suspect

Suddenly, all the papers students hand in at universities look like the same job. There is a suspect

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AI has caused an earthquake in the education sector. Students use it (many times indiscriminately) and teachers try to adapt to the change reinventing homework and exams. As the years go by, its use becomes normalized and the effects are already beginning to be seen. One of them is that all students They’re starting to sound the same. When AI gives its opinion for you. They tell it in cnn. AI chatbots have become another everyday tool in university life, but it is not only that they are used as support to write a paper, there are more and more students who turn to AI for everything, even to know what to say in class. They tell the case of a Yale student who admits that during a class debate “the conversation stopped, I looked to my left and saw someone frantically typing on their laptop.” He was asking a chatbot the same question his teacher had just asked. I myself am doing a university master’s degree and the situation is not strange to me. There are many students who turn to a chatbot to answer questions that are precisely looking for a critical and personal answer. Homogeneous thinking. It is one of the consequences that are being seen as a result of the use of AI chatbots. According to a study published in March of this yearLLMs narrow the diversity of human expression in three dimensions: language, perspective, and reasoning strategies. The reason is that training data contains bias cultures and overrepresented positions. The authors of the study claim that AI models tend to reproduce Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic points of view. In a context like the university, the result is that the students’ language is generally more polished, but the responses and reasoning are similar and ends up eroding the diversity of opinions. Hallucinations. These biases in the training data also partly explain the phenomena of hallucinations and flattery. When an LLM invents an answer or agrees with us even if we are wrong, it has to do with the fact that Positive and accommodating interactions prevail in your training data. That is to say, his training tells him that it is more important to give an answer rather than its truthfulness. Cognitive surrender. It is a concept taken from an experiment we talked about recently and refers to the phenomenon whereby we stop thinking and checking for ourselves when using AI, accepting its answers with little or no critical review and adopting its security as if it were our own. Delegating part of the cognitive process to AI is not a bad thing if it is done with a critical vision, the problem is when it is done indiscriminately and without any scrutiny of the answers. AI is making us dumb. A MIT study from 2025 pointed in this direction, but we already saw that It’s a very simplistic statement. of what is happening. Whether AI makes us lazier and impairs our critical thinking depends on how we use it. It would be comparable to using a calculator to do a very complex operation or using it to multiply five by six. Well used, AI can save us a lot of time and can be a very powerful tool to shape complex ideas, always without losing that critical thinking. Critical thinking is learned. This is the real problem of the indiscriminate use of AI in the educational environment. We are talking about people who have not yet developed this skill and who are delegating reasoning to an external tool may cause them to never learn it. In front of the prohibitionist stancevarious authors have pointed out the urgency of starting conversations with students from early stages to teach them to use AI critically and responsibly. Image | Xataka with Freepik In Xataka | A university used an AI to hunt down students who used AI. The result was a predictable disaster

Cocoa is so expensive that some suspect that a shipment with 12 tons of Kitkat has been stolen

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There was a time when big robberies had their own Hollywood epic: the Bank of England goldthe diamonds of the Great Antwerp Raidthe tickets from the Federal Reserve or the assault on the Mint and Stamp House of The Money Heist. Well, in 2026, European organized crime has decided that the most valuable thing you can take with you in a truck is 413,793 chocolate bars. No, it’s not a joke. In a statement to the AFP agencyNestlé has reported the theft of a shipment of more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolates, an incident that the multinational warns could cause supply problems right in the middle of the Easter campaign. A blow to Easter. According to the company, one of its logistics trucks carrying 413,793 a batch of chocolates KitKat has disappeared while transferring between the production center and the distribution center. According to pointed Reutersthe vehicle had left a factory in central Italy bound for Poland, but its trace was lost somewhere along the way. Since then, neither the truck nor the merchandise have been located and the investigation remains open. Nestlé warns that the disappearance of more than 400,000 units could be noticed in stores in the coming weeks, just at one of the times of greatest chocolate consumption of the year with the arrival of Easter and coinciding with the preparation of traditional sweets and cakes during these days. Pay attention to the black market. The company assures that it is collaborating with local authorities and its logistics network to try to locate the sweet shipment, although for now there are no details about the exact point of the journey at which the truck disappeared. The brand also warned that the stolen bars could enter unofficial sales channels in European markets. To combat this, KitKat noted that it is possible to trace the origin of products by scanning the unique lot codes listed on each bar. If the traceability system detects a coincidence, an action manual has been put in place to alert the company. Make a KitKat. Despite the seriousness of having lost almost half a million chocolate bars, the company has found humor in the face of such an unusual situation. A spokesperson for the brand made fun of KitKat’s famous slogan about taking a break or, as they call it, “making a kitkat.” “We’ve always encouraged people to take a break from KitKat, but it seems thieves have taken it too seriously and made off with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.” The truth is that, joking aside, the thieves have taken a button so voluminous that it will hardly go unnoticed if they try to “place” it on the market. “While we appreciate the exceptional taste of criminals, the truth is that merchandise theft is a growing problem for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat stated in its statement. brown gold. The theft comes at a time when the cocoa market is experiencing its biggest correction in decades. After reaching all-time highs above $12,000 per ton in 2024, the price of cocoa at origin has fallen more than 60%, reaching around $3,165 per ton at the end of March 2026. However, that moderation has barely reached the consumer and the cocoa prices They rose by 18% in the EU during 2025. Despite the price of the raw material having moderated, European supermarkets keep prices rising because manufacturers passed on the increases when the market was skyrocketing, but they took it more calmly when it fell. In Xataka | Coffee and cocoa have become so expensive that they are drowning themselves: buyers do not have the money to send them Image | Unsplash (justin, Gabriel Santos)

In the cemeteries of Galicia, the Christs have begun to disappear from the tombstones. There is a suspect: “red gold”

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The surprise was capital. And sad. Mostly sad. A few days ago, when she went to the pantheon where her relatives are buried, a neighbor from Celanova (Galicia) found that the figure of crucified Christ that decorated the tomb was missing. The curious thing is that not only was his own missing. Taking a look at the rest of the cemetery he found that the same thing was happening in five other tombs. In one, in fact, the Christ had been torn off and only preserved part of one arm, as if someone had burst it by using force with a lever. The case would not have made it out of the local press if it were not for the fact that it was not the only cemetery in Ourense in which the neighbors found that image. What has happened? That in the rural cemeteries of Galicia, more specifically in Ourense, dozens and dozens of Christs are disappearing. It takes a look at the regional press to see that it is more than a simple anecdote: March 16 Vigo Lighthouse informed of the disappearance of figures in two cemeteries in Celanova, days after The Voice of Galicia spoke already of 40 Christs torn from graves and Europa Press raised the total count to more than 50 crucifixes. One of the last media outlets to take stock has been Galicia Press, which on Wednesday the 18th reported the lack of more than 70 Christs in at least five different cemeteries. But… And why is that? Cemeteries are spaces of mourning and meditation, so it is not common (at least not in Spain of the 21st century) encounter cases of missing Christs like the one that shakes rural Ourense. There are a few theories to explain it. It could be acts of vandalism. Or some practice related to esoteric rituals. The Galician authorities are not inclined towards one or the other. For them the mystery is much simpler: the Civil Guard is investigating it like robberies, beatings carried out by criminals who are not interested in crucifixes and their artistic or spiritual value, but in something much more prosaic. What interests them is brass, stainless steel and above all copper with which these pieces were manufactured, a metal that recently reached a record price. ‘Red gold’ thieves? Exact. Recently the Civil Guard recognized to Europa Press who works “without ruling out” any possibility, but the starting hypothesis is quite simple: criminals sneak into cemeteries at night, especially in winter, steal figures that are often made of metal and then melt them down and sell them. Its objective focuses above all on copper, ‘red gold’whose price has been shot after the revaluation of recent years. The idea is that the material reaches the scrap market without raising suspicions and is reused in the industry. The Region even talks about the “band of the christs” and slips that they could be traveling professional criminals. Where have they stolen? The thefts seem to focus on a specific area, in the province of Ourense. Galicia Press point basically to rural cemeteries in the Celanova region and nearby towns, which includes cemeteries such as Santa María de Pontefechas, San Xoán de Viveiro, San Breixo de Celanova or Santo Eusebio de A Peroxa. There are those who expand the affected area in the province and speaks of assaults in cemeteries in the towns of Maside, Verea or Allariz. Thieves do not hesitate either take rings or resorting to force to extract the metal pieces, which has already led them to break crosses or some Christ, as in Pontefechas, where in one of the attacked tombs only part of an arm remained fixed to the stone head. Some parish priests of the archpriest have put on alert to their parishioners to be alert to theft. Why copper? For its value. It’s nothing new. Although its price has fallen slightly in recent days, the price of ‘red gold’ has escalated notably during the last year, reaching spikes historic at the beginning of 2026. The Region specifies that a kilo of this metal can be sold at between eight and ten euroswhich explains why it has been on the bands’ radar for some time now. The interest of criminals is not limited to cemeteries. Not long ago the Civil Guard dismantled a group that was dedicated to stealing copper cables in part of Asturias and the province of Lugo. The authorities estimate that a total of 24,000 kilos valued at 115,000 euros. In 2025 it has already fallen a similar band in Ourense and at the end of 2023 the arrest of other criminals dedicated to the same activity in the border area with Portugal. Does it only happen in Galicia? No. A quick Google search arrives to find news about copper theft in other communities in Spain. Since the bands are interested in the material, it is worth as much wind farm wiring and industrial coils as telephone infrastructure, rail transport either lighting. Proof of how juicy the business is is that at the end of 2025, the Interior reported the arrest of 18 people accused of more than thirty copper thefts worth 1.7 million euros. And what happens in cemeteries? Galicia is not the only place where cemeteries (and their metallic decoration) have whetted the appetite of criminal gangs. Last fall the National Police counted around 200 tombstones from the Torrero de Zaragoza cemetery that had suffered damage. Most for the same reason: tearing off bronze figures and other ornaments. More or less similar episodes have been experienced in the Community of Madrid, Castile and León or the Region of Murcia, where in 2023 the authorities arrested several people for allegedly carrying out more than 80 robberies in a municipal cemetery. The objective is the same: to loot copper, bronze and brass for resale. Images | M. Peinado (Flickr) and Home Office In Xataka | Twenty years ago, 45% of Galician families saved money thanks to the garden: … Read more

We have been blaming mobile phones for myopia for years. Now we have a much more subtle suspect: lack of light

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It is quite a grandmother’s and mother’s phrase to hear that spending a long time in front of a screen or being very close to a book can cause us to develop a disease in the eyes like the myopia. However, science has long suspected that “close work” alone does not explain why myopia has become a global pandemic. The new. Now a revealing study has proposed a physiological mechanism that fits all the pieces of the puzzle together, placing the blame not only on what we look at, but on the amount of light that reaches the back of our eye while we do so. And the investigation is quite justified, since the data is scary. In Spain, 19% of children between 5 and 7 years old are already myopicand projections estimate that by 2050 half of the world’s population will need glasses. To stop this, we need to understand exactly the mechanism that produces myopia, and a team from New York has found the key. The famine of light. The work, recently published in the prestigious magazine Cell Reports by researchers, points to a fascinating concept in this case: the light deprivation hypothesis. Until now we knew that focusing on nearby objects is closely linked to the development of myopia. But what this study has measured with empirical precision is how the myopic eye reacts to the healthy eye during this process. What they have seen. The main finding is that myopes suffer from excessive accommodative pupillary constrictionthat is, when you look closely, the pupil becomes much smaller than normal. If we add to this that close-up work is usually done indoors where lighting rarely exceeds 500 lux, compared to 10,000 lux outdoors, the result is a lethal cocktail for the eye: the combination of dim light and a maximally contracted pupil causes the retina to “starve” due to lack of light. The short circuit. Here the question that logically must be asked is: Why does this lack of light cause the eye to grow abnormally, causing myopia? This is where the purest neuroscience comes in, since our retina processes the image through two main channels: the ON path that is activated with increases in light, and the OFF path, which reacts to shadows. In previous work from 2024, this same team had already shown that in myopic patients the ON pathways have serious deficits, since they are less sensitive and slower. Now the new hypothesis postulates a vicious circle in which, when reading or looking at a cell phone indoors, the pupil closes too much. And this is a problem, since chronic lack of light further weakens the retinal ON pathway, and this imbalance sends erroneous signals that ultimately promote elongation of the eyeball. The treatments. This proposal not only stands out for explaining the biological mechanism of myopia, but also unifies at once why the treatments that ophthalmologists They have been applying it empirically for years. One of the examples is spending time outdoors, but not because it cures, but because the sunlight is so intense that it more than compensates for having a small pupil, keeping the ON pathway stimulated and slowing the progression of myopia. Another example is the use of atropine drops in children to stop myopia thanks to the dilation of the pupil so that more light enters the retina. The same goes for multifocal lenses that are used to reduce accommodation effort, since the pupil does not need to constrict as excessively. It is not definitive. As is almost always the case in science, this work does not demonstrate a direct coincidence yet, but rather offers us an incredibly solid and plausible physiological mechanism supported by very robust data on the behavior of our pupil and neural pathways. But there is still a way to go with new long-term studies to confirm the hypothesis 100%. While we wait for those results, the practical conclusion seems clearer than ever: the problem is not just the tablet or the book. The problem is doing it in the dark, so if you are going to strain your eyes up close, make sure you turn on a good lamp and, above all, don’t forget to go out into the sun. Images | Akshit Dhasmana In Xataka | Denialism has reached one of the last corners of science still free of it: seeing glasses

The EU is beginning to suspect manufacturers’ plants

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The Chinese automotive industry has set out to conquer Europe. He is doing it bringing your cars directly from the factories in China, partnering with European groups and also in the most optimal way for the market: opening factories in our territory. It is the optimal way to avoid tariff packagesyes, but there is a problem: there are companies assembling their cars with removable kits. And that is not liked in Europe. Recently, Stéphane Séjourné, Vice President of Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission, commented to the Italian media La Stampa who are attentive to the situation of some Chinese manufacturers. The focus, in fact, is on those who have settled in Spain. “Currently, there are manufacturers in Europe who assemble chinese cars with Chinese components and Chinese personnel. It’s happening in Spain and Hungary, and it’s not right”. It’s not the first time he says it. A little over a year ago, tariffs on electric cars coming from China came into force. They don’t have to be Chinese (the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai are included in those tariffs, for example), but the Asian country has designed a way to assemble cars in foreign countries with a double objective. These “removable” kits They are parts of cars that are manufactured and assembled in China to later dismantle them when they see that everything works, send them in pieces to the destination country and, on the new floor, the workers assemble them again. It’s not like building a car, but like rebuilding a giant LEGO. Ebro is an example. Assembly plant or manufacturing plant? a few months ago we already have that this “void” was something that they already contemplated from Europe, but there was a second reason. In July, China’s Ministry of Commerce held a meeting with a dozen domestic manufacturers who were given a maxim: the secrets of the electric vehicle industry must be protected as much as possible. That means key vehicle systems would be made in China, where it’s easier to maintain control. Valdis Dombrovskis is the executive vice-president of the European Commission and has already expressed his doubts about the value that will be created in the European Union with this way of proceeding. “What part of know-how Will it be stored here? Is it a simple assembly plant or an automobile manufacturing plant? “There is a substantial difference,” he said. Returning to Séjourné, he assures that he does not believe that tariffs are the answer because “they destroy the value chain and create trade tensions.” He does not give an answer about what should be done, but comments that we Europeans “need to be less naive and put ourselves back to the standards of all the major economies in the world.” The Chery factory in Barcelona, ​​for example, is one of the Chinese factories that have operated in SKD, or Semi Knock Down, mode. As our colleagues point out Motorpassionfrom China the car is sent half disassembled, without elements such as the steering wheel or wheels, and then they are assembled again on European soil. The idea is that pass to the CKD or Completely Knock Down mode. This implies that They will arrive completely disassembled and will be assembled in Barcelona completely, including welding, painting and there will be an integration of local suppliers that will improve that value chain and create wealth in the surroundings of the factory. What they criticize from Europe is that the operators are, sometimes, workers who come directly from China. An example, also on Spanish soil, is the CATL gigafactory in Zaragoza. They will create batteries to supply the Stellantis plant in Figuerelas and it is expected to generate 3,000 direct jobs. But, when it came time to build the factory, There will be close to 2,000 workers from China those who do the work. One eye on removable kits, another on hybrids Because the objective of the European Union is for the brands that reach our territory to generate wealth in the countries in which they are established. There are relevant examples of this. SEAT gives direct work more than 15,000 people between the Martorell plants, but indirectly generates thousands of other jobs. Similar happens with Toyota in Valenciennes. In the French plant they employ about 4,000 people, but they generate thousands of indirect jobs in the surrounding area because logistics, auxiliary industry, local suppliers, etc. come into play. In fact, they point that Toyota in Europe directly and indirectly employs 94,000 people. But although Europe’s focus on protecting community interests is focused on the electric car, we have already said on occasion that hybrids and plug-ins are the real threats. In May 2025, Chinese brands reached 5.4% market share, with more than 60,000 cars sold compared to 3% in the previous period. In that same time, the European market only grew by 1.3%. These figures were achieved thanks, above all, to the hybrids that brands like MG or BYD have brought to our territory. And this success does not come from nowhere: Chinese hybrids offer a good price-power-design ratio, with attractive and very competitive prices against which European and Japanese manufacturers barely compete. The solution? Complex. Séjourné also commented that Europe is “the only continent that lacks strategic thinking in terms of industrial policy”, and the solution may be to apply something similar to what, precisely, China did in the past. When foreign brands wanted to establish themselves in the Asian giant, they had to partner with local companies so that there was a transmission of knowledge and wealth. And, perhaps, that is the way for foreign brands to establish themselves in Europe. In fact, this is exactly what Josep Maria Recasens, president of Renault Spain, is asking for, who has also stated that Europe “cannot allow them to make four plates with wheels.” Images | Ebro, BYD In Xataka | Chinese cars are “indistinguishable in quality” from European ones. We don’t say it, the industry itself says it

Three Chinese astronauts have delayed their return to Earth due to an impact on the ship. The suspect: space junk

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The crew of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which was scheduled to land this Wednesday in Inner Mongolia, has been forced to postpone its return to Earth. The cause is not bad weather, as is usual in manned flights, but the most feared enemy of modern space exploration: a probable impact of space debris. Evaluating risks. China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) broke the news this morning: The return of the three astronauts aboard Shenzhou-20 has been delayed indefinitely following suspicions that the ship may have been hit by a small piece of space debris. The ship is still docked at the Chinese Tiangong space station, where the crew are safe. The crew and engineers on the ground are analyzing the impact on the ship to try to determine the extent of the damage and assess the risks of the return journey. The problem is reentry. Three people traveled to the Chinese space station in April aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft: Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. The problem is not his immediate survival, but the viability of his ship surviving the atmospheric re-entry maneuver after the impact. In low orbit, objects travel at hypersonic speeds of up to 28,000 km/h. At that speed, even a tiny fragment of metal or paint can release devastating kinetic energy, especially if it hits critical components like the ship’s heat shield or its parachutes. What do we know for now? The CMSA has not specified where it believes the impact occurred or what data alerted them to the event. Now, engineers on the ground and the crew in orbit will perform telemetry checks, check for possible leaks, and analyze the guidance and propulsion systems. They will most likely use the Tiangong station’s 10-meter robotic arm to conduct a detailed visual inspection of Shenzhou-20. If necessary, an extravehicular activity (EVA) or spacewalk is not ruled out to assess the damage closely. A problem that China was trying to avoid. The irony of this incident is that the Shenzhou-20 crew itself is fully aware of the danger. In fact, part of its six-month mission in orbit focused on mitigating this risk. Two of the astronauts six hours passed in September by installing additional protective shields against orbital fragments outside the Tiangong station. Although they reinforced the station, the impact seems to have occurred in the way that would bring them back. Image | CMSA In Xataka | Three large pieces of space debris reenter every day: “one day our luck will run out and they will fall on someone”

Colon cancers are increasing alarmingly among young people. We have a suspect: sedentary lifestyle

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colon cancer It is one of the tumors that has increased its incidence the most in young adults over the last few decades, a trend that is very worrying because has made science need to answer why. One of the most important points are the factors that are influencing more and more young people to begin to have tumors in their digestive system. A big problem. Colon cancer is undoubtedly one of the most aggressive diseases that we endure, and also really frequent among the population, with a really aggressive treatment with surgeries that can mean the removal of part of the colonbut also with a high mortality behind them. Its early diagnosis is so relevant that in Spain there are many autonomous communities that have screening programs either screening (although sometimes they fail like in Andalusia) to begin treatment in the case of positive cases, as soon as possible to increase their chances of survival. The problem is that this horrible disease is becoming increasingly prevalent, and science is seeing many factors that are important to take into account to try to reduce the chances of suffering from it. Quantified. This trend has been reflected in a published study in Annals of Internal Medicine which has detected that in many countries the number of cases among those under fifty years of age has grown up to four times faster than in older people. In the end, it is a phenomenon that has revived the debate about the causes and future strategies that must be taken in prevention and early detection. This is extremely important, since a timely diagnosis can mean a big difference in life expectancy who has a patient. The reasons. As stated in the Institute for Cancer Research, London After studying forty-two different countries, two main explanations have been identified. The first is the screening that is done among adults. Although it is very positive to do screening among the population for this disease, the reality is that there is an age limit from which these tests are carried out. This does not occur among the younger population who do not receive this type of screening tests on a regular basis, which may explain the accelerated growth in this group, since cancers are not diagnosed in the early stages. The second reason given is obesity. In this case It is considered a very important risk factor which drives the increased probability of suffering from colon cancer in young people and adults of all ages. Although it remains to be seen if there is an increase in its relationship with the younger population. Environmental factors. In addition to these two causes, the research led by the CNIO Digital Genomics Group in Spain provides new evidence about why this may occur. In his published study In Nature, the influence of the intestinal microbiota, particularly certain strains of E.coli intestinal, producers of the toxin colibactin. As we already sawthis can cause great genetic damage to colon cells that can accelerate tumor development. But other factors associated with the patients’ lifestyle are also being considered. In this case, the increase in type 2 diabetesespecially when there is a sedentary habit and unhealthy diets that seem to increase the risk of having this type of cancer. A Swedish study with a national cohort showed that people with diabetes reach an equivalent risk of colorectal cancer at younger ages than those who do not suffer from it, requiring prevention and monitoring before the standard screening age in the general population. But ultra-processed diets also come in here, excessive consumption of alcohol or even sugary drinkswhich can be an important risk factor. Prevention. Experts agree that there is no single and definitive cause, but rather a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and social factors. While research continues, it is proposed to implement comprehensive prevention policies that adapt to these realities. To do this, they aim to apply personalized screening that includes risk factors such as obesity, diabetes or family history. But we must also focus on research into how our microbiota can have an important implication in this. This forces us to have to take great care of what we eat and maintain adequate intestinal health. But the most relevant thing is to adapt the recommendations for starting screening for high-risk groups, such as young people who have diabetes or a family history so that they begin surveillance at age 40. Images | Ramon Inciarte Julia Koblitz In Xataka | Until now, different types of cancer required different types of treatment. A new vaccine wants to change that

The abuses have shot in the United States and the main suspect is also an old acquaintance in Europe: the SUV

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25 years ago, cars were more insecure. It is undoubted. Modern vehicles have been filled with radars, sensors and cameras that have turned our cars into authentic technological machines that squeak, stop and even dodge before an obstacle. But mortal abuses have shot in the United States. Every day we see less. And no, they are not your eyes. The study. It has been done by the Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)an independent association that studies road safety on US roads. According to their data, mortal abuses to pedestrians in the United States have shot 37%. And in 42% if we talk about cyclists abuse. It is not a matter of cars being more insecure. On the contrary. Cars are safer than ever. At least for those who travel inside. Because the problem is that every time we see less what we have in front of us. And that, according to the IIHS, explains why this increase. Giant cars. The United States has always been a country of huge cars. In 2021, We already explained in Xataka that some of the best -selling cars in the country could have six children sitting in front and would not see them. One behind the other. Uploaded aboard a Cadillac Escalade, a driver would see only the head (and partially) of the sixth child sitting in the row. Just take a look at the best -selling cars in the United States To verify to what extent their drivers prefer large cars. The best-selling vehicle is the Ford-F Series, a pick-up with a multitude of versions. The second The Silverado Chevrolet (another pick-up) and the third classified is the most “restrained” Toyota Rav4. Of course, they are far from the Dacia Sandero, Renault Clio and Volkswagen Golf that take the first three positions on the list of best selling in Europe. However, little by we continue to go down, among the 10 best -selling cars on our continent we find up to four SUVs. We see less and less. The IIHS has studied What visibility has a driver less than 10 meters around your vehicle and if it has improved or worsened in the last 25 years with the launch of the new generations. And there are bad news: among the three best -selling SUVs in the United States, visibility has worsened considerably. According to his calculations, the driver of a Honda CR-V saw 68% of everything around a 10 meter radius. In your latest generation, you can only observe 28% of what surrounds you. A Ford F-150 does not get much better data. In a quarter of a century it has only lost 7% visibility. The problem is that 25 years ago it was so bad that the driver has gone from seeing 43% to 36%. In Azul, the blind points of one of the cars analyzed Huge blind spots. The problem is that cars have become machines with huge blind spots. The higher the nose, less visibility in short distances. The bigger the car front pillar, the less visibility we have diagonally. And even the rearview is a problem when the size is triggered. This has been measured in the IIHS with 360º cameras located at different heights to represent all the carvings of the drivers. Then, a software performs an average and calculates how far the driver begins to see or how much space is outside his viewing angle. In the upper image, the blue zone is the space that is covered to the driver. In Europe we also know them. Yes, in Europe we also know these cars well. If we take a look at SUV sales 25 years ago we will realize that Just 5% of the market share It was occupied by this type of cars. In 2025 More than half of the cars sold can be put within this category. For a five years, the SUV is the car that sells the most. But, in addition, cars have grown a barbarity in this quarter of a century. There are SUV versions that would seem more than unlikely 25 years ago, such as Toyota Yaris Cross. And the height of the cars has not grown much but their frontal ones have been muscular and are now larger. A BMW X3 measured 4,565 meters in 2004. Today measures 4,755 meters. A danger. Those who suffer the most the consequences of this excessive growth are pedestrians and cyclists. As we said, cars are safer in case of accident. And have a technological arsenal to avoid them, such as the rear camera to which forces the European Union. But lifting the front has very serious consequences in case of accident. In case of shockit is more likely that the pedestrian dies in the accident or that he receives serious injuries such as hip breakage. Also head injuries (if they bounce against the car) are more serious. The studies say That every 10 centimeters that the hood rises, the possibilities of receiving serious injuries increase by 27%. Photo | IIHS In Xataka | At night all pedestrians are brown: the abuse prevention system fails when it is most needed

Physicists believed that the neglect was a useless particle. Now they suspect that it is the key to universal quantum computers

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Experts Quantum computing with those who have had the opportunity to speak, such as Spanish physicists Ignacio Cirac either Juan José García RipollThey argue that quantum computers will be able to make great contributions when they are capable of amend your own mistakes. The main problem they face in this area is noise, understood as the disturbances that can alter the internal state of the cubits and introduce calculation errors. The strategy for which many of the research groups that are involved in the development of quantum computers are opting for monitoring the operations carried out by the cubits to identify real -time errors and correct them. The problem is that from a practical point of view This strategy is very challenging. Logical cubits represent a way to overcome the difficulty involved in the use of hardware or physical cubits, which are extremely noise sensitive, and, therefore, prone to make mistakes. Each logical cubit is constructed abstractly on several physical or hardware cubits, so that a single logical cubit encodes a single cubit of quantum information, but with redundancy. It is precisely this redundancy that allows to detect and correct the errors that are present in the physical cubits. Anyway, the researchers will have one more tool to deal with the errors of quantum computers. It can even be the most powerful resource that they currently have at your fingertips: the Neglectón. Universal quantum computers are one step closer One of the most promising research fields in this area is topological quantum computing. Its purpose is to protect the delicate quantum information that the cubits work coding it in the geometric properties of exotic particles known as ISING anions. An important note before moving forward: in condensed physics an anion is not the same as in chemistry. In fact, Ising’s anions are quasiparticles that, in theory, arise in some two -dimensional materials. Its existence has not yet been demonstrated experimentally, so they are a theoretical result at the moment. It seems a complicated concept, and it is, but in this article we do not need to deepen much more. What we do need is that Ising’s anions They are presumably much more robustand, therefore, resistant to errors that traditional cubits. In practice this implies that moving some anions around others in a specific way should allow researchers to carry out logical operations with them. This is the reason why they are so attractive in quantum computing. And, in addition, they have another great advantage: this configuration is largely immune to external noise. Ising’s anions are quasiparticles that, in theory, arise in some two -dimensional materials Currently, Ising’s anions are thoroughly investigating in the condensed matter laboratories of the entire planet because they are one of the main candidates to participate in the construction of universal quantum computers, and, therefore, immune to errors. Aaron Lauda, ​​professor of mathematics, physics and astronomy at the University of Southern California (USA), Holds the following: “By themselves, Ising’s anions cannot perform all the necessary operations for a general purpose quantum computer. The calculations they support are based on the ‘braided’ (branding), And they require physically moving anions around each other To carry out quantum logic. For Ising’s anions, this braided only allows a limited set of operations known as Clifford doors, which fall short with respect to all the power required for universal quantum computing. “ Fortunately, the research team led by Lauda has found a way to transform ISING anions into universal structures that are capable of performing any quantum calculation through braided. Its solution for the moment is only theoretical, but its potential is enormous. The surprising thing is that what they propose is to resort to a new type of anion known as Neglectón that was initially discarded when it was “discovered” in the theoretical framework. In fact, Neglelectón has gone from being a mathematical waste to be the new hope of quantum computers. In theory when combining Ising’s anions and neglect, universal quantum computing will be possible through braided. According to Aaron Lauda Only one neglect is needed because it remains in the stationary or static state while the calculations are carried out by braiding Ising anions around them. It is a surprising conclusion. One last note to conclude: The neglect is not a fundamental particlesuch as the electron or the quark; It is a theoretical quasiparticle that arises from the collective behavior of many other particles in a two -dimensional system. Let us trust that it is consolidated as the definitive tool that will allow researchers to carry quantum computing from theory to practice in a robust and efficient way. Image | IBM More information | Science Daily In Xataka | Bitcoin encryption and other cryptocurrencies will fall. And those responsible will be quantum computers

The suspect of provoking a fire

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In Petín, a town in Valdeorras (Province of Ourense), on Monday chartered Two big buses so that their nearby 900 inhabitants They could go to the Courts of the region and defend one of their life of a lifetime. So far strange. The curious thing is what the neighbor in question was doing there, a 61 -year -old man wrapped in a yellow work monkey with ash spots. Days before the Civil Guard had arrested him for allegedly causing a fire. For the authorities he is suspected of contributing to The fire wave which is sweeping hectares and hectares of Galicia. For its neighbors, the same ones suffering from the flames, it is a hero who has saved several homes. An unexpected image. The Forest fire wave that has been shaking for almost two weeks Galicia has left many images. Flames. Brigadistas Ume. Trees devoured by fire, desperate neighbors and carbonized hectares. However, however shocking some of those prints, none is as shocking as the one that was lived Earl this week In the courts of A Pobra de Trives, Ourense, an area punished by fire. On Monday there were more 150 people to support one of their neighbors accused precisely to cause a fire. The people in the area support it to such an extent that that same morning they left Two buses From his hometown, Petín (half an hour on Trives road), full of locals determined to defend the detainee. Among them was even the mayor, Raquel Bautista. Click on the image to go to Tweet. What happened? To understand what all those neighbors gathered before the court, you have to go back a few days ago, to Saturdaywhen you flame them They harassed The neighboring municipality of O Bolo, which borders Petín. According to the neighbors, the detainee decided to lend a hand and went to the parish or Seixo to stop the progress of the flames. “In Petin we were somewhat calmer and warned that I was burning or seixing. That belongs to or bolus, but we had to help, just like they helped us,” He recounts The mayor. In O Seixo the situation was not easy. “The fire moved with an incredible speed, the head was runaway and our astonish Explain to the newspaper The region Gwendal Ordonez, neighbor of O Seixo. In those were when Petín’s volunteers arrived (including the detainee) and “got” in the fire. “With knowledge of cause”. The key to the case is what happened from that moment. The neighbor of Petín who has ended up detained considered that, given the circumstances, there was no better way to fight fire than with more fire and (According to the version of witnesses) tried to create a “firewall.” “He is a person who leads his life here and has faced fires, he probably knows better what to do people who have been four months,” assures A local before heraque that the detainee acted in good faith and “with knowledge of cause.” And where is the problem? That, however well -known, that new fire turned on without authority And a UME member surprised Petin’s neighbor in the middle of the work. Other people who tried to quell the flames, Jorge Sixto, He counted Monday a The region How he looked for a forest agent to ask permission to make the firewall, but it was impossible. “There was no danger,” he cries. Whether or not, the next day the Civil Guard stopped to the Petin volunteer for allegedly causing a forest fire in O Seixo. The man ended before the court of instance of A Pobra de Trives, the same place to which his neighbors went to defend him the next morning. Hero, reckless or incendiary? The million dollar question. For now, justice seems to be clear that it must open an investigation for an alleged crime of forest fire. The Prosecutor’s Office has even gone further and Consider that the fire turned on “as an act that goes against reasoning” and its author acted knowing that he was doing it could constitute a crime. For that reason he has requested a elusive provisional prison measure with a bond of 2,000 euros. For its neighbors the situation is very different. On Monday one of the slogans that was most chanted at the gates of the courts is that the detainee is “A hero”. “This man has been turning fires every day. What happened in O Seixo is that he made a counter to save four houses … And thanks to that we save them,” Sixto cries. The mayor insists in fact that since the fires began, “he was the first to put the case.” “At first we were very homeless. If it is not for people like this, none would have houses.” An uncertain future. For now, man has been able to return home. On Monday the TRIVES court decided Put it freely, although as investigated for allegedly provoking a fire and with the order to appear on days 1 and 15 of each month. “If you want a Turk’s head, looking elsewhere, let us work. If they do not help us, at least they let us work, that we are going to defend ours,” The mayor insists from Petín, that Underline that the fire was already declared when his neighbor decided to create a firewall. Images | Petin council and Ministry of Defense (X) In Xataka | The fires already devastate 344,000 hectares in Spain. This is seen from satellites and maps that you can consult yourself

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