies. 6,582 participants. In this case the meta -analysis included 99 studies individuals that added in total 6,582 participants. As explained by the team responsible for the new study, among these participants, the average body mass index was 31 and about 90% had some health disease or condition. The results showed that fasting on alternate days (restricting our food consumption to alternate days) was the only option that showed an observable benefit in weight reduction. However, this reduction (1.29 kg on average) did not exceed the 2 kg threshold defined by the study responsible for the study. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine BMJ. 99 studies, and we still need more. Metaanalysis usually serve to settle scientific knowledge in one subject, but at least in this case it is still more to investigate, admits the responsible team. The heterogeneity of dietary strategies, the small size of the samples and the limited evidence are limiting factors indicated by the team. “The evidence today provides some indication that diets based on intermittent fasting have continuous energy restriction benefits for weight loss and cardiomethabolic factors. Explain the team. In Xataka | What if we are doing the bad intermittent fasting? Some experts propose to focus only on carbohydrates Image | Xataka with Gemini / I Yunmai

Scientists have a new very powerful tool to fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson: quantum computers

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To solve most of the problems that scientists expect to be able to address in the future with Quantum computers capable of amending their own mistakes, such as optimization, those in the field of cryptography or artificial intelligenceit will be necessary have several million cubits. It can even, that hundreds of millions of cubits. The most advanced quantum processor currently IBM has itand it has just over a thousand cubits, so it is evident that many technological challenges remain that it is necessary to solve. The interesting thing is that there is no single way to go through this path. Organizations that are investigating in the field of quantum computing work in several different cubits technologiesand each of them is in a different degree of development. IBM, Intel and Google are some of the big companies that have opted for superconductor cubits, but also do so smaller ones, such as Atlantic Quantum, IQM, Anyon Systems, Rigetti Computing or Bleximo. In fact, if we stick to the number of companies that are working on this type of quantum bits it is reasonable to conclude that this is the technology that has greater support and greater investment, so, in some way, it is the one that goes in the lead. This strategy is probably what will help us to have more cubits, but it is also more prone to make mistakes than ion traps cubits, which are one of the alternatives to superconductors. In addition, these last cubits are characterized by working at a temperature of about 20 millikelvin, which are approximately -273 degrees Celsius, with the purpose of operating with the greater degree of isolation of the possible environment. Ion traps are given great proteins Ion traps are currently the main alternative to superconductor cubits. This is the technology in which they are working, among other companies, Ionq and Honeywell, and is characterized by using ionized atoms, and, therefore, with a non -neutral global electric charge. This property allows them to be isolated and confined inside an electromagnetic field, although this is only the starting point. From here Ionq acts on the quantum state of its cubits with ion traps cooling them to reduce the level of computational noise and uses lasers just then to operate with them. However, it does not use a single laser; Use one for each ionand also a global laser that acts on all of them simultaneously. Honeywell also uses ionized and laser atoms, but the procedure used to establish the intertwining between two ions and act on them with a laser is different from that used by Ionq. For scientists it is crucial to understand the folding of proteins that triggers Alzheimer’s or Parkinson Parkinson Precisely a team of researchers from this last company and the German emerging company specialized in quantum quantum computing To do something amazing: Solve protein folding problems with up to 12 amino acids. To carry it out they designed a quantum optimization method that seeks to find the optimal configuration of protein folding. Expressed in this way it seems complex, and it is, but the really important thing, and with what is worth it, it is that these quantum computers thanks to the appropriate algorithm are able to help scientists Understand the protein folding mechanism that triggers diseases such as Alzheimer’s or the Parkinson. And understand this phenomenon well is the first step towards the elaboration of effective treatment. This result is very promising, but there is still a lot of work to do so that quantum computers help us in front of these diseases. On the one hand, folding models must evolve to be more reliable and realistic. And, in addition, the classic algorithm that is responsible for refining the results delivered by the quantum algorithm should be more precise. Even so, the work of these researchers is an exceptionally promising starting point. Image | Ionq More information | Arxiv In Xataka | Quantum computers threaten encryption technologies. This is the reason why we do not have to panic

We have a problem with plastic recycling. Japanese scientists have created one who self -destructs in the sea

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In summer, more than once we have been scared thinking that a plastic was, in reality, a jellyfish. Far from that triviality, a major problem is hidden. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)more than eleven million metric tons of plastics end up in the oceans every year. Although a new wave of change is brewing in Japan with plastics that get rid of. Short. A group of researchers from the Riken Center for the science of emerging matter and the University of Tokyo has developed a plastic capable of degrading completely in salt water in a matter of hours, As explained in a press release. The demonstration. The team has shown how a small piece of the new material disappeared in a container with marine water after being agitated for about an hour. Although no marketing plan has yet been detailed, the project leader, Takuzo Aida, He has affirmed Reuters That research has aroused great interest, even from the packaging sector. A deep problem. The urgency of this advance is framed in an increasingly serious environmental crisis. According to UNEPplastic pollution could be tripled by 2040, reaching up to 37 million metric tons annual in the oceans. Therefore, the investigation has not wanted to limit itself in the visible, but also in the microplastics that are infiltrated in all the ecosystems of the planet. Long journey. According to They have explained Scientists, this new material is the result of more than thirty years of research in supramolecular polymers. Unlike traditional plastics, which remain united by very resistant covalent bonds, they use weakest and most reversible links. This allows the material to maintain its resistance, but decompose rapidly under the appropriate conditions. The point. To achieve this, they needed a “passage key” that was in salt. Technically, They have detailed Reuters that the combination of hexametafostato sodium (a food additive) and ions of Guanidinio (employees in fertilizers) formed saline bridges that provided stability to the material. However, by immersing themselves in salt water, these bridges are broken and, within a few hours, there is no trace of the plastic. The resulting material is resistant, colorless, igniphed and not toxic. It can even waterproof with a hydrophobic coating, without losing your ability to break down if your surface is scratched or drilled. Although it has its limitations. As The project manager has indicated to Reuterswhen decomposing, plastic releases nitrogen and phosphorus, elements that can be reused by microorganisms or plants. However, if they accumulate in a uncontrolled way, they could alter coastal ecosystems, favoring phenomena such as algae flowers. To avoid this, the researchers propose a controlled recycling system in seawater treatment plants, which would allow to recover the materials and reuse them in new supramolecular plastics. Biodegradable, but enough? The novelty of Japanese plastic contrasts with the limitations of other called biodegradable plastics. According to the researchersmaterials such as polylactic acid (PL), although they degrade on land under industrial conditions, persist in the ocean, where they fail to break down and end up forming microplastics. Other more recent alternatives, such as certain recyclable plastics developed in Europe, offer greater durability and recyclabilitybut they still face similar challenges: slow degradation in the marine environment and dependence on specific management systems. One step further. That moment could be closer than it seems. Meanwhile, jellyfish will continue to be jellyfish. But at least, the plastic that imitates them could begin to disappear. Image | Unspash Xataka | We thought we had found a safe and sustainable alternative to oil derived. We have to keep looking

measure exactly the time they eat, according to scientists

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Overweight is no longer an exclusive problem of adults or an isolated issue in childhood. Between improvised lunches and late dinners a serious problem is emerging. To follow the current inertia, a study Posted in The Lancet He has warned that Spain could be placed as the fourth country in the world with the highest prevalence of childhood obesity in 2050. And the answer is not only in what is eaten, but when. Looking beyond the plate. For decades, the nutritional debate focused on calories, Fats, sugars and Tags. But a key question had been out of radar: does the time it is eaten? Here the discipline of the Chrononutrition. This discipline analyzes how food schedules can directly influence our health. More technically, it is about biological watches (adjusted by factors such as light, sleep, physical activity and food) are closely linked to metabolism through the so -called circadian rhythms. Therefore, dinner late, that in Spain it is a usual tonic, it could be taking its toll. Not only does digestion hinder: it can also imbue metabolism, make insulin work worse and, over time, favor overweight, even if the dish seems healthy. Under that premise. A group of researchers from the valuenut project, from the Complutense University of Madrid, It was proposed to respond to that theorybut focusing on the little ones. To do this, they gathered 880 schoolchildren between 8 and 13 years old, from five Spanish provinces: A Coruña, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Seville and Valencia. The goal was not just to know what children ate, but also what time they did. The study focused on three concrete aspects: breakfast, dinner and the “food window”. This little known concept refers to the time between the first meal of the day and the last to know how daily intake is distributed. The criteria? They considered late breakfast that occurs after 8:53 am, and late dinner that is taken from 9:10 p.m. If the difference between the two exceeded 12 hours, there was talk of a prolonged food window. The results. Unlike what They have suggested Some studies in adults, in this case there was no direct relationship between eating late or lengthening too much time between the first and last meal of the day, and neither was a greater risk of obesity in the children analyzed. However, the metabolism did give signals of change, such as the schoolchildren who had breakfast later presented lower levels of glucose and LDL cholesterol (the one known as “bad”), and higher in HDL (the “good”). A fact that revealed the thread that had to be thrown away. There was the pattern. When the late dinners or very prolonged food windows were analyzed, a different pattern emerged: the quality of the diet got worse. Less planned meals, more improvised and with less nutritional value. On the other hand, it was also given that there were children who ate the days for more hours, that is, with a longer window. These showed unavailable values ​​at glucose and cholesterol level and indices to develop cardiovascular diseases in the future. But there is more. And to this equation an additional factor was added: the dream. The study revealed that 60 % of these children also slept less hours, which could further enhance the negative effects on their metabolism. Less rest, more mismatch in food schedules and a lower quality diet: a silent, but potentially harmful cocktail. Synchronizing times. In the light of the results, the researchers launch a clear message: it is not enough to eat well, you also have to eat on time. From the study itself has clarified that the recommendation is to shorten the daily window, that is, that all meals are concentrated in a period of less than 12 hours. Of course, in the case of Spain, where late dinners are deeply rooted to culture, so the challenge is not less. However, if you want to stop childhood obesity, the “when” must occupy a place as relevant as the “what” and “how much”. The research also raises new lines of work: what role does the child’s chronotype play? What happens if this data is combined with sleep quality? What if it is also taught to better plan meals? Understanding how the internal clock works from childhood can be key to preventing this problem from growing with them. Image | Pavel Danilyuk Xataka | Mexico has given an ultimatum to schools: they have six months to throw all the “junk” food of the menus

A group of scientists has proposed to infect another world and see what happens as an experiment. His candidate: The Enced Moon

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While NASA’s rovers are still looking for clues on Mars, Jupiter, and Esturno, Saturn’s icy moons, of Jupiter, of Jupiter, They have become the main candidates to house microbial life outside the earth in the solar system. But what will we do if we discover that they are not inhabited? A controversial idea. Encard, with Your subsurface ocean and confirmed presence of crucial elements for lifeIt is a usual focus of scientific fascination. The European Space Agency Plan to send a probe there which would arrive in 2054. Anticipating a disappointment, a group of astrobiologists has launched a bold proposal: if it turns out to be uninhabited, we can consider “infecting it” deliberately with terrestrial microbes to observe how life spreads in a habitable but virgin world. An unprecedented experiment. Since they began to explore the solar system, large space agencies have taken very seriously not to contaminate other planets and satellites, building their probes in clean rooms to reduce the number of bacteria that could survive on board. This experiment would be to do the opposite. It would be the first planetary scale attempt to build a biosphere. It would force us to learn how to assemble complex ecosystems from scratch, which organisms are the most appropriate to do so and how they behave in extraterrestrial conditions. Why sow life in another world. Charles S. Cockell, Holley Conte and M. Dale detail their idea in an article published By Space Policy magazine. The group argues that, if future missions confirmed the absence of native life in Encela, the deliberate inoculation of the satellite would help us understand how life spreads in permanently dark oceans. Inoculation would allow to investigate how bacteria ecosystems were organized On the ground snowball or even If hydrothermal chimneys From a primitive land they could be the place where life arose on our planet during the early or early archaic times. A multiphendary economy. Entering a more speculative field, an inhabited brain could, in theory, become a source of materials for the exploration of the exterior system if humanity would become a multiparaneary species. The authors even mention the engineering of organisms as an option to make the new biosphere, transforming the ocean of the Saturn moon into a “biofuel production plant”, once our metanogenic bacteria have prospered. It could even resort to synthetic biology to design optimized organisms. Faster than terraft Mars. The experiment would, of course, a multigenerational company, but unlike Mars the terraftwhich would take centuries, the inoculation of an extraterrestrial ocean could be achieved with current technology and would be “much simpler and less expensive.” But there are also ethical implications. How many missions are needed to be sure that it is really uninhabited? Is such an experiment more valuable than studying the geological and geochemical processes of a virgin world? And perhaps it is also possible to ask: will we be able to guard a second biosphere, in addition to that of the earth, for multiple generations? It is worth thinking in the long term, but we must previously intensify our sense of responsibility for the Earth’s biosphere. Image | POT In Xataka | We have been looking for “habitable” places in space for decades. The Encelado Ocean paints better

Intermittent fasting is the fashion diet. At least among scientists who study their effects on microbioma

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Inside they coexist Billions of microscopic organismsmany of which have our Digestive tract set as a place of residence. Throughout the last decades we have been realizing the outstanding role that this internal ecosystem plays in our health, far beyond gastrointestinal health. There are many factors that can affect our microbiome, including our genetics, our place of residence, The people with whom we livethe drugs we consume or Our daily habits. And of course, our diet. Our diet can affect different ways to the microbiome of our interior. For example, the introduction of a pathogen such as the clostridium difficile bacteria can cause the Intestinal “ecosystem” balance Go to the fret due to the propagation of the bacteria. However, without reaching pathological extremes, the nutrients we consume, such as fiber, can also affect the microorganisms that reside there. What we eat affects, but this also implies that what we stop eating also matters. Following a diet leads us to make a series of decisions focused on achieving a goal, often (not always) this is that of losing weight, but the changes introduced will have diverse effects, including that of affecting, for better or worse, our microbiome. He intermittent fasting It is one of the most famous diets in recent years. That is why the diets that temporarily restrict our caloric intake and which are referred conventionally with the name of intermittent fasting have received Great attention by the Nutrition experts. Logically, this has led to various research groups to investigate How the intermittent fasting to our microbioma affectswhat are the potential benefits and what the risks of these changes. The problem is that, as usual, the results of these research are quite diverse. What seems true is that intermittent fasting affects our microbiota. One of the last studies in this regard has attracted the attention of some despite not having been published in a magazine after passing the pairs review process. The work was led by researchers at Anhui Medical University and it was Recently cited by the magazine Newscientist. The study, conducted with mice, suggested that intermittent fasting could damage the intestinal barrier and cause a disruption in the microbiota, increasing the risk of intestinal inflammation. However, the door also opened therapeutic roads that could avoid these problems, such as indolaletic acid administration. The manuscript detailing the analysis, available in repository Research Squareis still in the process of review for publication in the magazine Scientific Reports. That is why we must take these results with a certain degree of skepticism. In statements collected by the magazine itself NewscientistSathidananada Panda del Salk Institute for Biological Studies of California He raised some doubts Regarding the methodology, such as the fact that the manuscript did not point out the details of the diet to which it underwent mice or that these were of a very young age when starting with the diet. For better or worse Other studies have drawn a somewhat more optimistic perspective regarding the effects of intermittent fasting on our microbiota and with it on our well -being. Of course, I did it by introducing an additional element, combining the intermittent fasting with a protein dosing diet, which space in a balanced way the proteins that we consume throughout the day The studypublished almost exactly one year ago in the magazine Nature Communicationspointed out that intermittent fasting “It showed promise” in the improvement of intestinal health, and did precisely attending our microbioma. According to details the teamin addition to seeing an increase in their levels of certain proteins, such as cytokines, participants who followed the protocol marked by intermittent fasting also experienced an increase in the presence of beneficial microbes in their digestive system, microorganisms associated with lower body fat and better global health. The studies of Scientific Reports and of Nature Communications They are two of the most recent in the matter but not the only one. Last year a group of researchers published A systematic review of literature In the magazine Frontiers in Nutrition. This type of work compiles thoroughly the previous studies carried out by analyzing a specific relationship, in this case that of intermittent fasting and the gastrointestinal microbiota. What detected the team that led this “study study” is that there was a varied literature and a “substantial heterogeneity of the results” that made it difficult to validate results, although these seemed to suggest that intermittent fasting could improve the wealth and diversity of the microbiota. What seems increasingly evident is that this type of diets affects our microbioma and that we must continue studying the consequences of this relationship. In Xataka | We are increasingly clear that our microbiome is key to our health. Our protein sources can also alter it Image | Foodie Factor / Cats Coming

Some scientists have tested the “fasting 4: 3”. The results have been quite positive

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He intermittent fasting It is perhaps the diet that has won the most popularity in recent years. The idea in broad strokes is not to focus on limiting what we eat but to limit the hours to which we do it. From this basic idea, there are several ways in which to limit our consumption depending on the hours and days we dedicate to fasting. Positive results. The last study in finding evidence of the effectiveness of these forms of dietary restriction has made it focusing on fasting 4: 3. The team responsible for the experiment observed that this form of fasting, in the context of a broad intervention that also included promotion of physical activity, led to a higher average reduction of the body mass of the participants in the study. 4: 3. In this analysis, the participants of the experimental group underwent the call Intermittent fasting 4: 3 (4: 3 IMF). This form of fasting implies limiting our caloric intake by 80% for three non -consecutive days per week. The intervenion was accompanied by a high intensity exhaustive program for weight loss. This program included behavioral support and recommendations to increase the physical activity of moderate intensity up to 300 minutes per week, explained the team responsible for the study. 12 months. For the analysis, the participants, 165 adults overweight or obesity were divided into two groups. The experimental group, which underwent the restriction described and a control group that underwent a caloric but constant caloric restriction diet in which caloric intake was reduced by about 34.3%. Both groups had the support intervention and in both cases diet and program were carried out for 12 months. “Modest” results. Although the difference between one group and another was “modest”, the team in charge of studying it observed that the experimental group reduced its body mass to a greater degree compared to the control group. The experimental group reduced its body mass in 7.6% on averagewhile in the control group the reduction was 5%. In addition, a greater proportion of participants in the experimental group managed to reduce their weight by 5% or more. In kilos, the average difference between one groups was almost 2.9 kg. The details of the work were published In an article In the magazine ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE. More than a matter of weight. There are diverse reasons that can lead to a person to lose weight. Aesthetics usually weighs a lot but the fact that overweight and obesity are risk factors in various diseases and disorders may be the most relevant. The causal interconnections that unite both factor are complex, so a lower body mass is not a good indicator of a health improvement. Therefore, the team also examined the effect of the diet on cardiometabolic markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or fasting glucose levels. These markers showed an improvement, the team added. In Xataka | For many, skipping dinner is part of your intermittent fasting. It is not always a good idea Image | Xataka with Gemini

Some scientists wanted to count each and every one of the trees in China. Surprisingly, they have achieved it

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China is an immense country, the fourth country with greater extension in the world after Russia, Canada and the United States. The country has a wide variety of ecosystems, some of which house a countless amount of trees. Or almost countless. 142.6 million trees. A new study has estimated the total number of trees in China. The result of the count is 142.6 billion. This implies that the Asian giant has about 100 trees per inhabitant. More than a count. The study not only offers a mere count of the number of trees but also offers us valuable information about its location, density and characteristics of the different types of ecosystems that can be found in China. For example, the team found that the coniferous forests of the temperate areas were the densest in the country, reaching some 720 trees per hectare. The 87.9 billion trees that can be found in this type of environments represent about 60% of the country’s total. A country of contrasts. The forested areas of China are especially concentrated in the south and northeast of the country. The study also analyzed the tree density of the different Chinese hydrographic basins, as well as the different administrative divisions of the Asian country. In view of drone. For the study, the team He turned to Lidar technologyan analogue of the radar that replaces radio waves with light waves. These sensors were mounted in drones to cover 1,400 square kilometers of wooded territory. The result: 400TB of processed data. The methodology used is not exempt from limitations. In dense forest areas, the tree canopy, the upper part of these trees, can overshadow the lidar view, causing smaller trees to be hidden from counting. That is why those responsible for the study believe that this is a conservative estimate of the number of trees in the country’s forests. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Science Bulletin. Protection plans The project will serve to evaluate Chinese environmental conservation plans. Something easy taking into account the magnitude of plans such as “Great green wall” wave “Billion Tree campaign” In Xataka | Leonardo Da Vinci established “The Tree rule” 500 years ago. Now we have discovered that he was wrong Image | Tom Fisk

Its scientists have detected a design failure in NASA’s reactor

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United States and China are measuring their spatial capabilities In a race to build the first lunar base. Although NASA was victorious from the previous race to the moon against the Soviet Union, It is not so clear that it takes the lead On this occasion. For now, Chinese scientists They have found failures In a crucial element of NASA’s lunar program: its energy source. NASA’s lunar reactor. NASA leads US efforts to inhabit the moon with its partners of Artemisa agreements. The Chinese Space Agency CNSA and the Russian Roscosmos advancetogether with a small group of allies, in the development of the International Lunar Research Station (Ilrs), which It will start working in 2036 and Wait to house thousands of scientists. On the moon, one night lasts 14 terrestrial days, so more than solar panels will be needed to maintain the energy supply of the facilities. NASA He has been developing for years A small nuclear energy plant specially designed to function on the surface of the moon. This little fission reactor is called Fission Surface Power (FSP) and can generate 40 kW of power. China has found a failure. The researchers of the National Nuclear Corporation of China (CNNC) examined NASA’s proposal and discovered improveable aspects in their design. A study published by the Chinese scientific journal Atomic Energy Science and Technology Review these weaknesses focusing on the composition of nuclear fuel, the cooling system and the security control of the US reactor. Chinese scientists highlight the FSP reactor compact designbut they see a clear mistake in the choice of fuel. According to his study, the use of very enriched uranium cylindrical bars will require thick beryl layers as a armor to control intense radiation. In addition, it will limit the useful life of the reactor to about eight years due to the “fuel swelling” (fuel expansion), a phenomenon that makes the material increase in volume gradually due to radiation. To this we must add that the reactor has a simple control mechanism, less safe in critical situations. Remove, NASA, we do it. In addition to pointing out US design problems, CNNC scientists presented an improved version of the lunar nuclear reactor taking as reference both NASA design and an old Soviet space reactor called Topaz-II. The main improvements introduced by the Chinese lunar reactor are: Ring -shaped fuel bars: instead of solid cylinders, the bars have an annular shape, such as a hollow ring. Inside they have small uranium dioxide pills covered by stainless steel, allowing the heat generated by the nuclear reaction to dissipate better, using the interior and exterior of the refrigeration ring Double cooling system: The Chinese reactor has a cooling system based on a liquid metal (NAK-78) that flows through internal and external channels of annular fuel bars. This design allows the reactor temperature to be maintained below 600 ° C, which improves the safety and stability of the reactor Most efficient neutron moderator: Chinese design uses a material called ititrio hydride (YH1.8) as a moderator, the material responsible for slowing down neutrons, improving nuclear reaction and making it more efficient. Ititrium hydride is more stable than traditional nuclear moderators (such as zirconium hydride), which avoids dangerous hydrogen leaks and increases the safety and life of the reactor Less nuclear fuel necessary: ​​Thanks to its design and the use of Ititrium hydride as a moderator, the Chinese reactor needs only 18.5 kg of Uranium-235 in front of the NASA FSP reactor, which requires approximately 70 kg of U-235, almost four times more. Weight reduction is essential in space missions, not only due to cost savings, but because nuclear materials are being launched through the Earth’s atmosphere Your turn, United States. The Chinese reactor is up to 75% more efficient than that of NASA, and promises a useful life of 10 years, compared to the eight of the American reactor. This advance would potentially position China ahead of the United States in the objective of establishing a sustained and self -sufficient presence on the moon, since the constant energy that a nuclear reactor allows will be essential to be able to hold inhabited bases in the long term. But NASA design is not monolithic or closed. The expected thing is that, as China has done, the agency takes advantage of its opponent’s investigations to improve its own technology. What could also end up with companies that develop small modular reactors (SMR) for the supply of electricity on Earth. If something has space careers, they improve, based on research, technologies that end up moving to other industries. Images | POT In Xataka | We are building nuclear spacecraft again. NASA believes we will need them

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