Neat News - Neat things do happen

A new study found that men who do a moderate level of physical activity have a 29 percent reduced risk of developing ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and those who do a high level of physical activity even a 41 percent reduced risk. No corresponding association was found for women.

related: #ALS #physical_activity

The Mediterranean diet has a number of health benefits. A new study found now that already some 4000 years ago ancient Syrians ate something similar to it.

related: #Mediterranean_diet

A new study has found further evidence of a connection between the gut and Parkinson's disease and found that riboflavin (vitamin B2) and biotin (vitamin B7) may have a positive influence on alleviating the disease. So Parkinson's may have a simple way to help: taking B vitamins.

related: #Parkinson #B_vitamins

A new study conducted in Germany and Sweden finds that dancers are more balanced, more agreeable, more open, and more extroverted, independently of whether they do it professionally or as amateurs.

related: #dancer #mental_state

Intermittent fasting is a popular fasting technique, since it is not necessary to count calories. After some worries whether it is healthy, new research points in the direction that it is a safe approach.

related: #fasting #intermittent_fasting

Julian Assange contributed to leaking information using his platform Wikileaks which documented war crimes by the US army such as the killing of civilians in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. There followed a 14-year long legal battle during which Assange spent years in the Ecuadorean embassy in London and in a British prison. He has now reached a deal with the US authorities that will allow him to return to his native Australia and to be free again.

related: #Assange #free

Too much sitting is a health risk and can even lead to a premature death. A new study finds that coffee consumption may partly mitigate this risk.

related: #coffee #sitting #health

Animals need oxygen to survive, we thought. Now a jellyfish-like animal (Myxozoa: henneguya) has been found that does not depend on oxygen and does not breath. It is a parasite of several salmon.

related: #oxygen #animal

The oldest known wine has been found in a Roman tomb in Carmona, Andalusia, Spain. It is some 2000 years old, and with that about 300 years older than a bottle preserved in a museum in Speyer, Germany.

related: #wine #ancient #Roman

An interactive map has been created that predicts the climate in 50 years for more than 40,000 places. The map indicates for each of these places another location on the map that has a climate now that should come close to the one the original place will have in 50 years' time.

related: #climate #prediction

A new study finds that sleep plays an essential role in the formation of new memories. This insight has ramifications, for instance, in learning for an exam, whether you should work long hours or spend some more time on sleep.

related: #sleep #memory

Never before there was so much washing of laundry happening as today with negative impacts on the environment in form of micro-plastics, detergents in the waste water, and energy and water consumption. One reason is that people are worried to be perceived as dirty. For reducing the impact it is important to present alternatives how to replace some washing actions by actions such as airing, brushing off dirt, or removing stains by hand.

related: #washing #environment

After the European Parliament, the environmental ministers have now finally approved the Nature Restoration law of the European Union, which tries to reverse biodiversity loss in all areas including forests, grasslands, peatlands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coral beds.

related: #EU #nature_restoration

Polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship "Quest" sank in 1962 near the coast off Newfoundland, 40 years after the explorer's death, and was lost until recently. It seems to be in good shape and this summer it should be further investigated with a robot.

related: #Shackleton #ship #Quest

Cardiac arrest may come without warning; for this reason it is important to find a way to predict problems with the heart to take preventive action. Now a new computational method has been developed that needs only the heartbeat intervals (more exactly ultra-short term heart fluctuations) during one minute at rest and during different stages of physical activity. It can significantly better estimate the long-term risk than previous low intervention methods.

related: #heart_failure #prediction

Experiments with mice have shown that fasting can train killer cells in the immune system that have as a consequence a higher survival rate in the presence of cancer cells and also an improved ability to fight these cancer cells.

related: #fasting #immune_system #cancer

A group of scientists have studied the possibilities of a basic, unconditional income for either a part of the population or the total population. They conclude that a universal basic income is financially feasible, that it will alleviate economic insecurities, end poverty, boost the economy, and address nature conservation.

related: #basic_income #poverty #sustainability

A new study found that newborn babies get typically a start of the microbiota in their gut from their mother during the birth, but also later by contact some from their father. For babies born by Cesarean section the microbiota are initially not so well equipped and the baby can benefit from a maternal faecal microbiota transfer.

related: #microbiota #birth

It has been known that regular exercise is very beneficial for our health. A new study has started to give insights why this is the case. The researchers found thousands of molecular changes in the immune system, in metabolism, in stress responses, and in mitochondria, which play in important role in the energy supply, the growth, and health of cells.

related: #exercise #health

New research found that the slow-wave sleep phase - a phase of particular deep and restful sleep that lasts for 20 to 40 minutes in a 90-minute sleep cycle - is particularly important for the health of the brain and that patients with Alzheimer-related problems perform better on memory tests when they had more slow-wave sleep.

related: #sleep #slow_wave #brain

The citizens of the Germany city of Erlangen have decided in a vote to build a new tram system for Erlangen and suburbs as well as connect it with the existing tram system of Nuremberg. About 60,000 people commute every day in Erlangen.

related: #tram

In a small trial with 32 patients with bowel cancer the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab was given nine weeks prior to surgery (instead of the chemotherapy and surgery). 59 percent of the patients had no sign of cancer and did not need surgery, in 41 percent of the cases the cancer was removed during surgery. All patients were cancer free after the treatment. Bigger studies are needed.

related: #immunotherapy #bowel_cancer #pembrolizumab

Currently transplanted blood stem cells - used in treatments for blood cancers - lose their ability to self-renew. Now a crucial protein has been discovered that may allow cells to self-renew after transplantation.

related: #stem_cell #blood #self_renew #blood_cancer

Modern analysis techniques allowed to make a detailed study of the proteins in two cauldrons from the late Bronze Age, some 2700 years ago. It was found that the cauldrons were used to collect animal blood, mainly from sheep and goats, and milk, mainly from yaks.

related: #diet #nomad #bronze_age

Germany has ended nuclear electricity production and reduced the use of fossil electricity production. At the same time it has extended renewable electricity production (to now 58.4 percent) above all using wind energy.

related: #renewable #electricity

A new study finds that more sleep (by, e.g., three quarters of an hour) increased positive feelings such as gratitude, resilience, and flourishing among the participants.

related: #sleep #positive_feelings

A study looking at medical personal found that benevolent humour at the right time can lead to reduced stress levels and help to release frustration.

related: #humour #stress #benevolent

A new 25 year study with more than 25000 initially healthy U.S. women found that those who followed a Mediterranean diet had an overall mortality risk reduced by 23 percent.

related: #mortality #Mediterranean_diet

In Germany, diesel made from used plant oil or other used fats (Neste Renewable Diesel) can now be bought at some petrol stations. The amount of this new type is still limited, only a few petrol stations offer it, and it is not suitable for all motors. However, it offers an alternative to standard diesel that is much closes to CO₂ neutrality.

related: #diesel #carbon_neutral

A new study with more than 5000 people finds that the timing of taking medication against high blood pressure might ideally be adjusted to the individual circadian cycle in order to minimize the risk of a heart attack. It might be better if night owls took their medication in the evening, and early birds in the morning. More research is needed.

related: #timing #blood_pressure