true

AI chips have always wanted to become more and more powerful. TSMC has just pointed out the true limit: efficiency

by

More performance? It is the first thing we usually ask of a new chip, almost without thinking about it. We have done it for years with the processors in our devices and we do it now with the chips that support much of the deployment of AI. More computing power, more speed, more scope to do things that previously seemed out of reach. But this logic begins to encounter a very specific limit: energy. What is making its way now is a less flashy idea, but increasingly difficult to ignore: progress will not only be measured by how much a chip calculates, but also by how much energy it needs to do it. The clearest clue comes from TSMC. We are talking about the largest contract chip manufacturer in the world, a company that does not sell processors under its own brand, but rather produces semiconductors designed by other players in the industry. According to ReutersKevin Zhang, senior vice president of business development, explained at a conference in Amsterdam that his customers are paying more and more attention to performance improvements that do not increase consumption. The pressure comes from very different profiles, from smartphone manufacturers to AI data center operators, all with a concern that we have seen growing in recent times: electricity cost and energy availability. The key is in the manufacturing. TSMC has not simply described a change in priorities. He has also placed it on his technological calendar with A14a future manufacturing technology planned around 2028. The firm expects that this process offers more than a 20% improvement in performance and, at the same time, reduces consumption by up to 30% compared to N2, the process that the company takes as a reference in that comparison. The key is that we are not talking about a specific processor, but rather the method with which subsequent chips can be manufactured. Not everything is about miniaturizing. For decades, reducing the size of transistors has been one of the great ways to gain performance and efficiency in chips. That logic doesn’t go away: transistor density remains within TSMC’s roadmap. What Zhang points out is that in the face of energy pressure from AI, other solutions, such as advanced packaging, chip stacking, and photonics, are also gaining weight. In parallel, as we pointed out a few weeks agoTSMC has decided not to use High-NA EUV, the lithography associated with ASML’s most advanced and ambitious equipment, in its A13 and A12 processes planned for 2029. The battle is also in the data. Huawei enters this conversation with Tau Scaling Lawa proposal that seeks to improve performance by accelerating the movement of data within the chips. The idea shifts part of the focus from the transistor to architecture and integration, two areas that gain weight when manufacturing smaller components is not enough. Along the same lines appears LogicFolding, which Huawei presents as a possible step beyond traditional 3D stacking, but which will depend on new design tools for folded architectures and better dissipation solutions for devices ranging from smartphones to AI data centers. Where are we going? TSMC does not speak for the entire industry, but its position makes the message carry. The firm suggests that, at least in its roadmap and in conversations with its clients, energy efficiency is gaining prominence that was previously more hidden behind performance. And it’s not a concern limited to AI data centers. Huawei, for its part, shows that the problem is also being addressed from architecture and integration, not just from the manufacturing process. The common point is not a closed conclusion, but an increasingly visible tension: chips will have to continue to be more capable, but each leap will be more difficult to justify if it increases consumption, heat or costs. Images | Xataka with Nano Banana In Xataka | Samsung has just achieved a milestone that has not been recorded for eight years. The problem is that it is a mirage

Two of the best true crimes I have found are on Movistar Plus. And now you can see them for 4.99 euros

by

Historically not, but I admit that I have been fond of the true crime. I started with some on Netflix and I have also watched several on HBO Max (in fact, I recently watched on this platform the series based on the documentary ‘The Staircase‘). However, where more of these true crime I have seen it been on Movistar Pluswhich now allows you to watch them along with movies and series 4.99 euros per month with your new Free Plan. Monthly subscription to Movistar Plus – Cinema and Series The price could vary. We earn commission from these links This platform right now has three different plans. The first of them, the Free Plancosts nothing, as its name suggests, but is quite limited in content. There is still the plan that M+ had before (the one that costs 9.99 euros), but this new Free Plan is the intermediate alternative. And the difference is, only, which does not include sports. That means that it is a subscription that we can access, regardless of which operator we are. Besides, has no permanenceso you can try it for a month and, if it doesn’t convince you, unsubscribe whenever you want. All this added to what we almost always tell you: you can share your Movistar Plus account with a friend or family member without problem. Now, let’s talk about the true crime. There are several, but there are two in particular that I liked the most. and both are signed by Carles Porta. These are ‘El Crimen de la Guardia Urbana’ and ‘El Niño Pintor’, which although it is true have been around for some time, I think they are one of those true crime They hook you and you don’t stop until you finish them. There are others true crime and, in fact, two more from Carles Porta will arrive in the next few days. But, in addition, we must add a catalog of Movistar Plus’s own productions with very interesting movies and series, such as ‘Poquita Fe’ or ‘Querer’ or the recently released ‘Se has to die a lot of people’, which looks very good. All this (and more) for 4.99 euros per month. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: free movistar plus plan ✅ THE BEST Very low price: For 4.99 euros you have access to a huge catalog of movies, series and documentaries. You can share it with a friend or family member: Supports two simultaneous plays even if they are not at the same address. true crime very interesting and good own productions: There is a lot to see if you like this genre, which also includes very good movies or series that are exclusive to M+. ❌ THE WORST It doesn’t have anything about football or other sports: It is cheaper, but in exchange we lose football and other sports that this platform provides. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are looking for a platform with good true crimewith interesting own productions and that is also not too expensive. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You don’t want another subscription or you prefer the Movistar Plus subscription that does include football, tennis, basketball and other sports. You may also be interested XIAOMI TV F 43, 43 Inch (109 cm), 4K UHD, Smart TV, Fire OS8, Alexa Voice Control, HDR10, MEMC, 2GB+32GB, Compatible with Apple AirPlay The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung TV 55 Inch Neo QLED QN80F 4K Mini LED Smart TV with Vision AI, Quantum Matrix Technology Core, Motion Xcelerator 144Hz and Gaming Hub The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Movistar Plus In Xataka | Less than five euros per month and without permanence: this is the new Movistar Plus plan that you can even share with a friend In Xataka | Movistar Plus activates its Free Plan with complete programs and a lot of content, regardless of which operator you are

They came to believe that the horoscope predicted true love. It was actually a bug in the 2001 British census.

by

When searching a new lovethere are many people who are looking for the best possible compatibility, but not only in terms of tastes or hobbies, but also to the zodiac sign that corresponds to each of the people. Nowadays there are dating applications that allow you to filter by zodiac sign, since it is not uncommon to see or hear that being a Leo or Scorpio sign is something catastrophic. But science has something to say here. Demonstrating it. When asked if the zodiac sign affects the compatibility that exists in a couple, researcher David Voas wanted to give him an answer to see if it is a definitive tool or not. And to do so, he analyzed a sample of 20 million people from the census of England and Wales, which is equivalent to 10 million couples. This way, if there is any relationship in such a large sample, it has to be seen somehow. And here we didn’t want to see if the fire signs get along with each other, but rather something more basic: is there any combination of signs that occurs more or less frequently than pure chance dictates? The first results. At first glance at the different couples analyzed, it seemed that the astrologers were right and that people were grouped according to the affinity of their zodiac signs. But the truth is that the researcher did not stop at this and continued digging into the data in order to see if there was something more. The real results. Upon further investigation, he discovered that this “astrological sign” did not come from the cosmos, but from imputation errors and biases in the collection of census data. Here he observed that in records where the exact day of birth was missing, officials used to assume that it was the 1st day of the month by default, which generated artificial accumulations of people in certain signs and created patterns that were not real. With all this, it was seen that many apparently compatible couples were simply sharing registration errors or rounded birth dates, which is something quite common within the administration. And once these statistical artifacts were corrected and matches by birth month were separated from matches that actually crossed the boundary between zodiac signs, the effect disappeared completely. In short, there was no trace of a “force” that united the signs. It’s always the same. This new research sits in a long tradition of scientific attempts to validate astrology in some way, and the truth is that it always comes to the same conclusion: there is no relationship. As Carlos Orsi explains in his work published by Columbia University Press, the problem with couple astrology is that not even astrologers themselves agree, since there is no homogeneous theory about which combinations are “good.” And given this lack of consensus, the Voas test is the fairest possible: look for any deviation from chance. And chance won by a landslide. Images | lookstudio in Magnific freepik In Xataka | Esperanza Gracia had been explaining the horoscope to the Spanish for three decades. Its closure illustrates a deeper change

the true enemy has the face of a “friend”

by

Tas the downing of the flight Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 In 2014, international investigators analyzed the remains of the missile involved and discovered that many of its parts came from production lines distributed in different countriessome originally designed for completely different uses. That analysis left an idea that is difficult to ignore, and in Ukraine hasn’t stopped to repeat again and again. A new missile, a “new” surprise. When Ukraine has been able analyze in detail one of the latest models of missiles used by Russia has happened to him like with dronesthe surprise has not come only because of its design or its capabilities, but because of what it had inside. The S-71Kone of Moscow’s most recent bets to sustain its offensive, has revealed an uncomfortable reality that is repeated on the front: beyond direct confrontation, part of the technology that makes it possible does not apply only from Russia. This realization introduces a different dimension to the conflict, one in which the origin of the components becomes a key clue to understanding how current weapons are being built. A weapon to mass produce. The S-71K is part of a new generation of air-to-ground missiles designed with a clear objective: reduce costs and facilitate volume production. Integrating existing elementslike a Cold War bomb adapted to a structure with discrete shapes to reduce its detection, the system combines relatively simple solutions with specific improvements in range and survivability. With a compact engine, a basic guide and an optimized design, it fits into a strategy that prioritize quantity available on the battlefield versus the extreme sophistication of previous models. The air intake of the S-71K engine Global and “friendly” technology. However, the most striking aspect is not in its architecture, but in its bowels. He ukrainian analysis indicates that the vast majority of its electronic components come from abroadincluding countries in Europe, especially Germany, but also in Asia and the United States. As we have been countingthis pattern is not isolated, but that repeats in other Russian systems, suggesting that, despite sanctions, Moscow continues accessing international technology through civil markets, intermediaries or indirect routes. The paradox is more than evident: in the middle of a war, part of the operation of these weapons depends on parts manufactured in countries that, in theory, seek to limit that same capacity. The real challenge. He findFurthermore, it focuses on the real difficulties of controlling the global flow of technology. Sanctions, although broad, do not always completely block access to critical components, especially when these They have civil uses and circulate in complex supply chains. For Ukraine and its allies, the problem is no longer just stopping Russian production at source, but identify and close those cracks that allow key pieces to continue arriving. In that sense, the battlefield extends far beyond the front, reaching factories, distributors and international markets. A war in supply chains. If you will also, the S-71K case illustrates how modern conflicts depend as much on global logistics as on direct military capability. As Russia seeks cheaper, more scalable solutions to keep up the pressure, Ukraine faces not only new weapons, but a system that continues to feed on distributed technology all over the world. The image that remains at the end is, to say the least, complex: the visible adversary launches the missile, but part of its effectiveness is built with pieces that travel much wider routes and are sometimes difficult to control. from “allied” territoriesturning the global economy into an indirect actor in the conflict. Image | GUR In Xataka | The war in Ukraine continues to make science fiction useless: we already have drones that kill like a hunter In Xataka | Russia has an unprecedented enemy in the Ukrainian war: Japan has just landed with a weapon to take down its shaheds

In Singapore, luxury is not having a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. True luxury is simply driving

by

Singaporethat small city/country-state between Malaysia and Indonesia where there are barely more than five million inhabitants, is a place of contrasts. While the enclave has a high degree of government control and certain practices that can be classified as repressive, on the other hand, new technologies are embraced to the point of being a world reference in the public sphere towards AI. There, having a car is not a practical necessity, it is a statement of status. Driving in Singapore. The story was told a year ago. the new york times. In Singapore, owning a car is not practical, it is more of a statement comparable to wearing a designer suit or sporting a luxury watch. The reason? He property certificate system (introduced in 1990 to control congestion and pollution) requires citizens to pay astronomical sums just for the right to buy a vehicle. These certificates, known as certificates of entitlement (COE), can reach up to $84,000raising the total price of common automobiles to exorbitant figures more typical of a supercar. As insurance agent Andre Lee, who in 2020 paid $24,000 for a Kia Forte Second-hand, having a car was simply part of his professional image, although he later recognized that the expense was not justified and chose to sell it. The price in 2026. This year, the COE system has prices that exceed usually $100,000 Singaporeans (about 70,000–85,000 euros) just for the right to circulate for ten years. The different categories oscillate in that range, with large and premium cars reaching the highest figures, while even commercial vehicles and motorcycles have seen notable increases compared to previous years. This volatility, with biweekly auctions that can move prices by thousands of euros, reflects a deja vu: an extremely stressed market where artificial scarcity imposed by the State continues to be the dominant factor, even above the cost of the vehicle itself. An unnecessary luxury. The underlying problem is also explained from another side. With a public transport network affordable and effective, few residents They really need a car to get around the city. Long rides cost less than two dollars and transportation apps like Grab are available. widely available. Despite this, twice a month they celebrate COE auctionswith limited quotas set by the government. This policy has been very effective: Singapore has only 11 cars per 100 inhabitants, far below countries like the United States or Italy, where the figure exceeds 75. Other cities have adopted anti-congestion measures, such as urban tolls in LondonStockholm or New Yorkbut none charges as much to own a car as Singapore. The car and social classes. For the richest in the country, purchasing a vehicle with all the associated costs does not represent a problem. Su-Sanne Ching, a businesswoman, said that paid $150,000 by a Mercedes-Benzincluding a COE of $60,000. On the other hand, for the middle class, especially families with children, the car becomes a luxury that is difficult to sustain. Joy Fang and her husband told the Times that they bought a used Hyundai Avante in 2022 for $58,000 to take his two children. Every month they allocate more than 10% of their family budget to maintain the vehicle, which has forced them to reduce outings and trips. Even so, they consider that the alternative (moving with small children and bags on public transport) is unviable. Help for electricians. Regarding “electrification”, the main aid (EEAI) has been reduced by half. Previously up to 15,000 SGD, and now it has a maximum of SGD 7,500. Not only that, apparently, it already has a date of disappearance by 2027. Plus: the VES system too has been adjusted and has progressively reduced incentives. In other words, this year, the nation seems to be in the phase of progressive withdrawal of aid to electric vehicles. Sometimes not even the symbolism. There are more extreme cases. Even for those who purchase a car for symbolic or professional reasons, as Andre Leecumulative expenses can cause the decision loses meaning. Maintenance, gas, parking and insurance end up exceeding initial expectations. Lee, for example, sold his car three years after purchasing it and now commutes by public transportation, or borrows his father’s vehicle when he needs to meet clients. In his opinion, there are other priorities that ended up outweighing the image projected by having your own car. Rational choice versus chaos. Singapore’s restrictive model contrasts with that of other Southeast Asian cities like Jakarta or Bangkokwhere extreme traffic turns travel into an odyssey. For many Singaporeans, giving up the personal car is a reasonable price to enjoy clearer streets and fast journeys. In this regard and according to sociologist Chua Beng Huatthe choice is cultural and practical: the population prefers to avoid long hours behind the wheel. The man himself, despite owning a BYD SUV to transport his grandchildren, says he uses the subway when he goes downtown. Ultimately, the car in Singapore appears to have become an aspirational rather than a functional commodity, one reserved for those who can afford it without compromising their finances. Unlike other parts of the world where the vehicle represents an almost imperative need for mobility or independence, in the island-state it is, for many, a luxury that compares with the most ostentatious objects. Driving there is like having a Rolex, or almost. Image | William Cho In Xataka | Guide to know if your car will be able to circulate in the ZBEs of Madrid in 2025: labels, registrations and areas In Xataka | How to make an appointment at the IMSS online in Mexico A version of this article was published in 2025. We have updated its content with everything that has happened since then.

A gasoline engine that uses 3L per 100km is a dream come true. And only Spain could manufacture it.

by

With gasoline and absolutely shot dieselsreduce a few tenths (or liters) to 100 It is the wish of practically every Spaniard. Although the efficiency of current engines is increasing, and gasoline consumption is not as high as it was two decades ago, giants like Repsol are struggling to develop ultra-efficient engines that run on renewable fuel. And they have achieved it. They are not alone. Repsol has the fuel, but needs a partner to develop the engines. That partner is horse powertrain, a Joint Venture between Renault and the Chinese group Geely. This is dedicated to designing, manufacturing and selling thermal and hybrid propulsion systems, something that allows both Renault and Geely to continue exploring the combustion vehicle of the future without abandoning their electrification plans. Horse H12 Concept. This is an engine that promises less than 3.3 liters per 100km in the WLTP cycle, with a reduction in consumption according to the company of 40% compared to the average of new gasoline vehicles registered in the last two years. The best of all? The engine has been developed in Spain, and runs on 100% renewable Repsol gasoline. Horse has its operational headquarters in Madrid, engine factories in Valladolid and gearbox factories in Seville. Why is it important. The Horse H12 Concept is not a shot in the dark. It is an evolution of an already existing engine: the HR12. It is a 1.2-liter three-cylinder produced in Romania, and used in models such as the Dacia Duster. What makes this Concept version special is its exhaust gas recirculation system, a specially optimized ignition system and a hybrid gearbox. This Concept version, in alliance with Repsol, shows how far these engines can go with the help of synthetic fuel. It is not an experiment with an engine designed from scratch, it is the refinement of something that already exists. The other 50%. Repsol is now capable of producing gasoline of 100% renewable origin on an industrial scale at its Tarragona plant. According to what it indicates, it is compatible with all current gasoline vehicles, without requiring any type of modification. It’s your Nexa fuelcurrently available at 30 of Repsol’s stations. The same happens with its diesel, which promises to reduce net CO₂ emissions by up to 90%. And if you’re wondering how much the joke costs, approximately 10 euro cents more per liter compared to conventional fuels. Combustion is not dead. The comings and goings of Europe with combustion cars in 2035 They make it clear that the future will involve electrification. But the plans of giants like Geely and Repsol to try to keep more environmentally responsible combustion solutions alive are a clear indication that gasoline and diesel still have life ahead of them. In Xataka | The question is no longer whether diesel will continue to rise: it is whether it will become an expensive fuel forever.

This map shows what the Earth will be like in 250 million years. If it comes true, Spain will be very lucky

by

About 200 million years ago, the last supercontinent began to break up. The division of Pangea It gave way, very little by little, to the current geological composition. But what was separated will come together again. The continents keep movingcrashing into each other, and one theory suggests that it will be within 250 million years when another supercontinent will emerge. We have named it as Pangea Ultimaand the truth is that it will not matter exactly which countries we have as neighbors. Pangea Ultima. plate tectonics It is curious because they continue to move one under the other, and that is what has led to the theory of continental drift. These movements are studied to understand the past, as well as to decipher the future, and one of those scholars is Christopher Scotese. This American geographer is the creator of the PALEOMAP Projectwhich seeks to show not only how the elements have moved these last 1,000 million years, but is also attributed the prediction of that future supercontinent. and Scotese elaborated this map: What is it that has inspired the one who opens this article: Curious neighbors. According to this, within about 50 million years North America would have rotated so much that Alaska would be at a subtropical latitude and Eurasia would also rotate, but in the opposite direction, making Britain closer to the North Pole. Africa will move closer to Europe and Arabia, both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean will disappear and, within 100 million years, the Atlantic will begin to shrink. It will be in 150 million years when the Atlantic will disappear as a result of being sucked in by the American continent, bringing America and that block composed of Eurasia and Africa much closer. And the culmination will occur within 200 million years when this new supercontinent is formed, with the Indian Ocean as a central sea and a curious neighborhood mix. According to this model, Latin America would be more or less the same, but with African neighbors to the east. Cuba would be attached to the United States, Greenland would be next to Canada (bad luck, Trump) and Spain would continue to border France and Portugal, but also with Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. England would also be close to France and Korea would be in a curious sandwich between Japan and China. It will make exactly the same. But the truth is that it doesn’t matter what your new neighbors seem to you, not because, obviously, you won’t be there to suffer them, but because humanity may have become extinct by then. Not because we sometimes put effort into it, but because the conditions will not be the most ideal for the life of mammals. In a study Published in Nature, researchers predicted that 92% of the Earth would be uninhabitable for mammals. The reason is that, in a simulation of the climate of this new supercontinent, it is estimated that the temperatures of a large part of Pangea Ultima will be more than 40ºC, but in addition the amounts of CO₂ will make the life of mammals… complicated. Due to the number of collisions between plates, there will be great volcanic activity that will increase the CO₂ emissions into the atmospherea, not only warming the planet, but also encouraging the levels of this CO₂ to double the current levels. In addition, the Sun will be 2.5% brighter at that time because its nuclear fusion rate will have increased and this is something that will also contribute to making the planet drier. Spain not so bad. It’s not a very encouraging outlook, to be honest, since plant life will also experience mass extinction, but researchers point out that conditions may not be so bad in all parts of the new world. Thus, those closest to the top of the North Pole could have cooler conditions that facilitate better adaptation to life. And Spain, Portugal, Morocco or England are in that scenario. It is also possible that we become specialists in desert environments, becoming nocturnal animals in something similar to what was seen in ‘Dune‘. Alexander Farnsworth, one of the researchers who have simulated the climate conditions of that future, also analyzed From the most serious point of view, how life makes its way in the climate of Arrakis and points to this parallelism with the Earth in 250 million years. one more. Is this what the Earth will look like in 250 million years? Namely, but there are several hypotheses formulated in recent decades that, in one way or another, point to the existence of that supercontinent. One is Novopangeawhere the Pacific will close. another is Auricawith the closure of both the Atlantic and the Pacific. And another model is Amasiawith the union between Asia and America. And it doesn’t matter the model, they are still similar to the last Pangea and, after this new supercontinent, the estimate is that the Atlantic will open again, separating the countries and beginning a new cycle of rupture. What will happen to life? Well, it will make its way, as the great Jeff Goldblum already said in ‘jurassic park‘, because mass extinctions… there have been several. Image | Coffee In Xataka | The Earth has moons that we don’t know about: exploring them is key to revealing the secrets of our solar system In Xataka | This map is a journey through time: this is how the Earth has evolved for 750 million years A version of this article was published in 2025

the true antidote to aging is in a step

by

For decades, standard medical advice for older adults has been nearly unanimous: walkswim or do a little stationary cycling. In the end we talk about low impact activities focused on the cardiovascular system, but recent scientific evidence is giving a 180 degree turn to this recommendation, since the real enemy of aging is not only the lack of physical background, but sarcopeniawhich is the loss of muscle mass and strength. And to combat it, science points to a simple exercise. A simple exercise. Something as simple as stepping up a step, especially if done with optional extra weight, known as a weight step exercise, is not just a ’90s aerobic movement, it’s top-notch functional training. And one of the great benefits of this exercise is that it does not require having to go to a gym or have extensive equipment, but rather it can be done at home and integrated into your daily routine. Studied. It is not something that personal trainers say just for the sake of it, since there are different essays published in several top-level magazines that demonstrate that doing training sessions stepping They are tremendously effective tools. The first of them consisted of analyzing a program of only six weeks of stepping with weight at home in women over 65 years of age. The result was that they increased the power of their lower extremities by 10 to 11% and improved their stair climbing time by 9%. Another 12-week study confirmed that step aerobics Elevates overall functional fitness, muscle volume and balance. An undisputed king. Although he step It is fantastic for legs and glutes, the truth is that this should be the gateway to doing strength training with loads. This is something that made clear a systematic review of Cochrane which analyzed a meta-analysis of 121 randomized clinical trials with more than 6,700 participants. In this case, progressive resistance training, using weights 2 or 3 times a week, has a very important effect on improving muscle strength, reversing the unwanted effect of age. In this way, short sessions of just 20 to 30 minutes are enough to improve the ability to carry out complex daily activities, reduce osteoarthritis pain and increase muscle mass. More evidence. As if that were not enough, the Mayo Clinic points out that doing interval training from the age of 70, such as 6-second sprints on a stationary bike, is capable of reversing the aspects of muscle aging at the cellular level. In this way, with only 1 or 2 sessions a week for 8 weeks, participants not only reduced their blood glucose, but showed 100% adherence without serious adverse events. Of course, studies emphasize that this type of routine requires professional supervision in the beginning to avoid overtaking people or falls that are fatal at this age. Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Neither walking nor running: science suggests that the squat is the true “drug” for healthy aging

“True friendship is like phosphorescence”

by

I don’t know who you are or where you’re reading from, but I have bad news: it’s very (very) unlikely that you’ll win the lottery. The more you try, the better; but statistics say that your options they are very low. What you will have to deal with throughout life is to deal with complicated situations: duels, breakups, disappointments and a wide variety of emotions that will drag your morale to the ground. It will happen to you, me and the neighbor on the fifth floor, just as it happened more than eight decades ago to Rabindranath Thakur ‘Tagore’ (1861-1941), one of the Bengali literati and thinkers most important of all time. Throughout his life Tagore shone as an intellectual and achieved great achievements, including the Nobel Prize in Literature 1913. He also had the fortune of growing up in a cultured home, receiving a good education and traveling from a very young age. None of this, however, saved him from facing his own dark clouds in life: he was widowed at the age of 40 and several of his children died when they were very young. Not to mention that he had to live through the turbulent start of the 20th century. That’s why he knew well what comforts when one faces low hours. And that is why this phrase of his resonates in 2026 with a special force: “True friendship is like phosphorescence, it shines best when everything has gone dark.” What Tagore perhaps could not imagine is to what extent his words go beyond poetry to fully enter into the field of science. Over the last decades researchers from all over the world have tried to clarify what makes us feel happy, an ambitious multidisciplinary undertaking that has yielded results that would probably make the Indian writer nod. It’s not just that authentic friendship “shines” in the face of adversity. Thanks to it, we do it, with advantages both emotionally and physiologically. One of the tests more resounding the one who maybe is leaves her the most curious study developed by Harvard University, an investigation conducted with hundreds of subjects over more than seven decades to understand how people are formed and, above all, what leads us to be happy. For this purpose, in 1938, researchers selected a group of more than 700 young people (included everyone from college students to teenagers from deprived neighborhoods of Boston) and dedicated themselves to monitoring their physical and mental health for decades. Over time the study became more and more complex, expanding and including new generations. In fact it has become one of the experiments longest in historywith more than 80 years of development. Among those original ‘guinea pigs’ were people who succeeded in the business world, fulfilled their dreams of becoming a doctor, or enjoyed successful careers in the field of law. Others did not do so well in life: they fell into alcoholism or ended up developing diseases. What did their trajectories show? “That our relationships and how happy we are in them have a great influence on our health,” explains Robert Waldingerdirector of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. “Taking care of your body is important, but taking care of your relationships is also a form of self-care. I think that’s the revelation.” The experiment proves that, more than money or famewhat helps us most to enjoy satisfactory lives are “close relationships”, bonds that also have important advantages for our health. “They help delay mental and physical decline and are better predictors of a long and happy life than social class, IQ or even genes,” they explain from The Harvard Gazette. This maxim is valid for all members of the study, from well-off university students to young people from depressed areas. Experts identified a “strong correlation” between the prosperity of the study participants and “their family and friendship relationships.” “When we put together everything we knew about them at age fifty, it wasn’t their cholesterol levels in middle age that predicted how they were going to age. It was how satisfied they were with their relationships. The people who were most satisfied at age 50 were the healthiest at age 80,” adds Waldinger.. It may sound abstract, but as explains the psychiatrist to the BBC, there is a direct relationship between the quality of our friendships and our body. We live surrounded by stress, situations that tend to increase our heart rate and blood pressure. There’s nothing strange about it. It is a natural, physiological response, similar to the one called “fight or flight reaction”. The problem is that it is common for us to carry this state of nervousness, maintaining high levels of cortisol and inflammation, which affects our bodies. A good social network can be the perfect antidote to avoid this. “If something happens to me that has bothered me, that is stressful, I can go home and talk to my wife or call a friend. If they are good listeners I can feel my stress level go down. But if I don’t have anyone like that, if I am isolated and alone, what we believe is that the body remains in a low degree of ‘fight or flight reaction,’” reflect Waldinger. In other words: friendship is an antidote, while loneliness and isolation contribute to our state of stress. The Harvard study is not the only study that agrees with Tagore about the importance of friendship and to what extent it can help us through anxiety. Another researcher who knows the phenomenon well is Robin Dunbara renowned anthropologist from the University of Oxford who in the 90s presented a theory that maintains that humans cannot maintain more than 150 relationships simultaneously. Whether or not you share that idea (especially in the age of social media), Dunbar defends the healing power of friendship, something he maintained even in a trial from 2023: “Along with quitting smoking, the best thing we can do to increase our life … Read more

We have been adoring bananas all our lives for their potassium. Science points to raisins as the true “super snack”

by

In recent years it is easy to see on social networks like TikTok or Instagram different ‘specialists’ in sports or nutrition bombarding with different food supplementswith the best ‘super foods’ for good nutrition and more. However, in a corner of the pantries we may have a food that we despise, but that can give us many benefits in our daily diet: raisins. A great ally. A product that may be hated by many people because of its texture, but has been introduced by different nutrition experts as a very interesting option. The reason lies in the dehydration process, since raisins surpass very popular fresh fruits such as strawberries or bananas in nutritional density. The why. When we remove the water from a grape, what is left is a bomb of bioactive nutrients. This is what verified databases like the USDA and FatSecret point to, since a standard serving of 40 grams of raisins provides about 120-129 calories, between 1 and 2 grams of fiber and around 300 mg of potassium. And this is where the odious comparison comes in with the historical king of potassium and the one almost baptized as the treatment for soreness after sports: the banana. On paper, a medium banana has around 350-425 mg of potassium, while raisins, being dehydrated, They can reach 860 mg of potassium per 100 grams. In this way, we are talking about a brutal concentration of minerals that are key for the nervous and muscular system. What does science say? Far from being a simple grandmother’s remedy, the impact of raisins on our health is widely documented in different articles. One of these is an analysis published in 2017 which brought together almost 22,500 adults and revealed large numbers. Specifically, regular raisin consumers had 34% more fiber in their diet, 16% more potassium and on top of that they consumed 17% less added sugars. The results here were a 39% reduction in the rate of obesity and a 54% lower risk of metabolic syndrome. Effect on pressure. Beyond being a food that can be very attractive to gym lovers with the aim of alleviating soreness and also reducing sugar consumption, it can be ideal for our blood pressure. Here science has been able to see that the phenols and polyphenols of raisins have a powerful antioxidant effect, and that is why in patients with diabetes and hypertension, consume three servings a day manages to reduce blood pressure between 5 and 8 mmHg. But it doesn’t stop there, since it can also lower glucose levels after eating something and reduce very important inflammatory markers. At the digestive level, a 14-day trial showed that the fiber in this food acts as a powerful prebiotic, promoting the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria in our intestinal microbiota, which are known for their anti-inflammatory effect. Perfect fuel. Right now in the sports world there are a large number of products that promise to be a great pre-workout with artificial energy gels. In this case they have a moderate glycemic index, which translates into having sustained energy during training without the dreaded “bird”. But science pointed out, after analyzing triathletes, that taking raisins before exercising prevents DNA damage much more effectively than consuming equivalent amounts of pure glucose. Although beyond muscle there are other benefits, such as improvements in spatial memorywhich justify the famous Spanish saying: “For memory, corners of raisins”. Something that also seems like it belongs to older people, but that science has proven. It still has sugar. Clearly, raisins have many benefits, but it doesn’t mean you have to have a free bar of this food. And it should not be considered that way because in its composition it has natural sugars in the order of 24 to 28 grams per 40 gram serving. Although it does not behave in the body the same as white coffee sugar, since thanks to its matrix of fiber and phytochemicals, excessive consumption can cause glycemic spikes. That is why the recommendation that can be made is clear: moderation is the key. Images | Anshu A Jorge Alberto Vega Barrera In Xataka | Food has been filled with contradictory messages: a sports nutritionist helps us understand what’s behind it

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.