Neat News - Neat things do happen

Rechargeable nickel-zinc accumulators are lighter, however up to now lithium-based batteries are predominent, in particular, because of their longevity and safety. However, when formed into three-dimensional sponges nickel-zinc provides an energy-dense and safer alternative to lithium-ion batteries. They may in the longer run even replace lead based batteries in cars.

Scientists succeeded to analyze the DNA found in sand in different caves. Typically it is necessary to have some human remains, but they were able to extract this from sediments in Spain, France, Belgium, Croatia, and Russia. The analysis provides information on the development of humans. They found also DNA of other mammals such as mammoths.

EU boards have decided that power stations have to satisfy tougher standards to reduce the pollution they produce. Big power stations must use the best technology available to reduce the pollution in form of respirable dust, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, and mercury in particular.

Analytic methods have become so good that scientists succeeded in a trial to detect returning lung cancer from a blood test at a very early stage in which it was yet undetectable by other means. This has become possible by taking cells from the original cancer and then checking the blood whether it is coming back or not by comparing the cells to the original cancer cells. If the method can be wider applied steps against the returning cancer can be taken early on.

In a meta-study evaluating 39 other studies it is concluded that exercising is important for the mental abilities. It is particularly important for persons over the age of 50 in order to prevent or delay cognitive decline. There is a recommendation that people should have at least 150 minutes of activities per week.

Larvae of the honeycomb moth, galleria mellonella, have been known to eat wax in bee hives. Now researchers have found that these larvae can also break down the most widespread form of plastic, polyethylene (PE). This may open a way to deal with our problem of the huge amounts of plastic waste.

21 April 2017 was the first full day in the UK were electricity was produced exclusively from sources other than coal. Britain wants to end coal power generation by 2025.

"Science Makes Sense" is taken from a poster of a supporter on a pro-science demo in Sydney, Australia. In the light of political attacks against science and facts, thousands of scientists and supporters protested for science around the world.

A particular diet in which two amino acids are removed from the diet may support treatment for some cancer patients. Removing serine and glycine from the diet of mice reduced the growth of intestinal cancer in them. The diet was particularly helpful when combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

New drugs have been developed which have great promise to prevent the death of brain cells due to a built-up of dangerous proteins in the brain. Trazodone has already been used to treat depression and DBM in combating cancer. They showed encouraging results in experiments with mice.

More than 250,000 commuters were observed in the UK over a period of five years. It has been found out that that walking to work is better than driving. The biggest impact has, however, cycling. For those who cycled to work the risk to die was reduced by 41%, to get cancer by 45%, and to develop a heart disease by 46%.

In experiments fish had to solve two problems in order to get to food, first finding it and second accessing it. Individual fish had experience in at most one of the activities, but in a shoal they managed to cooperate to get to the food.

A black hole has such a strong gravitation that even light cannot escape. At its edge, however, light can escape and be used to model how it looks like. Scientists try currently to record the light. While they are still doing this, artists try to capture what to expect.

The Wellcome Trust has compiled a list of the most beautiful science pictures of the year. They show animals (or parts of them), paintings, and photographs.

New bandages are under development which monitor how wound are healing and send back information about this to doctors using the new 5G mobile phone technology.

In Texas, a state associated traditionally with fossil fuel and where more coal is used than in any other US state, wind generation accounted for nearly 23% of electricity generation in the first quarter of 2017. Because of the competitive price of wind energy it is assumed to squeeze coal out of the market.

The cost for photo voltaic is falling at such a rate that researcher have made the forecast that solar installations will be tenfold by 2030. In many areas solar energy is already the most cost effective electricity source.

NASA publishes new satelite pictures of the Earth at night. These are not only beautiful, but also show human civilization and by the development over time influences of war and natural disasters.

The blood of the Komodo dragon, the largest living lizard, contains proteins that help the healing of MRSA infected wounds in mice. If the results transfer to humans it may also be possible to develop new antibiotics against MRSA.

Scientists have produced cells and introduced them into the brains of mice to take over the production of dopamine. The loss of dopamine production is a key problem in Parkinson's disease. The method may in the long run lead to a treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, many more tests are necessary.

Since 2008 girls in Scotland are offered a vaccination against the human papilloma virus. The virus accounts for around 90% of all cervical cancers. In tests it has been found now that women born before 1990 carry the virus to 21%, however, women from the 1995 group only to 0.5%. Hence it can be expected that the cases of cervical cancer will dramatically fall in the next few years.

It is reported that wildlife conservation has brought back species from the brink of extinction. Amoung these are the reef manta ray, the giant panda, the large blue butterfly, the Arabian oryx, the Tasmanian devil, and the echo parakeet.

The brain records short term and long term memories. It has been thought that short term memories can be transformed into long term memories and that under certain medical conditions this is no longer possible. However, in new research in mice it has been found out that the memories are stored in two places from the start, in the hippocampus and in the cortex. It is assumed now that the same is true for humans, changing 60 year old assumptions.

The North Sea is in the Dogger Bank less than 15 metres deep. Now there are plans to construct halfway between England and Danmark an artificial island there in order to have a basis for the construction of off-shore wind turbines.

The general assumption is that only young people can make significant contributions to mathematics. However, a mathematician made a significant contribution at 64 by proving the Gaussian correlation inequality, a problem open for more than 50 years.

When rockets are sent into space most segments are lost. However, for the first time SpaceX has successfully reflown a segment that landed in a controlled way on a barge in the Atlantic. It is expected that the re-use technique will make spaceflight cheaper.

Graphene, a one atom layer thin carbon form, has been intensively studied and created since 2004. In a new development it is now used to filter salt out of sea water. This could result in a much cheaper way to transform sea water into clean drinking water.

Worldwide, the amount of renewable clean energy generated (wind, solar, hydro) has doubled in the last 10 years. Asia is fastet growing with 13.1%.

Using a fibre-optic lung probe it is possible to diagnose bacterial infections in intensive care patients. This way it may possible to target antibiotics better and prevent unnecessary treatment.

When a 15 year old cancer patient loses his hair during chemotherapy most of his classmates have their heads sheared in solidarity to have bald heads as well.