Neat News - Neat things do happen

Buildings use pipes to transport hot water for heating and hot water supply. In spite of insulation some heat is leaked. Now a wrap around device has been developed that can convert leaked heat to electricity.

related: #electricity #hot_water

A new 20-year study confirms the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, a diet rich in plant foods and fish using monounsaturated fats. In people over 65, different biomarkers in plasma and urine are better and their mortality is lower.

related: #Mediterranean_diet

In a new article, it is studied that the enset plant, a relative of the banana, has the potential to feed many millions of people. It is resilient to climate change, but currently used mainly only in parts of Ethiopia. When fermented its stems and roots can be used to make porridge and bread.

related: #enset #climate_change

Corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, are used to warmer water than other corals. They seems to be an exception to the bleaching seen in many other coral reefs and be able to tolerate higher temperatures. Now there is hope that their resilience can be transferred to other reefs.

related: #coral_reef #resilience

Nudges are nicer than coercion, but can still be effective, a study finds. Preserving our freedom of choice, small changes to our environment can lead to societal changes such as changed eating habits.

related: #nudge #effectiveness

To prevent the transmission of diseases such as COVID-19, masks must not have leaks. Now a sensor has been developed that can tell whether a mask fits properly. It is not integrated into the mask, but a separate device so that it can be reused when the mask is changed.

related: #covid19 #face_mask

Air pollution kills prematurely around 40,000 people every year in France alone. In a study the financial cost of these deaths was compared to the cost of significantly reducing air pollution. It was found that by significantly cleaning up the air a significant annual net benefit can be achieved, between 1.1 and 4.7 euros for each euro invested.

related: #clean_air

In new research it was studied what may contribute to the origins of life on Earth. Since electron transport is essential for life and is best realized in metals, it was looked how proteins can bind metals. In different manifestation common features were established. It is assumed that these were already present in early building blocks of life.

related: #origin_of_life

Studying more than 10 million young adults in the US military of whom 955 were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) it was found that the risk of MS increases 32-fold after an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but is not increased after an infection with other viruses. This may mean that EBV is a cause of MS. If so this may lead to a treatment for MS.

related: #multiple_sclerosis #Epstein_Barr

By swapping the highest impact food item for a more planet-friendly item the carbon footprint can be significantly reduced. For beef eating Americans by swapping one serving of beef per day with turkey, for instance, the corresponding greenhouse gas emission can be almost halved.

related: #carbon_footprint #diet

The 1984 UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment allows states to convict criminals also when they are not in the country where they committed the crimes. Using this universal jurisdiction, a German court has today as a first convicted a Syrian colonel to life in prison for crimes against humanity.

related: #universal_jurisdiction

For the first time a human has received a pig's heart in a transplantation. Genetic modifications of the pig were made in order to prevent that the heart is rejected by the immune system of the patient and that viruses occurring in pigs are passed on to the human species this way.

related: #heart_transplantation #pig

A study finds that there are four strategies to shield a positive self-image: avoiding persons that point to problematic facts; doubting the credibility of the source of inconvenient truths; ignoring any indirect signs; and interpreting ambiguous signs too positively. Self-deception is done in order to stay motivated in difficult situations.

related: #self_deception #motivation

The fossil of a so-called sea dragon, an ichthyosaur, was found in the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the UK. It lived between 250 million and 90 million years ago and grew 25 metres long. It is the biggest of its kind ever found in the UK.

related: #ichthyosaur

We all rely on the oxygen that is generated by plants in sunlight. Now researchers found surprisingly that some microorganisms can produce oxygen without sunlight. It is not yet known how widespread the phenomenon is.

related: #oxygen #no_sunlight

A new study finds that elderly people that are physically active protect their brain, since they have more proteins in the brain that enhance connections between neurons.

related: #exercise #ageing #brain #synapses

Some people have problems to open up to a psychotherapist about negative experiences. Some 30 percent would prefer to talk rather to a virtual reality avatar. This new option should be available soon.

related: #virtual_reality #psychotherapy

In Kenya there is a smart greenhouse project which allows to grow vegetables with a much reduced water usage making use of hydroponics (that is, growing the plants in a nutrient solution without soil). Watering and fertilizing is computer controlled.

related: #greenhouse #hydroponics #Kenya

The blood pressure measured may be misleading when for instance a patient is nervous about the measurement itself (this is the so-called `white coat syndrome'). Now a new device has been developed that can continually monitor blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, body temperature, and respiratory rate by two sensors on a finger clip.

related: #blood_pressure

In Bangladesh there are initiatives to support local communities to transform farming so that it becomes more climate resilient. The projects empower predominantly women since by selling vegetables they become financially independent.

related: #climate_resilience #farming

A prototype has been reconstructed to protect buildings from earthquakes. The building is placed on hundreds of used tennis balls filled with a cement-like material so that in case of an earthquake the energy is transformed from erratic horizontal shaking into a gentler rocking motion. The method was used already 5000 year ago in Peruvian pyramids.

related: #earthquake_protection

Electric cars are not the final answer in reducing carbon emissions, since there are indirect emissions in the production and the electricity production. However, a new study finds that they are much better than fossil fuel-powered cars and that this effect will become bigger when the electricity production is decarbonized.

related: #electric_vehicles #carbon_emission

In experiments with mice, it has been found that a combination of the drugs rifampicin and resveratrol administered intranasally improves cognitive function. The finding may lead to the development of a nasal spray for the prevention of dementia.

related: #Alzheimer #nasal_spray