Quote of the Day: “He that dares not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose.” – Anne Bronte
Photo by: Daniel R. Blume
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Migraine sufferers have been offered fresh hope after research discovered potential new ways of treating the debilitating headaches.
Around one in five women, one in 16 men, and one in 11 children have regular migraines – with attacks three times more prevalent in women.
Now, an international study of the genetics of migraine has provided new insights into the biology behind the attacks.
Scientists say it will enable detection of rare variants protecting against migraine, opening an avenue for the potential development of new drugs to treat the problem.
An international team of researchers, led by deCODE Genetics in Iceland, analyzed genetic data from more than 1.3 million participants of which 80,000 had migraine.
The scientists focused on detecting sequence variants associated with the two main subtypes of migraine: migraine with aura, often referred to as “classical migraine”, and migraine without aura.
The results highlight several genes that affect one of the migraine subtypes over the other—pointing to new biological pathways that could be targeted for therapeutic developments.
Although recent advances have been made in studies of the genetics and underlying biology of migraine and new treatments recently developed that are effective for many migraine sufferers, they do not work for all types of migraine.
The study, published today in the journal Nature Genetics, discovered associations with 44 variants, 12 of which are new.
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Importantly, a rare variant pointing to the KCNK5 gene, confers large protection against severe migraine and brain aneurysms—either identifying a common pathway between the two diseases or suggesting that some cases of early brain aneurysms may be misclassified as migraine.
“Four novel migraine-with-aura associations were revealed and 13 variants associated primarily with migraine without aura,” explained Professor Kari Stefansson. “Of particular interest were three rare variants with large effects pointing to distinct pathologies underlying different types of migraine.
“Thus, a rare frameshift variant in the PRRT2 gene confers a large risk of migraine with aura and with another brain disease, epilepsy, but not of migraine without aura.”
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In SCN11A, a gene known to play a key role in pain sensation, the scientists detected several rare loss-of-function variants associated with protection effects against migraine, while a common missense variant in the same gene is associated with modest risk of migraine.
“What makes our study unique is that it includes large datasets from sequenced individuals enabling detection of rare variants protecting against migraine, potentially opening an avenue for development of novel drug targets,” said the Professor, and CEO of deCODE genetics.
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(Contributing writer: Stephen Beech/SWNS)
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An astronomy fan has spotted a ghoulish face on Jupiter using images from NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
Vladimir Tarasov noticed an unusual pattern in storm clouds on the largest planet in the solar system.
The ‘citizen scientist’ processed data from the spacecraft to reveal what appears to be contorted eyes, nose and a mouth.
“Just in time for Halloween,” the space agency exclaimed on October 25th. “NASA’s Juno mission spots eerie “face” on Jupiter.”
“During its 54th close flyby of Jupiter, the NASA mission captured this view of an area in the giant planet’s far northern regions called Jet N7.
“The image shows turbulent clouds and storms along Jupiter’s terminator, the dividing line between the day and night sides of the planet.
Vladimir Tarasov made the image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument, which are available for the public to peruse or process into image products.
At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 4,800 miles (about 7,700 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 69 degrees north.
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“The low angle of sunlight highlights the complex topography of features in this region, which scientists have studied to better understand the processes playing out in Jupiter’s atmosphere,” NASA wrote.
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A new poll compiled the top 30 most unexpectedly delightful things to happen, including pulling cash from the pocket of an old pair of jeans, getting a surprise refund, and receiving a compliment from a stranger.
The survey of 2,000 adults, found 36 percent love it when someone lets them jump the line in a supermarket, and when you find a treasured item that had been lost.
Driving through a run of green lights, catching a whiff of a familiar smell from your childhood, and hearing your favorite song pop up on the radio, also feature in the top 30 list.
(Imagine feeling double the joy if you run into all green lights while your favorite track begins to play!)
Commissioned by Alpen Delight, a spokesperson for the snack brand said: “The nicest things are those which are totally unexpected, and they don’t have to be big things—sometimes little moments lead to big smiles.
Respondents guessed that unexpectedly delightful things happen to them an average of twice per week, and it automatically puts them in a good mood.
But it’s not just being on the receiving end of these unplanned surprises that brings the most joy. 77 percent of those polled find making others happy improves their mood, too—which is why 36 percent try to do this as often as they can.
Such acts include smiling as they walk past another person (52%), just being there to listen to a friend (50%), and telling someone they’re proud of them (38%).
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Nearly four in ten have cheered up others by making the effort to cook someone a meal, or by letting another driver into their lane while on the road.
And a generous 19% find joy in paying for the meal while out for dinner.
84 percent of those surveyed by market research firm OnePoll, said these moments in life restore a little hope in humanity. And half say they’re more inclined to pay such moments forward, if they’ve been on the receiving end themselves.
“It’s good to see how people enjoy delivering, and not just receiving, lovely surprises,” said the Alpen Delight spokesman.
TOP 30 UNEXPECTED MOMENTS OF DELIGHT:
1. Finding money in a coat or jeans pocket
2. Getting a surprise refund
3. A compliment from a stranger
4. Someone letting you go ahead of them in line at a store
5. When the radio plays your favorite song
6. Receiving a bonus at work
7. Constant green lights on the road
8. Hearing your baby’s first word
9. Your partner randomly showing affection
10. When someone actually understands what you’re talking about
11. A familiar smell from your childhood
12. A loved one randomly telling you they’re proud of you
13. Finding a treasured lost item
14. Waking up before your alarm, and getting to sleep for longer
15. Getting upgraded – on an airplane or at a hotel
16. Thinking it’s Thursday, but it’s actually Friday
17. When a child starts a conversation with you
18. Receiving a postcard
19. Hitting the exact number when getting gasoline
20. Getting home from work and finding someone else has cooked dinner
21. A work meeting getting cancelled last minute because the boss isn’t in
22. Seeing a funny car license plate
23. Getting asked for ID when you’re way over 21
24. When you’re brought breakfast in bed
25. When you and your friend say the same thing at the same moment
26. When your teenager wants to spend quality time with you
27. Your neighbor bringing over a baked good
28. Bumping into an old schoolteacher – and they recognize you
29. Catching the eye of your favorite artist during their performance
30. Witnessing a proposal in public
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A Philippine spotted deer, one of the world’s rarest animals, has been born to the delight of conservationists at Chester Zoo in England.
The adorable fawn was born in September weighing 4.4 pounds (2kg).
Now standing 12 inches tall (30cm), he has taken his first steps outdoors in their new enclosure alongside his doting parents—Nova and Cosmos.
As part of a special breeding program, the birth is said to provide a much-needed boost to an ultra-rare species classified as ‘highly endangered’ in the wild.
The tiny new arrival is part of conservation efforts between zoos in Europe, set up at the request of the Philippine government to ensure future survival of the species.
Zookeepers have decided to name him after the constellation of stars, Hercules.
“After eagerly waiting 240 days for his arrival, it was a huge relief when we saw a little bundle of fur curled up next to mum Nova one morning,” said Emma Evison, team manager at the zoo.
“She’s a great mum and has been doing everything perfectly so far – feeding him every few hours and keeping him right by her side.”
“We have a team tradition of naming newborn deer within the theme of ‘space’ and, given the importance of our new arrival to his species, we decided to name him Hercules, after the constellation of stars.
“Philippine spotted deer are incredibly rare and their decline has, for the most part, flown under the radar and only a few hundred now remain in the wild.
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“Every birth is therefore absolutely critical in boosting the safety-net population in conservation zoos across Europe.”
Stuart Young, regional field program manager for South East Asian Islands at the zoo, added “Philippine spotted deer have already disappeared across many parts of the Visayan islands, where they were once found roaming in large herds.
“Hunting and deforestation has led to the animals now only being found on two small islands, the islands of Panay and Negros.
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As a result of conservation efforts, however, 32 Philippine spotted deer were safely reintroduced into a protected nature reserve in 2020.
“Since then, a number of births in the wild has almost doubled the population and we’re very happy to report that they are thriving.”
Hercules still has lots of growing to do but his caretakers hope he will eventually live up to his moniker, and help carry the species on his spotted back.
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Quote of the Day: “When all else is lost, the future still remains.” – Christian Nestell Bovee
Photo by: Hadija
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A devoted single mom was looking for a budget friendly way to give her son a special birthday—so she reached out on Facebook to the local car community and their response left her speechless.
Mikayla Freeman was hoping to urge a few motor enthusiasts to form ‘a car parade’ down their street near Nashville.
“My son’s 8th birthday is Sunday, he’s a MAJOR car guy,” she wrote.
The plea was shared 550 times and Mikayla’s wish was granted.
Within two days, it sparked the generosity of 83 drivers who showed up at noon on a recent Sunday.
With large mylar balloons in the front yard, Tristan was brought outside to witness an endless stream of gorgeous cars tooting their horns and passing birthday wishes and gifts through the open windows.
Over 100 strangers showed up in the LaVergne neighborhood to surprise the 8-year-old. Especially welcome were those driving Challenger Hellcats and McLarens, Tristan’s two favorite cars.
A car videographer Tia May wanted to shine a positive light on the car community, so she filmed the event (see the video below).
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“I was a Veteran who struggled with mental and physical health issues for decades,” she told GNN. “The car community has changed my life in a very positive way.
“I reignited my passion for cars and started to connect heavily with the car community—that’s when everything changed. I met a ton of amazing people, many of which now feel like family.”
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She started racing and shoots footage in “drift cars” for her new YouTube channel.
Watch the caring community make a little boy’s day…
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One rainy day in Bedfordshire, England, Peter Richards and his wife noticed a pair of lads shivering under the eaves of their country cottage after getting a soaking.
Inviting them inside to dry off and have some tea, one of the two young men would eventually give Richards a ceramic sculpture of a black and white cat, which looked similar to their pet “Moggy” at the time, as a way of repaying the kindness from that day.
Now, that child-life sculpture has sold for a small fortune, because its maker was none other than Sir David Hockney, the most celebrated English artist of the 20th century.
David Hockney and his friend Norman Stevens from Bradford College of Art were hitchhiking to London to visit exhibitions at the time of the fateful encounter.
Hockney went on to have a long-lasting friendship with the Richards.
The sculpture, which could be Hockney’s first ceramic creation, is one of six cats produced by the artist in 1955 while still at art school.
It measures about two dozen inches long and demonstrates his incredible skill with three-dimensional forms.
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When the sculpture went up for auction recently, it didn’t quite reach the record for a Hockney work of £91 million, but it did eclipse the previous sale record of £100,000 ($121,000) set by a similar Hockney sculpture in June when it was sold for about $134,000
The piece also came with drawings and plans for the piece, along with letters and cards sent to the Richards by the artist over the years.
Hockney has long had a fascination with cats, and they have been a significant motif in some of his major works.
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“This was a fantastic result for the vendor who was present in the room and was auctioning the Hockney items to benefit his grandchildren,” said Mark Stacey, from Stacey’s Auctioneers & Valuers who sold the item.
Peter Richards is in his 90s, said he’d decided now was the right time to sell the ornament to help the younger generations of his family.
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Described as “one of the last great ‘firsts'” the passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Canadian Arctic was, for the first time ever, rowed by an expedition of 3 men and 1 woman.
West Hansen, Eileen Visser, Mark Agnew, and Jeff Wueste, who together styled themselves the “Arctic Cowboys,” set off in July and also became the first to make the crossing with kayaks in a single season, with the team needing just 83 wet, frigid, and largely grueling days to complete the journey of 1,600 miles.
62-year-old Wast Hansen is a legendary endurance kayaker and adventurer. He once paddled the entire 4,000-mile path of the Amazon River from source to sea, a feat he replicated on the Volga years later. Both experiences informed his organizing of this expedition.
This was an altogether different feat, however, and one that has been several years in the making.
The Northwest Passage has been crossed in boats many times before. In 1990, it was traversed by Jonathan Waterman, an explorer who used almost every mode of non-motorized transport you can think of.
In 2018, Hansen was putting the Arctic Cowboys team together and hoped to raise $70,000 for the expedition from sponsors. With just $10,000 accumulated, COVID-19 and weather delayed the trip until 2022, when he made his first attempt along with Wueste and another paddler.
“Primarily, the wind is the biggest concern,” Hansen told Texas Monthly prior to his 2022 attempt. “We’re prepared for snow and ice and rain, but the wind will create choppy waves and difficult paddling conditions.”
Severe weather completely interrupted their trip, and it almost ruined this year’s expedition as well, pinning them down at the entrance of the Passage near Baffin Bay for 2 weeks mostly on account of moving sea ice.
Throughout their voyage they suffered perpetually from the elements, with Mark Agnew, who became the first Scot and the first Brit to make the crossing with a paddle, saying his feet essentially never warmed up the whole trip.
“The biggest challenge was the sea ice,” Agnew told the BBC, saying their early July start meant that a lot of the ocean was still frozen. “We became trapped in the ice a lot. There was this one occasion in particular where we were trapped in the ice and two icebergs began to ram together with us in between. I thought we were going to be crushed to death.”
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According to a blog post shared by Barbara Edington, expedition manager and Hansen’s sister on Monday, the final sixteen miles as the team approached Cape Bathurst on the other side of the remote Northern Territory, were the most harrowing. They involved terrifying 15-foot waves, and a long dark slog through freezing mud and water in the falling snow to find a campsite at the end of the day.
But there was beauty too. They often found themselves looking at beluga whales, narwhals, polar bears, shaggy musk oxen, and caribou. Several times the green of the Aurora Borealis was the backdrop to their paddling.
MORE ROWING CHALLENGES: 23-Year-Old Rows Solo 3,000 Miles Across Atlantic Setting Race Record for Female
At one point a polar bear sat on their tent wall which caused Agnew and another paddler to run outside and begin to scream and throw stones at the beast until it “sauntered off” being previously neither interested in eating them, amazingly, nor in running away.
“It has yet to settle in. I’m still in the mindset of getting the team safely back to their homes,” Hansen, now thirty pounds lighter than when he started, wrote Monday in a text message he sent from a GPS device.
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In England’s North Yorkshire, locals opposed a fracking project vigorously enough to get the whole thing canceled, but the almost 2-mile deep borehole had already been made.
Rather than simply letting it lie as an ugly testament to the picket line, Third Energy converted it into a geothermal heating station prototype that could heat 300 homes in the village of Kirby Misperton if commercially developed.
Every 3,000 feet or so one drills down into the Earth, the rock warms by 54°F or thereabouts. At 2 miles, the rock is very hot, and Third Energy can pump water to those depths to heat it up naturally before drawing it back up to the surface and using it to power home radiators and water heaters.
In volcanically active regions, supercritical water or steam can power turbines to generate electricity. Britain has power stations like this, but in the case of Kirby Misperton, it’s just heating homes and water taps.
However, it’s doing so in a more environmentally friendly way than channeling gas or using electric ventilation and heating oil.
When water is used in homes and loses its heat, it’s pumped back down to the bowels of the Earth to reheat where that force then brings the already-heated water to the surface in a cycle that requires almost no electricity.
“When we were campaigning, we had to say what the solution was,” said Steve Mason, then-head of anti-fracking group Frack Free United, and now director of Third Energy. “You can’t just say ‘No, no, no’ all the time. We need to be telling people this can be done and this is a solution.”
Years of European governments hounding fossil fuel companies with regulations and promises that they will be replaced by renewable energy has driven the price of home heating on the continent and in Britain incredibly high. The War in Ukraine and the destruction of the Nord Stream II pipeline didn’t help either.
Yet despite this, Third Energy’s managing director Russell Howe doesn’t see his firm going back to natural gas or the prices they’re no commanding.
MORE GEOTHERMAL ADVANCEMENTS: The Perfect Energy Source Is Already Here – Endless Geothermal Is Poised for Release From Deep in the Earth
“I think once you’ve seen what the potential is and you see people in the community come and feel the radiator and see the excitement, there’s no interest in the company going back to fossil fuels,” Howe told Sky News.
Per Sky News, there are 680 wells drilled for fossil fuels in Britain that could be converted into these geothermal heating stations.
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It has recently been discovered that deep in Britain’s network of abandoned coal mines, water has been heated to useable temperatures by the Earth’s core, and it too can be utilized in home heat pumps.
One such project is already heating a host of commercial real estate and 350 apartments in the town of Gateshead.
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Quote of the Day: “To be free is to have achieved your life.” – Tennessee Williams
Photo by: Ken Brown, CC License
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Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese martial art involving sequences of slow controlled movements meant to cultivate one of the three kinds of vital energy, called qi, was found to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disorder in 147 seniors.
Patients who already had the debilitating disorder and who took up Tai Chi also needed lower doses of the required drugs, according to the findings published by the BMJ Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
The disease, characterized by slowness of movement, resting tremors, plus stiff and inflexible muscles, is the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, with the number of those affected projected to reach nearly five million by 2030 in China alone, and 1.2 million in the US.
There is no cure as yet for Parkinson’s, and while drugs can improve symptoms, they don’t treat all the manifestations of the disease.
Any visitor to China will have undoubtedly seen old folks doing Tai Chi in the park. The slow coordinated movements are a favorite of those trying to keep themselves limber in their silver years, especially in winter.
Previously published research suggests that Tai Chi eases Parkinson’s symptoms in the short term, but whether that improvement could be sustained over the long term wasn’t known.
To find out, Chinese researchers monitored two groups of patients with Parkinson’s for over five years from January 2016 to June 2021.
One group of 147 patients practiced Tai Chi twice a week for an hour, aided by the provision of classes to improve their technique.
The other group of 187 patients continued with their standard care but didn’t practice Tai Chi.
Disease severity was formally assessed in all the participants at the start of the monitoring period, and disease progression, including increases in the need for medication, was then monitored once a year until 2021.
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A variety of other symptoms were also monitored, such as sleep quality and autonomic nervous system activity.
“Disease progression was slower at all monitoring points in the Tai Chi group, as assessed by three validated scales to assess overall symptoms, movement, and balance,” said study author Dr. Gen Li from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
“The number of patients who needed to increase their medication in the comparison group was also significantly higher than it was in the Tai Chi Group. Cognitive function deteriorated more slowly in the Tai Chi group as did other non-movement symptoms, while sleep and quality of life continuously improved,” he added.
The prevalence of complications was significantly lower in the Tai Chi group than in the comparison group.
Dr. Li said falls, dizziness, and back pain were the three side effects reported by study participants, but they were all “significantly lower” in the Tai Chi group.
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“Our study has shown that Tai Chi retains the long-term beneficial effect on [Parkinson’s disease], indicating the potential disease-modifying effects on both motor and non-motor symptoms, especially gait, balance, autonomic symptoms, and cognition,” said Dr. Li.
“The long-term beneficial effect could prolong the time without disability, leading to a higher quality of life, a lower burden for caregivers, and less drug usage.”
Tai Chi isn’t as complicated as it might look like. There are fundamental movements that flow in and out of one another to make it seem that there are many different movements when the basics are just eight forms.
As much yoga as there is on the internet, there are also plenty of Tai Chi lessons and practices.
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Buried under the 24-hour news cycles of the last few months, recovery in Lahaina is progressing, one tiny house at a time.
William Fincher, an owner of two restaurants in the historic Maui town which tragically burned down this August, is receiving help from neighbors and friends to build a pair of tiny homes for his family of a wife, two kids, and two dogs.
Fincher lost both restaurants and his home in the fires, but within three or four days, local builder Juan Ricci was ordering materials to help the Fincher family construct the tiny houses. He did it all from his own pocket until the build team, including Fincher, Ricci, and some more friends had to set up a GoFundMe to look for the money.
Javier Barberi, a close friend, told Good Morning America in no uncertain terms that Fincher was Lahaina through and through, and he simply had to stay in order to help rebuild and recover the spirit of the town. Barberi gave Fincher space on his land to build.
With Barberi’s help and Ricci’s instruction, the tiny homes started coming together. Fincher knew a bit about woodshop, but laying insulation, framing doors, and roofing, were all skills he didn’t have. Ricci and his workers provided free labor and instruction.
“He [Ricci] started building these homes out of the goodness of his own heart and paying everything out of pocket. He trusts that the money will come,” writes volunteer Andreas Alfaro on the GoFundMe page which has so far raised $13,000 of its goal of $100,000.
What started as a few guys coming together to support their neighbor in Fincher has turned into a bold grassroots effort to raise money to build small, long-term homes for displaced residents, and pay locals who lost their jobs in the fires to do it, with Ricci providing on-the-job training from 20 years experience building on Hawai’i.
MORE STORIES FROM LAHAINA: A 5-Year-Old’s Lemonade Stand in Seattle Raised Over $17,000 for Victims of Maui Wildfires
“That’s the idea, to raise some money and keep going and start paying the guys that have been working,” Ricci told GMA.
MORE STORIES FROM LAHAINA: Oprah And Dwayne Johnson Giving $1,200 Per Month To Maui Wildfire Survivors
“Lahaina is the best place in the world without a doubt, and now it’s still there,” said Fincher.
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Google doesn’t just use satellite data and machine learning to help you find Vietnamese food in the city you’re visiting, it’s actively protecting developing countries from flooding.
This August, the Chilean areas of Constitucion and Maule witnessed devastating floods that left thousands homeless, but many were able to gather critical belongings and evacuate because Google sent out warnings 2 days in advance of the flooding through their Flood Hub modeling tool.
Riverine floods, when heavy rains cause rivers to overflow their banks, happen all over the world all the time, and are a little like the unsung villain of natural disasters.
It was long thought impossible to predict these foods because of the number of factors beyond simple weather reports and forecasts, such as soil composition, topography, potential infrastructure failings, and so on.
“This was really kind of a moonshot, in a way,” said Yossi Matias, vice president of engineering and research at Google. “Can we use machine learning and other technologies in order to try to predict floods at some level of accuracy that would be valuable?”
The answer is, since Flood Hub was launched in 2018 in India, yes, you can—very well in fact.
The baseline unit of analysis in the tool is thousands of detailed satellite images of waterways that can build a topographical understanding of the river’s course and gather scientific information on flooding rates, soil composition, history of erosion, and so on. This is then treated to a deep-learning program that creates flooding models based on the addition of weather forecasts and rainfall data.
The result is what they call their global hydrologic model, and has been in use across dozens of countries for the last five years, and was recently introduced in the US and Canada. This monsoon season in India and Bangladesh, Flood Hub sent out 45 million alerts.
“It allowed us to provide flood forecasting information even in places where the historical data is quite scarce,” Matias told Adele Peters of Fast Company Magazine, reporting on the tool.
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“For example, [we’re in] 23 countries in Africa, many of which actually don’t have enough data, but because we can learn the patterns of floods and then map them to places that have certain similarities, it allows them to get to the right level of quality that we needed.”
When Flood Hub predicts an oncoming flood, it has a variety of ways to send out alerts. Some countries receive alerts right on their phones similar to the Amber Alert system in the US, but in other cases it’s sent to government departments who may use their own lines of communication, even going so far as knocking door to door, or sending out WhatsApp messages.
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Google has also partnered with a disaster recovery NGO called Give Directly, which is pioneering a platform that allows them to send money directly to people who receive Flood Hub evacuation alerts, giving them funds to afford a relocation.
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With a brilliant idea that could clear two hurdles in one leap for renewable energy sources, scientists at ETH Zurich have discovered a way to use chicken feathers to manufacture a critical component for hydrogen fuel cells.
Hydrogen fuel cells can generate both emissions-free energy and a portable fuel similar to diesel, but at the moment they are manufactured with so-called “forever chemicals” that are toxic in certain quantities and don’t biodegrade in any way.
On the other hand, chicken is an invaluable part of the food supply but comes with 40 million metric tons annually of feathers that are incinerated as a waste product that produces CO2 and other problematic gases as well.
This is where the team at ETH in collaboration with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has come up with a brilliant solution of using the feathers instead of the chemicals, thereby sparing the environment on both ends in two different ways, and potentially lowering the cost of hydrogen adoption.
“I’ve devoted a number of years to researching different ways we can use food waste for renewable energy systems,” says Raffaele Mezzenga, Professor of Food and Soft Materials at ETH Zurich.
“Our latest development closes a cycle: we’re taking a substance that releases CO2 and toxic gases when burned and used it in a different setting: with our new technology it not only replaces toxic substances, but also prevents the release of CO2, decreasing the overall carbon footprint cycle,” he adds.
Fuel cells create hydrogen fuel by separating the hydrogen from the oxygen in water. At the heart of the fuel cell lies a semipermeable membrane that allows protons to pass through but leaves electrons behind to escape via an external circuit from the negatively charged anode to the positively charged cathode: thereby creating a current that can be harnessed for electricity.
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Chicken feathers are made up of 90% keratin, a protein in our hair and fingernails that Mezzenga et al. converted to ultra-fine fibers called amyloid fibrils by breaking the feathers down in an environmentally friendly way. The fibrils can be used to make the membrane between the anode and cathode of the fuel cell three times cheaper than synthetic materials.
But better still, this fibril membrane can also be used to create pure hydrogen (as in H without the 2 and the O) which doesn’t exist on Earth naturally but which can be used like diesel fuel to power heavy machinery like planes and trains.
MORE HYDROGEN INNOVATION: Researchers Make ‘Giant Leap’ to Produce Affordable Renewable Hydrogen
In this case, a current is sent directly through water as part of a method called electrolysis. Under conditions inside the fuel cell, oxygen this time escapes at the positively charged anode and leaves hydrogen to exit at the negatively charged cathode. The membrane in this case allows protons to pass through even when it’s pure water, which typically isn’t conductive enough for electrolysis.
Per UTH Zurich press, the researchers’ next step will be to investigate how stable and durable their keratin membrane is and to improve it if necessary. The research team has already filed a joint patent for the membrane and is now looking for investors or companies to develop the technology further and bring it to market.
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Quote of the Day: “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver
Photo by: Alex Guillaume
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Students in The Netherlands have designed a solar-powered SUV that doubles as a small camper van to produce the ultimate concept car for off-grid adventure in sunny climes.
Driving it 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) across Morocco, the Stella Terra as it’s called showed a wide variety of advantages over existing electric SUVs.
“Morocco has a huge variety of landscapes and different surfaces in quite a short distance,” says Thieme Bosman, events manager for the TUE team. He told CNN the car was tested “on every type of surface that a car like this could encounter.”
The wide sloping roof has inbuilt solar panels that charge the electric battery while the car is driving. This allowed the creators, students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE), to shave off the weight of the battery packs, creating a lighter car that used less electricity to power.
By shaving off weight wherever possible and crafting the Stella Terra’s body panels to have an aerodynamic shape, the car is just 2,645 pounds (1,200 kilograms), about 25% less than similar electric SUVs.
It’s also added up to a longer range of around 710 kilometers (441 miles) on roads, and around 550 kilometers (342 miles) off-road, plus or minus 50 for cloudy or sunny weather, plus or minus a bit more because car makers are notoriously untrustworthy when reporting range.
The team drove it from Tangier through the Rif Mountains, down to Fes and up the high mountain tracks near Midelt, Morocco’s highest town, and back down to the Sahara Desert area where it faced loose sandy tracks.
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When it was time to call it a day, the rooftop solar array expanded outward to maximize recharging in the remaining daylight as well as creating an awning like one would find in a camper van. The seats also fully recline to form a bed.
Early on in the trip the steering system broke, but far from needing a medivac to their laboratory in The Netherlands, they repaired it in a countryside workshop with parts they found.
Bosman and the TUE team are aware that these sorts of concept cars are a major challenge to bring to the mass-produced market. What will the ultimate price point be, who will be interested in buying it, where should it be most marketed, these are all difficult questions that many concept car manufacturers simply can’t resolve satisfactorily.
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“We aim to also inspire not only everyday people, but also the automotive industry, the Ford and Chryslers of the world, to think again about their designs and to innovate faster than they currently do,” says Bosman.
“It’s up to the market now, who have the resources and the power to make this change and the switch to more sustainable vehicles.”
The TUE innovators behind the Stella Terra see it as a potentially great choice for drivers far away from reliable power grids, or for emergency workers in these areas for reaching distant locales over multi-day journeys to transport critical supplies or medical personnel
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LONDON (Reuters) – Madonna kicked off her “Celebration” tour in London on Saturday, with a performance that proved her energy, charisma, and appetite for controversy were little dimmed after four decades of pop super-stardom and a brush with death earlier this year.
The 65-year-old’s greatest hits show was pushed back from its original July start date after she was hospitalized in intensive care for a serious bacterial infection.
“I’m really damn surprised I made it this far. And I mean that on so many levels,” she told fans at the O2 arena.
Wearing the corset and chains that defined her breakthrough, she sang “Into The Groove” and even brought several of her children (ages 11-29) on stage to perform.
1983’s “Holiday” recreated the hedonistic joy of a New York club before the onslaught of AIDS, marked by a tribute to those who had died.
Religious imagery that accompanied Madonna’s rise from pop star to cultural icon was the backdrop to “Like a Prayer”, while “Vogue”, the hit that powered her into the 1990s, saw one of the stages become a catwalk.
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Madonna addressed the situation in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of really crazy things happening in the world that are so, so painful to witness,” she said. “But even though our hearts are broken, our spirits cannot be broken.”
On her health scare, she said: “It was a crazy year for me as well. And I didn’t think I was going to make it.”
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With more than 40 songs in the show, some like “Papa Don’t Preach” were dispatched in seconds, but all of her re-inventions, from Catholic Madonna to Country Madonna, were featured.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner has rescheduled the tour’s North American leg to start in December after her European concerts.
Check out the concert’s video highlights below…
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by William Mallard)
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Not all heroes wear capes, some like Raquel Radford Baker, drive school buses.
Baker, a veteran driver for Dallas Independent School District, was on a routine route for the kids at Seagoville North Elementary School when one of them, a boy just 7 years old began to choke.
First-grader Preston motioned to Baker that he needed help. Surveillance camera footage showed that he had swallowed something just a moment before. Thinking he needed to throw up, Baker opened the bus door and told him to go let hurl, but Preston gesticulated that wasn’t the problem.
Baker saw the correction that was needed, took Preston off the bus, and performed the Heimlich Maneuver in time.
Preston called her his “hero” and “a bus stop angel.”
Recently, Preston’s mother Gia, and Baker were able to meet for the first time since the incident, and tears were understandably shed.
WATCH the story below from GMA…
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A new report from a non-profit coalition of highway safety offices shows that rates of fatal traffic collisions of drivers under the age of 21 have fallen dramatically.
The most at-risk demographic is now 38% less likely to be involved in a fatal collision, and 45% less likely to be the victim of a fatal collision according to data gathered from 2002 to 2021.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) still finds young drivers to be the riskiest cohort behind the wheel, but their report lists a number of factors that have helped and can be further improved upon.
When this author was going through driver’s re-education after lightly damaging the bumper of a car in front of him within the first 12 months of getting his license, a video was shown in the class consisting of the interior footage of a car involved in a serious collision.
A group of four under 21s was inside, and the video showed a very real scenario, when, one minute they were laughing and chit-chatting, and the next, they were all unconscious having slammed into something during the collision.
“Young drivers are the riskiest age group on the road, and the reasons are straightforward — immaturity and inexperience,” Pam Shadel Fischer, author of the GHSA report told the Associated Press. ”Many young drivers simply don’t have the behind-the-wheel experience to recognize risk and take the appropriate corrective action to prevent a crash.”
Education was cited by the GHSA as one of two major factors that have influenced the drop in fatal collisions, particularly when parents were involved. The other one was staggered privileges.
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These programs topped the list of effective solutions, and consist of placing limits on driving privileges that phase out as the driver ages. These could involve driving at night, driving on Interstate Highways, or having other passengers in the car.
In Maryland and New Jersey, the report adds, these programs extend even until the driver’s 18th and 20th birthdays.
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