Neat News - Neat things do happen

There is now a better understanding why spider webs are not decomposing easily. There seems to be a coating that protects the material from being used by bacteria.

Rilpivirine, a drug that suppresses the HIV virus, also suppresses the Zika virus by dealing with enzymes that both viruses need for replication.

The green gold tree, also called inga tree, offers a good opportunity to reverse deforestation in the Amazonas, since it helps to keep the soil fertile.

A specialized battery has been developed that can absorb CO₂ even at very low concentrations while discharging. The CO₂ can then be collected on charging. This way the greenhouse gas can be extracted from the air.

In order to recycle more plastic bottles, in Rome a new approach is taken. Per bottle you get 5 cent off your train ticket. If you collect sufficiently many bottles you can ride for free.

Polystyrene packaging, which is difficult to recycle, will be banned in Costa Rica from 2021 in order to reduce pollution.

In the first 9 months of 2019, almost 43 percent of the electricity In Germany were produced from renewable sources, mainly wind and solar. That is almost 5 percentage points more than the year before.

Due to vaccinations two of the three forms of the polio virus are no longer in existence. The efforts need to be kept up - in particular in Afghanistan and Pakistan - to also eradicate type 1.

Google claims that its quantum computer with 54 so-called qubits outperforms traditional supercomputers on a specialized task. With the quantum computer it takes 200 seconds, with the supercomputer it would take 10,000 years. There are still questions about the claim.

Because of erosion, a lighthouse in Denmark came dangerously close to the cliff edge. Now the whole lighthouse, built in 1899, has been moved 80 metres away from the sea.

Artificial leaves can produce syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, from carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. If the technique can be used in the big it can offer a carbon neutral way to producing fuel.

New research throws some light on the relationship between longevity and the neural excitation level. The suppression of over-activity seems to extend the life span. This may in the long run offer a new approach to treating neural diseases.

In Luxor, Egypt, 30 wooden coffins with mummies were found. The mummies are assumed to be 3000 years old.

In the Philippines, a law requires every student to plant 10 trees before they can graduate. It is one measure to combat climate change. Over the years billions of trees will be planted.

Humans can regrow cartilage in joints in a way that is comparable to the way in which salamanders can regrow their limbs. This may be a way to a treatment for osteoarthritis.

Humpback whales in the southwest Atlantic were almost hunted to extinction. It is assumed that the population was reduced in the early 20th century to only a few hundred animals. Due to protection the population has risen with 25,000 animals to almost the level assumed originally.

Plants can produce electric power at a low level that can be used to permanently run some monitoring equipment such as a camera. This could in principle be used to monitor wildlife in a much less labour intensive way.

New research has found that the hormone tesamorelin can reduce a fat liver in people with HIV.

The Lego group and the Lego foundation are developing Lego bricks with Braille imprints so that blind and visually impaired children can learn Braille while playing with Lego bricks. It is planned that after tests, next year sets will be made available to selected organizations and blind and visually impaired children free of charge.

In order to get rid of unwanted plants, standardly poison is applied that then damages the environment and humans. There is an alternative that is becoming now more popular, applying hot steam (of 135 degrees Celsius).

A new gel containing calcium and phosphate can repair and regrow dental enamel.

A new study finds that the administration of testosterone seems not to reduce empathy, contradicting assumptions about the causes of autism.

Tomatoes contain an antioxidant, lycopene, which also improves sperm quality.

Having a dog means that people live longer. Dog owners have a 24 percent reduced mortality risk. In particular, a dog reduces the risks of heart attacks and strokes. It is assumed that it is due to increased exercise and reduced loneliness.

3.5 million years ago there was a big explosion at the centre of the Milky Way. This is relatively recent considering an age of the Earth of about 4.5 billion years. The explosion was felt 200,000 light-years away.

Old Roman scrolls that were found in Herculaneum are almost 2000 years old. They were covered in ash from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 B.C. and contain the most complete collection of Roman scrolls. However, they are too fragile to be rolled out and read. Now scientists try a combination of synchrotron radiation and artificial intelligence to read them and gain new insights in Roman life.

A new form of batteries using aluminium has double the energy density as traditional ones. This may lead to a more environmentally friendly battery type.

A man with an injury of his spinal cord that left him paralyzed had a brain implant and has now learned to walk again with the help of an exoskeleton.

New research of the Nabataean culture is under way in Saudi Arabia. The culture was active in antiquity and left impressive monuments.

Because of drug resistance, tuberculosis is developing (again) to a big killer. A new combination of drugs (pretomanid with bedaquiline and linezolid) has a high success rate of fighting tuberculosis. This should be complemented by five steps to reduce new infections.

Reducing the weight by 10 percent in the first five years after the start of the disease have a very good chance to recover from diabetes type 2.