Neat News - Neat things do happen

Astronomists have detected a big explosion some 390 million light years from the Earth in the Ophiuchus galaxy. It originates from an extremely massive black hole and is the biggest explosion known of since the Big Bang.

Large swarms of locusts cause devastation in parts of Africa and of Pakistan by eating the crops. China plans to send 100,000 ducks to help Pakistan fight them. A single duck can eat more than 200 locusts a day and may be more effective than pesticides.

In general animals need oxygen to breathe, and it was the general assumption that this is the case for all animals. However, now an animal has been discovered that does not need oxygen. It is not clear yet how the animal generates energy. The animal is a small 10-celled parasite living on salmon muscle.

In the UK red squirrels are threatened to be replaced by non-native grey squirrels. However, a predator to both species, the pine marten, may be an ally of the red squirrel in this battle, since red squirrels can sniff out the danger better than their grey cousins.

In a study of the effect of a tax on sugary beverages in a county in the USA it has been found that such a tax can have the effect of a significant reduction of the amount consumed. A penny-per-ounce tax led to a 21 percent reduction in consumption.

Modern chemotherapy tries to hit cancer cells but avoid healthy cells. Now nanoparticles have been developed that interact preferentially with cancer cells and can this way be used for diagnostic cancer imaging. In the long run the technique may be used to transport chemical agents to the cancer cells. After a few days the nano-cells are eliminated via the kidneys. For this they must have the right size.

Diverse activities are important to stay mentally healthy. The result of a study is summarized as "... active and engaged lifestyles with diverse and regular activities are essential for our cognitive health."

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a big problem. Using approaches from machine learning a new broad-spectrum antibiotic has been developed that proved successful in experiments with mice.

The thymus gland changes a lot through the human lifespan and plays an important role in the formation of immune T cells. Now a detailed mapping of the gland has been achieved. This may result in new cancer immunotherapies in the long run.

In a 23-day survey 55 blue whales were counted in the waters around South Georgia. This high number is unprecedented in the last decades and can be seen as a success of the ban of commercial whaling.

The richest person, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, has pledged 10 billion dollars to fight climate change supporting scientists and activists.

In the Shanidar Cave in Kurdish Iraq, the skeleton of a middle- to older-aged Neanderthal has been found. It is thought that the skeleton is more than 70,000 years old. It is the first found of this kind in a decade.

In a recycling scheme old mattresses are used to enable Syrian refugees in Jordan to grow their own food. Seedlings are planted into the foam, which allows the roots to grow.

Some plants are genetically diverse and can adapt better to different environments, in particular in the light of climate change. This is the case, for instance, for the plantain, a small plant native to Europe.

When you smell your lover's scent then you have a better chance of sleeping well even when your partner is not present but only their used t-shirt with their scent.

One approach to treat tumours is to attack them with viruses. In a new approach tested on mice, a gene from the Ebola virus was used to attack successfully a particular dangerous brain cancer, the glioblastoma brain tumour.

The prevailing theory how planets formed was that many objects crashed into each other. Studying objects in the Kuiper belt now there is evidence that the creation was less violent but happened by objects clumping together.

In a detailed study it has been seen that plants are very versatile when they grow roots in response to the water availability in their surroundings.

Using evaporation and condensation, an efficient solar-powered desalination system has been developed that can produce more than six litres of drinking water from one square metre of solar area per hour. It may provide a low cost water source for coastal regions.

In a study across 24 societies it has been established that a main purpose of laughter is an offer of friendship. Laughter is typically learned by humans at an age of three months long before they can speak.

When people do endurance training and listen to high tempo music then they increase the benefit of the exercise and perceive a reduced effort.

New research has shown that bumblebees can carry 60 to 80 percent of their own weight in nectar (that is flying, just imagine doing it walking yourself) using a second mode of flying that allows them to conserve energy. It is not yet fully understood how they do it.

Inflammation can contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Scientists have now found a molecular switch that can control the immune reaction of the body responsible for inflammation.

Using the change of the refractive index of so-called non-linear materials, computers are under development that are based on the control of light with light. The approach is under development.

The oldest known wood construct has been found in the Czech Republic, a fountain. Its age is determined very accurately by tree-ring dating. The remains shows that the carpenters were very skilled.

In a study it has been found that children learn better from people who are confident. But they also keep a record whether the confidence is justified and avoid learning from overconfident people.

In contradiction to the pure theory of Darwinism, some butterflies can pass on scent preferences that they have acquired during their lifetime to their offspring.

An anti-solar cell is under development that works by sending from a warmer environment light into cold space. These so-called thermoradiative cells can produce electricity also at night - unlike standard solar cells.

In a recent study a class of antioxidants called flavonols have been studied in patients and it has been found that a diet rich in flavonols significantly reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. In particular the flavonol called kaempferol, which is found in kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli, can half the risk.