Neat News - Neat things do happen

Traditional tests for meningitis take several days before the result is known. However, very swift action is needed in case of meningitis, since the illness can kill within hours. A new test has been developed which gives the result in less than one hour, potentially saving lives.

The Brazilian president had redesigned a chunk of the Amazon rain forest as a mining area. This threatened 30% of the Renca area which is the size of Denmark. However, a federal court has stopped the move now.

New blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. There is now a better understanding how the process of making new blood cells is regulated. This may lead to an improvement in the transplantation of bone marrow.

In a study it has been shown that the anti-inflammatory drug canakinumab can reduce cardiovascular risk independent of lowering cholesterol and lifestyle changes. This could provide a third line of treatment in the longer run.

Rebuilding trust is difficult, but can be achieved. It requires, however, time, a true apology, evidence of predictability and dependability, abandoning rumination, and taking a leap of faith.

It has been known that physical exercise is good for the brain and has an anti-ageing effect on the brain. Dancing seems to be particularly good, since it poses an extra challenge to the brain of learning dancing routines.

Even a brisk walk as short as 10 minutes a day has a positive effect on health matters such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression. This is seen as kind of a minimal physical activity and particularly important for people older than 40.

People who dring water with a high level of lithium seem to have a lower risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease. It has been found out in a study in Denmark that these people have a 17% reduction in risk.

It has been found out that certain infections such as typhoid fever and salmonella use cholesterol to enter cells. In consequence cholesteroal lowering drugs can be used to fight these infections.

The Chilean government has decided that a big mining project will not go ahead in Chile in order to protect the habitat of Humboldt penguins.

In a limited way apes, dogs, and other animals understand human language. Apes can also learn sign language and make simple utterances.

The universe is pretty big with an estimated distance of 46 billion light-years to the edge of the observable universe. Compared to that, an exo-planet in the Gliese 832 star system - which may have earth-like conditions - is just around the corner. At least it is close enough that radio contact to the system is at least thinkable.

A new material has been developed that behaves like rubber, that is, it is as tough as rubber and can be used for tyres and rubber bands, but that can also repair itself. The new material has been built by combining covalent and reversible bonds.

When making complex moral decisions - such as taking decisions in moral dilemmas - humans tend to act more rationally and are more willing to break moral taboos when they use a non-native language. There is the assumption that this is so since they are then emotionally more distant.

Peanut allergy can be very severe. An oral treatment in which patients receive a probiotic called Lactobacillus rhamnosu has proved to be effective for 70% of the patients even four years on.

A new vaccination against Polio has been developed which is plant-based, that is, plants are changed genetically so that they produce the vaccine. The vaccine itself can be thought of as the outer part of the virus without its virulent core so that the immune system can learn how to detect the virus without being exposed to it.

Following theoretical anticipation in the 1920s, chemical reactions have now been observed which involve three different participants. This has the potential for a better understanding of important processes in nature such as combustion.

Stem cell therapy has successfully been used to rejuvenate old hearts in rats. They experienced improved heart function and exercise capacity by 20 percent.

A desperate teenager wanted to steal smart clothes for his job interview. A police officer called to arrest him buys the clothes instead. The teenager gets the job and is now in the position to support his family.

A new vaccination against Zika has been developed which is plant-based. It is better (more effective and potentially safer) than previous vaccines. Clinical trials should begin withing the next two years.

That chimpanzees are intelligent has been known for long. Now scientists have found out that they can also learn the circular relationship in the rules of the rock-paper-scissors game to a level of four year old humans.

Diabetes I is a disease in which the immune system destroys the cells that produce the insulin. A new immune therapy has been tested on a small number of people and proved slowing the disease. Ideally it could result in a therapy that frees people from daily injections. Further research is needed.

By manipulating a single gene, scientists have managed to restore the plasticity of the brains of adult mice so that their brains regain their youthful potential. The research has the potential to treat problems with ageing brains.

A new nano-approach has been developed in which cells can be transformed by touch to a new form which can heal much better. The approach works by touching the cells with a device which then switches normal skin cells into so-called vascular cells.

There is evidence that neutrinos and antineutrinos are not symmetrical and behave differently. This may form a first clue to the open question why there is much more matter than antimatter in our universe.

In a mirror box illusion experiment it is possible to see and eventually feel the mirror hand rather than the hidden real hand. New research tries to understand how the brain resolves conflicting information from senses like feeling the hand and seeing the hand. Such an understanding may also help to treat phantom pain of amputees.

Medication to treat diabetes has been successfully tested to treat Parkinson's disease. More tests are necessary to fully understand the benefits and drawbacks.

In a study with mice it has been found that microbes can fight influenza by breaking down compounds found in black tea, red wine, and blueberries (so-called flavonoids).

Singing strengthens muscles which are also used for swallowing and breathing. Since these two functions can be impaired by Parkinson's disease, music therapy can help people counteracting the problems.

In the south of France an archaeological site has been discovered which is very well preserved partly since it was covered by ash from a fire. For this reason the site has also been nicknamed "little Pompeii".

In order to understand the pathology in cells you have to look at very small objects, at times object which are too small to be seen with standard light. In such cases scientists use electron microscopes. However, there is now an approach called "expansion pathology" in which the cells absorb 200 to 300 times its mass in water and become this way so big that they can be observed with traditional light-based microscopes, making the analysis simpler and cheaper.