years

In 1972, a Swedish model posed nude for ‘Playboy’. Years later, we have the JPEG format thanks to this

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The one of Lena Sjööblom It is one of the most delirious races in the history of technology. To begin with, because when she made her mark in the sector she was not an engineer, nor a mathematician, nor a physicist, nor anything that resembled her in the slightest. Nor did it have any known “Eureka” moment nor did it contribute any discovery or invention. No. Sjööblom was a model. From a model she became what was then known as a “Playboy girl.” And from the pages of the nude magazine he jumped to the front-line research that today, half a century later, allows us to enjoy the JPEG image format. Let’s go in parts. In the early 70s, Sjööblom, a 21-year-old Swedish immigrant Recently landed in the US, she made a living as a model. To make her way and probably without the slightest idea of ​​the journey her image would end up taking, at the end of 1972 she agreed to pose nude for Playboya magazine that at that time sold millions of copies around the world. In one of the central photos that he took of him Dwight Hookerone of the most famous portrait painters of the city, appears from behind, in front of a mirror, with no clothes other than a hat, a red boa, stockings and heels. I liked his work. A lot. At least that’s what we can deduce if we take into account that the November 1972 issue, in which Sjööblom was the playmate main feature and Pamela Rawlings was on the cover, sold 7.16 million copiesmaking it the most successful in the magazine’s entire history. The pose became so famous that in 1973 Woody Allen He even snuck it into one of his movies. As often happens with fame, that sudden public interest came, swept away and, with it, evaporated. Sjööblom continued her modeling career and, once retired, returned to Sweden. Chances of life, one of those 7.16 million copies of the 1972 magazine ended up in the hands of a person linked to the Signal Image Processing Institute (SIPI) of the University of South Carolinaa laboratory in which, at that time, they worked on image processing and were laying the foundations of what would end up being the JPEG and MPEG standards. The coincidence would not be of greater interest if it were not for the fact that that reader took his Playboy to SIPI at the right time: just when They were looking for an image for their tests. The right place, at the right time Today it may seem crazy for someone to show up at the office with a nude magazine under their arm. Not in the 70s. As Lorena Fernández remembersof the University of Deustoin The Conversationnot only was it common for the staff to show themselves with their Playboy in teams that, like Carolina’s, were made up solely of men. It was even well seen, just like doing it today with The Times or the guide with the programming of La 2 documentaries. In that context, the arrival of Sjööblom’s photos was as well received as it was proverbial. Around June or July 1973, electrical engineering professor Alexander Swachuk, one of his graduate students, and the manager of SIPI were madly looking for a photo that they could scan and include in one of their presentations on image compression. They had their own stock, of course, but it was made up of files inherited from the boring and trite television standards of the early ’60s. The Swachuk Team I wanted a human face and an image that was also bright to guarantee a good output dynamic range. And what better option —they thought— that Sjööblom’s face? Skipping all the rules on property rights and decorum, the researchers used the image of Playboy. They kept only the top third of the magazine’s central poster and placed it under their muirhead scannerequipped with analog-digital converters and a minicomputer Hewlett Packard 2100. Jamie Hutchinson details To stay with a section of 512×512 pixels, they scanned 5.12 inches of the top of the photo, which in practice showed only Lena Sjööblom’s face, her shoulders and part of her bare back. The result showed a software error that forced the team to retouch it, but Swachuk’s team was working against the clock and decided to keep the distorted and altered image. The fact is that he liked it. Just as I had liked Sjööblom’s photo shoot in Playboy at the end of ’72. “They asked us for copies and we gave them to them so they could compare their image algorithms with ours on the same test image,” the professor himself recalled some time later. The final process At the SIPI they turned Sjööblom’s portrait into a test image for digital compression and transmission work. Arpanetthe precursor of the Internet. And that, with the passage of time, had an unpredictable result: the image of that model that everyone began to refer to as “Lena” or “Lenna” and whose origin began to blur became the standard used by other researchers who wanted to compress similar files with their algorithms. The face of that twenty-year-old Swedish woman, with a hat and a bare back, was replicated in books, conferences, articles, traveled through the “Atapuerca” of the Internet and helped lay the foundations for the JPEG image format. “Many researchers know the Lena image so well that they can easily evaluate any algorithm that runs on it. That’s why most people in the industry seem to believe that Lena has served well as a standard,” comments Hutchinson. In addition to being a “familiar image”, the photo combines shadows, highlights and blurred and sharp areas and details, a mixture that makes it “a tough test for an algorithm processing”. Perhaps the most curious thing about the entire story is that so much Playboy Like Lena Sjööblom herself, they spent decades without knowing the exorbitant fame—and the important role—of the 70s portrait. The first to … Read more

12 light years away, in a giant that humiliates Jupiter

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Although we have all complained at some point about the clouds when they have ruined us a sunny daywithout them the Earth would be much more inhospitable. Therefore, the discovery that the James Webb Space Telescope has just made on an exoplanet located 12 light years from us is really interesting. It’s not ammonia, it’s water. Epsilon Indi Ab is a gas giant even larger than Jupiter, located in a star system made up of two brown dwarfs and a K-type star. This planet is known to have clouds in its atmosphere, just like Jupiter. Given their similarity, one could expect that the clouds of both would have the same composition. Jupiter’s clouds are basically made up of ammonia. However, when some scientists have analyzed the composition of the clouds of Epsilon Indi Ab with the help of James Webb, they have discovered that there is hardly any ammonia in them. In reality they are composed mostly of frozen water, like what we have here on Earth. Hotter than expected. The exoplanet Epsilon Indi Ab is located at a distance from its star similar to that which separates Uranus from our Sun. Uranus is a very very cold planet for obvious reasons. However, Epsilon Indi Ab is much larger and younger, so it still retains much of the heat that came with its formation. Although there is no clear figure, it is believed that it may have an average temperature of 0ºC. That may seem cold to us if it catches us on Earth without shelter, but for a planet so far from its planet it is quite hot. That heat is emitted in the form of infrared radiation and this is where the good stuff begins. James Webb comes into play. The James Webb Space Telescope It has a great ability to detect and measure infrared light. Therefore, it has been with it that these clouds have been analyzed. To do this, the first step was to block the star’s light. If this were not done, it would interfere with the infrared radiation emitted by the planet and could not be analyzed properly. Once this was done, filters that capture 10.6 and 11.3 μm of light were used. Thus, the observation would focus on the planet’s radiation, right in the ranges of interest. Ammonia crystals are known to block 10.6 μm light when it passes through them. If the clouds of our exoplanet were like those of Jupiter, a large blockage would have been observed in this range. But it wasn’t like that. There must have been another substance in them. By studying the 11.3 μm filters and also observing a slight emission of light at 3 and 5 μm, it was concluded that this other substance must be water. The cloud crystals of Epsilon Indi Ab are frozen water, like on Earth. A companion in the rear. Since water clouds are very important for the habitability of a planet, this finding demonstrates James Webb’s ability to analyze one more factor when searching for terrestrial analogues beyond our solar system. The best thing is that, as NASA announced this weekthe Roman Space Telescope, which will be launched in September if all goes well, can join forces with those of the James Webb, providing even more precise results. Perhaps we are facing the perfect team to find that planet we have been searching for for so long. Image | EC Matthews, MPIA / T. Müller, HdA In Xataka | James Webb has been detecting red dots in the universe for years: the only problem is that we don’t know what they are

We have been believing for years that yogurt was the best probiotic. Science is now crowning kefir

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In recent months there is a dairy product that has begun to become very popular, causing traditional yogurt to begin to falter from its ‘reign’ on supermarket shelves. We are talking about kefir, a product that is increasingly you are listening much more and which is registering a boom that is driven above all by social networks that have promoted some of the benefits it can have for the digestive system. A battle. For decades, yogurt has been the undisputed leader in taking care of our intestinal flora due to the ‘good’ bacteria it has in its composition. However, at a microscopic level, the battle is completely unequal, since, while conventional yogurt usually contains between 2 and 5 bacterial strains whose effects on the intestine are transitory, kefir is a massive symbiotic consortium and offers a better long-term result. We are talking about an ecosystem that houses between 30 and 50 strains of bacteria and yeast, and here the published reviews highlight that this overwhelming microbiological diversity allows kefir to survive stomach acids and ‘settle’ in the intestine in a persistent way. In this way, the bacteria are not passing through as can happen with yogurt, but rather kefir settles and transforms the bacterial flora. And more benefits. Its level of residual lactose here is significantly lower, so the bacteria and yeast in kefir “eat” much of the sugar in the milk during its fermentation, which explains why there are clinical trials showing that lactose intolerant They digest it without having as much reflux and also with less bloating. What does science say? Here there are different sources that can be consulted that suggest that the consumption of kefir reduces some of the bacteria that colonize our mouth producing cavities and is also a proven ally in the eradication of the dreaded bacteria. Helicobacter pylori (although strict antibiotic treatment is required to eliminate it). A recent meta-analysis published in 2025 indicates that kefir also reduces markers of general inflammation and oxidative stress, which are two of the great enemies we face when we talk about harmful agents for the body if they are maintained over time. Furthermore, its ability to reduce the fasting glucose and insulin resistancemaking it a food of interest for the control of type 2 diabetes. The small print. Like everything in nutritional science, the “how much” and the “what” are critical. Here studies indicate that to obtain these metabolic and anti-inflammatory benefits, doses of between 400 and 600 milliliters daily are required, maintained constantly for periods of 4 to 12 weeks. If taken in a ‘jumping’ manner and without consistency, no results should be expected. Which one to choose. Although it may seem like it, not all kefirs are the samesince a pilot trial in healthy men showed that traditional kefir (made from real nodules) reduces LDL cholesterol and inflammatory cytokines much more than hyper-processed commercial versions. The reason is quite simple: industrialization tends to simplify microbial diversity to sterilize the product, losing along the way part of this microbiological ‘magic’ that we appreciate so much. Images | freepik In Xataka | We have been assuming for decades that “skimmed” or “0% fat” yogurt is healthier. It’s time to rethink it

Today torreznos are a delicacy of Spanish gastronomy. For years they were despised for being a shepherd’s dish

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The pattern is so consistent it’s almost laughable: the lobster “it was a punishment” for servants and prisoners In colonial New England, oysters were Dockers’ food in Victorian Londonthe oxtail was second meat, what you took home when there was no sirloin. All current haute cuisine is built, to a large extent, on the recipe book of survival. But the case of the torreznos is even more interesting. A day for history: November 19, 2024. On that day, the European Union enrolled the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) “Torrezno de Soria”. A PGI is, in essence, a seal that recognizes the reputation of a product. In this case, it recognizes the way in which the people of Soriano salt, marinate and cure white pork belly. A preparation that, moreover, moves almost five million kilos of bacon every year (growing almost 30% a year) and more than 20 million a year. Why is it more interesting? Today, Soria torrezno is consolidating commercially at a national and international level and it is curious because this process coincides with the end of domestic slaughter. And it is not an impression: the data from the Health area of ​​the Government of Castilla y León point to a 64% reduction in the number of home killings in the last decade in areas like Tierra de Campos. The interesting thing is that this decrease in slaughter is, in a way, the necessary condition that allows the industry to develop. This is how culinary nostalgia works: the same people who eat it today in trendy bars are usually the grandchildren of those who ate it not because they liked it, but because there was nothing else. Am I implying that the torrezno are not good? It wouldn’t occur to me. Only, as always, the story is more complex than it seems. The first written reference we have (or that, at least, I have been able to find) is a reference to the usefulness of torreznos to identify insincere converts. Then much more appears: bacon in Spain was not something frowned upon, it was something central to the diet… for ideological reasons. It was when the obsession with old Christians disappeared that the torreznos began to become a stronghold for the poor and shepherds. From there, the story (as I said) is a classic: offal, barnacles and sea urchin have gone from being ‘offal’ to being gourmet delicatessen. The torrezno too. Eating is something full of ideas. That is perhaps the most revealing thing about the Torreznos case, the confirmation that we eat with our mouths, yes; but above all we eat with ideas. The torrezno has only been able to be renamed as something gourmet once it has ceased to be anyone’s food out of obligation (out of that economic or political-social obligation). Maybe it’s the right time to think about how we think about food. Image | DAP In Xataka | Hearts, bowls of torreznos and raw milk: what the ancestral diet fad consists of

If the question is why the US attacked an Iranian ship with a weapon not seen in 40 years, now we know the answer: it had a "gift from china"

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In the heart of themissile crisis from Cuba, several Soviet ships heading to the Caribbean they turned around at the last moment when detecting the US naval blockade, avoiding a direct clash between superpowers for a matter of hours. That moment showed that sometimes the true turning point in a crisis occurs not when the conflict breaks out, but when someone decides what crosses (and what doesn’t) a line in the sea. A shot that had not been heard in decades. The American destroyer attackUSS Spruanceagainst the Iranian cargo ship a few days ago marks a turning point that goes far beyond a tactical incident, since it represents the first real use of a naval gun against another ship in almost 40 yearsa practice that until now existed more in manuals than in real operations. They explained the TWZ analysts That the procedure was methodical, with warnings for hours before disabling the engine to allow boarding, but its execution reveals the extent to which the US Navy is willing to escalate the use of force to enforce the blockade. This type of actions, which are reminiscent of Cold War doctrinesshow us a change in the rules of the game in the Strait of Hormuz, where deterrence is no longer just verbal or economic, but also physical and visible (in fact, there are action video). In Xataka Something unprecedented in the war has happened: Ukraine has knocked down Russian shaheds from a hotel 500 kilometers away The freighter that should not pass. He Wall Street Journal had in the morning that the intercepted ship, the MV Touskait was not just any target, but part of a logistics network linked to sanctions and with a history of frequent routes between China and Iranwhich placed him on Washington’s radar before the incident. His attempt to break the blockade, despite warnings, suggests, according to Washingtonwhich was transporting something valuable enough to take the risk, in a context where thousands of containers make immediate inspection on the high seas practically impossible. These types of fleets, capable of avoiding sanctions and maintaining the flow of trade between both countries, have become in key pieces of a covert war economy that mixes civilian commerce and potential military use. The Chinese “gift”. And it is at this point where a few hours ago they emerged Donald Trump’s wordssuggesting that the ship was carrying a “gift from China”, one that introduces a strategic element that would explain the forcefulness of the response. The reason? Bloomberg explained that it was not just about stopping a freighter, but about intercepting what could be sensitive or dual-use material with military implications, crossing an undeclared but evident red line for Washington. Although Beijing has denied itthe simple fact that this suspicion exists turns the operation into something more than a sanctions control, transforming it into a direct message about the limits of Chinese involvement in the conflict. Diplomacy, blockade and accusations. Iran’s reaction has not been long in coming, denouncing the seizure as a violation of international law and calling the action piracy, adding a diplomatic layer to an already tense operation. In parallel, China has expressed concern over the impact of the incident on stability in the region, while the United States maintains its position that all ships linked to Iran are susceptible of being intercepted. This exchange of accusations reflects a scenario in which the line between the application of sanctions, military pressure and open escalation is increasingly blurred. {“videoId”:”x8oyhxs”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”Kim Jong Un in a cinematic video shared by North Korean TV”, “tag”:”North Korea”, “duration”:”713″} Memories of another time. If you like, the general context reinforces the magnitude of the episode a little more: the United States is applying a large-scale naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, something that has not been seen since missile crisis from Cuba, and has already diverted dozens of ships before this incident. However, the case of Touska introduces a precedent perhaps more dangerous, being the first to directly defy orders and force an armed response, opening the door to future confrontations if other ships attempt the same. In this scenario, the balance is fragile and the margin of error minimal. In Xataka Millions to protect a war frigate. A Bluetooth tracker worth a few euros has been enough to follow her in real time The global strategy. Finally, it is possible that what at first glance seems like a specific action can also fit into a much broader logic: that of control flows of critical materials in the middle of war and mark limits to external actors without directly escalating to a larger conflict. The combination of a suspicious vessel, a unusual military response and the simple mention of China draws a pattern in which maritime trade becomes a field strategic battle. Image | US NAVY In Xataka | Europe has an explosive plan for Hormuz: one where there are mines, escorts, an alliance with Iran… and no sign of the US In Xataka | Iran has 300 internal reports where it models the war against the US. They are all based on the same thing: Ukraine (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news If the question is why the US attacked an Iranian ship with a weapon not seen in 40 years, now we know the answer: it had a “gift from China” was originally published in Xataka by Miguel Jorge .

The goal is for it to last about 200 years.

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On April 18, Helsinki inaugurated a 1.2 kilometer bridge on which no cars will circulate. The bridge it was filled with people almost as soon as it opened, and organizers encouraged visitors to come with crowns, a reference to the name ‘Kruunuvuori’ (literally, crown mountain). Many did. There was music, food stalls, a choir, a samba group and even a bicycle parade. During the opening weekend, More than 50,000 people crossed the bridge. The Kruunuvuori has thus become the longest bridge in Finland, and is designed exclusively for pedestrians, cyclists and trams. It has taken a while to materialize. The project is on the political agenda of Helsinki since 2002although construction did not begin until October 2021. The bridge is part of the ‘Kruunusillat’ (the Crown Bridges) project, a set of three bridges creating a new tram and cycle path corridor to the island of Laajasalo, east of central Helsinki. The Kruunuvuori is the last of the three to be completed, and also the most ambitious. What makes it unique. The bridge connects Korkeasaari and Kruunuvuorenranta, and is the longest and highest in all of Finland. Normally structures of this size are not built only for pedestrians, public transport or cyclists, and in fact there has been a debate for years about whether cars should also circulate there. Daniel Sazonov, mayor of the city, recognized at the inauguration that these large projects usually generate conflicting arguments, although he trusts that the neighbors will integrate the bridge into their daily lives when the tram service starts. In detail. In 2012, as part of Helsinki’s World Design Capital programme, the city held an international competition to design the connection between Kalasatama and Kruunuvuorenranta via Korkeasaari. Of 52 proposals, the jury selected ten, and the winner was the Gemma Regalis projectthe jewel in the crown, a joint work of WSP Finland and Knight Architects. The result is a cable-stayed bridge whose most visible piece is a diamond-shaped pylon 135 meters high, taller than Finland’s tallest residential building, the Kalasatama Tower (134 meters), and significantly higher than the Olympic Stadium tower (72 meters). Construction of the pylon alone required approximately two years of continuous concrete pouring. The design also incorporates details designed for the people who pass through it in their daily lives and adapt its structure to the environment in which it has been built. For example, the route along which its citizens now walk is curved, an idea designed so that the destination can be better perceived. The railings on the south side protect from the wind, and embossed plastic pipes on the cables cause the accumulated ice to break off on its own, a detail that is designed to withstand strong coastal winds and icy winters, when the surrounding sea usually freezes. A large bridge. The Kruunusillat project itself is presented as the longest bridge in the world built exclusively for trams, pedestrians and cyclists. Although no Records organization such as Guinness has yet certified it, the New Atlas media pointed out that has not found any other longer bridge that combines pedestrian lane and light tram (not counting exclusive railway bridges). A bridge with a double objective. The Kruunuvuori Bridge alone represented an approximate investment of 130 million euros. The goal is for tram passenger service to be operational by early 2027 at the latest. Likewise, the distance between Kruunuvuorenranta and the city center goes from 11 kilometers to approximately 5.5 kilometers thanks to this corridor. The project facilitates access for residents of the eastern islands without relying on a private car while also reducing pressure on the eastern branches of the Helsinki metro, in the face of forecasts for population growth in new neighborhoods. Made to last. The bridge It has a projected useful life of 200 yearsa requirement that had not been required before for structures of these characteristics in Finland. This has forced the choice of specific materials, such as stainless steel in the outer layer of the pillar armor in the sea, to resist salt water and freeze-thaw cycles. Cover image | SSAB In Xataka | In 1957, two engineers had a delusional idea: to drill a well 40 kilometers deep offshore.

Five years ago, Venice spent more than 5 billion on a system of barriers against the sea. Now look for a plan B

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There was a time when Venice looked at the Adriatic with ambition. The sea not only shaped the city, permeating its DNA, it also propelled it until it became a naval power who fought for dominance of the Mediterranean. Today things are different. The Serennissima (turned into tourist power) observes with increasing concern the coming and going of the tides, the same ones that in 2019 submerged it under 187 cm of water, flooding 80% of the city. The reason is very simple. Everything indicates that the multimillion-dollar system that Venice was equipped with a few years ago to protect itself from the threat of high water It won’t take long for it to become obsolete. And it is not very clear what the alternative is. One figure: 18. The threat of flooding is not new in Venice. In fact, one of the worst in memory was suffered six decades ago, in November 1966when an intense storm caused the water to reach 194 cm, flooding much of the city. However, experts have been detecting worrying signs for some time. It is not just that Venice sink or the sea level rising (which too). There are increasingly clear signs that suggest that floods will become more frequent in the future. Recently, a group of researchers dedicated themselves to analyzing the “extreme” episodes suffered by the city, those in which 60% of its surface was flooded. Throughout the last century and a half, it counted 28 incidents of those characteristics. The surprising thing is that the vast majority of them (18) were concentrated during the last 23 years. One measurement: 0.42 m. Today more than half of Venice is alone between 80 and 120 cm above the average sea level and projections show that this scenario will soon worsen: in the best of cases, if we manage to drastically reduce our polluting emissions, the sea will rise 0.42m by 2100. In the worst case, it will be 1.8 m, which would greatly complicate the outlook for the Serennissima. In fact, now the high tide already leaves St. Mark’s Square only 30 cm above the water level. One name: Mose. Aware of how much is at stake in Venice, the Italian Government has long been looking for a way to protect itself from floods. The result was Mose (experimental elettromechanical module)a system made up of four barriers and 78 independent mobile gates that allow authorities to protect the Venetian lagoon from what is known as high watertides that flood the city. The objective: to temporarily isolate the Adriatic lagoon and thus protect Venice from the most dangerous tides. To achieve this, the barriers were strategically installed in the inlets of Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia. Each gate also measures 20m wide and between 18.6 and 29.6 m long. An investment: 5,000 million. It is said that the project mobilized an investment of more than 5.5 billion of euros (its execution was marred by corruption). Its work began in 2003 and after several delays it carried out a first test in October 2020, in an event led by the then Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. A year earlier, Venice had suffered a of the worst floods that are remembered, during which the water reached 187 cm, flooding part of the entrance to the Basilica of Saint Mark. An indicator: frequency. The problem is that the authorities are turning to Mose much more often than expected. EuroWeekly assures that in less than a month, between January 28 and February 19, the system was activated 30 times. Other media report that since their inauguration at the end of 2020, the barriers have saved Venice from flooding in 154 occasions. The problem is that the use of Mose does not come free to the region, neither in economic terms nor on a social and environmental level. Setting up the enormous Mose floodgates has a direct cost, but it also has another indirect cost: by isolating the lagoon, the system alters, for example, the activity of the port sector and interrupts maritime traffic with the port of Marghera. Guardian points out that pressing Mose’s button has an economic impact of more than 200,000 euros for Venice. For this year’s Carnival alone the total bill would be around five million euros. An extra concern: the lagoon. Not everything is measured in operational cost, maritime traffic and economic impact. Altering the tides in the area also has an impact on its ecosystem and that is something that worries experts like Andrea Rinaldo, from the scientific committee of the Lagoon Authority. Especially if two fundamental data are taken into account: first, the frequency of use in recent years; second, the forecasts for sea level rise. “With one more meter, the Mose barriers would have to be closed an average of 200 times a year, which means that they would practically always be blocked,” explains Roinaldo. “When this happens, the lagoon loses its function as a transitional environment. It would become a pond.” A victim: the lagoon itself. As explains GuardianBy blocking the flow of water, the barriers encourage the growth of algae. The problem is that when these die and decompose they directly affect the quality of the water and the rest of the flora and fauna. Does that mean Mose was a mistake? Rinaldo thinks not. The changes are simply happening much faster than engineers expected, forcing authorities and technicians to think about the future in the medium and long term. At the end of the day, if Mose taught anything, it is that projects of his importance are not approved and executed overnight. One question: What to do? The great unknown. Those responsible for Mose are looking for ways to reduce its impact, but it is not an easy decision. Among other things because the Venetians themselves have become accustomed to the barriers and gates coming into operation at the slightest risk, points out Giovanni Zaroti, one of the system technicians. Rinaldo mentions the possibility of launching an international call … Read more

24 years later they have found it

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There are stories in the world of motorsport that seem straight out of a mystery novel. In 1995, when Bugatti Automobili SpA and its owner Romano Artioli declared bankruptcy, one of their last newly completed EB110 Super Sport disappeared without a trace. When the banks began to gather the company’s assets to pay off outstanding debts, that vehicle, identified as chassis number 021 painted in the iconic Blu Bugatti color, did not appear in any registry. One of the most exuberant supercars from that time had vanished…until now. A project broken before its time The Bugatti EB110 was born from one of the most ambitious bets in the automobile industry at the beginning of the nineties. Romano Artioli bought the rights to the Bugatti brand and built a factory from scratch in Campogalliano, in the Italian Motor Valley, near Modena. A total of 139 units of the EB110 were manufactured there, among which were 30 examples of its limited edition Super Sport, the most extreme in the range. Among its most famous owners are names such as Michael Schumacher, who celebrated his first Formula 1 Championship by purchasing a bright yellow EB110 Super Sport in 1994. Precisely, the Kaiser’s F1 car was chassis number 020, the car that was manufactured just before the unit in question: Super Sport number 021. As has happened so many times in the automobile industry, manufacturing one of the most desired supercars in the 90s is not easy. guarantee of financial viabilityso the Bugatti brand did not resist the economic recession of the first half of the nineties. The company declared bankruptcy in 1995 and the administrative chaos that followed meant that chassis 021 was left out of official records. Having been sent to a supplier for homologation, and not yet having completed its certification process, the car disappeared from the inventory and, with it, from the brand’s official history. It was as if unit 021 of the EB110 Super Sport had never been built. But it did exist. The reunion with a time capsule The EB110 Super Sport chassis 021 reappeared in 2019 in Munich (Germany), with just 674 kilometers on the odometer. After an exhaustive review by a team of specialists in Italy, the Bugatti was once again on public display, now as part of the personal collection of the American collector JR Amantea. The license plate with which he arrived in the country left no doubt about his history: “LOSTEBSS”, in direct reference to his long period of unknown whereabouts. After its rediscovery, the EB110 Super Sport no longer remained in storage. Unlike its previous owner, Amantea took it to the most exclusive motorsport events in the world: the The Quailheld during the 2022 Monterey Car Week; and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance 2023. In both it won the award for the best in its category, consolidating its reputation as one of the most extraordinary pieces in automotive collecting. The car retains its original Blu Bugatti paint and original Grigio Scuro interior, as well as including the Bugatti Certificate of Conformity, original manuals and tools. It also bears the Romano Artioli signature next to the side air intakes. That a supercar with these characteristics would reach the year 2025 with less than 700 kilometers traveled and in practically factory condition does not have many precedents in the collecting market. It’s like I’ve been in a time capsule. The EB110 Super Sport is considered one of the most technologically advanced supercars of its time. With the 3.5 liter V12 engine, prior to the arrival of the W16 developed by express wish by Ferdinand Piech and four turbos, all-wheel drive and a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, represented an enormous technical leap by the standards of the early 1990s. Recently, the Bugatti vehicle has taken a new turn in its eventful history, becoming part of a lot that is put up for auction by the Mecum house in Indianapolis. The auction house has confirmed that the lot will come out without a reserve price, which means that it will be the collectors interested in this gem who will really decide its final price. As and how to collect RobbReportalthough Mecum declines to offer an official estimate, recent sales of equivalent supercars suggest that its price could be between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. In Xataka | For years no one knew who had bought the most expensive Bugatti in the world: until it became part of an inheritance Image | Mecum Auctions

We always believed that the Mediterranean was “closed” with an apocalyptic waterfall in Gibraltar. 50 years have qualified it

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If we travel to the past and stand in the Strait of Gibraltar 5.96 million years ago, we would see how it was closed and not open as is the case right now. This is something that left a Mediterranean isolated from the Atlantic, causing its water to begin to evaporate and leaving only a kilometer of salt on the bottom in an event known as the ‘Messinian salinity crisis‘. But now, the method by which it was ‘opened’ to give rise to the Mediterranean that we know today has undergone different nuances. What we knew. Until now it was thought that hundreds of thousands of years after this closure of the strait, a tectonic collapse occurred that reopened the passage, causing what is known as ‘Zanclian Megaflood‘. This was nothing more than a large waterfall in Gibraltar which supposedly filled the entire sea in a matter of months or a few years. In anyone’s mind this may be something great and like a real Hollywood movie, but the reality is that science is beginning to show many doubts that this exists. The origin of the myth. This mental image of the Strait of Gibraltar did not come out of nowhere, but in 2009 the magazine Nature public a study that modeled how the Atlantic would have breached the Gibraltar barrier, carving a deep canyon and pouring water at great speed. Without a doubt this was the perfect scenario to explain the erosive scars on the seabed. Although he was not alone, since later studies were added to this that, although they clarified how the salinity was stabilized after the event, they continued to find clear evidence in the geology that pointed to yes there were flooding episodes very abrupt and a violent flow of water that would make sense with this large waterfall. The problem is that this great phenomenon was oversimplified when complexity is its great characteristic. There are changes. Fifty years after the first hypotheses were raised, a large study published in 2025 pointed out that the connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean could have continued to exist for much of this period of time. But this is something that makes us raise another question: how is it possible then that kilometers of salt accumulated on the bottom if the sea did not dry completely? This is where the ‘‘paradox of the Mediterranean’ which suggests that changes in precipitation and the immense contribution of fresh water and sediment from European and African rivers allowed certain water levels to be maintained. That is why that scene of a completely dry Mediterranean is not so true, since only a little water was lost and it effectively made the water very salty. And more tests. Besides, studies on the Arch of Gibraltar demonstrate that the reduction in connectivity was due to a constant tectonic tug-of-war. That is why the pass never became a hermetic wall of solid rock that would break overnight, but rather a system of thresholds that allowed continuous leaks. The reality. After all, the question we must ask ourselves is whether there really was a flood or not, and here science suggests that the truth is somewhere in the middle. The latest evidence tells us that the total disconnection was real, but very brief in geological terms, since when the Atlantic finally regained definitive control over the Mediterranean basin, the filling was undoubtedly rapid and spectacularly rapid, although not necessarily through a single and apocalyptic cataract in Gibraltar. A scene that in the end can be much more boring for many. Images | wirestock In Xataka | 4.5 billion years at a glance: the amazing map of the moon that translates every impact and volcano into fascinating code

More than 2,000 years ago, people were already taking to the grave the greatest “bestseller” of all time: the ‘Iliad’

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No matter how many centuries pass or where they dig their shovels, the soil of Egypt remains a box of surprises for historians. Just checked it a team of archaeologists who have found a surprise when exploring an ancient necropolis from the Roman era of Al-Bahansalocated almost 200 km from Cairo. In addition to mummies, vessels with ashes and amulets, the researchers located one of the largest bestsellers of all time: the ‘Iliad’. The question is… What was he doing there? In a place in Minia… The news has taken care of advance it the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, which gives an idea of ​​the relevance that the country gives to the discovery. An archaeological campaign led by doctors Maite Mascort and Esther Ponce has discovered mummies and funerary offerings in a necropolis from the Roman era of Al-Bahansa (Minia), the ancient Oxyrhynchus. The site is not exactly new. In fact, the Government speaks of two parts of the necropolis: number 65 and number 67, a Ptolemaic burial. located in 2024. The tombs were also not spared from grave robbers, who once damaged the coffins and probably took valuables with them. Still, the Spanish-Egyptian mission has made interesting discoveries. To the other world with Homer. Perhaps the most fascinating is the one found inside one of the mummies from the Roman period. When examining the body, the archaeologists extracted a papyrus with a fragment of the ‘Iliad’, the universal work attributed to Homer. To be more precise, they identified the passage ‘Catalogue of Ships’from the second book of the Greek epic and which describes part of the Achaean forces deployed in the Troy campaign. “This discovery adds a literary and historically significant dimension to the site,” they celebrate from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. Gold leaf and decorated linen. It was not the only surprise that archaeologists got when exploring the tomb no.65. The necropolis preserved several mummies from the Roman era carefully wrapped in linen decorated with geometric motifs. Even the polychrome wooden coffins and the fragments of gold leaf that were attached to some of the corpses are preserved. Tongues of gold and copper. It was not the only thing that the archaeologists found. When exploring the hypogeum, the researchers located three languages made with gold and a fourth made with copper next to the mummies that were still preserved in the funerary chamber. These were probably mortuary amulets that were placed in the mouths of the deceased to facilitate their journey to the Hereafter. Why is it important? Beyond how curious they may be, the findings are valuable for two main reasons. To begin with, as has been responsible for highlighting the head of Archeology and Tourism, Sharif Fathi, confirm the wealth and enormous diversity that accumulated in the Egyptian civilization over the centuries, including the Ptolemaic era and the domination of Rome. Furthermore, the mummies and other vestiges offer a valuable clue about the funerary practices used in Al-Bahansa in Greek and Roman times. Vessels with ashes. When exploring the east of tomb No. 67, from the Ptolemaic period, the archaeologists found a ditch with three limestone chambers in which they were still preserved. historical treasures. For example, in one of the rooms they located a stone slab and a vessel with charred remains that seem to belong to an adult, in addition to the bones of a baby and the head of a feline. All carefully wrapped in fabrics. In the second chamber there was also a container with the remains of cremated people and an animal of the same species. Statues representing the god were located in the surroundings. Harpocrates and even a figurine of the god Cupid. Images | Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Facebook) In Xataka | We just discovered that a semi-legendary Nile king really existed thanks to a 17th century document found in trash

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