Neat News - Neat things do happen

Cocoa powder as part of a diet of obese mice improved their health situation, in particular the condition of the liver. Also it reduced the weight gain when the diet was otherwise unchanged. It is assumed that the cocoa makes fats more difficult to digest.

related: #cocoa #health_benefit

A very white paint containing barium sulfate has been developed that reflects 98 percent of sunlight. It can keep buildings cooler, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning and the amount of water needed for irrigating cities.

related: #white_paint

A new material has been developed that can be printed on 3D-printers. It is very similar to ivory so that it can used even to restore ivory artefacts. This way the ivory ban to protect elephants can be more easily enforced.

related: #ivory_replacement

Students can learn better in certain areas when they make gestures with their hands during the learning process. Also gestures by teachers can be helpful in conveying certain concepts.

related: #learning #gesture

Often when we solve a problem we add something to the setting. However, taking away something may actually lead to a better solution. Example: In order to help children to ride a bicycle, often training wheels are added, but actually making the bicycle pedalless gives children a better opportunity to train their balancing skills.

related: #problem_solving

As a measure to reduce CO₂ emissions, French parliament has voted for a bill that outlaws flights for which there is a corresponding train connection taking less than two-and-a-half hours.

related: #climate_change #flight_reduction

In a small trial of ten patients, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs, ipatasertib and atezolizumab, was applied to treat advanced glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer that is currently very difficult to treat. Two patients responded well, for one the cancer seems to have disappeared. More research is needed.

related: #glioblastoma #chemotherapy

A 3000 year old city, the so-called lost golden city, has been found near Luxor, Egypt. The discovery is considered the most important in almost a hundred years and gives valuable insights into the life in ancient Egypt.

related: #Egypt #lost_golden_city

Diesel trucks are estimated to contribute 7 percent to the global CO₂ emissions and thought to be hard to replace by electric vehicles. However, a new study finds this feasible in a model that a 4.5 hour drive is followed by 40 minutes of charging.

related: #electric_truck #climate

The Wildlife Trusts have started ten projects in England and Wales as part of a campaign to re-wild 30 percent of the UK's land and sea area by 2030. For instance, in one project a golf course is turned into an insect haven.

related: #wildlife #nature

Many people exercise in order to lose weight. However, since exercising makes you hungry, if you do not think before you exercise what you want to eat after the exercise, then you may take so many calories in that you do not lose weight.

related: #exercising #weight_reduction

On two islands of the Seychelles, there is a plant that produces the largest and heaviest seeds in the world, the co-called coco de mer or double coconut. In order to preserve the plant, there is a scheme that pays people on the islands if they plant their seeds on their property.

related: #double_coconut #preservation

In closed rooms with many people - such as classrooms in schools - ventilation and masks are an important means to reduce the infection risk for Covid-19. A ventilation system in combination with a good air filter can reduce the infection risk by 40 to 50 percent.

related: #Covid-19 #infection_risk

In New South Wales, Australia, electronic deterrents are now used to reduce the risk of being bitten by a shark. By using electronic devices the risk of shark bites could be reduced by 60 percent, a new study finds.

related: #shark #deterrent

Many drugs that work well when given to combat human cancer cells transplanted to mice do not work well in humans themselves. Now the reason for this is understood: The mice have viruses that help fight the cancer cells. This insight will hopefully lead to better mouse models in the future and thereby avoiding the treatment of test persons with ineffective drugs.

related: #cancer #mouse_model

The infrastructure plan by the Biden administration might mean that the electricity production in the USA will be carbon neutral by 2035 compared to the current official goal of 2050. A lot will depend on whether the goal will be mandatory or only aspirational.

related: #USA #carbon_neutral

Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of brain cancer. Chemotherapy can buy patients some time. A new study suggests that the timing of the treatment can add some months to the patients' lives by giving it in the morning rather than in the evening.

related: #glioblastoma #chemotherapy