thought

The Milky Way is 10% larger than we thought, and we have discovered it by looking at explosions in other galaxies

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Imagine that you have never left your house. What could you draw better? Your own building or the building across the street? The answer is simple. If we look out the window, we can see the building in front in detail, but we have no idea What is it like where we live?. The same thing happens with galaxies. There is data that is easier to analyze from neighboring galaxies than from the Milky Way. Therefore, for a long time, its appearance has been a mystery and its size a very cursory estimate. Thanks to the Gaia missionfrom ESA, we were able to have the most precise map of our galaxy and, with it, understand its structure much better. We know, for example, that it consists of 4 arms, instead of two, as we used to think. Now, through a collaboration between ESA and NASA, we have also discovered the size of the Milky Way. 10% bigger. NASA and ESA scientists have achieved measure the size of the Milky Way through its two X-ray observatories: the XMM-Newton, of the European Space Agency, and the Chandra, of the American one. This type of observatories have been used because the measurement has been carried out through the analysis of X-rays released by gamma ray bursts in other galaxies. Thus, they have seen that the distance between the two outermost arms of the Milky Way is 10% greater than what had been calculated until now. What do X-rays have to do with it? Gamma ray bursts They are the most energetic explosions in the Universe. Although the rays that give it its name stand out, these explosions are usually followed by an emission in the rest of the electromagnetic range known as afterluminescence. Here X-rays stand outwhich can be measured thanks to the ESA and NASA observatories. These X-rays from neighboring galaxies shoot out in all directions, so some can reach the Milky Way and, of course, also the Earth. In the latter case, there are some that arrive directly and others that arrive after being dispersed by the dust clouds in the arms of our galaxy. Detecting these two types of X-rays is what allows us to determine the size of the Milky Way. The importance of angle. The X-rays that travel directly to Earth are the first ones captured by observatories. Next come those that have been dispersed by the dust clouds. As they come from many directions, in the detectors it is seen as a circle in the center of which are the X-rays that arrive directly and, around them, the scattered ones. Although in reality they are several concentric circles. Each of them corresponds to X-rays that have been scattered at the same distance. In the case of galaxies, from the same arm. With all this, calculations can be inferred that allow us to detect how far some arms are from each other. Until now, only estimates had been made, but in this case the distances have been measured thanks to three gamma ray bursts measured in three of the four arms of our galaxy: Perseus, the outer one, and the outer Scutum-Centaurus. To know the size of the Milky Way you only have to measure the distance between the outermost arms. It was observed that the distance between them and the center is 10% greater than what had been measured until now, so the galaxy is larger than we believed. Far from retirement. So much Chandra as XMM-Newton They were launched in 1999. We might think that they are already outdated, but they continue to give us data as important as the size of the Milky Way. The key is knowing how to use the information they can capture. In this case, the calculations have been based precisely on looking out the window towards the neighbor’s house. Because until now we had not seen that we could draw our own building by observing the shadow on the one in front. Images | Magnificent | ESA/Gaia/DPAC, Stefan Payne-Wardenaar, ESA/XMM-Newton and NASA/Chandra In Xataka | When stars formed has always been one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. And we are closer to solving it

Centuries ago someone thought it was a good idea to paint over a Rembrandt painting. The question is why the devil erased a man with a turban

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The fact that he has been dead for more than three and a half centuries does not prevent him from Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijnone of the great geniuses of baroque painting, continue to surprise historians. And in the most unexpected ways. In 2014, one of his youthful works appeared by surprise at an auction held in Cologne. Now, with your attribution already confirmedthe experts in charge of cleaning the canvas have had another surprise: under a subsequent layer of paint they have discovered a man with dark skin, a black beard and a large turban. It was once painted by Rembrandt himself, but someone decided to retouch the figure to turn it into a venerable old man with a white, wrinkled face, gray beard, and a traditional Dutch cap. The question is obvious: Why? Isn’t that a Rembrandt? The painting Let the children come to me It was probably painted around 1627, when Rembrandt was 21 years old. However, it did not rise to fame until almost 400 years later, well into the 21st century. To be more precise, we must go back to May 2014, when the canvas was included in an auction held in Cologne with a fuzzy business card. Its owners presented it as a piece of the “Dutch school” dating back to the mid-17th century and sold it for 1.5 million euros. It was a good pinch, but it ended in pocket change when some time later it was confirmed that in reality that anonymous 125 x 109 cm canvas (with frame) was neither more nor less than a work from Rembrandt’s youth. Recently Sotheby’s he put it up for auction again with an estimated value of between 9.3 and 14 million of euros. The work before the restoration, with the added modifications. And the (other) surprise arrived. Such a record would have been enough to give the painting a prominent place in Rembrandt’s legacy. Recently, however, Sotheby’s revealed that the canvas hid another secret. What we have seen so far was not exactly what the Leiden artist painted, but rather a version adulterated by a hand less skilled with brushes, a contemporary artist by Rembrandt. There are those who even have a name: Claes Cornelisz Moeyaert. Given that experts believe that the Dutch painter left the work “partially unfinished”, working hard on the upper part of the painting and sketching the lower part, it is understandable that someone would want to finish it. The intriguing thing is that in doing so that anonymous hand did not simply follow Rembrandt’s design. In addition to finishing the canvas, he repainted it, erasing, adding and modifying it to taste. We know this because in recent years technicians have studied the work with X-rays and have dedicated themselves to carefully eliminating overlapping layers. Does things change that much? Yes. It comes with taking a look at the photos that were released on the day of the painting and those disclosed by Sotheby’s following the last auction to prove it. The motif of the painting is the same: the biblical scene, collected in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Lucasin which Jesus uttered his famous phrase: “Let the children come to me.” If we look closely, however, differences can be seen between its status in 2014 and 2026. The elimination of the repaintings changes the color, has made some figures emerge and eliminated others. A boy in the foreground who was wearing an ocher suit now looks how Rebrandt must have seen him, with his back bare. However the most powerful alteration It is another: we now know that one of the central figures in the scene was a dark-skinned man with a turban who the artist who retouched the work completely modified, turning him into a venerable old man. For some unknown reason, the original exotic turban ended up becoming a red Dutch hat and the black beard became a long, gray beard. The work already restored and as presented by Sotheby’s. More than a detail. That detail has attracted attention of media from half the planet. And it’s normal. There are those who believe that if Rembrandt initially opted for a man with a turban, surely Muslim, it was not for an aesthetic reason. He wanted to capture what he saw in part in his own country in the 17th century, a multicultural environment, marked by religious rivalries, the coming and going of thousands of refugees and the social tensions that this generated in the streets. As remember historian Andrew Graham-Dixon, “in 1627, when Rembrandt began the painting, Leiden was going through a humanitarian crisis.” “The Thirty Years’ War was at its peak and hundreds of thousands of people arrived as refugees in the Dutch Republic,” he adds. It is estimated that in 1626 alone approximately 10,000 refugees arrived in Leiden. …and more than paint. Was that context transferred to Rembrandt’s canvas? Did you want to capture the spirit of what you saw on the streets of your city, the position that in your opinion should be maintained towards refugees arriving from other places? “It depicted a mass scene of Christ welcoming children and families. It was very controversial at the time. There were people in Leiden who did not want to receive them,” Graham-Dixon abounds. “What we gather is that Rembrandt was on the side of humanitarian aid. So I think this is more than just a painting. It’s a statement of his moral stance.” The truth is that in the work we see a crowd in which religion is represented. Jewish and Christian. “It looks familiar”. The figure wearing a turban is not the only surprise. Experts have identified in it a self-portrait of Rembrandt himself, who represented himself at the top, as a young man who appears to be looking at the scene perched on a pillar, although in reality he is looking at us. “His physiognomy is familiar to us thanks to the numerous painted self-portraits, drawings and engravings that he made over … Read more

We thought we had passed the worst of the memory crisis. We were totally wrong

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A new report from the consulting firm Jefferies Equity Research paints an even more terrible picture than we expected for the immediate future of the memory crisis. These components have already risen in price extraordinarily in the last nine months, but wait: it hasn’t ended there by any means. The rest of 2026 will be horrible. According to its analysts, memory prices will experience an increase of between 40 and 50% in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the current quarter. But the increases will not stop there, because in the fourth quarter, between 30 and 40% price increases are expected compared to the third quarter. Let’s do the math. According to this prediction, the prices of memory modules for our PCs will be absolutely exorbitant: 16 GB DDR4 module: the current price is around 139 euros. Applying these increases, in the third quarter this product will cost up to 209 euros in the third quarter, and up to 292 euros in the room. 16 GB DDR5 module: the current price is around 240 euros. Applying the same percentages, in the third quarter we would pay up to 360 euros for it, and in the fourth quarter up to 504 euros. Bad for (almost) everyone. These increases will therefore make prices much worse than they are now, and although we have given the example of memory modules for the PC, this problem extends to all types of electronic products that have this component. Mobile phones, tablets, graphics cards, Smart TVs, routers, consoles (Hello Steam Machine) or cars will also be affected, and this could therefore significantly impact the future prices of these products. Let them tell Apple: we could see how this and other companies are forced to raise prices again. 2027 will be bad too. This report also reveals that the crisis will persist in 2027, although the growth curve will reduce slightly: increases of between 40 and 45% are expected from year to year. It is a very bad figure, but not as bad as what is expected for this second half of 2026. Why does the crisis last so long?. AI is to blame for this memory crisis, and what is happening is that manufacturers are not only unable to cope: the “little memory” they are manufacturing is being reserved for long-term contracts. Micron, for example, has already signed 16 strategic contracts with large firms and hyperscalers, and in the global market 50% of what is manufactured is already reserved for those large clients. That percentage could rise to 70%, they say at Jefferies, which will make it even more complicated (or rather, more expensive) to access memory modules for PCs, laptops, consoles or mobile phones. The end of the crisis, in 2028? This analysis also indicates that 2028 could finally see prices begin to fall slightly. The reason: a slowdown in demand and a slight increase in supply of between 15 and 20%. China manufacturers won’t save us. He Chinese manufacturer CXMT it seemed the great hope for consumers, but as seen at Computex, their prices they are similar to those of Micron, Samsung or SK Hynix. Apple is trying to work with that Chinese firm and is pushing for the US I took it out from your “Entity List”, but it remains to be seen what will happen. The only advantage of this and other Chinese manufacturers such as YMTC is that they do have modules in their inventory, but most are intended for domestic consumption by Chinese firms. In Xataka | Samsung had been the absolute king of technology in South Korea for decades: SK Hynix has just surpassed it

We thought “cotton candy planets” was a metaphor. NASA just found two that take it to the limit

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In a very distant planetary system, about 1,113 light years from Earth, intuition asks us for a very reasonable thing: if a planet is almost the size of Jupiter, it should also resemble Jupiter in its mass. NASA’s TESS mission just showed that the universe doesn’t always play by those rules. From your data, scientists have identified two giant worlds around the star TOI-791 that seem made to break that expectation: they take up a lot of space, but concentrate very little matter. The discovery has its own names: TOI-791 by TOI-791 c. They are two “super-puff” planets, a term used to describe giant worlds with extremely low densities, comparable in this case to that of cotton candy. Scientists calculate that they are the most “bloated” planets found so far, a striking label but supported by a very specific comparison: their size is close to that of Jupiter, while their mass represents only a small fraction of that of the largest planet in the Solar System. The key piece of this story is TESSNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. We are not talking about a telescope designed to obtain direct images of these worlds, but rather a space observatory prepared to monitor large areas of the sky looking for indirect signalss. According to technical information, its payload is concentrated in a single instrument: a set of four wide-field optical cameras. These cameras work together with their covers, mount, sun shield and data management unit to track stars for long periods. Two giant planets that weigh almost nothing The important thing is that TESS did not see those planets the way we see an image of Jupiter or Saturn. What it detected were repeated small drops in the brightness of TOI-791, the Sun-like star that hosts this system. This pattern appears when, from our perspective, a planet passes in front of its star and blocks a minimal part of its light. From these transits, and how they repeat over time, scientists can reconstruct the presence of worlds that are too far away to be shown as a conventional photograph. There’s an understandable trap here: we see the NASA illustration and our brain fills in the scene as if we were looking at a photo. But that is not what has happened. The agency clarifies that no direct image of TOI-791 by TOI-791 cand that its appearance in the visual pieces is an artistic interpretation. The image serves to bring us closer to the discovery and compare it with known planets, but it is not the observation itself: the observation is in the signals measured by TESS when these worlds pass in front of their star. The TESS spacecraft and its payload, prepared before launch The rarity appears very clearly when the figures come in. TOI-791 b is almost the same size as Jupiter, but contains only 3.0% of its mass. TOI-791 c goes even one step further: it is larger than Jupiter, although it barely reaches 5.9% of its mass. That combination is what makes these worlds so strange. We are not dealing with small planets with little matter, but with giants that take up a lot of space and yet concentrate a surprisingly low amount of mass. There is also a question of patience. TOI-791 b takes 139 days to complete one revolution around its star, and TOI-791 c needs 232 days. For a telescope that searches for planets through transits, that means waiting a long time to see the same signal repeat and confirm that we are not facing a coincidence. The accumulation of data was decisive here: from its high orbit around the Earth, TESS gathered 1,122 days of observations of this system over seven years. The image compares the size of the two “super-puff” planets with some worlds in our Solar System To arrive at their masses, scientists took advantage of a very useful detail: these two planets do not move as if the other did not exist. TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c follow an orbital pattern that causes them to be gravitationally attracted to each other. That push and pull slightly changes the timing of its transits across the star from our perspective. By measuring these small temporal variations, the team was able to estimate how much mass each planet contains and confirm their status as low-density “super-puff” planets. The confusion comes not only from the fact that they are huge worlds with very little mass, but also from the fact that they fit poorly with what was expected to be found. Jon Jenkins of NASA Ames sums it up this way: “They represent a puzzle “We must solve how giant planets like Jupiter and super-puffs form.” George Dransfield, lead author of the study at the University of Oxford, also emphasizes that their extremely low densities make them fascinating targets for studying the evolution of planetary systems. The metaphor, in fact, was the gateway to the problem. What comes next is trying to read those worlds in more detail. NASA notes that scientists want to study the chemical composition of their atmospheres, how their rotation can affect their shape and to what extent the star’s inclination fits with the orbits of the planets. It also remains to be understood how they moved within the system during its development, whether their orbits were shaped by interactions with other planets and, ultimately, how such low-density worlds can form. Cotton candy was the image; The challenge is to explain the recipe. Images | POT In Xataka | Experts warn: NASA launch facilities are too old to travel to the Moon

We thought that Ozempic was only good for losing weight. Its last side effect is a brake on violent impulsivity

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If there is a family of medications that has made headlines in recent years, it is the GLP-1 receptor agonists, although they will probably be more familiar to you if we say ‘Ozempic‘ either ‘wegovy‘. These drugs began by revolutionizing the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but it was all a very effective way to ‘treat’ obesity. But soon after, scientists began to notice something fascinating when they saw that patients said they also lost the desire to drink. alcoholsmoking or nail biting. After investigating it. A new studyor have taken these first indications of the suppression of impulses one step further, entering the field of crimonology and have seen that it can be a way to reduce violent crimes. To reach this point, the researchers analyzed, through a survey, 821 adults who had used GLP-1 drugs at some point. After this, the study separately analyzed current users of these medications with former users to see exactly the effect the medication can have on points that go beyond food consumption. The results. What they found is not that Ozempic “reduces crime,” but something much more subtle: in current users, the association between impulsivity traits or alcohol consumption and violent behavior was significantly weaker. That is, the drug seems to act as a buffer, since in an unmedicated person, high impulsivity combined with alcohol consumption is usually a cocktail that facilitates aggressive behavior, since something that is well proven is the relationship between alcohol and violence. But in patients under treatment with Ozempic, this transition between “feeling the impulse” and “executing the violent action” seems to be attenuated, which could prevent the transition to committing a crime of intent. Because? To understand why a metabolic drug could have behavioral effects, we have to look at the brain, since GLP-1 agonists act on brain areas involved in the reward system and appetite regulation. The clinical context of this phenomenon is increasingly documented, since a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in JAMA Psychiatry demonstrated that semaglutide reduced craving and several drinking metrics in adults with alcoholism disorder. This medical trial has much greater causal weight than the criminological study and provides a solid clinical basis by pointing out that GLP-1 modulates our relationship with substances and immediate gratification. With violence. With all this we can make it clear that, if on the one hand alcohol is reduced and on the other the impulsivity felt when thinking about committing a crime, indirectly two of the main catalysts of violence are being reduced. The small print. With these types of findings, it is easy to fall into sensationalism and think that we are facing the ‘Clockwork Orange’ pill. However, it must be emphasized that the published study is observational and cross-sectional in nature. This means that a kind of ‘still photo’ of the situation has been taken without following up on the participants to see how their impulsivity evolves over time. Images | David Trinks In Xataka | We thought Ozempic was only for weight loss. Science is seeing that it can end alcoholism

We thought it was a bend in the Rhine. In reality it was a huge Roman water channel that survived the fall of the Empire for 300 years.

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If there is something for which Rome has remained in memory, it is for its impressive road layout throughout their empire, but be careful because in hydraulic engineering they were not far behind either, the aqueducts of Segovia and Tarragona serve as close examples. It is true that aqueducts are striking constructions due to their dimensions, but there is another that rivals them in size and capacity to move water: canals. In fact, a research team just “discovered” that what looked like an old abandoned Rhine channel was actually an ancient Roman canal. They had an unappealable clue on the terrain: it is rare to see such a long and straight line in nature. The discovery. In southwestern Germany, on an agricultural plain next to the Rhine River, an interdisciplinary research team from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and the Hessen Monument Office have found something that has been buried for more than a thousand years: an artificial Roman canal 15 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep that connected the Rhine to a small military fort called the burgus of Trebur-Astheim. Why is it important. Because the Trebur-Astheim Canal is one of the few known navigable canals north of the Alps during the Roman period and the Early Middle Ages, demonstrating that the Roman Empire in Germania modified the landscape more intensely and lastingly than previously believed. The presence of Rome was more than a mere occupation. As explains the research teamthe burgus of Trebur-Astheim probably functioned as a central logistical node for the Landgraben region, where cargo ships of the time could dock and goods were redistributed around the area on other vessels. This demonstrates a global vision of the empire for supplying its troops through infrastructure that goes beyond the roads. Context. The consolidated Roman presence in the Hessische Ried began in the 1st century AD, under the Flavian emperors. The fort of Trebur-Astheim was built between 364 and 375 AD under the command of Emperor Valentinian I as part of his plan for military deployment along the Rhine. with a goal: contain the Alamanni, a group of tribes settled on the right bank of the river. In fact, the Rhineland border is clearly demarcated by watchtowers and forts, as can be seen on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In detail. In short, the town of Trebur-Astheim was practically a protected inland port: its dimensions were similar to those of the Roman navigable canal Fossa Corbulonis (present-day Netherlands) and made it suitable for different types of Roman river vessels, such as military type Mainz-A or the cargo boats found near Xanten, both with drafts of between 0.35 and 0.65 meters, well below the depth of the channel. Carbon 14 has revealed that, from the sediments of the canal, it was in operation from Roman times until the 7th-8th centuries AD, when it became clogged with mud and was abandoned. In fact, the large amount of sediment in the area forced the channel to be dredged frequently for centuries: after the Romans, the team points out that the Merovingian and Carolingian communities exploited it and maintained the infrastructure. Yes, but. The excavation carried out in 2024 did not reach sufficient depth to physically see the walls of the canal due to the high water table and the amount of sediment. That is to say, the dimensions that we know have been estimated indirectly, something that is common in underwater archaeology. In this sense, a complete excavation is pending to obtain direct data on the construction of the canal. In Xataka | Some go to the gym to do legs and others to discover an impressive mansion from the Roman Empire In Xataka | The Romans found a macabre and sophisticated way to use perfume: breaking pigeons’ necks (made of glass) Cover | Wolfgang Pehlemann and An Artificial Canal Connecting the Roman Burgus at Trebur-Astheim (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany) with the River Rhine

Airra Labs has thought just the opposite

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We have become accustomed to the mouse being a mature, almost closed tool, as if there was little room left to change what we do with it every day. Its design has improved a lot: it has gained precision, better materials, more capable sensors and, in some very specific models, such as gaming ones, a number of buttons that years ago would have seemed excessive. But just look at how we scroll through a page to find a surprising continuity: a finger that pushes, the content that goes up or down and a gesture so assumed that any alternative is born with an obvious disadvantage. First he has to convince us that the habit was not untouchable. At my desk, this gesture is almost always solved by a Logitech MX Master 3Sa mouse designed for productivity that relies on a very precise and comfortable physical wheel to scroll through long documents or endless pages. In the backpack, however, I have a Magic Mousewhich eliminates that wheel and turns the top of the mouse into a touch surface. Both seem natural to me in different contexts, and perhaps that is why this proposal draws attention: it does not try to polish what is known, but rather to change the movement that we take for granted. A mouse to rotate, not to scroll That’s where the Rotary Mouse comes in, Airra Labs’ proposal to change a very specific part of our relationship with the computer. The idea is not to add more buttons or improve the usual wheel, but to replace it with a rotary mechanism integrated into the mouse itself. According to the companythe user places their finger on that piece and turns it as if it were a dial, with tactile clicks and direct control over the speed and direction of movement. The goal is to move more fluidly through web pages, documents, spreadsheets, code or timelines. On paper, Airra Labs does not focus its speech only on speed. The company claims that the Rotary Mouse can scroll up to 2.5 times faster than a conventional mouse, but it accompanies that figure with another equally important idea: more control. Its rotating wheel includes tactile clicks, supports traditional vertical scrolling and, according to its creators, allows you to move with precision by turning slowly or advance quickly by increasing the pace. The ergonomic part comes with the so-called ROM, acronym for range of motion, a range of motion exercise with which Airra Labs says it wants to reduce the tension accumulated in the fingers. When you see it in images, the first thing that appears is not a certainty, but a strange sensation. This circular movement of the finger is not very similar to the gesture we make with a traditional wheel or sliding on a touch surface like that of the Magic Mouse. It may seem uncomfortableperhaps because we have spent years training our hand for something else, but that visual impression has an obvious limit: it does not replace the real experience of use. And that is precisely what is interesting. Sometimes an idea seems strange not because it is poorly stated, but because we do not yet have the necessary habit to understand it. Where the proposal can gain meaning is in those jobs in which moving is not a secondary action, but a constant part of the task. Airra Labs mentions very specific examples on its website: video timelines, long spreadsheets, long documents, code, JSON files and long web pages. In all these cases, the problem is not only getting to a point sooner, but doing so without losing precision along the way. It even proposes the use of the rotary wheel as a kind of small steering wheel for driving simulators. There is, however, a necessary caution: the Rotary Mouse arrives in the launch phase through a financing campaign and we have not been able to test it yet, so it is advisable to keep a certain distance before drawing conclusions. Airra Labs now places its estimated price between 49 and 109 dollarsa fork that will depend on the version chosen. Even so, the idea has something valuable even if it later has to pass the most important test: it reminds us that even the most established gestures can be put back on the table. Images | Airra Labs In Xataka | The trackpad on laptops is a real pain. So Logitech has invented the foldable mouse to put an end to it

We thought that sleeping was only good for rest. It actually helps us build new muscle.

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We spend a third of our lives sleeping, and although to some people it may seem a waste of time because literally while we sleep we are not ‘producing’, the reality is quite different. And it’s not just about resting, but our brain hides a real neural “switch” that, during sleep, dictates whether our body will build muscle, burn fat or, on the contrary, enter a state of metabolic emergency. What was seen. Joint research from the University of California and Stanford University, published in September 2025 in the prestigious magazine cell, managed to map this mechanism. The researchers identified a specific neuronal circuit in the hypothalamus composed of two fundamental players: the GHRH neuron, which acts as the “accelerator” of growth hormone, and somatostatin, which functions as the “brake.” Its balance is essential to regulate how much growth hormone is released during sleep. And it is not something that should be left in the background or only for children who are growing, but this hormone is essential to be able to build muscle, break down fat or even regulate glucose. In the first half of the night. Not all moments of the night are worth the same, since approximately 70% of daily growth hormone secretion occurs during the first cycle of deep sleep, also known as the N3 phase. In this way, if we shorten our hours in bed and miss that key rest, deep quality sleep is not achieved and the desired peak of growth hormone does not occur. What this directly leads to is accumulating fat and losing muscle tissue. The hunger. The muscle is not the only one affected, but our diet also suffers chemical sabotage. Here research has shown that little sleep drastically alters our appetite-regulating hormones. A large meta-analysis published in the journal Obesity Reviewsthat analyzed 21 studies with 2,250 participants, pointed out that short sleep causes leptin, which is the hormone that sends the signal of satiety, to decrease by 18%, while ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger, increases by 28%. This makes us have a greater appetite and prefer to consume more calories if we do not sleep enough hours. The metabolic risk. The impact of not sleeping goes far beyond hunger and the scale, since at a metabolic level, sleep restriction reduces insulin sensitivitywhich directly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. More and more data. If you still had doubts about the benefits of sleeping correctly, we already know that having a good sleep allows us to be more productive and better integrate the different knowledge that we learn in our brain. But to this is now also added the ability to ‘create’ new muscle, making the smartest decision to be sleeping, although for some it is not very productive. Images | Slaapwijsheid.nl Anastase Maragos In Xataka | Hitting the gym every week is great, but it all depends on what you do right after you leave the gym.

We thought the MacBook Neo was the perfect affordable computer. AMD claims it has a big problem: games

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He MacBook Neo has been everything a missile on the waterline of the “affordable” Windows laptop market. Our analysis confirmed our expectations and we were able to verify that we are facing a more than solvent team with a outstanding price/performance ratio. However, it is not perfect, and its Achilles heel is in a specific area: video games. AMD strikes back. The company has launched an aggressive advertising campaign with a strong message: “The competition makes sacrifices. You don’t have to make them”, and then focus on how the Apple team falters in a section that is important for a notable sector of users: “While 15 of the top 20 PC games don’t run natively on the MacBook Neo, AMD systems give you access to a massive library of games across Steam, Epic Games Store, and PC Game Pass.” The hateful comparisons. In that campaign AMD compares the HP Omnibook X Flip with an AMD Ryzen 5 220 with Apple’s MacBook Neo. It boasts of its 512 GB SSD (256 GB in the Apple model indicated, although there is a 512 GB version), its touch screen and its greater connectivity options. Beware of AMD’s message. As noted in Tom’s Hardware, this AMD chip is not new, but rather a version derived from the 8540U that is accompanied by an integrated Radeon 740M GPU. It’s a modest chip that can run titles like GTA V at 100 FPS in low quality, but Hellblade 2 runs at 8 FPS and Alan Wake 2 runs at 11 FPS. So it may indeed be able to run those video games, but it’s not clear that they are actually “playable.” One thing is certain: the MacBook Neo is not for gaming. In reality, Apple does not focus its MacBook Neo on gamers, because it knows that although the A18 Pro is a truly remarkable SoCis not designed for that sector. The company has its Metal API to be able to run games and it is even possible to enjoy some native ones with some joy, but if what you want is to play (especially with top PC titles), the MacBook Neo is not your device. The laptop war for students. This counterattack from AMD is to be expected: the company has undoubtedly been affected by the enormous success of the MacBook Neo, and is trying to demonstrate that its proposals are just as valid or even better. The juicy niche of student laptops is at play here: if you convince a young person to opt for a MacBook Neo, they will likely end up trapped in the Apple ecosystem (if they weren’t already). Intel also reacts. Intel’s response to the MacBook Neo has not been an advertising campaign, but something much more tangible. The company has announced its platform Wildcat Lakechips made with 18A photolithography that are a priori up to 21% more powerful than the A18 Pro. Equipment like the Chuwi Unibook (from $449) are better at least with the specifications sheet in hand, but its real performance is for now an unknown and we will have to wait for independent analyzes. More options are coming. The Computex fair that took place two weeks ago also made it clear that other manufacturers they are going to try to take advantage this moment of uncertainty to sneak in their proposals. Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon C and Nvidia made something similar with their RTX Spark (we will see the prices). What is clear is that the launch of the MacBook Neo has awakened a segment that had become comfortable, and that is good: there will be a lot of competition and, above all, many options. In Xataka | Apple is selling so many MacBook Neos that it runs the risk of not being able to make more

I thought that in 2026 I could buy a cheap cell phone without worrying about anything. big mistake

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I have spent half my life being especially critical when analyzing phones and, on the only occasion that I have decided to stop being so, I have hit a wall. We are in 2026, a year in which one might think that at this point in the game practically any phone newly launched on the market must work well. Mistake, big mistake. So I want to tell you how the component crisis in the technology sector and, to be honest, a certain apathy on the part of manufacturers, continues to make choosing an affordable mobile phone complex in 2026. Either we look closely at what we buy, or it may turn out to be a failure. The objectives. A mobile to send and receive WhatsAppsliterally. I wanted a phone whose main use was to manage communication with clients in one of my projects and, taking advantage of the fact that I had a new purchase, use it as GPS when I ride a motorcycle. The demands were minimal, there were practically no requirements other than that the cell phone worked decently. The expectation was not high either: I know that a low-end mobile phone does not work like a high-end one, not even like a mid-range one. I was just looking for something functional and simple. The search. I started the search, with phones over 100 euros. For that price it was practically impossible to access basic phones like the LITTLE M7which at least has a Snapdragon 685 (a processor, mind you, from 2023), so I had to continue lowering the bar. I ended up finding a 199 euro phone on sale for 89 euros on Aliexpress. One with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of internal memory… and a Helium G100 Ultra. the drama. The Helio G100 Ultra is an entry-level processor launched in 2024, relatively modern, and should have enough capacity to run basic applications. That’s what I thought. It’s been a while since I’ve tried an entry-level model. I thought that in 2026 things would be a little better, and I couldn’t be more wrong Almost two seconds to open the camera, lag in the launcher with the mobile newly configured, constant freezes and a performance that, after having tried other cheap mobile phones of a similar price (without offer), was simply unacceptable. And no, I’m not going to tell you the model so as not to draw blood, but it is one of the most popular mobile phones in Spain. Blind. One of the supposed advantages that it has brought us the semiconductor race is all about performance. For some time now, in certain ranges, my recommendations when asked which mobile phone to buy for The same does not happen with the entry ranges. Processors like Helium G99Helio G100, and even some Snapdragon 600 series (or Gen 6) are still barely moving basic apps. And the worrying thing is not how the phone performs right out of the box (which already performs poorly), it is how it will perform in a few years with some hardware degradation, system and app updates. big horse. At this point in the game there is something that is very clear to me, something that I have always defended: the processor It is much more important than we can think as average users. It is the heart of our mobile: The Gross Performance Manager The person in charge of the modem who will make us have better or worse coverage The element behind photo quality and camera performance The one that allows the final audio quality to be better or worse The one that helps to manage energy consumption more or less efficiently And here, even though the chip race continues at its pace, the high-end processors from a few years ago are noticeably superior to the entry-level ones. So between that high end of 2024 full of chicha and that newly released entry range… I’m clear about what I should have done. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Best mobile phones in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and nine recommended models

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