Autoimmune researcher Professor Goodnow Christopher - Photo by Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Autoimmune researcher Professor Goodnow Christopher – Photo by Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Two researchers in the US and Australia have discovered important mechanisms that prevent B cells from attacking the body’s own tissues in autoimmune diseases like arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis—and in the process have won a prestigious prize.
Normally, the body’s immune system protects us from viruses, bacteria, and foreign substances. However, in autoimmune diseases, the immune system starts attacking tissues in the body instead.
Researchers had long tried to discover the cause of autoimmune diseases. But, Christopher Goodnow and David Nemazee, independently of each other, adopted a new approach.
They asked why we do not all develop these diseases. Their focus was on B cells which, together with white blood cells and T cells, are the building blocks of our complex immune system.
“They have given us a new and detailed understanding of the mechanisms that normally prevent faulty B cells from attacking tissues in the body, explaining why most of us are not affected by autoimmune diseases,” says Olle Kämpe, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and chair of the Crafoord Prize committee that awarded the pair 6 million Swedish kronor ($600,000).
Neutralize B cells
In recent years, physicians have started to experiment by using existing drugs to neutralize B cells for patients with severe autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, which has proven to be very effective at improving their quality of life.
Thanks to this year’s Crafoord Prize Laureates, we have gained fundamental new knowledge about what is happening in the immune system during autoimmune disease attacks.
“This also paves the way for development of new forms of therapies that eventually can cure these diseases—or might prevent them in the future,” said one professor of clinical immunology at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
For Christopher Goodnow, the news of the Crafoord Prize came as a wonderful surprise.
“It’s the most amazing phone call of my life!” said the Professor at the School of Biomedical Sciences’ Cellular Genomics Futures Institute at the University of New South Wales-Sydney.
“I’m honored… and it’s also wonderful to share the prize with David Nemazee. We were friendly competitors working at different places in the world, and the two of us arrived at complementary answers at a time when most working in the field didn’t believe B cell tolerance was a thing.”
Old Growth Forest Network dedication ceremony – Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge / US Fish & Wildlife Service
Old-Growth Forest Network dedication ceremony – Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge / US Fish & Wildlife Service
Who would ever guess that right outside Detroit a native forest has stood undisturbed for centuries—but now, the 300 year-old trees are gaining more respect.
The Old-Growth Forest Network, dedicated to protecting trees in the U.S., has officially recognized 32 acres of centuries-old forest near one of the largest metropolitan areas in America.
The grove is found in Humbug Marsh, which is just south of the Welcome Center in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, remarkably located only 20 miles from downtown Detroit.
The Old-Growth Forest Network aims to locate and designate at least one protected forest in every county in the U.S. where a native forest can be sustained. Overall, that would include about 75% of the counties nationwide.
The oaks in the Humbug Marsh near the Detroit River have avoided development and grown free for centuries.
“We know through historical records that the Humbug Marsh property has been relatively untouched for about 300 years,” Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge park ranger Alex Gilford told WDET-TV News.
Recognition of the southeast Michigan tract is another victory for a woodland area that has had to survive previous development plans that could have compromised its existence.
Humbug Marsh in Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge by Tina Shaw / US Fish & Wildlife Service on Flickr
According to local news reports, a proposed development project in 1998 threatened to destroy a mile of marshlands near the forest. One thousand local residents gathered to protest against the development—and their efforts helped save the native ecosystem.
And thanks to all their actions, the huge trees can be enjoyed by future generations of visitors.
“It’s a special place,” Gilford told the Detroit Metro Times. “The public can get up close and personal with ancient oak trees and be inspired by this protected natural gem…”
At press time, the organization has already designated 280 forests and at least one old-growth forest in 39 different states—and many states claim designations in numerous counties, as shown in a map on their website.
7,400 environmentalists are the roots that support the Old-Growth Forest Network, including hikers, forest managers, scientists, and citizens—but anyone can nominate a forest for inclusion. Maybe there’s a grove near you.
FERTILIZE THE CAUSE–By Sharing the Oldest Trees on Social Media…
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
60 years ago today, the first commercial communications satellite, Intelsat I, was placed in geosynchronous orbit. The tiny 2-foot device (nicknamed Early Bird for the proverb “The early bird catches the worm”) was the first to provide direct and nearly instantaneous contact between Europe and North America, handling television, telephone, and fax transmissions. READ about its development… (1965)
Hatchlings of Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise Credit: Philadelphia Zoo
Hatchlings of Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise Credit: Philadelphia Zoo
The Philadelphia Zoo is overjoyed to announce the hatching of four critically endangered Galapagos tortoises for the first time in the Zoo’s 150 year history.
The parents, Western Santa Cruz tortoises, are the Zoo’s two oldest residents, each estimated to be around 100 years old.
Additionally, the female named Mommy is considered one of the most genetically valuable of her species in the Survival Plan of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). She is also the oldest first-time mom of her species.
The hatchlings are currently eating and growing normally “behind-the-scenes” inside the Reptile and Amphibian House. The first one hatched on February 27 and the animal care team is still monitoring more eggs that could hatch in the coming weeks.
They will make their public debut on April 23, which is the 93rd anniversary of Mommy’s arrival at the Zoo.
The babies are part of the AZA breeding program to ensure the survival of this species, which are listed as “critically endangered”.
The last clutch of Western Santa Cruz tortoises to hatch in an AZA accredited zoo was in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. Other zoos with breeding pairs of this species include San Diego Zoo, Zoo Miami and Honolulu Zoo.
Galapagos tortoise egg hatched – Credit: Philadelphia Zoo
“This successful outcome comes from years of hard work studying animal behavior and providing top-level care. Until now, Mommy’s genes were not represented in the AZA population, making these offspring extremely important in the protection of this species,” said Philadelphia Zoo Director of Herpetology Lauren Augustine.
The animal care team worked diligently to provide the right conditions for Mommy to lay her eggs and for them to incubate and successfully hatch
In December 2020, the father of the new hatchlings, Abrazzo, came to the Zoo on a breeding recommendation from Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina. New substrate was purchased—nesting material like sand and soil for Mommy to lay her eggs in—Abrazzo’s behaviors were studied to see how he spent his time. Since 2023, Mommy has laid a total of four clutches of eggs, but the three prior tries did not result in viable eggs.
(Watch a video of the hatchlings—and continue reading below…)
After Mommy laid her 16 eggs in November 2024, the reptile and amphibian team dug them up to incubate them–expecting the eggs to hatch between four and eight months later.
The hatchlings will remain at the Zoo for at least five years.
Officials will then work with the AZA to determine when and if the hatchlings will move to different facilities. Prior to their arrival, there were only 44 individual Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoises in all U.S. zoos combined, so these newest additions represent a new genetic lineage and some much-needed help to the species’ population.
At one point, each of the Galapagos Islands had its own unique subspecies of tortoise (with the ability to live between 100-200 years)‚ but sadly, several of them are now extinct, although scientists estimate there are currently 13 living species that are native to seven of the islands.
“Hatched in the wild, Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the Zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her,” said Philadelphia Zoo President Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman.
100-yo Galapagos tortoise named Mommy – Credit: Philadelphia Zoo
“Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now.”
“These hatchlings not only protect this species from extinction, but serve as important ambassadors to inspire guests to save wildlife and wild places,” said Philadelphia Zoo Vice President of Animal Well-Being and Conservation Rachel Metz.
SHARE THE GIANT NEWS With Animal Lovers on Social Media…
Sunshine the Bengal cat in 2009 – Carl Pullen photo via SWNS
Sunshine the Bengal cat in 2009 – Carl Pullen photo via SWNS
A missing kitten has been finally reunited with her owner sixteen years after vanishing from the backyard.
Sunshine disappeared from owner Carl Pullen’s garden in 2009 when she was around three-years-old.
Carl presumed the pedigree Bengal cat was stolen because the breed can be sold for many hundreds of dollars in England—and she was never recovered despite extensive searching.
Reluctantly, he moved away from his home in Hertfordshire the following year.
“I’d always figured she’d been stolen. I put up posters, appealed to find her, and she was microchipped,” said the 51-year-old. “It’s a good thing I never changed my phone number in all these years.”
Last week, he got the shocking call from a veterinary surgeon saying that a cat had been handed in as a stray, and asking if he owned a cat named Sunshine.
Now 19-years-old, the cat has been reunited with her family for the remaining years of her life.
“I don’t think she’s been a stray all this time—maybe just in the last few months.
Sunshine the Bengal cat at 19 – Carl Pullen via SWNS
“When I picked her up from the vet’s, she was underweight, her claws hadn’t been clipped, and she had bad kidneys.
“Since she’s been home, Sunshine has had some medication to perk her up a bit,” he told SWNS news. “She’s looking a lot better.”
“I was so surprised,” he told the BBC. “I was overwhelmed really as I didn’t expect to see her again, especially after all this time.”
Older people who received the vaccine for shingles had a 20% lower risk of dementia, according to researchers who called the results “remarkable”.
The study looked into the health records of seniors in Wales and revealed that those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who didn’t receive the jab.
Scientists say the findings support an emerging theory that viruses which affect the nervous system can increase the risk of dementia.
The new findings suggest that a preventive intervention for dementia is already close at hand.
Shingles is a viral infection that produces a painful rash, and is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, varicella-zoster. After people contract chicken pox, usually in childhood, the virus remains dormant in the nerve cells for life. In people who are older or have weakened immune systems, the dormant virus can reactivate and cause shingles.
Previous studies based on health records have linked the shingles vaccine with lower dementia rates, but the research could not account for one major source of bias: people who are vaccinated also tend to be more health conscious.
The study’s senior author, Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer of Stanford Medicine, said that most studies suffered from the basic problem. “In general, they’re seen as not being solid enough evidence to make any recommendations on.”
But two years ago, Dr. Geldsetzer recognized a fortuitous “natural experiment” in the rollout of the shingles vaccine in Wales that seemed to sidestep the bias.
The vaccination program, which began in September 2013, specified that anyone who was 79 was eligible for the vaccine for one year. That age rule, designed to ration the limited supply of the vaccine, also meant that the slight difference in age between 79 and 80 made all the difference in who had access to the vaccine.
By comparing people who turned 80 just before the roll-out with those who turned 80 just after, the circumstances were about as close to a randomized controlled trial as possible, without actually conducting one—and the results are all well-documented in the country’s health records.
(Watch a Stanford video about the study, or continue reading below…)
The Stanford team analyzed details of more than 280,000 adults who did not have dementia at the start of the vaccination program. They focused their analysis on those closest to either side of the eligibility threshold – comparing people who turned 80 in the week before with those who turned 80 in the week after.
“We know that if you take a thousand people at random born in one week and a thousand people at random born a week later, there shouldn’t be anything different about them on average,” explained Geldsetzer.
“What makes the study so powerful is that it’s essentially like a randomized trial with a control group – those a little bit too old to be eligible for the vaccine – and an intervention group, those just young enough to be eligible.”
Fast-forward seven years and by 2020, one in eight of the Welsh seniors had been diagnosed with dementia.
But those who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to have developed dementia than those who were unvaccinated.
“It was a really striking finding,” said Geldsetzer. “This huge protective signal was there, any which way you looked at the data.”
The scientists looked for other variables that might have influenced dementia risk, but found none.
“Because of the unique way in which the vaccine was rolled out, bias in the analysis is much less likely than would usually be the case. The signal in our data was so strong, so clear and so persistent.”
The study, published in the journalNature, also showed that protection against dementia was much more pronounced in women than in men.
Geldsetzer believes that could be because women, on average, have higher antibody responses to vaccination, and because shingles is more common in women than in men.
In the past two years, his team has replicated the Wales findings in health records from other countries, including England, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, that had similar rollouts of the vaccine.
“We just keep seeing this strong protective signal for dementia in dataset after dataset,” insisted Geldsetzer.
He is seeking funding for a larger trial, which would provide even stronger proof of cause and effect, noting that the live-attenuated vaccine used at that time contained a weakened form of the virus, which is no longer manufactured by pharmaceutical companies.
“It would be a very simple, pragmatic trial because we have a one-off intervention that we know is safe.”
KNOW A SENIOR WHO NEVER GOT THEIR SHINGLES SHOT? Share This On Social Media!
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of April 5, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Have you ever been part of an innovation team? Its goal is not simply to develop as many new ideas and approaches as possible, but rather to generate good, truly useful new ideas and approaches. The most effective teams don’t necessarily move with frantic speed. In fact, there’s value in “productive pausing”—strategic interludes of reflection that allow deeper revelations to arise. It’s crucial to know when to slow down and let hunches and insights ripen. This is excellent advice for you. You’re in a phase when innovation is needed and likely. For best results, infuse your productivity with periodic stillness.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Barnacles are crustaceans that form vast colonies on rocks, pilings, whales, and boats. They may grow so heavy on a ship that they increase its heft and require as much as a 40-percent increase in fuel consumption. Some sailors refer to them as “crusty foulers.” All of us have our own metaphorical equivalent of crusty foulers: encumbrances and deadweights that drag us down and inhibit our rate of progress. In my astrological opinion, the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to shed as much of yours as possible. (I’ll be shedding mine in June.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In 1088, the Chinese polymath and statesman Shen Kuo published his book Dream Torrent Essays, also translated as Dream Pool Essays. In this masterwork, he wrote about everything that intrigued and fascinated him, including the effects of lightning strikes, the nature of eclipses, how to make swords, building tall pagodas resistant to wind damage, and a pearl-like UFO he saw regularly. I think the coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to begin your own version of Dream Torrent Essays, Gemini. You could generate maximum fun and self-knowledge by compiling all the reasons you love being alive on this mysterious planet.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The mimosa is known as the “sensitive plant.” The moment its leaves are touched, they fold inwards, exposing the sharp spines of its stems. Why do they do that? Botanists say it’s meant to deter herbivore predators from nibbling it. Although you Cancerians sometimes display equally extreme hair-trigger defense mechanisms, I’m happy to say that you will be unlikely to do so in the coming weeks. You are primed to be extra bold and super-responsive. Here’s one reason why: You are finely tuning your protective instincts so they work with effective grace—neither too strong nor too weak. That’s an excellent formula to make fun new connections and avoid mediocre new connections.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
While sleeping on a recent night, I dreamed of an old friend I had lost touch with for 20 years. It was wonderful. We were remembering mystic breakthroughs we had while younger. When I awoke the next day, I was delighted to find an email from this friend, hoping for us to be back in touch. Hyper-rationalists might call this coincidence, but I know it was magical synchronicity—evidence that we humans are connected via the psychic airways. I’m predicting at least three such events for you in the coming weeks, Leo. Treat them with the reverence they deserve. Take them seriously as signs of things you should pay closer attention to.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
A star that astronomers call EBLM J0555-57Ab is 670 light years away. Its diameter is the smallest of any known star, just a bit larger than Saturn in our solar system. But its mass is 250 times greater than Saturn’s. It’s concentrated and potent. I’ll be inclined to compare you to EBLM J0555-57Ab in the coming weeks, Virgo. Like this modest-sized powerhouse, you will be stronger and more impactful than you may appear. The quality you offer will be more effective than others’ quantity. Your focused, dynamic efficiency could make you extra influential.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Libran jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was an influential musician in part because he didn’t conform to conventions. According to music writer Tarik Moody, Monk’s music features “dissonances and angular melodic twists, and are consistent with his unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.” Many of Monk’s most innovative improvisations grew out of apparent mistakes. He explored and developed wrong notes to make them into intentional aspects of his compositions. “His genius,” said another critic, “lay in his ability to transform accidents into opportunities.” I’d love to see you capitalize on that approach, Libra. You now have the power to ensure that seeming gaffes and glitches will yield positive and useful results.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Author Richard Wright said that people “can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” That’s rarely a problem for Scorpios, since you are among the zodiac’s best sleuths when exploring your inner depths. Does any other sign naturally gather more self-realization than you? No! But having said that, I want to alert you to the fact that you are entering a phase when you will benefit from even deeper dives into your mysterious depths. It’s an excellent time to wander into the frontiers of your self-knowledge.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Andean condors hunt for prey while flying through the sky with their 10-foot wingspan. They’ve got a good strategy for conserving their energy: riding on thermal currents with little effort, often soaring for vast distances. I recommend that you channel the Andean condor in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. Always be angling to work smarter rather than harder. Look for tricks and workarounds that will enable you to be as efficient and stress-free as possible. Trust that as you align yourself with natural flows, you will cover a lot of ground with minimal strain. Celebrate the freedom that comes from embracing ease.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
While hiking in nature, people often rely on their phones to navigate. And what if their battery dies or there’s poor cell service out in the middle of nowhere? They might use an old-fashioned compass. It won’t reveal which direction to go, but will keep the hiker apprised of where true north lies. In that spirit, Capricorn, I invite you to make April the month you get in closer communication with your own inner compass. It’s a favorable and necessary time to become even more highly attuned to your ultimate guide and champion: the voice of the teacher within you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
“It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool.” Aquarian author John Steinbeck wrote that. I think it’s useful counsel for you in the coming weeks. What does it imply? Here are a few meditations. 1. Be tuned in to both the small personal world right in front of you and the big picture of the wider world. Balance and coordinate your understandings of them. 2. If you shift your perspective back and forth between the macrocosmic and microcosmic perspectives, you’re far more likely to understand how life really works. 3. You may flourish best by blending the evaluative powers of your objective, rational analysis and your intuitive, nonrational feelings.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The earliest humans used bones and pebbles to assist in arithmetic calculations. Later, they got help from abacuses and crude mechanical devices. Electronic calculators didn’t arrive until the 1960s. All were efforts to bypass tedious reckonings. All were ingenious attempts to manage necessary details that weren’t much fun. In that spirit, I encourage you to seek time-saving, boredom-preventing innovations in the coming weeks. Now is an excellent time to maximize your spacious ability to do things you love to do.
WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com
Quote of the Day: “What would be ugly in a garden constitutes beauty in a mountain.” – Victor Hugo
Photo by: Hannah Wright (New Zealand mountain lake)
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Crowds gathering in Tiananmen Square during the Qingming Festival. The gathering was carried out as an action in memory of Zhou Enlai.
49 years ago today, the April 5th Incident (known as the Tiananmen Square protest) helped pave the way for the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, and with it, Maoist communism in the country. Leaders at the time along with eyewitnesses believed there was nothing organized about the incident, and it was in fact a spontaneous coming together of all members and classes in society to mourn the passing of recently-deceased Premier Zhou Enlai, who was seen both as a national hero and victim of internal power struggles within the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo. READ about this famous and singular protest… (1976)
Worlds smallest pacemaker – Credit: John Rogers / Northwestern University press release
World’s smallest pacemaker next to a grain of rice – Credit: John Rogers / Northwestern University press release
Northwestern University engineers have developed a pacemaker so small that it can fit inside the tip of a syringe and be non-invasively injected into the body, according to a new study published in Nature.
Although it can work with hearts of all sizes, the pacemaker is particularly well-suited to the tiny, fragile hearts of newborn babies with congenital heart defects.
A pacemaker is an implantable device that helps maintain an even heart rate, either because the heart’s natural cardiac pacemaker provides an inadequate or irregular heartbeat, or because there is a block in the heart’s electrical conduction system.
Smaller than a single grain of rice, the pacemaker is paired with a small, soft, flexible, wireless, wearable device that mounts onto a patient’s chest to control pacing. When the wearable device detects an irregular heartbeat, it automatically shines a light to activate the pacemaker.
These short light pulses, which penetrate through the patient’s skin, breastbone, and muscles, control the pacing.
Designed for patients who only need temporary pacing, the pacemaker simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed. All the pacemaker’s components are biocompatible, so they naturally dissolve into the body’s biofluids, bypassing the need for surgical extraction.
The paper demonstrates the device’s efficacy across a series of large and small animal models as well as human hearts from deceased organ donors.
“We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world’s smallest pacemaker,” said John A. Rogers, PhD, professor of Neurological Surgery, Dermatology, and in the McCormick School of Engineering, who led the device development.
“There’s a crucial need for temporary pacemakers in the context of pediatric heart surgeries, and that’s a use case where size miniaturization is incredibly important. In terms of the device load on the body—the smaller, the better.”
“Our major motivation was children,” said Igor Efimov, PhD, professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology and in the McCormick School of Engineering, who co-led the study.
“About 1% of children are born with congenital heart defects, regardless of whether they live in a low-resource or high-resource country. The good news is that these children only need temporary pacing after a surgery. In about seven days or so, most patients’ hearts will self-repair. But those seven days are absolutely critical. Now, we can place this tiny pacemaker on a child’s heart and stimulate it with a soft, gentle, wearable device. And no additional surgery is necessary to remove it.”
This work builds on a previous collaboration between Rogers and Efimov, in which they developed the first dissolvable device for temporary pacing. Many patients require temporary pacemakers after heart surgery — either while waiting for a permanent pacemaker or to help restore a normal heart rate during recovery.
For the current standard of care, surgeons sew the electrodes onto the heart muscle during surgery. Wires from the electrodes exit the front of a patient’s chest, where they connect to an external pacing box that delivers a current to control the heart’s rhythm.
When the temporary pacemaker is no longer needed, physicians remove the pacemaker electrodes. Potential complications include infection, dislodgement, torn or damaged tissues, bleeding, and blood clots.
“That’s actually how Neil Armstrong died,” Efimov said. He had a temporary pacemaker after a bypass surgery. When the wires were removed, he experienced internal bleeding.”
In response to this clinical need, Rogers, Efimov, and their teams developed their first dissolvable pacemaker, which was introduced in Nature Biotechnology in 2021. The thin, flexible, lightweight device eliminated the need for bulky batteries and rigid hardware, including wires.
To help further reduce the device’s size, the researchers also reimagined its power source. Instead of using near-field communication to supply power, the new, tiny pacemaker operates through the action of a galvanic cell, a type of simple battery that transforms chemical energy into electrical energy. Specifically, the pacemaker uses two different metals as electrodes to deliver electrical pulses to the heart. When in contact with surrounding biofluids, the electrodes form a battery. The resulting chemical reactions cause the electrical current to flow to stimulate the heart.
“When the pacemaker is implanted into the body, the surrounding biofluids act as the conducting electrolyte that electrically joins those two metal pads to form the battery,” Rogers said. “A very tiny light-activated switch on the opposite side from the battery allows us to turn the device from its ‘off’ state to an ‘on’ state upon delivery of light that passes through the patient’s body from the skin-mounted patch.”
The team used an infrared wavelength of light that penetrates deeply and safely into the body. If the patient’s heart rate drops below a certain rate, the wearable device detects the event and automatically activates a light-emitting diode. The light then flashes on and off at a rate that corresponds to the normal heart rate.
“Infrared light penetrates very well through the body,” Efimov said. “If you put a flashlight against your palm, you will see the light glow through the other side of your hand. It turns out that our bodies are great conductors of light.”
Even though the pacemaker is so tiny—measuring just 1.8 millimeters in width, 3.5 millimeters in length and 1 millimeter in thickness—it still delivers as much stimulation as a full-sized pacemaker.
“The heart requires a tiny amount of electrical stimulation,” Rogers said. “By minimizing the size, we dramatically simplify the implantation procedures, we reduce trauma and risk to the patient, and, with the dissolvable nature of the device, we eliminate any need for secondary surgical extraction procedures.”
WATCH the device and story below from Northwestern University Press…
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There’s no better way to observe and enjoy wildlife than when they aren’t aware of your presence, and hoping to create these conditions at the Minnesota Zoo, the administration has converted an old monorail track into a pedestrian walkway that’s winning awards.
Opened in 2023, the Treetop Trail was recently called the Best Specialty Construction of the Year by Engineering News Record.
The Treetop Trail gives guests year-round access to hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, ponds, and marshes, and the diverse wildlife that call Minnesota home while simultaneously providing new perspectives on many zoo animals, including tigers, moose, and bison.
Opened in 1978 with a completed monorail in 1979, the Minnesota Zoo would eventually decommission its overhead transport line in 2013, leaving the rusted track and platforms to do little more than shade visitors.
Snow Kreilich Architects and PCL Construction turned the monorail into the world’s longest elevated pedestrian treetop walkway (1.25 miles). Measuring 8 feet for the entire length, it has several platforms that stretch far from the main concourse and which allow visitors to gaze down at the larger enclosures containing the flagship species.
20-foot-long segments were prefabricated by PCL and associated contractors before being shipped to the job site for assembly. Teams of harnessed construction workers then bolted the segments into place on the monorail’s steel skeleton.
Work was divided into four stages and done to consider the zoo animals’ daily routines.
“The Treetop Trail marks a new chapter for the Minnesota Zoo,” said Minnesota Zoo Director and Foundation President John Frawley in a statement at the Trail’s opening. “As we look ahead to the Zoo’s next 45 years, the Treetop Trail is a major step in furthering connections to nature and animals in an accessible and immersive way.”
SEE what it looks like below…
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When non-Britons imagine the classic red phone box, it would seem like the strangest decision ever to get rid of one, charming and iconic as they are.
Yet a rural village called Sharrington, in Norfolk, woke up one morning to find a notice on their neighborhood British Telecom phone box saying that not enough calls were being made to justify its continued service.
The community then took action, holding a call drive to meet the quota of 52 calls needed for BT to change its mind.
“It just goes to show you that communities can achieve incredible things when we stand together to protect what matters to us,” said North Norfolk MP Steffan Aquarone. “The K6 phone box is a lifeline in this small, rural village and, when BT said they were planning to remove it, the whole of Sharrington stood up and said ‘absolutely not’.
Calling it a lifeline is no exaggeration, as it had been used last year not only to call 911 (999 in the UK) but also by an ambulance driver to make a call during an emergency when he had no cell reception.
On March 15th, residents gathered in the nippy morning air to place enough phone calls from the box to ensure BT kept the lifeline connected, which a spokesperson from the company told BBC was indeed what would happen.
“This decision was made due to the poor mobile phone signal in the area and the significant number of calls made from the payphone, highlighting its importance to the community,” the spokesperson said.
Local resident Derek Harris said he was “so proud of our community” for standing up and standing together on behalf of what was important to them.
“It means everything to me to know that the phone box will still be here long after I’m gone.”
SHARE This Delightful And Heartwarming News From An English Village…
Moodlu Quarry is now being used as a balancing facility to store recycled water - credit: Unitywater / Supplied
Moodlu Quarry is now being used as a balancing facility to store recycled water – credit: Unitywater / Supplied
After 10 years of planning and AUD$120 million in investments, one of Australia’s fastest-growing areas will be diverting 500 million gallons of treated wastewater from being dumped into rivers and eventually the sea.
What’s more, the water is set to take over irrigation needs for thousands of acres of farmland—all the better considering this is happening in Australia’s “Berry Belt” region.
Managed by the local governments of Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, and Noosa around Brisbane, the Wamuran Irrigation Scheme is a total sea change from how wastewater was managed in the area before.
Class A treated effluent, or highly-treated wastewater that’s nevertheless not safe to drink, was dumped along the Caboolture River, which ran to the sea in a very nutrient-sensitive area.
The wastewater contains thousands of tons of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that can cause large blooms of harmful algae in rivers. The algae reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, choking fish, crustaceans, and frogs.
Instead, that nutrients will help fertilize crops of pineapples, avocados, strawberries, raspberries, and turf.
A 22-kilometer-long pipeline will carry the water from the South Caboolture sewage treatment plant northwestward to be stored in Moodlu Quarry—an old mining site that, like the wastewater, is being recycled into a reservoir.
The population of the areas the program is meant to cover is expected to double by 2040, and every flushed toilet will put pressure on the wastewater treatment system and therefore the river and ocean if previous practices are maintained.
This new method, informed by similar programs in Singapore, will not only boost one of the area’s largest economic outputs, but also relieve farmers of irrigation pressures whenever the next dry period comes around.
“We’re in a wet period at the moment, but it will be dry again soon, and whenever it’s dry, water is always a challenge,” said Pinata Farms general manager Gavin Scurr to ABC News AU. “It limits our production, and it limits our ability to deliver consistent fruit to consumers.”
The program will provide various knock-on benefits that are really exciting for rural residents like Scurr. The recycled water will allow natural creek systems to remain unsiphoned for more of the year, alleviating litigation between farmers upstream and those downstream. Many of these creeks fill dams on the farmers’ properties, which will be allowed to overflow and spill out over the surrounding natural ecosystem, increasing the biodiversity on the landscape.
At the moment, 5 farms are part of the initial stages of the Wamuran Irrigation program, but more could be added as infrastructure improves.
According to ABC, experts believe Queensland will become more vulnerable to droughts by 2059, at which point these recycling programs will not only be productive and sensible, but perhaps even fundamental to future Australian agriculture.
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Quote of the Day: “Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Photo by: Mohammad Ali Mohtashami
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
50 years ago today, Microsoft was founded as a partnership between childhood friends and computer whiz-kids Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The company became the largest seller of software in the world, developing MS-DOS for early IBM PCs, and later, Windows, and Microsoft Office. Its market capitalization has topped $1 trillion, and through various acquisitions has become one of the most valuable brands in history. READ more about their long string of successes… (1975)
A skeleton of Plesiopterys wildi, recently found in Germany - credit SWNS.
A skeleton of Plesiopterys wildi, recently found in Germany – credit SWNS.
The nearly complete specimen of a known plesiosaur species is opening scientists’ eyes to the diversification of these ancient marine reptiles during the Early Jurassic period.
Found in southern Germany, Plesiopterys wildi, a relatively small species measuring 10 feet long, is the only member of its genus, and a study published in the journal PeerJ Life and Environment details the discovery and analysis of the “exceptionally well-preserved” fossil.
It offers new clues about the evolution and geographic distribution of plesiosaurs in Europe nearly 180 million years ago, particularly about how isolated each was from all others, and how this isolation affected the animals’ development.
Unearthed from the Lower Jurassic Posidonienschiefer Formation near the German town of Holzmaden, the fossil, referred to as MH 7, is one of the most complete articulated plesiosaur skeletons found in the region.
Unlike ichthyosaurs and marine crocodile relatives which dominate the fossil record of the formation, plesiosaurs are comparatively rare.
The researchers say MH 7 represents a “subadult” individual, refining the known characteristics of the species and confirming its validity as a distinct taxon.
The team’s analysis positions Plesiopterys wildi as an early-diverging plesiosauroid, closely related to Franconiasaurus brevispinus, suggesting a gradual evolutionary transition towards more derived Cryptoclidids, another family of plesiosaurs from the Late Jurassic.
The researchers say the discovery supports the idea that plesiosaur species may have been “regionally distinct” within the epicontinental seas of Early Jurassic Europe.
“The Holzmaden specimen gives us an unprecedented look at Plesiopterys wildi in a more mature stage of development, allowing us to refine our understanding of this species and its place in plesiosaur evolution,” said study lead author Miguel Marx, of Lund University, Sweden.
“It also suggests that distinct plesiosaur communities may have evolved in different regions of the European seas during the Early Jurassic.”
He said the findings highlight the Early Jurassic as a crucial period for plesiosaur evolution, as early forms diversified and set the stage for later groups that would dominate marine ecosystems.
The researchers say that the presence of unique plesiosaur species in different parts of Europe reinforces the hypothesis that early members of this group may have been geographically restricted.
“Our research reinforces that plesiosaurs were already evolving specialised adaptations and distinct regional lineages much earlier than we used to believe,” said study co-author palaeoherpetologist Sven Sachs.
“This has important implications for understanding how marine reptiles responded to environmental changes in the Jurassic seas.”
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1 in every 10 women in the United States will experience the premature birth of their child. A heroic organization is helping these women keep two eyes on their baby even if they are miles away.
Called the AngelEye System, developed by the firm of the same name, it’s a camera with a remotely-accessible 24-hour feed that’s mounted via a boom arm onto any of the beds or tables an infant may be placed on.
It allows the parents who may not always be able to stay with their child to keep an eye on them whenever nerves or separation anxiety strike.
Thanks to advances in medical science, premature birth is a challenge that can be reliably overcome. A modern neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) contains batteries of devices for ensuring that development can continue on the right track for a long and healthy life even under these terrifying circumstances.
NICU stays for premature babies though can sometimes take weeks, even months, during which the new parents will have to face the fact that they can’t simply live in the hospital.
Philadelphia’s Lauren Walsh had to face this exact situation when her third baby John was born prematurely at 32 weeks, not even weighing 2 pounds.
“John was so critical when he was born that they didn’t even lift him over the sheet for me to see him,” Walsh told CBS News. “So, I saw him just being wheeled out of the operating room.”
John required a 61-day stay in the NICU, and the AngelEye Camera was a lifeline for his mom and dad who could check up on him at any point by switching the camera feed on from their phones or computers.
FOR THE MOTHERS OUT THERE:
Walsh said that her first sight of John was actually through the camera, as the most intensive care he required during his stay was in those first few hours.
“You’re always thinking about him,” father Robert Walsh said. “You’re always wondering how he’s doing, how he’s progressing. It was extremely comforting because there was not a time that I didn’t have John right here on my phone.”
MORE NICU NEWS NUGGETS:
Lauren added, saying there was no time when that camera wasn’t activated.
The Superhero Project, the main charity of the Philadelphia Building Trades, was responsible for equipping Philadelphia hospitals with the AngelEye Camera Systems, and as a tribute, John’s older siblings dress up like superheroes.
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Fears that Nebraska’s annual spring migration of sandhill cranes could be the avian equivalent of a “superspreader” event have been completely abated, as a record-setting stopover in Nebraska of thousands of birds was enjoyed without any sign of a bird flu outbreak.
Three-quarters of a million cranes migrating north to their spring habitat landed in the Platte River in Nebraska. The number is deemed an underestimation, but you try counting more than 700,000 birds.
Fears that the highly contagious new strain of bird flu H5N1 could carry over to the cranes from livestock have been assuaged as the birds are beginning to move off again without a single dead crane being observed, local news reports.
Aside from the mini celebration of bird flu’s absence, the real celebration—that this year was the largest on-record for the sandhill crane migration—can begin.
The official estimate of 738,000 animals was made during aerial surveys by the Crane Trust, a nonprofit whose raison d’etre is to protect these magnificent birds and this unforgettable spectacle.
These cranes have been visiting an 80-mile-long stretch of the Platte River, braided in some sections, for 9 million years, which these days lies between the towns of Chapman and Overton, Nebraska.
“What makes the central Platte River valley attractive to sandhill cranes is the river that we help manage,” says Matt Urbanski, a spokesman for the Crane Trust, to KSNB’s Madison Smith. “We will make sure that there’s not a ton of vegetation choking the river out. We’ll make sure that it can widen, so the sandhill cranes have six to eight inches of water to sit in during the nighttime.”
The sandhill crane stands between 3 and 4 feet tall, and is easily identifiable for its crown of red feathers and their rattling bugle-like call. It is one of only 2 species of crane that live in North America.
Sandhill cranes on the Platte River – credit: Matt Urbanski / Crane Trust.
Earlier this year, over 1,000 cranes were found dead in Indiana from H5N1, which sparked fears of an outbreak among the larger gatherings. However, the birds that migrate over Indiana and those who do so in Nebraska will seldom come into contact as they stick to rigid and separate migration routes.
Interestingly, though the cranes have visited this site for eons, they did so even before there was a river there. Additionally, they now spend much of their time feeding on spare corn kernels leftover from nearby harvests, and spend the night standing in the water where they’re safe from predators.
Arrivals and departures are staggered over several weeks, but at peak stopover, it’s one of the great sights of natural America.
“There is nothing else like it in the world,” says Marcos Stoltzfus, director of the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon, Nebraska, to News Channel Nebraska.
WATCH some migration footage below…
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A close up of the scarab - credit Israeli Antiquities Authority
A close-up of the scarab – credit Israeli Antiquities Authority
A child in central Israel could have picked up any old stone lying on the ground, but the one she chose turned out to be more than just an old stone.
Believed to have been brought to modern-day Israel by the Ancient Egyptians, 3-year-old Ziv Nitzan found a scarab amulet that could be 3,800 years old.
Ziv Nitzan with her find – credit Israeli Antiquities Authority
The head of the Israeli Antiquities Authority said such a find helps connect us to “ancient civilizations that lived in this land thousands of years ago.”
Ziv’s sister Omer Nitzan said in the Facebook post: “When she rubbed it and removed the sand from it, we saw something was different about it. I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find.”
What they found was either an Egyptian or Canaanite scarab, which bears some explaining. The English word scarab doesn’t only mean beetle, but also a culture of functional and decorative sculptural jewelry based on the beetles.
To say an Egyptian official was buried “with a scarab” means he possessed a kind of personalized piece of jewelry. Yet, they often acted as seals—conferring evidence of a bureaucratic, military, or royal position. They were sometimes carved with religious or even personal messages. The carved scarab beetle would sit atop a flat surface on which the inscriptions would be made.
“Scarabs were used in this period as seals and as amulets. They were found in graves, in public buildings, and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages, that reflect religious beliefs or status,” Daphna Ben-Tor, an Egyptologist, said in the Facebook post.
It’s thought that dung beetles were sacred animals in Ancient Egypt and that in the Sun’s movement across the sky could be seen the work of a celestial dung beetle rolling it along with its back legs. This is perhaps why the scarab beetle family came to be symbolized in their theocracy.
The family made the discovery at an ancient archaeological site called Tel Azekah, the site of the legendary battle between David and Goliath.
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