water

China begins to build the largest dam in the world. His neighbors fear that they use it as a “water pump”

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The Pharaonic works They are not easy. Tell them The Linethe gigantic Horizontal skyscraper that he was confident years ago and that more and more and more. China, however, does not raise your foot from the accelerator and, every little time, it surprises us with some megaestructure. Now, and after a long planning, they have announced the beginning of the construction of the world’s largest hydroelectric dam. And neighboring countries have shouted in the sky for a reason: the possible use of water as a throwing weapon. A monster. China has the largest dam on the planet. The three throats is the largest energy plant in the worldit is so huge that GROUNDS EARTH ROTATION With a refueling, and it is estimated that it has a production capacity of 88.2 million MWH per year. Impressive, but will soon be in a second place because they are preparing an even bigger dam. A set of dams, rather. Located on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Lto new biggest in the world It will have the capacity to generate 300 million MWH per year, you can cover the energy needs of 300 million people each year and “only” will cost 130,000 million euros. That impressive capacity will be possible thanks both to your turbines as to the use of the energy generated by the two -kilometer unevenness presented by the river in certain areas and a construction with five cascade dams. “The project of the century”. The area is one of the richest in hydroelectric resources in the world, and the idea is to drill between four and six tunnels of 20 kilometers in length through a mountain to divert half of the river flow to achieve 2,000 m³ per second and take advantage of all that force. It will not be a simple operation due to the conditions of the area and at the cost of the project, and that is what has led to China’s prime minister to qualify it as “the project of the century”. As we read in The GuardianLi Qiang made the statements during a ceremony in the region to commemorate the beginning of a construction that was announced in 2020 and has Aroused numerous criticisms. Out of China, yes. Risks. First, for natural reasons. Is found in the Tibet area And it is one of the most regions seismically active of the planet. It is where the Indian and Eurasian plates contact and where numerous earthquakes are given every year, some with important magnitudes. In fact, a recent earthquake already damaged five hydroelectric dams in the area, and the weight of accumulated water itself is another factor that can trigger earthquakes, As has happened. On the other hand, human reasons. Apart from the consequences that an earthquake of that magnitude can have for the local population, it is not the first time that displaces a population to build a dam. These population movements is something that fear Tibetan groups that claim to have no visibility on the plans of the Chinese government. And, when they have complained about other hydroelectric projects in Tibet, they have been repressed by the authorities. The area could not be more geologically complicated. Either at the geopolitical level And geopolitics. India and Bangladés too They look at the dam With the arched eyebrow. He Brahmaputra It is essential for agriculture and access to drinking water of millions of people along the river and fear that dams seriously alter their flow. It is something that would directly affect the agriculture and food security of these people and already They drop That the project is a strategic tool from China to exert pressure on neighboring countries, by being able to control or modify water flow at will. Neeraj Singh Manhas is the special advisor for South Asia in the Parley Policy initiative (organization that seeks to solve conflicts through diplomacy) and in statements to BBCHe commented that “China can always use water as a weapon, blocking or diverting it.” Even if they do not do it on purpose, it would not be the first time that a accidentlike him collapse In cascade of the Banqiao dam and another 61 dams in 1975, an event that caused 85,000 direct deaths and displaced 11 million people. “Water pump”. In addition, it is something that can go against the direct interests of India, which aims to build a hydroelectric dam on the Sang River (one of those feeding on the Tsangpo). Apart from the fact that the flow of the river can affect the energy interests of India, there are voices that warn about the possible use of China as a “water pump.” PEMA KHANDU, Minister of Arunachal Pradesh -a state of the Republic of India -, commented In a recent interview that the dam “can cause an existential threat to our tribes and a half visa. It is quite serious because China could use this as a ‘water pump’. Suppose that, suddenly, they release water: all our Siang belt would be destroyed, finished with tribes that would see how all its properties would be destroyed”. Nothing to worry about. From the Chinese government have always been rejected Those criticisms, ensuring that they do not seek “water hegemony” or intend to get benefits at the expense of their neighbors. On the other hand, it is alleged not only that the project will generate employment in the region, but will cover the energy needs and encourage something that China is advancing by leaps and bounds: he Renewable sector. In addition, the Prime Minister said that these concerns about ecological conservation have been taken into account when planning the project to “avoid environmental damage.” We will see what it is, but it is evident that the dam will be built and the intention is that it is operational in record time: by 2030. Images | Yogho, Guganij In Xataka | China is moving whole buildings at the same time to build underneath. Because? Because it can

9 kilometers of water keep the planet in suspense

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The tension climbing Between Iran and the US it has had a peculiar effect: it has led to half the world (and the other medium too) to look at a tiny navigable channel located in the Middle East, the Ormuz narrow. In view of the satellite it does not seem much, a narrow sea language that connects the Persian and Oman Gulf, but in practice it is a strategic artery for the world’s fuel traffic. Every day dozens of metaneros and oil companies navigate. Now Tehran considers to close it as punishment to US attack against its nuclear baseswhat would put Above up The oil market. What is the Ormuz Strait? A strategic channel for global hydrocarbons transport. A “critical point of oil strangulation “. And a tiny corner of the Map of the Middle East who today look carefully at the economists and leaders of half everyone. Ormuz is a narrow navigable between Oman and Iran that joins the Persian and Oman golves, which in practice makes him an artery for traffic with the Arabic sea. A Fast look The map arrives to understand two characteristics of Ormuz, both interrelated. The first is its narrow geography. At its closest point the channel measures only 33 km wide, although the navigation zone is even smaller: the two reservations for the passage of oil companies barely reach Three kilometers Each one and are separated by a damping zone with a similar width. Hence The Wall Street Journal point out that world markets are really pending a strip of nine kilometers. Why is it important? Because dozens of huge ships loaded with crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) that drives the economies of world world powers, including China, are going through these routes, including China, including China, including China, including China, including China, The biggest buyer of Iranian oil. The data speak for themselves. The Vortexa firm Calculate That between the beginning of 2022 and last month every day they flowed through the narrow millions of barrels of oil (between 17.8 and 20.8) of different types, which means that the Ormuz Strait channels the fifth part of the world consumption of crude oil. And that is just oil. There are those who calculate that Something more than 20% From the metaneros ships that navigate the world pass through that narrow channel that Iran and Oman separates. The firm Lloys List has thrown accounts and calculates that every day they transit about 15 million barrels of crude oil, 2.5 million barrels of products, 20% of liquefied natural gas and one third of Liquefied oil gas. AND It is then distributed by the world, with a special impact on Asian economies. The AEI assures that 84% of crude and 83% of the LNG that passed last year through the Ormuz Strait ended in Asia markets. Why is it news? Because the stability of the channel is on the tightrope. After Washington Atacase the weekend Three Nuclear Bases of Iran, the world now expects Tehran’s response and among its possible movements is the blockade of the Ormuz Strait, which would submit to the fuel market (and by extension to the global economy) to strong pressure. How is probable? That is the million -dollar question: will they really go to close the Strait? Although there are analysts who doubt that Tehran will adopt a measure that would damage their own economy and that of its neighbors, Like Saudi Arabiathe Iranian government has already shown that the idea is on the table. On Saturday the Islamic Advisory Assembly recommended The closure of the channel, although the final decision is not in its hands, but in those of Ali Jamenei. For now, the government has made it clear that they do not rule out taking a step that would tighten the markets and would probably have its reflection in prices. Yesterday the Commander of the Revolutionary Guard insisted in that the closure of Ormuz “is being considered”, and warned: “Iran will make the best decision.” The channel blockade is only one of the options that Tehran would have to respond to US attacks. The analysts They speculate With other options, such as direct attacks on US forces, hitting diplomatic missions or cyber attacks. How would the Strait close? It is not the first time that they will love with tensioning the markets. He did it Already in 2018, in full strip and loosen with Washington for the sanctions to Tehran. TWSJ appointment Naval analysts and operators of the oil sector who remember that the Iranian Navy has been expanding its power in the area thanks to different resources, such as the use of boats capable of attacking objectives. They also talk about the possible use of mines or even the assault of ships from helicopter with the purpose of “retaining them for long periods.” A few years ago, In July 2019the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran already assaulted a British oil tanker in the Ormuz Strait and kept it blocked for months in response to the arrest of one of its ships in Gibraltar. Washington could answer with their war ships, but there are experts, such as Antony Gurnee, former director of the oil sector, who warn that clearing the Strait would take time … with its consequences for the international market, as verified Not long ago In the Red Sea with Hutis attacks. What effects would the closure have? The first would be evident. Qatar, Baréin, Arab Emirates or Kuwait would face serious problems to export their crude. Saudi Arabia could continue to supply a part to the market thanks to its East-West pipelinebut its global export capacity would be strongly affected. Iranian oil would also be harmed, since it uses the same river access road, and would affect one of its great world buyers: China. The threat for Beijing is so serious that Washington already He asked him that intermediate to remove Tehran from the head the possibility of closing Ormuz. Sable noise and … Read more

The heat arrives and you want to drink cold water. Science has a much more effective idea: drink hot water

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Summer arrives and with it staying well hydrated becomes an imperative. The heat will surely make a glass of cold water even more appealing, but it is likely that we have ever heard that the water, better hot. Is it a myth or is there a reason behind? Drink water. Drinking water is the important, hot or cold, keeping our body hydrated is the main objective. Despite this, drinking hot water or cold water is not exactly the same: our body can react differently Before the stimulus. This is what science tells us about it. Better digestion. Hot infusions are a desktop classic. Coffee, tea or chamomile are usual choices to close the food, especially if it has been copious. When consuming these drinks we are, indeed, Drinking hot water. In doing so we are moisturizing our body and allowing water to help the flow of food in our digestive system. Part of the effect we owe it to the mere fact of being drinking water, but there are some studies that suggest that the temperature could play an important role in the digestive effect of this desktop habit. A Study published in 2016 Focused on newly operated patients, he observed that the consumption of hot water in recently operated in the colon had a “positive impact” on subsequent intestinal movements. Do you lose weight drinking water? In 2023, a group of researchers conducted An experiment in which a group of participants had to consume a certain amount of warm or hot water after meals, while the rest had to consume the same amount of water at a temperature without specifying the temperature. As reported by the team, the group that consumed hot water lost body mass more speed than the control group. This could explain why we associate drinks such as tea are associated with weight loss. The diuretic potential of some infusions and the benefits that others have on intestinal transit could be related to the mere act of drinking hot water, but the truth is that the tests we have are very limited, so we still cannot add the hot water to the eternal list of candidates for “miracle diet”. Cool ourselves with hot water. It may seem Little appealingbut hot infusions are a classic in some of the most scorching environments in the world. Our body is about 37º Celsius: if we consume something at a higher temperature, our body will absorb that heat. It doesn’t seem like a good plan. And yet it works (although not always). The key, The experts point outis how our body dissipates heat through sweat. A hot drink can activate nervous receptors by sending the signal that the temperature is greater than what is actually, which in turn does that our body begins to sweat and thus begin to dissipate heat through the water we expel by the skin. To sweat, of course, it should also be hydrated. When may not work? Drinking hot water to reduce our body heat can be a bad idea in some contexts, mainly When moisture is high. Moisture makes sweat dissipated, with it, avoiding it heat. Temperature and hydration. Hot or cold, we began by saying that the most important property of water is that it hydrates: our body needs this liquid to stay alive and drinks are the main source to obtain it. Now, we know that Not all drinks hydrate the sameDoes the water do it indistinctly of its temperature? Maybe not. A Study published in 2013 He calculated how the water temperature affected the rehydration process. A too hot water could induce sweat, causing us to lose some water at the same time we rehydrate. By contrast, water too cold or too hot can also make us drink less. The team observed that a better rehydration was achieved when consuming fresh water, about 16º, a temperature similar to that offered by tap water. In Xataka | It’s time to banish the myth of drinking “eight water vessels per day”, but we have a problem to do it Image | Pixabay

Drinking a glass of water before eating is one of the most common “tricks” to lose weight. Science has something to say

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With the summer just around the corner, many people seek to lose weight quickly. We have seen it with challenges like Skinnytok, Shots of vinegar either Liquefied Céspes. In the midst of so many “miraculous solutions”, there is a advice that stands out for its simplicity: drinking a glass of water before each meal. It sounds very easy, but is it another myth détox or is there something true? A glass of water. At first glance, it looks like a quite simple premise. Drinking water before eating can “favor satiety” and help eat more conscious way, as the media have explained as Telva either Vogue. In theory, when occupying space in the stomach, water would reduce the feeling of hunger. But like He has warned Dr. Robert H. Shmerling, of Harvard’s Faculty of Medicine, in an article for Harvard Health Publishing, “human physiology rarely follows such simple rules.” Science behind. Dr. Shmerling He has evidenced That it was a premise “too pretty to be true.” In his article he has detailed that although drinking water before meals can generate a mild fullness of fullness – to activate the stomach mechanoreceptors – the effect is limited and passenger. In fact, as you have continued arguing, some studies support the idea in older peoplethere is even evidence that suggests that, within a hypocaloric diet, who drink water before meals can lose more weight in 12 weeks than those who do not. However, there is a nuance to take into account and that is that There is no robust evidence of long -term effects or in large populations. And other associated theories –Like cold water burns calories by thermogenesis– They have been denied in recent studies. Where there is consensus. The point is not in so much to drink extra water, but in what is stopped. Changing soft drinks, energy drinks or alcohol for water can have a real effect on weight loss. According to May Clinicthat simple gesture reduces the total consumption of calories without conscious effort. In addition, staying well hydrated improves physical performance, exercise resistance and recovery. Not because water “weights”, but because it helps sustain a more active and healthy lifestyle. The shortcut culture. The popularity of tricks like this also responds to a social need: to find fast, simple and effortless solutions to a complex problem such as weight control. In a society obsessed with thinness – especially among young women – they proliferate The calls Life Hacks that promise immediate results. As He already explained for Xataka The psychologist specialized in TCA, Sara Bolo, the worrying thing is that many of these tips end in apparently “healthy” behaviors, but hide eating disorders. It is simply water. In a context where “fast tricks” abound, it is advisable to remember that, as Dr. Shmerling has summarized: “If you think it works for you, there is no damage. Remember that no glass of water replaces a balanced diet.” Image | Unspash Xataka | Nostalgia for the 2000s has brought something else: the obsession with flat belly and radical thinness

Sam Altman states that Chatgpt’s water and energy consumption is tiny. The problem is that it does not give evidence of it

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An email of 100 words generated by GPT-4 Consume 519 milliliters of water. That was the conclusion to which researchers at the University of California arrived a few months ago after analyzing this OpenAi model. Sam Altman, CEO of the company, has just yielded its own estimate on the consumption of water and energy of each consultation of Chatgpt. And it is very different. 1,000 times less than what was said. According to Altman, an average consultation in Chatgpt consumes much less than what had been indicated in previous studies. Your data are strikingand to understand them makes interesting analogies: “As production automated in data centers automates, the cost of intelligence should approach electricity. (People are usually curious to know how much energy consumes a chatgpt consultation; the average consult (0.32 ml); A previous study of Epoch ai corroborates the data that Sam Altman has now wielded. Source: Epoch AI. And the tests? Those figures mentioned by the OpenAi CEO have a problem: they have no visible support. He throws them without citing sources or explaining where he has taken them out, something that makes it difficult to believe. A Meta executive answered the question of How much consumes the inference AI A year and a half ago, responding that “only two nuclear reactors would be needed to cover it.” But previous studies coincide with Altman. Although he does not mention any evidence, in February, Epoch AI researchers precisely They published a study trying to estimate the energy consumption of chatgpt. In their conclusions they indicated that on average a chatgpt consult Previous report of the researcher Alex de Vries. Since then, of course, many things have happened. Too pessimistic. And as they commented on the study of Epoch AI, the difference comes from the fact that the models are today much more efficient than in 2023, when VRies conducted their study. So is the hardware in which these models are executed, and that estimate was also used a “especially pessimistic” approach. In Openai’s study they also threw an especially pessimistic estimate and pointed out that “most of the requests (A chatgpt) are much cheaper (energetically).” More studies. Another independent study published by Andy Masey in January 2025 reached a similar conclusion and claimed that “using Chatgpt is not bad for the environment.” It was based on EPRI data May 2024 that also estimated a high consumption of 2.9 Wh by chatgpt consultation. Estimated water consumption In data centersfrom A SUNBIRD studyit was also very modest compared to other online activities. Water consumption in data centers for various online activities. Source: Andy Masley. Fifte. Precisely the data of water consumption was another striking in that estimate of Sam Altman. According to him, a chatgpt consultation barely consumed 0.32 ml of water, “a quinceava part of a teaspoon.” The figure suggests that the water needed to refrigerate data centers that process these requests is much less than what was thought only one year ago. And training, what? These estimates focus on the AI ​​inference section, that is, our use of chatgpt that receives a consultation and processes it inferring (generating) a text result. Although Altman does not clarify it, he does not seem to include here the energy and water cost of training AI models, which is very high and makes thousands of Gpus They work at full power For months, with the consequent water expense in data centers to refrigerate all those components that dissipate high heat amounts. As I pointed out The researcher Ethan Mollick, GPT-4 probably used more than 50 GW to be trained, enough to give energy to 5,500 homes in a year. We continue without definitive data. Altman’s claims are as always striking, but the lack of clear evidence makes it difficult to believe these data. Other recent studies are more useful when it comes to reflecting this increasingly lower cost both in energy and water from the use of AI, but there are no accepted standards or a consensus on the true impact of energy and water consumption when using chatgpt or other AI models. Image | Lukáš Lehotský | Village Global In Xataka | The light price is again negative: it is a sign that the system needs a redesign

From 0 to 252 km/h at 6,0542 seconds. It is not magic, it is a motorcycle that works with water

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When one looks for the benefits of a motorcycle or a car, it is usual to meet the term “Mile room”. In Spain we are perhaps more familiar with the figure from 0 to 100 km/ho how long it takes to travel a kilometer from standing. However, the mile room, those 402 meters is the usual measure that is taken as a finish line in the Drag Races. Yes, the Acceleration races So famous in the United States in which we see artifacts of all kinds to launch from standing at impossible speeds and, in some cases, let out a parachute once the finish line has passed. As with cars, in the world of motorcycling it is also competed in these particular races. The most striking use modified motorcycles that, such as You can see in this videothey have a huge distance between wheel and wheel and gigantic tires. The objective: maximum traction and aerodynamics to achieve the highest speed in the shortest possible time. If this does not seem striking enough, you still have to meet Graham Sykes, a pilot who has managed to cover the 402 meters of the mile room in six seconds reaching a tip of 252 km/h. Figures that become difficult to assimilate and impossible to believe for a steam motorcycle. That? At 252 km/h with water as fuel “We did the first 18 meters in 0.73 seconds, 100 meters in 1.99, 201 meters at 3.2 and 402 meters in 6.05” With these words, as the one who describes the figures pointed on an excelll sheet, Graham Sykes had his experience aboard the “Force of Nature”the faster steam motorcycle ever built, they collect in Motorpasion motorcycle. Sykes explained at the end of the test he had achieved beat your own record and had reached 201 meters faster than anyone aboard a steam motorcycle. The eighth mile, those just over 200 meters, is another of the usual distances in this type of racing. Although it is far from the world record on a motorcycle Dragster (less than five seconds and 469 km/h of peak speed) the merit is double because it is built in the house garage only for exhibition purposes. And warns: “We are very close to running the 402 meters in five seconds. We really want to finish the great engine at the end of this year, with 120 liters of water and three seconds of power. “Because the current motorcycle only has a water tank of 88 liters and generates its maximum power for 1.9 seconds. Yes, it’s talking about water. Because that is a steam motorcycle, right? In which it moves with water. How do you do it? They explain in Motorpasion motorcycle that the system is as simple as water, heat and pressure. To heat the water they use hydrogenated vegetable oil to produce pressure. This accumulates until being expelled by a Laval nozzle. At that time, overheated steam is in charge of throwing the motorcycle at more than 250 km/h. In fact, according to Sykes, the motorcycle can reach up to 320 km/h (once the mile room is exceeded) and is trying to increase the capacity up to 130 liters of tank and with two heating pipes Take the water up to 200ºC of temperature and generate 30 pressure bars. Objective: break the barrier of six seconds in 402 meters. Photo | CPE In Xataka | The crazy and crazy story of nuclear cars: the projects that played to be God during the twentieth century

I have run, swim and worked with the Aqua Suunto. Under water I understood what these bone driving headphones propose

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A common problem of aquatic headphones is that, in addition to not being Bluetooth for physical reasons, they are usually specifically aquatic. That is, little or nothing appropriate to use them out of water. The rest of sports headphones usually also have something in common: they forget the water. I do not talk about enduring sweat or rain, but really swimming, throwing you into a pool and forgetting everything except to breeze. That’s where the Suunto Aquabone driving headphones that are not only designed to function under water, but They have water as their natural state, But they are still dry in dry. I have tried running, on long walks, even at home while working. But it wasn’t until I took them to swim when I understood what I was trying to do with them. Thus they look when they take them out of our head. Image: Xataka. Its strength is not the sound (because it should not be) The first thing to understand of the Aqua is that they are not headphones to use. They use bone driving, a technology that transmits sound through vibrations that travel through the bones of the skull, specifically the temporal bone, to the inner ear. The auditory channel is free: you don’t need to have anything inside the ear to listen to music or a podcast. That provides a double advantage. On the one hand, comfort and safety outdoors: you can run or bike listening to your content without isolating yourself from the environment. On the other, an even more overwhelming logic underwater: nothing gets into the ear, there is no distorted sound, there is no sense of tamponade. Everything happens in that little transducer that rests on the ear and that, against all prognosis, it manages to keep listening even. That little button that stands out from the transducer is the one that serves to stop or continue the music (a touch), pass from song (two touches) or backward (three touches). Image: Xataka. Pogo load pins that guarantee pond but require their own case. Image: Xataka. And here with the connected load case. This works as an external battery for a pair of complete loads. Connecting a USB-C cable we will move to the wall charger mode. Image: Xataka. The surprising thing is that, despite this different way of transmitting the sound, the experience works. There is no isolation, but it is not what you are looking for here. You can hear the music, the podcasts, whatever you want … and you are still connected to what surrounds you. In water, where any other system fails, they continue to comply. Suunto has adjusted the equalization thinking about that: in outdoor environments and, above all, in immersion. Dry, sound is enough; In pool, better than expected. There are no forceful serious study, but a solid, coherent and much more refined proposal than I imagined. Running and swimming with them Before trying them in the water, I’ve been running with them months. Literally. I immediately noticed that the important thing was not as much the sound quality and the feeling of freedom: nothing inside the ear, nothing that falls out when moving, and the music always present without disconnecting from the world. Ideal to go through the city or by roads without losing sight or hearing what surrounds you. You didn’t have to adjust them every little, or worry about whether they loosen up. They simply worked. Besides, Its three buttons (two on one side, one in the other) allow to change volume or pass song. All great. But although they had convinced me, the best was yet to come. The posterior strip. It is flexible but without applying pressure it remains rigid. I don’t feel that I bounce in my neck. Image: Xataka. The first time I used them in pool I felt a certain astonishment. Not long, but when I did it used to be without music because all the previous solutions had seemed a commitment: they were uncomfortable, unreliable, or directly fragile. In fact it came from using some Sony NW-WS413 –With its humble 4 GB– since 2022. Image: Xataka. With those two buttons under the pogo pins we can do almost any action, combining pulsations, pulsation time, etc. Turn them on, turn them off, adjust volume, enter and exit sports mode, etc. Image: Xataka. With the aqua you do not have to juggle: The placing, you start the session from the headphones themselves (without the mobile, thanks to the 32 GB of internal storage) and throw yourself into the water. From the first length, something changes. Music accompanies you. And you keep swimming the same, without worrying about anything. There are no cables, there are no rubber ones that come out. The band that surrounds the head does not move. It does not loosen. It does not bother. It is as if it were not. But the most interesting comes later. These headphones listen to you swim At the end of the session, the data appears in the Suunto app: Posture, head angle, respiratory frequency, sliding in stroke. Technique metrics that I had never seen in headphones. And that, at least in my case, they told me something I didn’t know: that I breathe badly. Image: Xataka. Or more exactly, that I do it asymmetrically, with my head turning more to one side than to the other. They had never told me in the training. Nor had he noticed it. But there was the graphic. Yes indeed: There is no real -time feedback. What you get is a later readingas if you had a silent coach who takes notes while you swim. It is true that the app could go further in its interpretation of the data – phalta context, lack of concrete orientation – but as a starting point, impresses. It is another way of seeing your body in motion. To listen to you from within. For a future version it would be great to be able to … Read more

In a toxic well of contaminated water

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With the commercial war initiated by the United States, some of Washington’s weaknesses on the key supplies chains for many of its strategic sectors have been uncovered. We speak mainly of those minerals and rare earths that China dominates With iron fist on the planet. Recently we met a paradox that served as the perfect example of the stage: the United States had been financing some mines in Brazil for years, and when it has gone to collect its fruits it has been found that its content was already sold … To China. Perhaps for this reason, the last finding can change the balance. From toxic to treasure. The story was told this week The New York Times. At first glance, the Berkeley Pit in ButteMontana, is a crack Open environment: a mining crater abandoned since 1982full with more than 190,000 million liters of highly acidic and toxic waters product of mines acid drainage. However, under its contaminated surface an unexpected resource is hidden: a mineral cocktail that could transform this ecological threat into a strategic mine of rare, fundamental elements for critical technologies of Washington, from electric vehicles … even guided missiles. Apparently, thanks to Recent advances In Extraction methods, American scientists and companies are exploring How to take advantage of this waste Liquid to obtain neodymium, PRASODIMIO, ZINC, COBALT, NICQUEL AND OTHER KEY MINERALS. With a single F-35 requiring about 400 kilos of rare earths And the growing geopolitical pressure in reducing China’s dependence, the interest in exploiting these resources previously considered useless has shot in the United States. Water as a new reef. In words of Peter Fiskedirector of National Alliance for Water Innovation“Water is the site of the 21st century.” This vision, until recently marginal, seems to be gaining ground quickly as the methods multiply to recover dissolved minerals in industrial wastewater, salmuelas of desalination plants and mining drains. We talk about research from universities such as Indiana, Texas or West Virginia, who have developed Innovative techniques that allow Separate rare earth of liquid waste by biomimetic membranesion exchangers or solvent leaks. The team of the researcher Paul Ziemkiewicz, for example, has achieved Convert acid sludge In rare earth concentrates through a progressive extraction process, one that is already used successfully in western virginia coal mines and is now proven in Butte, where the volume and mineral concentration of the Berkeley Pit up to 40 tons per year. Berkeley Pit Geopolitics of acid drainage. Plus: This kind of liquid mining rebirth does not happen in a vacuum. We have been telling before: in a global context Where China controls Most rare earth supply and can manipulate prices or restrict exports In response to sanctions or commercial disputes, the discovery of viable internal sources is a national security priority for the United States. In this regard, The Times told that the Department of Defense has financed much of the Butte researchand an investment is expected 75 million dollars to build a concentration plant that allows to purify the extracted metals and climb the production. Not just that. As we have explained before, countries Like Greenland and Ukraine They have been identified by Washington as key regions for their mineral reserves, while promoting plans to extract minerals of the seabedeven in international waters. Recycling and sovereignty. Here we go with a reminder. Rare earth elements are a Group of 17 metals divided between heavy and light, and curiously they are not really scarce, but the problem lies in their geological dispersion and, above all, Its complex extractionwhich make them strategic resources (already China in expert in the field). It happens that the pollution generated by the mines acid drainage, which has affected thousands of km of rivers in the United States, now it is also An opportunity. As? When oxidizing and solubilize minerals As zinc or copper, these waters allow them to recover them if the appropriate technology is available. In addition, the current approach prioritizes clean and sustainable solutions, such as the use of “nanosponges” (molecular sponges capable of capturing specific metals) or electrolysis driven by renewable energy to produce magnesium from desalinated salmueras, initiatives that,, According to the Timesthey are backed by start-ups like Magrathea Metals and Lilac Solutions. These new technologies would allow to extract resources without resorting to open -pit mines, with less environmental impact and greater efficiency. Berkeley Pit as a symbol. Thus, the story of the Berkeley Pit (from toxic well that poisoned thousands of birds Migratory to the potential mine of the future) could perfectly symbolize the transformation that the extractive industry is going through in a world that demands more minerals, but tolerates less environmental destruction. For decades, metals dissolved in their waters have been a threat, and today they represent a promise. If the model developed in Butte It is replicated in many other contaminated sites in the United States, they could have found a solution to supply much of, for example, those those 1,400 tons annual that the country needs only for its defense. And if we add to the global demand of rare earth projected to increase up to 600 % In the next decades, what’s doubt, that promise becomes increasingly strategic. The irony is that yesterday’s liquid garbage … points to today’s strategic wealth. Image | James St. John In Xataka | The US believes to have a “treasure” with the rare earths of Ukraine. Everything is born from a outdated Soviet report 50 years ago In Xataka | China has done what the global industry feared: block the export of the most valuable rare earths

We are increasingly sure that Mars hides a lot of water underground. The last track has been given to us an earthquake

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There was a remote time in which Mars, today desert, had rivers and seas. We know some of the remnants that have remained, such as the Jezero river delta that explores the Rover Perseverance But that water may have been more than mere traces. A lot more. New tests. A geological study conducted thanks to the propagation of seismic waves on the red planet has obtained new evidence of the existence of water on Mars. Although the study itself does not imply a definitive test, it joins the list of studies that indicate that the neighboring planet is not as dry as it seems. A wet past. The Martian oceans had a short duration In geological terms. According to estimates, these would have disappeared between 4,100 and 3,000 million years ago (our solar system has about 4.6 billion years), in periods called Noeic and Hesperic. The lower gravitational attraction and the lack of a magnetic field that protect the Martian seas of the solar wind left Mars without superficial oceans. But from that water there was more than a handful of marks in the geography of the red planet: the water in solid state lasts ice -shaped either Integrated into its minerals. The enigma of the missing water. Some researchers detected a problem, and it is the difficulty that the sum of evaporated water, frozen or embedded in minerals could represent the total water that was once on Mars, they explain In an article for The conversation Hrvoje Tkalčić and Weijia Sun, co -authors of the recent geological study on water on Mars. Insight, to the rescue. In his recent study, the team took advantage of the data captured by the seismometer that the probe Insight He kept operating on Mars during his activity. During this period, Mars suffered an earthquake and received the impact of several meteorites, events whose seismic waves were recorded by the instrument aboard the now deceased probe. Studying the spread of these leads, the team identified an “anomaly” in a layer of the Martian subsoil located between 5.4 and 8 kilometers under the surface. It is a “low speed layer” that, according to the hypothesis proposed by the equipment would correspond to a layer of porous rock stuffed with water, “like a saturated sponge” or “something similar to the aquifers of the earth.” A lot of water. This layer could hide a significant amount of water, enough to house the water that dfalta in the accounts of the experts. “We have calculated that the ‘aquífera’ in Mars could house enough water to cover the planet in a global ocean of a depth of between 520 and 780 m, several times more water that keeps the Antarctic ice layer.” The details of the study will be published In an article In the magazine National Science Reviewbut for now we have to settle for a draft. Tests accumulate. This It is not the first time that we get evidence of the existence of vast amounts of water in the Martian subsoil. A little over a year agoa study conducted from the data of the European probe Mars Express reached a similar conclusion, that of the existence of huge amounts of water, enough to create an ocean of several hundred meters deep, in the Martian subsoil. In Xataka | We had little doubt that Mars was a habitable planet. The Curiosity Rover has just cleared them Image | POT/GSFC

Global reservoir water data are incredibly good. The reality of many areas is very different.

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Few figures can move more to someone who has followed the day to day of drought in Spain than is: 43,144. Those are, on May 5, 2025, the HM3 in the country’s reservoirs. 76.99% of the total. In recent time, we have never seen anything the same. And yet the alarm signals. And I do not mean only the general reports. That also: the latest Copernicus report, the European land observation system, despite focusing on the situation of central Europe, Let it clear That the situation in Spain is terrible. It leaves no doubt: the vast majority of points in “alert” by drought of the European continent They are on the peninsula. But, as I say, the alerts not only come from obtuse community reports, they also come from the same hydrographic confederations that are prohibiting crops because, according to their calculations, the endowment of reservoirs is not enough. The Granada example. When the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation (CHG) He announced The maximum endowments for irrigation for this year, “the worst omen were confirmed.” The accounts did not give, the regable areas of the province of Granada were going to continue with the greatest restrictions because their water reserves had not improved at the same level as in the rest of the basin. That is, the global figures and even the figures per Cuenca were not enough to know how the country was really: there are entire areas that, despite being part of water full of water, are not going to leave the drought behind. And what does this imply? Well, for example, farmers in La Vega de Granada who have sown winter crops will not be able to plant anything in summer. It is not a new measure, it was already implemented in 2023. The problem is that no one expected this and constitutes a blow to the rentier of a sector accustomed to using rotation to finance the following crops (as explained in ideal“The corn that is now paid expenses and income from winter crops”). That is, despite the water, many areas will have a bad time. Because no, it is not a problem that only affects Granada. A good part of southeast (regardless of the basin), the Balearic Islands or Some areas of the interior They will have water problems and will not be able to develop agricultural activities normally. To that we must add all the crops that go late Or they are Seeing how pests are primed with them. In the background, it is a reminder that the drought problems that have been accompanying us for 10 years cannot be diluted in two springs. As we have said many timesdroughts are managed with full swamps. It is now when you have to redouble efforts in infrastructure and management models. The restrictions may be necessary, but if we stay there … the most important step will be missing. Image | Kshithij Chandrashekar In Xataka | Spain has a huge problem with contaminated waters. These researchers believe that the solution is the poplars

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