water

Showering with cold water before sleeping in a heat wave seems like the best idea. Science warns that it is a big mistake

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Heat waves are already with us and in many places in recent days we have seen how they has far exceeded 40 ºC in many parts of our country. But the problem is not only that it is difficult to leave the house, but that sleeping becomes practically impossible for many peoplehaving a very fragmented sleep with different awakenings or even suffering from insomnia due to not being able to fall asleep. A solution. Faced with this great problem, common sense and desperation push us to get under the shower to be able to cool our body as much as possible just before entering bed to at least be a little cooler and try to fall asleep. But the problem here is that showering activates our body and can have a quite different effect than what we are looking for, making it very difficult to fall asleep. The mechanism of sleep. Something that we must keep in mind is that for our brain to understand that it is time to sleep, it needs a very specific physiological signal, which is the drop in the body’s core temperature. But when we take a shower of ice water, we get instant relief on the skin, but we cause our blood vessels to constrict so that our blood does not drop below its precious 36-37 ºC. In other words, the blood vessels They close to protect the internal heat of the body by sending less blood to our skin. The result. Although we get very fresh skin, a few minutes after getting out of the shower, the body experiences a rebound effect, retaining central heat and remaining in a state of alert because for the body there is a threat to which it has had to respond. On the other hand, warm or hot water does just the opposite, since, according to the group of researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, hot water stimulates the thermoregulatory system, causing blood to travel from the inner core of the body to the extremities. This facilitates a massive dissipation of body heat once we leave the bathroom, and that subsequent drop in core temperature is the biological switch that induces sleep. The warm water. Knowing all this, we can conclude that we should not use hot or cold water when showering, but that the middle ground is what we should look for. This is what an exhaustive review published in the journal points out. Sleep Medicine, where it was analyzed thousands of data to reach the conclusion that the optimal water temperature to improve sleep quality is between 40 and 42.5 ºC. But in a context of great heat like the one we are experiencing, experts clarify that the ideal is to look for the point of warm water, since the objective is not to roast ourselves, but to relax the blood vessels to promote heat loss from inside the body. The time. Showering and immediately getting into bed (or getting on top of the sheets) doesn’t work at all, since the body needs time to cool down. This same study we were referring to showed that the optimal time to take this shower is between 1 and 2 hours before going to bed. And best of all, it is something that has been shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. These data are reinforced by a large-scale observational study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, where, after analyzing more than 1,000 adultsresearchers confirmed that bathing between 61 and 180 minutes before going to bed is directly associated with faster falling asleep, thanks to physiological changes that are related to body heat. Images | Slaap In Xataka | An expert clarifies the main mistake of sleeping with air conditioning: “It is totally unnatural and we rest worse”

Nvidia’s solution to reduce water consumption in data centers to zero aims to be genius: use hot water

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Nvidia has announced a system of liquid cooling very special. Above all, because the concept of “refrigeration” is a bit confused here. The company has managed to reinvent this type of systems, and according to those responsible “the challenge of water consumption for data centers it is practically solved.” That’s saying a lot… or isn’t it? Jacuzzi cooling. The own Nvidia engineers They begin the description of their system by talking about how in jacuzzis the water is usually between 38 and 40 ºC, a temperature that makes most people last about 15 minutes in them. And the funny thing is that Nvidia’s new AI servers can use liquid cooling with water that is even hotter: up to 45ºC (113ºF). That is precisely the key to making the entire system efficient. Goodbye to fans. Nvidia’s new Rubin architecture claims to be the first in the world with an end-to-end liquid cooling system. At Nvidia they seal the server boards and eliminate noisy fans that shoot noise levels above 85 decibels. Elementary physics. The concept behind this idea is counterintuitive, but also brilliant. The chips generate so much heat that a liquid composed of 75% water and 25% propylene glycol entering at 45ºC is capable of absorbing the thermal load dissipated by these chips. The fluid absorbs that heat and ends up leaving the circuit at around 55ºC without the performance of the processor degrading at all. Good for 45ºC. The key is that Nvidia starts from that starting temperature of the water, which is 45º. In a liquid cooling circuit in PCs, the liquid is usually between 25 and 30 ºC. Here Nvidia manages to ensure that with this initial temperature the thermal difference with the outside air is high enough for the system to work passively in most temperate climates. The heat is expelled by gigantic external radiators. Water is only needed on the first fill. Even more interesting is the fact that this water circuit only needs to be filled once for the entire useful life of the plant, at least in theory. This eliminates traditional systems that use evaporative cooling towers. These systems consume enormous amounts of water, and according to Nvidia this makes it possible to cut water consumption of data centers by almost 100%. But. Although Nvidia’s idea is promising, the company only talks about what happens within the four walls of data centers. The impact internally in the data center is extraordinary, but what about outside? The problem, they explain on TechCrunchis that data centers they need a lot of energyand both the generation of that energy and the creation of the chips themselves used in data centers can fold either triple to the consumption of the data center itself. The gas and coal bill. Although renewable energies are increasingly covering a greater part of the needs in these data centersthe use of coal and natural gas will continue to be very notable in these facilities. According to the International Energy Association (IEA), these two sources will continue to represent 40% of the total used in AI data centers until at least 2030. And the generation of both types of energy requires vast quantities of water: natural gas plants they use 1.17 liters of water for every kWh of electricity they generate. Coal ones are even worse, requiring 2.2 liters per kWh. Good news, but not so good. The system devised by Nvidia can solve the problem within data centers and is even promising when it comes to reduce noise levels generated by these facilities. However, there are still equally important challenges to ensure that water consumption in other phases of this cycle is not so colossal. It is a good step, without a doubt, but the room for improvement is still notable in this area. In Xataka | Jensen Huang has taken a look at the idea of ​​putting data centers in space and has come to one conclusion: let’s not freak out

We have been told that drinking water on an empty stomach helps you lose weight. Scientific evidence says otherwise

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The Internet and social networks are full of supposedly easy tricks that promise almost miraculous results with a minimum effort for our body. One of these tricks is a habit that many people do as if it were a ritual: drinking a large glass of water, “yes or yes”, as soon as we get out of bed in the morning. This simple gesture promises to ‘wake up’ the intestines, activate the metabolism and promote weight loss. It’s a myth. What we hear on social networks is not always true, since we must face a large number of myths that have no scientific support behind them. And right now the best scientific evidence does not support this idea, Although it is true that drinking water increases our energy production. Thermogenesis. To understand where this widespread myth comes from, we must analyze the term “water-induced thermogenesis”, that is, the ability of our body to begin producing energy after drinking a glass of water. Here is a classic study In the medical literature it was observed that the consumption of 500 ml of water managed to increase the metabolic rate by around 30% during a period of 30 to 40 minutes. But although this percentage may seem incredible, the reality is that the acceleration of the metabolism translated into a total expenditure of 24 kilocalories. That is to say, its effect was so small that short-term weight loss was hardly going to be noticed due to this. It has been verified. Subsequent research in the fields of endocrinology and nutrition has attempted to replicate these data in different contexts. We have one of the examples in a clinical trial that evaluated the physiological effects in overweight or obese people, where an increase in energy expenditure of 24% was found for 60 minutes after ingesting 500 ml of water. But again it was seen that this slight temporary metabolic rebound does not imply a fat loss that is relevant in itself. On the scale. If now, instead of staying in the laboratory, we go to the real effect that this habit has on patients, we find that the narrative of water on an empty stomach as a slimming remedy loses much of its support, since the scientific evidence on weight loss attributable to water consumption is, in general terms, limited and of low to moderate quality. And the studies that have been done, despite pointing to weight loss, have a follow-up that is too short and a methodology that prevents giving a firm conclusion about applying this recommendation. The power of water. That dismantling the myth of a glass of water on an empty stomach is anticlimactic does not mean that hydration has no value in a weight control strategy. And the evidence suggests that drinking water helps to lose weight indirectly, since the mere fact of modifying the diet to go from a high consumption of sugary soft drinks or industrial juices to drinking water eliminates hundreds of calories a day with little effort. In addition, various trials suggest that drinking water before meals makes us feel full much sooner, which will reduce the amount of calories that we end up eating and, therefore, advancing a little further in the diet. Images | engin akyurt In Xataka | We believed that with Ozempic, people who lost weight exercised more. we believed wrong

Drinking tap water in Asia is almost crazy except in a country where it is a source of pride: Singapore

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Whether for work or vacation, I have traveled to Asia on several occasions and one recommendation has always followed me: “always drink bottled water”, even for tasks like brushing your teeth, it is better not to risk it and rinse your mouth with water that you know is safe. The recommendation spreads to most of East and South Asia, with destinations such as Thailand, Vietnam, China and India. However, a little over a week ago I visited Singapore and there was something that fascinated me: it’s not just forgetting to always carry a bottle of water, it’s that there wasn’t even one in the hotel room. Instead, a message recommended drinking tap water because it was of exceptional quality. That a country has quality water is not something miraculous, but Singapore is an anomaly in itself: it rains a lot, but it barely has land, so it lacks large aquifers or large rivers. In fact, for decades it depended on water imported from Malaysia (still doing it). However, they have managed to build one of the most advanced and reliable water treatment systems in the world thanks to the engineering and public policy behind it. The four national taps. In 2001 the public agency Public Utilities Board (PUB) assumed full control of the water cycle with a unified vision: from rainwater to the water that falls down the drain, achieving a snapshot of the whole, available and necessary resources. Singapore’s maxim with water is divide and conquer. Thus, it has four different water sources, the Four National Taps managed by the PUB: water from local basins, water imported from Malaysia, reused water and desalinated water. Taking into account that Singapore has had its ups and downs with Malaysia, the other three taps have been gaining importance. Marina Barrage, Singapore’s 15th reservoir to store water. Bob Tan Why is it important. In Southeast Asia, water pollution from industrial waste, agrochemicals and a heterogeneous and deficient sewage network means that the norm is to use bottled water. We have already seen that Singapore lacks the land to achieve water self-sufficiency and depending on a third party for something as basic and essential as water is a dangerous alternative. In this scenario, NEWater stands as the most strategic tap: self-generated water without depending on rain, the terrain or the neighbors. Although with quite a bit of small print. The local watershed. Through a network of drains, canals and rivers, rainwater is collected and channeled through its 7,000 kilometers of pipes to its 17 reservoirs before treating it for consumption. This collection takes place in two thirds of Singapore’s territory. From here, the water follows a conventional purification system. It is the least innovative route, but it is solid, functional and growing: the construction of the eighteenth reservoir is already planned on the land that Singapore is reclaiming from the sea, Long Island. Water imported from Malaysia. This is the most vulnerable tap and therefore the most susceptible to being eliminated (for now, minimizing as much as the rest of the taps can). He first agreement between Singapore and Malaysia dates back to 1927 and laid the foundation for water supply and land leasing on Gunung Pulai, but is no longer in force. This was followed by three other agreements signed in 1961, 1962 and 1990. Initially this source provided half of Singapore’s demand, but as explains the National Library and National Archives of Singaporefollowing the expiration of the 1961 agreement in 2011, the government aims to be self-sufficient by 2061, when the 1962 and 1990 agreements end. Sewage. Is called NEWateris capable of covering 40% of the total demand of the country and from wastewater it is capable of achieving drinking water of superior quality to standards of the WHO. They tried it before, in 1974, but the project failed due to costs and technical problems. The current sewer system cost 10 billion dollars and is designed to last 100 years. It all starts underground: the sanitation system DTSS It collects all the urban wastewater through a 206-kilometer network and takes it by gravity (without the need for pumping) to the four recovery plants located in Ulu Padan, Kranki and Changi (there are two there). There they use membrane bioreactor, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection technologies. They currently have a global recovery rate of 90% and a capacity of 227,300 cubic meters per day. NEWater operation diagram. Data. NEWater with Gemini translation Seawater desalination. Singapore It has five desalination plants and all of them use reverse osmosis as the main treatment, although with different pretreatment combinations. Desalination is a well-known technique in water engineering, but little applied for one reason: costs. So to optimize the energy process, among the PUB’s main R&D objectives is to reduce energy consumption to less than 2 kWh per cubic meter. The first was SingSpring and is capable to produce 136,380 cubic meters of water per day, covering around 7% of the country’s water needs. The Tuas plant won the “Oscar” of salinization plants in 2019 thanks to an advanced pretreatment system that combines dissolved air flotation and ultrafiltration to mitigate membrane fouling. Keppel Marina East has an adapted dual system that works for both seawater and freshwater. Yes, but. From a technical point of view, Singapore’s water infrastructure is brilliant, but it is not without its problems. The first is energy: desalination consume 3.5 kWh per thousand liters of treated water, much more than 0.7 kWh NEWater Faucet. Desalination has a high environmental and economic cost and is highly dependent on electricity. Spoiler: about 95% of Singapore’s electricity is generated from imported natural gas. On the other hand, drinking water that comes from the sewer, despite its quality, generates a certain social rejection, which is why the majority is destined for industry, where such pure water is ideal for the manufacture of semiconductors. On the other hand, faced with a growing demand for water, the challenge for the future is scalability to maintain its reliability based … Read more

We thought it was a bend in the Rhine. In reality it was a huge Roman water channel that survived the fall of the Empire for 300 years.

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If there is something for which Rome has remained in memory, it is for its impressive road layout throughout their empire, but be careful because in hydraulic engineering they were not far behind either, the aqueducts of Segovia and Tarragona serve as close examples. It is true that aqueducts are striking constructions due to their dimensions, but there is another that rivals them in size and capacity to move water: canals. In fact, a research team just “discovered” that what looked like an old abandoned Rhine channel was actually an ancient Roman canal. They had an unappealable clue on the terrain: it is rare to see such a long and straight line in nature. The discovery. In southwestern Germany, on an agricultural plain next to the Rhine River, an interdisciplinary research team from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and the Hessen Monument Office have found something that has been buried for more than a thousand years: an artificial Roman canal 15 meters wide and 2.5 meters deep that connected the Rhine to a small military fort called the burgus of Trebur-Astheim. Why is it important. Because the Trebur-Astheim Canal is one of the few known navigable canals north of the Alps during the Roman period and the Early Middle Ages, demonstrating that the Roman Empire in Germania modified the landscape more intensely and lastingly than previously believed. The presence of Rome was more than a mere occupation. As explains the research teamthe burgus of Trebur-Astheim probably functioned as a central logistical node for the Landgraben region, where cargo ships of the time could dock and goods were redistributed around the area on other vessels. This demonstrates a global vision of the empire for supplying its troops through infrastructure that goes beyond the roads. Context. The consolidated Roman presence in the Hessische Ried began in the 1st century AD, under the Flavian emperors. The fort of Trebur-Astheim was built between 364 and 375 AD under the command of Emperor Valentinian I as part of his plan for military deployment along the Rhine. with a goal: contain the Alamanni, a group of tribes settled on the right bank of the river. In fact, the Rhineland border is clearly demarcated by watchtowers and forts, as can be seen on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In detail. In short, the town of Trebur-Astheim was practically a protected inland port: its dimensions were similar to those of the Roman navigable canal Fossa Corbulonis (present-day Netherlands) and made it suitable for different types of Roman river vessels, such as military type Mainz-A or the cargo boats found near Xanten, both with drafts of between 0.35 and 0.65 meters, well below the depth of the channel. Carbon 14 has revealed that, from the sediments of the canal, it was in operation from Roman times until the 7th-8th centuries AD, when it became clogged with mud and was abandoned. In fact, the large amount of sediment in the area forced the channel to be dredged frequently for centuries: after the Romans, the team points out that the Merovingian and Carolingian communities exploited it and maintained the infrastructure. Yes, but. The excavation carried out in 2024 did not reach sufficient depth to physically see the walls of the canal due to the high water table and the amount of sediment. That is to say, the dimensions that we know have been estimated indirectly, something that is common in underwater archaeology. In this sense, a complete excavation is pending to obtain direct data on the construction of the canal. In Xataka | Some go to the gym to do legs and others to discover an impressive mansion from the Roman Empire In Xataka | The Romans found a macabre and sophisticated way to use perfume: breaking pigeons’ necks (made of glass) Cover | Wolfgang Pehlemann and An Artificial Canal Connecting the Roman Burgus at Trebur-Astheim (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany) with the River Rhine

We already know how much water Amazon consumes in its data centers. We have good and bad news

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amazon has made public the data of water consumption in their data centers. It is a remarkable exercise in transparency, especially because its division Amazon Web Services (AWS) It is currently the largest cloud infrastructure on the planet. We have bad news… and also good news. 2.5 billion gallons. The figure that stands out the most in this report is the 2.5 billion gallons (almost 9.5 billion liters) of water consumed by its servers per year. It is approximately 5% of the annual water consumption for the Seattle metropolitan area, so this is a notable figure, but one that must be put in perspective because there have already been previous studies that they misunderstood the situation. Golf courses are worse. The company already stated a few weeks ago that “data centers use significantly less water than golf courses or car washes.” They also gave other examples that consume more water, such as the meat production industry or the textile production industry. The efficiency metric. A metric called water use effectiveness (or WUE) is used to measure the impact of a data center. This magnitude indicates the liters consumed for each kilowatt-hour of energy delivered to the servers. According to Amazon, its WUE is 0.18 liters per kWh, much better than Microsoft’s 0.27 l/kWh and of course the 1.1 l/kWh from Google in some of its facilities. It is clear that not all hyperscalers manage to cool their data centers with the same efficiency. Amazon spends a lot of water in its data centers, yes, but according to current data it consumes significantly less than its rivals. Physics is physics. Data centers generate enormous amounts of waste heat, and Amazon indicates that they use direct evaporative cooling systems. Instead of maintaining huge air conditioning systems, the company uses mechanisms that introduce outside air and pass it through humid panels. This allows water to evaporate, absorb heat and cool those rooms where the servers are. The toll exists, of course: evaporated water is lost to the atmosphere and cannot be immediately reused in local ecosystems, which causes pressure drops in surrounding reserves during heat waves. Geography helps. Amazon’s efficiency advantage also benefits from intelligent geographic location of its data centers, the company says. Many of them are in regions with temperate or cold climates in the northern hemisphere. In these areas, cooling by outside air (free cooling) you can take advantage of more than 80% of the days of the year. In contrast, its competitors have often been forced to create their data centers in very hot desert environments which require injecting pressurized water constantly. Promises on one hand, criticism on the other. To compensate this impact due to your water consumptionAmazon has committed to returning more water than it consumes to local communities by 2030. This policy, dubbed “water positive“groups initiatives ranging from the restoration of watersheds to the creation of wastewater treatment plants. Of course, all this discourse faces strong criticism. For these voices, what Amazon is doing is a facelift, but it does not fix the immediate local shortage of wells from which data centers extract water in the middle of summer. The problem persists. Amazon’s report is welcome because it breaks the silence that usually prevails in Silicon Valley regarding natural resources. Even so, it also shows that the world faces a notable problem if the water (and energy) consumption problems generated by data centers cannot be solved. Taking into account the ambition and multimillion-dollar projects of AI companies In this sense, it would be important for official organizations to be in charge of monitoring and regulating these gigantic consumptions. Image | amazon In Xataka | Data centers do not want to depend on the conventional electrical grid. Solution: build your own plants

TSMC is on the ropes and its biggest problem is not competition: it is water

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CC Wei, the president and CEO of TSMC, has just participated in the inauguration of the Pingtung technology park, southern Taiwan. The ceremony was held under very intense rain, and the head of the largest chip manufacturing company of the planet has celebrated it publicly: “Last month I was still wondering: what should we do with the water? Should we start using tankers?” Wei has compelling reasons to be concerned about water. In Taiwan it is a very scarce resource, and it is also essential for its semiconductor factories. The integrated circuit production industry faces five major shortages: water, energy, labor, land and talent. And water is probably the most precious resource of all and the most difficult challenge to overcome. Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, has communicated CC Wei the Government’s plans to connect the island’s reservoirs together in a clear attempt to alleviate this problem. The water we are familiar with, such as that which comes from the tap, spring water, and even bottled mineral water, is full of impurities. It contains bacteria, dissolved gases, mineral salts and microscopic particles in suspension. This is not a problem for most of the everyday applications for which we usually use it, but this water is not suitable for making chips. Even the smallest impurity invisible to the human eye is pure poison when involved in the production of cutting-edge semiconductors, such as 2nm integrated circuits which are currently being manufactured by TSMC, Intel and Samsung. Droughts are the biggest threat to TSMC The integrated circuit manufacturing process requires cleaning silicon wafers dozens of times. Every time a geometric pattern is transferred to wafers using lithography, they need to be cleaned. Also after pouring chemical reagents and photoresist fluids on them. However, the water used to remove any residue that may have deposited on the wafer cannot have the slightest impurity. It must be absolutely pure. In fact, the industry standard calls for water with an electrical resistivity of 18.2 megaohms per centimeter, which is the theoretical limit of water purity at room temperature. The problem is that producing ultrapure water is not easy. And it is not because it is necessary to subject it to reverse osmosis in multiple stages and ion exchange treatments. It is also necessary to degas it under vacuum, eliminate any microorganisms that it can contain with ultraviolet light and filter it using membranes expressly designed to capture the slightest impurity. In this article we do not need to delve into these processes, but there is something that we cannot ignore: this treatment consumes energy and requires the use of a large amount of chemicals. Furthermore, a significant part of the water that is processed is not transformed into ultrapure water, so it cannot be used. In 2021 Taiwan faced the most aggressive drought in recent decades In 2021 Taiwan faced the most aggressive drought in recent decades. The reservoirs that supply the north of the island, which is the region where most of the integrated circuit manufacturing plants are located, reached a critical level. This scenario forced the Government to suspend agricultural irrigation in order to protect industrial supply. Even so, TSMC had to resort to tanker trucks to transport water from other areas of the island. This crisis passed, but it exposed a structural vulnerability of an industry that is deeply sensitive to extreme climate phenomena and for which water is as valuable as silicon or some rare earth elements. At the moment TSMC reuses 85% of water that it consumes in its processes, but its plants require so much water daily that the 15% that cannot be reused continues to be a very large amount. Paradoxically, some of the most important chip factories in the US reside in Arizona, which is the second driest state in the country only behind Nevada. Both Intel and TSMC have state-of-the-art plants in this region, and Samsung manages several state-of-the-art factories in Texas, another state where water is not exactly plentiful. Besides, Intel has several very important plants in Israelagain a country for which water is a scarce resource, and, therefore, of great strategic value. The choice of these locations responds to geostrategic and geopolitical factors, and not to planning that prioritizes sustainability. In addition, there is another unappealable reality that further complicates this panorama: the most advanced integrated circuit manufacturing nodes. consume more ultrapure water than mature nodes. A 3nm chip from TSMC goes through more than 1,000 individual stages, and many of them require washing with ultrapure water As transistors become smaller and chips become more sophisticated, the number of stages required for their production process is higher, making it necessary to clean the wafers with ultrapure water more times. A 3nm semiconductor from TSMC goes through more than 1,000 individual stages, many of which require washing with ultrapure water. 2nm chips are even more demanding, and those that will arrive in the future will surely multiply water consumption. The problem faced by TSMC, Intel, Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, GlobalFoundries and other semiconductor manufacturers is daunting. These companies are developing solutions, but at the moment they are not enough. TSMC, Samsung and Intel have very advanced water recycling and reuse programs. In addition, these companies are developing dry cleaning systems for wafers using reactive plasmas instead of water for use in some steps. And they are even looking for new materials for the ultrapure water distribution pipes with the purpose of minimizing losses in the circulation system. The problem is that these solutions do not eliminate the deep dependence that chip factories have on water. The definitive solution has not yet arrived. And it is urgent. It is very urgent. Image | TSMC More information | Reuters In Xataka | ChatGPT blocking mode: what it is, what it is for, who can use it and how to activate it In Xataka | AI is replacing one of the most hated jobs in the world: the tailcoat collector

In Asia they haven’t put ice in the water during meals for centuries. Digestive physiology just explained why they were right

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The other day a friend told me about a peculiarity she observed during a recent trip to China: the glass of ice water on the table is almost a rarity. Instead you’ll find a pot of green tea, a bowl of broth, or just nothing cold. For centuries, in much of Asia, drinking cold liquid during a meal has been an eccentricity more typical of the West than there. What for a long time seemed like a quaint custom, or directly a matter of infrastructure—ice was not always available everywhere—turns out to have a pretty solid physiological explanation. The temperature of the water we drink while we eat is not a minor detail. It affects the movements of the stomach, the rate at which it empties, and how the muscles of the digestive system behave. And science, although with important nuances, is beginning to agree with what millions of people in Asia have been practicing for millennia. Before getting into the physiology, we must understand how this debate has reached the West. It has not been through a medical congress or a scientific journal. It has arrived, like so many other things, through TikTok. The phenomenon is known as chinamaxxing either Becoming Chinese: a viral trend in which thousands of Western people adopt lifestyle habits from Chinese culture, including drinking hot water. According to documents The New York Timeshot water has become “the new superstar of online well-being”, with influencers documenting how this habit deflates them, gives them energy and improves their digestion. But what the Internet presents as a revolutionary discovery is nothing new. This practice has been rooted for thousands of years. in Indian Ayurveda—where the morning ritual of drinking hot water is known as usha paana— and in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where cold is believed to “turn off the agni“, the digestive fire, and weakens the vital energy or Qiforcing the body to expend extra energy to warm the stomach. Hot water, on the other hand, balances the Yin and the Yang and keeps the body calm. Just because something is part of an ancient tradition does not automatically make it scientific truth, of course. But it doesn’t disqualify him either. The question is what exactly science says when it begins to analyze what happens in the stomach according to the temperature of what we drink. What really happens in the stomach? To understand the debate, we must separate two things that are often confused: the effect of drinking water during a meal and the effect of the temperature of that water. They are different questions with different answers. On the one hand, regarding water itself, there is a widespread belief that drinking water during meals dilutes gastric juices and digestive enzymes, slowing down digestion. Medical portals such as HealthLine They explain that there is no solid scientific evidence that water dilutes gastric juices or significantly hinders digestion. The stomach has a dynamic regulatory system that detects changes in pH and automatically secretes more hydrochloric acid to compensate. Drinking a glass of water during a meal hardly alters that balance. Marina Domene, head of nutrition at SHA Spain nuances in Vogue Where is the real limit: the problem is not drinking water, but excesses. “What is not recommended is drinking excessive amounts, more than two or three large glasses, as it could distend the stomach too much and temporarily dilute the enzymes,” he explains. It also points out that there are specific contexts where it is advisable to be more careful: in people who suffer from hypochlorhydria – low production of stomach acid – it is not recommended to consume liquids during meals. On the other hand, regarding temperature the panorama changes and this is where physiology begins to agree with Asia. The temperature of the liquids directly affects gastric motility, that is, the muscle movements of the stomach that drive digestion. Domene explains it clearly: “Cold drinks can slightly slow down gastric emptying and constrict the blood vessels of the stomach, which in sensitive people can be heavy. Hot liquids, such as broths or infusions, have a relaxing effect on the smooth muscles of the stomach.” This is not just a clinical opinion. There are studies that support this, such as research on the effect of temperature on gastric emptying have observed that very cold drinks, around 2-5 °C, can temporarily slow down the initial phase of gastric emptying compared to liquids at body temperature. Drinks at 4°C also disrupt antral and pyloric contractions, briefly retaining stomach contents. An experiment with 11 young men who consumed 500 ml of water at different temperatures found that water at 2 °C reduced the frequency of gastric contractions compared to water at 60 °C, and that lower muscle activity was related to lower subsequent caloric intake. The sample sizes of these studies are modest—it should be said—but their results consistently point in the same direction. A study published in Gastroenterology Nursingfocused on patients who had recently undergone colon surgery, observed that the consumption of hot water had a positive impact on subsequent bowel movements. It is not a study designed for healthy people, but it adds evidence about the role of temperature in intestinal motility. Gastroenterologist Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, consulted by The New York Timesdescribes it more graphically: during the night, the digestive system slows down. Hot water generates waves of contraction and relaxation in the muscles of the esophagus, stomach and intestines. “It’s basically telling everyone, ‘Okay, get up. We’ve got to get going,’” he explains. Why did they take that path and not another? The physiological explanation that science offers today connects quite well with what traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda have been saying for centuries, although in completely different languages. In China, Japan and much of Southeast Asia, It is common to accompany meals with hot tea or soup. It is not a fad or a recent trend: it is part of the structure of food. The broth does not close the menu, it accompanies … Read more

Young people are stopping drinking beer like crazy. That’s why Mahou wants to sell you water as cosmetics

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On May 28, social networks in Spain woke up flooded with pink, lychee and promises of beauty. That day YUZZ saw the lightthe new business adventure of the influencer María Pombo in alliance with the brewing giant Mahou San Miguel. Under the motto Here You Glowis presented not as a simple drink, but as a revolutionary concept of fun skincare: a soft drink that “takes care of you on the inside so that you shine on the outside”, formulated with hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. The deployment was massive: the strategy started with mystery videos, a WhatsApp channel that was fuming with thousands of followers looking for clues and culminated in an experience pop-up in the heart of Madrid. However, beyond the indisputable success of the call, the launch uncovers a striking contradiction: that of an industry traditionally linked to nightlife and beer trying to bottle the idyllic universe of health, cosmetics and well-being. Why does a brewery sell beauty? Beer is beer you might be thinking. However, the alcoholic beverages sector is going through a moment of profound transformation in the face of the decline in consumption among new generations. This is where they make the leap towards functional soft drinks, since it responds to an unstoppable global trend. In fact, the wellness market It already moves 480,000 million dollars in the United States, with annual growth of up to 10%. Europe follows in the same wake, and Mahou is looking for its piece of the pie. But to connect with Generation Z and millennials It is not enough to launch a product; a narrative is needed. This is where María Pombo comes in. The industry is witnessing an evolution of influencer marketing, it is no longer about paying a well-known face to hold a can, but rather a “shared business model” based on co-creation. Pombo has been involved from day one, sharing the development process organically with her more than four million followers. This drastically reduces the consumer’s natural resistance to conventional advertising. The label under the magnifying glass. While marketing works perfectly, the scientific community has raised eyebrows when analyzing the list of ingredients. Can you really drink cosmetics? According to Dr. Emiliano Grillo, specialist in Dermatology, is blunt in the magazine Cuore: “There is no way for you to eat the skincare“. The expert warns that, for oral hyaluronic acid to have a real impact, it would require much higher doses than those anticipated in this type of recreational formats. But the biggest problem with YUZZ is not what it promises, but what it hides: sugar. Although the brand prides itself on being a low-calorie drink without sweeteners, nutritionist Paola Sánchez explains in the same medium that each can contains about 10 grams of sugar, the equivalent of two cubes, from the concentrated apple juice that serves as a base. The pharmacist Mencía Hermosa goes one step further and points out the paradox of the product: the consumption of sugars is directly involved in the glycation process, a mechanism that damages collagen and “contributes to skin aging.” That is, the soft drink could be torpedoing the effect it promises to generate. For her part, the pharmacist and disseminator Lena de Pons dissects the formulation in Infobaedenouncing that “the narrative sells more than the evidence.” De Pons clarifies that YUZZ is governed by food regulations, not cosmetics. Legally, they can only claim that it helps collagen because it covers 15% of the Nutritional Reference Value (NRV) of vitamin C, a tiny amount. “A fruit salad has more antioxidants,” says the expert ironically, also regretting that the word “science” is used in the campaign without providing independent studies that support the bioavailability of its formula in the body. The undeniable triumph of narrative. At the end of the day, the reality of YUZZ depends on the lens through which you look. If we evaluate it under the rigor of dermatology, trying to replace a cream with a soft drink is nonsense. As a timely and recreational alternative to a mixed drink with alcohol or a traditional soft drink loaded with artificial additives, it is an option that the experts themselves consider acceptable. But in the corporate field, the move is masterful. How to conclude Article 14in a saturated market where attention is the rarest commodity, getting an entire country to debate about your brand is the greatest success. Mahou and María Pombo have made the initial impact. Now they face the real challenge: to demonstrate that this cross between a brewery and skincare It has enough commercial history to survive on the shelves once the noise of social networks has died down. Image | instagram Xataka | It’s cheaper and less anxiety-inducing: ‘solo-maxxing’ is Generation Z’s answer to the stifling dating industry

To move the cutting head of the ‘Monica’ tunnel boring machine, a 152-wheel truck was needed. It’s the key to Australia’s ‘water battery’

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Transporting a gigantic tunnel boring machine to the work point is no small feat, and Madrid has a few things to say about this. However, in Cooma, a small town in the Australian state of New South Wales, they seem to have gotten the hang of it. And the colossal piece of steel crossed its streets at a snail’s pace on a 152 wheel truck. The cargo was part of Snowy 2.0one of the largest energy storage projects in the world. What is it about?. The piece was the central block of the cutting head of the tunnel boring machine named Monica. According to Snowy Hydro, the public company behind the project, this component weighs more than 137 tons and measures seven meters wide. The head is the part that really matters in a tunnel boring machine, since it is the rotating disc that faces the rock and crushes it as it moves. Media deployment. Monica’s head is too big to transport in one piece, so it had to be divided into five parts. Still, just moving the center block required months of preparation. The entire transport reached 73 meters in length, and was moved at night facing the last stretch along the Snowy Mountains Highway, heading to the Marica site, north of Kiandra, where the machine would be assembled. A colossal engineering project. This move was just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The company indicates that in the previous weeks more than 140 large loads were delivered to Marica from the port of Port Kembla, south of Sydney. The tunnel boring machines do not arrive assembled, as they are transported in sections (head, drive system, shields, support platforms) and are assembled on site. In fact, last October, the transport of Monica’s motor system (a component about 207 tons and eight meters wide) brought more than 1,500 people to Cooma, in what Snowy Hydro called one of the largest loads ever transported by road in New South Wales. What is all this for? Snowy 2.0 is, in essence, a gigantic water battery. The project will connect the Tantangara and Talbingo reservoirs through some 27 kilometers of tunnels and an underground power station. The idea is to generate electricity by turbineing water when demand is high and, in times of surplus solar and wind energy, pump it back uphill for reuse. The company assures that it will have a capacity of 2,200 megawatts and enough stored energy to supply about three million homes for a week. Start-up. Last February, Snowy Hydro announced that Monica had been commissioned and would be responsible for excavating the section of the tunnel that crosses the Long Plain fault zone, a geologically complicated area. Designed by the German firm Herrenknecht, the machine advances at one end of the tunnel while another tunnel boring machine, Florence, does so at the opposite. The idea is that both are underground before being dismantled. For those dates the project exceeded 70% execution. Snowy 2.0 has not been without controversy with news of cost overruns and delays, and completion is now scheduled for December 2028. Images | Snowy Hydro In Xataka | Canada is going to debut the residential skyscraper with the most floors in all of North America: it has 12 sides and 351 meters high

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