water

The water exceeds 32 ºC and the forecasts are not good

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Summer advances and the classic refreshing feeling when entering the waters of the Mediterranean It is something that little by little we no longer feel the same way. The reason is none other than that year after year the water continues to warm up and exceed record numbers, which not only makes us feel less cool when bathing, but is also causing alterations in our climate, reaching the point that it could even exceed the temperatures of the Caribbean Sea during this summer. Setting record. The data recorded on the Spanish coasts They are especially forceful, and here the oceanographic buoys are our best ally by serving as a source of these measurements and which have been recording exceptional figures. To put ourselves in context of what is happening in our waters, we can look at the Bay of Pollença in Mallorca, where one of the buoys detected a water surface temperature of 32.1 ºC. The reason. Here the main culprit is undoubtedly the constant train of heat waves that is leaving the water of the western and central Mediterranean above 30 ºC in many of its sectors. But in addition to affecting the marine ecosystem, these extreme temperatures on the ocean surface contribute a greater amount of water vapor to the air, which increases relative humidity to levels between 80% and 90% and destroys thermal comfort in the form of torrid nights. And it is not something specific, but rather it is an inertia that we are moving towards, as confirmed by the Copernicus Marine Service, what points that during the first half of 2026 the Mediterranean experienced an average surface temperature of 18.07 ºC. This makes the semester between January and June the third warmest ever recorded, only surpassed by 2024 and 2025, and the same European organization points out that marine heat waves have affected about 82% of the global ocean, consolidating the Mediterranean as one of the highest risk hotspots worldwide. From space. Satellites have also detected these anomalies that confirm in another way the records that our Mediterranean is facing. Specifically, the ESA recorded on June 29, 2026 that the Mediterranean suffered anomalies in its surface temperature of up to 8 °C above the average for the period 1991-2020. If we are more specific, the wildest temperature increases were located off southern France and around the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, as well as on the Italian peninsula. Globally, Copernicus detected that on June 30 the global sea surface temperature anomaly was +0.5 °C, the highest value ever recorded for that calendar date. All this goes hand in hand with a suffocating atmospheric context, since the Copernicus C3S service documented that June 2026 was the second hottest June globally, reaching an average temperature of 16.54 °C, which is 1.39 °C above the pre-industrial level. The Mediterranean takes the worst part. The average temperature in the Mediterranean area has already risen approximately 1.5 °C since the pre-industrial era and this warming is progressing at a rate 20% faster than the global average. These figures are very serious, since future projections require urgent action, since it is expected that the Mediterranean could warm up to 5.6 ºC by the year 2100, varying depending on the final volume of our emissions. In Xataka | AEMET says it bluntly: in the Mediterranean it no longer makes sense to talk about a “tropical night” because almost all of them are.

Earth’s water is running out of oxygen. And that’s a problem

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We tend to relate oxygen with the air we breathebut the reality is that it is also an essential component of all the waters on the planet, from oceans to rivers and lakes. That is why the call just made by a team of scientists from the University of California San Diego is so important. In a recently published study, they show that the dissolved oxygen in all these waters is plummeting and that this could have disastrous consequences. For this reason, they point out that it would be advisable to establish aquatic oxygen as one of the factors that can become points of no return in the decline of our planet. The pace is alarming. According to these scientiststhe rate at which aquatic oxygen levels are falling is very alarming. It is due to several reasons. For a start, may be a consequence of excess nutrients known as eutrophication. Fertilizers, for example, are very rich in nitrogen, which is one of the most important nutrients for algae growth. When these proliferate too much, they cloud the water and prevent sunlight from adequately reaching aquatic photosynthetic organisms. This is the first cause of the decrease in aquatic oxygen levels. On the other hand, when these algae die they fall to the bottom and are degraded by bacteria that consume a lot of oxygen. There we will have even less. On the other hand, hot water dissolves less oxygen than cold water. And we already know how much the planet’s water is warming lately. Finally, changes in water movement and ventilationfor example by the construction of dams, can hinder the distribution of oxygen in the water. The consequences. Decreased aquatic oxygen levels are detrimental for many reasons. To begin with, living beings that breathe directly in water can clearly suffer the consequences. This ranges from microscopic organisms to fish and the sharks. However, even marine mammals, which come to the surface to breathe, suffer the consequences of this deoxygenation, as their prey relocates and their habitats are damaged. On the other hand, many chemical processes that help regulate the climate on Earth suffer the effects of aquatic deoxygenation. This is the case of the carbon cycle, for example. The nine planetary limits. The planetary limits are nine scenarios with thresholds within which humanity can continue to develop without there being an imminent danger to the planet. Once they are exceeded, it is assumed that the point of no return The deterioration of the Earth is very close. These limits are established for climate change, biosphere integrity, land use change, freshwater use, biogeochemical fluxes, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone layeratmospheric aerosol loading and new entities, formerly known as chemical pollution. For each of these contexts, there is an established limit that should not be exceeded. However, according to the last review of their status, The threshold has already been crossed in seven of them. Aquatic oxygen as the tenth planetary limit. The authors of the study just published point out that aquatic oxygen should also be considered a planetary limit. Their levels are declining dangerously and action must be taken on the matter as soon as possible, as they affect ecosystems and the climate very directly. If this “title” were given, perhaps we would be more aware of its evolution and we could take action on the matter in time. For now, it’s just a proposal. However, given what we have seen, it is something that should be taken very seriously. We talk about forests as the lungs of the planet, but we cannot forget the aquatic lung. After all, that is where life first emerged. Images | Magnificent In Xataka | Three days and above the 95th percentile: AEMET’s golden rule for declaring a “heat wave” in Spain

A startup has created a machine that makes gasoline with air, water and electricity. It is your bet to save the combustion engine

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Aircela, a New York startup, has taught the world a machine capable of manufacturing gasoline using only air, water and renewable electricity. The device, which is not exactly small, has already been shown in operation in several public demonstrations and aims to become an alternative to biofuels and a solution for those who are not yet willing to switch to electric. Below these lines we tell you all the details. What has happened? The company presented its technology in 2025. According to collected Popular Science, its CEO, Eric Dahlgren, wanted to make it clear that it was not a simple concept on paper. “We haven’t built a prototype. We’ve built a machine that works,” he said. The goal of Aircela, founded in 2019 by Eric and Mia Dahlgren, is that this fuel can be poured directly into the tank of any gasoline car without touching the engine. How it works. According to they count those responsible, the process is divided into three phases. First, a fan introduces air into the machine, which passes through a network capable of retaining CO2 and generating a liquid carbon solution. An electrolyzer then separates that solution while producing hydrogen from water. Finally, a compressor combines both elements to create methanol, which is refined into ready-to-use gasoline. The result, as detailed by the company itself in different demonstrations, is a fuel without sulfur, ethanol or heavy metals, compatible with current engines without the need for any modification. Between the lines. Current performance is, for now, modest. And each machine captures around 10 kilos of CO2 per day and thus produces a single gallon of gasoline (about 3.8 liters), with a storage capacity of up to 17 gallons (about 65 liters) in the tank, according to share the middle. This means that we would not be able to fill a car’s tank for several days. Furthermore, just as share In Futurism, the process consumes approximately twice as much energy as is ultimately stored in the fuel, putting its efficiency below 50%. Even so, Aircela maintains that using independent solar panels, the electricity cost would remain below a dollar and a half per gallon. The but. Dahlgren insists that its technology does not compete with the electric car, but rather complements it in those uses where replacing the vehicle is not viable in the short term, such as freight transportation, motor racing or areas without sufficient electrical infrastructure. In fact, the ABC7 media points out that the company has no intention of manufacturing larger machines to produce more fuel, but rather of multiplying the number of units, something similar to how a solar farm works. Who is behind. Aircela has managed to raise nearly $5.5 million to date, according to data from Pitchbook. Its investors include Chris Larsen, founder of Ripple; Jeff Ubben, ExxonMobil activist advisor; and Maersk Growth, the venture capital fund of the Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk. Morten Bo Christiansen, head of energy transition at Maersk, explained in a statement collected by Carbon Herald that the shipping company invested because of the startup’s innovative approach and that it hopes, over time, to go from being an investor to becoming a client. The technology, furthermore, draws directly from the work of physicist Klaus Lackner, pioneer of direct air capture and Dahlgren’s former mentor during his PhD at Columbia University. And now what. There is still no talk of commercial deployment, but the first uses of this machine would be focused on industrial, commercial clients and areas without access to the electrical grid, according to share from Interesting Engineering. Aircela has also negotiated with several car manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover, as well as an American manufacturer and another German whose names it did not reveal, according to they claim from Observer. The price of each unit could range between 15,000 and 20,000 dollars, as share from Futurism, although Aircela is confident that mass production will lower the cost over time. Images | Aircela In Xataka | The wildest work in the North Sea: a colossal artificial island where half of Europe wants to plug in to receive energy

fill the Aral Sea with water to capture CO2

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The disappearance of the Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, is widely known as one of the greatest ecological disasters caused by human hands. Starting in the 1960s, the diversion of the rivers that fed it to boost intensive Soviet cotton cultivation transformed the fourth largest lake in the world into an immense saline desert. However, the consequences go far beyond biodiversity loss or local geographic changes. The climate impact. A study with a Spanish firm has put figures on a problem that goes far beyond desiccation, since the reality is that the dry bed of the Aral is a gigantic source of greenhouse gas emissions. And to put it in context, it has been seen that since the beginning of its desiccation has released about 748 million tons of CO₂a figure equivalent to the combined emissions of one year of Spain, France and Belgium. The biological mechanism. Historically, arid areas transformed into crops through irrigation, as occurred in Central Asia, have been counted as carbon sinks. However, when crossing the cycle of these irrigations with the emissions of the lake that they dried to exist, the global balance is completely reversed in favor of the emission of greenhouse gases. Something that we have repeated a lot is that lakes and wetlands act as natural sinks by retaining the atmospheric carbon that vegetation absorbs during photosynthesis, which ends up deposited and immobilized in the bottom sediments dragged by river networks. And now we are remembering this same mechanism. The problem. The water column acts as a physical plug that isolates sediments from atmospheric oxygen, and when the water disappears, that plug disappears. This causes oxygen to quickly penetrate the sediment layers and trigger an immediate biological response: communities of lethargic microorganisms “wake up” and begin to degrade the organic matter that had accumulated for centuries. It is during this aerobic microbial degradation process that the massive release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that has been accumulating for many years occurs. The Spanish team’s measurements corroborate this process, since, by analyzing sediments in a spatial gradient to the center of the wetland, the researchers verified that the most recently dried beds still retain a large amount of organic carbon compared to those that were exposed in the 1960s. The solution. One of the most emphatic conclusions of the work is that the current mitigation strategies in the area are not working. Efforts to plant vegetation on the old dry bed have practically zero CO₂ absorption capacity in this type of arid ecosystems and are not providing any real solution. For all this, the only way to stop microbial degradation and stop CO₂ emissions is to restore physical insulation, that is, cover the area again with water. The data. Researchers estimate that some 605 million tons of CO₂ still remain to be released if no action is taken, and preventing this massive leak requires a monumental, but technically feasible, intervention. The problem that has been seen right now is that the area’s obsolete irrigation network wastes up to 90% of the water it transports. That is why modernizing the entire infrastructure, which would require 8.5 billion euros, would allow us to recover around 50% of the original surface of the lake from 1960. And the result would benefit the entire planet. The financing. For pay for a water engineering project of this magnitude, the authors of the research propose using the avoided emissions themselves as a bargaining chip. And if it is possible to flood the wetland again and stop the emission of those 605 million tons of CO₂, that amount could be transformed into marketable carbon credits. Calculations estimate that the project would generate some 323 million tons equivalent in credits, whose value in the international market would range between 3,100 and 15,800 million euros. Images | Khusen Rustamov In Xataka | Climate change has a lethal side effect that we are only just discovering: it locks us in the house and prevents us from moving

the iRobot beast with 30,000 Pa of suction and self-cleaning base with hot water

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When it seemed that the automated cleaning was stagnant, iRobot has just announced its new launch, which aspires to become the firm’s flagship this year. We are talking about Roomba Max 775 Combo with AutoWash Basea device that not only seeks to stand out for its raw power, but also for taking a giant step towards real autonomy by completely reducing manual maintenance. iRobot Roomba Max 775 Multifunction AutoWash Base and Hot Water Combo The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Say goodbye to difficult stains thanks to its power and high temperature scrubbing system There are several features that make this robot vacuum cleaner one of the most ambitious bets in the sector. For example, it comes with a suction power of 30,000 Paa figure that ensures deep extraction of dirt and pet hair on both hard floors and carpets. The system is supported by two anti-tangle rubber brushes to avoid typical blockages. One of the great new features of this iRobot Roomba Max 775 Combo is its scrubbing with hot water at 75°C. Unlike models that only moisten the floor, this robot scrubs at 200 revolutions per minute, applying constant pressure and high-temperature water to break up embedded dirt. Another of the technologies for which it stands out is PowerSpin PerfectEdgedesigned so that the Scouring roller reaches corners and edges well of the walls, one of the traditional weak points of this type of robots. Likewise, if you have carpets at home, this robot detects when it passes over one and raises the wet roller to avoid wetting the fabric while continuing to vacuum at maximum power, something that not all robot vacuum cleaners offer. Its AutoWash base is one of its great secrets The brain of the maintenance system is its new charging and car wash station. The base not only empties the robot’s solids tank into hermetically sealed, odor-controlled bags for up to three months, but it takes care of the most tedious part of the scrubbing. Once the task is finished, the base washes the scrubbing roller with hot water at 75ºC and dries it with hot air at 50ºC to prevent the appearance of moisture and bad odors. In addition, it intelligently manages the cleaning fluid dosage through its automatic mixing system StayClean. In the navigation section, iRobot has integrated LiDAR sensors capable of generating accurate three-dimensional maps of multi-story homes. This is supported by a front camera with Artificial Intelligence (PrecisionVision) trained to recognize and actively avoid small everyday obstacles such as cables, shoes or unforeseen events from our pets. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: iRobot Roomba Max 775 Combo robot vacuum cleaner with AutoWash Base ✅ THE BEST Scrubbing with real hot water… The combination of scrubbing at 200 rpm with 75°C water promises to eliminate dry stains that other robots only spread. Almost zero maintenance: Having the base not only empty the dust, but also cleaning the roller with hot water and drying it with air at 50°C is key to forget about bad odors and mold. ❌ THE WORST High end price… Although it offers very advanced technologies, its starting price of €899 is still a significant investment that not all budgets can afford. Official consumables unit… To get the most out of your self-cleaning and sanitizing, you’ll depend on the brand’s StayClean™ cleaning solution and AllergenLock™ bags. 💡 BUY IT IF… You live with pets. Thanks to the 30,000 Pa of suction, its anti-tangle brushes and the airtight bags that trap allergens, it is ideal for dealing with constant hair and dust. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You are looking for an economical option for basic cleaning, paying 900 euros for premium car wash functions will not make sense for you. Other Roomba robot vacuum cleaners that may interest you iRobot Roomba Plus 516 Multifunction AutoWash Base Combo The price could vary. We earn commission from these links iRobot Roomba 115 Combo with AutoEmpty Base, 2in1 Robot The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | iRobot In Xataka | Best handheld vacuum cleaners: which one to buy and 6 + 1 recommended models from just over 30 euros In Xataka | The best window cleaning robots to always have shiny windows

It’s not that a Meta data center consumes too much or too little water. It is contaminating it

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AI is quite unpopular among American citizens. According to a recent survey, the majority believe that it will have a negative impact on society. There is something in particular that has earned the rejection of a large part of the population: data centersand the truth is that they have no shortage of reasons. They pollute the airthey make raise the electricity bill and now they also contaminate the water with potentially deadly bacteria. what has happened. They count in Futurism that the authorities of Cheyenne, Wyoming, have prohibited all data centers from discharging any type of waste into the drinking water network. The reason is that Goat Systems LLC, a Meta contractor that is participating in the construction of a new data center, discharged water contaminated with Cupriavidus gilardii to the public sewage, a rare and very dangerous bacteria, especially for immunosuppressed people. The investigation. It’s not that anyone was monitoring the water quality at this particular data center, but rather that the bacteria was detected incidentally during routine testing for fecal contamination. “It’s not something we normally look at,” Frank Strong, head of the Cheyenne water agency’s engineering division, told local Wyoming News. The trail led them to the data center that Meta is building in the city, although Strong admits that they still do not know the exact origin of the pathogen within the facility. Consequences. As soon as the origin was determined, the authorities closed the facilities and stopped the discharge immediately. Additionally, as we said, they are revoking permissions so that other data centers can do the same. This means that they will not be able to do the process known as fill and flushwhereby they fill their cooling systems with water and then purge them before startup. Cupriavidus gilardii. It is an environmental bacteria that is found naturally in the soil. According to a study published in March of this year, is considered a opportunistic pathogen which rarely infects humans, but if it does it can cause death. To date, seven cases of death caused by Cupriavidus gilardii have been known and, at the moment, none have been recorded related to the spill from this data center. Meta’s response. In a public statement, a Meta spokesperson recalled that the bacteria had been found in wastewater, not public drinking water, and stated that it “immediately stopped discharging industrial wastewater and began transporting it outside the facilities.” However, the sewage system where the bacteria was located goes to a plant where wastewater is treated and then reused in public spaces such as parks, hence the authorities’ ban. What is clear is that the popularity of data centers in the US does not seem to be improving anytime soon. Image | Xataka with Magnific In Xataka | We already know how much water Amazon consumes in its data centers. We have good and bad news

We believed that stress was only psychological. Science shows that it also depends on the amount of water you drink

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We all know that facing a tight deadline, a job interview, or a heated argument trigger our stress levelsand it is nothing more than a basic evolutionary response. However, science is beginning to see that the intensity with which our body reacts to a stressor depends not only on our psychology, but on something as fundamental as the amount of water we drink throughout the day. It has been investigated. A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology has put on the table the relationship that exists between the general state of hydration and the reactivity of cortisol to acute stress. In other words, a dehydrated body is a body that overreacts to the problems that may arise on a daily basis. Cortisol. To understand this finding, we must first look at the ‘place’ where our stress is regulated, which is the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. This system is activated when we face a psychosocial threat that culminates in the release of cortisol, which is our main stress-related hormone and can be easily measured through saliva. Logically, cortisol at normal levels is necessary for survival, but the problem arises when it remains high for a long time, which begins to generate many problems in our body and also confronts us with anxiety disorders. Hydration. This is where water comes into play, since dehydration, even mild, is not just having a dry mouth but biologically, it is a major stressor. When we do not drink enough water, our blood volume decreases and its concentration increases. The body perceives this as a threat to homeostasis and responds by releasing hormones to try to compensate for this lack of fluid, such as vasopressin, which causes us to urinate much less to avoid ‘wasting’ water. Threats. What science demonstrates here is that when we subject a person who is poorly hydrated to psychological stress, the body experiences a double threat. Here the nervous system is already dealing with the physiological stress of lack of water and, if we add to that an external stressor, such as a work problem, the cortisol response shoots up much more abruptly than in a well-hydrated person. But we are not facing something completely isolated, but rather there are many studies who have found a relationship between state anxiety and hydration. If we go to the purest physiology, it makes sense, since the brain is made up of 73% water and that is why it is extremely sensitive to a drop in the amount of liquid drunk throughout the day. It is not the same for everyone. Human biology is rarely a simple equation, as the salivary cortisol response to psychosocial stress has high variability between people. Age, sex, coffee consumption, smoking or steroid levels act as modulators of this hormone, for example. However, the state of hydration is now emerging as one of the most easily modified variables by ourselves. We can’t change our age or erase a family problem, but we can make sure that our fluid intake doesn’t make things more difficult for our nervous system. Images | engin akyurt In Xataka | The myth of “two liters of water a day” collapses: a mistake from 1945 that science is now trying to correct

“Cold water does not block digestion, but if it is too cold it can make it slower and less comfortable”

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With the arrival of the heat, something that many people may want is to grab a bottle of very cold water and start drinking as if there were no tomorrow. But along with this common practice, a classic phrase also arises under the myth that drinking ice water can “block” digestion. The idea in mind. The claim has a physiologically plausible basis, since cold induces transient gastric vasoconstriction. However, when crossing these claims with the primary scientific literature, we discovered that the line between proven biological mechanism and exaggerated myth is extremely fine. To break this line, Silvia Gómez, specialist in the digestive system, in statements to La Vanguardia pointed that “cold water does not block digestion, but if it is too cold it can make it slower and less comfortable.” And this last part is where the key to this issue is found. The physiology of cold. To understand what happens when we drink ice water, we must know that our digestive system operates optimally at the body’s core temperature, which is approximately 37ºC. In this way, when we introduce a liquid at temperatures close to 0ºC the body reacts and the cold causes the blood vessels to constrict to conserve heat. The consequence is simply a temporary alteration in the contraction patterns of all the muscles in the stomach and, therefore, affects the ability to digest. It is studied. The most direct and recent proof of this is found in a work published in 2020. In this crossover experimental trial, researchers followed 11 healthy men after ingesting 500 mL of water at three different temperatures: 2°C, 37°C, and 60°C. Gastric ultrasound results made it clear that 2°C water significantly reduced the frequency of gastric contractions compared to body temperature or hot water during the hour after a meal. But curiously, this modulation of gastric motility showed that the subjects who drank the ice water experienced earlier satiety, reducing their energy intake in the subsequent meal by between 19% and 26%. It is not a block. The fact that it is proven that the stomach reduces its contraction work does not mean that digestion is “blocked” or “cut off.” We must keep in mind that the human body has an enormous thermoregulatory capacity that means that, when we drink a cold liquid, it reaches body temperature in a matter of minutes, restoring normal gastric activity. Many myths. There are many phrases around drinking cold water that are very mythical in our society, such as, for example, that it “solidifies fats.” And, although thermodynamics dictates that cold hardens fats, in the human gastric environment this has no clinical relevance, since the thermal effect is so ephemeral and the combined action of hydrochloric acid, enzymes and subsequent mechanical agitation is so powerful, that the body compensates for the thermal impact quickly. Another quite important myth is related to the effect that cold water has on the intestinal microbiota, but so far there is no solid evidence that demonstrates damage to our bacteria. We are not all the same. That the effect is harmless to the general population does not mean that all digestive systems react the same. In clinical practice, the temperature of beverages becomes important in patients with important functional pathologies such as, for example, functional dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux, gastritis or irritable bowel syndrome. In these cases, sudden thermal stimuli that modify gastric motility can increase the symptoms, and here the gastric slowing of cold water can be a problem. Although we are talking about specific cases that should follow the recommendations of your specialist doctor. Images | Nigel Msipa In Xataka | Science has disproved the productivity gurus’ morning mantra: a cold shower is as useless as waking up early.

The Rhine is running out of water due to heat waves. And that is a logistical and energy disaster for Europe

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A new wave of extreme heat is hitting the heart of the European continent, and the consequences go far beyond the records in thermometers or the fact to see raised tram tracks. The Rhine River, Western Europe’s most important river highway, is seeing its water levels plummet and the result is that a logistical bottleneck is being generated that threatens the supply of fuel and fundamental raw materials for Europe. The worry. The alarm has begun to be raised when it has been detected that the barges that navigate the river can barely carry half of their capacity, putting the supply of an important part of Europe in check. And all because of these heat waves that we are experiencing in Europe. To understand the magnitude of the problem, you have to look at how inland navigation works, since the Rhine is not limited to water crossing Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, but is an industrial artery. Literally, coal for thermal power plants, chemicals for industrial giants, oil or automotive components are transported through this river. The drought. When the flow of the river begins to decrease, its depth also decreases, and this collides with vessels that have a critical threshold. This means that if the water drops below a certain level at key points such as the famous Kaub bottleneck in Germany, captains are forced to drastically reduce their load to avoid running aground on the river bottom. This makes load 50 or even 30% of the boat’s capacity It is not an exaggeration, but a physical necessity. This triggers a domino effect that means that, if a ship carries half the load, it takes a second to do the same work. And since there are no infinite ships, transportation prices skyrocket and goods either do not arrive on time or become very expensive. It’s not just the Rhine. Although the exact impact figures should always be taken with caution because they vary greatly depending on the stretch of the river and the type of vessel, the general diagnosis is incontestable. Here the Joint Research Center of the European Commission has studied in-depth how limitations due to low water levels impact European rivers. Its scientific framework perfectly explains the current collapse, since low levels not only reduce cargo capacity, but completely alter continental logistics flows, drastically increasing operating costs. The reasons. Here the different institutions are clear that the problem lies in the lack of rain in spring and the lower amount of snow accumulated in the Alps during the winter, which causes the river to lose its natural “reserve” for the summer. But also, the Rhine is clearly warming. This not only has clear economic effects, but also serious ecological impacts on the river’s fauna, which in turn forces additional restrictions to be imposed. The new normal. What we are seeing this year does not seem like an event that remains a simple anecdote to tell our grandchildren, but rather the different evidence indicates that seeing low flow will be increasingly frequent due to climate change. The proposed solution involves the use of AI to predict exactly when we will see these very low flows to optimize the supply chain, or simply build flat-bottomed boats with better drafts to be able to continue transporting cargo when the river is at even lower levels of flow. Images | Wikipedia In Xataka | Global warming has stepped on the accelerator at an unprecedented rate and we are getting closer to the point of no return

We have been heating water to make coffee for a century. It wasn’t necessary: ​​just ultrasounds

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For many people, making coffee is practically as important a ritual as drinking it. Because by the way: anyone can make coffee, but not everyone does it well. Following scrupulously the Specialty Coffee Association recipe, To make the canonical espresso you need 7 to 9 grams of coffee and force the passage of water at 90.5 – 96.1ºC at 9 – 10 atmospheres of pressure. The coffee grind should be such that the extraction time is 20 to 30 seconds. That’s what any barista or super-automatic machine should aspire to. Next to nothing. Although the coffee maker is not on the list of appliances that increase the electricity bill at home the most, on an industrial scale things change: this process of bringing the water to those temperature and pressure conditions represents a significant energy cost. So an Australian research team has found another way to do it without the need for heat: ultrasound. The invention. To make coffee with ultrasound and without heat, the first thing you need is a filter holder tuned in an ultrasonic reactor where high-frequency sound waves induce acoustic cavitation. It sounds backwards, but in practice the ultrasonic coffee maker that the University of New South Wales has patented looks like a normal coffee maker with a small accessory. Let’s go back to the acoustic cavitation. Roughly speaking, the waves create thousands of tiny bubbles within the water that, when collapsing with the ground coffee, act as if they were a hammer: they break the surface of the heat and release what is inside, that is, flavors, oils, aromas and caffeine. The result is an espresso with a concentration equivalent to conventional espresso in less than three minutes. Why is it important. Because you can make coffee consuming much less: for the same amount of drink, this ultrasonic system consumes only 24.3% of the energy required by a conventional espresso machine. On a domestic scale the savings are small, but for a factory that 75% saving is significant. And it has another win-win for the industry: the coffee obtained comes out cold and concentrated, so there is no need to wait for it to cool (or chill it), it is ready to be mixed directly with milk or water in a factory, which saves time, energy and money. Context. Although it sounds exotic, ultrasounds are not new in the food industry. Without going any further, They have been used for decades for the processing of juices, oils or dairy products. In fact, its application to coffee is not new either: at least two manufacturers have brought similar infusion devices to the marketbut they didn’t go that far: the UNSW project goes one step further. Thus, it is the first that has achieved an espresso (not a diluted cold brew, your previous job) that passes for a conventional espresso in a sensory tasting with 100 participants. In detail. The study analyzed the influence of variables such as grind size, extraction ratio and duration of ultrasonic treatment. And he came to the conclusions that a finer grind managed to extract the flavor more efficiently and an infusion time of between 2.5 and 3 minutes gave the best results. For sensory tasting, the team conducted random blind tests with four beverages: traditional espresso, ultrasonic espresso, traditional filter coffee, and ultrasonic filter coffee. In the case of espresso, those who participated were unable to clearly distinguish which had been prepared traditionally and which had been prepared ultrasonically as there were no significant differences in aroma, flavor, bitterness or overall rating. Curiously, for filter coffee the ultrasonic version was preferred. Yes, but. The first limitation of this peculiar way of making coffee is time: compared to less than half a minute, with ultrasound the process lasts up to three minutes. A time that can be interesting (due to energy savings) on an industrial scale, but not for hospitality and homes. On the other hand, and although it comes out with flying colors in the blind tastings, they have not analyzed the presence of healthy compounds in coffee, such as polyphenols or antioxidants, nor their proportion. Drinking coffee is a pleasure that also has health benefits. Finally, the ultrasonic coffee maker is currently a prototype: the enormous leap from the laboratory to the industrial scale remains to be made. In Xataka | Coffee doesn’t just wake you up: science now suggests that it also improves your mood (even decaffeinated) In Xataka | Drinking coffee is not harmful, but for science there is a very clear limit that should not be exceeded

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