Neat News - Neat things do happen

Some 50km from the Swedish city of Gothenburg, a man producing a map for his orienteering club found a 2500 year old Bronze Age treasure that is very well preserved.

related: #Bronze_Age #Sweden

The German constitutional court rules that the German government and parliament must come up with clearer reduction targets for greenhouse gases beyond 2030 in order not to overburden future generations with the problem of global warming.

related: #climate_change

Nine and ten year old children perform better on cognitive tests when they were breastfed as babies, a new study finds.

related: #breastfeeding #cognition

It is estimated that the way dragonflies fly is 300 million years old. Now studying dragonflies, researchers come to the conclusion that flapping wing drones under development should resemble dragonflies, since the design of dragonflies is aerodynamically very elaborate.

related: #drone #dragonfly

Nicotinamide mononucleotide, NMN, has shown to counteract certain aspects of ageing and to improve the metabolism in mice. Now a first study has confirmed the findings in people as well.

related: #anti_ageing

The Perseverance rover of NASA has produced oxygen on Mars, using the CO₂ in Mars' thin atmosphere. This demonstration of principle is important for a possible human settlement on Mars.

related: #Mars #oxygen

A new drug, called CA, has been developed that in experiments with mice was able to initiate a cleaning process in the brain to get rid of unwanted proteins that are linked to Alzheimer's disease.

related: #alzheimer #drug

In 2019 more than 200 million people were infected by malaria and more than 400,000 people died. Now early trials show that a malaria vaccine is to 77 percent effective. Larger trials will be conducted next. If also successful the vaccination could be a game changer in the fight against malaria.

related: #malaria #vaccine

President Biden has promised that the USA will halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to the 2005 levels, asking other nations to follow with decisive action. By 2050 the USA is to be climate neutral.

related: #USA #climate

The European Union (EU) has agreed to cut CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. The previous goal was a 40 percent reduction. By 2050 the EU aims to be climate neutral.

related: #European_Union #climate

There is now better understanding why glioblastoma is so difficult to treat. The cancer cells reprogram cells from the immune system so that they are no longer attacked. They use a particular protein for this purpose. Targeting this protein may offer a new treatment in the fight against this type of cancer.

related: #glioblastoma

One of the two main types of coffee, Arabica, grows in conditions that must not be too warm. Because of global warming half of the land currently used may become unproductive by 2050. However, a rare wild type of coffee, Coffea stenophylla, may replace Arabica, tasting similar and being more heat and drought tolerant.

related: #coffee #arabica

High intensity interval training is a training with short high intensity exercise sessions, which take including warming up and cooling down around 20 minutes. A study finds that with three sessions per week (and a much smaller amount of time) these have a very positive effect on health and fitness, comparable to standard techniques (taking between 200 and 400 minutes per week).

related: #hiit #fitness

Cocoa powder as part of a diet of obese mice improved their health situation, in particular the condition of the liver. Also it reduced the weight gain when the diet was otherwise unchanged. It is assumed that the cocoa makes fats more difficult to digest.

related: #cocoa #health_benefit

A very white paint containing barium sulfate has been developed that reflects 98 percent of sunlight. It can keep buildings cooler, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning and the amount of water needed for irrigating cities.

related: #white_paint

A new material has been developed that can be printed on 3D-printers. It is very similar to ivory so that it can used even to restore ivory artefacts. This way the ivory ban to protect elephants can be more easily enforced.

related: #ivory_replacement

Students can learn better in certain areas when they make gestures with their hands during the learning process. Also gestures by teachers can be helpful in conveying certain concepts.

related: #learning #gesture

Often when we solve a problem we add something to the setting. However, taking away something may actually lead to a better solution. Example: In order to help children to ride a bicycle, often training wheels are added, but actually making the bicycle pedalless gives children a better opportunity to train their balancing skills.

related: #problem_solving

As a measure to reduce CO₂ emissions, French parliament has voted for a bill that outlaws flights for which there is a corresponding train connection taking less than two-and-a-half hours.

related: #climate_change #flight_reduction

In a small trial of ten patients, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy drugs, ipatasertib and atezolizumab, was applied to treat advanced glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer that is currently very difficult to treat. Two patients responded well, for one the cancer seems to have disappeared. More research is needed.

related: #glioblastoma #chemotherapy

A 3000 year old city, the so-called lost golden city, has been found near Luxor, Egypt. The discovery is considered the most important in almost a hundred years and gives valuable insights into the life in ancient Egypt.

related: #Egypt #lost_golden_city

Diesel trucks are estimated to contribute 7 percent to the global CO₂ emissions and thought to be hard to replace by electric vehicles. However, a new study finds this feasible in a model that a 4.5 hour drive is followed by 40 minutes of charging.

related: #electric_truck #climate

The Wildlife Trusts have started ten projects in England and Wales as part of a campaign to re-wild 30 percent of the UK's land and sea area by 2030. For instance, in one project a golf course is turned into an insect haven.

related: #wildlife #nature

Many people exercise in order to lose weight. However, since exercising makes you hungry, if you do not think before you exercise what you want to eat after the exercise, then you may take so many calories in that you do not lose weight.

related: #exercising #weight_reduction

On two islands of the Seychelles, there is a plant that produces the largest and heaviest seeds in the world, the co-called coco de mer or double coconut. In order to preserve the plant, there is a scheme that pays people on the islands if they plant their seeds on their property.

related: #double_coconut #preservation

In closed rooms with many people - such as classrooms in schools - ventilation and masks are an important means to reduce the infection risk for Covid-19. A ventilation system in combination with a good air filter can reduce the infection risk by 40 to 50 percent.

related: #Covid-19 #infection_risk

In New South Wales, Australia, electronic deterrents are now used to reduce the risk of being bitten by a shark. By using electronic devices the risk of shark bites could be reduced by 60 percent, a new study finds.

related: #shark #deterrent

Many drugs that work well when given to combat human cancer cells transplanted to mice do not work well in humans themselves. Now the reason for this is understood: The mice have viruses that help fight the cancer cells. This insight will hopefully lead to better mouse models in the future and thereby avoiding the treatment of test persons with ineffective drugs.

related: #cancer #mouse_model

The infrastructure plan by the Biden administration might mean that the electricity production in the USA will be carbon neutral by 2035 compared to the current official goal of 2050. A lot will depend on whether the goal will be mandatory or only aspirational.

related: #USA #carbon_neutral

Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of brain cancer. Chemotherapy can buy patients some time. A new study suggests that the timing of the treatment can add some months to the patients' lives by giving it in the morning rather than in the evening.

related: #glioblastoma #chemotherapy