thinks

The plan has always been to destroy the International Space Station in 2030. Someone thinks we can do something else

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The International Space Station this that falls. It has been orbiting the Earth since 1998 and was completed in 2011. The plan was to retire it in 2024, but the accounts did not work out and, in 2021, the NASA administrator set a definitive date: 2030. The question is whether it will last that long because a few months ago we already said that members of NASA expressed concern about the accumulation of problems technicians who were accelerating the decline of a seriously aging facility. air leaks, cracks in different modulesabsence of spare parts for critical systems and lack of budget to propose a solution It would be assumed that the Different agencies have been putting patches on for years. NASA has already commissioned SpaceX the development of a ship that would tow it to the space graveyard of the Pacific, but… is there no other solution for the 450-ton, $150 billion station? The answer is yes. At least, that’s what Greg Vialle, founder of a startup called Lunexus Space that is committed to recycling the International Space Station, thinks. Turning the International Space Station into a mine In the middle of last year, NASA had clear that he Point Nemoa remote location in the Pacific, 2,700 kilometers from the nearest pile of dirt, would be the station’s cemetery. There was only one thing I could avoid the dismantling: that ROSCOSMOS, the Russian space agency, refused to abandon the ship. Russia soon changed its mind by commenting that its cosmonauts were passing more time repairing equipment than conducting experiments. Come on, no matter how much they wanted to “annoy” NASA at a geopolitically unstable point, it didn’t work out for them. Everything was aimed at the disappearance of the current ISS, but there are those who have something to say. Lunexus Space is a startup focused on the development of industrial infrastructure in low orbit that reuse structures and space junk to facilitate the construction of goods directly in the lower atmosphere. The goal is to develop a kind of circular economy in low orbit by taking advantage of the tons of material already in space, eliminating the need to re-launch them from Earth. In Space Newsthe CEO of the company has developed an article in which he explains his plan to “avoid wasteful expenses.” Vialle affirms that the ISS has 430 tons of high-quality aluminum, titanium and other materials valuable for future space missions. He estimates the value of the material at $1.5 billion, which would be lost to the ocean floor if NASA’s plan goes ahead. And it also points out the almost 1 billion that NASA will spend on the vehicle that tows the station to its resting point. “It is a fiscally irresponsible plan that loses a strategic resource and a golden opportunity.” What he proposes is “a common sense alternative”: converting old infrastructure into raw materials for new construction. Their calculations highlight that launching a kilogram of material into space costs $3,500, but if they take materials from the ISS, the costs would drop entirely. And, faced with the 1,000 million dollars of the plan to sink it, Vialle suggests that Its recycling process could be carried out for about 300 million dollars to which an equivalent government loan would have to be added to launch the necessary infrastructure, appealing to significant savings for taxpayers while preserving valuable resources. American leadership, of course “How can we wait prospect, mine, refine and transport in deep space if we cannot extract the many tons of cataloged and space-grade materials that are already beginning to manage low Earth orbit?” Vialle appeals. But of course, there is a B side to this plan: Strengthen America’s Space Leadership. By receiving the ISS, the CEO believes that the seeds of “a new industry in space led by the United States will be sown, ensuring our economic and strategic leadership over competitors like China.” China too He has been planning his own station for years. And he compares the move to American manufacturing policy to prepare for the Second World War, japanese strategy in the 1970s that established the country as a technological miracle or Taiwan’s position with TSMC and chip manufacturing. His idea is for the United States to invest in resource management technologies in space, something that is taking its first steps and that, if it reaches a solid program, will make “the nation dominate the future of commerce and defense in orbit.” It is evident that Vialle has known what sticks to play in a moment as sensitive as the current one and, although in his letter he urges Congress to influence NASA’s decision to ‘deorbit’ the International Space Station, the space agency has already detailed that, after a session to evaluate the possibility of reusing the main components of the station, they did not receive any proposals of interest from the industry. On the other hand, the European Space Agency already pointed out that recycling in orbit was “a real challenge” and it was not clear whether the resources used to capture and process waste in space would be profitable. Either way, time is of the essence. We will see what happens with the ‘Recycle the ISS’ movement, but there are four years left and, as more and more voices point out, something must be decided because the installation is on its last legs. In Xataka | Decathlon has just made its way beyond sport: it will reach space with a prototype spacesuit for the ESA

The memory of young people is deteriorating at a record pace. Science thinks it knows why

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The memory problems among youth are beginning to be worrying. This is what a new study scientist published in the magazine Neurology and that tries to answer why this happens and above all the reasons that exist for our youth to begin to be in decline in regards to to your memory. The surprise. What can logically be expected is that with the passage of time and accompanying aging, memory problems begin to appear that anticipate dementia. But in the United States, after analyzing millions of people, they have seen that the population most affected by this ‘mental fog’ is precisely the youth. And the result in this case is very important: self-reported cognitive problems among young adults aged 18 to 39 have almost doubled in the last decade. But it is something that we are not understanding. The study. To reach this conclusion, a total of 4.5 million people who responded to the national survey of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from the CDC and collected between 2013 and 2023. In this way, there was a truly large sample of people to analyze, although limited only to the United States. The results in this case were quite clear: the prevalence of adults reporting a cognitive disability increased from 5.3% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2024. But what was truly interesting came when separating the results by demographics: In young people aged 18 to 39, the rate skyrocketed from 5.1% in 2013 to 9.7% in 2023. This group is, in fact, the driver of the overall increase in the entire population. In those over 70 years of age we saw a decrease in prevalence from 7.3% to 6.6%, when logic tells us that it should increase. Other factors. In order to know the reason for this increase, other factors behind the respondents had to be traced as well. In this case it aimed at the income level: Have low income with less than 35,000 dollars a year left us with a prevalence that increased from 8.8% to 12.6% With high incomes (>$75,000) the rate was much lower, although it also dropped from 1.8% to 3.9%. But the same thing happens with the educational level, where young people who did not even have high school went from 11.1% to 14.3% while those with university degrees increased from 2.1% to 3.6%. And even in order to obtain much more information, they wanted to analyze the prevalence according to the race of young people, where it could also be seen, for example, that Asian adults are the ones who reported the least cognitive problems. Specifically, the data is the following: American Indians/Alaska Natives: continue to have the highest prevalence, rising from 7.5% to 11.2%. Hispanic adults: saw a significant increase from 6.8% to 9.9%. Black adults: The rate rose from 7.3% to 8.2%. White adults: increased from 4.5% to 6.3%. Asian adults: Consistently maintained the lowest rates, going from 3.9% to 4.8%. What is happening? With all the data in hand, it is logical to think about what is happening so that young people increasingly have more cognitive problems. And for researchers there is not only one valid answer, but there are several that are being proposed. The first of them is that there is greater awareness about this problem, and that is why there are more people who raise their hands when presenting it and have no doubts when it comes to seeking help. But there are also other factors such as economic stressors or work problems that seem to be contributing to these trends. All this without forgetting that the greater presence of digital tools may have meant that our memory is not as trained. But all the social and economic factors we face today can also mark an important milestone when it comes to the real burden on our minds. This ‘overload’ can condition the appearance of these highly relevant cognitive symptoms. Images | Eliott Reyna Milad Fakurian In Xataka | Finding a job had always been a good way to escape poverty: in Spain it is no longer true

We have been thinking for years that, after the midlife crisis, old age is synonymous with happiness. This researcher thinks it’s a hoax

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We are happy during adolescence and late youth, but as the years go by we become increasingly sadder, more unhappy, more miserable. At some point, in our late 40s to early 50s, we hit rock bottom. And once there everything tends to improve. “It’s statistics,” we said. What we did not suspect was that the statistics could be ‘trick’. Happiness is U-shaped. “Happiness is a slippery slope until we hit the bottom at some undetermined point in middle age. From there, it climbs back to the levels of youth.” That’s what I said a 2008 study than by Blanchflower and Oswald with data from more than half a million people. Over the following years ( here an example from 2017), studied in some detail how firm this U-shaped trend was; Everything seemed to indicate that this was the case. Until Fabian Kratz and Josef Brüdel from the Ludwig Maximalian University of Munich they realized of a small – possible – problem. Wonkblog A fundamental problem. What if happiness steadily decreases with age and what we see in the aggregate graphs is just a statistical effect? Kratz has been studying for years happiness and, as explained in New Scientistis increasingly convinced that the U simply does not exist. Reviewing the scientific literature, the authors found studies that justify a “stability“in happiness throughout the years; a”increase” or progressive descent; a inverted U; a U normal; and a curve like of waves (promotions, relegations). The problem is “that all studies on age and happiness have incurred biases that have distorted their results.” The other form of happiness. By correcting them, Fabian Kratz and Josef Brüdel came to the conclusion that it is true that happiness shows some stability around the last 50, but it does not rise at any time. Kratz and Brüderl (2021) But why? It is important to keep in mind that this work is essentially methodological. But Kratz’s central idea is that previous studies they didn’t realize that “after a certain age, happiness seems to increase only because unhappy people have already died.” The least happy people they tend to die before, which would cause an overrepresentation of the happiest at older ages (literally, as said our colleague Andrés Mohorte, pure survivor bias). According to this theory, “that old popular story” through which retirement would open a window towards a fuller and more satisfying life is just that, a story: a lie. Or, perhaps, a strategy. Because, in short, “there is a lot of evidence about how humans experience a bassoon psychological in middle age” (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2007; Steptoe, Deaton and Stone, 2015; Graham and Pettinato, 2002), but there is very little about the relationship between that downturn – that unhappiness – and quality of life. As we said quite a few years ago“we’re about to see what happens to the millennials when they become unhappy” and maybe that is behind a part generational battles. But facing the future with the certainty that things are going to improve is not the same as facing the future with the certainty that things are going to get worse. The science of happiness has never been so depressing. Image | Garloncio In Xataka | If the question is “where is the secret to happiness,” an expert believes it is hidden in these 15 statements

Walking cats with belt is in fashion. We have asked an expert in feline behavior and is clear about what he thinks

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If you have Instagram or Tiktok and you like cats, I bet an arm to which videos have come out of Cats that leave the house tied with strap and harness. Some even go on a trip around the world, explore forests, jump, run and They even swimas if they were dogs. How is it possible? Is it advisable to walk the cat? To solve these and other doubts we have spoken with Paula VanascoFeline therapist and president of the association Rescues Borges Blanques. The phenomenon of adventurous cats It began to popularize in the 2010 on Instagram. One of the first was Vladimirthat traveled with its owners in a motorhome Throughout the United States. Also Skattya Maine Coon who was traveling on a sailboat with its owner, who was completely deaf and leaned on the cat to know when ships approached or sent him messages. A search on Tiktok returns to hundreds of results. “Cat harness”, “Adventure Cat”, “Cat Leash Training” … Today, any of these searches in Tiktok or Instagram returns us hundreds of results. Walking to the cat is fashionablebut it is not easy. If not, many of the reels that appear to us would not be tutorials and advice to accustom the cat. And if there is something that has tried to know is that, unlike dogs, cats They don’t like anything to atten. Understanding the nature of cats Paula is part of the team of Feline therapy And in your day to day Treat cats with behavioral problemssome of them caused precisely by these walks. Its positioning is clear: it is not a good idea to put a belt to a cat. “Cats are hypersensitive animals. For them a harness is stressful, so when you put it on the first time, many are thrown to the ground.” In addition, he adds that “to make it safe, it has to go very tight, which still makes it more annoying for the animal.” You have to understand that the nature of cats differs a lot from the dog. They are territorial animals and They feel safe within their territoryit doesn’t matter if that territory is the countryside or a flat in the city. When they leave their comfort zone, they always do it very little by little: “The cat needs to explore the territory at its rhythm, not that you take it wherever you want.” Instead, walking to a dog is more natural because its nature is to move in herd. They are social animals And security is provided by your pack, so when we walk them they feel safe. Image: Amparo Babyloni, Xataka Surely you have seen cats rubbing against the corners of furniture or other objects. It is the way they have of Create a safe space. When they explore, cats are rubbing at different points where They leave pheromones that serve as olfactory references. “This is how they explore the territory feeling safe. If there is any scare they go back, then they leave again … and so on until they have it controlled.” “When we get the cat out of its territory, it adopts a prey behavior. If there is a strong noise you will try to run and if you are tied, you can’t do it.” Nor should we forget that, although cats are predators of small animals, they are also prey to other larger ones. “When we get the cat out of its territory, it adopts a prey behavior. If there is a strong noise you will try to run and if you are tied, you can’t do it,” says Paula. It is not that the cats we see in the Instagram videos are all stressed, Some enjoy those outings, But according to Paula “they are the exception. They are cats that have learned that their environment is that and also have a very balanced character.” Using them since childhood is key because “cats do not develop fear until they have 5 or 6 months,” but insists that this is not a guarantee that it will enjoy it and should never be forced. What we don’t see on Instagram If it is outside its territory and scares, The cat instinct is running and getting safebut what happens if we have it tied? Two things can happen: “Let the harness escape or attack you.” In This video You can see perfectly how the cat tries to flee and when not getting it, he ends up biting its owner. Is what is known as redirected aggressivenessan episode in which the cat has a very violent response, in this case for a clear cause: try to flee and not be able to. If the cat tries to flee being tied, two things can happen: “That the harness escapes or that attacks you” The other scenario is to get rid of the harness and run away (the most common, because we already know that Cats are liquid). Being in a environment“It has no visual or olfactory references and there are not a few cases of cats that end up being lost.” If it is also in the city, the risk that a car is hit or attack a dog is very high. There are people who opt for Take the cat inside a backpack type carrier and walk it in this way. Here it is much more difficult for the cat to flee, but Paula does not recommend it either: “I had a case of a cat that took him inside a backpack. The cat did not show the stress at the time, but when he got home he became aggressive. They were very frustrated to be locked up.” Another problem is that many people who get their cats abroad do not know how to understand The language of cats. “That a cat is still does not mean that it is calm.” In other words, it is not necessary to go crazy like that of the video so that it is assuming stress. Cats … Read more

China already thinks about strategies to neutralize Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Your plan: submarines and powerful lasers

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Chinese scientists have developed strategies to neutralize the Starlink Satellite Network of Elon Musk, which Beijing considers a military threat. According to the medium The Independentamong the proposed measures are furtive submarines equipped with spatial lasers, attack satellites with ionic propellants and sabotage of the supply chain. An analysis of 64 academic articles published in Chinese magazines reveals the concern of the Asian country for Spacex’s spatial domain. Why worries so much Starlink. The constellation of satellites carried out by Elon Musk controls two thirds of all active satellites in the world, with more than 8,000 operational units. Its ability to provide fast and cheap connectivity anywhere on the planet, including remote areas, makes it a strategic tool. Chinese researchers They fear that the United States will use it as a military weapon after checking its effectiveness in Ukraine, where facilitated the communications of the Ukrainian army and the control of combat drones. What China poses. Several Chinese researchers and scientists have proposed multiple approaches To counteract Starlink. Engineers of the Popular Liberation Army suggest creating a fleet of spy satellites that follow those of Musk, collecting signals and using corrosive materials to damage their batteries. Other researchers propose optical telescopes to monitor the network, generation of false objectives through Deepfakes and the use of powerful lasers to burn equipment. They have also identified vulnerabilities in the Spacex supply chain, which has more than 140 main suppliers. They will not only be countermeasted. Beijing is not limited to planning countermeasures: it is building its own alternative. In 2021 the Chinese state company created SATNET To develop Guowang, a military megaconstellation that already has 60 operational satellites of the 13,000 planned. In parallel, The Qianfan companysupported by the Shanghai government, has launched 90 satellites of the planned 15,000 and already competes for contracts in Brazil, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and several African countries. The geopolitical context. The Ukraine War marked a turning point in Starlink’s global perception. The conflict showed that the control of satellite communications can tip the balance. What worries China is that a single man like Musk can also interrupt critical services. The medium raises as an example that time in which the tycoon He denied his coverage For a Ukrainian counterattack in Crimea. This dependence on private actors He has not only alarmed Chinabut also to traditional allies of the United States such as the European Union, which invests billions in Your own Iris2 constellation. What comes now. The overwhelming domain of Starlink in space, which already operates in more than 140 countries and only has dead areas in North Korea, Iran and China, has triggered a undercover space race. While Amazon develops her Project Kuiper With just 78 satellites, China accelerate your programs To reduce Musk’s advantage. Interestingly, one of the papers of Chinese researchers simply had the following title: “Be careful with Starlink”. It is clear that space control will be an advantage for armed conflicts and commercial wars that are being released. Cover image | Spacex and Arthur Wang In Xataka | The US has realized how risky it is to continue pressing China. His reverse looks for a “face to face”

Traveling by plane with a monstrous battery sounds great. Until airport safety thinks

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Travel salts and do fast checkeo: molts, clothing, pajamas, jacket in case it refreshes (which you will end up not using), loaders and loaders The Power Bank of 30,000 mAh with which you can load your mobile and that of all your friends a couple of times. You keep everything, you arrive at the airport and surprise: You can’t pass with such a large external batteryso they requisition and lose it. Indeed, in the same way that we can only carry liquid boats up to 100 milliliters In a transparent plastic bag up to a liter of capacityexternal batteries also have limits. Knowing them will help us not to take an unpleasant surprise as soon as you start the holidays Let’s talk about airplanes. IATA (International Air Transport Association) is the global commercial organization that groups the majority of the world’s airlines. It represents more than 350 airlines in 120 countries (that is, 80% of world air traffic) and among its many tasks is the promotion of safety standards. It is in the 66th edition of the IATA DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS where the limits of lithium and ion-lithium batteries are collected (PDF). Image | Xataka The limits. According to the IATA, we can carry in the hand luggage, and always in the hand luggage, not in the winery, a maximum two external batteries of up to 100 Whing each. The same is secreted by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) (PDF). IATA terminology, however, is something confusing because it considers the Power Banks as spare/loose batteries, and of those we can take up to 20. However, if they are non -spillable batteries, they must be 12V or less, 100 whi or less and the limit is two units per person. If it is a replacement battery of between 100 and 160 WH, we can take up to two that the operator approves it and if it is greater than 160 WH, we most likely cannot transport it, as the EASA exposes. So, and to go on insurance: Maximum capacity: 100 Wh Maximum units per person: two Power Banks. Image | Gomi Forgive, Wh? In the Tech world we are accustomed to talking about the ability of a battery in terms of MAH (milliamp tell us about (watts time). If the brand of our Power Bank gives us the data, better than better. If not, we can do the MAH> WH conversion with this formula: (mAh) x (v) / 1000 = Wh Power Bank usually have a 3.7 volt voltage, so in the case of an external 20,000 mAh battery we would be talking about 74 Wh. That leads us to the following conclusion: if we want to carry the Power Bank on an airplane, the maximum theoretical capacity must be, at most, 27,000 mAh, although it may be tightening the rope too much. With a battery of 20-25,000 mAh we should go more than served, so, again, to go on insurance on an plane: Maximum capacity: 20,000-25,000 mAh. Maximum units per person: two Power Banks. Image | Gomi But one thing. This is a general rule and airlines usually accept it or adapt it, but we have doubts the ideal is to speak with the operator and comment our particular case. It is also possible that There are concrete standards depending on the country or the airline. For example, Hong Kong’s laws They prohibit loading the Power Banks using the USB take of the seats or loading devices with the external battery during the flight. South Korean operators force To take the battery at all times with us (not in a backpack, not in the upper trunk, with us) and companies like China Airlines and Singapore Airlines They prohibit The use of them during the flight. China’s case is particular. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) issued an urgent notice whereby, as of June 28, 2025, passengers are prohibited from climbing the plane With batteries without the 3C certification (CCC). This is a mandatory security brand, similar to the European EC, which guarantees the quality and safety of Chinese products and that applies to both those imported and those manufactured in China. The thing is that, for the moment, it only applies to domestic flights. And in the trains? Nor in the Renfe conditions nor on the Adif website any mention is made to external batteries. Renfe, in fact, considers dangerous objects to firearms, white weapons, sports and sharp work instruments. Weapons could behave if we carry the relevant license or accreditations, as well as ammunition. What we cannot carry are sharp objects such as knives or stabs, paint ball guns and explosive, flammable, chemical or toxic substances. They do not specify anything about external batteries. They do not do it either Iro and Ouigowhich have similar restrictions and in no case refer to external batteries. Anyway, from Xataka we have contacted the three operators to get out of doubt and update in the case of receiving an answer. Image | Tonny Zhong

If something did not need the Ukraine War it was to enliven the conflict in an occupied nuclear power plant. Russia thinks different

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The paradox of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is that it has been closed for three years and everyone wants to “open.” Without going far, the United States was the last nation to hint that it would be delighted to restart her. The problem is that it is in Ukraine, although Taken by Russiaand in the middle of a war whose end does not stick. Moscow knows that he has an energy pressure tool, but some satellite images have revealed much more. The space betrays. The story took this week The New York Times. Through new satellite images analyzed by Greenpeace and verified by the American environment, it has been revealed that Russia is building more than 80 kilometers of electric lines in the south busy of Ukraine with the aim of connecting the Zaporiyia nuclear plant to its own energy network. Covert reopening. This maneuver, until now without Russian official confirmation, represents the clearest signal until the intention of Moscow’s intention to reactivate and exploit the largest central in Europe, forcibly in the first bars of the invasion. Although its six reactors were gradually turned off (the last in 2023) for security reasons and due to nearby fightingRussia seems determined to return it to operationchallenging the warnings of international experts that consider that operating it under these conditions would be a nuclear risk first order. The Russian Plan seeks surround the current damage In the old 750 kilowol lines that connected the central with the Ukrainian network, two of which are going through areas under Kyiv control, and two others that have been useless or deteriorated by the war. Unprecedented use. If specified, this would be the First time in history in that a power at war restarts and uses an occupied nuclear plant for its own energy benefit. Russia, through the state Rosatom, has openly shown Your ambition: its general director He said recently that the dream of reactivating Zaporiyia is still alive and that there is already a technical plan to return the plant to full capacity. The Russian intention does not seem to maintain territorial control of the complex, but to integrate it directly into the national electricity network, possibly and According to the Timesconnecting it with the Russian region of Rostov, which would require even more infrastructure. As we said at the beginning, the United States proposed a peace plan that included the return of the plant to Ukraine under international management (specifically American), In an attempt to avoid its use as a geopolitical tool. Russia He rejected sharply said option. Various risks. No doubt, we don’t talk about simply pressing the “ignition” button. In fact, the possibility of reactivating the central has awakened alarms Among nuclear experts. Since his shot, much of the Ukrainian technical staff has fled, leaving the plant No qualified operators. In addition, the Kajovka dam hole months ago (widely attributed to Russia), it eliminated the main source of water from the reactor refrigeration system and spent fuel, raising thermal and fusion risks in case of a failure. For its part, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine He warned that any Russian unilateral attempt to restart reactors could have unpredictable consequences. To all this is added The possibility of sabotage, military attacks or operational failures in a plant already located in an active combat zone. The consequences of a nuclear escape would not be limited to the region: the impact on the environment, human health and the energy stability of Europe would be unpredictable (and possibly devastating). A high voltage piece. As we have coming countingthe status of the Zaporiyia plant has become a power sheet in the peace negotiations. While Russia progresses (slowly) in her Technical reconnectionThe United States and its allies press to include their status in the terms of any future solution. The satellite images Recent, which reveal transmission lines advancing near the town of Shevchenko and towards a key substation linked to the complex, confirm that Moscow not only wants to retain control, but to turn the plant into a Active source of energy for your network. If you want also, snapshots from space reveal a deeper strategy: to consolidate the economic and energy control of the territories occupied as part of a Possible post -stroke. However, any attempt by Moscow to reactivate the plant without international consensus not only defies the rules of war law, but also brings us an unpublished threshold of nuclear insecurity. Image | Planet Labs, Via Greenpeace In Xataka | The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been closed by the war in Ukraine. Now the United States wants to reopen In Xataka | We already know a hole that Russia has left in Ukraine: the Chernobil shield is still open and there is no money to close it

Everyone thinks that the Great Guiza Pyramid in Egypt has four sides. From space you look very different

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A team of Japan researchers scanned under the sand surface in a “blank area” of Giza’s western cemetery next to the Great Keops pyramid. Had found something surprising: an old Egyptian structure in underground. That finding is still involved in the mystery, because it was dwarfed with Another study that he had discovered something fascinating: the great Guiza pyramid does not have four sides, and that explained His longevity. A wonder with trick. For millennia, the Great Guiza Pyramid It has been celebrated as the epitome of the perfect geometry: four imposing triangular faces converging in a majestic apex. However, an unsuspected structural detail had remained hidden with the naked eye: the pyramid It does not have four sides, but eight. Chronology. We are not crazy. The revelationconfirmed by air observations and Modern researchpoints to a concavity in the center of each face, one that is invisible from land, but detectable low certain conditions of lighting or from the sky/space. The first to realize something was the British pilot P. Groves In 1926, when captured an image Air that revealed a subtle but decisive geometric truth. Each of the four apparent sides of the pyramid has a central cleft from the base to the cusp, which turns its plant into a figure eight sidesNot in a home run. Already in 1940, the Egyptologist Flinders Petrieby analyzing historical illustrations, he noticed A hollow line along each face of the pyramid. Decades later, experts like IES Edwards And more recently the Mathematician Akio Kato They supported this hypothesis in their work, noting that the stone blocks were arranged with a Mild inclination towards the center, creating a subtle and almost imperceptible longitudinal depression. Kato described the great pyramid not as a square pyramid, but as a Concava octagonal pyramid. One of the first images where depression was appreciated (taken by groves) An engineering feat. The curious thing about history is that, far from being an aesthetic anomaly, these clefts aim to fulfill a Structural function vital. According to Kato’s study, the inclined layers next to a reinforced base allow the pyramid nucleus to Compacte and strengthen Over time, thus resisting gravitational compression, earthquakes and storms, even after having faced more than 500 episodes of heavy rains in 4,500 years. In other words: this characteristic would have been key to ensuring the long -term stability of a colossal size structure exposed to extreme conditions, and possibly was not a mere side effect of construction, but a sophisticated architectural strategy. Between intention and accident. However, not everything in the Great Pyramid responds to the master plan of an infallible civilization. Throughout their runners and sealed cameras, abandoned spaces have been found that could Unstable result During construction, which leaves open the possibility that the unique concavity has been, in part, the result of improvised adjustments rather than a completely premeditated design. No doubt, ambiguity does not remain merit to the ancient builders, but underline their pragmatism: modify the course when the conditions demanded it, and incorporate the accidental as part of the lasting structure. What the geometry hides. In short, that its mathematical truth has remained hidden with the naked eye for millennia highlights an essential lesson on The great pyramid: Secrets continues to reveal despite his universal fame. What seemed to be an elementary geometric figure becomes, under a new look from the air, a sample of invisible complexity, and technical decisions so advanced that today they still baffle us. The revelation of your Concava octagonal form Not only challenges our preconceived notions, but reaffirms the fascination that always accompanies Guiza, a pyramid that, as far as we know (and we do not rule out new surprises), is a unique geometric rarity in its species. Image | Douwe C. van der Zee In Xataka | After scanning a “blank area” under the pyramids of Giza, we have found something even more mysterious: a structure in L In Xataka | Egypt has a problem with their pyramids: when tourists discover what they are back traumatized

If you talk to your plants even if everyone thinks you are crazy, science has something to tell you: you’re not so crazy

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When in January 2012, Risto Mejide said that of “You sing like a diva, but you move like a plant“I did not know that I was completely wrong. And not only for Natalia, the contestant of ‘You do vouchers’ to which he directed those pearls, but because, under that static appearance, the plants do not stop doing things. And not by chance, no. Plants are not only able to detect threats, but activate a whole series of defensive reactions that have intrigued scientists for decades. Everything starts with a bite. Heidi Appel and Rex Cocroft met at a seminar at the University of Missouri and, quickly, saw that His interests fit. Cocroft was one of the great experts in biotremology (the branch of biology that studies the role of vibrations and sound in life) and had been analyzing how insects use the stem of plants to communicate. Do you listen? Apple was an expert in ecological chemistry and listening to those recordings (specifically how the caterpillars of the butterflies of the Col bit tiny mustard plants) had an idea: what if the plants could listen to them? And if that explained that, suddenly, plants activated a whole series of physiological reactions to “attack” the caterpillars? Answering that question was not easy. We had to measure laser vibrations and try to understand what plants could really hear. On the other hand, we had to quantify “how plants care and how.” However, it was enough to measure in real time what happened to the first bite of an caterpillar to verify that, indeed, the plants listened. And not just that. “What is surprising and great is that these plants only create defense responses to feeding vibrations and not to wind or other vibrations in the same frequency as the chewing caterpillar,” Appel explained. They discovered that, in fact, it was enough to expose plants to the sound of chewing so that glucosinolate levels (that defensive response) triggered. Does this mean that putting music to plants is a good idea? No, it doesn’t mean that. “This field is somewhat obsessed with its history of putting music to plants. That kind of stimulus is so far from the natural ecology of plants that it is very difficult to interpret their answers,” Cocroft explained. What it really means is that what we usually think about plants is often wrong. A mistake that, little by little, we are waking up. Image | Annie Spratt In Xataka | We have found a plant capable of producing 40 cannabinoids. A closer plant evolutionarily to lettuce that to hemp

The price of coffee lives one of the biggest climbs in its history. The UN thinks that the worst has not yet happened

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They are not easy times. That is the summary when we have some Eggs in full price escalationthe triggered cocoa Due to illegal gold mining And a coffee that has achieved historical values. In the case of coffee we have been anticipating the storm for months, with a product that was Marking maximums in the stock market and with brands absorbing the coup until have stopped doing it. And, in the middle of that uncertain panorama on the price of coffee, the United Nations arrives to tell us that the worst has not yet been. What about coffee? A set of factors, actually. To the difficulties of transporting raw coffee, aggravated by the increase in freight due to conflicts such as the Red Sea, these last crops are added. Vietnam and Brazil are two great coffee producers worldwidebut the climatic phenomena known as the boy and the girl have affected coffee spots -coffee plants. Both phenomena affected similar forms to countries so remote, causing the same in both: higher temperatures and droughts in some producing areas, as well as an alteration of the rainy season that fall torrentially in a short period of time. As a result, the harvest is poorer and quality can also be seen injured. Maximums. That the two largest coffee producers reduce their production is something that affects the rest of the industry. On the one hand, Arabica coffee is the most coveted among specialty coffee producers and is usually more expensive, with Astronomical examples such as Geisha Café. On the other, although the robust is usually cheaper, specialty coffee is already being created with this variety and something more important: it is the basis of something as consumed as instant coffee. As a result, in the New York ICE bag, the Arabica increase 70% in 2024 and an additional 25% in the first months of this 2025. In the case of the robust, the record is got On January 31 with $ 5,840 per ton in the London Stock Exchange, with increases of up to 6% in a single day. Prices also increase for producers and exporters. As we read in Reutersall the main territories experienced increases in 2024 compared to the levels of 2023. And not small: Ethiopia 17.8%. Kenya 12.3%. Brazil 13.6%. Colombia 11.7%. Indonesia 15.9%. Vietnam 5.8%. Bit with delay. The problem is that the price does not rise for producers, toaster and exporters while for the customer. For example, prices achieved In the bag a few days ago they are those of the cargo that will be delivered in May of this year, and it will be from there when the ‘domestic’ price will continue to increase. And it will not be the last climb. In his last report About the state of coffee, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization -Fao- estimates that coffee prices increased 3.8% in December 2024 in Europe at a retail level, 6.6% in the United States. The dynamic is that a 1% increase in international coffee prices cause an increase of 0.24% at a retail level after 19 months, with 80% of the accumulated impact transmitted in the following 11 months. In the case of the United States, this 1% increase in the international price translates into an increase in the retail price of 0.20% after 13 months. In the case of the US, 80% of the accumulated impact is transmitted in eight months. “Inelastic”. This word is interesting, but it is simple to understand: it is the one that defines goods that do not have substitutes and that, therefore, no matter how the price increases, consumers will continue to buy them. Well, in its report, FAO ensures that “given the inelastic nature of coffee demand, it is unlikely that consumption decreases significantly in both markets” -American and European. That is, as there are no alternatives to coffee, no matter how much prices upload us, consumers will continue to acquire this product. Nor is there anything to intervene because, as FAO herself concludes, coffee consumption represents less than 1% of the annual household spending. From the US National Coffee Association they do not share this, affirming that “the great price increase eaten the liquidity of the customers. They do not have all the money to buy what they need” and ensure that they have sold 30% less of the production when, at this point, they would no longer have reservations. It all depends on three countries. Until now, we have talked about the increase in coffee price for wholesalers, but if we are going to the price that consumers pay, FAO estimates that, in December 2024, a coffee was 6.6% more expensive than in December 2023 in the United States. In the case of the European Union, the increase was 3.75%. Therefore, and taking into account that delayed coup of the price increase in coffee, it seems that the worst is yet to come. From FAO they see this as an opportunity for greater research in technology, research and development of the coffee sector and, above all, to increase the climate resilience of coffee. Although there are many coffee, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil producers are the authentic monsters of the great market, but climate change is leaving us two lessons. One is the one that is causing the scarcity and increase of current prices: more unpredictable climatic events on dates that unravel coffee cultivation, therefore affecting crops. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity. We are already seeing that there are those who insist on growing coffee outside Coffee beltwith coffee trees growing wildly in Sicily and Plantations in Andalusia or Catalonia They are testing the viability of growing coffee in such unavailable conditions. Final of the tunnel in sight? What is clear is that the world is thirst for coffee and, with a China increasingly passionate For this drink, it is urgent to have a much more stable stage. In Reuters We read that there are also those who take the … Read more

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