Neat News - Neat things do happen

In a study of European cities it was found that having a green belt means typically those cities have a decreased urban sprawl (and as a consequence reduced traffic, greenhouse-gas emissions, and lost wildlife habitats).

related: #greenbelt #urban_sprawl

The 2022 John Maddox prize by Sense about Science has been awarded to Eucharia Nwaichi from Nigeria who works with local people to clean up oil spills in the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria.

related: #John_Maddox_Prize

For the first time it has been found that insects, namely bumble bees, show behaviour that can be interpreted as playing. The bumble bees were repeatedly rolling wooden balls without any apparent incentive. Young bees were more playful than older ones.

related: #bumble_bee #playfulness

The European Union has agreed to allow only climate-neutral new cars from 2035. This has been decided by the European Parliament and the member states.

related: #climate_neutral #car

A new study finds that having a pet helped people to copy with stressful situations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

related: #pet #stress

A new study looking at more than 300,000 records over 14 years found that sufficient levels of vitamin D are linked with a significantly decreased risk of death.

related: #vitamin_D

In experiments with mice a combination treatment of a radioactive tumour implant and chemotherapy has eliminated tumours in 80 percent of cases.

related: #pancreatic_cancer #combination_treatment

A new study finds that eating a handful of almonds a day has a positive effect on the health of the gut, since the production of a particular short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, is stimulated.

related: #almonds #gut

A new study finds that protecting marine areas are important as safeguards for oceans and estuaries and help fighting climate change by binding carbon dioxide.

related: #marine_protection #climate_change

In the marine National Monument of the USA in Hawaii with almost four times the size of California fishing is banned. This has led to the recovery of tuna and other migratory fish stocks.

related: #tuna #marine_reserve

A psychology study finds that two strategies in learning, spacing and retrieval, are important to success. By spacing is meant to divide the material in small parts and divide it over time rather than leaving everything to the day before an exam. Retrieval means to regularly check the learning success in order not to be lulled into a false sense of achievement.

related: #learning #spacing #retrieval

Scientists found that certain worms share similarities with humans and that a certain stress response in their cells when triggered in older worms can slow down their ageing process and promote longevity.

related: #ageing

In a study with over 8000 people over 50 it was found that people should have at least five hours of sleep a night, since otherwise they have an increased risk of multiple ailments, chronic diseases, and even death.

related: #sleep

The UN Secretary General has proposed to tax fossil fuel companies so that they pay for the damage caused by climate change. This may be discussed now at the forthcoming COP27 summit in Egypt.

related: #climate_change #carbon_tax

In order to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance, a computer generated library of antibiotics has been used to find a new effective antibiotic cement to treat bone infections.

related: #antibiotics

In general there is the advice to not eat late. A new study clarified now why this is good advice: Eating late can be associated with decreased energy expenditure, increased hunger, and changes in cells that promote fat growth, all factors increasing an obesity risk.

related: #late_eating #obesity

A new study finds that when children learn the ability to manage their attention and impulses in primary school then that has a positive effect further down the line in their academic formation, concretely measured in secondary school three years later on.

related: #learning #attention_management

A new study finds that young female athletes have stronger bones when they do sports such as football or basketball that require movements in many directions, rather than just do running alone.

related: #bone_strength #sport

When you buy frozen food you want to know that it did not previously thaw and thereby is potentially no longer fit for consumption. Now researchers have designed a sensor made from edible materials such as salt, red cabbage, and beeswax that can tell you whether the food previously thawed and then refroze.

related: #sensor #thawed #frozen

Two weeks ago, NASA has successfully hit the 160 metre wide asteroid Dimorphos by a spacecraft in order to deflect it. Following measurements with Earth- and space-based telescopes, NASA has confirmed now that the asteroid has indeed changed its orbit and that the approach has the potential to protect the Earth from collisions by asteroids.

related: #asteroid #deflection

By building 422 new ponds in regions in Aargau, Switzerland, different organization and volunteers managed to reverse the decline of amphibians, in particular of the European tree frog.

related: #frog #Switzerland

Currently there is a test for treating spina bifida by a combination of prenatal surgery and stem cell treatment to give babies with the condition optimal chances. Although it is early days there is hope that the treatment will make a big difference in the quality of life for many patients.

related: #spina_bifida #prenatal

Pheasants have found a niche in vacant lands in Detroit so that there is now a large population of wild ring-necked pheasants in the city.

related: #pheasant #Detroit

In a new study with middle aged people it has been found that higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood are related with better brain structures and cognitive functions.

related: #Omega3 #cognition #brain

For outstanding efforts to document war crimes, human right abuses, and the abuse of power, Ales Bialiatsky from Belarus, and two non-government organizations from Russia (Memorial) and Ukraine (Centre for Civil Liberties), have been awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

related: #Nobel #peace

This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to scientists working on so-called click chemistry which allows to link together molecules by pressing them together like Lego pieces. The technique has been applied in the development of cancer drugs.

related: #click_chemistry #chemistry #Nobel

In order to reduce electronic waste and make it easier for consumers, the European Parliament has passed a law that from 2024 all new mobile phone and tablet chargers in the EU must be compatible with the USB-C format.

related: #USB_C #EU #charger

This year's physics Nobel Prize is awarded for the study of the quantum mechanics phenomenon of entanglement which means that two sub-atomic particles are behaving like a single unit even when they are separated. The results have consequences for secure information exchange and quantum computing.

related: #quantum #entanglement #Nobel

This year's Nobel Prize for Medicine is awarded for work on the understanding of the DNA of Neanderthals and its relationship to that of modern humans, who have between 1 and 4 percent DNA from the Neanderthals.

related: #DNA #Nobel #Neanderthal

Playing the role of an important female role model in science, like Marie Curie, means that girls are more persistent at playing a challenging science game, a new study finds.

related: #role_play #science

An efficient integrated system has been developed that uses CO₂ to make biodegradable plastics, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the problem of non-degradable plastics.

related: #biodegradable #CO2