understand

It is a first step to understand why we exist

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The most elementary question that human beings ask ourselves since we are here is simply: why do we exist? According to the best theories about the origin of the universe, We should not be here. The Big Bang should have created identical amounts of matter and antimatter, which would have annihilated each other in an energy flash, leaving an empty cosmos. And yet, here we are, in a universe made of matter. Short. The key to our existence lies in a subtle asymmetry, a small trap in the laws of physics that favored matter over antimatter. Now, the CERN LHCB team has announced the first observation of this asymmetry in the bariones, the particles that make up everything we see: stars, planets and ourselves. It is a milestone that we had been waiting for decades, and that after its Publication in Nature magazine Open a new and fascinating way to solve the mystery of our own existence. The enigma of the material universe. The Soviet physicist Andréi Sájarov saw it clear in 1967. For the matter to prevail above the antimatter after the Big Bang (so that a universe like ours was born, in short) three conditions should be met, including the violation of the load-partner symmetry. Load symmetry (c) means that if you change a particle for its antiparticle (for example, an electron for a positron), physical laws should not change. Parity symmetry (P) is like looking at the process in a real mirror, investing space coordinates. Combined symmetry load-partity (CP) implies that a physical process is indistinguishable from its “antimatter version” in the mirror. If the CP symmetry were perfect, the balance between matter and antimatter would never have inclined. CP symmetry violation means that the cosmic mirror is slightly broken. Subject and antimatter do not behave exactly as specular reflexes. The fundamental piece that was missing. This phenomenon had already been observed for the first time in 1964 in particles called inns, formed by a quark and an antiquark. But there was a key piece of puzzle: it had never been detected in the bariones, formed by three quarks. It was a key piece because ourselves are barionic matter: the protons and neutrons that constitute us are bariones. An imperfect reflex. The CERN LHCB team, one of the great detectors of the great Hadron collider, specializes in studying particles that contain a type of heavy quark called “Beauty” or “Bottom”, in which the effects of the CP violation are expected to be more pronounced. For this investigation, physicists focused on a specific particle: the Lambda B zero (λb0) barion, a kind of heavy cousin of the proton. Scientists analyzed billions of collisions In data from 2011 to 2018observing how this particle disintegrated in four lighter: a proton, a kaon and two pions (λb0 → pk –π+π−). The key to the experiment was to compare the rate of this disintegration with that of its antimatter twin, the disintegration of the anti-barion lambda b zero (λˉb0 → pˉ k+π-π+). If the CP symmetry were perfect, both disintegrations would occur with the same frequency. But it is not so. The LHCB team measured a clear and statistically robust difference. Are we facing new physics? The results have a statistical significance of 5.2 sigmas. In particle physics, an observation with more than 5 sigmas is considered a full -fledged discovery. It is the first time that a barion and its antibarion are observed do not behave identically. The mirror is broken, also for particles that form the tangible world. This discovery is, in the first place, a spectacular confirmation of the standard particle physics model. This model, our most complete theory on the subject, predicts that CP violation must occur in both inns and bariones. The fact that it is finally seen in barions reinforces our current understanding of physics. However, and here comes the most exciting, it is also the beginning of a new chapter. The observed violation is insufficient to explain the enormous mastery of the matter we see in the cosmos. There must be Another source of asymmetrysomething that the standard model does not contemplate. Physicists have confirmed that the universe does not deal equal to matter and barionic antimatter, but hunt continues. Image | Cern In Xataka | You can now download the 800 TB of information that the CERN has just released. They are a treasure of particle physics

Exactly 100 years ago we began to understand how the world works. Quantum physics has radically changed our lives

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Well, not exactly 100 years ago. 100 years ago and one day. On July 9, 1925, German physicist Werner Heisenberg sent a letter to his friend Wolfgang Pauli, who at that time was already a very renowned theoretical physicist of Austrian origin. Heisenberg had been engaged for several months in the development of an idea that was permanently breaking with The classical conception of the atom as a tiny planetary system in which electrons orbit around a nucleus constituted by protons and neutrons. That letter contained several reflections that Pauli knew how to appreciate. In fact, shortly after receiving it Max Born, Pascual Jordan and Wolfgang Pauli himself took the work of Werner Heisenberg as a starting point to prepare for the first time in history a mature formulation of Quantum theory. The content of that letter supports nothing more and nothing less the most ambitious and precise framework in the history of science: Standard model of particle physics. Without him many of the technologies we enjoy today would not be possible. Quantum mechanics is very present in our day to day “Dear Pauli, if he believes that I read his letter laughing mockingly, he is deeply mistaken. Actually, the opposite happens; from Helgoland (it is a small German island located in the North Sea) my views on the mechanics have become more radical every day that passes, and I am firmly convinced that Bohr’s theory of the hydrogen atom in its current form Zeeman “. The article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’) of Heisenberg is considered the birth certificate of modern quantum theory The first lines of Heisenberg’s letter They clearly reflect the trust and respect he professed towards Pauli. And also how much the revolutionary ideas I had in mind were disturbed. In fact, a few lines later confess to having many doubts about the way he could carry out The rigorous formulation of those thoughts: “As for my own opinion about this scribble, with which I am not at all satisfied: I am firmly convinced of the value of the negative and critical part, but I consider that the positive part is rather poor. Even so, perhaps those most capable that I can get something sensible to it.” The scribble that Heisenberg speaks was actually the draft of his famous article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’), which shortly after was published. Many physicists consider that text the birth certificate of Modern Quantum Theory. Neither more nor less. Anyway, there is no doubt: during the next 100 years Heisenberg’s ideas and other physicists who also made decisive contributions to quantum theory, such as Wolfgang Pauli, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, Paul Am Douc, Niels Bohr or Albert Einstein, triggered the birth of many of the technologies we currently use. Integrated circuits containing all our electronic devices, Solar panelsmagnetic resonance machines, The lasers or the atomic watches that allow the human being to measure time with an unprecedented precision would not be possible without the knowledge that modern quantum theory has given us. And, of course, without this model we would not have Quantum computers. Objectively, and it is not at all an exaggeration, Quantum physics is present in much of modern technology. And all probability will continue to be in many of the innovations that will arrive in the future. That is not the slightest doubt. After all, it is the best tool we have to understand how the world works. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Cern In Xataka | The authentic alchemy is being made by the CERN: it has detected the transformation of lead into gold

Something is stealing our dream and they are not just the screens. A neurologist helps us understand what is really happening

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We sleep, we dream, we forget. But do we really know what happens while we sleep? Sleep paralysis, déjà vusawakening in the early morning or that exhaustion that appears even after Sleep eight hours. In this new section of Xataka we enter all those questions that we have ever asked ourselves and that until now were still without clear response. Or worse: full of myths. We release ‘Science and Apart’, a new section in Our YouTube channelalso Available as Podcast on Spotify and Ivoox. A space where we propose to talk about science with experts in the field. In this first episode, our partner Ángela Blanco talks with the doctor Daniel Blanes Jacquartspecialist in neurology and member of the Spanish Sleep Society. “Dream is a vital function,” explains Blanes. “It helps us to prepare our internal environment and respond to demands From the external environment. ”Sleeping is not simply to rest: it is a biological need that occupies much of our life. Although we perceive it as a kind of blackout, during the dream there are fundamental processes for our body, such as internal reparation. And it is not necessary to be a scientist to intuit it. Just look at the data of a smart watch like the Apple Watch Series 10 or the Huawei Watch 5. Those graphs that divide the night into phases such as REM, deep, essential or vigil are not only decorative: they respond to real processes that fulfill very different functions with each other. In our dialogue with Blanes, concepts such as declarative memory, emotional memory appear, what they are and in which part of the dream are fixed. The talk also addresses ideas such as the relationship between what we remember and the quality of rest. “We all dream a lot, but most dreams are not fixed in memory.” Our guest explains why this happens and what does it mean if We dream very often And we can tell what we have experienced (or we think we have experienced). Angela asks how it is possible to wake up paralyzed, unable to move. “Sleep paralysis is an incomplete awakening,” says Blanes, and adds: “I am awake, I wake up, but I continue with the activation of the visual, auditory cortex, that is, you can see things or you can hear things that are not because in the background is still that part of the REM active and, in addition, the paralysis is complete.” Issues that are very present in everyday life are also addressed. Do we sleep worse than before? Are the guilty screens? Does blue light affect us more than we believe? Throughout the episode we talk about the impact of sleep hormones, why we hate Mondays, narcolepsia and even the collagen we produce at night. “We have a tool to make collagen that is the dream.” We invite you to discover all this and much more in ‘Science and apart’, which starts with a very interesting episode and that makes some key concepts about sleep clear. It will help us better understand this fundamental part of our life. Now we just have to choose the platform you prefer to enjoy this first episode. Images | Xataka In Xataka | The close (and far) that we are not sleeping at all: for the first time in history, we have a small way to try In Xataka | More and more people are going on vacation simply to sleep

It affects few people, but Williams syndrome can help us understand new details about human evolution

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Williams syndrome is a condition with its own “personality.” And it is not quite a way of speaking, some call it “personality of the Williams syndrome”And it is one of the features that usually characterize people with this uncommon condition. Let’s start at the beginning: What is Williams syndrome. The origin of this can be found in the genes of the people in which it manifests itself, specifically in chromosome seven. The absence of a region that covers between 25 and 28 genes is what causes the appearance of the syndrome. This absence can be hereditary. Although most cases are not inherited but the result of chance, who manifest this syndrome have a 50% chance of transmitting it to their descendants. This is because it is a Dominant autosomal inheritance. The syndrome affects a person between 18,000 and 7,500and does it similarly regardless of sex. According to Explain in The conversation Deborah Riby, expert from Durham University, this syndrome usually comes associated with some concrete facial features But also with problems that affect the health of those who are born with him, including heart problems and difficulties when feeding. This syndrome is usually rigged with intellectual disabilities that can be between mild and moderate, but perhaps their most defining feature, and is greater extraversion and trust. The “Williams Syndrome Personality“Includes traits, Riby explains, as the greatest sensitivity and consciousness that occurs in parallel to the difficulties that people with this syndrome present. “Many individuals are highly mad (…), some are music experts and the large majority are highly social. ‘Extroven‘,’ Over-amygible ‘, and’ emotionally sensitive ‘, are frequently used descriptions to describe (this personality), ” Riby details In your article. People with this syndrome, very often, present hyperacusia, an extreme auditory sensitivity that can be responsible for high levels of anxiety. Levels that in turn can be disabling. These features are rigged with A vulnerability related, and that is that people with the syndrome can be excessively confident, explained to the BBC Alyson Muotri, from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Contrary to autism? The different vision of social exchanges that characterizes people with this syndrome makes some see this syndrome as “The opposite of autism”. The idea that this disorder is an opposite to autism is also nuanceable, says Riby. “There are several cognitive domains that are problematic in both disorders. Deficits in nonverbal behavior such as visual contact, facial expressions, interpretation of gestures, are widely documented. Additionally, we know that both disorders are associated with difficulties in sensory processing, high anxieties and repetitive behaviors or restrictive interests,” Riby adds to your article. The existence of this type of relationship, both similarities and differences, lead to the possibility that learning more about one could lead us to better know the other. Especially, Riby proposes, knowing more details about this syndrome of such clear genetic origin can give us clues about the biological mechanisms that determine the appearance of something as complex as autism is. And this is not the only way in which this syndrome can help us advance in the knowledge of our own species. Some experts seek how to take advantage of this to find out new data on how they evolved as human traits, trust or sympathy. Studies on this syndrome have managed to link some of their features with the disappearance of one gene or another. Interestingly, experts They have not found the gene “Limiting sympathy” whose disappearance makes these people more extroverted and friendly. In Xataka | The chromosome and is disappearing … What will be of men? Image | Xataka with chatgpt /

We increasingly understand the relationship between intestinal flora and sleep quality

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Many researchers ago They have been pointing That the intestine is not limited only to digesting food. It has neurons, produces substances that the brain also uses to communicate and, most curious, seems to be in direct contact with it. Hence some call it “The second brain”And maybe it does not sound so exaggerated if we think it can also influence how we sleep. Sleep badly affects digestion (And vice versa). It happens to many: after a heavy dinner it costs to sleep, and after a bad night the stomach seems more sensitive. Even if they seem like unrelated, they are actually connected. When one of the two fails, the other also shows it. Sleeping badly stresses the body, more cortisol is released and that can alter the functioning of the intestine. And if the digestive system does not do well, send signals to the brain that complicate relax and reconcile sleep. It is like a silent talk that happens all the time between what happens in the head and what it feels in the belly. The scientific support. There are more and more research that confirms something key: the quality of sleep is closely linked to the state of our intestinal microbiota. One of the most interesting studies was published in 2023. The scientists used a fairly accurate technique – called “bidirectional Mendelian random” – and showed that the dream and the intestine are in constant communication. When that balance is broken, either by a bad rest or by a digestive mismatch, both systems are affected. In addition, the most curious thing is that the key hormone to regulate sleep occurs in the intestine: melatonin. According to an investigationhaving an intestine in equilibrium could be one of the keys, sometimes invisible, to be able to sleep well. But … And stress? Stress is another great actor in this story. When you are stressed, not only costs you more to sleep. The digestive system is also altered. And most interesting: the intestinal microbiota is also affected. In fact, a recent study He has found That the intestine reacts to stress and, dependent on how it is, can calm or worsen it. If the intestinal flora is unbalanced, more anxiety, more irritability will be felt, and will cost more relax. In the end, it is a vicious circle: stress alters the intestine, the intestine responds badly, and all that interferes in sleep. The focus on food. The diet is key to maintaining a balanced microbiota, which helps regulate sleep and mood. A study He has revealed The importance of eating with regular schedules, avoiding heavy or late dinners, incorporating fiber -rich foods, natural fermented ones such as yogurt or kefir, and reducing outraprocesses can have a real impact on your rest. I even know has observed That certain probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium brief, can improve sleep quality by influencing the hormonal axis that regulates stress. Sleeping is not a matter of a good pillow. That too. Sleeping well is an act of balance. Not only mental, also intestinal. Understanding that invisible connection between the brain and the digestive system can be the first step to recover rest. Because sometimes, taking care of the belly is also taking care of sleep. Image | Pexels Xataka | We are increasingly clear that our microbiome is key to our health. Our protein sources can also alter it

Manufacturers have drunk attendee cars for our safety. We do not use them and (worse) we don’t understand them either

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“We know that many people deactivate the lane maintenance assistant. Why should we sell it?” With these words, Denis Le Vot, CEO of Dacia, attacked the European Union and his commitment to adas systems for driving in 2022. What defended the head of the company is that most users They deactivate these aid Security and that, therefore, I did not understand why manufacturers were forced to include them in their cars. Years later, it seems that time is giving the reason to vote. They are neither appreciated nor used Since 2022, All cars approved in Europe They are obliged to set up a series of ADAS aids to driving, including emergency braking, lane output alert or controversial speeding warning that works hand in hand with signal recognition. These aid are, since 2024, mandatory series in every new car sold in Europe. That is, regardless of when any new car that has been bought or is about to be bought has been approved for a year. This, without a doubt, is one of the reasons that cars have increased. Therefore, we must understand that the CEO of Dacia had reasons to attack the European Union. For a brand that has always fought for price, including more starting equipment makes it difficult to. It is, of course, part interested in the debate. However, the data seems to give the vote right. At least that is what those who take the temperature of the conductors say. In JD Power they assured A few months ago that one in four buyers From a car in the United States he had reported a problem with ADAS systems in the first 90 days after buying the car. These problems do not refer exclusively to faults or system failures, they also refer to the inconveniences that users have found because they do not understand the systems or are not very clear how they can deactivate or configure them. Frictions have also increased, according to the study. In the last five years, the technology of the manufacturers in this area has been fired (much guilt has the security regulations), which has made more and more people who choose to deactivate these alerts. “They are too annoying and intrusive,” They point out from JDPOWER. The solution, they say, should go through more detailed explanations by the dealers to explain how these systems work and how they can take advantage of. In part, what happens in Europe is moving to other regions of the world. In the United Kingdom, the ADAS systems that are in the European Union are not mandatory but companies include them by cost savings. However, the data says that Most of them deactivate aid and that the ISA speeding system is the most affected. In a 2020 survey conducted by Erie Insuranceit was stressed that the second help system that was most deactivated after the alert for speed was the maintenance of lane. However, The European Commission points that between the lane output notice can reduce accidents between 10 and 21% and that lane maintenance can reduce the severity of the wounds suffered in an accident by up to 30% of the cases. There is, therefore, a disconnection between regulators and users. Keep in mind that not only the European Union demands these security measures. Euro NCAP, in their studies, punishes the companies that do not offer passive security systems that expand mandatory serial coverage. Euro NCAP is an independent study and cars that are homologated and sold in Europe They are not obliged to undergo their evidence. However, they have achieved quality status for the public that is rare who does not appear to them. This costs Dacia to receive a score of only three stars even though they are regular. It is not the shock tests that they have their safety levels in case of accidentthey penalize very basic adas systems equipment that is barely Leave Dacia Duster in an approved justito. And what happens in Spain? That we feel the same as Americans and British, according to A study of Fesvial entitled “Knowledge of the ADAS systems by the Spanish population” that was published in 2022. It indicated that “70% are not clear that the ADAS are intelligent enough to guarantee the safety of the person who conducts” and “30% are not convinced that the ADAS contribute to reduce collisions or their severity.” Data that exemplify the aforementioned gap between regulators and users. Photo | In Xataka | We are forgetting to drive. It has no importance and DGT exams know

Satellite images have revealed what happened to one of Russia’s biggest arsenals. Now we understand Moscow’s silence

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On April 22 the satellites began to point out A point on the planeta change only perceptible through the images from space offered a first track of what was happening about 60 kilometers from Moscow. Despite the weather conditions of that day and the low resolution of the optical data captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite From the European Space Agency, the damages were clearly visible. An explosion had “burst” the 51st arsenal of the main missile and artillery direction of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Total devastation of Arsenal. Visual confirmation was reinforced by radar images Synthetic opening (SAR) capable of penetrating clouds and smoke, which showed significant structural alterations in the complex nucleus. The comparison between images Taken on April 14 and 23, it indicated that at least 30 buildings destined to storage of ammunition had been completely destroyed. Explosions, evacuations and blackouts. The day after the explosion, the secondary detonations They still continuedunderlining the magnitude of the stored material. The strength of the outbreak forced Evacuate eight nearby townswhile 37 settlements were left without gas supply. The most remote evacuated town was 4.5 kilometers from Arsenal. NASA fire monitoring system data also confirmed the existence of multiple igneous foci Within the perimeter, coinciding with the analysis of the intelligence expert (OSINT) MT Anderson, who used additional filters to detect heat points and Confirm destruction Massive infrastructure. A strategic arsenal. Then the magnitude of what happened began to be known. He 51st Arsenal Grau It was not simply a deposit of ammunition. As one of the Eight main arsenals that still operated in the European part of Russia, its function was key both in the distribution and in the logistics maintenance of the Moscow weapons. Three of those eight arsenals had already been destroyed for 2024, which turned this loss into a considerable strategic blow for the Kremlin military supply chain. Arsenal was designed to house Up to 264,000 tons of explosive material. Among the remains found after the explosion were identified 107 mm rockets for Multiple type 63 rocket Chinese manufacturing, many of which were recorded spread around local residents, suggesting that part of the material was stored outpatient and had recently been delivered. The catastrophe, or the attacknot only compromised Russian logistics operability in the Ukrainian conflict, but raised (once again) serious doubts about the security of its own arsenal in times of war. Images of the British report with the before and after the explosions A self -inflicted blow. Now, and after A study Of all the images and confidential information of the intelligence of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, it has been confirmed that the cause of the incident was not “external”, but a combination of bad practices in the management of armament and a negligent storage management by Russia. British research, in fact, is reinforced by the declaration of the Russian Defense Ministry itself, which, in silence from the incident without offering more data, there were attributed the disaster to the “violation of security requirements” in the manipulation of explosive materials. For the United Kingdom, the event is not an isolated case, but the reflection of a prolonged and documented trend of “Russian ineptitude in the treatment of its own ammunition”, although that yes, in this case it represents the greatest loss of self -inflicted arsenal since the beginning of the large -scale war in Ukraine. Strategic installation We already said it before. The affected deposit was a key installation for the war supply of the Kremlin on the Ukrainian front and, according to figures from the Ukrainian authorities cited by the United Kingdomhosted around hundreds of thousands of tons of ammunition, including ballistic missiles, projectiles thrown from air and anti -aircraft systems. Satellite images verified by the insider medium They also revealed that more than a square kilometer of the complex was affected by the detonations, which suggests that massive and prolonged destruction, with multiple fires and a chain of secondary explosions that, According to disseminated videos In social networks, they even reached nearby civil areas. Error pattern. In addition, it is not the first time that the arsenal of the 51st Grau suffers incidents of this type. Insider told That in June 2022, Russian state media reported a spontaneous explosion during loading and unloading operations that cost four people. The pattern is consistent with British complaint: A continuous chain of operational errors and insufficient security measures that make critical facilities into vulnerable points within the Russian military apparatus. The lack of technical discipline and effective prevention protocols has not only generated large material losses, but also has compromised the safety of populated areas in times of war. Consequences. If you want also, the incident gives wings to the rhetoric of the West. The impact of this catastrophe transcends the material. The destruction of one of the main deposits of Russian ammunition not only weakens the immediate logistics capabilities of Moscow in its offensive against Ukraine, but also reinforces an idea increasingly sustained Among the “alidos”: that of a corroded military power for structural failures, operational improvisation and a dangerous carefree for the most basic security standards. Seen thus, in full prolonged war and with its supply lines under pressure, losing tens of thousands of tons of armament due to internal negligence constitutes a defeat with several readings. Image | Maxar In Xataka | Russia launched its fearsome nuclear missile Satan II last week, the “Invincible Weapon” of Putin. It was regular In Xataka | The US has detected an object in space with strange behavior. The source that released it has also located: Russia

When reality overwhelms, we seek to understand it in fiction

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The first thing that many Spaniards did as they recovered the electric current was to look for series and films related to blackouts. If possible, of Spanish or European nationality. In addition to robbing us in An extraordinary phenomenon That has just happened, there is a psychological explanation for this act: fiction comforts us and explains reality. Above all, that part of the reality that we do not understand or that we are great. ‘Broady’ goes from that. In 2022 Movistar Plus+ premiered ‘blackout’a miniseries of five self -conclusive episodes led by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Raúl Arévalo, Isa Campo, Alberto Rodríguez and Isaki Lacuesta. It started from a catastrophic event (a solar storm causes a global blackout, leaving society without electricity or telecommunications) to reflect, in each episode, a human phase in the face of the crisis: denial, emergency, confrontation, survival and balance. The series, realistic, is one of the main search trends the day after the blackout. People want to see a fiction that tells him what would have happened if the events had been even more serious. It is not the only one. Of course, there are more series on blackouts. In ‘Leave the world behind’ (Netflix), two families have to manage a mysterious blackout after a cyber attack. The French ‘The collapse‘He did not give many reasons for the collapse of society, showing the despair that emerges when the basic vital conditions disappear. The recent ‘zero’ (Netflix) blames a cyber attack on a global blackout and describes the consequent government response. Also a cyber attack is responsible for the disaster in ‘Blackout’, which leaves central Europe without electricity. Each with their tone and style, all of them agree to portray and explain an inconceivable situation. Explain the inexplicable. The narratives help us to understand what exceeds the boundaries of the rational: it is a catastrophe of such magnitude that it exceeds with great domestic space, be they transcendental questions that question the existence of, for example, an ultraterrene life. Those stories, whether religions, urban myths, rumors or, simply, films, help us put limits and tie by the plausible and the rational what we do not understand. That is why we approach series as ‘Blackout’: they help us understand what happened in days like yesterday. Beyond the blackouts. Of course, this phenomenon goes far beyond yesterday’s blackouts. A few days ago we talked about how ‘Conclave’ was reset With all the honors in cinemas, time to accompany the funeral of the Pope: a film explains us better than any documentary (because the emotion of fictions implies) the intestine weaves of the Vatican to succeed the deceased. And if we are going further back there is no more remember successes like ‘Contagion ‘during pandemic: A 2011 film that became suddenly relevant when it demonstrated an absolutely hechizing fortune teller (and reflexive). The Simpsons predicted it. Of course The Simpsons predicted what happened Yesterday, in an episode in which a mass blackout forced people to return to traditional forms of life. This mechanics of using the legendary animation series To explain everything Not only does it have a logical and material explanation (many years of stories, sharp satire of the present, acute and very observant scripts), but to connect with what we said above: we have a natural tendency to seek significant patterns and connections between facts, even when they are the result of chance. These patterns are marked by narratives, series and movies. It sounds to me. The familiarity of the fictitious It allows us to explain reality, and that is why the day after a collapse of the entire electrical system of a country (which is said soon, because we have not stopped to think about it), we go to series and movies that help us digest it with plots and subtramas, with characters with which we identify and with turns that we have already seen in dozens of occasions. When we immerse ourselves in fiction, neural networks are activated similar to when we live real experiencesand we integrate them into our own memories (although distinguishing them as fiction). And that helps us overcome them and turn page. Until next catastrophe. Header | Movistar Plus+ In Xataka | While almost all Spain immersed in chaos, a place continued to function normally: Mercadona

We have been looking for the definitive cure of allergies for years and we have not yet solved the big problem: understand them

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The end of the rains and the arrival of good weather have, for many, a dark back: The allergies. Spring, and especially the months of May and June, brings us the pollen proliferationone of the most important allergens, the main cause of sneezing at this time of year. The most common way of treating this type of allergies is through antihistaminesdrugs aimed at blocking the effects of histaminea neurotransmitter that also plays an important role in immune system. Recall that allergies are nothing other than a reaction of our immune system to external substances that understands as dangerous and that are not really, allergens. Antihistamines are very useful when treating allergic symptoms. But one thing is that, and another thing is to definitively cure these disorders. Today we do not have A cure for allergiesbut at least there are some routes open to hope. So close we are to achieve it. Perhaps one of the first treatments that come to mind when talking about healing the allergy are vaccines. What we understand today as vaccines against allergy are immunotherapy -based injections, and its logic is not far from conventional vaccines: it is about administering a small amount of what causes us allergy capable of alerting the immune system without unleashing an allergic reaction. While they are a useful treatment in many cases, they do not finish solving the problem, so we will need periodic injections that will improve the response capacity of our immune system. What ways are there open? Almost ten years ago, We commented on some of the open research lines in the search for a cure for allergies. These ways included, for example, the “biological therapies.” These are therapies that focus on antibodiesthe proteins that our body produces when it detects substances that it understands as harmful. This type of treatments They are still One of our great hopes. An example of this is omalizumab, a drug in principle aimed at combating asthma and approved two decades ago in the United States. In recent years, science has been validating this therapeutua option. A recent example is in A study Posted in 2022 in the magazine Clinical and Translational Allergy. In this analysis, the team observed that the drug was effective when preventing spring allergic rhinitis. Understand the problem To understand how our knowledge has evolved in recent years, we must first understand why it is so difficult to find a definitive cure. The background problem is simple: We do not understand the allergies well enough to find a solution. We still do not understand why certain people suffer from a certain allergy while others suffer from another type of reaction, at the same time that others do not seem to have such problems. We don’t know either Why allergies are permanent despite the fact that the antibody that we generally associate with them does not usually remain in our body for long periods of time. Two studies Published last year in the magazine Translational Medicine Science They can help us understand this situation a little better, explaining at least this last point. The answer could be in an antibody that we usually do not associate with allergies, immunoglobulin G (IgG), and the cells that produce it. What the teams responsible for these studies discovered is that some cells responsible for producing IgG produce immunoglobulin E, which is associated with allergies, when they run into an allergen. The key to allergic “memory” could therefore be in these cells. Before going better, everything seems to indicate that the allergies problem will go worse. And is that every time More people suffer This type of disorders. There are several factors that could be, independently or together, behind rapid ascent in the number of allergic people in the world. One of these hypotheses is that of hygiene. Since our immune system is “trains” through exposure to external agents, the absence of these agents in early stages can imply that our system does not perceive them as normal and, exposed in later stages, ends up reacting disproportionately. s From the environmental point of view, we must also consider the presence of pollutants in the atmospherelike particular matter. These pollutants can also affect our airways, combining their effect with that of conventional allergens and aggravating the situation. In Xataka | The time of the year in Japan has arrived where everyone has a mask. The fault is World War II Image | Cottonbro Studio

We have been using sweeteners that provide zero calories. Now we understand why they don’t always help lose weight

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Sugar is one of the most daily foods and one on which food controversies do not scarce. Excessive sugar consumption can be linked to various problems, from the oral to diabetes. The artificial sweeteners that we sometimes use to reduce the consumption of conventional sugars can be healthier, but no less controversial. Less sugar, more hungry. A recent study He has found that some artificial sweeteners could be affecting the signals that manage our appetite at the brain level. The team responsible for the study observed that the Sucralosa had a less satiating effect than sucrose, conventional or table sugar. The Sucralosa. Sucralosa is a artificial sweetenera disaccharide or compound sugar such as the union of two simple sugars. Its sweetest capacity is up to 600 times higher than that of sucrose, but our body does not absorb it in the same way. This implies that this sweetener has no caloric contribution to our body. This could explain the observed phenomenon: our body would perceive the sweet taste and prepare for calorie ingestion. The body would simply be responding to the absence of energy received. 75 participants. In the study, 75 participants who worked as both of the experimental group and control group in two sessions separate days or weeks from each other took part. Participants, men and women, some with “healthy” weight, others overweight or obesity, consumed three drinks prepared in the experimental sessions to which they underwent. These preparations were a sweetened drink with sucralose, another with conventional sugar (sucrose), and another simple water. The order in which they assigned each drink was random. The team later studied the participants’ response to each drink. Before and after the test they carried out functional magnetic resonances, they took blood samples and asked the participants for their feeling of hunger. They observed that the sucralose increased appetite and activity in the hypothalamus and that it did it to a greater extent among the participants with obesity. The team also detected changes in how the hypothalamus communicated with other brain regions. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Nature Metabolism. Old acquaintances. The key can be in the hormones that our body produces when eating, hormones such as insulin and LPG-1 (Glucagon -like peptide 1). This last hormone is produced in the stomach when we eat and fulfills a double function: on the one hand warns the pancreas that we will need insulin to manage digerida glucose; and by transmits to our brain the message that we have fed and satiated. “The body uses these hormones to tell the brain that you have consumed calories, to reduce hunger,” Explain in a press release Kathleen Alanna Page, co -author of the study. “The Sucralosa did not have that effect, and the differences in hormonal responses to the sugar compared to sugar were even more pronounced in participants with obesity.” Much to investigate. According to the team itself, there are still some unknowns to solve in this context. One question, for example, is how this sweetener affects our brain activity in the long term. To do this, they explain, longitudinal studies will be necessary that also analyze the weight and food behaviors of the patients. Another issue to solve is how other factors affect, such as sex, this relationship. The team indicated that during the experiment, the brain activity of women showed greater variability than that of men, which implies the possibility of differences to study. In Xataka | Some researchers have analyzed the impact of sugary drinks on world health. They have taken their hands to the head Image | Faran Raufi

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