world

The US and Spacex wanted to revolutionize the delivery of weapons anywhere in the world. A tropical bird had other plans

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Starship is called to be the ship-cohete that Put humanity on Marsbut years ago he caught the attention of Pentagon For something much more earthly: transport military merchandise from one point to another on earth. But what they expected from Spacex And the Pentagon was an enemy who put those plans in check. Tropical birds. Revolutionizing military logistics. After a series of incidents, in 2024 we witnessed something unprecedented. He Starship propeller rocket was intercepted with millimeter accuracy by a mechanical arm. This, which seems little thing, is the starting gun for the revolution of space missions because it promises to reduce costs and shorten times because the rockets are no longer disposable between missions. Long before achievement, in 2021, the Pentagon already showed interest in these capabilities. The United States Air Force had an internal program called ‘Rocket Cargo‘With an ambitious objective, but easy to explain: transport huge amounts of military load from one point to another on the planet in a matter of minutes. Suspense. We are talking about the ability to deliver up to 150 tons of load anywhere on Earth in a maximum time of 90 minutes, which would imply an unprecedented and unprecedented deployment, as well as A tremendous strategic advantage. However, something like this requires evidence beyond those that Spacex itself is doing with its ship-cohete, and the idea of the Air Force was to start trying these rockets in a Pacific Atolón. It is not going to be. How can we read in Reuterson that remote island at 1,300 kilometers southwest of Hawaii, at least 14 species of tropical birds live. And, according to biologists, Spacex and Air Force tests would damage these species that nest in the area. Atoll location And relocation. This atoll, called Johnstonhas only 2.6 square kilometers and is part of the National Marine Monument of the remote Pacific Islands, so, as a source of the Air Force confirmed to the American military magazine ‘Stars and Stripes’, they will have to look for a new ‘patio’ of testing. According to the FFAA spokesman to the American magazine, they are already “exploring alternative places to develop the program”. Mistreating atolls. It is not the first time That the activities of the Musk company damages the flora and fauna of a place. It happened in Boca Chica, Texas, in 2023, when an explosion ended both with nests and coastal bird eggs, which caused legal problems to the company. Problems that Musk reacted with his particular and curious sense of humor, stating that he would stop eating tortillas for a week to compensate. And the truth is that this is a small victory for the tropical birds of the Johnson atolion, since the atolls of the quadrant and their fauna did not have so much luck in the pastwhen they were chosen as Objective for nuclear tests During the cold war, ending with entire islands of a plumazo and causing the Fear of nuclear radiation long before the Chernobyl accident. Images | United States Army Chemical Materials Agency, Steve Jurvetson, Tubs In Xataka | The US is leaving Ukraine without help, so Ukraine has proposed something to Europe: you give me the money, I manufacture my arms

The most common and insecure passwords in the world, exhibited in a graphic developer

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Passwords They are a headacheand so it is just as it should be. We have more and more applications that require a password, something fundamental because in many we have associated payment data, but the Statistics evidence that, as much as there is Key managers And security gaps, we still do not give them the importance they deserve. In fact, every year ‘12345’ remains the most used password. It is not the only password that can be burst in seconds, but that we insist on continuing to use. And this graphic exposes it perfectly. Usual suspects. Prepared by Visual Capitalist With the data of NordPassin the upper graph we have the 25 most common passwords worldwide for 2024. To anyone’s surprise, ‘12345’ is the most popular, used more than three million times (according to the accounts of this service, so it can be many more), but it is accompanied by some consecutive numerical series a little longer, by the classic ‘password’ or by the first row of the keyboard, with more or a shorter length, but always left, but always left, but always left, but always left, with a length right. Passwords such as ‘Dragon’, ‘Monkey’ or ‘Iloveyou’ also appear, or the classic ‘Secret’. There are some that combine numbers and letters that, according to recommendations, give more strength to the key, but are such simple combinations that they do not make a difference in security. Burst in a second. Where do these passwords come from? Precisely, of a 2.5 TB database (which is said soon) that Nordass analyzed because they were credentials exposed in different security gaps. And beyond the number of times these unsafe passwords appear, what attracts attention is the time someone would take to burst them. You don’t have to be hacker to skip those passwords, and NordPass points that 25 can skip in less than a second. Of the most used, you have to go to the 28th place with ‘Target123’ to see that it would take nine seconds to crack it, ‘Tinkle’ would take two minutes and the first “safer” (Note the quotes) would be ‘Zag12WSX’, which would have been more or less and that it came out more than 90,000 times in different data leakers. Curiosity: Do not use Pokemon ‘like 45,776 people,’ Starwars’ as 34,427 or ‘Batman’ as another 24,638 people exposed because they are also bursting in less than a second. Spain and Latam without getting out of the line. Those are the most used worldwide, but something curious, and useful, is that we can filter through countries. If we look at Spain, ‘123456’, ‘123456789’ and 12345678 ‘are the three most used, but’ Spain ‘is the fourth and is somewhat safer. It would barely take that password that appeared 7,349 times in data filtration. ‘Spain’ would also take a couple of minutes and then there are some curious such as ‘Barcelona’ or ‘Alejandro’. Interestingly, if you have ‘Cristina’ as a password, it would take three hours to skip it. In Mexico the popular are identical to those of the rest of the world, but we have more insecure variety such as ‘Pokemon’, ‘Pass’, ‘Alejandro’, ‘America’, ‘Hello’ or ‘Carlos’. In Chile and Colombia, ‘Chile’ and ‘Colombia’ are among the most popular. In general, the list is quite curious, with “safe” passwords such as ‘111222Tianya’ in China or ‘Tkideltki’ in Taiwan, taking the Crackers one day to skip both. And return to recommendations. Six of the ten most used passwords are purely numerical and with extremely predictable patterns. Precisely, the trick to create a good password It is to use numbers, symbols and capital letters and lowercase with at least 12 characters. To do this, we have at our disposal programs that generate and manage these passwordsbut we can also take precautions changing the keys to timeuse Two -step verification methods whenever possible and take the habit of not reusing passwords. In Xataka | Beware of aircraft wifi: there are scammers that create false networks on flights

China’s boom in the world of technology, visit to the headquarters of Byd in Shenzhen and much more in 1×14 crossover

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China has gone from being The world factory To be not only the world factory, but Pioneers in the world of technology. In a matter of just a few decades the Chinese market has made a huge quanti and qualitative leap, see His advances in the world of artificial intelligence, consumption devices, The appliances either vehicles. That leads to ask a question: In what situation is the West right now? It is a most interesting debate and with many edges, edges that we address in the 14th crossover episode. In the program, conducted by Carlos Santaengrandencia and Jaume Lahoz and already available on YouTubewe talk about this growth of China, how (and why) has taken so many giant steps and in what situation are currently both the United States and Europe. It is an episode, in fact, very focused on China. Both Carlos and our partner Alberto de la Torre They were recently in Xi’an (Shenzhen), home of the Central Headquarters of Byd. Not only did they have the opportunity to visit the area, but they could enter the factorysee how the firm’s electric cars are produced and test the fast loaders first hand. Fast, level: 400 kilometers of autonomy in just five minutes. In short, a very interesting program that helps us better know the world of technology, As geopolitics defines this market and the peculiarities of a country that advances at the speed of lightning. All this and much more, as always, in the new Crossover episode. On YouTube | Crossover

The world is full of retirees that monitor works on the street. In Italy they are professionalizing and signing them

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It doesn’t matter if we talk about Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Vigo, Miranda del Ebro or the distant Lombardy. Where there is a work, an open ditch, a mason with helmet and shovel, a gardener Prunessing the cypresses of the park or a gruist A retiree supervising. His figure is almost universal, such as curiosity or the innate impulse to give advice that no one has asked. Now in A small town From Italy they have had a peculiar idea: why not take advantage of all that wasted talent? That is why they have professionalized their UMARELL. Work, who has said work? When one approaches a work, a series of elements expect to be found: masons, concrete, scaffolding, cranes, excavators … For a long time to that extensive list of professionals and useful something else is added: retirees that follow each shovel, banish or hammer with the attention of an orchestra director. It occurs in almost any Spanish city, it doesn’t matter if it is large or small. And occurs in other countries, Like Italywhere they occurred to them that it may not be far -fetched to take advantage of that ancient talent. With you, the UMARELL. In Italy they even have a name for retirees who move from work by work examining and giving advice, usually early in the morning, after breakfast, and in groups. They call them UMARELLa term coined in 2005 For the writer Danilo Masottiwho created him rescuing a dialectal word from his hometown, Bologna: Umarèl (“Little man”). The idea liked and has become popular until it sneaks into the dictionary in 2021. Over the years the figure of the UMARELL He has penetrated the Italian popular culture. A while ago in the town of Pescara they decided to open Windows In the fences that cover their works so that the elderly can appear to them and in 2016, in a wink to their growing popularity, Burger King included them in An advertising poster. The palm is taken, however, the City Council of Bologna, which in 2018 was a step further and dedicated a placePiazetta Degli Umoulls. Why not take advantage of them? Thus, a few months ago Villasanta, a small town of 14,000 inhabitants From the Lombardy region, in northern Italy, he had an idea: why not take advantage of the curiosity, experience and time of the UMARELL? Moreover, why not professionalize them and ‘sign’ the best? For that purpose At the end of last year The City Council launched a call that closed in early April and allowed it to create a small eight patrol UMARELLsix of the Villanta Yos de Monza itself. At the service of the people. In the bars bars, anyone can comment. In the team of UMARELL of Villasanta no. People selected by the Consistory meet certain requirements: they are retired, have university degrees and accumulate work experience in technical sectors thanks to their old jobs in fields such as architecture, engineering and topography. The goal? That your indications are, above all, good indications. The service provides it for free, without charging, although being registered in the Civic Volunteer Registry are covered by insurance. By becoming UMARELL Professionals also assume certain responsibilities. The Guardian details That each of the eight retirees (seven men and a woman) has a part of the assigned town and the work is organized in shifts between two and three hours. When one is missing, he coordinates with his companions to cover the vacancy. But … what do they do? Basically they increase the number of eyes and ears that the City Council has to supervise certain municipal works and services. During their turn each UMARELL It is responsible for visiting public works, checking the status of the streets and sidewalks and ‘supervising’ the maintenance of green areas. And that among other tasks. In April Euronews pointed out that the first mission entrusted to them by the City Council was to carry out traffic surveys. Thanks to them, the City Council can have a more precise control of public works, cleaning the streets and parking, the care of parks and other green areas or if the lighting and the garbage collection service works correctly. “Above all you feel useful for society and for yourself: you are doing something valuable with your time instead of sitting in front of TV or complaining, as the real ones do UMARELL“, Explain to The Guardian Roberto Cremona, one of the eight retirees who patrol the streets (and the works) of the town. Images | Wikipedia (Wittylama) and Salvatore Capalbi (Flickr) In Xataka | If your dream is to retire at age 52 with 100% of the pension, Spain offers you a road: a high -risk job

Exactly 100 years ago we began to understand how the world works. Quantum physics has radically changed our lives

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Well, not exactly 100 years ago. 100 years ago and one day. On July 9, 1925, German physicist Werner Heisenberg sent a letter to his friend Wolfgang Pauli, who at that time was already a very renowned theoretical physicist of Austrian origin. Heisenberg had been engaged for several months in the development of an idea that was permanently breaking with The classical conception of the atom as a tiny planetary system in which electrons orbit around a nucleus constituted by protons and neutrons. That letter contained several reflections that Pauli knew how to appreciate. In fact, shortly after receiving it Max Born, Pascual Jordan and Wolfgang Pauli himself took the work of Werner Heisenberg as a starting point to prepare for the first time in history a mature formulation of Quantum theory. The content of that letter supports nothing more and nothing less the most ambitious and precise framework in the history of science: Standard model of particle physics. Without him many of the technologies we enjoy today would not be possible. Quantum mechanics is very present in our day to day “Dear Pauli, if he believes that I read his letter laughing mockingly, he is deeply mistaken. Actually, the opposite happens; from Helgoland (it is a small German island located in the North Sea) my views on the mechanics have become more radical every day that passes, and I am firmly convinced that Bohr’s theory of the hydrogen atom in its current form Zeeman “. The article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’) of Heisenberg is considered the birth certificate of modern quantum theory The first lines of Heisenberg’s letter They clearly reflect the trust and respect he professed towards Pauli. And also how much the revolutionary ideas I had in mind were disturbed. In fact, a few lines later confess to having many doubts about the way he could carry out The rigorous formulation of those thoughts: “As for my own opinion about this scribble, with which I am not at all satisfied: I am firmly convinced of the value of the negative and critical part, but I consider that the positive part is rather poor. Even so, perhaps those most capable that I can get something sensible to it.” The scribble that Heisenberg speaks was actually the draft of his famous article ‘Umdeutung’ (‘Reinterpretation’), which shortly after was published. Many physicists consider that text the birth certificate of Modern Quantum Theory. Neither more nor less. Anyway, there is no doubt: during the next 100 years Heisenberg’s ideas and other physicists who also made decisive contributions to quantum theory, such as Wolfgang Pauli, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, Paul Am Douc, Niels Bohr or Albert Einstein, triggered the birth of many of the technologies we currently use. Integrated circuits containing all our electronic devices, Solar panelsmagnetic resonance machines, The lasers or the atomic watches that allow the human being to measure time with an unprecedented precision would not be possible without the knowledge that modern quantum theory has given us. And, of course, without this model we would not have Quantum computers. Objectively, and it is not at all an exaggeration, Quantum physics is present in much of modern technology. And all probability will continue to be in many of the innovations that will arrive in the future. That is not the slightest doubt. After all, it is the best tool we have to understand how the world works. Image | Generated by Xataka with Gemini More information | Cern In Xataka | The authentic alchemy is being made by the CERN: it has detected the transformation of lead into gold

China has been launching the same message to the world about Taiwan. The date was 2027 … until the US bombarded Iran

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Now that there is a certain tense calm in the Middle East, there are many analysts who have turned the magnopolitical framework. In June we already commented that, in a turn of the most perverse events, the United States attack Iran intended to contain a nuclear proliferation could be the catalyst of another even more dangerous: North Korea. There was a second stage to draw: that of China and Taiwan. Start over. The analysts told of the New York Times That the American attack against Iranian nuclear facilities has added a new layer of complexity to the already tense geopolitical equation between the United States, China and Taiwan. What began as a diplomatic strategy became a sudden offensive that now serves as Element of study For Chinese leaders, who seek to anticipate how Trump would respond to an eventual crisis in the Taiwan Strait. His Erratic behavior And his willingness to resort to the use of force, even having previously rejected it, generate confusion in Beijing. China, they agree, observe this turn as a sign that Trump, far from representing a predictable position, could apply a logic of force equally in Asia if it perceives that their interests are at stake. Iran’s mirror. In the same way What North Koreahe Attack on Iran has been able to force Chinese strategists to Check your models of contingency with respect to Taiwan. Despite the obvious differences between the two scenarios, the essential lesson It is shared: Trump is willing to unleash military operations if he considers it appropriate, even against adversaries with limited response capacity such as Iran. Beijing, on the other hand, has a considerably superior military power and is known closer to the theater of operations than any American force. Even so, the possibility of a sudden escalation forces the Chinese to prepare For a Scenario fanfrom a diplomatic crisis to a direct confrontation that escapes their hands. Uncertainty about Trump’s red line is precisely what worries them. Taiwan and ambiguity. A constant in American politics towards Taiwan has been the calculated ambiguity: dissuad China from that invasion that sounds by 2027 (coinciding with The EPL centenary), without explicitly guaranteeing a military intervention. Trump has brought that ambiguity to an extreme level. At times ha praised Xi Jinping And he has given relaxes of distensionwhile in others he has hardened his rhetoric and has intensified The supply of weapons to Taipéi. For Beijing, this duality is disconcerting but also dangerous, because it cannot be certain to its behavior. In this context, Chinese analysts They have intensified His scrutiny, maintaining discrete meetings with American interlocutors in search of clues about the true limits of the former president. The impression they transmit is of nervous caution: they fear that the Trump’s unpredictability can trigger an unwanted crisis. Cross pressures. The tension not only emanates from Beijing. Remembered in another report the Time Magazine that within the United States and Taiwan there is fear that Trump himself, in his eagerness, ends giving something to China In a future summit with XI, perhaps in the form of an ambiguous statement or a significant omission about the defense of the island. Washington, as we said, maintains armament supply (And more) and exhortes Taipéi to increase his military spending, but it is the president who finally decides. That centralization of power and its erratic character They worry both in the Pentagon and in the Taiwanese presidential palace. We have Cash: The recent ones Chinese maneuversincluding deployment of aircraft carriers Beyond the first island chain, they are seen as stress tests: Silent drills to measure the allied reaction capacity and the degree of real commitment of Washington. Taiwan between lines and symbols. While Beijin accuses President Taiwanesa Lai Ching-Te de Separatismo, the island administration insists that it is the maneuvers and Chinese threats that They tension the rope. In turn, within Taiwan, there are those who interpret Trump’s attack to Iran as An indirect warning To the great powers, a coded message towards Moscow and Beijing: if a line is crossed, the answer could be immediate. But the comparison between Iran and China is dangerous. He Missile Arsenal from Beijing (which includes about 3,500 missiles Conventional, nuclear ballistic submarines and a rapid assembly) would make a lightning offensive like the one launched in the Middle East. China knows it, and that is why Multiply your deploymentsair incursions and Naval exercisesconsolidating a constant pressure on the island, designed to wear it psychologically and strategically. China between two fronts. Plus: while facing these uncertainties in the east, Beijing must deal with a growing perception of threat in the West. The Recent statements From the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte, alerting about Chinese military expansion and his possible coordination with Russia in case of crisis in Taiwan, reinforce the western narrative of China As a systemic challenge. Beijing, meanwhile, denounces that NATO seeks to justify its expansion to Asia using China As a pretext. A theater of shadows. In summary, Trump has shown that he can change course Without prior noticeand that feature, far from reassuring, introduces a dangerous volatility element. Meanwhile, China explores if you can find a loop to weaken American support to Taipéi, even Without resorting to force. And in parallel, the military apparatus of the United States and its allies fears that any calculation error, any word out of place at a summit, can trigger a chain reaction. The military action In Iran it is not just a specific act: it is a declaration of ambiguous intentions, one that has put all the actors of the Indo-Pacific board alert. Image | Chairman, Garystock In Xataka | That China performs 3,000 military air maneuvers over a year is not striking. To do it about Taiwan, yes In Xataka | It is the third time in a few months that China presents itself against Taiwan with an army. The island has decided to move on to attack

In the twentieth century the pipelines were the key to the world. In the 21st century are the electrical networks and a country is winning them: China

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While a nation installs almost one hundred solar panels per second, another revitalizes factories to produce gasoline engines. While A build the largest solar plant in the worldthe other promises “Dominant Energy” Based on oil and gas. At first glance, two different strategies seem. Actually, it’s a career. And the prize is not just energy: it is the geopolitical power of the 21st century. Two opposing models. An Ember graph published by Our World in Data He has illustrated The point with amazing clarity. At the beginning of the 2000s you can see China’s gradual rebound. However, the crossing occurs in 2010 where the Asian giant exceeds the 4,000 Teravatios-Hora barrier (TWH), to a vertiginous ascent exceeding 10,000 SWH in 2024. In simple terms, China produces more than double electricity than the United States, which remained in the same line. But the most relevant is not how much it produces, but how it does. Data Source: Ember (2025); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2024) The silent revolution. In just one month, China installed 93 gigawatts of solar capacity, which is equivalent – more or less – one hundred panels every second. To that are added another 26 GW in wind, some 5,300 new turbines underway. According to Lauri Myllyvirta, principal researcher at the Institute of Policy of Asian Society, cited by The Guardian: “Only the facilities of that month would generate as much electricity as whole countries such as Poland, Sweden or the United Arab Emirates.” In total, between January and May 2025, China has added 198 GW of solar capacity and 46 GW of wind, sufficient to match the electricity production of Türkiye or Indonesia. This way, Keep overcoming The more than 1,000 GW, which represents half of the world total. They have known how to get ahead. More and more linked climatic ambitions with the growth of renewable technologies. In a recent speech, cited by The GuardianXi Jinping linked the development of the clean energy sector with China’s economic revitalization: “We have built the world’s largest and most complete energy chain in the world.” The term “new energies” includes renewables, batteries and storage technologies. The Asian giant is currently the largest global supplier of clean technologies: the market of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, electric vehicles and nuclear reactors under construction dominates. In addition, it has almost 700,000 patents in clean energy, more than half of the world total, According to The New York Times. The other face. For a good part of the twentieth century, the United States was the reference in energy innovation: from the first commercial solar cells until The first wind farms. However, since Trump’s arrival, the focus It has been placed again strongly towards fossil fuels. According to The New York TimesWashington has pressed allies such as Japan and South Korea to invest billion dollars in American natural gas infrastructure. At the same time, companies such as General Motors have given clear signs of where the wind blows: the company canceled an electric motion plant near Buffalo (New York) to allocate 888 million dollars To manufacture gasoline V-8 engines. Where asymmetry resides. It is not just two different paths, but in world influence. According to Climate Energy Finance datathe companies of the Asian giant have announced more than 168 billion dollars in foreign investments in clean energy projects: from turbines in Brazil to electric cars in Indonesia, through gigantic solar plants in Saudi Arabia and hydroelectric projects in the Congo. Green energy, for Beijing, is not just a business. It is a soft power tool. A way to gain global land through infrastructure, long -term contracts and own financing. An influence that does not need military bases, but solar panels. In contrast, the United States has cut many of its international energy cooperation programs. Its foreign strategy is more transactional: specific gas, oil or even weapons agreements. But without a structural project that allows you to compete on this new energy board. And this change of roles? Half a century ago, the United States led energy innovation. In 1979, Jimmy Carter He installed solar panels In the White House. Decades later, Barack Obama financed projects like Tesla. But cases Like Solyndra’s failurea solar company that broke after receiving a federal loan, unleashed a conservative narrative against public investment in renewables. China, on the other hand, assumed risks. In the early 2000s, then Prime Minister Wen Jiabao – rare earth geneologist – understood that the country’s economic and geopolitical future went through controlling energy production. Your government invested hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, factories, technical training and innovation. Protected his market, automated manufacturing and dominated access to essential raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and silicon as has developed New York Times. The forecasts. The world is moving towards solar and wind energies, so confirms it The International Energy Agency. The energy demand will continue to grow, but its origin will be different. And that will change the global balance, because whoever leads this new energy matrix will also have a geopolitical, commercial and diplomatic advantage. China is prepared to lead that world. The big question is whether the United States – or any other global actor – is willing to compete with the same strategic vision, patience and scale. Because energy not only moves factories or illuminates cities. Today the global board moves. Image | Unspash Xataka | An explosive ramifications have just opened in the world energy industry: the “Peak Oil” of China

Some of the hottest countries are the ones that have the most pleasure for the spicy. It has all the meaning of the world

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The spicy is not considered a taste of use but it is a key element in many gastronomies. You can draw attention to the fact that some of the countries with the greatest love of The spicy are among the warmer countries in the world, something contraintuitive if we attend to the main effect of this seasoning has a lot to do with The heat. There are various types of spicy but we refer to a concrete one, The spicy food scorching containing capsaicin. Capsaicin is a molecule that occurs naturally in some plants of the genre Capsicumthe plants that give us all the variety of peppers, chillies, chiles or ñoras, although these fruits not always contain perceptible concentrations of this compound. It is often considered that plants of this genre synthesize this compound as a defense mechanism to protect their fruits and with them their seeds. However today the human being cultivates different varieties of plants in order to control the Capsaicin concentrations And, with this, control the degree of itching that causes the fruit. Very often this is done in order not to reduce the presence of the molecule but to create even more spicy varieties. Exist Many hypotheses about why the fond of spicy and spices in certain countries closest to the tropics, although there are no scientific arguments that support any specific. For example, the idea that these condiments are used to avoid the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms is practically discarded. What we do know is that, under certain conditions, the spicy can help us reduce the temperature, by contradictory that seems. Capsaicin works activating nerve receptors in charge of letting us know for the sensation of burned. In other words, this compound deceives us by making us think that we are abrasing ourselves. In that deception is the great utility of spicy foods With high temperatures: the sensation of heat can make us break to sweat when we eat the spicy, which makes it easier for our body to expel part of the heat that is accumulating. Something similar we can experience When we drink a hot drink when the thermometers indicate an increase in temperatures. Of course, there is a “but”. Sweat is mostly water that transports part of our body heat outside our skin. Once there this water evaporates, taking the heat. But not always: in high humidity conditions, sweat takes to evaporate, which implies that the spicy or hot drinks only work when we do not exceed certain levels of humidity in the environment. It should also be remembered that sweat makes us lose water, so replenishing it is indispensable. The food, an ally It is not necessary to resort to spicy if what we want is to feed and face the high temperatures. Some meals they can help us reduce heat In our body and, above all, they can help us stay hydrated, something fundamental when heat squeezes. In this sense, fruits can be especially useful. Fruits such as watermelon and melon can give us a significant amount of water when we consume them, but also do vegetables such as tomato, cucumber and lettuce. Hot drinks can help us in some contexts but in general avoiding very hot food can be a good idea, especially if we have to cook at home, since this will imply that we will be generating residual heat in our own home, heat that can take time to fade if we do not ventilate with property. The spicy, hot drinks and fresh fruit can be ways to maintain our thermal comfort in extreme circumstances but a heat wave requires that we take different measures to ensure our physical well -being and thus not take a scare. Avoid high insolation hours or those in which the temperature reaches peaks, looking for the shadow, keeping us hydrated, and Avoid demanding activities On physical level as exercise are also precautions to take on days like those we are living during this heat wave. In Xataka | Popular wisdom is not always right: the great myths of heat that we should avoid in summer Image | Qurratul Ayin Sadia / Alvin

“In five years we will be one of the three main manufacturers in the world, I am convinced”

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Turn the bus and face a huge industrial -looking door. Two inputs controlled by a garita under a gray structure topped in its upper area with three letters and their explanation with Hanzis (The Chinese characters that give it name). The bus takes various streets, turns left and right. Finally, take a last turn and leave us under a roofed space. To our left, a huge staircase guarded by two gigantic lions guarded by an immense and lonely esplanade. In the background five buildings are drawn that with its height, of no less than 30 floors, break with the plain of the square. To our right, the entrance door to an immense hall after the demonstrations of some of the more dotteras technologies of the Chinese car market. Yes, that one He is arriving in Europe and who aspires to become a reference. Will make it clear to us Stella Li, BYD Vice President. We ask what the company expects in the next five years, what will be after five years. Look with the decision he faces any as he asks to be done: “We will be one of the three main manufacturers in the world. I am convinced.” A meteoric career The image that projects the headquarters of Byd in Shenzhen (China) is the same as the one that gives off a good part of the city. The immensity of the plazas of Soviet reminiscences are mixed with gigantic skyscrapers of somewhat decadent appearance in their wrapping but that, without a doubt, welcome inside the gears that move the latest technology of the country. The gears are human that live in these buildings. More than 17 million people that push to make Shenzhen a megaciudad that drinks from a clearly communist appearance past and now lives from wild capitalism that permeates all corners. It is the city of shopping centers full of ultra -realistic falsification stores but also that of skyscrapers who play with breaking your neck, immense headquarters of Chinese banks, and dozens of skyscrapers that are thrown into an orgy of lights, colors and music three times a day to demonstrate the world that they have enough strength to wear their LED panel buildings and put them to dance to the rhythm they want to dance. The rhythm of the gears that hide under these last glazed moles are clear: money and technology. Crossing the huge glazed doors of the Byd headquarters already gives us an idea of ​​what we are going to find inside. Next to the marble and columns that never seem Byd manufactures in vertical integration, Much of its success. And it is that of the batteries that began to manufacture in 1994, the year in which the company was founded, it has passed to a giant that has already manufactured more than 10 million vehicles, which exceeded four million cars produced in just one year in 2024 and that is much more than that. It is a company that also manufactures luxury vehicles, subway cars, buses and an enormous amalgam of components for them, from the batteries to the semiconductors or heat pumps. “Our integral approach to production and batteries give us a unique competitive advantage. We hope to have a solid presence on all continents, with Europe as one of our priority markets”, Stella Li emphasizes us who knows where we want to go with that question where they will be in the next five years. That vertical integration is all that they want to teach us in our visit to the central headquarters. Start with a factory miniturization. The classic miniature trains game is made up of the rails through which vehicles that move the doors and other parts of the chassis move. We will see it with our own eyes the next day but we will get an idea of ​​how chassis and mechanical set marry to give way to the end of the line to a little Yangwang U8 in miniature, the huge SUV of more than five meters that is able to float on water. Later, at the end of the visit itself, we will have the opportunity to get on one and check The maximum luxury that proposes byd. Vehicles as excessive as well finished, topped with materials that fit the precision of the best models in the market. And with the eccentricities of the Chinese market claims, such as the drones parking that carries one of the vehicles parked at the entrance. We have entered for your past, we will go out for your future. Among others, the load of 1 MW for electric cars, a technology that Byd already has available in two carsbut that, Stella Li recognizes us, is thought above all for trucks and car fleets. Live, the system overwhelms, connecting to the same car two hoses that provide 500 kW each. The great advantage, in addition, is that if the car does not admit this type of load, the supplier can nurture two cars to a maximum of 500 kW, powers with which we do not dream in Spain for the moment. At the moment, they will put just over 4,000 points on the street. All byd patents We were notified The strategy is based on pillars of all kinds: a huge variety of products that seem to be cannibalized, its own technology sustained by an almost inconceivable variety of patents and a groundbreaking attitude towards the designs of the market in which enormous equipment and low prices are combined. That patent reaíla is proud throughout a wall that could well measure 20 meters. From top to bottom, talked with the certificates of each of them. They are, of course, those that allowed Byd to create LFP batteries that, they show us proud, They can be crossed by a nail and Do not burn in the process. The NCM facing the same test on your right does not run the same fate. A flash shakes the room and the heat of … Read more

This city of China is the world epicenter of rare earths. The problem is that nobody thought of its inhabitants

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To get an idea to what extent It has control Of those precious minerals that form the set of rare earths, the greatest enemy that China has is not outside its borders. It is such a monopolization in the sector that the danger has in “house” through of the smugglers. And of all enclaves, one stands out greatly as an epicenter of the entire heart. His name is Baotou, and everything that shines for the surrounding inhabitants is not gold. A normal city in appearance. Baotouan industrial core of 2.7 million inhabitants on the border with the Gobi desert, seems to the naked eye a second category Chinese city like so many others: shopping centers with western chains, local restaurants overflowing and children playing late. However, a short journey to the outskirts is enough to discover His true nature: A landscape dominated by factories, smoking chimneys and an environmental legacy forged by one of the most strategic and persecuted sectors of the planet. The heart of rare earths. Yes, the enclave houses More than 80% of the Rare reserves of China. Since in the 30s they were discovered in the nearby Mining District of Bayan Obo elements such as Cerio, Lantano or Samario, its exploitation has turned the city on a chain axis on global supply on industries such as electronics, automotive and defense. We have counted before: During the 90s, China increased its production by 450%, while other countries, such as the United States, They closed their mines. This concentration made Beijin the almost exclusive supplier of these critical metals, and today, in the midst of the commercial war with Washington, its control has been transformed In diplomatic weapon. Economy vs Human Cost. The problem? The Guardian told that mineral wealth has favored the economic development of Baotou, whose GDP per capita It widely exceeds the national average. However, prosperity has Your reverse: Processing plants generate toxic (often radioactive) waste that are discharged into huge artificial rafts. The most infamous, the Weikuang dam, for years was the largest landfill of rare earth waste on the planet, without adequate coating and directly close to the Yellow River. In fact, official reports have confirmed that these activities caused a 87% decrease of ammoniacal nitrogen in a tributary between 2020 and 2024, although accumulated ravages remain visible. Yin mountains on the outskirts Cancer and poison. For example, numerous studies They have documented devastating consequences in the health of nearby communities: from bone malformations to a “Epidemic” of cancer. Exposure to these elements, capable of crossing the blood brain barrier, has been associated with motor and sensory disabilities, as well as alterations in fetal neurological development. Not just that. 2020 investigations revealed that the dust of the streets contains concentrations so high that the children of Baotou and surroundings are exposed to dangerous levels Just to breathe. Daily particle ingestion rates in mining areas far exceed the limits considered safe. A washing … halfway. Given the growing international criticism, China has tried to clean its image. In 2022, state media announced that Weikuang’s dam had been transformed into an urban wetland, now supposed paradise of migratory birds. The reality? Explained the medium British that when arriving at the place, what one is located is a concrete wall that hides a dry and desolate lodazal. Behind, ruins of ancient “villages of cancer” and oxidized industrial structures extend. New homes built for displaced are practically empty, and foreign journalists are It usually blocks actively to prevent them from talking to residents. Rural sacrifice. So things, Baotou exemplifies an uncomfortable truth: the China domain In the rare earth market it has been possible not only for its geological reserves, but for a political decision where rural communities have been allowed to support Toxic costs of a globalized economic boom. It is not an exempt problem from China, of course, the same thing happens in other sectors such as AI and its data centers (we recently counted it with the Elon Musk Supercomputer). Be that as it may, and although there are less polluting technologies to process these metals, they are rarely used: its implementation would make the low costs that have cemented the Chinese position. If you want, in a context of growing international pressure and commercial sanctions, the extractive model It reveals both the fragility of environmental balance and the rawness of contemporary geostrategic priorities. Image | 柏尔莫华, 天王星 In Xataka | The key to China’s success with rare earths are not the rare earths: it is the magnet In Xataka | China’s domain of rare earths has nothing to do with geography: it is born from 39 university programs

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