violence

Two years ago, an asteroid exploded over France with unusual violence. What saved the French was their size

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February 13, 2023. It was 4:59 in the morning when a violent explosion illuminated the skies of Normandynorth of France. It was not a ray, nor a missile. It was the end of a travel of millions of kilometers for a small asteroid called 2023 Cx1. Seven hours of notice. The 650 -kilogram rock had just a meter in diameter, so it had been detected only seven hours before impact. But the most disturbing thing was not his surprise arrival, but his behavior when entering the earth’s atmosphere. An exhaustive analysis published two and a half years later in Nature Astronomy He has revealed that, if the asteroid had been larger, the consequences of his extraordinary explosion could have been devastating. A high -risk meteor. Most meteorites are fragmenting as they descend through the atmosphere, but 2023 CX1 endured intact until it reached a distance to the ground of only 28 kilometers. At that point, the pressure made it explode like a pump. After traveling through space for about 30 million years, the asteroid released 98% of all its kinetic energy in a second fraction. And in a very concentrated region of the atmosphere, when it reached a dynamic pressure of 4 megapascal. It does not compare with Cheliábinsk. The 2023 CX1 behavior was radically different from that of the car whose explosion of 500 kilotons He broke windows and caused hundreds of injured in Russia in 2013. The one in France generated a spherical shock wave instead of cylindrical, concentrating much more energy and greatly increasing the area of ​​soil affected by overpressure. According to researchers, this type of abrupt fragmentation could cause much more damage than the progressive fragmentations of similar size bodies. The French were lucky that it was so small. More firewood for planetary defense. The analysis was based on an unprecedented number of observations after mobilizing the scientific and citizen community in those seven hours of margin. The prediction of the fall by ESA and NASA had a margin of error of less than 20 meters between the planned and observed trajectory, which in turn facilitated the recovery of more than one hundred fragments of the meteorite in the commune of Saint-Pierre-Le Viger. According to the CSICwhich participated in the investigation, this event confirms the existence of a new population of asteroids, type L chondrites, capable of these violent explosions. “These asteroids must be taken into account in the Planetary Defense Strategiessince they represent a higher risk for populated areas, “says Auriane Egal, first author of the study. With what we know today, perhaps the authorities activate evacuation plans the next time an asteroid of this type threatens us. Provided that detection systems do not fail, and detect the threat in time. Image | THAT In Xataka | Tunguska: the explosion of 12 megatones that reminds us that space is full of wonders, but also of horrors

The last case of prehistoric cannibalism found in Atapuerca only has a brutal explanation: violence

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There are few prehistoric cultures that we know practiced cannibalism. Already out of ritual, famine or in a context of violent conflict, the consumption of human flesh should not have to be completely uncommon, and now we have found a new example nearby, in Atapuerca. Canibalism in the Neolithic. A study of bone remains found in the cave of El Mirador, one of the deposits of Atapuerca, Burgos, He has found Canibalism tests among the inhabitants of this Burgos cave. The remains have been dated about 5,700 years ago, during the Neolithic. The remains found would have belonged to 11 individuals of different ages: “Including children, adolescents and adults,” explains the team responsible for the study. These data, they explain, point to a “systematic consumption”, probably linked to violence between groups and not to rituals or ceremonial acts. Ethnography and archeology teach us that even in barely stratified societies there are episodes of violence where enemies are also consumption as a form of extreme elimination ”, stood out in a press release Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo, co-author of the study. Incriminatory brands.The remains, in an “exceptional state”, were found in two different sectors of the cave. The taphonomic analysis of the remains (the study of the process that leads to some bone remains to fossilize), allowed to identify in these remains of cutting and fractures that allowed access the marrowas well as cooking tests and footprints left by human teeth during consumption. The team also conducted an isotopic strontium analysis (SR), which studies the relative presence of two isotopes of this element (⁸⁷sr and ⁸⁶sr) that showed that the individuals consumed “were of local origin.” The analysis also showed that its consumption was fast. The radiocarbon analysis, meanwhile, allowed to date the remains, placing them in a time space between 5,700 and 5,570 years before the present. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Scientific Reports. Interpret the incomprehensible. Today cannibalism is abominable, to the point of being taboo in life or death contexts. That is why interpreting these past practices is difficult for those who study them. After analyzing the tests found, the team concluded that the case responded to a confrontation between livestock groups in the area. This conflict I would have concluded With the “elimination of a complete family group”, a elimination made if it can be more tangible with the consumption of the group’s meat. “Canibalism is one of the most complex behaviors of interpreting, due to the difficulty that the consumption of human beings by other human beings implies. To this it is added that, in many cases, we do not have all the necessary evidence to link it with a specific behavioral context. Finally, the prejudices of our society tend to always interpret it as an act of barbarism,” pointed in the press release Palmira Saladié, who led the team responsible for the study. Of the Neolithic at the Bronze Age. This would not be an isolated case in the history of the Cave of El Mirador, not even the most recent. The finding is linked to a previous discovery, another case of cannibalism in the same environment, only that this already in the Bronze Age, between 4,600 and 4,100 years ago. “The recurrence of these practices at different times of recent prehistory in the cave of El Mirador makes this deposit a key site to understand prehistoric human cannibalism and their link with death, as well as with a possible ritual or cultural interpretation of the human body within the worldview of those groups,” Saladié added. In Xataka | Cup -shaped skulls, cannibal practices and other things that were done in Malaga 7,000 years ago Image | IPhes-Cerca

We have found a skull from 6,200 years ago cone and signs of violence. The big question is what I was doing there

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The last cry in bodily modifications is the Implementation of chips under the skin to become One more element of home automation Domestic But we have millennia modifying our aesthetics In a little invasive way, such as The Ötzi tattoos With more than 5,000 years, or in more aggressive ways, such as Padaung They push their clavicles. What they have found in a cemetery near Iran goes much further: a skull from 6,200 years belonging to a woman with a cone -shaped head. And the thing didn’t end well. Chega Sofla. In the western zone of Iran is the site of Chega Sofla. Researchers have been investigating the site for years and Nonantring bodiessince there are dozens of tombs in which they have been found from individual burials to burials of complete families. Some of the human remains They show that, in life, certain people had a more stretched skull than normal not by any kind of natural deformation, but by aesthetics. And, among all, the one who has called the attention of archaeologists is one of those skulls that shows signs of a brutal blow that ended his life. And beyond how, the interesting thing is why and what that young woman did. Cone head. Called as BG1.12, the life of this woman ended when she gave (or led to her) a Strong blow to the head. Before that, it must have been one more because this cranial modification was quite common. What were done in many ancient civilizations was to wrap the infant’s head with bandages that were squeezing as they grew. Like a splint. This practice, extended until adulthood, prevented the skull from developing in a normal way, resulting in a more elongated, cone -shaped skull. And, although it was a normal practice that was given more in girls than in boys, we now know that it was not a good idea. Dangerous. The striking of the wound of BG1.12 led archaeologists to investigate On the cranial development that these people had, discovering that, due to those tight bandages, both the bones and the Diploe (which is a more spongy bone layer that is between two more compact layers in the skull, as if it were a “shock absorber”) were much thinner than those of a typical skull. This is drawer, but explain that it is something that prevents the skull from exercising its optimal brain protection work. Due to that thinness, before external forces, the “brain shield”It is less effective. At some point in the twenties of that woman, something managed to fracture that weak cranial layer, ending her life. The researchers, in statements to Livesciencethey claim that the blow would also have ended with a person who had a normal skull and who do not know if he received an attack or hit himself. What is known is that it was buried in a common grave next to people with both normal and modified skulls. The skull of BG1.12 that shows the wound The role of women. To affirm that the person would have died even with a normally developed skull, he takes away a lot of mystery to history, but the big question is what role people with modified skulls played in that society. We have found modified skulls in European womenin Japan and in Mesoamerica and reasons that are considered They range from Demonstration of status until the search for differentiation of nearby villages or the approach to the image they had of their divinities. Strictly motifs are also considered Aesthetics. The mystery of BG1.12 is that it was buried in the same pit as other people with both normal and modified skull and, as all the ‘stuck’ skeletons are, it is difficult to identify all individuals and know what role in society played these people with the deformed skull 6,000 years ago. And, above all, the moral is that this aggressive modification does not suit. A silly blow to the head, a diploe that does not act as it should … and goodbye. And put your head in a particle accelerator, if you ever have the opportunity, Nor is it a good idea. Images | Cambridge In Xataka | A cave has revealed the macabre Mayan ceremony to honor its gods: there are 100 bones and none is where it should

Spain has fought the fight against gender violence. And it is translating into mortal failures

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A woman named Lina went to the police last January. His ex -part Viogén. This system, based on an algorithm, determined that Lina was a “medium” risk person. Three weeks later it was allegedly murdered For your partner. It is not the first time that something like this happens, and shows that we have a serious problem with our potential dependence on algorithms. The origin of Viogén. The Interior Ministry development In 2007 the Viogén system (integral monitoring in cases of gender violence). Among its objectives was to make a risk prediction and, depending on that prediction, monitoring and protection of the victims. How it works. The system is based on the collection and analysis from various sources such as police complaints, protection orders or criminal record. In the complaint, for example, a series of questions about the episode of the aggression, the situation of the victim, the children, the aggressor’s profile or the aggravating vulnerability, such as economic dependence are asked. Risk levels. From that evaluation one of the four levels of risk is assigned to each case (1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high, 4 – extreme). Each of them entails specific measures that may include from the allocation of telecare devices to remote orders. At the extreme risk, women have 24 -hour police surveillance. Viogén 2. The system has evolved since its creation and in recent months its second version has been implemented, Viogén 2. As explained in article 14the algorithm was updated with novelties such as eliminating the unreissented risk and hindering the inactivation of open cases. Thus, a new supervised inactivation modality appears that sets police control mechanisms for a period of six months extendable to one year. That makes it possible to monitor cases in which police experts have not appreciated the existence of risk for women or this is low. Zero protocol. There are also modifications that will allow the victim to request it in a “voluntary, manifest and repeated” way to inactivate cases of unattended risk, low or medium. Even so, the so -called “zero protocol” designed to minimize the risk of victims who express their desire not to denounce. According to the Macro -New Equalitythe vast majority of victims do not report, and therefore also protect them: institutions only have knowledge of 21.7% of cases according to said survey. Tragedies everywhere. The problem is that the system is not entirely effective. The alleged murder of Lina is the last example of the limited reliability of Viogén. In October 2024 a 56 -year -old woman She was killed Despite having asked for help even twice. Before, in 2024, another woman was killed by her partner and her It was also part of the Viogén system. The algorithm seems to minimize the risk. In the case of Lina, for example, the Viogén system allocated the “medium” risk for it, and that seems to happen on more occasions. In September 2024, 96,644 women were within the Viogén systembut only 12 of them were considered extreme risk, 0.01% of the total. Both the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, and the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, They minimize errors Recognizing that “the model is not infallible, but saves many lives.” New alarm against AI and algorithms. In recent times we are seeing how there are more and more cases in which excessive confidence is granted to algorithms on especially sensitive issues used in administrations and public institutions. The AI ​​does not stop making mistake. It happened with the Veripol system using AI to detect false complaints: His real reliability was very debatable. Something before, in March, we lived the Ábalos Case scandal in which an AI used to transcribe the statements of witnesses and defendants made mistakes and ended up turning some paragraphs into a gallimatisms. The AI ​​system for facial recognition itself that is being used for example In video surveillance cameras in Madrid He has done too Jump alarms in privacy. In the United Kingdom an AI was used to predict crimes to the minority report, and Its results were unfortunate. Attempts to apply AI in judicial processes and police They have also generated worrying conclusions. Lack of transparency. These systems are usually also criticized for their lack of transparency. Veripol is a good example, but we had others. In 2024 we talked about the Bosco system, used by electricity companies to decide who and who cannot accept the social bonus for aid to the light invoice. The Government He refused to share the source code claiming reasons for public security and national defense. It is not a problem only from Spain: there is an algorithm that suggests to the US judges what convictions imposebut its code is a secret, for example. In such delicate issues, the lack of transparency on the functioning of these algorithms is especially worrying. There were no agencies for this? In 2021 the creation of A Spanish Agency for Artificial Intelligence Supervision (Aesia). It was apparently centered to monitor compliance with the Digital Services Law (DSA) on platforms such as great social networks, and in fact in 2022 Sevilla was chosen To house the first European Center for Algorithmic Transparency (Ecat). What about Aesia. More recently we have seen how AESIA finally wants to take shape with Its coruña headquarters and start operating in 2025 to theoretically focus on the application of the EU AI Law. Its objective is theoretically to carry out “measures for the minimization of significant risks on the safety and health of people, as well as their fundamental rights, which can be derived from the use of AI systems.” Both the case of Viogén and Veripol’s or what happened in the ‘Abalos Case’ are precisely likely to enter that area, and it remains to be seen if the activity of this agency manages to help both the algorithms used as well as its application are optimal. Image | James Harrison | National Police In Xataka | We live a concentration crisis. Experts … Read more

If you like ‘Yellowstone’, but you think it lacks some suspense and violence, in Disney+ you have a perfect alternative

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More and more people are hooked to the cattle soap opera of ‘Yellowstone’, and their arrival in majority platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video It has a good part of the blame. However, There are many ways to focus contemporary westernand although it is perfect territory for the portraits of family sagas full of ambition and overflowing passions, gender also allows us to focus on action and suspense. This is the case of the extraordinary ‘Justified. Raylan’s law‘, which you can find in full, with its six seasons, in Disney+ and in Movistar Plus+. And although this neo Western has a decade, it has not lost an apex of intensity or interest. The reason: addictive writing, almost HARD BOILED Of its creator, Graham Yost, whom we owe the script of films such as ‘Speed’ and series such as the recent ‘Silo’, added to the overwhelming charism of its protagonist, Timothy Olyphant. Olyphant is a sheriff reallocated from Miami to a mining area, poor and rural, very close to the place where he was born. His expeditious methods make him an unpopular man among criminals, but also among his superiorsthat often do not approve of their methods. His return to action will lead him to meet his ex -wife, with his father who is in prison, and with his childhood friend, who has become a dangerous Nazi activist. The series is based on several books of the great Elmore Leonard, author of the novel on which ‘Jackie Brown’ of Tarantino and one of the great names of black and suspense literature was based. In 2023, Raylan returned in a new season of the series, ‘Wild City’, which lasted a season and you can also find complete In Disney+. In Xataka | This Kevin Costner’s Thriller and Western mixture punctured at the box office, but Netflix has made it one of her last successes

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