Neat News - Neat things do happen

In the past biomaterials were developed that can be injected in the heart to start a healing process after a heart attack. Now a new type of biomaterial has been tested in animals that is transported to the damaged tissue (heart or brain, e.g.) by the blood.

related: #tissue #repair #healing

Coffee with milk seems to have an anti-inflammatory effect, since it contains a combination of proteins and antioxidants that supplement each other to stimulate immune cells, a new study finds.

related: #coffee #anti_inflammatory

Perovskite solar cells are low-cost but very sensitive to temperature changes. Now solar cells based on perovskite enhanced by a polymer have been produced that can tolerate big temperature fluctuations.

related: #solar_cell #perovskite #temperature_tolerant

A postage stamp sized ultrasound sensor has been developed that can be worn for up to 24 hours to take echocardiograms even during exercise. It offers a new diagnostic tool to check the heart.

related: #ultrasound #heart #wearable

In a new study with older women it was found that walking or other physical activity for half an hour per day reduces the risk of mild cognitive decline and dementia (by about a fifth to a third).

related: #walking

In a new study in nine European countries with almost 70000 babies, it has been found that mothers who live in a green neighbourhood give birth to children with a higher birth weight.

related: #birth_weight #green_neighbourhood

In a new study, more than 5000 untrained participants were shown ten of the most common gestures (of some 80 known in total) used by apes in twenty videos. They could understand them in more than half of the cases, way more than could be expected by chance.

related: #sign_language #ape

With increasing amounts of the greenhouse gas CO₂ in the atmosphere, capturing it becomes more important. Now a relatively cheap approach for carbon capture has been suggested, namely, to first convert the CO₂ to methanol, which can then be the starting point for the conversion to other materials.

related: #carbon_capture

Dietary nitrate as found in beetroot juice can significantly increase the muscle force while exercising, a new study finds. It is assumed that the nitrate serves as a source of nitric oxide.

related: #muscle #nitrate

A 7.6 kg heavy new meteorite has been found in Antarctica.

related: #meteorite

A new smart walking stick for visually impaired people has been developed that uses a camera and with AI techniques can help people finding things such as certain goods in a grocery store.

related: #AI #visually_impaired #stick

When medication is applied to the brain, e.g., potential Alzheimer gene therapy, then there is the problem that the brain's protection mechanism, the so-called blood-brain barrier, prevents the medication from reaching the brain's cells. Now a nano-particle based approach has been found that can overcome this barrier.

related: #nano #therapy #brain

In a new five year study, time restricted eating could not be proved to be associated with weight loss; however, a small number of daily meals could be, as well as the reduction of the overall calorie intake.

related: #weight_loss #calorie

An estimate says that in the USA in 2018, 47 kg of textiles were thrown away per person on average and only a small amount (13 percent globally) is recycled. There are new approaches to increase this, for instance, by enzymes that can degrade PET (polyethylene terephthalate) molecules.

related: #recycling #clothes

In a new study it has been found that people who are exposed three to four times per week to green and/or blue spaces in urban environments less frequently take psychotropic, antihypertensive and asthma medication.

related: #nature #medication

For the first time scientists managed to detour lightning by a high frequency laser. It is assumed that the intense laser pulses heat up the air forming a canal that has a higher conductivity thereby diverting the bolt. In the long run the approach may be used to protect infrastructure such as an airport.

related: #lightning #detour

Too much sitting is a problem for many people, even those who exercise regularly. A new study finds that a five minute exercise "snack" every half hour of sitting can offset its harmful effects.

related: #sitting #exercise

People with a genetic depression risk benefit particularly well by the support from others in that their depression symptoms are reduced by the social interactions and help.

related: #support #depression

People who feel guilty typically want to take remedial action such as apologizing. Their situation can also be improved by giving them a placebo pill. This is effective whether they are told that it is a real medication or openly told that it is a placebo.

related: #guilt #placebo

Living in a nice and safe neighbourhood is correlated to people walking more than 150 minutes per week, a new study finds.

related: #neighbourhood #walking

A new study finds that eating healthily according to four dietary pattern indexes are linked to a lower risk of premature death. The diet recommendation includes eating a broad range of vegetables and whole fruits and limiting trans fats and added sugars.

related: #diet #health

The international Montreal agreement of 1987 to stop using CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) is working and the ozone layer is recovering so that it should be fully restored over the Antarctic by 2066 and some 20 years earlier elsewhere (assumed the protection is maintained).

related: #ozone_hole #recovery

In a study with 500 people with an increased risk of skin cancer in Finland, it has been found that people who take vitamin D supplements have a considerably lower risk of catching melanoma.

related: #vitamin_D #skin_cancer

A new study from the USA finds that gardening improves physical and mental health and may reduce the risk of cancer and chronic diseases.

related: #gardening #health

Many modern concrete buildings crumble, but Ancient Roman concrete buildings keep strong after millenia. Now there is an indication why this is so. The Roman concrete contains tiny lime clasts that seem to provide it with the capability to refill cracks before they spread.

related: #concrete #Roman

With more than a quarter of all electricity, in 2022 a record amount of electricity was generated using wind in the UK, whereas the use of coal was down to 1.5 percent compared to 43 percent in 2012.

related: #wind_energy

A study in the USA found that around 10 percent of consumers go for food with a low carbon footprint if the corresponding information is provided on corresponding labels.

related: #consumer_choice #food #climate_friendly

A new study finds that adults who keep themselves well hydrated are healthier and live longer. They have fewer chronic conditions such as heart problems. A good level of fluid intake depends on different factors, one suggestion is that women should take in 1.5 to 2.2 litres daily and men 2 to 3 litres.

related: #hydration #health

Citizens in the UK are working towards cleaner rivers in the UK by different measures. On the one hand, they take rubbish such as plastic bottles out of the rivers, on the other hand, they take samples for testing the water quality to monitor the pollution.

related: #river #monitoring #cleaning

A new study comes to the conclusion that policy makers should understand that elephants need protection since they are of very great importance which goes far beyond their mere economical value. They are not only important in themselves, but also play important roles in the socio-ecological systems in which they live.

related: #elephants #protection

An artificial intelligence system behind a chatbot program, called ChatGPT, can with an accuracy of 80 percent predict early stages of dementia from spontaneous speech of participants. It might be used in the future to help to detect Alzheimer's Disease.

related: #Alzheimer #diagnosis #AI