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The President of the European Commission says that nuclear energy is strategic for Europe. Next month will mark 40 years since the very serious accident at the (formerly Soviet and now Ukrainian) Chernobyl plant, when a radioactive cloud larger than the entire Iberian Peninsula was released and drifted across the West as far as the United States. The radiation was equivalent to hundreds of bombs like the one in Hiroshima.
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When the flower is full of nectar, the plant emits a specific vibration, inaudible to the human ear but perfectly detectable by certain insects. It is the call for a visit that will nourish the cycle of life. For this to happen, there must be no noise that hides the virtuous frequency that allows communication in nature.
We have long known that there are animals that communicate with sounds too low or too high to be directly noticed by us. The low notes of elephants travel kilometres across the savanna. Sperm whales emit a repeated burst, a kind of crackling sound, with distinct characteristics depending on the area where they usually live, much like our languages.
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The theory of no man’s land began as a somewhat rudimentary slogan, but it soon took root because of the usefulness it could offer at particular moments. Circumstances condition many things. When more developed societies carried out the occupation of other territories, it was necessary to dress it up with justification.
The strategy was to argue that no one was using that land. Without ploughing or sowing, it seemed abandoned. It was not difficult to spread the idea of lands that held no interest for those who had arrived previously. A line of reasoning that was very successful, to the misfortune of those who were already living there.
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The Roman Empire had one of its main ports at the mouth of the Tiber River. Intense trade and the movement of people generated an important settlement near the capital. But everything went into decline when rainfall began to bring in large quantities of sediment.
It had always rained. But the enormous deforestation carried out in nearby forests to extract firewood resulted in unprecedented erosion. The port filled with earth and ships could no longer operate. Ignoring limits ended up sinking a prosperous economy.
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They say that the January sky is among the clearest of the year. The moon can also be easily seen during the day. “Blanqueja com s’ametler, com ve que n’està florit, que blanqueja dia i nit, com sa lluna de gener” [It whitens like the almond tree, as if it were in bloom, whitening day and night, like the January moon] – says the popular rhyme.
In reality, the moon is always there above us, large enough to reflect the light of the star, but clouds, dust or other elements interfere and make it harder to see once the sun has risen.
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The fish moves gently from side to side. It looks like a small fish or a larva, slowly drifting with undulating movements. Many eyes watch it with interest. But in this world, not everything is what it seems, and reality can change as quickly as a spasm.
When discourses are repeatedly adorned with references to economic dynamisation, progress, security… even freedom or sustainability, one must be careful not to fall into a trap similar to the one used by the anglerfish to feed.
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It has calculated the space well. It must be enough for its needs, but not excessively large so it cannot cope with the work. It will first make the spokes that radiate from the centre of the imagined circumference, and then join them with increasingly closer segments.
It has the wax in liquid form inside its abdomen and will extract it so that, when in contact with the air, it becomes an elastic, sticky and resistant material. It will build a barely visible mesh to trap insects.
But it cannot make mistakes with the dimensions. If the covered area is too small, it risks not catching enough food. If the area of the web exceeds the measurements, the spider may run out of material, weaken and die. Having the right measure is key.
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Today’s political and social debate is increasingly conditioned by polarization. The unrestrained leader of the Western bloc is setting an example with exaggerations and lies. His style has reached our lands.
The new strategy is to place all opinions into only two opposing blocs, in order to try to gain legitimacy among usual followers. At this point, inventing things to feed conspiracy theories poses no problem.
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The evening was falling over the dark rocks of the north when the shoreline fishermen approached. A thick fishing line wound around a piece of cork, with a sizable hook, was the system used to try to catch moray eels and conger eels—sea predators that, in those years of scarcity, served to make fish soup.
To increase the chances of catching something, besides casting the baited hook in a suitable place and tying the line firmly to the ground, they also poured into the sea a liquid filled with blood and fish remains. Species that live by preying on others have keen senses to detect where there may be potential food—such as a wounded prey.
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These weeks, the shearwaters are returning to Menorca —a bird closely linked to the sea. Of the two species we have, the smaller one breeds only on these islands. They behave like some Menorcans who, at the end of June, stop going to the beach and return well into October.
