Neat News - Neat things do happen

After centuries of war between France and Germany and the Second World War, in 1963 the two countries signed a treaty of friendship in Paris. Today, the countries renewed and widened their friendship by a new treaty, signed in Aachen. They want to use their friendship to revive the European Union.

Taking the stairs instead of a lift can improve - to a modest degree - the health since for some people it is an easy way to incorporate some physical activity into their days. Just like with eating taking the stairs can provide some "snacks" of activity that improve cardio-respiratory fitness.

For the first time, scientists grew human blood vessels in a Petri dish. This may result in a treatment for people with diabetes, for instance, for whom some blood vessels may be failing.

Applying breathing techniques - such as taught in some Yoga classes - can help people to relax and calm down. In a study with mice the activation of certain brain regions have been measured and support for the thesis could be found.

Clostridium difficile infection is a dangerous superbug against which traditional antibiotics are not very effective. However, a new antibiotic, called Ramizol proved effective in experiments with rats.

Researchers have looked at the mechanism how the barbes of a feather interconnect. With all variation between different feathers from different species of birds the mechanism seems to be universal and may show a way how to produce new materials that interconnect better than velcro.

A male frog, for long assumed to be the last of his kind, gets company. The species declined for several reasons, one of them being the introduction of invasive trout. Now five more frogs, three males and two females, have been found in the Bolivian wilderness. There is hope that they produce offsprings and the species can be reintroduced to the wild.

In experiments with mice, insights have been gained how fasting can lead to improved health. Lack of food influences the circadian clock of cells and can lead to reprogramming cellular responses.

The Guardian newspaper used to have their weekend editions containing a number of supplements packed in plastic. This plastic is now replaced by a material made from potato starch that is entirely compostable.

In a meta-study it has been found that eating at least 25g of fibre a day has a significant health benefit. People eating fibre-rich foods have reduced heart diseases, fewer strokes, and more rarely type 2 diabetes. The reduction is around 20 percent between people with the highest and lowest fibre intake.

There is a new idea about the cause of Alzheimer's disease, namely, that gene alterations are at the core of the problem. If confirmed this could mean that medication developed for treating other diseases such as HIV could be useful in treating Alzheimer's. More research is needed.

A new drug, Ibrutinib, which can also be taken as a daily pill -- rather than being given by infusion -- has proved more effective as therapy against so-called chronic lymphocytic leukaemia than standard therapy in older patients.

After a long decline, buffaloes are brought back to reservations in the USA by Indians and conservationists. Before being systematically hunted by European settlers, it is assumed that there were more than 60 million buffaloes. The numbers went down to only 541 in 1889. The number has increased again to about 500,000, mostly living in National Parks and reserves.

Initial testing has been done to filter part of the chemotherapy drug from the bloodstream after the delivery of the drug to the cancer. This way, the side effects of the drug are to be reduced. The method works by inserting a tubular sponge device to the blood stream and reducing the amount of the drug circulating in those parts of the body that are not affected by the cancer.

The timing when to take the medication can make a big difference. Taken at the right time medication may be much more effective. This way the dosage can potentially be reduced and also have potentially lesser side effects.

Space is a scarce commodity in Copenhagen. In order to create new space the Danish government plans to build nine islands off Copenhagen by 2040 with 3.1 million square metres of new land.

Using transcranial alternating current brain stimulation it has been found that creativity means that brainwaves that represent the obvious must be suppressed in order to come up with creative ideas.

Certain lung diseases can be treated by messenger RNA molecules. However, a big problem has been to administrate the molecules to the cells of the lung. Now a form of the mRNA has been produced that can be inhaled and in a study this has been found to be a good way of administrating it.

A new study found that eating one egg every day may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, since eggs provide people with certain lipid molecules that are linked to such a lower risk. Further research is needed to fully understand the relationship.

In Germany, green generation of electricity by wind, solar, and hydro power has grown from 8.5 percent of the total electricity generation in 2003 to 40.3 percent in 2018 and overtaken the production by coal. There is a target to increase it to 65 percent by 2030.

The new hydrogen based trains in operation since September 2018 between Cuxhaven and Buxtehude in northern Germany are working well. The hydrogen is converted in a fuel cell to electricity that supplements batteries on board. The trains replaced Diesel trains and do not produce any pollution.

Biopolymers have been created that may replace the plastic from which traditional plastic bags are made. They are a new form of biodegradable material. They are made from microorganisms and recycle into biomass.