Neat News - Neat things do happen

In experiments with rats, scientists have developed a way to deliver cells to a damaged spinal cord that can boost reparative cells reducing the risk of further damage to the spinal cord. The idea is to not inject into the nerve fibres directly but nearby.

Smoking can damage the lung by causing mutations. 80 to 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking. However, it has been found now that when people stop smoking their lungs have self healing powers and can undo the mutations.

Plaques can congest blood vessels and cause heart attacks. Now nanoparticles have been developed that can remove portions of plaques. Further studies are necessary in order to develop an effective treatment.

The second largest supermarket chain in the UK, Sainsbury's, has pledged to spend one billion pounds in order to be carbon neutral by 2040.

The 1987 Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer was a mile stone in international cooperation to save the ozone layer. It is not only exemplary for how to combat climate change, but also made a significant contribution in slowing arctic warming, since the chemical that damages the ozone layer is also a potent greenhouse gase.

SM-88, an experimental oral drug compound, has proved very effective in trials making cancers stop growing or even shrink in patients that otherwise would have had only months to live. The drug tricks the cancer cells into consuming a modified dysfunctional metabolite.

When attacked by pests, sweet potatoes increase the amount of a strong smelling chemical, called DMNT, warning nearby potatoes to produce more defensive proteins, called sporamin, against these pests.

Researchers have created a biodegradable tube and filled it with a protein that makes a damaged nerve to regenerate without the need for stem cells or a donor nerve.

Using stress-induced crystallization, stretched rubber bands can absorb heat from their surroundings when they are allowed to relax. This process can in principle be used for refrigerating without the need for environmentally damaging substances.

In testing thousands of existing drugs that are not used in cancer treatment on more than 500 different cancer cell lines it has been found that around 50 drugs can kill cancer cells. That is, it is possible to repurpose existing drugs to treat cancer.

A new organic photovoltaic material - inspired by laurel leaves - has been developed. It is carbon-based, can be bent, and weighs only a tenth of traditional panels.

T-cells can be modified so that they recognize and attack a wide range of cancer cells by finding a particular molecule in them. More research is needed in order to establish the feasibility as a therapy.

China has decided to phase out single-use plastics. Plastic bags will be banned in all major cities by the end of 2020.

The brain is protected against pathogens by special barriers. These are in the way when doctors want to apply immunotherapy to fight some forms of brain cancer. Now a way has been found to apply the therapy using the lymphatic system.

Microsoft pledges to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to remove all carbon dioxide from the atmosphere it has ever emitted since its foundation by 2050. In order to develop the corresponding technologies it has set up a fund of one billion dollars.

In Australia, there are some very rare, very old trees in the Blue Mountains. The tree species, Wollemi pine trees, are from the time of the dinosaurs and have survived millions of years, but were now in the unprecedented fires in Australia threatened to be wiped out. However, in a coordinated effort of fire fighters they have now been saved.

With a machine it is possible to keep a liver alive for one week outside the body. Thereby the number of livers available for transplants can be increased.

In a meteorite that fell in the 1960 to the Earth, scientists have found dust grains that are with 7.5 billion years much older than our solar system. The Earth is around 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old.

Following European governments, the EU commission has banned thiacoprid from 1 May 2020. The pesticide is assumed to harm bees and bumblebees, but may also be dangerous for humans.

A tortoise taken from the Galapagos islands for a breeding programme, in which he fathered hundreds of tortoises during more than 50 years, has been return to the islands after the programme finished successfully

Humans and apes help others selflessly, even if they do not know the other persons. This type of behaviour has now been observed in African grey parrots as well.

A healthy lifestyle will not only mean that you have a longer life, but also that the 7 to 10 extra years promise a good life without serious illnesses. People should meet at least four of five criteria: no smoking, little alcohol, healthy diet, normal weight, and at least 30 minutes of physical activities every day.

Stable lithium-sulfur batteries have been developed that have a higher specific energy than lithium-ion batteries.

In the decade from 2008 to 2017 the cancer death rates dropped on average by 1.5 percent per year, from 1991 to 2017 overall by 29 percent. Big progress has been made with lung cancer, for instance.

Running and training for a marathon for the first time reverses the stiffening of blood vessels. The effect corresponds to a reduction of the vascular age by approximately four years.

Children who watch cooking programmes in which healthy food is prepared are much more likely to eat healthily.

From this year single-use plastic bags are banned in Thailand. Further measures follow to complete the ban in 2021.

We missed this last year: Canada has banned to breed or hold whales, dolphins, and porpoises in captivity.

The protection of sea turtles and marine mammals has led to a significant increase in population sizes.

An artificial intelligence system has been devised that is better at reading mammograms to detect breast cancer than radiologists. It may be used to improve cancer detection.

Even a few weeks in bed are hard to cope with for people. Grizzly bears on the other hand are quite fit even after four months of hibernation. There is better understanding on a cellular level with respect to so-called non-essential amino acids how they manage. The insights may help humans with muscle atrophy in the long run.