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“How do I turn off post-workout effort ratings on Apple Watch?”

June 5, 2026 by usatoday24

One of the directions that smart watch manufacturers are following to make their products more useful for our daily lives is to guide us in helping us with our exercises and workouts. But what happens if in their desire to give us all the information they end up bothering us? Sometimes they may show summaries related to our training which we prefer to deactivate. This is one of the questions that a xatakero asked us in our Discord who decided to take advantage The Officeone of the advantages of Xataka Xtraour subscription to access exclusive newsletters, raffles, promotions and other exclusive advantages. In this case, what we offer is a direct line with us to resolve questions like this. The xatakero who consulted us told us that his Apple Watch makes effort evaluations every time he finishes an exercise, and that he could not find the option to deactivate them. This is what I answered myself, and that, being an editor at Xataka Basics, I am very used to solving and guiding these types of problems. The question Hello. I need help setting up something on the Apple Watch. When I released the watch I configured a lot of aspects, as we all have done. One of them is the assessment of effort after performing an exercise (for example: after doing 30′ on a stationary bike). Well, it turns out that it becomes very difficult to make an assessment every time you finish the exercise. How can I eliminate that step and have the exercise end without further ado, without asking for an evaluation of the effort? Thank you. Our response Effort summaries are a relatively new option with which the Apple Watch tells you whether you have exercised hard or it was a lighter workout. The option to disable them is a little hidden, but we still gave it to you. The option that must be deactivated is “Effort reminder”. You will find it in the app watch of the iPhone where you configure the Apple Watch. Within this application, enter the section trainingwhich appear with the icon of a running person. Once you are inside, go to the section Reminders and deactivate the option Effort reminder. Do you have more questions like this? The subscribers of Xataka Xtra You can send us your questions and our team will respond personally. And if you are already a subscriber, remember this advantage and that you can ask us whenever you want.

Elon Musk not only wants to reach the Moon, he also wants to turn it into a factory for satellites launched with catapults

June 1, 2026 by usatoday24

What do they have in common ChinaSpaceX, Auriga Space and Electromagnetic Launch? Well, possibly several things, but one of them is that they have expressed interest in using mass cannons to launch from the Moon. Said to very roughlywant to use electromagnetic catapults loaded with satellites or construction materials to other points in space. Today, existing technologies are not optimized to launch large loads, but with so much power involved it would not be strange if it were finally achieved. The ethical implications would be many even if they only focused on science and communications. However, it could be even worse; Well, according to the analysis recently published by an expert, the arrival of the military applications It would only be a matter of time. From moon rocks to nuclear warheads. The idea of the lunar mass cannon He initially proposed it a scientist named Gerard O’Neill in the 70s. His idea was to use them to extract minerals from the Moon and launch them into space to build space colonies with them. Over time, many space agencies, public and private, have become interested in its use. For this reason, the independent analyst specialized in cislunar security Andre Sonntag just published a report in which he recounts the risks that these catapults would entail. If the necessary technology is optimized to launch large payloads, they could be used to launch probes aimed at destroying satellites, inert projectiles and even ships loaded with nuclear warheads. Furthermore, if launches are made from the Moon they may be more difficult to detect by conventional early warning systems, so many attacks would go unnoticed. An ingenious design. Mass cannons are actually very interesting systems for space launch. They consist on a track in which one electromagnet is placed after another. A metal cart is circulated above and is attracted by said magnets. Each of these electromagnets is activated just when the car passes over it, giving it a new impulse, so that it accelerates more and more. The goal is to reach 2.4 kilometers per second, since this is the speed necessary to escape from the Moon. When this is achieved, the cargo on board the car is launched into space. In short, it is possible to catapult what is inside the car without having to consume propellant. Better on the Moon. This system has historically been proposed for use on the Moon for two reasons. To begin with, unlike what happens with a conventional rocketa very high speed is reached very quickly. If the process were done on Earth, the rocket would reach the atmosphere so quickly that it would catch fire due to friction when crossing it. On the other hand, there is no classical atmosphere on the Moon. On the other hand, since gravity on the Moon is much lower, a lower speed is needed than what would be needed to escape through this system on Earth. The case of Elon Musk. In his report, Sonntag has not mentioned any company or agency. However, it is well known that Elon Musk speak of the use of these mass cannons last February. He has been expressing his interest for a long time establish data centers in space and manufacture AI satellites directly on the Moon. This would avoid the energy, thermal management and launch logistics limitations that Earth poses for its ambitious plan. The vacuum of space would serve as a coolant and solar energy could be used to obtain electricity. The release waiting listIn addition, it would be much clearer than on Earth. In order not to have to carry large amounts of fuel to the Moon, their idea is to launch these satellites directly from our satellite. That is why he has already mentioned electromagnetic catapults on several occasions. There is legislation, but it is difficult to ensure. The United Nations Outer Space Treaty strictly prohibits the construction of military installations on celestial bodies. It also prohibits nuclear launches from space. However, Sonntag points out in his report that it would be quite difficult to verify. Therefore, he is concerned if these types of systems advance, given the interest of tycoons like Elon Musk. The payloads that could be launched with current technologies are minuscule. In fact, launching functional satellites directly with one of these cannons is science fiction. However, technology will advance. By then, we must be prepared, because those who have no scruples on Earth will not have them in space either. Image | SpaceX/xAI In Xataka | We knew there was water on the Moon, but not why some craters were empty. Finally we have the answer

If the question is who can turn Amancio Ortega into his personal tailor, we already have an answer: Bad Bunny

May 22, 2026 by usatoday24

The launch of the joint capsule between the Galician giant Inditex and the Puerto Rican artist marks an unprecedented milestone in the industry. This long-awaited collection of 150 pieces, baptized as “BENITO ANTONIO”has landed this May 21 just in time to become the official uniform of his imminent I SHOULD TAKE MORE PHOTOS Tour for Spain. If the videos of “Get Ready With Me” (GRWM) flooded the networks looking for the perfect look for Rosalía’s concerts, with Bad Bunny the phenomenon will be very different. Given its 12 dates in Spain and 600,000 tickets sold, the stylistic dilemma has already been resolved in one fell swoop. As explained esquire, this capsule is not the typical merchandising on tour, but a democratization of the artist’s closet. There is no longer a need to invent or imitate your style: now your followers can directly wear your same aesthetic universe and street sensibility. Behind the alliance. Far from being a simple commercial move, choosing a security firm fast fashion to dress a global superstar hides a deep social message. Bad Bunny launches a declaration of rebellion against the inaccessible standards of the industry: good taste and style go beyond spending thousands of dollars on luxury brands. This phenomenon has been baptized by experts as a true “change of power.” As Professor Andrew Groves points out from the University of Westminster, wearing a Zara suit to events the size of the Super Bowl or the MET Gala conveys authority, but “that authority comes from Bad Bunny’s cultural standing, not a luxury house’s seal of approval.” The message beyond. Beyond fashion, the message is sociological and political. Choosing Zara (a Spanish brand with global reach) for the Super Bowl halftime or the MET Gala, an event historically dominated by Anglo-Saxon culture, was a declaration of intent. Bad Bunny uses his influence to tell the world that the Latin and working class identity no longer needs to ask permission or dress in Parisian haute couture to sit at the table of the most powerful. With this on the table, Inditex has not limited itself to hiring the face of a celebrity for a seasonal campaign. The final result shows that it was the artist himself who has adapted all of Zara’s machinery to his universe, his instinct and his identity. Strengthening the Galician firm as its head. The construction of this alliance has been a careful chess game designed over the last few months, evidencing Marta Ortega’s firm intention to strengthen her brand in the US market under the concept of fast couture or “affordable luxury”: The first advertisement in Super Bowl LX: In February, Benito performed before more than 100 million viewers wearing a tailored outfit (bespoke) cream color designed by the Spanish firm. Zara preferred intangible prestige to mass sales, refusing to commercialize the design, although it did have a close gesture by giving away exact replicas of the garment to the workers at its headquarters in Arteixo. The transformation at the Met Gala 2026: The next coup de effect It happened at the so-called fashion Oscars. The Puerto Rican braved the red carpet with a black double-breasted tuxedo custom made by Zara. The suit, sober and elegant, gave all the attention to a hyperrealistic makeup with prosthetics created by Mike Marino, which added “53 years” to the artist to adapt to the theme of the event about the aging body and discuss the social fear of mortality. He teaser by Marta Ortega: To confirm the rumors of the collection in an organic way, the president of Inditex herself wore it at the Longines Global Champions Tour in Madrid a new green cap with the embroidery “Benito Antonio”, advancing the news before the official statement. The soul of Puerto Rico spun into 150 garments. Developed side by side with its creative director Janthony Oliveras, the collection completely escapes tropical caricature. The specialized newspapers agree in praising the authenticity of the proposal, highlighting a design and aesthetics that, as it points esquiremoves between relaxed tailoring, artisanal textures, a great weight of color and basic garments oversizeideal for withstanding the heat of the imminent concerts. Added to this careful preparation is a rich graphic imagery created together with the prestigious M/M Paris studio. The visual identity of the clothing takes direct references from urban infrastructure, electric poles and everyday elements of the streets of San Juan, a decision that should not be interpreted as an exoticization of the Caribbean, but as a demonstration of a deep sense of belonging. Finally, as a definitive detail of loyalty to its roots, L’Officiel remember that Zara decided completely redesign its Plaza Las Américas store in San Juan, Puerto Rico, turning it into an immersive space to debut this capsule exclusively with its compatriots before making the final leap to the rest of the world. A commercial and identity milestone. With this collection, Zara and Bad Bunny have not only signed the most astute agreement of the year, but they have changed the rules of musical fashion. When thousands of fans fill the Metropolitan Stadium dressed in ‘Benito Antonio’ basics, it will be demonstrated that the luxury of our era is not exclusivity, but the ability to make an entire stadium dress with your own identity. Image | Zara Xataka | Zara dressed Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl. That says much more about Zara’s plans than about Bad Bunny

As towns dry out and the desert advances, women in Morocco climb the mountains to capture the fog and turn it into drinking water

May 21, 2026 by usatoday24

A chance experiment took place in the 1980s. Some researchers working in the Atacama Desert accidentally left a simple metal mesh exposed to wind at night. The next morning they discovered that it was covered in water droplets in one of the driest places on the planet. That seemingly trivial scene ended up inspiring an idea that decades later would change the lives of entire towns. Capture the fog before it disappears. As the desert slowly advances over southwestern Morocco and traditional wells begin to dry up, several villages in the Aït Baâmrane region have found a solution which seems closer to a science fiction image than to conventional hydraulic infrastructure: capture the fog from the mountains and convert it into drinking water. For generations, the women of these communities spent up to four hours a day walking to remote wells and returning carrying barrels weighing almost 25 kilos on their heads. That routine organized the entire life of the villages, kept many girls out of school and reflected the extent to which the lack of water conditioned any daily activity on the edge of the Sahara. Giant nets convert air into water. The change began when huge polymer networks They appeared on the slopes of Mount Boutmezguida, at more than 1,200 meters above sea level. The idea is surprisingly simple: take advantage of the moisture from the Atlantic fog that regularly passes through the Anti-Atlas mountain range. The tiny droplets become trapped in the mesh, condense and end up descending towards deposits connected to kilometers of pipelines by gravity. Without complex pumps or large industrial infrastructure, the system manages to carry water directly to homes using only wind, altitude and ambient humidity. Thanks to the advances in materials engineeringthese modern networks are much more efficient than the experiments carried out decades ago in countries like Chile, Yemen or Eritrea. And the fog reached the tap. When the system went live, neighbors gathered to see something they had never seen before: water coming directly from a faucet inside a home. That “fog water”as they began to call it, quickly transformed the daily life of the villages. Women stopped spending part-time carrying water and many girls were able to attend school regularly again. The project, promoted by the NGO Dar Si Hmadnot only modified water management, but also the social balance of communities where transporting water had been an exclusively female responsibility for centuries. The cultural challenge of drinking water that did not touch the ground. The technology worked from the beginning, but convincing everyone was much more difficult. Some inhabitants they distrusted of a water that had never passed through the earth and that, as they believed, lacked minerals and “life”. The fog represented something ambiguous, almost unreal, too far from traditional sources. Over time, the rejection disappeared as the families verified that the water was safe and constant. The transition also forced us to work unexpected social issues: Some women felt that they were losing part of their central role in the home by no longer being in charge of fetching water. That is why the project ended up incorporating literacy, technical training and community management along with hydraulic infrastructure. Finding water is impossible. The UN has recognized this May 2026 that the Moroccan system is one of the more interesting examples of climate adaptation against desertification. The project shows that some extremely dry regions can still take advantage of invisible resources which until now were hardly used. However, it also makes clear that does not exist a universal solution: capturing fog only works where mountains, ocean humidity and very specific atmospheric conditions coincide. Still, the image is powerful for a planet increasingly affected by water scarcity: as wells empty and temperatures rise, there are entire communities in Morocco that have literally begun to harvest clouds to survive. Image | Aqualonis In Xataka | Satellite images leave no room for doubt: it has rained so much that Morocco has not looked so green for a decade In Xataka | France and Morocco have teamed up to flood Europe with green ammonia. And they compete directly with Spain

ships that turn off their location and sail “like the Vikings”

May 15, 2026 by usatoday24

In 2017, several merchant ships sailing near the Black Sea they began to detect something impossible on their screens: dozens of ships appeared sailing over a Russian airport located inland. For days, captains and maritime analysts tried to understand what was happening until a suspicion arose: someone was deliberately manipulating GPS signals on one of the busiest shipping routes on the planet. The ghost fleet of oil. we have been counting for months. Western sanctions against Russia, Iran and Venezuela have ended up creating something that just a few years ago seemed like something out of maritime espionage novels: a gigantic “ghost fleet” of aging tankers crossing entire oceans hiding your positionfalsifying documents and surfing foutside normal systems of control. It is estimated that more than a thousand vessels already participate in this opaque trade in sanctioned crude oil, a global network where ships constantly change flag, owner and operating company as they transport millions of barrels away from Western surveillance. The result is a parallel maritime world made up of rusty oil tankers, shell companies, cryptocurrency payments and crews recruited almost blindly to work on increasingly dangerous routes. The Financial Times said The most striking thing is that the business has forced the recovery of navigation practices that seemed buried by modern technology: there are ships that deliberately turn off their location systems and cross entire areas practically “in the dark”, guiding themselves with radar and manual calculations as if they had gone back centuries in time. Sail like ghosts. One of the most surprising details of this clandestine business is the way in which many oil tankers voluntarily disappear from the map. To avoid being tracked, ships they disconnect their transponders AIS, the system that automatically reports your position to other ships and maritime authorities. some even they falsify coordinates to appear browsing in completely different places. Crew members of these tankers they explain that it is common to see “ghost” ships on screens… vessels that apparently are there, but that in reality do not exist where their signs indicate. Others disappear completely for days on end while loading oil at Iranian terminals or carrying out secret crude oil transfers on the high seas. In some cases, GPS interference near Iran literally force sailors to navigate “like the Vikings”, using radar, experience and basic calculations to move authentic floating cities hundreds of meters in length with hardly any reliable references. The Bella 1 and the Atlantic chase. The history of Bella 1 It perfectly sums up how far this parallel world has come. The enormous supertanker, old, rusty and managed by practically invisible companies, ended up becoming the protagonist of a transatlantic chase with the US Coast Guard. The crew had been recruited through normal maritime employment advertisements and many they didn’t even know that the ship was linked to sanctions related to Iran. The situation exploded when they discovered that the real destination was not the Dutch Caribbean, but Venezuelaand that the ship planned to change flag in the middle of the trip to protect itself under the Russian flag. From there it began a surreal escape across the North Atlantic as the Bella 1 tried to escape from US authorities, with the crew trapped in the middle of an international operation that seemed like a mix of a geopolitical thriller and a military video game. A business built on old boats. A large part of this clandestine fleet is made up of oil tankers that should be on their way to scrapping. Many far exceed the twenty years of service recommended for this type of boats and present extremely precarious conditions. The sailors describe corroded decks, dilapidated cabins, broken systems and equipment that works thanks to improvised repairs made during the voyage. However, it is precisely these old ships that end up fueling sanctioned trade because They are cheap to buy and easy to hide behind networks of shell companies. The problem is that deterioration greatly increases the risk of accidents, fires, groundings and spills, especially when these vessels sail without recognized insurance and constantly operate at the limit to maximize profits. The war has reached the sea. The pressure on the ghost fleet has grown brutally since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war and the escalation with Iran. The United States has gone beyond simply imposing sanctions to directly intercept suspicious oil tankers even on the high seas. Europe start doing the same with ships linked to Russian oil. At the same time, Ukraine has taken the maritime war a step further using naval drones to attack oil tankers linked to Moscow’s energy revenues. The iimages of burning ships off Turkey, Malta or Novorossiysk are increasingly frequent. The sea has become another front of the global economic conflict: it is no longer just about blocking exports, but about physically pursuing the ships that keep this clandestine trade alive. Sailors trapped in the gray zone. The most striking thing is that many crew members are not spies or criminals, but ordinary sailors trapped inside a sgigantic and opaque system. He explained in his report on the FT that most accept these jobs looking for quick promotions or better job opportunities, without really knowing who controls the ship or what cargo they will end up transporting. some discover too late who are working for networks linked to sanctioned oil, Iranian militias or companies indirectly associated with Russia. And when things go wrong, they are the ones caught between governments, intelligence services and special forces. The Times remembered that the final scene of Bella 1 sums up perfectly that reality: American commandos boarding the oil tanker in the middle of the North Atlantic while the sailors, locked up under armed guard, played cards and watched movies with American soldiers in a situation as absurd as it was revealing. Ocean increasingly opaque. The situation reflects a much deeper change in maritime trade global. Massive sanctions have created enormous incentives to build parallel networks of transportation outside the traditional … Read more

The list of the richest in Spain has taken an unexpected turn but there is something that has not changed at all: Amancio Ortega

May 5, 2026 by usatoday24

The great fortunes in Spain have been booming for five years in a row. As the global economy grapples with wars, inflation and political uncertainty, the heritage of the richest in Spain It hasn’t stopped growing. The last year was especially striking because the group of the hundred largest assets in the country increased their fortune by 14.3%, reaching an unprecedented figure: 373,450 million euros. What makes the 2026 edition of the annual list especially interesting that elaborates The Worldis that the distribution of that wealth presents notable surprises: there are names whose assets have grown stratospherically, new faces who enter the billionaires’ club for the first time, and one that has been around for decades at the top without anyone being able to displace him. Record in joint assets. The sum of the hundred largest fortunes in the country reached the impressive sum of 373,450 million euros in 2026, compared to the 326,720 million attributed to them in 2025. This implies that the group of the richest people in Spain has increased their assets by 14.3% in just 12 months. The main reason for this growth is due to the behavior of the Spanish stock market: the Ibex 35 appreciated by 50% in a single year, boosting the value of the shares of those who have its listed companies. However, the stock market boom does not fully explain this phenomenon. The companies of some of the people who appear at the top of this list are not listed, such as Mercadona or Mango, but they also had record years. Few movements at the top. The list of millionaires in Spain in 2026 does not present significant changes in the names that make it up, especially in the top positions, where Amancio Ortega, Rafael del Pino and Juan Roig lead the list easily. However, there have been some changes that do not imply a loss of assets as such, but rather respond to the fact that some fortunes have had explosive growth, while in others it has been more progressive.The most relevant movements of the year have the Puig and Daurella families as protagonists. The Puig family, driven by the listing of the cosmetic group that bears their last name and the possible integration with Estée Lauderrises to fifth place, overtaking to Sol Daurellaheir to the empire of the world’s leading Coca-Cola bottler, which is relegated to sixth place. For its part, the Entrecanales family rises from tenth to eighth place, increasing its assets by 66.93% from 5,035 million to 8,405 million euros in 2026, while the brothers Francisco and Jon Riberas Mera lose one step and remain ninth with 6,845 million, despite managing the largest industrial conglomerate with Spanish capital and have increased your assets by 1,040 million euros in the last year. More millionaires and with more millions. Within this general upward trend, the list prepared by The World It highlights that 66 of the 100 fortunes grew at a double-digit rate during the last year. The result of this acceleration is that the number of billionaires in Spain It has gone from 59 to 76 families in a single year, almost double that of a decade ago. In the same way that the volume of each of the fortunes grows, the bar for entry to the list has also become more expensive, and for enter that Top 100 millionaires In Spain, the minimum assets rise to 765 million euros, compared to the 420 million that were needed ten years ago to belong to this select group. In fact, the segment that is growing the most is precisely that of fortunes between 2,000 and 5,000 million euros, followed by the range between 1,000 and 2,000 million. That is, the second and third tranches have pulled the rest upwards, while in the tranches between 750 and 1,000 million and less than 750 million, there are now fewer millionaires than in 2024. Amancio Ortega remains immovable on the throne. Having just turned 90, Amancio Ortega continues to be the undisputed number one on the list, and with a wide distance from the second largest fortune in the country. The assets of the founder of Inditex grew by 4.9% during the last year, a rate clearly lower than that of the rest of the list, which grew by an average of 20%, accumulating some 40,000 million more euros in a single year. However, this lower percentage growth does not imply that its financial movements have been wrongit has just had more financial movement than usual. The founder of Inditex has had a very active year in the real estate field and between 2025 and 2026 he has changed the entire structure of Pontegadea, placing Luxembourg as a base of operations from which it controls all its assets in Europe, the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Half or more of its real estate portfolio already passes through the Grand Duchy, where it shares a fiscal neighborhood with the Del Pino family, the Álvarez Santaló, Víctor Madera or Sol Daurella, with whom it also shares a presence on the list of the greatest fortunes in Spain. The most spectacular climbs and the newcomers. Among the most striking promotions of the year, Florentino Pérez stands out, whose fortune grew by 156% thanks to ACS’s stock market peak in recent months and the company’s awards in data center construction projects. In four years, the president of Real Madrid has multiplied his assets by four and is closer than ever to the top 10 on the list. Another meteoric rise has been that of Madrid-born David Ruiz de Andrés, whose fortune increased by 214% thanks to Grenergy, a company that is leading the construction of an 11,000 MW gigabattery. in the Atacama desert. The businessman in the energy sector went from having a net worth of 580 million euros in 2025, to adding more than 1,825 million, which represents a net worth increase of 214.66% in just 12 months. The Spain of the clans. … Read more

We thought that Voyager 1 had already given everything it could. NASA continues to turn off parts to keep it alive

April 21, 2026 by usatoday24

to some 25,000 million kilometers from Earth, Voyager 1 continues to send us data from interstellar space, Farther than any other ship built by humanity. The probe was launched in 1977 and, almost half a century later, it remains operational with an increasingly delicate condition: to keep it alive, the mission team is shutting down parts of the ship itself. That is exactly what has just happened with one of its scientific instruments, in a maneuver that reveals the delicate moment the mission is going through. The maneuver. On April 17, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California they sent the order to turn off the experiment Low-energy Charged Particlesbetter known as LECP. It is an instrument dedicated to measuring low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons and cosmic rays from both our solar system and the galaxy. The decision was not improvised. According to NASA, this instrument was next in the order agreed upon years ago by the scientific and engineering teams to cut consumption without terminating the mission. There are no solar panels. To understand why NASA has reached this point, we have to look at how Voyager 1 is powered. The probe does not work with solar panels, but with a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that converts the heat generated by the decay of plutonium into electricity. This system has allowed the mission to be sustained for decades, but its capacity is not infinite. According to NASA, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 They lose about 4 watts of power per yeara small loss on paper, but decisive when you have been managing each watt with extreme care for almost half a century. The scare that accelerated the decision. Although the shutdown of the LECP was part of a previously defined roadmap, there was a recent episode that forced the team to move more carefully. During a routine turn maneuver on February 27, Voyager 1’s power levels dropped unexpectedly. The US agency explains that any additional descent could activate the ship’s undervoltage protection system, designed to disconnect components on its own and protect it. A calculated “pruning”. The shutdown sequence was decided a long time ago, in joint conversations between those who design the scientific part of the mission and those who technically keep it alive. Of the 10 instruments each Voyager had, seven have already been turned off. In addition, the LECP will not be completely disconnected: the small motor that allows the sensor to rotate to scan in all directions will remain on, because it barely consumes 0.5 watts and keeps a remote option open to reactivate it later. The plan that comes now. With this shutdown, NASA does not consider the issue closed, but rather gains time to attempt a deeper intervention. According to the agency, switching off the LECP should give Voyager 1 about a year of respite. During that time, engineers want to complete a more ambitious energy adjustment for the two probes, dubbed “big Bang“The idea is to change several energy-consuming devices at once, turning off some and replacing others with lower consumption alternatives, to conserve the necessary heat and continue operating scientific instruments for as long as possible. When will the maneuver be attempted?. NASA will first test this setting on Voyager 2, which is closer to Earth and has slightly more power. The tests are planned for May and June 2026 and, if they go well, the team will try to apply the same maneuver on Voyager 1 no earlier than July. Images | POT In Xataka | The paradox of artificial gravity: Einstein told us how to do it, engineering tells us it is almost impossible

Science has managed to turn off the extra chromosome of Down syndrome. It has also opened the great ethical debate on gene editing

April 18, 2026 by usatoday24

In the complex genetic map that surrounds the known down syndromethe problem is not that there is a lack of information in our cells, but that there is an excess. The presence of a third copy of chromosome 21 It unbalances the entire cellular system that ends up generating an entire clinic that today did not have any type of cure. But thanks to clinical advances and revolutionary gene therapies, we have found a way to turn off this gene that is extra in the cells of people with Down. A natural switch. To understand this advance, we must look at how nature itself resolves its own genetic imbalances. And, for those who do not know, in human beings sex is determined by two types of chromosomes: X and Y. If you are a woman, you will have XX chromosomes, and if you are a man, you will have XY. The problem, boiling it down to its most basic, is that always one of the ‘X’ genes must be silenced so that the genetic load is compensated in humans. And this is something that is done thanks to the gene XIST which encodes an RNA molecule that covers the chromosome and alters its chromatin, silencing de facto their genes. Something that has been developed by nature itself in order to maintain the species, and then the question is obligatory: why not use this natural switch to silence the chromosomes that generate diseases as important as Down syndrome? It’s not something new. The idea of using this “switch” to be able to alter the gene expression of the chromosomes that we have in excess is not new, since in 2013 the researcher Jeanne Lawrence demonstrated for the first time that this RNA could induce the silencing of the extra chromosome 21 in human cells that were in culture in a laboratory. Later, in 2020, it was applied to neural stem cells, but the historical problem has always been the same: the very low efficiency when integrating this gene into the affected cells.. A new milestone. This has changed radically, as a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston has published a new article in PNAS with a solution to eradicate this bottleneck thanks to the tool CRISPR/Cas9. This system can be visualized as simple scissors that specifically cut into our DNA to eliminate something that was left over or altered. The problem is that it was not very efficient at integrating new genetic material, and to overcome this, scientists have developed a modified version of CRISPR/Cas9 that boosts the success rate of the integration of the XIST gene which will silence the third chromosome 21. Good results. Here we recognize how XIST has been integrated into 20-40% of cell lines that have trisomy 21. Furthermore, the method reliably affects only the extra copy of chromosome 21 without silencing other genes that can cause other diseases. There are problems. Despite the enthusiasm, the technique is far from being applied in humans, since one of the biggest challenges of CRISPR is the mutations off-target, That is, it acts on other genetic points that are its marked objectives. And this occurs when these ‘scissors’ cut a sequence of DNA that closely resembles its target, but which in reality is not. In this way, an error off-target It could trigger severe cellular problems or even cancer. Recent studies show that experimentation on embryos with these techniques often results in mosaicism with edited and unedited cells, as well as incomplete edits. This means that right now we have to work on having greater specificity in the genetic objectives of the therapy so that the consequences of using it are not much greater than the fact of curing a disease. Ethical shock. The controversy is served with genetic therapies in general, since right now one of the lines that are open is to eliminate this extra chromosome directly in a human embryo before implementing it in a woman so that she is not born with this disease. This is where bioethicists they point because experimenting with human embryos damages their physical integrity and poses irreversible risks for future generations. Furthermore, they underline the urgency of distinguishing between the use of CRISPR for purely therapeutic purposes, such as treating symptoms, and its use for “genetic improvement” or the selection of embryos that are much more advanced or genetically perfect. This is also added to the fact that genetic editing in embryos for reproductive purposes is currently prohibited in most countries. Images | Sangharsh Lohakare In Xataka | The surprising thing is not that we have sequenced the DNA of a Neanderthal from 11,000 years ago: it is what it has revealed

Science has managed to turn off the extra chromosome of Down syndrome. It has also opened the great ethical debate on gene editing

April 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Now a Chinese giant wants to turn it into the storage capital

April 18, 2026 by usatoday24

Navarra is a consolidated world leader in renewable energy, especially a leader in wind energy: back in 1994, it built its first park and since then it has not only dressed some of its most iconic mountains with wind turbines, but has also created a powerful business ecosystem around them that has earned it the nickname of being the Silicon Valley of wind turbines. The starting point. This industrial and technological tradition has laid the necessary foundations to be a pioneer in the next step of the energy transition. After almost three years of contacts and visits, Navarra has closed the agreement to install a Hithium Energy Storage battery gigafactory. As summarized the president of the Foral Community: “We know that China has decided to go out and invest in Europe and these are opportunities that Navarra cannot miss.” The project. The Government of Navarra together with Hithium Energy Storage will form a joint venture through the public company SODENA for the construction of a plant that will manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cells and assemble complete stationary storage system batteries (BESS batteries). The agreement signed in China contemplates an investment of 450 million euros, according to Qui Tangdirector of Strategy at Hithium, and the creation of around 700 jobs, with the possibility of a second phase that would add about 300 more, as collects News from Navarra. Still with some to be closed, the start of production has been set for 2027 and the location with the most votes for its installation is the old BSH plant in Esquíroz/Ezkirotz, just five kilometers south of the Navarrese capital. Why is it important. The great pending issue for the European energy transition involves stationary batteries: without the capacity to store electricity generated by the sun and wind, the electrical system cannot absorb more renewables without compromising the stability of the network. Europe has a lot of installed generation and little of its own storage industry and that gap is precisely what Hithium comes to solve. On the other hand, manufacturing within the EU allows it to avoid tariffs and other bureaucracy that Brussels applies to Chinese energy products. For Navarra the impact has several levels. Beyond the obvious economic investment and employment, it represents a logical evolution: from becoming a benchmark in clean energy generation to becoming the manufacturing hub for the storage systems that will allow it to be managed. But Hithium will also be the second battery factory in Navarra: Hyundai Mobis already has its own in Noainalthough oriented towards electric vehicles. With this arrival, Navarra consolidates an industrial ecosystem around energy storage at the level of few European regions. Context. The movement comes at a time of reconfiguration of European industrial sovereignty against third parties through the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). That Hithium chooses Navarra makes it possible for its production to carry the “Made in EU” label, thus complying with the sustainability and regulatory standards of the old continent. Navarra already had installed power and leading engineering companies, but it lacked the capacity to store energy. In the midst of the global energy crisis, demand for large-scale storage solutions has skyrocketed and Hithium was looking for a strategic port to supply the European market. The Foral Community has forged this agreement slowly, as the counselor explains of Industry, Ecological and Business Digital Transition of the Government of Navarra Mikel Irujo, after three years of negotiations and seven visits. In fact, Navarra has carried out a strategic project that was initially aimed at Euskadi, as ElDiario.es points out. Who is Hithium?. It may not be as well-known as CATL, BYD or Huawei, but Hithium Energy Storage Technology is a giant in its segment and is also a real teenager. Founded in 2019 in Xiamen (Fujian Province) by Wu Zuyu, engineer specialized in batteries and ex-CATLthe world’s largest manufacturer in the sector. Of course, unlike CATL, whose main business is batteries for electric vehicles, Hithium focuses exclusively in stationary storage for the electrical grid. Less media coverage than electric cars but essential for the energy transition. In record time she has gone from being unknown to becoming one of the leading manufacturers global stationary storage battery companies with a presence in more than 20 countries and more than 1,200 engineering professionals in a workforce of 8,000 people. The one in Navarra will be Hithium’s second factory outside of China (the other is in Dallas, Texas) and will be the company’s reference base for all of Europe. Yes, but. Although the agreement has been signed, Chivite itself has warned that there are still administrative steps pending and the location is still unclear. On the other hand, the joint venture with the participation of SODENA implies that the risk does not fall solely on Hithium: if the project is delayed or does not reach the objectives, the Navarrese citizens assume part of the consequences. The commitment to local employment is explicit and the Provincial government has promised to monitor itbut there are already precedents that invite caution. Leaving aside this specific case, there is a technological question that remains unanswered: Europe has foreign dependence on rare earths or semiconductors and this risk also affects batteries. It is true that a Chinese gigafactory on European soil generates local employment and produces within the EU, but the technology, intellectual property and strategic decisions continue to be made in China. In Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage In Xataka | We have a problem with heat in buildings. A Navarrese investigation knows how to cool them without air conditioning Cover | Hornsdale Power Reserve and Pamplona City Council

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