Neat News 6020 (added 2023-04-30)

Wooden transistor

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As a proof of principle, a continuously working transistor has been developed that is made of wood in which parts are replaced by a conductive plastic. It is still slow and bulky but has development potential.

related: #transistor #wood

Neat News 6019 (added 2023-04-29)

Indigenous land protected in Brazil

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Brazilian president Lula da Silva has declared six territories of some 6200 square kilometres to indigenous reserves, protecting the land which includes an area of Amazon rainforest from mining and other destructive activities.

related: #nature #reserve #Brazil

Neat News 6018 (added 2023-04-28)

Gel against brain cancer?

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In experiments with mice, a novel gel with known cancer drugs is applied to the holes left after removing the cancer by surgery. 100 percent of the mice were cured giving hope for an effective treatment for aggressive glioblastoma brain cancers.

related: #gel #brain_cancer

Neat News 6017 (added 2023-04-27)

Music for falling asleep and studying

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Studying data from Spotify it has been found that the music people use for falling asleep and as background music when studying is very similar in terms of tracks, genres, and audio features.

related: #music #study #sleep

Neat News 6016 (added 2023-04-26)

EU agrees on greener air traffic fuels

Negotiators of the European Parliament, the EU member states and the European Commission have agreed to move toward Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). From 2025 two percent of the fuels must be biofuels, by 2030 six percent, and step wise up to 70 percent by 2050.

related: #flight #EU

Neat News 6015 (added 2023-04-25)

MS therapy?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune cells, so-called myeloid cells, attacking the protective layer of nerves. Now in experiments with mice, additional myeloid cells loaded with anti-inflammatory drugs have been infused to the animals. This way paralysis could be partially reversed and movement restored.

related: #multiple_sclerosis #therapy

Neat News 6014 (added 2023-04-24)

Activity snacks against diabetes

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Many people sit for too long and this is bad in particular for people with diabetes type 1. "Activity snacks" in form of, for instance, three minute walks every half an hour seem to improve blood sugar levels, as a new small study indicates. Everybody should be encouraged to take such "activity snacks", also as a preventive measure.

related: #activity_snack

Neat News 6013 (added 2023-04-23)

Cranberry against urinary tract infections

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A new study finds that cranberries and products such as cranberry juice reduce the risk of a urinary tract infection in women by more than a quarter and in children and people susceptible to these infections by more than half.

related: #cranberry #urinary_tract_infection

Neat News 6012 (added 2023-04-22)

Test to predict cognitive impairment

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Using a simple test 969 people of 69 years with no cognitive impairment had categorize items on cards. Based on how well they did it was possible to make prediction of how likely it is that they develop cognitive impairment within ten years.

related: #cognition #impairment #test

Neat News 6011 (added 2023-04-21)

Sleeping pill to reduce Alzheimer proteins?

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There is a small study with few healthy participants that shows that two sleeping pills can reduce the level of Alzheimer proteins in the brain. It is too early to tell whether this may result in medication that can slow down or stop Alzheimer's disease.

related: #sleeping_pill #Alzheimer

Neat News 6010 (added 2023-04-20)

Capsule instead of insulin injection?

A new capsule has been developed that may in the long run be able to replace slow-acting insulin injection. The capsule has a coating that allows it pass through the acidic stomach to the small intestines, where it dissolves. The capsule may be useful for other medication as well.

related: #insulin #capsule

Neat News 6009 (added 2023-04-19)

Immunotherapy to combat pancreatic cancer

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Pancreatic cancer is very aggressive and difficult to treat. In experiments with animals, now a new immunotherapy approach to implant cells smaller than a grain of rice consisting of antibodies into the pancreas made the tumours shrink.

related: #pancreatic_cancer #immunotherapy

Neat News 6008 (added 2023-04-18)

Restoring vision by stem cells?

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In a preclinical study researchers obtained promising results of partially restoring the function of the retina by transplanting stemcells into experimental models of damaged retinas.

related: #stemcell #retina #vision

Neat News 6007 (added 2023-04-17)

Life saving Covid-19 vaccinations

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According to an estimate of the WHO/Europe, Covid-19 vaccinations saved more than a million lives in Europe alone.

related: #vaccination #Covid19

Neat News 6006 (added 2023-04-16)

Longer weekend - better health

A new study finds that a three-day weekend has health benefits compared to a two-day weekend. This is partly due to less sitting, more physical activity, and more sleep.

related: #4dayWeek #health

Neat News 6005 (added 2023-04-15)

End of nuclear power in Germany

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After 62 years of electricity production by nuclear power, Germany shuts off its remaining three nuclear power plants today, finally saying good-bye to this least sustainable form of energy production. However, for many years to come there will still be the question of how to store the nuclear waste.

related: #nuclear #Germany

Neat News 6004 (added 2023-04-14)

Targeting norovirus

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A new approach of vaccinating against the norovirus has been found by attaching to it a protein of an unrelated harmless strain of a virus for which effective vaccines exist.

related: #norovirus #vaccine

Neat News 6003 (added 2023-04-13)

Dopamine and physical exertion

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With the same amount of physical activity some people feel happy and others exhausted. Now a new study finds that this it to a degree due to the dopamine level in the brain.

related: #dopamine #physical_exertion

Neat News 6002 (added 2023-04-12)

Diet and chemo against brain tumour

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Glioblastoma is a very aggressive type of brain cancer. Now a new study with animals found that a combination of chemotherapy and removing certain amino acids from the diet of the animals shows promise in killing the cancer cells.

related: #brain_cancer #diet

Neat News 6001 (added 2023-04-11)

Immunotherapy against prostate cancer

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Immunotherapy is a new hope against many forms of cancer, now also against aggressive prostate cancer. A new drug, called enoblituzumab, has been successfully tested in a phase 2 study.

related: #immunotherapy #prostate #cancer

Neat News 6000 (added 2023-04-10)

Learning by observation

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Elephants like bananas and typically eat them with the skin. One elephant living at the Berlin Zoo, Germany, seems to have learned peeling bananas by watching her caretakers and peels now yellow-brown bananas before eating them.

related: #elephant #banana #learning

Neat News 5999 (added 2023-04-09)

Fish discovered in depth of more than 8000 metres

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A sort of snailfish has been discovered in the deepest parts of the ocean near Japan at a depth of 8336 meters. The fish has to withstand very high pressures and can do this because of so-called osmolytes in their cells.

related: #snailfish #depth

Neat News 5998 (added 2023-04-08)

Printing solar cells

Researchers managed to print perovskite solar cells on a foil just as a newspaper. This might lead to a big step in bringing prices of solar cells down.

related: #perovskite #solar

Neat News 5997 (added 2023-04-07)

Portugal to waive VAT on food items

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The Portuguese government has announced to waive VAT (Value Added Tax) on 44 basic food items such as bread, pasta, rice, and milk in order to combat inflation and support people with a low income.

related: #Portugal #VAT

Neat News 5996 (added 2023-04-06)

Coral recovery

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A new study found that bleached corals can help new corals to grow in a similar way as burnt down trees can help new trees to grow.

related: #coral #recover

Neat News 5995 (added 2023-04-05)

Tiny heart grown from stem cells

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Scientists managed to grow a tiny human heart from stem cells. The so-called organoid can be used to study diseases and therapies.

related: #organoid #heart

Neat News 5994 (added 2023-04-04)

From blood sugar to electricity

Some implanted devices such as insulin pumps or pacemakers need an energy supply in form of batteries which either need to be replaced or recharged. Now a prototype of a device has been developed that can produce the electricity in the body directly from blood sugar making replacing or recharging of batteries obsolete.

related: #electricity #blood_sugar

Neat News 5993 (added 2023-04-03)

Hydrogen production as enzyme

Some enzymes, called nickel-iron hydrogenase, have been taken as a blueprint to synthesize a molecule that can be used to produce hydrogen. The process may in the future play an important role in the production of renewable energy.

related: #hydrogen #enzyme

Neat News 5992 (added 2023-04-02)

Omega-3 for eye health in Alzheimer's patients

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Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and other health issues often lead to a visual decline in patients. Now for the first time a form of omega-3 fatty acid has been developed that can cross into the eye's retina preventing such a decline.

related: #omega3 #Alzheimer

Neat News 5991 (added 2023-04-01)

Physical health better in good relationship

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In a study with more than 4000 participants the effect on blood pressure, heart rate, stress, and coping has been monitored. It has been found that people with positive experiences in good relationships do better than others.

related: #relationship #health