Neat News - Neat things do happen

There is an approach to make so-called city trees, that is, biological fine dust filters that are made on the basis of moss. The filters are ventilated and watered so that in a certain area around them the air is cooler and cleaner, since the moss absorbs particles out of the air.

related: #air_filter #moss

A new study finds that in a happy relationship it is important that both partners feel that they can decide on the issues that are important to them.

related: #empower #relationship

Couples with tensions who blamed the Covid pandemic for their problems stayed happier and were more resilient than those who blamed each other, a new study finds.

related: #blame #relationship_quality

In Copenhagen there is a non-profit initiative to collect waste in Copenhagen Harbour. People can rent a kayak for free and in return collect rubbish during their trip. Furthermore they have to document their activity for social media.

related: #rubbish_collection #kayak

The Harbin fossil found in Harbin City, China, in the 1930s, has been studied and it is now assumed to be at least 146,000 years old and to come from a new type of human. It is now supposed to be the closest relative of modern humans. The discovery may lead to a new view on human evolution.

related: #ancient_humans

In Israel, a new type of human has been found at the Nesher Ramla site. The people living 130,000 to 474,000 years ago share feature with Neanderthals and archaic humans. The discovery may change our view on human evolution.

related: #ancient_humans

Alzheimer disease is caused by rogue proteins, so-called prions, which replicate. Using high-intensity X-rays researchers have found surface features of the prions that are responsible for the replication. This insight may ultimately lead to a way how to stop the disease from progressing.

related: #Alzheimer #prion

The Japanese government recommends companies to allow their staff to opt for a four day working week rather than the usual five. The expected advantages are a better work-life balance, to boost the economy by giving people more time to spend their money, and to give people more opportunity to have children to act against the falling birth rate.

related: #four_day_week #work_life_balance

Almost 90 percent of Gabon are covered by rain forests. In order to protect the forests and reduce global CO₂ emissions Gabon receives payments through the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). Now Norway has paid Gabon 17m dollars in a first tranche.

related: #forest_protection #CAFI

Older adults that take medication to lower the blood pressure have a lower memory decline if the medication is of the type that it crosses the blood-brain barrier compared to those where the medication does not.

related: #blood_pressure #memory_decline

Juneteenth, 19 June, has become a national holiday in the USA to commemorate the abolition of slavery. Two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, black people in Texas learned on that day in 1865 that they had been freed.

related: #juneteenth

A hiccup can be a serious condition when prolonged and can impact patients with brain and stroke injury and cancer patients. Now a forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool has been developed that through the simultaneous suction and swallowing of water stimulates two nerves and treats the hiccup. The approach is to more than 90 percent successful.

related: #hiccup

A 17 year old student has developed a method to detect surgical infections by dyeing the threads that hold together the wounds with a special mix of beet juices. When the wound becomes infected the thread will change colour and alert doctors of an infection. The method is cheap and can also be used when the doctors have only limited resources.

related: #infection_detection

MacKenzie Scott who has a wealth of estimated 57 billion dollars gave two donations of 6 billion dollars in 2020 and now another 2.7 billion dollars to several organization concerned with causes such as Covid relief and empowering women and girls.

related: #donation

In an article it is explored why gardening is good for mental and physical health. Gardening is considered as a mindfulness exercise that stops our minds from wandering to the past or worrying about the future.

related: #gardening

For a while they were much reduced, but since 2017 people who wish to travel by train rather than to fly have increasingly the option to use sleeper cabins in Europe, for instance, between Munich and Rome or Hamburg and Zurich.

related: #sleeper_cabin

In experiments with rats, it has been found that a plant based diet has advantages, in particular, it protects from hypertension, which may be the result of too high a salt intake. A plant based diet seems to have a positive effect on the gut microbiota.

related: #diet #blood_pressure

The G7 group of countries has promised one billion Covid vaccine doses for poorer countries. Furthermore the group wants to raise 100 billion dollars to help poorer countries to cut CO₂ emissions.

related: #Covid_vaccine

Using machine learning algorithms on images of cancer biopsies, researchers can predict which cancers will respond to specific cancer immunotherapies. This way the treatment can be adjusted.

related: #machine_learning #immunotherapy

The German parliament has made a law that from 2024 big German companies will be responsible that human rights and environmental standards are applied in all the companies which are in their supply chain. In particular, no child labour will be allowed in the supply chain.

related: #supply_chain #ethics

Initial animal experiments to create a vaccine that is effective against a wide range of coronavirus infections (such as SARS, MERS, and Covid-19) were encouraging. If confirmed there could be a vaccine that is effective also against yet unknown coronaviruses.

related: #vaccination #coronavirus

Taking breaks from practice - for instance when learning to play a new song - is important to learning, since the brain rapidly and repeatedly replays faster versions of the activity just practised during the breaks.

related: #breaks #learning

Looking through soil and microscopic fossils in it, researchers found that indigenous people lived in the Amazon Rainforest for 5000 years without causing detectable species losses or disturbances, a model for modern people.

related: #Amazon #sustainability

For the first time in 20 years a new drug against Alzheimer's disease has been approved in the USA. It is to target a protein that forms abnormal clumps in the patients' brains. The efficacy is not yet fully established, however.

related: #Alzheimer_drug

Increasingly it is possible to grow organoids in a dish. Bones have been particularly difficult, but now a new technique allows to grow bones by applying stresses that shape bones in a human body. These stresses trigger bone marrow stem cells into producing proteins that are needed for growing bones.

related: #bone #organoid

Multinational companies sometimes minimize their tax by moving their profits into low tax countries. The G7 group of economies proposes a general minimal tax rate of 15 percent on profits to reduce this unfair tax evasion.

related: #tax_evasion #minimal_tax

Using nano-technology, new filter membranes have been developed that are efficient at filtering out many air-borne and water-borne viruses. The membranes are made from environmentally friendly materials.

related: #filter #virus #nano

The stimulation of neurons in the brain is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders, but typically requires the implantation of a device. Now a new technique involving focused ultrasound can stimulate specific types of neurons in the brain without any implantation.

related: #neuron_stimulation #ultrasound

The US government has suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a decision by the previous administration. The 78,000 sq km big nature reserve is described as America's last great wilderness.

related: #Alaska #nature_protection

In a big study it has been found that people that go to bed and get up one hour earlier have a depression risk that is 23 percent lower than that of others.

related: #early_riser #depression