stole Archives - usatoday24

In 1955, someone secretly stole Einstein’s brain and stored it in mayonnaise jars. That was just the beginning

March 15, 2026 by usatoday24

Seven hours after Albert Einstein’s death, Thomas Harvey was preparing to perform an autopsy on the body at the Priceton Hospital morgue. It was April 18, 1955 and Otto Nathan, friend and executor of the famous physicist, was present: old Albert had become in the “greatest rock star of the 20th century”but he wanted the cult of his person to end there. The pathologist would perform the autopsy, the family would collect the body and secretly cremate it before scattering its ashes in the Delaware River. And so it was. Or, well, that’s what the family believed. Not in my lair. Because inadvertently, without prior documented permission and as quickly as he could, Thomas Harvey removed Einstein’s brain and kept it (in a jar full of formaldehyde). At first he kept it a secret, but no one steals the brain of the great genius of the 20th century to keep it a secret. The news, in a matter of hours, spread like wildfire. And, in fact, on the 20th the New York Times posted that something was happening with the brain. The family panicked, but shortly before publication (and following a fait accompli policy) Harvey managed to convince Hans Albert Einstein, the eldest son, to give him retrospective permission. I imagine Hans didn’t have much room for maneuver: Harvey had the brain in his possession. It was ‘give him permission’ or, perhaps, lose him forever. Einstein’s son set conditions, of course: the main one is that the organ be used for scientific purposes. It wasn’t going to be possible either. Especially because Harvey ‘fell in love’ with the brain and, despite Princeton Hospital’s efforts to have him deposit it, the pathologist repeatedly refused. To the point where, at the end of the year, he is fired. That’s when he took the brain to the University of Pennsylvania and, in a friend’s lab, divided it into about 240 pieces and created 12 sets of slides. Fired and sidelined, Harvey sent 42 of the samples to different forensic experts and neurologists for investigation. That was their plan to return through the front door: the majority did not respond and those who did did not find anything notable. So things really started to go wrong. As a result of his stubbornness, his marriage breaks down. At some point in the 1960s, divorce forces him to take the glass jars containing his brain out of the basement and go to the Midwest. And, deep down, he was lucky. On the one hand, none of the affected institutions wanted to speak publicly about this so as not to compromise their prestige. On the other hand, the courts were not as involved in American life, nor did information flow with the same ease. So found a job in Wichita and he kept the brain in the same refrigerator where he had the beer. Until someone finds it. That someone is Steven Levy, a journalist for New Jersey Monthly. In August 1978, Levy told your brain search of the physical. When she found him in Kansas, Harvey didn’t want to talk, but he quickly loosened his tongue. And, of course, it was a scandal. Throughout the 1980s, he sent samples to some researchers (a Marian Diamond, Berkeley neuroanatomistsent him four samples in a mayonnaise jar), but his ambition was to study it himself in his free time. Things get complicated. Because at the end of the 80s, Harvey lost his license and moved to Lawrence, Kansas, to work in a plastic extrusion factory. He spends his nights getting drunk with William S. Burroughs and welcoming those who come to see him. Convinced by journalists, he did a lot of strange things: from cutting pieces on a cheese board to taking, now in his eighties, a trip to California to talk to Einstein’s granddaughter. Finally, between 1998 and 2007 (when Harvey died), was donating parts from the brain to Princeton Hospital. However, that is the most interesting thing we have been able to get out of this organ of contention: its delirious history is more interesting than what scientists have been able to get out of it. Something that reminds us of a phrase normally attributed to Richard Feynman: “it’s worth having an open mind, but not so much that your brain falls out” (or has it stolen). Image | Taton Moise In Xataka | Einstein’s first violin had passed unnoticed. Until an auction house put it up for sale.

Someone stole 56 million liters of water during the last 18 months in Murcia. It’s just the tip of the iceberg

January 3, 2026 by usatoday24

A pendulum and a couple of wooden sticks are the only tools that dowsers need to, supposedlydetect the magnetic flows of water currents to find underground water. Actually, a dowser is not much use, but it is the name with which SEPRONA baptized a surveillance cycle to catch the water thieves. One of the last cases It is that of the 50 million liters looted by two businessmen in a period of 18 months. But it is neither an isolated case nor something that shows signs of stopping. Louvres. One of the latest SEPRONA operations have taken place in Puerto Lumbreras, in the Region of Murcia, where agents have opened proceedings against two businessmen as alleged perpetrators of a crime against natural resources and the environment. It is estimated that they carried out well exploitation activities for decades, but to be specific, in the last 18 months alone, 56 million liters of groundwater were allegedly stolen. Those investigated used a clandestine well without a volumetric meter that was hidden in one of the companies and was not water that they used to irrigate their own crops (something that is usually common in this type of activity), but to sell. Pirate hydrological. They were capable of extracting more than 100,000 liters a day, which they sold and distributed through their own tanker trucks. Its use? Intensive livestock pig farms. Sale to other companies. Sale to individuals for filling swimming pools. Fine or “operational cost”? SEPRONA began the investigation after a complaint signed by 128 residents of Zarzalico who detected an illegal pipeline of several kilometers built to supply feedlots, and it is estimated that the two businessmen invoiced about 275,000 euros during the 18 months already mentioned. The curious thing about the matter is that, as we say, it has only been investigated for a year and a half, so the figure could be astronomical if the estimate that the activity was carried out for decades is true. Water theft is not something new, far from it, and in fact there are studies which suggest that, for more than a century, it was a practice that occurred in the Spanish southeast. It makes complete sense if we take into account that the area, with Almería or Murcia, being the “orchard of Europe”, is not exactly in which the most rainfall is recordedbut where it is most needed for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. In fact, this is called “virtual water” that these areas export in tomatoes, lettuce or avocados. This theft of water has been taken as a “survival mechanism”, something necessary to maintain activity during droughts, and there is also studies which point out that the administrative fines received by those who commit the infraction are lower than the economic benefit obtained from the stolen water. Illegal wells in southern Spain in the Andalusia region Devastating. The problem is that the accounts don’t add up where it matters most: in nature. The systematic depletion of aquifers due to illegal well activities has led to the depletion of some of the most important wetlands in our geography. Doñana is the clear examplero, since the national park has been, and is being, drained by hundreds of illegal wells for cultivation. But you don’t have to go far from Puerto Lumbreras to see the effects, and the Mar Menor is another example. Fresh underground water is looted and, sometimes, used to irrigate agricultural fields in which nitrate fertilizers are used that, due to runoff, filter into the soil or end up directly in the sea. This causes the water to have less oxygen than it should, and when it ends up in the lagoon, the fish die from anoxia. Add and continue. Unfortunately, as we say, it is not even a problem new… neither isolated. These last years We have been talking about dozens of people investigated, detained and convicted. The Malaga water company, in fact, has even hired private detectives to monitor employees, suppliers and customers. According to WWFthere are more than 500,000 illegal wells in Spain, the benefits offset the administrative fines and fevers like avocado fever They don’t help at all. Images | Greenpeace, Niriho khoka In Xataka | Andalusia has become a hostile land for the avocado. So an unexpected region is taking over: Galicia

They stole almost 23,000 euros from him with the SIM swapping scam. Now Vodafone and Ibercaja will have to return them

November 13, 2025 by usatoday24

First, for no apparent reason, you are left without line or data coverage on your mobile. The next thing is to realize that your bank account has been emptied. This nightmare is the result of ‘SIM swapping’one of the most dangerous scams and protagonist of the sentence we are discussing today. what has happened. The Plasencia court has sentenced Vodafone and Ibercaja to return all the money to a client affected by this type of scam, as reported in Economist & Jurist. Vodafone issued a duplicate SIM card to the victim, but it was not she who requested it, but rather a third party who used it to obtain virtual bank cards without her authorization. When he reported it, the bank returned several transfers made by the scammers, but they did not cover the entire amount; There were still 22,833 euros to recover. The ruling concludes that both the bank and Vodafone are responsible and must replace that amount. Why is it importantand. The ruling places the responsibility for this type of scam on companies, not only banks but also operators. Vodafone tried to pass all responsibility to the bank, while Ibercaja alleged that it was not a security failure on its part, but rather negligence on the part of the client. The sentence is clear: both are responsible; Vodafone for not identifying who requested the duplicate SIM and the bank for not having implemented protection measures to avoid this fraud, which had been known for a long time. The ruling concludes that “generic warnings from banks cannot be used to impute negligence to the user”. Precedents. There have been other favorable rulings for those affected by ‘SIM swapping’, such as this one from the Supreme Court that condemned an entity (also Ibercaja, by the way) to return 56,474.63 euros. The cases in which the operators are also held responsible are less common, but they also exist. In 2022, the Court of First Instance No. 15 of Zaragoza sentenced Telefónica to pay 2,680 euros to another victim of this scam. Fines. Although the operators are not always sentenced to pay the stolen amount, they have received numerous fines. The AEDP has already fined different operators for allowing this practice for an amount of 6.7 million euros. Digi has been one of the most affected companies, with a initial fine of 70,000 euros that finally It reached 270,000 euros. SIM swapping. The mobile phone has become the center of our digital life. With it we access and identify ourselves in all types of services, also in our bank, which is why it has become such a valuable object for scammers. ‘SIM swapping’ consists of the scammer requesting a duplicate of our SIM card in order to control our bank accounts using SMS verification. The problem usually occurs due to a lack of security measures in the operators’ stores, which fail to identify who is going to request the duplicate. Image | Pexels, Vodafone In Xataka | What you can do to avoid “SIM swapping”, the cyberattack that wreaks havoc and allows bank accounts to be emptied

a river that stole their memory

October 23, 2025 by usatoday24

In the north of the Iberian Peninsula the waters of a river flow that watered the nightmares of the Roman troops. And no, not because of its furious flow, nor because of its whirlpools, nor because of its length, nor because it is home to wild beasts or the habitual passage of fearsome warriors. What’s up? If the one known today as Limia River It was capable of stirring the dreams of the legionaries sent by Rome because of its legend. When they looked into its waters, the soldiers believed they were observing nothing more nor less than the dark depths of the Letheone of the rivers of the underworld of Hades. In a place in the north… The story of Limia is a story worthy of an epic start, on par with Don Quixote or the comics of that irreducible Gallic village they told us about. Uderzo and Goscinny. In itself it is not a particularly striking river: it originates in the province of Ourense, in the Mount Talariñoat a height of 985 meters, and extends 108 km until it flows into the Atlantic. Before that it runs through the south of Galicia and the north of Portugal, where it crosses the towns of Ponte da Barca, Ponte de Limia and Viana do Castelo. If it has gone down in history and remained linked to the Roman chronicle, it is however because of its symbolism, rather than because of its data. A river worthy of the underworld. It may be surprising in the 21st century, but in Roman times it was believed that the Limia was a unique river worthy of the underworld. And not just anyone. As remember the Ministry of Agriculture itself, a surprising legend was woven around its waters: it was believed that it was neither more nor less than the Letheor Lethe, one of the five rivers that flow through Hades. There it shared the land of the dead with other equally sinister channels, such as the Phlegethona channel of fire; or the rivers Acheron and Cocitoknown for their waters of affliction and lamentations. Among all of them, Lethe stood out for a fearsome peculiarity. It was considered to be the river of oblivion. Whoever drank from it suffered from total forgetfulness, losing their memories no matter how happy they were. Lethe passes through here. Whether the Roman legionaries believed more or less in the stories of their mythology and the magical power of the waters of the Limia, what can be intuited is that the legend was reasonably widespread at the time. This reflects it the thesaurus itself of the Cultural Heritage of Spain, which remembers that the Limia was known as Belión or Lethes, precisely because of “the confusion with the river of Oblivion mentioned in Hades.” This is what the Greek geographer actually calls it. Strabo. “It was believed that it made those who crossed it lose their memory, which made Roman conflicts in this environment difficult for years, since the military refused to cross it,” he adds. the token that the Ministry of Agriculture dedicates to him. Legend with expiration date. The legend of the Limia is not surprising only because of its background and popularity. Equally curious is that it can be associated with a very specific date, one that served to scare away the fears of the Roman soldiers. According to tradition, in 138 BC the general Tenth June Grossembarked on a campaign of conquest through the north of the peninsula, found that his troops refused to cross the Limia for fear of losing their memory. To show them that their fears were unfounded, the officer decided to set an example and leave a “similar” image—with all the quotes in the world, mind you—to the one he would offer centuries later. Fraga in Palomares: He went into the water to prove in his flesh that it was harmless. So, banner in hand, the good general crossed the Limia until he reached the other bank and then dedicated himself to calling his soldiers by name. One by one. First, to make your orders clear. Second, and no less important, to show incontestably that the waters of that northern stream had not erased his memory. A feat that is still remembered. Ironies of history, that feat with which Decimus Junius Brutus wanted to show that he preserved his good memory has managed to ensure that today, more than 2,000 years later, we are the ones who continue to remember him. About him and everything that surrounded the legend of Limia. For decades in Xinzo de Limia It is celebrated every summer “Festa do Esquecemento” (Feast of Oblivion, in Galician), a historical celebration with concerts, parades, market… and a recreation of the river crossing, with fighting on the banks of the Limia. Things about water… or wine. Beyond the festival, the truth is that the legend of Galician Lethe continues to arouse interest even today, in 2023, and articles continue to be frequently written that talk about the feat of June Brutus or the origin of the legend. The Debate published recently a report in which he collects the theories of Strabo or Virgil to explain why the Limia was associated with the Lethe, such as the supposed forgetfulness suffered by the Turdulian people when crossing its waters. Not all explanations were mythological, of course. The Roman poet even suggests that the explanation could well be a different one, more prosaic in nature: the abundance of wine in the region and its – yes – undeniable effect on memory. Images | Álvaro Pérez VilariñoCommons In Xataka | In 1061 two Galicians signed a legal agreement. More and more historians believe that it was actually a gay wedding In Xataka | In the 19th century, an American businessman visited A Coruña to buy sheep. Now the US has its own A Coruña

They are not fighters, they are planes of the Slovakia government. The day an Airbus A319 and a Fokker 100 stole the show

July 2, 2025 by usatoday24

On the left, the Airbus A319. To the right, the Fokker 100. The two official planes of Slovakia They fly the track at a very low altitude, almost touching the ground, as if the air were an extension of the platform itself. From land, dozens of cameras and mobiles point to heaven, trying to capture a maneuver that seems unrepeatable. Both are part of the government squad managed by the Ministry of Interior. Although they are usually known as “presidential planes”, the truth is that they are available to the President of the Republic, Prime Minister and the President of Parliament, among other high positions. They are also used in repatriation flights, humanitarian missions or institutional representation tasks. An exhibition that broke molds The show took place in 2021and what was seen on that track is not, much less, usual. It is not common for presidential fleet planes –more associated with Diplomatic transport that to acrobatics – participate in aerial exhibitions with this level of expertise. That is why the scene is so striking: a display of technique and coordination with airplanes that, in theory, should move away from the spotlights. It is easy to distinguish the Fokker Airbus, even for the not expert eye. The first, more robust, carries its engines under the wings. The second, on the other hand, has them mounted at the rear of the fuselage, just on the sides of the tail. There are also notable differences on tail surfaces: the Airbus opts for the classic vertical rudder and horizontal stabilizers, while the Fokker wears a configuration in T, with the stabilizer mounted on drift. Two different aircraft, two different choreographies … but perfectly synchronized. As seen in the spectacular video PUblized by the perinakx channel videosboth take off In closed, parallel and elegant training. In the middle of the track, one of the airplanes continues to rise gently, while the Airbus begins a turn to the right that leaves the blue fuselage that is cut against the sky. From the ground, the image is imposing: the red engines, the blue fuselage with stylized wings painted on it and eyes that observe as if the plane was aware. Fokker 100 of the Slovakia government Later, in another video cut, we see them again in action. This time flying separately, but always very close to the ground. The Airbus stars in the most daring maneuver: it approaches the track as if it were going to land, it first supports the rear wheels and, almost imperceptibly, also the front train. It runs a few meters, lifts the nose with decision, inclines the plane slightly to the right and takes off again. All in seconds. All with a softness that makes the weight of the plane seem oblivious to gravity. Airbus A319 of the Slovakia government This air demonstration charges even more value if one takes into account that the Slovak fleet is in the process of renewal. How Pravda points outthe government plans to withdraw the Fokker 100, second -hand acquired in 2016, which already had 25 years of use. Today they are the last of its kind operating in Europe. Although they keep flying – and giving a sound that falls in love with aviation fans – maintenance is increasingly complex and expensive. The plan is to replace them with new more efficient and versatile aircraft before the end of its useful life comes. Airbus A319 of the Slovakia government The protagonist Airbus of this flight is part of the generational relief. It was acquired in 2017 for 34.9 million eurosreplacing the veteran Tupolev Tu-154m presidential. It has a medical configuration and ability to move up to six people on a stretcher. Before joining the Slovak fleet, this same plane had served the former French president Jacques Chirac. They are maneuvers that are not seen on commercial flights. They are maneuvers that require surgical precision and absolute trust. And, above all, in the other pilot. Because this was not a training flight or any exhibition: it was a declaration of intentions. The result was hypnotic, both for those who witnessed him live, and for those who see him from home. Images | Perinakx videos In Xataka | The C929 wants to be the great leap of China in commercial aviation. For now, your heart remains in Western hands

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