Neat News - Neat things do happen

Syrian refugees are volunteering in the Ahrweiler region of West Germany that is heavily effected by the recent catastrophic floods. One of the volunteers said that they know how it is to lose everything and that they are here to help.

related: #help #flood

Depending on the efficiency and the amount and the strength of sunlight, a photovoltaic installation is energetically worthwhile when it is in use for at least about one year (between 0.44 years in India and 1.42 years in Canada).

related: #photo_voltaic #efficiency

Reconverting vacant urban areas into green spaces can have many benefits, one of them that - if done right - they can provide a habitat for bees. For instance, bees are attracted to no-mow grass lawn or a flowering lawn of mixed grasses.

related: #bees #urban_habitat

Eleven spa towns in Europe - most fashionable in the 19th century - such as Bath in the UK, Bad Ems in Germany, Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, Vichy in France, and Spa in Belgium have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

related: #UNESCO #world_heritage

Resilience in organizations is dynamic rather than static, that is, jobs can be made more resilient and staff can learn to be more resilient in their work.

related: #business_resilience

In a study running since 1971, it has been found that higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood lead to a life expectancy increased by almost 5 years (about as much as a regular smoker loses). Omega-3 is contained for instance in fishy oils.

related: #life_expectancy #omega-3

The HDL3 special type of HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), the so-called "good cholesterol", can protect the liver by preventing inflammations of the intestines to spread to the liver. As a consequence, HDL3 may serve in future therapies of liver diseases.

related: #liver #HDL

Using a viral vector, scientists managed to reverse memory loss in old mice to a level similar to that seen in young mice. The method may offer a treatment against memory loss in humans, since the memory mechanism is assumed similar.

related: #memory_loss #treatment

A major problem in organ transplantation is the rejection of the new organ by the immune system of the recipient. Now there is a better understanding of the mechanism behind this. The new organ is considered as alien since certain "self" proteins on donor cells are missing. The insight may lead to a better prevention of organ rejection.

related: #organ_transplantation #self_cells

In the Utrecht region, the Netherlands, a cycle path of 300 metres has been built that consists of solar cells so that the path is used for cycling AND for the generation of electricity at the same time.

related: #cycling #solar_energy

Moderate coffee consumption does not lead to a higher risk of heart arrhythmia, a new study finds.

related: #coffee #heart

It has been known for long that taking in sufficient amounts of proteins is important in many aspects, for instance, for building up muscles. New research found that it is also important when to eat protein rich food. When eaten for breakfast the body can make best use of the proteins.

related: #proteins

In the German state of Thuringia, people who have their hairdryer, toaster, or radio repaired rather than to throw it away can get a premium of up to 100 Euros per year. The scheme has been introduced in order to reduces the huge pile of electronic scrap that is produced every year.

related: #repair

In California goats are used to clear dead vegetation on the ground in order to reduce material that can burn and support the huge fires. Goats eat the material and are as effective as people but more environmentally friendly. This way fire breaks can be built.

related: #goat #fire

A water repellent coating for cotton has been developed, so that after swimming swimwear is dry quickly and does not develop a smell.

related: #water_repellent #cotton

The new government of Greenland has announced that no new licenses for drilling for oil or gas will be issued in Greenland, since it takes the climate crisis seriously.

related: #Greenland #CO2

A man with a severe paralysis following a stroke had an implant in the speech motor cortex of the brain. He then trained a computer to recognize a 50 word vocabulary, allowing him to communicate via speech for the first time in 15 years.

related: #speech #implant

The European Commission has proposed new measures to cut CO₂ emissions by 55 percent by 2030 (compared to 1990). To achieve this and net-zero emissions by 2050, no new petrol or diesel car should be sold by 2035, aviation fuel is to be taxed, and carbon border tariffs are to be applied.

related: #climate #EU

Electric vehicles reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the question how the electricity is produced as well as where and when the cars are charged is also important in order to minimize green house gas emissions, in particular, for companies with big fleets of electric delivery vehicles.

related: #electric_vehicle #charging

For the environment and for our well-being every bit of green such as the verge of a road helps and should be preserved, a new study finds.

related: #green_verge

Typically batteries contain toxic materials that are a problem when they are released into the environment. Now a new battery has been developed that is made using a standard 3-D printer and that is biologically degradable, since it consists only of cellulose, carbon, glycerine, and salt.

related: #biodegradable #battery

In a study it was found that people that were before sleep exposed to OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) which emit less blue light than standard LEDs, have fewer negative health consequences compared to those with night time exposure to LEDs (decreased energy expenditure, decreased core body temperature, increased fat burning).

related: #blue_light #sleep

Light therapy improves the mode of people in dark winter periods. In experiments with mice, scientists now learned why this works. A particular gene related to mood and the sleep-wake cycle is activated by the light.

related: #light_therapy

The experience of seasonal corona viruses that cause the common cold seems for many people to mean that their immune systems remember previous encounters with corona viruses and that this allows them to deal more effectively with SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for Covid-19, resulting in milder symptoms.

related: #covid19 #common_cold #immune_system

In Iceland there was an experiment with a significant part of the workforce to reduce the working week from five to four days or 40 to 35 hours at the same salary. In general, productivity rose. This was achieved by rationalizing certain routines. For instance, meetings were shortened or abolished. Participants had less stress and a better work-life balance.

related: #work_life_balance

For long there was the question how our brain manages to recognize faces of people important to us so quickly. Now a new type of neurons has been detected in a small region of the brain of a macaque that seem to do exactly this. This insight may one day help people who suffer from face blindness.

related: #faces #brain #neuron

Planting trees across Europe will not only help against climate change, but it could also help against the dry conditions that may be a result of climate change. A new study estimates that on average forests could boost summer rains by 7.6 percent.

related: #trees #drought

In 2019, the rare saiga antelope native to Kazakhstan was on the brink of extinction with some 334000 animals left. In the most recent count their number is estimated to more than double at 842000.

related: #antelope #conservation

Today the EU single-use plastics directive of 2019 comes into force. Many item such as plastic cutlery, plates, and straws cannot be sold in the European Union anymore in order to reduce the amount of plastic rubbish in the environment.

related: #single_use_plastic_ban #EU

Following the G7 group, four weeks later 130 WTO countries have agreed on a minimal tax rate of 15 percent in order to reduce tax avoidance of big companies that in the past moved their profits to tax havens.

related: #tax_evasion #minimal_tax

In a study with 36 healthy adults between 50 and 79 years, it was found that so-called High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training, a daily five minute breathing workout can lower the blood pressure by nine points after six weeks (partly better than medication or aerobic exercise).

related: #breathing #blood_pressure