Neat News - Neat things do happen

For most living beings heavy metals like copper or lead are toxic. However, the bacterium C. metallidurans is an exception and can digest heavy metals. In doing so it can form tiny gold nuggests.

An approach used against Parkinson's disease, namely to stimulate parts of the brain using electricity by a method called deep brain stimulation, is now also tried to ameliorate Alzheimer's disease. Certain brain regions are stimulated and this way patients may keep their independence for longer.

The first artificial heart that is soft and made of silicon has been built. It is currently not a replacement for a human heart since it lasts for only 3000 beats, that is, for less than an hour. It has, however, a great potential since many of its properties are much closer to a natural heart than current replacements.

One-way plastic bags are to disappear on Mallorca and the other Belearic Islands by 2019. Many other products made of plastic will follow in 2020. Bio-degradable products will replace them. This is to greatly reduce the annual 700,000 tons of rubbish on the islands.

Many people in many countries would not eat insects. It was also assumed for a long time that humans could not digest insects since they would not produce an enzyme necessary to break down their exoskeletons. However, new research shows that humans can digest many types of insects and that they are nutritious. Insects can provide proteins and have a much smaller carbon footprint than beef or pork.

People are more willing to cooperate if they can decide with whom they cooperate in a cooperative game and can also dynamically change the team. The ability to choose partners is more important than the reputation of the other people for cooperation.

Even low-intensity physical activities are beneficial for the health. For instance, half an hour of walking or doing household work reduces the risk of a fatal cardiovascular disease by almost a quarter.

Fuel cells transform hydrogen into electricity. They can be used, for instance, to power cars, are, however, relatively expensive. Researchers are developing a new kind of fuel cells based on a polymer electrolyte membrane which will greatly reduce their cost.

When a father had to take time off to look after his very ill son and all holidays and all overtime were exhausted he applied for unpaid leave of absence. His supervisor and his colleagues did not want that on top of the medical problems the family would get into financial problems. They asked for the donation of overtime and 930 hours were donated so that he had almost half a year of paid leave of absence.

Tuberculosis was a dangerous killer before antibiotics could be used to fight it. Unfortunately drug resistant TB strains develop. Researchers have now found that ingredients of a Persian shallot inhibits the growth of TB cells. This may be a step towards the development of new treatment options against multi-resistant tuberculosis bacteria.

In animal tests, scientists used a new approach to flu vaccines. Traditionally, a flu vaccine contains a cocktail of different strains of dead viruses. If the attacking virus is not among those in the cocktail the vaccine does not give immunity. In the new approach, a live virus is used which in addition to an antibody response also gives T cell immunity so that in case of a mutation the T cells can reduce the severity of an infection.

Micro-cracks in concrete bridges and other constructions made of concrete can get bigger and if not repaired on time can cause big expenditure, or lead to structural failure. Following the self-healing possibilities of the human body, researchers have developed a concrete into which they mix a fungus, called Trichoderma reesei. The fungus is dormant until the first crack appears. Then the dormant spores will germinate, grow, and heal the crack by precipating calcium carbonate.

Scientists are currently testing a new blood test on patients with different kinds of cancer in order to detect proteins in the blood that indicate the illness. They hope in the longer run to develop a blood test that can detect cancer in a universal way, also for cancers which are currently difficult to detect at early stages.

Klotho proteins play an important role in metabolism and have an influence on longevity. The three-dimensional structure of beta-Klotho, one variant, has now been studied and been revealed. This allows for a better understanding of its functioning and may lead in the long run to a medication related to metabolism problems such as diabetes or obesity.

In Costa Rica, drones have been used to count sea turtles and it turned out that there are many more than anticipated. The study was carried through in the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge and proves the usefulness and reliability of drones in such surveys.

In Alaska, bears play an important role in spreading berry producing plants. According to a study, it was found that in parts of Alaska brown and black bears - which are very common - are more important in dispersing seeds of berry producing shrubs than birds.

With a newly developed warm-up technique it is possible to reduce sport injuries for children who play football by half. Severe injuries could be reduced by even three quarters.

There are infinitely many prime numbers, however, it is not easy to find very big ones and establish that they are prime. One class of prime numbers are Mersenne prime numbers, they have the form 2^p-1, where p is a prime number as well. Now the 50th Mersenne prime has been found. For it p is 77,232,917; the number itself has more than 23 million positions.

Cycling is in general good for health such as for the condition of the heart. There were some studies that suggested that it may have a negative impact on men's sexual and urinary function. However, a new big study found that this is in general not the case, even for high intensity cyclists. Problems such as genital numbness may be caused by adjusting the handlebar height too low. In general minor problems are by far outweighed by the cardiovascular benefits.

A study has found that nine to ten year old students who spend an hour in nature are the next hour indoors much more attentive and engaged. Immediately after an outdoor lesson teachers had to redirect a student's attention also only half as often as otherwise.

The so-called Mediterranean diet, primarily consisting of fruits and vegetables, may reduce the risk of frailty in older people. In a study it was found that older people following the diet are only half as likely to be frail as others. It is unclear whether it is a causal relationship, however.

There is a new method of slowly applying medication so that the ingredients are released over the course of a week. Inside a capsule is a cross that once unfolded keeps the medication in the stomach but lets the food pass to the small intestine. The approach has been successfully tested in animals and may in the long run replace the strict regime of daily drug intake to keep HIV at bay.

That exercising is good for a healthy heart has been known for a while. In a new study it has been found that it can have a big impact even if it is taken up in ages up to 60 or 65, but that the effect is much more limited if it is started after 65. Also the amount and type of exercises is important, they should contain parts of high-intensity, for instance, sets lasting four minutes at 95% of the maximum heart rate.

A new approach which is based on sending sound to the ear and electric pulses to the cheek or neck has reduced certain nerve activity related to tinnitus. This way it was possible to ease the ringing sound in the ear in initial trials with guinea pigs and humans. It may open a way to a treatment of the condition.

There are plans to grow a new forest in the north of England between Liverpool and Hull. The project has been started and will run over 25 years. 50 million new trees will be planted. It will be in an area that is comparatively sparsely covered by woodlands.

In experiments with mice gene therapy has been used to treat diabetes 1. It was possible to restore normal levels of glucose in the blood for an extended period of time. This opens the possibility to develop a therapy for the auto-immune illness.

In 1989 the Montreal Protocol came into effect in order to protect the ozone layer against cholor-flurocarbons (so-called CFCs) which were used in fridges. The amount of CFCs is slowly declining at a rate of 0.8% per year on average, however, there is a lot of year-to-year variability in this. Still the Montreal Protocol is working and the ozone destruction is decreasing.

A drug that was developed for treating diabetes type 2 has proved effective in experiments with mice against Alzheimer's. It is a so-called triple receptor drug and has reversed memory loss in mice.

By redesigning the shape of aeroplanes it may be possible to reduce their fuel consumption and their CO₂ emission by two thirds. This could be achieved by changing the shape of the fuselage so that it provides itself a lift so that the wings and the tail can be smaller and lighter. In general the aircraft would be more aerodynamic. A major effect would also be by placing the engines atop the plane's body (rather than underneath the wings).

2017 was the safest year for travelling commercially by aircraft with only one fatality for every 16 million flights. This is due to improved safety provisions but the particularly good record last year contains also a certain degree of luck.

A new skin patch may replace the routine of regular measurements of blood sugar level by pricking the finger and possibly injecting insulin for sufferers of diabetes 2. The patch is under development and has successfully been tested on mice. It contains dissoluble microneedles which administrate a chemical that interacts in the bloodstream and can regulate the blood sugar level.