Neat News - Neat things do happen

When comparing in brain scans of humans and other primates the parts that could be linked to language processing such as the auditory cortex and the frontal lobe, scientists concluded that the origins of the language pathway in the human brain are more than 25 million years old.

Drinking water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity and cities should consider to recycle waste water to make it drinkable again in order to reduce the amount of fresh water they need. In new city developments a second system of pipes for subprime quality water may also be good to consider, e.g., for flushing toilets or irrigation.

A study found that non-sexual intimate touches such as hugs, cuddles, and kisses decrease stress and lead to stronger relationships of couples.

Children who are fun are more liked by their classmates and enjoy high status in their peer group, a new study finds.

A new study finds that alcoholism and other substance addictions are best treated by dealing with biological, social, environmental, and mental health obstacles at the same time, whereas dealing with a single matter has often only limited success.

Studying 20 historical examples from 40 to 800 years ago, researchers concluded that fisheries were managed successfully when societies achieved fair access to resources getting all parties involved and planning for the long-term, but failure occurred when short-term gains were prioritized.

The Hubble telescope has today its 30th birthday. It has made it possible to take very precise pictures of the Universe and to determine the age of the Universe much more precisely.

Studying the brain size of birds, researchers have a better understanding how the relative brain size of birds grew, mainly by reducing the size of the body. Crows are particularly intelligent in the bird kingdom.

In a new test, a potential vaccination against the Covid-19 virus is to be tested in April in Germany. This is the fifth active agent against Covid-19 to be tested world-wide.

In order to reduce plastic pollution, a new form of plastic has been developed that degrades in ultraviolet light much faster than traditional forms of plastic, in months rather than years.

It has long been known that patients with diabetes type 2 produce too little insulin. Now it has been found that they have too much glucagon. This insight may lead to a better treatment.

In a new analysis of two studies it has been found that the Mediterranean diet, which is high in vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, is correlated to cognitive fitness. The diet seems also to slow cognitive decline.

A major problem in using hydrogen-powered cars is storing hydrogen, typically under a lot of pressure. Now a new aluminium-based material has been developed that has a huge surface area like a sponge and allows to store large quantities of hydrogen at a lower pressure.

Sport is beneficial not only for physical but also for mental fitness. However, there are differences in the type of sport. For instance, coordinated and challenging sports that require interaction and complex movement patterns are particularly effective.

Using nano-technology, a new two-dimensional catalyst has been developed that improves water purification based on hydrogen peroxide.

Studying the viral population in the gut of infants, scientists found that there were fewer potentially pathogenic viruses in the gut when the infants got at least small amounts of breastmilk.

Only two female northern white rhinos are left. Before the last two male ones died their sperm was collected. Now eggs from one of the female rhinos were collected and since the two females are not suitable for a pregnancy, the plan is to use a southern white rhino as surrogate mother.

The evidence is still limited, but it can be assume that standard face masks protect the wearer against COVID-19, albeit not perfectly since the incoming droplets carrying the virus can be very small. However face masks are effective against the spread of the virus, since the droplets that an infected person coughs out are relatively big and most of them are absorbed by a face mask.

Some monkey teeth have been found in Peru and seem to be from descendants of monkeys that used to live in Africa. It is assumed that some monkeys travelled the 1500 km from Africa to South-America in a raft more than 30 million years ago.

In the first three months of 2020, the number of postmortal organ donations in Germany increased by 16 percent compared to 2019 in spite of the current Corona crisis. It is assumed that public discussions have increased the willingness for organ donations.

By transplanting reprogrammed skin cells into the brains of rats, researchers succeeded in repairing rat brains damaged by a stroke so that the rats' mobility was restored.

In some 30 forest islands in the Amazon that remain always above water levels, scientists have found traces of cultivated plants. Manioc and squash were grown more than 10000 years ago, maize just more than 6800 years ago.

A new method analyzes the fat that is left in the pottery from cooking. This way it was possible to date 5500 year old pottery found in London to a window of just 138 years.

In order to determine on which marine areas to focus in protection efforts, researchers use big data technology to find biodiversity hotspots.

A trial drug, APN01, seems to block early stages of the COVID-19 virus from spreading in cell cultures. It holds promise for the development of medication to treat early infections with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

In the current Corona (COVID19) pandemic MIT opens sources to a cheap emergency ventilator design to support severely ill patients with this critical piece of equipment. The new ventilator can be built for around 100 US dollars, whereas standard ventilators cost up to 30,000 US dollars.

Trees can play a significant role in reducing the noise in towns and cities. In a study 13 tree species were tested and the larch tree was found to be most effective.

In a study with mice, scientists removed a gene from the insulin producing cells and the mice did not develop any type 1 diabetes, since the cells were then protected from attacks by the immune system.

In the first three months of 2020, around 55 percent of the electricity produced in Germany came from renewable sources, wind (with 37.7 percent), bio mass (8.2 percent), solar (5.5 percent), and water (3.3 percent).

In order to maintain a healthy immune system, keeping up with daily exercises is important (also in times of isolation), a new study finds.