warns

Netherlands warns of Russian cyberattacks against Signal and WhatsApp around the world: they don’t need malware

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When we think about applications like Signal or WhatsApp we usually immediately associate them with the idea of ​​privacy. Both have been built on a very clear promise: end to end encryption prevents third parties, including the companies themselves, from reading users’ messages. This security model has made millions of people trust these platforms for personal, professional and even sensitive conversations. However, that protection does not mean that accounts are completely safe. The intelligence services of the Netherlands have warned now of a global campaign that seeks to compromise accounts of these unused applications malware nor exploit technical flaws. The objectives. The military intelligence service (MIVD) and the general intelligence and security service (AIVD) indicate that the attacks seek to access accounts belonging to dignitaries, public officials and military personnel. Authorities also acknowledge that Dutch Government employees have been both targets and victims of these attempts. In addition, the report indicates that other profiles that may be of interest to the Russian Government, such as journalists, could also be among the recipients of this type of attack. Social engineering instead of spyware. Unlike other episodes of digital espionage that have affected messaging services in the past, the campaign described by the Dutch services does not rely on malware or the exploitation of technical flaws. The report explains that attackers mainly resort to phishing and social engineering techniques to gain access to accounts. This difference is relevant when compared to tools such as Pegasusthe famous spyware capable of infiltrating mobile phones. In this case, the goal is not to compromise the phone system, but rather to take advantage of the user’s behavior to take control of their account or link a foreign device. “Account take-over”. One of the methods is direct takeover of the account. The attackers, they explain in the report, pose as the official support team of the application and send messages to the victim alerting them of alleged suspicious activities, possible data leaks or attempts to access their account. From there they request that the user complete a verification process and share the code they receive by SMS, as well as the PIN configured in the application. If the victim provides this data, the malicious actor can take control of the account and reassociate it with a number under their control. The trick of QR and linked devices. The report also describes a second access route that does not necessarily imply that the victim loses immediate control of their account. In this case, attackers use social engineering techniques to convince the user to scan a QR code or click on a seemingly legitimate link, for example under the guise of joining a chat group. That QR or link may be designed to link the attacker’s device to the victim’s account using the apps’ linked device features. Once connected, the attacker can access the conversations and, depending on the platform and access mode, see messages in progress or even part of the history, in addition to being able to send messages on behalf of the user. What the intelligence services recommend. The report also includes several practical recommendations to reduce the risk of these types of attacks. Authorities warn that you should never share verification codes or your account PIN through messages, even if the request appears to come from the app’s support service. They also recommend distrusting links or QR codes sent by unknown contacts and always verify these requests through another channel before interacting with them. Another important measure is to periodically review the list of devices linked to the account and remove any devices that are not recognized. The document also adds other useful measures, such as activating the registration block in Signal and notifying contacts by another means if there is a suspicion that the account has been compromised. Images | BoliviaIntelligent | Also AY In Xataka | That they can hack a mobile phone just by entering a website is scary. If that mobile phone is also an iPhone, it’s terrifying

already warns of a new storm on the horizon

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Times of wait of months to receive a car, manufacturers who packaged their vehicles loaded with options to sell them at a higher price with the promise that they would reach their customers sooner and a booming second-hand marketspurred on by the eternal wait to get a new car. They are echoes of a past that is just around the corner, chip shortage caused by the shutdown of factories during the Covid-19 pandemic, the increase in demand for electronic products and the trade war between the United States and China. The consequences were, as we say, diverse but above all harmful for who was waiting for a new car. From cars that arrived with hidden functions to vehicles that, directly, They dispensed with digital instrument panels. Factories stopped or at half gas that caused a 21% drop in world production vehicular. But no information or data summarizes the situation as well as a photograph. The one in which it was seen they visualized 45,000 Ford cars parked outdoors at Kentucky Speedway’s waiting for the necessary chips to arrive to put them on the street. Now, it is Ford that is already warning that a new crisis is on the horizon. AI, of course. We noted yesterday, January 17, that everything indicates that we can expect a long life of the latest generation consoles. Not because their hardware is about to explode or because intergenerational gaming continues to stretch to this day. The reason that will delay the arrival of the successors to the current consoles has a name and a surname: artificial intelligence. The problem is that 90% of world production DRAM is controlled by Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. Three companies that have in their hands a demand that far exceeds them and that anticipates a productive shortage as a consequence of data centers for artificial intelligence that are sweeping the market. The problem is not only that the companies most interested in promoting artificial intelligence are securing components, the problem is that they pay better than anyone else. And that affects both the manufacturers and the consumerswho have seen a price escalation in components that seems to have no end. The latest alarm comes from Ford. Sherry House, CFO of the company, pointed out that, for the moment, they have enough components to carry out their production but that they are aware of the pressure on their price in the market. “And that is already part of our future plan,” House said in words reported by The Drive. The situation is dangerous. As happened years ago, market analysts already assure Bloomberg who are registering “panic buying”that is, mass purchases to guarantee stock before the component rises rapidly in price. These panic purchases have two obvious problems. The first is that the production of components is compromised. The second is the future price increase. At the beginning of the decade, we discovered the hard way how dependent the automotive sector is on chip production. In December 2023, Micron was already aiming because in just three years the presence of components such as RAM memories was going to triple, going from about 90 GB of memory on average to 278 GB in 2026. It must be taken into account that from May 2024 All cars sold as new in the European Union must have a powerful load of ADAS driving assistance systems. In China, the share of vehicles equipped with this type of aid has skyrocketedpartly due to the boost that BYD has given to the market guaranteeing advanced driving assistance services in lower priced vehicles. My colleague Javier Pastor explained Just a few weeks ago, infotainment systems have needed between 1 and 2 GB of DRAM in recent years to move the graphics own and support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. But the requirements have doubled in recent releases. And the proliferation of ADAS systems, increasingly complex in the most modern cars, does not help either. Only the Hardware 4 system (the one currently used by Tesla) makes use of 16 GB of RAM. He BMW iX3the company’s most advanced vehicle at the moment, boasted four “superbrains” inside, with chips dedicated exclusively to the vehicle’s dynamic functions, the ADAS systems and the management of the infotainment system. “A modern car makes use of so-called ECUs (Electronic Control Units) for issues such as controlling the transmission, the airbag system or the engine itself. It is normal for them to have between 50 and 150 of these control units or microcontrollers, and almost all of them contain RAM for temporary data and a ROM for the firmware and software.” The problem is deep because it affects all types of components. In October, The Nexperia crisis has already made the wolf see its ears. And it is not only a question of advanced infotainment or driving assistance systems for the most expensive vehicles on the market. The most basic functions of a car, such as rolling up the windows, They also need this type of componentswhich renders a vehicle unusable for the slightest problem. Photo | Ephrain Mairena and Aakash Malik In Xataka | The RAM crisis is so big that even companies that had nothing to do with it are considering manufacturing them. Like Tesla

Canada has opened the door to Chinese electric cars. The US warns: “they are going to regret it”

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Canada has reopened the doors of electric vehicles from China, giving a radical turn to its trade policy. Last Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney reduced tariffs by 100% to 6.1%, which could take the Canadian automobile market to a new horizon. Below these lines we tell you what this may imply. Change. The move comes a year after Canada impose massive tariffs to Chinese electric vehicles, following in the footsteps of the United States under the Biden administration. The argument, as describe from the BBC, was that they considered China to be carrying out ‘a policy of deliberate overproduction’. Now, with relations between Canada and the United States on somewhat delicate ground under the Trump administration, the Canadian government has chosen to diversify its trade alliances. “We take the world as it is, not as we would like it to be,” counted Carney. Quantities. The initial agreement allows the entry of up to 49,000 electric vehicles annually from China with the reduced tariff of 6.1%. This figure represents approximately 3% of the total Canadian market, which is around two million vehicles per year, according to account the Driving medium. According to the prime minister, the quota could increase to 70,000 vehicles within five years. Furthermore, the agreement stipulates that, in that period, more than 50% of these vehicles must be affordable models with an import price of less than 35,000 Canadian dollars (about 21,569 euros at the exchange rate). Date. Although there is no exact confirmed date, several media predict its arrival in the coming weeks. Addisu Lashitew, associate professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, counted to the CBC that Chinese manufacturers have the capacity to accelerate production and ship quickly. BYD, the largest Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles, even operates its own cargo ships, which could shorten shipping times even further. Brands that will arrive first. Curiously, the first brands to benefit from this opening will not necessarily be the purely Chinese ones. Tesla is in a prime position to take advantage of the deal immediately, according to they count from Reuters. Elon Musk’s company had already equipped its Shanghai plant in 2023 to manufacture a specific version of the Model Y destined for Canada, exporting more than 44,000 vehicles that year before the 100% tariffs came into effect. Other brands with a previous presence include Volvo and Polestar, both owned by the Chinese group Geely. For purely Chinese brands like BYD or Nio, the process will be somewhat slower, as they will have to establish dealer networks, service chains and spare parts markets from scratch. Disparate political reaction. The Premier of Saskatchewan (province of Canada), Scott Moe, celebrated the agreement as “very good news,” especially since China has committed to reducing tariffs on Canadian agricultural products such as rapeseed. However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford critical harshly criticized the move, calling Chinese electric vehicles “subsidized spy cars” and warning that the deal would “damage our economy and lead to job losses.” To put it in context, Ontario is the province where the Canadian automobile industry is concentrated. The US response. United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer qualified the agreement “problematic” and warned that Canada might regret it. However, President Trump declared that it was “a good thing” and that “if you can get a deal with China, you should do it.” The reflection of Japan. In 1981, Canada reached a similar agreement with Japan, allocating unit quotas instead of prices. The result was that Japanese manufacturers simply moved up the range: Civics became Accords, Corollas became Camrys. In two or three years, the average price of an imported Japanese car went from $8,000 to $14,000, as remember Greig Mordue, director of the Master of Engineering and Public Policy program at McMaster University, told Driving. However, that agreement also led to Honda and Toyota establishing production plants in Canada, today becoming the two largest vehicle manufacturers in the country. In fact, according to revealed A senior Canadian official told the CBC, the government wants to explore the idea of ​​​​creating joint ventures and investments with Chinese companies in the next three years to build a Canadian electric vehicle with Chinese know-how. More competition. Lashitew emphasize that the entry of cheaper Chinese vehicles will force other manufacturers to lower their prices, which would make electric vehicles more accessible to consumers and help Canada move toward its emissions reduction goals. “With electric vehicles still 30% to 50% more expensive than comparable gasoline cars, reducing trade barriers would significantly ease the affordability constraint,” he noted. Cover image | aboodi vesakaran and Xataka In Xataka | Cars are so absurdly expensive that FIAT already has a plan to solve it: limit them to 117km/h

A macro study warns that well-being plummets if you have not had a partner at 25

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There was a time when being single at 20 was something seen as a style of independence and self-discovery. However, science has put a figure on a table that changes this concept that we could have in our minds: from the age of 25, the emotional well-being of those who have never had a relationship begins to suffer. A change of vision. It was the University of Zurich which has decided to take the step of investigating the “social clock” of the youngest in society, which has given an article published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Right now, many studies were focused on the impact of dating apps and how the flirting paradigm has changed today. But they have taken a turn to investigate 17,390 young people from Germany and the United Kingdom, tracking their lives from ages 16 to 29 with the aim of correlating their emotional life with their romantic situation. A “single” profile. One of the conclusions most striking of the research of Michael Kremer and his team are the ones who stay single the longest. Against the stereotype that being single is a purely bohemian choice, data shows clear patterns. First of all, men are more likely to remain single for a long timeThat is, they have never had a romantic relationship. But in addition, there is a direct correlation with a high academic training, since young people with higher educational levels They tend to delay their first relationship. The environment. But a great paradigm shift in recent years is undoubtedly in poor access to housing. The fact that many young people continue to live with their parents is undoubtedly a great determining factor in this love trajectory for young people. The turning point. Until age 23 or 24, there are no critical differences in life satisfaction between those who have had a partner and those who have not. However, upon crossing the 25-year threshold, the gap widens. In this case, the researchers detected that young people who have never been in a relationship show significantly higher levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms as they approach 30. According to the authors, this is because the social environment begins to put pressure implicitly, and the comparison with peers (who already establish long-term commitments) generates a feeling of exclusion. The healing power. But beyond the negative part for all those who have spent 25 years without a partner, the reality is that they have also seen that the first relationship It has incredible healing power. Especially when we talk about these long-term singles who find a partner. The transition to the first relationship brings an immediate increase in life satisfaction and a drastic drop in feelings of loneliness. Interestingly, although loneliness decreases, depressive symptoms take longer to stabilize, suggesting that the lack of previous experience leaves an emotional imprint that is not instantly erased with the first “I love you.” Social pressure. This work opens an interesting debate about mental health in the era of dating apps and job insecurity. Although society increasingly values ​​autonomy, the human brain appears to still respond to traditional social milestones. For Michael Krämer and his team, the problem is not singleness itself, but the mismatch between the desire for connection and the reality of a solitary life that extends beyond what the individual, or his or her environment, considers “normal.” And today there is above all pressure from the family that does not stop asking classic questions about when someone is going to have a partner to take them to family events. This is nothing more than a big problem for young people who see how they are arriving late to something that for many people is normal, especially if we look at the past where relationships and marriages increasingly emerged much earlier. Images | Vitaly Gariev In Xataka | Traditional couples have always aspired to live under the same roof. The LAT believes it is a huge mistake

AEMET warns that, after the cold, something much more problematic comes

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The Mediterranean asks to speak and the polar jet seems ready to give it all the prominence: if everything goes as planned, after a very cold weekend, What is happening? That the polar jet is contorting again and, this time, it is going to turn so far south that a good part of Spain is going to be in the cold zone. We will change the warm and humid air masses of the Gulf for cold masses that, since they are not arctic, will also have a lot of humidity. For practical purposes, that does not stop the “train of storms” that was affecting us; but its temperature. Therefore, the “storms, fronts, wind and rough seas“will be accompanied, once again, by a drop in temperatures: snow is, in fact, expected in the north of the Sahara. That and a strong storm in the middle of the Mediterranean. But let’s start with the cold. During the weekend (accompanied by that contortion of the jet) orA mass of cold air will invade Spain: Not only will the minimum temperatures drop and frost will return to a large part of the country, but the maximum temperatures will suddenly collapse. The great Mediterranean storm. Although on Saturday the 17th there will be movement in the Gulf of Valencia and the Balearic Sea, the strong will begin on Monday the 19th. That day, the undulation of the polar jet has a good chance of setting up a very powerful cyclogenesis. A cyclogenesis is an intensification of a low and, the Mediterranean knows a lot about that: the arrival of cold air at altitude over a fairly warm sea only needs a good shot of humidity to transform into a very intense storm. These days we will have all the elements on the table. And what can we expect? The models are beginning to converge in a full-fledged winter storm in the Balearic Islands and the Mediterranean coast. Although, as Martín León explains“it could leave abundant rain and snow in medium-high areas in the eastern part of the Peninsula”; The truth is that the position and intensity of the storm is still unclear. And those uncertainties will make the difference between a cold calm or a real winter storm. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | The soils of Spain are already saturated with water. And now a new train of storms threatens something worse

Renfe is obliged to return money after 15 minutes of delay. Its president warns that this “would make tickets more expensive”

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The president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, assures that the company will not apply from January 1 the new compensation approved by Congress. He argues that the measure is “unconstitutional and generates inequality against Iryo and Ouigo.” Conflict. In November, Congress approved a PP amendment to the Sustainable Mobility Law that forces Renfe to recover its old compensation for delays. These are 50% refund of the ticket from 15 minutes of delay and 100% from 30 minutes. Currently, after the change which the operator made in July 2024, only returns money after 60 minutes (50% of the amount) and 90 minutes (100%). The amendment, which had the support of Vox, Junts, ERC, PNV, Podemos and BNG, sets January 1, 2026 as the date of entry into force. Renfe’s position. Fernández Heredia, has declared in RNE that “in principle, no” there will be changes next Thursday in the travel conditions. According to the president of the operator, the State Attorney’s Office is studying legal formulas to avoid applying the provision. “We have a legal opinion that clearly says that it is unconstitutional,” he said. explained in El País, arguing that it violates principles such as equal treatment, freedom of enterprise and two European regulations on rail transport services. The economic cost according to the operator. The president of the institution estimates the impact of the measure at more than 125 million euros annually, well above the 43 million that Renfe paid in compensation during 2023. As Fernández Heredia clarifies, the increase is not only due to more incidents, but also because the amendment extends compensation to all long-distance commercial services, including Avlo, Alvia and Intercity, not just the AVE. “Whoever wrote this didn’t know what he was doing,” pointed out to the middle. The consequences for the traveler. The president of Renfe warns that applying the new compensation would cause a 10% increase in fares and would displace up to 5% of passengers towards the competition. In addition, it warns that “deficient services that Renfe maintains in areas where Iryo and Ouigo do not operate would be put at serious risk.” “If we want it to be cheaper, provide deficient services and stop where no one stops, what we don’t want is liberalization,” declared in RNE. Inequality. The core of Renfe’s argument is regulatory asymmetry. And while this operator would have to return part of the money from 15 minutes late, Ouigo begins to compensate from 30 minutes (with purchase vouchers) and Iryo from 30 minutes as well. Both competitors only refund 100% of the amount after 90 minutes of delay, just like Renfe does now. “I don’t think this is being done because we want to improve the conditions of travelers, but rather because of an attack on Renfe,” he said. affirmed Fernández Heredia in El País. Legal battle underway. Sources from the Ministry of Transport they qualified the amendment to the media 20 Minutes as “demagogic and populist.” Minister Óscar Puente announced after the approval of the law that they would look for formulas to prevent its application, something that Fernández Heredia has confirmed is being studied. The president of Renfe regrets that the company “is not entitled to appeal to the Constitutional Court, which creates insecurity when it comes to defending ourselves.” He inherits the mark of ppolitical opulism. The president of Renfe was very critical of the parliamentary groups that supported the measure. “It was a slap in the face of Renfe to the Government,” as collected The Country. “It is a populist measure because they do not say that this measure implies ‘raising prices’ and that it will benefit the ‘other two companies,’” added in the interview on ‘Las Mañanas de RNE’. The president of the operator has asked the PP, Podemos and BNG for explanations about why the obligation only affects Renfe. “If we want to provide a guarantee policy and better compensation, the logical thing is that it should be for all travelers.” In Xataka | Public transport faces 2026 with extended aid and the approved Single Pass: there is still one step ahead

The V-27 signal warns you where no one warns. Or, at least, where the DGT’s V-16 beacon does not warn

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Much has been said about the V-16 beacon. We have told of Where does this invention come from that the DGT will make mandatory? in just a few days and, also, who is doing business with them. It has even been questioned whether or not we are buying really legal beacons. But of all the controversies, the one that has gained the most force due to a purely practical issue has been the issue of its visibility and effectiveness. And it is that the experts themselves have warned that the light is seen little and may be insufficient. From Xataka We have shown our own doubts about whether or not it is really advisable to get rid of triangles. These doubts are generated, in part, by the visibility of the beacon in complicated environments such as a secondary road, especially if we are next to a change in gradient or a secondary road. In this case, we still think that triangles are the best tool but the DGT also includes help that, of course, will not always work. We are talking about the V-27 signal. A notice in exchange for the triangles As we have told you before, When we activate a connected V-16 beacon we have 100 seconds until our position is first submitted. This data is sent through IoT networksknown as “the Internet of Things.” Our position is sent to the DGT 3.0 platform so that they can locate the incident. Once the DGT receives the notice that something is happeningactivates the warning on nearby light panels that an accident or breakdown has occurred in the vicinity so that vehicles drive with caution. This, obviously, does not make much sense on a secondary road where these panels do not exist. But the DGT warns that, in exchange, we will have the signal V-27. This sign is in the shape of a triangle with an exclamation mark inside and three stripes on its right side to represent its “connectivity.” Once DGT 3.0 detects the incident, in addition to sending the warnings to the light panel, it will also activate this V-27 signal that will light on the instrument panel of our car to warn us that we are facing a risky situation. Likewise, the body can activate it for any other reason it considers dangerous, not just by activating a beacon. V-16. Of course, as noted in the Royal Decree that regulates its arrival“this signal, of a voluntary nature, will only be displayed in those vehicles that are connected by telematic means, directly or through a service provider, with the National Access Point for Traffic and Mobility Information“. Therefore, it will not be available in all cars. Is the V-27 signal useful? Yes, because the driver will receive more information about what is happening around him. It must be taken into account that on a highway it is easier to visualize a problem and it is easy to pass by one of the illuminated panels that alert us of any type of emergency. However, on a secondary road it can be very useful since it will be activated before we reach the scene of the accident, right on a type of road where visibility is reduced and where the focus has been placed on limiting the V-16 beacon. We must not lose sight, however, that in order to receive this notice we must have a connected car and, in addition, the car or its provider must be registered with the National Access Point for Traffic and Mobility Information. If not, it will be of no use. Photo | Andri Klopfenstein and DGT In Xataka | The V16 wanted to replace the triangle and reduce risks. They have ended up proving that they can also create them

Renfe already warns that AVE prices have hit the bottom

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The prices we have seen so far in high speed have been a mirage. At least that is what Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe, predicts, who in an interview with Chain Being has come to ensure that Ouigo and Iryo will end up leaving our country. Prices, costs and unprofitable high speed. More expensive. There are many headlines left by the interview that Álvaro Fernández Heredia, president of Renfe, left in an interview with Chain Being. To begin with, because he has indicated that high speed prices will rise: “If our competitors raise prices, which is something they have begun to do, we will follow that trend, because we are competing with them in those corridors, and this is the scheme that we have given ourselves as a society” What Fernández Heredia is talking about is the rising prices that high-speed trains are experiencing. The matter has made headlines with the departure of the AVLO of the Madrid-Barcelona corridor that has caused an immediate increase in the price of trains. With a weaker Renfe when it comes to lowering prices, on average the price of the ticket is already above 80 euros and the cheapest one does not go below 50 euros. The service has been getting more expensive for some time but without AVLO, prices are even higher. public service. In his statements, the president of Renfe comes to say that they will do what their rivals do. If they lower prices they will fight with them but if they raise prices they will not resist to seek market share at a low price. What Renfe defends is that they have the obligation to provide service where it is not profitable. This shows them the way to raise prices in the corridors where they do have competition. “We have a pricing policy that does not seek profit or does not seek to have a distribution of dividends. Our distribution of dividends is to stop where the others do not stop or what is not High Speed, which is the Long Distance: Almería, Algeciras or Tolosa. We are a public company and we are here to compete with other companies, but we are also there to support the rest of the railway system. Our High Speed, of the only three operators there are, is the only one that is economically sustainable, but we also have to sustain those stops that other operators do not want to make and that could, but do not do them because they only seek profitability” That message is the same one that Óscar Puente sentMinister of Transport, a year ago when he complained that Renfe had to compete in the same market as Ouigo and Iryo but with the burden of having to go where the company loses money. Some losses that have also focused the debate in recent months. Private, but not much. This is what the president of Renfe maintains. For Fernández Heredia, Ouigo and Iryo “are public companies from other countries. I understand that they will have to give an explanation as to why they come to Spain to lose money, I don’t think they will come to that, because it would be very difficult to understand.” In this message sent to Chain Being the complaint is implicit (and the threat of denunciation) that The Government launched Ouigo at the time. It was then pointed out that this French company I was pushing the prices to gain market share knowing that it has its back covered by the French State. From Ouigo they have rejected this, ensuring that Your pricing strategy is the usual one among those who enter to play in a new market. Losing money. At the moment what we have is a war in which Renfe, Ouigo and Iryo are losing money. Without knowing whether prices will continue to rise, what is certain is that the three companies are spending tens of millions of euros. Specifically, almost 100 million euros in 2024. Of those hundred million euros lost, the majority belong to Ouigo, which according to the CNMC left 40.5 million. The figure is far from the 31.5 million euros that Iryo left, but Renfe also lost money, specifically 27 million. Of course, the CNMC also assures that, since competition was opened in high speed, consumers have saved about 500 million euros. Until when? Although prices rise little by little, what is certain is that competition has lowered the cost for the customerespecially in those corridors where the flow of movement is not as constant or dense as in Madrid-Barcelona. In the latter, in addition to the high demand, the departure of AVLO has confirmed that if the high speed competition low cost one of the three competitors leaves, the immediate result is that prices rise. So, yes, we have most likely hit a bottom in high-speed prices but they are more likely to rise more slowly the more competition there is. Photo | Alan Grant In Xataka | In the 19th century, Spain made the strange decision to build its roads in Iberian gauge. Now they are going to be a gift for Renfe in Galicia

The body warns of Alzheimer’s long before the brain. The track is in the intestine

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Keep ‘healthy’ The bacteria we have in the intestine It is more important than we can think. During the last decade there are many voices that have arisen pointing to the relationship between our microbiota and other parts of our body. Now, a study has given light on the amazing connection that exists between digestive and metabolic health and the risk of developing diseases neurodegenerative as Alzheimer’s either Parkinson. A study that has used data of all kinds. Research, published in Science Advances, Not only identifies specific disorders that increase the risk of these diseases, but also demonstrates that these signals can be detected up to 15 years before neurological diagnosis, opening a new and promising via for Early detection and prevention. The work, which analyzed the clinical, genetic and proteomic data of hundreds of thousands of biobancos such as the UK Biobank, Finngen and Sail, is the most extensive of its kind and reinforces the importance of called intestine-corebro axisthe complex communication network that connects our digestive system with the central nervous. Digestive disorders and Alzheimer’s. The researchers analyzed the association of 155 digestive, endocrine, metabolic and nutritional disorders with the future risk of Alzheimer and Parkinson. The results are revealing. For Alzheimer’s, it was found that previous diagnoses of the following conditions significantly increased the risk: Gastritis and duodenitis Esophageal reflux disease (esophagitis) Diabetes (all types) Vitamin D deficiency Electrolyte disorders and acid-base balance Functional intestinal disorders (such as irritable intestine syndrome) There are also warning signs for Parkinson. A disease that is also neurodegenerative and is iconicly characterized with a constant tremor, among many other signs. In this case, the pathologies that could be an alert sign to generate this disease were: Dyspepsia (indigestion) Diabetes (dependent and independent of insulin) Functional intestinal disorders The importance of being a stratified study. This means that the data were divided into windows from 1 to 5, 5 to 10 and 10 to 15 years before diagnosis. This is something really important, since researchers could confirm the theory that the increase in risk is not something that happens just after the appearance of the first neurological symptoms, but it is a process that is created over more than a decade. For example, a diagnosis of non -insulin -dependent diabetes between 10 and 15 years before was associated with a 71% greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s. The importance of an early diagnosis. And it is that diagnosing a neurodegenerative disease so in advance is the best asset we have to avoid its most unwanted effects. Right now Alzheimer is an incurable disease, but There are drugs that stop the disease. From here lies the importance of having an early diagnosis, since the sooner the timely treatment begins, the more difficult it will be to progress to the worst stages. It also has protection functions. Curiously, it has been seen that a hemorrhoid diagnosis was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. The authors speculate that this could be due to a survival bias: the serious conditions that are sometimes associated with hemorrhoids could have a higher mortality rate, which would reduce the probability that these patients live enough to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Genetics or lifestyle? One of the most counterintuitive findings in the study has to do with genetics. The researchers calculated the polygenic risk scores (PRS), which is a measure of genetic predisposition to a disease, and compared them. They discovered that patients who developed Alzheimer’s or Parkinson and also had one of these digestive or metabolic disorders, on average, had a lower genetic risk score than those who developed the neurological disease in isolation. Inheritance does not matter so much. These results can translate into that the person with intestinal comorbidity, environmental and lifestyle factors They play a much more decisive role in the development of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s than the genetic inheritance itself. It is the evidence that we needed to reinforce the idea that the disease is not only in our genetic material, but that the environment and our decisions can intervene in its development. Towards a multimodal predictive model. The true qualitative leap of the study is the creation of a multimodal prediction model. Instead of based on a single type of data, scientists combined four pillars of information: clinical, genetic, proteomic data (with the analysis of 1,463 biomarkers) and demographic. The result was a model with a predictive capacity much higher than that of any individual paradigm. For Alzheimer’s, the combined model reached a 0.90 precision (AUC), a very high level for this type of predictions. It is interesting to note that the model that excluded clinical data, but maintained genetics, proteomics and demography, obtained almost identical precision (0.89), which suggests that blood biomarkers already capture much of the biological information that underlies clinical diagnoses. A diagnosis based on an analytical. Among the most influential biomarkers were found GLIAL FIBRARRARARY ACID PREIIN (GFAP) and the light chain neurofilament (NFL), both known as indicators of neuronal damage, which validates the biological robustness of the model. This approach demonstrates that the integration of different “omics” (genomic, proteomic) with clinical data is the way to follow for truly early and personalized detection, long before cognitive symptoms or irreversible motors appear. The team has even developed an interactive web platform so that other researchers can explore the results, promoting transparency and reproducibility. Images | Weermeijer Robina Julien Tromeur In Xataka | We have a new “theory of all” to understand Alzheimer’s. Your key is in small granules

We believed that the heat wave was over. Aemet warns that, in reality, we still have the worst ahead

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The heat wave that affects the peninsula is leaving shocking data. Yesterday, three of the weather stations of the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) collected maximums above the 45º Celsius, with 55 registering more than 42º. Two records of record. On August 11 and 12 they beat, According to Aemettwo temperature records. With an average temperature that touched the 29th in peninsular Spain, this month has seen on August 11 and 12 more than at least 1950. In fact, they are among the warmer days registered in August: only three times the 29th Celsius barrier has been overcome. On August 12, it was also the hottest day than is going 2025. If they are fulfilled The agency’s forecaststhe first twenty of August will be the warmest in peninsular Spain since there are records, exceeding a few tenths the previous registry (of 2003), and for more than one degree the next highest record, last year. From Seville to Badajoz. Yes Let’s go to the most extreme caseswe can find the 45.2º of the weather stations of Seville, Tablada and El Granado (in Huelva), or the 45.5º collected in Badajoz. Another striking fact were the high minimum temperatures: 29.7º in Osuna (Seville), the highest in peninsular Spain (in Gran Canaria there were thermometers that did not fall from the 30). A number that does not want to leave. The answer to the question of “what is happening” has to do with atmospheric stagnation a “synoptic configuration continues quite stationary”, In Aemet’s words. A dorsal anchored on the peninsula That allows the entry of warm and dry air from Africa, as well as the high degree of insolation propitiated by summer and stable skies, are main responsible for a heat wave that is not only being intense, also long. The latest update of Aemet’s forecasts indicate that this exceptional situation will last at least until Monday 18. The “more likely” scenario is that the entrance of a fresh air mass from the Atlantic serves to relieve the situation, but there are still a few days left for us to know greater certainty when and how the end of this heat wave will be given. What can we expect. Meanwhile, what can we expect? After a kind of brief respite today, Aemet foresees A new increase in temperatures tomorrow Thursday, a more marked ascent in Galicia, where the thermometers can exceed 38º. On Friday this ascent will be extended throughout the north, where orange notices are already planned due to an important risk derived from high temperatures. In Xataka | Every summer fires ravage to Spain. There is a usual guilty that goes unnoticed: old tractors Image | ECMWF

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