Neat News - Neat things do happen

The energy ministers of the G7 states have agreed to end the usage of coal during the first half of the 2030 years.

related: #coal #energy #greenhouse #G7

The drug rilmenidine against high blood pressure has been tested on worms and it slowed down their ageing. It is not clear yet whether the same is true for humans.

related: #drug #rilmenidine #blood_pressure #ageing

A new study involving data from almost half a million people in a range of 35 to 84 years confirmed that climbing stairs instead of taking the lift has positive health effects. In the particular conditions the risk of dying from any cause was reduced by 24 percent and dying from cardio-vascular disease by 39 percent.

related: #stair #health #cardio

Scientists have built a semipermeable membrane, which can be used to convert the salt gradients from estuaries - where the freshwater from rivers meets the salt water from the sea - into electricity. This offers potentially a new way for generating electric energy.

related: #electricity #membrane #salt

The US is beginning to build a pier by which from May 2024 two million meals could be delivered on a daily basis to alleviate the hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip.

related: #Gaza #food #pier

Cancer cells can avoid being attacked by the immune system by preventing the generation of so-called cytotoxic T cells. Now there is a better understanding on how they do this. This knowledge may be used to improve immunotherapies.

related: #cancer #immunotherapy #T_cells

The European Parliament has outlawed forced labour in supply chains. If goods have been produced involving forced labour then they must not be sold in the European Union and will be confiscated at the border. Companies have to apply due diligence to guarantee for their supply chains that no forced labour is used.

related: #labour #supply_chain #forced_labour

Nanoparticles produced from rice bran have shown promise to act as anticancer agents. In experiments with mice they successfully suppressed the growth of some tumours.

related: #cancer #rice_bran #nano

A new study found that participants who slept at seven or eight hours per night had a lower risk to develop diabetes type 2 than those who slept only five hours (16 percent increased risk) or three to four hours (41 percent increased risk).

related: #sleep #diabetes

In Nigeria, a vaccination campaign has started that is to protect one million people against the five major strains of meningococcus bacteria. It is part of a global attempt to defeat meningitis by 2030.

related: #vaccination #meningitis #Nigeria

A new study with more than 50,000 adults between 45 and 70, of which 774 had brain scans and measurements of stress-related brain activity, found that those individuals who followed physical activity guidelines had after ten years a 23 percent reduced risk of developing a cardiovascular disease. The effect is about double as great in participants with depression.

related: #stress #exercising

In 2016 a bone from the jaw of a marine reptile, a so-called Late Triassic (Rhaetian) ichthyosaur, has been found, further bones in 2020, all some 200 million years old. It is now estimated that the jaw had a size of more than two metres and that the whole reptile was more than 25 metres long, which may make it to the largest known marine reptile.

related: #reptile #prehistoric

A new biodegradable type of plastic has been produced, using algae, fungi, and crab shell, the latter containing quinine.

related: #plastic #biodegradable

The most massive black hole in our galaxy has been discovered. It has about 33 times the mass of the Sun and is on an astronomical scale with just 2000 light years away very close to us.

related: #black_hole #galaxy

Scientists managed to create a one layer thick form of gold, named goldene, analogously to graphene. It has properties of a semiconductor and may have new applications such as water purification.

related: #gold #thin #one_layer #graphene

A new estimate shows that soil holds globally some 2.3 trillion tonnes of inorganic carbon, five times more than all carbon found in terrestrial vegetation. To limit CO₂ in the atmosphere it will make a huge difference whether carbon may be released from soil into the atmosphere (for instance, due to acids), or whether we manage to bind more carbon in soil (for instance, by enhanced weathering).

related: #soil #climate_change #carbon

In a longtime study with more than 8000 healthy people of which some 500 developed dementia, it has been found that problems with the brain region responsible for vision can predict dementia 12 years before it become manifest.

related: #dementia #vision #prediction

In a study in Brazil, some 800 people have been asked what the most valued traits in a romantic partner are. It turns out that they are NOT money or good looks, but intelligence and kindness.

related: #romantic #intelligence #kindness

Following 30,000 obese people in Australia over almost eight years, scientists conclude that they have the biggest benefits from physical activities when they are done between 18:00 hours and midnight (in terms of premature death or death from cardiovascular disease). No good understanding exists yet why this is the case.

related: #evening #sport #health #cardiovascular

You may have seen in a film the technique to manage anger by writing down its reasons on a piece of paper and then disposing of the paper. New research shows that this simple method can significantly reduce anger or eliminate it altogether.

related: #anger #disposal #management

In a new study it was found that adult patients with a heart problem who received daily reminders to be more active, actually were around 40 minutes per week more active than others. This is correlated with a 6 percent reduced risk of premature death. It shows that the simple measure can make a difference. It is even more effective if combined with a point-based reward system.

related: #physical_activity #nudge #heart #health

A new study conducted at US public schools finds that universal free school meals are a very good way to improve general health among students and to reduce childhood obesity.

related: #free_school_meal #child_health #obesity

New research confirms that for young people, building a long term exercise habit has benefits for their physical and mental health later in life.

related: #mental_health #physical_health #exercising

The life threatening situation of an asthma attack with inflammation, mucus secretion, and damage to the airway barrier results often from the mechanical constriction in an asthma attack, experiments with mice show. This insight may result in a new understanding and a new therapy for the disease.

related: #asthma #constriction

For the first time quantum encryption has been used to securely transfer a file over 100 kilometres via a fibre optic cable. The method offers for a non-breakable way to transfer files.

related: #quantum #encryption

Alzheimer's disease is related to a sticky protein called amyloid beta that forms plaques and kills brain cells. Now an approach has proved successful in experiments with mice to apply immunotherapy so that the immune system is mobilized to consume the plaques.

related: #immunotherapy #Alzheimer

Autoimmune diseases can cause problems such as serious inflammation. Now scientists test how to use immunotherapy to generate cells in the body that have a calming influence on the immune system thereby reducing the problems of an autoimmune disease. The research is in an early stage.

related: #autoimmune #immunotherapy

It has been known for a while that there is a connection between the composition of the gut microbiome and certain cardiovascular diseases, but no good understanding why this is so. Now scientists found a partial answer. Certain bacteria, including Oscillibacter and Eubacterium coprostanoligenes can split up cholesterol so that other bacteria can break it down further and it is excreted. More research is needed.

related: #gut #bacteria #cholesterol

Sweeteners can reduce blood sugar levels, but were supposed to increase appetite thereby questioning the overall benefits. New evidence points now in the direction that they do not negatively affect appetite.

related: #sweetener #appetite

In an attempt to combat the black market and to control the quality of the drug, Germany has partially legalized the possession and use of cannabis for adults.

related: #cannabis #Germany #legalization