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There is a single opportunity in 11,000 years of reaching the planet Sedna. Some Italians want to use this nuclear engine

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A team of Italian scientists has drawn a plan to achieve one of the most distant and enigmatic objects of our solar system: the Dwarf Planet Sedna. Two options. Research, Prepublished in Arxivdetails two concepts of spacecraft to drastically shorten the trip to Sedna. Not only with the aim of doing so in less time, but also quick enough to arrive before the dwarf planet immerses itself in the dark of deep space for thousands of years. One of them is a high -tech solar candle that, according to researchers, could make the journey in just seven years. The other is a nuclear fusion rocket that would do it in about ten, but with a great advantage: it could enter orbit once there. The moment is key. He Planet Sednadiscovered in 2003, has an extremely eccentric orbit that lasts about 11,000 years. In 2076 he will reach his perihelio, the point of his orbit closest to the Sun, although “close” is a relative term: it will be almost 11,000 million kilometers, about three times the distance from Neptune to our star. It is a unique opportunity in millennia to send a probe. With current rocket technology, such a trip would require between 20 and 30 years, which would force to develop in record time an incredibly complex and high -budget mission. The cheap alternative. The first option is A solar candle that takes advantage of the thrust of the photons of the sun To propel the ship, a concept already tested in missions such as Lightsail 2 of planetary society. However, this candle would go one step further: it would be covered with a material that, when heated with sunlight, released molecules through a thermal disorption process that provided an additional thrust. Thanks to Jupiter’s gravitational assistance, this ultralight ship could reach SEDNA in just seven years. The great advantage is that it would not need to load with the weight of the fuel. The disadvantage is that I could only overflow, quickly through Sedna, As did the New Horizons probe with Pluto. I would collect valuable data, but the meeting would be brief. The ambitious alternative. The second proposal is more ambitious: a rocket driven by the direct fusion engine that is already being developed in the Plasma Physics Laboratory of Princeton University. This engine would not only generate thrust, but also electrical energy from a controlled nuclear fusion reaction, offering continuous and powerful acceleration. A trip with the nuclear engine would have been ten years. Although it is slower than the solar candle, it has a major prize: the ability to insert the ship into the Sedna orbit, making possible a much more detailed long -term study of its surface, its composition and its interaction with the space environment compared to the solar candle. Why Sedna? Not only because it is a transneptunian object, an ice cream that orbits beyond Neptune. Its reddish surface and its extreme orbit make it a pristine relic of the formation of the solar system. Scientists believe Sedna could contain organic compounds and water ice, the original “bricks” of the planets. Since most of its time passes far from the Sun, its surface has been protected from radiation and heat, being almost intact. One of the most fascinating hypotheses is that Sedna could be an exoplanet captured by our solar system during a stellar encounter in the past. Being able to analyze its in situ composition would literally study material from another star system without leaving ours. Image | CSWANCMU (CC) In Xataka | Electronuclear and Nuclear Fusion Propulsion are the options of science to take us to deep space

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

I hadn’t played a folding mobile for four years and I have flipped with Samsung’s new

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Due to the circumstances of the work (and of life), since the end of the summer of 2021 did not have a folding mobile at my analysis table. It was then that I analyzed the Samsung Galaxy Z fold3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3two models that already seemed to me that they had improved a lot with respect to their predecessors. For a couple of days I am in New York on the occasion of the Galaxy Unpacked and confirmed it: I have flipped with the new Galaxy Fold7 and Flip7. So much, that They have changed my mind. This fold yes Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Fold7 Although with fold3 they had already refined the design, it still seems quite brick. When I folded it, The feeling was to have two mobiles in the handNot one. In fact, this was what least convinced me of this format. In the end we are not going to display the mobile every time we want to look at it and the folding thickness was very uncomfortable. In addition, the exterior screen was too elongated and the format was strange. For all this I liked the concept of flip much more: fold to transport it, but when we want to use it we open it and we have a normal mobile. When I saw the fold7 galaxy, I had to look twice to make sure, but the best came when folding it and checking that already It feels like a normal smartphonewithout strange format or impossible thickness. In fact, being folded, I could go through any galaxy s if we don’t look at the edge. Fold7 has a thickness of 8.9 millimeters when it is folded, only 0.7 millimeters more than the Ultra Galaxy S25. If we compare it with the latest model he had tried, the jump is brutal: fold3 had a thickness of 16 millimeters folded and weighed 271 grams. Has lost 7 millimeters and 56 gramswhich is said soon. The external screen that Flip deserved Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 When I tried flip3, the format convinced me much more than that of fold; He had not been able to put a mobile in his pocket without stood out almost half. However, although it was very comfortable to transport it, I had a problem: With the closed mobile we could not do almost anything. That model had already expanded the screen of the first generations, but it was still a small window where we could see the notifications and little else. The jump with Flip7 is brutal, both in size and quality. The screen occupies the entire front and has been drilled to place the cameras, reaching 4.1 inches diagonally and a 1.048×948 resolution. In addition, the refreshment rate is 120Hz. For its part, the FLIP3 had a small 1.9 -inch screen with 260×512 resolution. The bad thing is that the functions are still limited, that is, we cannot use any app from here. The jump with Flip7 is brutal, both in size and quality. The screen occupies the entire front. The design has also improved and is thinner and light, but here the difference is not as abysmal as with fold. Deployed has a thickness of 6.5 millimeters and in Flip3 it was 6.9 millimeters, where it shows the most is when closing it, going from the 17 millimeters of the flip3 to only 13.7 millimeters. The secret is in the hinge that Finally, the screen folds totally without leaving a space. As I said, Flip was my favorite, but seeing the evolution of both models in these four years, I have changed my mind. My fold complaints have been solved, while Flip has not improved so much and has been a little stagnant. If I had to choose a folding today, it would be the fold without a doubt. The competition has spurred Samsung It would not be fair to compare Samsung only with herself and with the advantage that four years of evolution give her. Although they were pioneers, other brands entered the folding market later and managed to improve those negative aspects of those that Samsung has cost to part. An example is the outer screen of the flip, which finally occupies the entire front but it is something we already saw a year ago in the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra. As for the thickness, if we only compare it with fold3, the difference is abysmal, but the reality is that there have been marks that have advanced to Samsung. Honor surprised us more than a year ago with the Magic V2 Honor and its 9.9 millimeters thick (folding). We also have the OPPO N5 announcerohace just a few days, honor announced the Honor Magic V5 that goes down to 8.8 millimeters and The possibility of advertising as a finer folding in the world has stolen to Fold7. Instead, it is “the thinnest fold to date.” Something is something. The bad of renewing every year The surprise effect on the releases of new mobiles has long abandoned us. More and more continuous mobiles that barely change Regarding the previous generation already often We wonder if it makes sense to maintain this frequency of launches. It makes sense from the point of view of business strategy, but what we are looking for is that there are substantial changes, it does not have it. What happened to me after these four years away from folding is the perfect example. He spoke with colleagues that have followed all the presentations of Samsung’s folding and It didn’t seem so innovative. The thinness of fold7 was the most commented, but little else. In the end it will turn out that the secret for us to freak out with the new mobiles is to spend a few years “in a coma.” Images | Amparo Babyloni, Xataka In Xataka | 10 years ago, Samsung was the ugly duckling of Android software. Now is the … Read more

Tim Cook’s right hand retires after 27 years in Apple. It does so in full crisis of the company

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The departure of Jeff Williams as director of operations marks a turning point in the Cupertino company. With 27 years in Apple and considered the main candidate to replace Cook, Your withdrawal leave a vacuum in the succession line just when the company is going through One of its most delicate crises in artificial intelligence. An unexpected change at the least timely moment. Williams, 62, announces his retirement after almost three decades building the Apple logistics empire. His march coincides with A talent bleeding that Includes Ruoming Pangthe engineer who led the AI ​​models team Apple Intelligence. The company loses two key figures at a time when its artificial intelligence strategy wobbles. The new figure in charge of operations. Sabih Khan, a veteran who has been in Apple for 30 years, takes the reins as the new director of operations. Khan has been the architect of the Apple global supply chain during the last six years, managing from manufacturing to logistics. His appointment represents continuity in operational philosophy, but also evidences that Apple needs to reinforce its internal structures while still looking for its course in the AI ​​era. In detail. Williams’s departure completely redefines Apple’s succession map. For years he had been seen as The natural heir of cookespecially after its crucial role in the launch of the Apple Watch and the supervision of the design team from the march of Jony Ive In 2019. Now, analysts They point To three names: John Ternus (hardware engineering), Craig Federight (software) and Eddy Cue (services). Federight, in fact, has already assumed the control of Apple’s strategy after the exit of Pang, while the position assumed by the engineer now takes Zhifeng Chen. An iconic legacy. Williams’ march reminds us of some of his brightest moments of his career. It was the one who resolved one of the biggest challenges of the Original iPhone: When Steve Jobs decided to change the glass plastic screen just months before launch in 2007, Williams coordinated with Corning the development of the revolutionary Gorilla Glass. He also led the first major post-Jobs project, the Apple Watch, demonstrating its ability to materialize the company’s vision and philosophy in successful products. With Williams outside, Apple continues in another crisis: the AI. It is speculated that Meta has offered Pang an offer valued in several tens of millions of dollars annually, but it is not an isolated case. Zuckerberg is systematically signing The best talents of AIincluding researchers from Openai and Anthropic. According to points Mark Gurman in Bloomberg, in Apple, the founding models team crosses a moral crisis after the new direction explores use external openai or anthropic models for Siri’s new versionthus questioning the internal work developed for years. And now what. With Williams outside the succession game and the unresolved AI crisis, Cook must manage a complex transition. The company needs to stabilize its artificial intelligence strategy while preparing the generational relief in the dome. Khan’s appointment seeks to give operational continuity, but the questions about Apple’s future leadership and his ability to compete in AI is unanswered. Although Cook has not given a specific date on his withdrawal, in several statements He has assured that will retire, but “not in the conventional way”, preferring to stay active while feeling mentally stimulated. Cook too has expressed Your desire for your replacement to come from within the company. Cover image | Apple and Guillaume Bleyer In Xataka | Apple has just turned the iPhone into a universal TPV. Tap to pay can already be used in Spain

I’ve been covering the Prime Day for three years and these are the six chollos that I would not miss in 2025

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A little over three years ago I started working in Webedia in the E-Commerce team and since then I have seen many (many) offers. I have covered all the campaigns that have been arriving since then, from the Black Friday to the Prime Day, and that gives you a good perspective of how to value a good price and if it really deserves. I have almost always taken these campaigns to buy something and In this new prime day 2025 I am clear what would buy. In this article I will tell you what my purchases would be and what else is interested in each of the products. Xiaomi 14t Pro by 399.99 eurosone of the mobiles with the best value for money of Xiaomi. Kindle Paperwhite by 154.99 eurosa very complete ereader that has fallen again price. Soundcore Space Q45 by 89.99 eurosBluetooth headphones with a spectacular value for money. Fire TV Stick 4K by 35.99 eurosa very tight price for such a useful device. iPad (2025) by 349 eurosone of Apple’s cheaper tablet that has dropped even more price. Philips Oneblade Pro by 74.99 eurosa kit of the machin to trim beard and body whose most interesting point lies in its blades. Xiaomi 14t Pro Shortly after launching I bought the Xiaomi 14t For a price of approximately 480 euros and since then I have seen it lower a lot of price. But if they were going to buy a mobile right now, without a doubt I would not bet on him, but for him Xiaomi 14t Pro: is better and cheaper. He Xiaomi 14t Pro It is a mobile that was launched for a price of 799.99 euros, but now, during Prime Day, Cuesta 399.99 euros. At the design level, he does not differ practically at all to his younger brother: It’s pretty and very comfortable in hand. Inside … the thing changes, and obviously for good. The greatest claim is found in its photographic section, since The cameras are signed by Leica. But, in addition, an excellent processor also sets MEDATEK DIMENSITY 9300+ along with a screen that offers a 1.5K resolution and a brightness of up to 4,000 nits. It is also heard very well, since the speakers are compatible with Dolby Atmos. During the Prime Day we can find many supply mobiles, but the Xiaomi 14T Pro is, without a doubt, one of those who have better value for money. It is powerful, comfortable in hand and is able to take very good photographs. * Some price may have changed from the last review Kindle Paperwhite I usually read quite frequently, usually in digital format. I have a ereader that works perfectly, but its six -inch screen has been a bit small. And although I feel a greater predilection for the Kobo Libra ColorIt is a fairly expensive model. For anyone who wants to start in digital book readers or who simply want to have a good experience, my personal choice within the Amazon ecosystem would be the Kindle Paperwhitewhose price has dropped to 154.99 euros (From 199.99 euros). He Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition It is the latest generation of its line. There are notorious changes regarding its operation, since in this case We are faced with a more fluid systemsomething that shows especially when the pages pass. It also has a clean design with a good seven -inch screen, which allows you to read more text on a single page. Among the things that most attract me the attention of this model, in the first place is its battery that offers, according to Amazon, a Autonomy of up to 12 weeks. It also allows you to customize the source and the size of the letter, includes adjustable light and is resistant to water, something to take into account if we want to take it to the pool or the beach. Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (32 GB) * Some price may have changed from the last review Soundcore Space Q45 A few years ago I bought the Soundcore Space Q45 And since then I have not changed them. I loved. I bought them when they had been in the market for a short time and cost me approximately 110 euros because they were on offer (their usual price is 149 euros). After this time, I have seen them even with much lower prices, as is the case of this new prime day where we can find them in Amazon by 89.99 euros. The Soundcore Space Q45 They are a bluetooth headphones of the Anker brand diadem. I already anticipated that I liked it so much that I have even thought about buying others only to take them on a trip. They are supercomodious and very lightthe construction is quite good and they are heard very well. The battery lasts more than 40 hours and offers a Active CANCELLATION OF LEAVING ADJUSTABLE NOISE which can also be configured on five levels through the brand. It allows to connect two devices (such as a mobile and a computer) simultaneously and can be alternated between active noise cancellation modes, transparency mode and normal mode. Today I still consider that the Soundcore Space Q45 They are one of the Bluetooth headphones with better value for money. If I were going to buy them right now, I would not hesitate and take advantage of the offer that Amazon has, since at this price (or a similar price) I have only found them at specific times, usually in the prime Day or Black Friday. * Some price may have changed from the last review Fire TV Stick 4K In Xataka we have spoken many times about Fire TV Stick Amazon, and it’s not for less. Although I personally do not have any model, I have bought two (Fire TV stick HD) to my parents and are delighted. Why does it appear in this list? Basically because It is a very versatile device that can be useful for many people. … Read more

Ferrari had been demanding a toy company for 10 years. Everything for Testarossa to be a car and not a bicycle

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To whom we already comb some gray hair, the name Testarossa transports us directly to the Miami of the late 80s, when Sonny Crockettand Rico Tubbs they jumped from the yachts of the drug traffickers and put themselves at the wheel of a Ferrari Testarossa Blanco in the Mythical corruption in Miami (Miami Vice). In a good part thanks to that series, Ferrari turned the Testarossa in a legend Departure from Pininfarina pencils, causing all the children of the time to sigh to see the unmistakable lateral air intakes (they were known as cheese gradators) of this model. However, in an act of monumental awkwardness by Ferrari, the Italian firm lost commercial control of the Testarossa brand. According The published by Reutersa judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (TJUE) has been returned after more than a decade fighting for them. “A toy” that one day set up a V12 The nightmare for Ferrari with the Testarossa brand began just over a decade ago. AUTEC AG, a German toy company, appealed to the expiration of the Testarossa brand registration proving that Ferrari had not used it in any product between 2010 and 2015. The European trademarks They establish that, although trademarks have been registered, they must use them within five years since their registration. This loophole allowed to request the rights of uses on the Testarossa brand before the Office of Intellectual Property of the European Union (EUIPO) that accepted the petition. From that moment, the name of the Ferrari engineering jewel of the 80s, which mounted a 390 hp V12 engine That allowed him to touch the 300 km/h, it could also be an electric bicycle, razor machinillas or a radio -controlled car. In the late 80s, the new Ferrari Testarossa had an approximate price of about 145,000 euros, which is equivalent to about 419,000 today. Today, some of those cars They have come to auction for up to 241,000 euros. Not bad for a car with more than 35 years. The Ferrari Testarossa are eternal According to assured Andrea Scioletti, director of Used Vehicles of Ferrari A Drivemore than 90% of the Ferrari who have left the Maranello factory They are still in circulation. Paradoxically, That reliability It is the one that has saved the Italian manufacturer from losing his most legendary brand. The 7,000 units of the Ferrari Testarossa were manufactured between 1984 and 1996. Since then, that model has only been marketed through second -hand concessionaires or Distributors authorized by Ferrarias well as that of its spare parts. According to The criterion of the Court of Justice of the European Union, those resale of products under that brand can already constitute an effective use of the brand, either directly through its distributors, or authorizing your sale When it comes to third parties. With This sentencethe European Court revoked an earlier ruling of the Regional Court of Düsseldorf that, according to The published In the German Spiegelgranted AUTEC AG the right of use of the Testarossa brand by denoting the argument of second -hand cars and the spare parts that Ferrari wielded. “The use of the brand to guarantee the identity of the origin of the products for which it was registered, by reselling second -hand products, can constitute effective use,” the new sentence details. The cultural imprint that left in the young people of the time the iconography of the series, made years after the end of its production, continue to sell figures at the Testarossa scale graduated by Ferrari. Which has also been considered by the TJCE as a form of use of the brand. In Xataka | The Rocambolesca History of Ferrari 512 TR of Michael Jordan: 15 years lost and has appeared among the ashes of a fire In Xataka | Ferrari will expand its blacklist prohibiting “tuning” and other extravagances: it is not for bad taste, they are just business Image | Ferrari, Wikimedia Commons (Janderk1968)

What are solar storms and why society has become so vulnerable to something that has happened millions of years

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“Understanding the space climate is not an option.” With this lapidary phrase summarizes its efforts to predict solar storms the European Space Agency. They occur since the sun exists, and some of the most powerful They are recorded in the trees rings. But they are not our ancestors, but we, the most dependent civilization of the technology that the earth has ever stepped on, the most vulnerable to them. But what exactly are solar storms? How are these energy outbreaks? And the million dollar question: can we predict when the next one will impact on earth? The answer is in a complex network of satellites, artificial intelligence models and constant surveillance of our star by space agencies. What is a solar storm 150 million kilometers away, the sun flushes with a magnetic activity so powerful that, from time to time, it goes out of hand. A solar storm is a sudden explosion of energy, plasma particles and magnetic fields that the sun releases towards the solar system. If the ejection occurs in the direction of the Earth, the solar storms can produce more intense auroraslike those that were seen in much of the world in May 2024. But they are not only a show: in our technological civilization, they are also a threat. To understand them, we have to differentiate their two main components. The guts or solar flares. They are a intense radiation outbreak: A whip of energy released when the magnetic fields of the sun tense and break. This radiation travels at the speed of light, reaching the earth in just eight minutes. They are classified according to their intensity by X -ray flow, measured in watts per square meter. The class A, B and C are the weakest, and those of class M and X, the most powerful, which usually cause interference in short wave radio communications. Coronal mass ejections. It is the ballistic part of the solar storms. While fulguration is the flash, the coronal mass ejections They are the “cannon bullet”: a gigantic bubble of loaded particles (plasma) and magnetic fields that are thrown into the space at speeds of millions of kilometers per hour. This massive cloud of solar material It takes between 18 hours and a couple of days in crossing the space to cross with our planet. Not all guts are accompanied by a coronal mass ejection, but when they occur together and in the direction of the earth, they are a powerful cocktail that can put astronauts at risk, knock down satellites (as happened during a Starlink deploymentor fry electrical installations on land (As in the Carrington event). How they form A Class M. Image: That The origin of the solar storms is the magnetic field of the Sun. A star is not a solid ball, but a sphere of rotation plasma. But it does not rotate uniformly: his Ecuador turns faster than his poles. This differential causes the magnetic field lines to twist, tangle and accumulate an enormous amount of energy, as if they were elastic gums twisted to the limit. These areas of intense and complex magnetic activity They usually manifest as sun spots on the visible surface of the sun. When the accumulated tension becomes unsustainable, there is a magnetic reconnection event: the lines are broken and violently reorganized, suddenly releasing all the stored energy. This release drives the guts and can launch into the mass of the solar crown. The intensity of its effects on Earth depends on its speed, its size and, above all, the orientation of its magnetic field. If the magnetic field of coronal mass ejection is oriented towards the south, it is aligned in opposition to that of the Earth, our protective shield, which allows a much more efficient and destructive energy transfer. How they affect the earth If we are here it is because the magnetic field and the atmosphere of the earth protect us from radiation. Solar storms are not a direct risk to the health of living beings on the earth’s surface. For astronauts it is another song. In 1972, shortly before the Apollo 17 mission, there was an intense solar storm that would have inoculated a mortal amount of radiation in astronauts if they had been on the surface of the moon. Today, astronauts who work in the low land orbit, even protected by the magnetic field, plan space walks according to the space climate. The really vulnerable to intense solar storms is our technological infrastructure. When a coronal mass ejection impacts the earth’s magnetosphere There is a geomagnetic storm. Extreme cases can induce electric currents in high voltage lines, overloading transformers and raising the risk of blackouts, especially now in summer, when the electricity grid is already very tension. The satellites, despite having mechanisms to avoid induced currents, usually carry the worst part. Solar storms expand the upper atmosphere of the Earth, increasing friction and accelerating the fall of satellites that orbit the earth at low height. This effect already is accelerating the fall of Starlink satellitesthe most large constellation of the low orbit. Even during moderate geomagnetic storms we can notice some effects, such as precision errors in GPS systems or that airlines deflect flights from polar routes to avoid failures in plane systems and protect passengers. The kind face of solar storms are the auroras: solar particles that when hitting our atmosphere They create a light show at the poles. During severe geomagnetic storms, dawn can also be seen in less common latitudes. When the next solar storm will occur Image: that The most severe geomagnetic storms occur Around solarthe period of more activity of the Sun in its 11 -year cycle. Now we are going through solar cycle 25, and we approach the maximum activity, planned by the NOAA and ESA by the end of 2025 or early 2026. This means that we are in a high probability phase of intense storms. Luckily, spatial meteorology is advancing by giant steps. To predict solar storms, … Read more

We had been asking us for years why Chernobyl wild boar were so radioactive. The answer was not in the accident

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Almost four decades after the accident of the nuclear power plant located in Prypiat, Chernobil animals They continue generating fascination. These survivors in one of the most polluted regions in Europe They surprise us In many ways, but there is an enigmatic species in this place is that of wild boar. One of the most radioactive species of Chernobil. Solving the mystery. Have A new trackrevealed by a team of researchers, about these animals: we finally know why their radioactivity is greater than that of other species. The answer does not have so much to do with the nuclear accident in itself but with something that happened quite before. More radioactive? It is very little that we still know about Chernobil animals. One of the most curious enigmas was that of wild boars. To understand why we have to talk about one of the most polluting radioactive isotopes, the Cesio 137 (CS137). The semi -dear period of this isotope (the time in which half of the atoms we have of the material will have disintegrated) is just over 30 years. The concentration of cesium in the trophic chain should in principle even reduce to a greater extent since atoms tend to leak on the ground or be dragged by the water to the rivers. Going down. That is why the level of radioactivity in animals such as deer or roams has descended significantly in the area. Not only this situation has not occurred in the towns of Jabalís: its radiation levels have remained almost constant, that is, the descent is not even in line with which the semi -detail of the CS137 would imply. Is the “wild boar paradox” Nuclear tests and radioactive truffles. The response starts from Cesium 135. The team that resolved this mystery managed to focus not on radiation levels but in its origin. They found that it was this other Isotope of Cesium who was behind this phenomenon. The CS135 has a much longer half -grooming period, which explains why the reduction had been lower. This also makes it harder to detect the presence of CS135. As Explain the responsible team From the study, each type of nuclear incident has its own “signature”. It is estimated that 90% of CS137 present in Europe was released by the Chernobil accident, but this is not the case of CS135. The origin of this is 68% in the nuclear tests developed in the context of the Fíra war. The fair depth. The feeding of wild boars has also been one of the key factors when it comes to understanding the reason for their radiation levels. These animals feed on a type of truffle (Elaphomyces) that grows in the subsoil, at depths of between 20 and 40 centimeters. As we indicated before, part of the Radioactive Cesium He leaked year after year on the floor of the area. At the rate of a few millimeters a year, the Cesium (both the one from the nuclear tests and the accident) has been advancing towards these depths, contaminating these fungi, food source of the wild boars. From Chernobil to Bavaria. The study that clarified this mystery was carried out by analyzing a population of 48 wild boar in the state of Bavariasouth of Germany. The Analysis details They were published in the magazine Environmental Science & Technology. In the long term. The study results invite us to think that the situation will not change in the short term. That is, it is unlikely that the levels of radioactivity of wild boars begin to descend in the coming years until they are equal to those presented by other similar animals such as deer or roeans. The greatest radiation present in these animals has made the hunters resist their capture. This implies that the populations of these wild boars will go increasing. Perhaps their expansion through central Europe makes the radiation levels of these animals decline generation after generation but, from what we have seen, this process could still be extended for decades. In Xataka | Birds, wild boars and even a prehistoric clam: these are some of the species that returned from extinction In Xataka | Some Spanish scientists are recreating the cranobil accident in Seville. Objective: See how it affects biodiversity Image | Joachim Reddemann / Кирил урин *An earlier version of this article was published in July 2024

China has been cultivating Stem talent in silence for 40 years. Today has the most coveted quarry on the planet

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For decades China has been the great factory of the world, but in parallel the country silently prepared another revolution: that of its Stem engineers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Chinese leadership in graduates in these technical disciplines is overwhelming, and every year produces about 3.5 million engineers among which there is a new elite: that of AI engineers. China triumphs with its long -term plan. It all started in the “post-mao” era. After his death and the arrival of Deng Xiaoping, the country suffered a remarkable reform that began with his “four modernizations“And among them, to restore education with a special focus on science and technology. The president highlighted in 1988 how” science and technology are the main productive forces, “and encouraged a unique change. Hai gui. In the mid -80s China began to send a huge number of students to Western countries. The objective: to learn in their universities and achieve training in fields such as engineering, physics, chemistry and mathematics. Those students then returned to China in a phenomenon that has been called “Hai Gui” (“sea turtles”). They managed to inspire the following generations when returning to Chinese academic institutions, which gradually became some of the most advanced in the world. Chinese elite universities. It happened for example with the University of Tshinghua, which between 2013 and 2016 was already the university with the highest number of relevant scientific studies (cited) according to a study of The Economist. Behind were prestigious US institutions such as Stanford or MIT. As I explained Yang Bin, vice president of the University of Tsinghua, “those intellectuals (the” hai gui “) played a very important role, changing all the climate, raising the standards.” Money and more money to educate. The long -term plan of the Asian giant has worked, and today they leave their universities 3.57 million Stem graduates a year. In the US the figure is four times lower: 820,000. Education spending It has not dropped from 4% of its GDP In the last 20 years, and the incentives for Chinese academics to publish studies are notable: if they are of great quality and they are published in Western institutions, They can enter $ 100,000 By study. And the AI ​​is now a fundamental focus. Between 2012 and 2022 the budget spending of the Chinese government in education increased from 2.2 billion yuan (268,167 million euros) to 4.85 billion yuan (591,187 million euros), more than double. Several Chinese elite universities They have announced His intention to expand his curricula with the objective of prioritizing the strategic needs of the country, and here the AI ​​- who You start teaching in schools– It’s key. Ten years projects. In that article of The Economist, they also reveal how since 1995 the Chinese government has initiated various projects to revolutionize its educational environment. The call came first PROJECT 211 which aimed to “prepare approximately 100 universities for the 21st century.” Later they were replaced with the so-called “Double First-Class Construction”, and under Xi Jinping in 2016, which further promoted technical certifications and high training of Chinese technical universities. IA superstars. We have four good examples of all that great reform. Shengjia Zhao, Hongyu Ren, Jiahui Yu and Shuchao Bi are Superestrellas of the AI. Especially after target “Straight” in Openai’s house and steal them tempting them with stratospheric salaries. They all have something important in common: their training. Talent theft. Zuck confirmed these days in an internal statement Filtrated by CNBC Those signings. There were 11 engineers, 7 of which come from Openai. In that statement, the formation of a new division of “superintelligence” led by Alexandr Wang was also confirmed. And he, in turn, welcomed four of those new companions we were talking about. Who they are. Their names are not known, but these four engineers have had a very relevant role in the development of AI models in OpenAi. In the internal statement itself there is talk of your work in Openai, which has been the following: Jiahui Yu-Co-Creator of O3, O4-MINI, GPT-4.1 and GPT-4O. He previously directed the perception team in OpenAi and multimodal co -directed in Gemini. SHENGJIA ZHAO-Co-Creader of Chatgpt, GPT-4, all MINI, 4.1 and O3 models. He previously directed synthetic data in OpenAI. It has appeared In some of OpenAi’s product presentations. Shuchao Bi: GPT-4O and O4-MINI voice mode co-creator. He previously directed the subsequent multimodal formation in Openal. Hongyu Ren: GPT-4o cooker, 4O-mini, O1-mini, O3-mini, 03 and O4-mini. He previously directed a postformation group in Openal. 100% Chinese talent. But what is striking here is that as they point out In SCMPthese four engineers share a similar and very significant academic trajectory. All of them trained in prestigious Chinese technical universities, and then continue their studies in academic entities in the United States. They graduate in China, they do doctorate in the US. Zhao graduated from the University of Tshinghua in 2016 and then computer study at Stanford University. Ren graduated at the University of Beijing in 2018 and continued studying at Stanford from 2018 to 2023. Yu was titled at the School of Young Talents from the University of Science and Technology of China and then doctorate in computer science at the University of Illinois Urbano-Champaign. And Bi graduated from the University of Zhejiang and then doctorate in mathematics at the University of California in Berkeley. China is the great world engineer quarry. The Asian giant is also in terms of its academic dimension. It is by far the largest world producer of graduates in Stem races (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). They know that well in the US, because Chinese students are the ones who take the highest share of foreign students studying or complete their studies in the US: 20% of all of them come from China. And above all, of AI engineers. A report of the Paulgo Institute of Chicago (USA) recently revealed that 38% of AI experts that develop their professional career in the US They have formed in Chinese universities. … Read more

“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

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