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Within the most advanced chips manufacturing machines there is something incredible: small supernovae

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Identifying a Supernova is an event that astronomers usually celebrate with enthusiasm. And it is not for less if we consider that they are One of the most violent events with which we can run into the cosmos. Knowing them better is very important because it can help us understand more precision How are the latest stages of The life of mass starsand also the mechanisms that explain how the material caused by stellar synthesis can lead to new star systems. The mathematical tools handled by astrophysics current nuclear fusion that take place in the nucleus of mass stars. During the stage known as the main sequence, stars obtain their energy from the fusion of hydrogen nuclei. As this chemical element is consumed, the star begins to produce helium nuclei, and, of course, its composition begins to evolve. During this process a huge amount of energy is released and the star is forced to continuously readjust to maintain hydrostatic balance, a phenomenon that is the result of the coexistence of two opposite forces capable of compensating. One of them is the gravitational contraction, which compresses the subject of the star, pressing it without rest. And the other is the radiation and gase pressure, which is the fruit of the ignition of the nuclear oven and tries to expand the star. The small supernovae of the extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment As we have anticipated from the holder, this article does not go only from Supernovas; It is also starred by the semiconductors. A priori we can intuit that these cosmic events and integrated circuits have nothing to do, but, curiously, they do have something in common. This is the reason why I found a good idea to start this text reviewing what a supernova is and why they occur. Otherwise we could not understand in all its extension the idea in which we are about to investigate. The ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment is very similar to what happens during a Supernova In the teams of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) that manufactures the Dutch company ASML, high power lasers instantly heat tens of thousands of tiny tin drops in a single second until they reach a temperature of half a million Celsius degrees. This interaction produces An extremely hot plasma that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. This light must later be transported to the wafer thanks to a very precise mirrors and lenses system with the purpose of capturing the patterns that define the integrated circuits on a layer of photorers. Very broadly this is the strategy used by the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing machines that currently exist. And, as we have just seen, high -power lasers interpret an unquestionably protagonist role. As Jays Stewart, Chief of Research at ASML, explains in the very interesting article he has published in IEEE Spectrumthe ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment to produce avant -garde chips is very similar to what happens during a supernova. When a massive star exhausts its fuel and stops nuclear fusion processes, radiation pressure and gases is no longer able to counteract gravitational contraction. This phenomenon causes the star iron core It suddenly contracts under the enormous pressure that all layers of material that it has above. The star has lost the hydrostatic balance. At this moment all this matter loses the support that the nucleus exercised, which is now much more compact, and falls on it with enormous speed. When all that star material touches the surface of the nucleus there is a rebound effect that causes it to be fired with a huge energy towards the stellar medium, being disseminated. A supernova has just been produced. Some of them are so energetic that for a few seconds they emit more light than the entire galaxy that contains them. The tiny explosions that take place inside the UVE lithography equipment when a laser affects a tin drop produce a shock wave similar to that originating in the stellar medium, although much smaller scale. Surprisingly the mathematical equations that describe the evolution of these two types of explosions are the same. ASML engineers use them to calculate very precisely how the evolution of the shock wave that triggers plasma balls within the UVE equipment will be. And astrophysicians use them to describe the remains of the supernovas and deduce the properties of the star explosion that originated them. A Supernova has 10⁴⁵ times more energy That an explosion of tin, but thanks to this parallel, ASML engineers have been able to solve the complex problem derived from tin residues inside their most advanced lithography equipment. Image | ASML More information | IEEE Spectrum In Xataka | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’: The book that reveals the secrets of the most powerful European company in the chips industry

We already know how big the hole that Ryanair will leave in the small cities of Spain will leave: 640,000 squares

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He will leave Jerez and Valladolid. And will drastically reduce its operations in Vigo. It will also offer less flights at the airports of Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, Asturias and Santander. That is Ryanair’s decision made In response to AENA rates that consider excessive and the lack of incentives to maintain airlines. In total, it is estimated that 643,000 seats will be lost With the departure of the company Low-Cost of these airports or the reduction of their activity from this summer. The company’s numbers point to a reduction in the offer of 800,000 places But a small part of these seats will be compensated with the arrival of other airlines or the increase in their activity. Incentives and rates in the center of the conflict With Ryanair’s departure, it is also confirmed that it is the minor airports that more will suffer from summer. Valladolid is undoubtedly the city that in relative terms more passengers loses. This summer will have 96,000 seats less. It will go from the 154,000 seats offered in 2024 to just 60,000 places, which represents a reduction of 61%. However, in absolute terms, Santiago de Compostela airport is the one that will lose the most passengers from all over Spain. Next summer will have 334,000 less places, which is a reduction of 11.4% compared to last year’s programming. A blow to a city that has in the summer a wave of tourism arrived from the Camino de Santiago. Among the most affected airports, Zaragoza is another of the places where its departure will most be noticed, losing 113,000 seats that represent 18.5% of the operations. Santander, with 88,000 lost places, will lose 10% of its passenger volume compared to last year. Jerez will stay at 7%, with 52,400 places offered less. Other airports, however, manage to hold the stick that supposes the exit of the Irish company. Vigo, where Ryanair announced a reduction of 61% of its operations, will grow and offer this summer 64,700 seats more than in 2024, 8.8% higher than last year. Asturias will not run so much luck but cushion the impact with a reduction in the volume of travelers that is barely reflected in a 1.8% decrease (27,000 places less). In general terms, AENA will lose 643,000 places offered with the departure of Ryanair from some of its airports and the descent of its operations. An output that occurs after the company indicated AENA’s rates as abusive and incentives to operate in small insufficient airports. For their part, in Aena they have seen this movement as blackmail, according to Five days. Although in recent days the Irish company has generated even more noise with an aggressive advertising campaign in which Call “clown” to Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Consumptionusing the fine receivable in the cabin As a claim, it was the operating rates in AENA and the lack of incentives in small airports that motivated the exit of these places. The rates charged by Aena are designed to guarantee the proper functioning of an airport, is the price to be paid for a company to provide the security or cleaning service, among others. On average, Companies pay 10.35 euros per passenger in Spain But in smaller airports they barely reach two or three euros because some incentives are applied to operate in these lines. For example, 100% of the rate of reduced mobility travelers or 100% of the safety rate is reimbursed, to make these spaces more attractive from the big cities. Decisions that are not enough for Ryanair who ask “A substantial reduction” Of the same or that, even, “if there is a regional airport with 500,000 passengers, which is given a discount to all the 50% airlines on the existing traffic and free for the next 50,000 passengers”, in the words of Eddie Wilson , CEO of Ryanair, during an interview with Five days. What Wilson does not do in that interview is one of the economic incentives from low -cost airlines that provide services at these airports and receive subsidies from institutions in the form of advertising to maintain their flights. They are contracts that, with its departure, the airline is breaking and that allowed, for example, that In Vigo a fluid line was maintained with London airport. Photo | Marty Sakin In Xataka | Ryanair’s breakdown is a warning for world tourism: plane tickets are very expensive

We have a new “theory of all” to understand Alzheimer’s. Your key is in small granules

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Creating “theories of all”, unified models that explain various phenomena associated with a scientific field, is not exclusive heritage of physicists. The fight against some diseases can also benefit from models that help us understand their causes and consequences and the processes that mediate. New model. Now a group of researchers has devised a new modela theory that tries to explain Alzheimer’s disease through a “unified explanation of molecular chaos” that derives in this neurodegenerative disorder. According to this new theory, the disease and its symptoms would derive from a collapse of the transport system in charge of moving molecules between the nucleus and cell cytoplasm. This new theory can help simplify a topic as complex as Alzheimer’s. However, its authors remember that this disruption is still extremely complex, with more than a thousand genes involved in it. “Our proposal, focused on the rupture of communication between the nucleus and the cytoplasm leading to massive disruptions in gene expression, offers a plausible framework to understand the mechanisms that lead to this complex disease,” Explain in a press release Paul Coleman, co -author of the new model. A granular problem The model places the formation of chronic stress granules at the beginning of this process. These are clusters of proteins and RNA chains responsible for generating stress in the cell. Stress granules are usually generated temporarily. Its original function is to respond to cell stress by leaving some processes until the cell can recover. Once its duty has fulfilled and the stress disappeared, they dissolve. The problem unleashes when these granules become chronic, which leads them to catch other molecules, making it difficult for them to move between the nucleus and the rest of the cell. From inside out. The model starts from this trigger to explain with it the disease and its consequences outside the cellular unit. And it is that the changes that occur at the cellular level end up affecting cerebral synapses, metabolism, protein processing and cell survival, as explained by the model responsible for the model. The details of the new model were published In an article In the magazine Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. A disease with many faces. Alzheimer is one of the most intriguing diseases, Explain the responsible team of the new model. In part, they point out, this is because it takes the appearance of various diseases made one, with symptoms that include memory loss and cognitive deterioration, but also changes in personality and in our same internal biology. This complexity, continues to expose the team, is partly responsible for how extremely difficult it is to study this disease. Models like this that schematize their processes, can serve future researchers to find new routes of action that become more effective therapies when facing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s or, even, the same disease. In Xataka | In his tireless fight against Alzheimer’s, scientists have encountered an unexpected ally: coffee Image | Jason DREES/AS

The price of housing in Spain is already higher than in the bubble peak. But the data has a small trick

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That Spain has A problem With housing it is no novelty. Even so, it is interesting to find data that specifies to what extent it has been complicated to access a house in this country. The Property Registrars they just disseminated one that results especially valuable And it shows that those who want to buy an apartment today meet the highest prices of the historical series, even above those of the 2007 real estate bubble. However, it is convenient to handle those figures with perspective. Prices above 2007. The real estate market is in full Price climbing. That also does not suppose any surprise and can be seen in the ascending curves that have been showing for a long time graphics like those of the idealistic portal. This week the College of Registrars published A report That leaves an extra, more interesting reading. The sustained price increase has led to the average housing price has reached in Spain “A new historical maximum”overcoming the values ​​that were handled in 2007, before the real estate bubble. According to the data collected by the registrars, the average cost during the last quarter of 2024 stood at € 2,164/m2. Table of the study of registrars on the evolution of the price of housing. Going down to detail. The dossier It allows to delve even more and check for example how the new and ‘second -hand’ housing housing market is responding, which has accumulated from afar the largest volume of sale operations. In fact, almost 637,000 transactions Scored by the professional body throughout 2024, just over 505,000 were starring used properties, 6.4% more than the previous year. The new house left ‘Solo’ 132,000 sale, although that data reflects a considerable increase with respect to 2023, of 21.6%. As for prices, at the end of 2024 the square meter of the release was charged on average to 2,338 euroswhile that of the already used properties was quoted at 2,133. In the first case the price exceeds that it was handled between 2006 and 2007, before the brick bubble exploded. The same does not happen with the second -hand housing, which although it has been more expensive, it would still continue slightly below of those prestisis values. Prices with small print. The study of registrars of Spain effectively shows an average price of housing in historical maximums, above of the 2007 level, but the big question is … does that mean that the houses are more uninquerable today than before the real estate bubble? To answer that question, you have to take into account the difference between the nominal valuesthat measure the current prices of each moment (in this case 2024) and The real onesin which the effect of inflation is taken into account. A few days ago, after the publication of the registrars dossier, Doctor of Economics Daniel Fuentes He warned in x which shows nominal prices, with which the comparison between 2007 and 2024 has 17 years apart. And its inflation. The nuance does not remain value to the report data, but it should be taken into account if comparisons are made with the prices prior to the 2007 brick crisis. Click on the image to go to Tweet. More perspectives. In fact, registrars are not the only ones who have published more or less updated information on Spanish real estate market prices. In April 2024 the Bank of Spain launched A report in which it clearly reflected the differences between nominal and real values. According to their calculations, in 2023 the average housing prices had been recovered since 2014 with a nominal revaluation of 56%; But in terms of real revaluation that rise was much lower, of 30%. What does that mean? That in the first case the prices of 2023 were about to exceed those of 2007 (they were 2% below); But in the second, taking into account the real values, the average of 2023 was still 28.5% lower at 2007. The indicator Tinsa Imie (monthly real estate market index) December It also shows that, although the values ​​have grown clearly, the general indicator It is still below of the scored in 2007. Graph of the Annual Report of 2023 on the housing market in Spain. Graph of the Bank of Spain on the evolution of the price of nominal and real housing. Evolution of the price of housing in Spain reflected in the October October report. Different situations. That current prices approach or exceed those of 2006 and 2007 also mean that the current scenario is the same as that of the years prior to the brick crisis. “The demand after the bubble was speculative, the one now is demographic,” says Fuentes In your tweet. During A talk with The country Santiago Carbó, Professor of Economic Analysis, also ruled out a crisis similar to that of the bubble. The reason: the great current challenge of Spain is the mismatch between supply and demand, rather than indebtedness, as was the case then. The problem, Carbó aboundsis that finding affordable housing becomes “increasingly difficult” and it will be difficult for the measures taken by the Government to let their effects feel this year or even the next one. “The incorporation of thousands of floors to the market would be needed to relieve this tension, and that requires years.” Is there more? Yeah. The study of the registrars allows to know three other factors equally interesting: the differences between regions, the number of signed mortgages and the weight of foreign buyers. With regard to the first issue, that of the lags between communities, the report shows that disparate realities coexist in the Spanish market. For example, while Madrid led the cost of the house, with € 3,780/m2, in Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura that average did not even reach the € 1,000 barrier. The weight of the foreign buyer … and the banks. The report also shows that the vast majority of purchases are made with bank financing. Throughout the last quarter of 2024, 124,000 … Read more

In 536 the sun began to shine less than the moon. The small ice age began then began

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The year 536 is sometimes called “The worst in history”, But this year only marked the beginning of a small ice age. An era of about 15 years in which sunlight was almost unable to reach the surface of the earth. Small ice age. For years it has been discussed what happened in the year 536 that triggered the “small ice age of late antiquity” (Lalia) that lasted until the 550s. The volcanic eruptions of this year and 541 or comet dust had been considered as possible causes, but we had A third hypothesis: An unknown underwater eruption. From historiography to the rings of the trees. From this era of darkness we have record through different sources: some historiographic, such as medieval texts in which there is talk of a sunlight so faint that it barely stood out about that of the moon. Others, more “modern”, such as the analysis of Tree rings. These rings appear as a result of the oscillations in their growth rate, a consequence of the succession of the seasons of the year and factors associated with it, such as the abundance of water. Or the hours of light. The suspects. And the hours of light were not abundant at this time. The cause of this long winter of 15 years would have been in a denser atmosphere full of dust or gas that would have prevented solar radiation from reaching the northern hemisphere. However, we are not sure what our atmosphere overshadowed. Volcanic activity has been the main suspect in the case. We know that the most powerful volcanoes can expel gases in such quantity that they can alter the terrestrial climate, usually for short periods of time. During this decade and a half we had proof of three volcanic eruptions, a “cataclysmic” eruption in 536, caused by a volcano in Iceland; and two others also relevant in 540 and 547. However, there are experts who consider that these three eruptions were not the cause of this small ice age, something else was needed. Submarine volcano. And that “something” could have been an underwater volcano. Is The hypothesis defended by an American team of researchers composed of Dallas Abbott and John Barron. They reached this conclusion when studying Greenland ice samples in which remains of marine microorganisms of tropical waters were found. According to this hypothesis, underwater rashes would have led to the atmosphere not only the gases of these events but also remains of sediments and marine life. An underwater eruption would also have vaporized a large amount of water that would have passed to the atmosphere. Huge consequences. All this would have had severe socio -economic consequences. Historical records speak of years in which cereal crops did not even allow bread, or snowfall in full summer. Towards the year 541 the so -called “Plaga de Justiniano” began in Egypt First epidemic Black plague of the Middle Ages. In the Iberian Peninsula this period of darkness could have unleashed The first of the crises that would end up resulting in the fall of the Visigothic kingdom and the Muslim conquer. Image | NOAA/National Science Foundation In Xataka | We believed that the huge eruption of Hunga Tonga had something to do with global temperature records. We didn’t even get closer In Xataka | Something weird happens in the Teide: although experts do not see signs of eruption, they insist that you have to follow it closely

The small city that Mexico is raising to receive the thousands of deportees waiting from the US.

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Image source, Reuters Article information Author, Will Grant Author’s title, BBC News, correspondent in Mexico January 27, 2025, 13:44 GMT Updated 1 hour In the shadow of a huge crucifix, the workers and construction workers of Ciudad Juárez, a Mexican border city, are building a small city. A city of tents. In the old fairgrounds, under an altar built for a Mass of Pope Francis in 2016, the Mexican government prepares for the thousands of deportees who expect to arrive from the United States in the coming weeks. Ciudad Juárez is one of the eight border towns along the 3,000 kilometers of border in which the country is preparing for the expected expulsion wave. Men with boots and baseball caps rise to the top of a vast metal structure to cover it with a thick white canvas, raising a rudimentary shelter to temporarily house men and women exactly the same the same. It is likely that eventual workers, domestic employees, cooking personnel and agricultural pawns are soon among those sent to the south, once the President Donald Trump calls “the greatest deportation in the history of the United States. “ Image source, Getty images Photo foot, In Ciudad Juárez, Mexican authorities are building a huge center to house deportees. Not only roof and food In addition to nature protection, deportees will receive food, medical care and help to obtain Mexican identity documents, within the framework of a deporteed support program that the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum calls “Mexico hugs you”. “Mexico will do everything you need to attend to its compatriots and allocate what is necessary to receive those who are repatriated,” said the Mexican Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, the day of Trump’s possession. For her part, President Sheinbaum has stressed that her government will first meet the humanitarian needs of those who return, stating that they will be able to benefit from the social programs and pensions of her government, and that they can work immediately. He urged Mexicans to “keep calm and cold head” about relations with President Trump and his administration, from deportations to the threat of tariffs. “With Mexico, I think we are doing very well,” said President Trump in a video speech against Davos’s World Economic Forum last week. President Sheinbaum has said that the key is in the dialogue and keeping communication channels open. However, it recognizes the potential tension that the Emergency Declaration on the US border by President Trump could assume for Mexico. It is estimated that 5 million undocumented Mexicans currently live in the US and the perspective of a massive return could quickly saturate and overflow border cities such as Juarez and Tijuana. Image source, Getty images Photo foot, Mexico is ready to receive the thousands of deportees that Trump expects to expel from the US in the coming weeks. A difficult task It is an issue that worries José María García Lara, director of the Hostel for Immigrants Juventud 2000 of Tijuana. While teaching me the facilities, which are almost at the limit of their capacity, ensures that there are very few places where you can host more families. “If necessary, perhaps we can put some people in the kitchen or in the library,” he explains. But he admits that there will come a time when there is no longer space, and donations of food, medical material, blankets and hygiene products do not supply. “We are being beaten on two fronts. First, the arrival of Mexicans and other migrants fleeing violence,” says Garcia. “But we will also have the mass deportations. We do not know how many people will cross the border needing our help. Together, these two things could create a big problem,” he warns. In addition, another key part of Trump’s executive orders includes a policy called “staying in Mexico”, under which immigrants waiting for dates to make their asylum cases in an Imigration Court of the United States would have to remain in Mexico before those appointments. Image source, Getty images Photo foot, Mexico has also reinforced security on its side of the border to try to stop illegal crosses. When “staying in Mexico” was previously in force, during Trump’s first term and under the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico, Mexican border cities fought to get ahead. Human rights groups also repeatedly denounced the risks to which migrants were exposed when they were forced to wait in dangerous cities where crime related to drug cartels abounds. This time, Sheinbaum has made it clear that Mexico does not agree with the plan and will not accept any US non -Mexican asylum seeker while waiting for her audiences. It is clear that “staying in Mexico” only works if Mexico is willing to fulfill it. Until now, it has drawn a line. President Trump has deployed about 2,500 soldiers on the southern border of the US, which will be responsible for carrying out part of the logistics of his offensive. In Tijuana, meanwhile, Mexican soldiers help prepare for consequences. The authorities have prepared an event center called flamingos with 1,800 beds for the returnees, with troops that bring supplies, install a kitchen and showers. Image source, Getty images Photo foot, In his early days in the White House, Trump has issued a series of orders that seek to launch the largest deportation of undocumented history. While President Trump signed executive orders last Monday, a minibus crossed the doors of the Chaparral border crossing, between San Diego and Tijuana, transporting a handful of deportees. A few journalists had gathered to try to speak with the first deportees of the Trump era. However, it was a routine deportation, which probably had been preparing for weeks and had nothing to do with the documents Trump was signing before a crowd cooling in Washington DC However, symbolically, while the minibus passed at full speed ahead of the media waiting before a refuge managed by the Government, these will be the first of many. Mexico will … Read more

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