The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends allowing at least three years between one pregnancy and another to favor the physical and emotional recovery of the woman between both gestations, and several scientific studies state that the ideal age gap between siblings would be between 1 and 4 years. However, as we know: theory is one thing, and practice is something quite different. Just ask Laura and Joan, a blended family where he brought a daughter, Emma, who in January, at 13 years old, became the big sister to the couple's first child together, Agnès. The age gap, however, was not the main headache for both parents when considering expanding the family; for Laura, the concern was “thinking that Emma had grown up until then as an only child and not knowing if having siblings would really make her happy.” Joan, on the other hand, was worried about not knowing what his eldest daughter's reaction would be, as well as “the uncertainty of knowing if she would accept her for all intents and purposes as a sister even if they did not have the same mother.”

Sustainability, understood in environmental, social, and economic terms, is one of the factors that any business must include in its corporate values, and the energy transition is one of the challenges that, as a country and as a global environment, we must take on as soon as possible. A premise that the new Master's degree in Geosciences for the Energy Transition, which the UB is adding to its catalog of master's degrees this year, takes very much into account. The degree is based on the idea that knowledge of the subsoil is fundamental to being able to carry out an effective energy transition. "The energy transition is driving a structural change towards renewable and sustainable sources, which requires new scientific, technological, and educational approaches for the exploration, management, and efficient use of the subsoil," emphasizes Anna Martí, coordinator of the master's degree.The new master's degree at the UB trains specialists in geology and geophysics with a clear orientation towards the application of sustainable solutions to the challenges of the energy transition and is structured around three main axes: underground energy storage, geothermal energy, and responsible exploration of natural resources, integrating sustainability, energy efficiency, and emerging technologies content transversally. It also introduces, adds Martí, “the main social, legal, and economic aspects that influence the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects related to the energy transition and underground management”. A multidisciplinary approach that places special emphasis on understanding the subsoil and which its coordinator considers “essential to build solid future scenarios and make informed decisions in the face of the challenges of the energy transition and the climate emergency”.Sustainable and equitable transformationsIt is no secret that organizations must face urgent challenges linked to climate change, decarbonization, the efficient use of resources, and the transition towards fairer and more resilient development models compatible with planetary boundaries. According to the Catalonia Skills and Occupations Barometer, the demand for "green" jobs has increased by 17% in recent years and maintains sustained growth. As a result, companies, administrations, and social entities require professionals with rigorous and transversal training. Professionals prepared in key areas such as environmental legislation, corporate social responsibility, sustainable resource management, circular economy, and environmental impact analysis, disciplines that converge in the new UPC master's degree in Sustainability and Strategies for a Just Global Transition.

If there is one technology that has managed to revolutionize each and every industrial, business, and economic sector on a global scale, it is artificial intelligence (AI). It is a tool that, among other things, allows for the automation of a large number of processes, the analysis of a vast amount of data in parallel, and the improvement of decision-making in an increasing number of sectors of society, which explains why it is a discipline, however, with which both current and future professionals must familiarize themselves as soon as possible. Thus, it is not surprising that an increasing number of universities in our country have incorporated AI as a common thread in some of their new degrees.

Aina Fuster: I have been able to access a field that, without this knowledge, I surely would not have accessed

Aina Fuster, 31, graduated from the UOC master's degree in Digital Health in 2021. Fuster admits that, upon finishing her Pharmacy degree, she was not at all clear about where she wanted to go. At that time, she was working full-time in a community pharmacy and that summer the interoperability of electronic prescriptions began to function, which allowed for checking patient prescriptions from other autonomous communities. "I started to think about how it was possible that this interoperability had not been possible before, but at the same time, many doubts arose as to how it could be technologically possible," she recalls. At that moment, Fuster realized that, very soon, digital transformation would be a key issue. That is why she decided to look for a master's degree that would help her understand it a little better. "It had to be one that would allow me to combine it with my full-time job and shifts, so I looked directly at the UOC," she explains.

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Continuing education or long-life learning seems to be the ideal formula for developing in a labor market like the current one, in which the advance of AI, automation, and digitalization is changing the rules of the game by leaps and bounds and requires new skills from professionals. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, six out of every ten workers will have to update their skills before 2030. With this scenario in the background, in the words of Paqui Blánquez, director of the UAB School of Lifelong Learning, lifelong learning is no longer an option, “but a necessity”. In this context, she continues, master's and postgraduate degrees “continue to play a fundamental role because they offer a solid and structured specialization that allows for delving into areas of knowledge that undergraduate studies, by definition, cannot address with the same level of detail”. A specialization, she highlights, “especially valuable in professional environments that evolve rapidly and require profiles with advanced knowledge and the ability to adapt”.

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Historically, the arrival of summer has been associated with the search for seasonal work by thousands of young people who, upon finishing their academic year, want to have their own income. The motivations are very diverse: to go on a trip with friends, to get a driving license, to indulge themselves, to save up to survive the next school year, or to partially or fully fund their studies.

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Most children stop using daytime diapers between the ages of two and four, although nighttime training can be more difficult and may not be completed until around five or six years of age. For Alejandra Pérez, supervisor of pediatrics and neonatology at Sant Pau Campus Salut Barcelona, it is key to understand that sphincter control is not a habit learned through repetition, "but rather a maturational milestone acquired when the child's body is physiologically, cognitively, and emotionally ready." Neurologically, Pérez continues, "it involves a transition from an involuntary reflex action (where the bladder empties automatically) to a voluntary and conscious act under cortical control." Forcing this process prematurely, therefore, "is ineffective and can generate frustration, anxiety, and unnecessary conflicts, as each child has their own pace of nervous system maturation."

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The last weeks of the school year have been intense for the first-year ESO students at Institut Teresa Pàmies (Barcelona), who have managed to complete the co-creation project of a public-use plot of land on which they had been working all year. They did so within the framework of the workshop Architecture and senses, a plot for everyone, one of the 400 architecture workshops that 130 architects have taught in 25 educational centers in the province of Barcelona between May and June, coinciding with Architecture Week. Although this year the workshops are part of the program for Barcelona 2026, World Capital of Architecture, the initiative is not new, as the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC) has been organizing it since 2019. Over these eight years, more than 55,000 primary, secondary, and high school students from more than 200 educational centers have participated.

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17 grams per child. This was the amount of food that the students of the Josep Maria de Sagarra school threw in the trash during lunchtime on May 13, when "Criatures" went there to get to know the "If I think, I don't throw away" project firsthand. This is one of the lowest records since the Barcelona school implemented the project in the dining area, nine courses ago. It did so at the request of Aldara Sarabia, director of the Midday Educational Time at the center, who clearly recalls the moment the project saw the light of day.

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“So far, things were going great, but you arrived and it all started to go wrong.” This is the typical comment grandparents make when we go to pick up the children. Sometimes we interpret that the child behaves worse with their parents, but, as Dr. Montse Arellano, a neuropediatrician from the pediatric service at Hospital Universitari Mútua Terrassa, points out, in many cases the opposite is true: "It is with them that they feel much more secure”. Children spend a large part of the day striving to adapt to school, with other adults, with friends... And there – Arellano states – they tend to behave more reservedly because there are rules and less trust to express what they feel. In reality, a boy or girl letting loose in the presence of their parents and not others, she points out, is usually "a reflection of emotional security", given that they know they are in a trusted environment where they can show themselves as they are, even when they are tired or overwhelmed.

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Courage, energy, fun, cooperation, shrewdness, gratitude, admiration... These are some of the terms that are intertwined throughout the story The grandmother has a lot of energy (Editorial Octaedro) with the energy that Carme Puxan, the protagonist of the story, carries throughout her journey in Ecuador. The book, written by her son, Francesc Balagué, illustrated by Joana Bruna, and available since April at Joanabruna.com, tells the adventures of the grandmother of Luka, 12 years old, and Kael, 9 years old, who also appear in the story.

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Every Wednesday, Emma Osorio practices judo at the Municipal Sports Center Olímpics on Passeig de la Vall d’Hebron, in Barcelona. She has been doing so for three years, accompanied by 17 other boys and girls between 12 and 19 years old who, like her, have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These are adapted sessions, led by judo instructors and volunteers, in which the young people practice everything from the typical greetings and stances of this sport to pair and group dynamics, including strength training and other aerobic exercises.

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It's 10:30 a.m. on a winter Friday, and when we arrive at 12-year-old Martín's room, we find him with his hospital teacher, Alba Sau. Together, they're trying to identify the fruit scent of each of the perfume bottles arranged on a tray. The young boy, who suffers from a rare metabolic disorder called sulfite oxidase deficiency, laughs every time he correctly identifies one of the fragrances, showing off his keen sense of smell. The day before, they had been painting, improvising a paintbrush with a straw and a pencil that Martín used in his mouth. "We try to adapt as much as possible to each child's tastes and interests to connect with them," Alba explains, while trying to set up Tobii, the tablet Martín uses to communicate through his eyes, on Martín's bedside table. "For me, it's essential that Martín can communicate, not only with me, but also with his mother and the healthcare staff; it's part of his recovery," she emphasizes.

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This weekend, Mada is looking after her nephews Vera and Ibai, aged nine and six, respectively. Her sister-in-law, the children's mother, is preparing for competitive exams, so she's using Saturday morning to study at the Ignasi Iglesias-Can Fabra library in Sant Andreu, while Mada takes the two children and her seven-year-old daughter, Ona, for a walk around the neighborhood. At midday, the children and their parents will all gather at Mada's house for lunch. Although they live in different neighborhoods and each cousin has a different circle of friends, both families try to see each other often. "We alternate Saturday lunches between our house and theirs," explains Mada, who emphasizes how the three children enjoy the evening the most. They also occasionally babysit for the children. "That way, the parents can enjoy some free time when we need it or when we feel like getting away without the kids," she notes. These are moments that Mada considers ideal for enriching their relationship and doing different things, "but also for learning about other routines and ways of doing things, and for them to understand that every family can have different customs and rules." In the summer, Mada's family spends the season with their caravan at the campsite, and sometimes Ona receives visits from her cousins. "All of us being there, sleeping together and playing and running around the campsite in semi-freedom is quite an adventure!" she emphasizes. Mada and her brother—Vera and Ibai's father—are from Cantabria, so during the summer they also take the opportunity to visit family. "Our other brother and our nephews David and Regina live there, and although we don't see each other as much as they'd like, when all five cousins ​​get together it's fantastic," she explains.

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Efforts have been underway for some time to eradicate sexist language, including reducing sexism in areas such as advertising and toys. Is the same effort being made in the children's costume sector? In other words, has the range of options broadened beyond princess or ballerina costumes for girls and superhero, police officer, or athlete costumes for boys? For psychologist Elena Crespi, the answer is a resounding "no." She points out that although a new self-regulation code came into effect three years ago, aiming to prevent catalogs and advertisements from linking a type of toy to a specific gender, "wherever we're going, we still see that in firefighter and police officer figures and toys, boys continue to be the protagonists of images typically associated with girls." The only change, he adds, is that if there is, for example, a police costume in which we can see a girl as a model, the dress automatically changes to sexualize that child with tighter trousers or a skirt, a shirt that opens more or a shorter t-shirt."

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Fourteen-year-old Fiona Olivé lives with a constant cough and runny nose. It's as if she's always sick. During the cold season, her family is always on high alert to prevent her from getting seriously ill, as any respiratory infection can easily become complicated and develop into pneumonia. The young girl is allergic to various types of dust mites, grasses, and cats, and for a time, there was also a suspicion that she was allergic to eggplants, which was recently ruled out after controlled food exposure at the Sant Pau Hospital's day hospital. However, for the two years she lived with this suspicion, she had to act like a person with allergies. de facto to this vegetable. During this period, explains Karla Islas, her mother, the hardest thing for her was having to constantly be aware of the allergy "and, before eating anything, having to ask or be alert in case it contained eggplant." The young woman "also found it difficult at school," she adds.

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People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience parenthood with particular intensity for several reasons. Aina Durán, a psychology graduate and student of the Master's program in General Health Psychology, cites the constant changes involved in caring for a baby or child, such as irregular schedules, unexpected needs, crying, and other sensory stimuli. "These can be especially demanding for someone who needs predictability and routine," she points out. Difficulties may also arise in interpreting subtle nonverbal cues from the child, especially in the early years, when they cannot verbalize what they feel or want. This can generate insecurity when trying to determine if the baby is hungry, in pain, or tired. According to Durán, who also supports people with ASD at the Friends Foundation, sensory overload must also be considered, which, "as a result of loud noises, musical toys, lights, or the inherent clutter of parenting, can quickly lead to exhaustion." It is also necessary to pay attention to executive functions such as planning, organizing, and coordinating tasks, which can present a considerable challenge. Finally, the psychologist states that many autistic mothers and fathers have been "victims of discrimination and infantilization" by other parents or educational professionals, which "increases stress and can contribute to isolation."

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Antimicrobial drugs, including antibiotics, marked a turning point in modern medicine. However, this great advance is threatened because, every year, more microorganisms are found. learn To defend themselves against treatments, bacteria become stronger and more resistant, rendering medications ineffective. Eneritz Velasco, attending physician in the infectious diseases department at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and coordinator of the hospital's antimicrobial stewardship program, points out that among the uses that most compromise their effectiveness is "using them when they are not necessary," since antibiotics are effective against viral infections such as the flu, the common cold, or COVID-19. Velasco emphasizes that "they are also not analgesics," so they do not relieve pain "nor do they treat coughs or reduce fever."

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The dictionary of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) defines the term resilience as "an individual's ability to overcome an unfavorable or risky situation." This is a highly valued attitude in the adult world, especially in the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous context in which we currently live; therefore, it is an important skill to cultivate as soon as possible.

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During the autumn and winter months, we tend to spend less time outdoors than at other times of the year. The colder weather and fewer hours of sunlight mean that families often spend more time at each other's homes, places where children can enjoy the company of elderly relatives, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but also where viruses that cause colds and flu circulate more freely, often increasing the risk of infection. It is no coincidence, therefore, that year after year around this time there is a peak in viral infections such as the common cold, the flu, COVID-19, and bronchiolitis.

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