Neat News - Neat things do happen

In a study it has been found that moderate alcohol intake can improve the memory of material learned immediately before the drinking. It is assumed that the alcohol blocks the memory for new material which allows the brain to focus on the previous material. [It is stressed that alcohol can also have negative effects on the brain, in particular when the intake is not moderate.]

A certain type of cancer - the neuroblastoma tumor, the most common cancer in infants - can be treated by attaching curcumin to nanoparticles. This offers a new approach to treat a cancer which is otherwise difficult to treat.

In principle, spinal injuries can be surgically repaired by reconnecting sensory neurons to the spinal cord. Now there is a better understanding how the cells grow together again which offers hope to develop a new therapy for treating spinal injuries.

In a five year study of more than 70,000 people it has been found that the risk of developing diabetes is reduced by moderate intake of alcohol by a quarter to a third. Best results are given when the alcohol is consumed on 3-4 days of the week.

A new carbon neutral city which generates its energy by solar panels and stores it in lithium batteries is being built in Colorado, USA.

In experiments with mice it has been found that certain brain cells control how fast the body ages. These stem cells in the hypothalamus diminish over time and are completely gone by old age (which is two years for mice). By manipulating the cells the scientists ruled out coincidence.

Unlike their closest relatives, the bonobos, human children imitate actions of other humans even if this imitation does not serve any immediate purpose. This difference in imitation may be a piece in the puzzle what makes humans different from great apes.

Off the coast of Scotland, the world's first floating wind farm is being built. It will bring electricity to 20.000 homes, Each tower weighs 11500 tonnes.

Paying people to conserve trees can be a highly cost-effective way to conserve forests. It should play a major part in a global strategy against climate change.

Scientists have found out that regular physical exercise changes the metabolisms of the brain and prevents an increase in choline, which typically happens in brains affected by Alzheimer's disease. This gives a clue as to why regular physical exercise is good for the mental health.

In 2005 almost 2 million people died of HIV/AIDS. This number has fallen to 1 million last year, mainly due to effective antiretroviral therapy. Currently more than 36 million are living with HIV and more than half are getting a therapy which gives them a near normal life expectancy.

Artifacts have been found in Northern Australia which indicate that humans arrived there 65,000 years ago, that is, 10,000 years earlier than previously thought.

The transition to sustainable energy requires buffers that can take over at night and/or when there is no wind. One possibility is to have gas power stations at stand-by. However, with the drop in prices of lithium-ion-batteries there is now the economic alternative to store the energy in batteries.

Microbes can strongly influence the behaviour of animals up to suicidal behaviour to help the microbes to proliferate. There is now research undergoing that points also in the direction that they influence animals to behave in an altruistic way. The existence of altruism in a Darwinian system is still a conundrum and new insights may help to understand it.

In experiments with mice it has been found that a diet which contains a daily intake of tomatoes can cut the development of skin cancer by 50%.

Scientists have found a way to cryo-preserve fish embryos and bring them back to life. This was difficult in the past, since fish embryos are relatively big. This was made possible by micro-injections of cryo-protectants. It is considered a step towards freezing and reanimating bigger animals.

By fluorination of a common insulator, hexagonal boron nitride, it is possible to create a semiconductor that can be used in extreme environments.

It is suggested that biofuels should be produced from waste products such as chip fat and not from prime products such as wheat that could be eaten as well. This is not only more resourceful and is more appropriate in light of still existing hunger in the world, but it makes it also easier to achieve a 10% threshold envisaged for sustainable fuel sources by the European Union by 2020.

Ravens can plan ahead. In experiments they were selecting a tool which they could expect to be useful in the near future (between 15 minutes and 17 hours) over another object and even prefer the tool - which helps them to a treat in the future - over a smaller treat immediately.

Generous people are happier, there is an interplay between altruism and happiness, as has been found out in studies of brain activity in parts of the brain associated with altruism, happiness, and decision making.

There is research that points to a positive effect of drinking coffee to the lifespan. A woman may live around a month longer on average when drinking a cup of coffee every day, a man even around three months. However, it is not clear whether there is a causal connection, there may be individual differences whether coffee agrees with a person or not, and you may take in levels of caffeine which are bad for your health.

Quantum communication promises to provide secure communication. Now a communication experiment succeeded that involved receiving quantum information from a satellite in space. This is considered to be a major step towards a quantum communication network.

By genetic sequencing the changes in wheat have been detected that occurred in its domestication about 10,000 years ago in the so-called Fertile Crescent. In particular, the genes have been isolated that make spikes to shatter in wild wheat, but to remain intact in domesticated wheat.

A new mobile phone has been invented that operates on a very low energy consumption. It can take the few microwatts of energy it needs from light or other radio signals. In consequence it works without a battery.

Scientists at CERN have detected a new particle which consists of two heavy and one light quarks. It is short lived, but existed in the experiments for long enough to be detected.

The flowering Prosopis juliflora shrub seems to be a main food supply for the Anopheles mosquito. Weeding out the flowers of the shrub reduces the number of mosquitoes possibly by 60%. This offers an insecticide-free approach that helps combating malaria.

Treating Alzheimer's disease is also difficult, since up to now the protein thought to be mainly responsible for it, the so-called tau, was not well understood. But now tau's structure, which spreads in affected brains, is much better known.

The Romans made concrete which lasted thousands of years. It has now been understood why it is so long lasting: The volcanic materials reacted with sea water and strengthened it. The discovery may lead to more environmentally friendly ways of producing long lasting concrete. The production of traditional concrete is responsible for around 5% of the world's CO₂ emissions.

The flavanols contained in cocoa, a key ingredient in chocolate, are good for human cognition and help to protect the brain against decline. Dark chocolates are particularly rich in flavanols. Obviously, there are side effects due to the sugar and the caloric value of chocolate.

A new plaster has been developed which delivers the flu vaccine into the skin without needing a syringe. The vaccine is given by plaster with a hundred very small micro-needles penetrating the skin's surface.

The German parliament, the Bundestag, approves marriage for all. The new law allows also gay men and lesbians to marry with same rights as heterosexual couples, including adoption rights.