OGN Wednesday
- 27 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Mid-week collection of uplifting news nuggets to brighten the day.
Supercentenarian Secret
People aged 100 and older appear to have elevated levels of a rare immune cell that kills cancerous cells, according to a new study. The finding suggests that late-age immune adaptations may play a role in longevity. Researchers in Japan tested blood samples from 28 adults divided into three age groups: 70 to 99, 100 to 109, and 110 and older. They found that the older participants, on average, exhibited a higher ratio of CD4 CTLs, a rare immune cell also found in people fighting cancer. However, these older participants showed no signs of cancer. The researchers believe elevated levels of CD4 CTLs may signal a new stage of immune development that emerges around age 100 and helps the body eliminate abnormal cells, which become increasingly common with age.
World’s First Motel
Just off U.S. Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo, California, roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is the site of what’s considered the world’s first motel. The Milestone Mo-Tel, developed by architect Arthur Heineman and later renamed the Motel Inn, opened in December 1925 as a novel overnight pit stop. Guests could drive right up to their rooms and sleep in a bed for about a dollar per night (roughly $24 today). Legend has it that the original plan was to call it the Milestone Motor Hotel, but a painter couldn’t fit all the letters on the sign, and the word “motel” was born. The site is now for sale and is expected to become a new hotel.
Biological Phenomena
A half-male, half-female bird has Chicago-area birdwatchers atwitter. Scientists say an eye-catching bobolink with both male and female characteristics temporarily took up residence at a nature preserve just west of Chicago, giving some lucky birders a rare chance to observe one of nature’s most intriguing biological phenomena up close. The bobolink is what’s known as a “bilateral gynandromorph.” Because of a genetic anomaly, the right side of its body is male while the left side is female, with a straight vertical line dividing the two halves. It’s believed to be the first documented gynandromorphic bobolink.
Amazingly, a Species of Bird Has Re-Evolved Itself: A once-extinct species of bird has re-evolved back into existence and returned to the island where it lived thousands of years ago.
Eliminate Hepatitis C
New figures suggest that England is on course to become one of the first nations to eliminate hepatitis C. The global target of treating 80 percent of all known hepatitis C cases by 2030 - set by the World Health Organization - has already been met in England, the National Health Service (NHS) has announced. Its data shows that 100,000 people received potentially lifesaving treatment for the disease in the last decade. Rachel Halford, CEO of The Hepatitis C Trust, said that England was “on the cusp of one of the most significant public health achievements in its history”.
Climate Top Priority
10,000 people marched through the Swedish capital at the weekend in a “protest against human-made climate change”, reports Euronews, “weeks ahead of a 13 September general election where the issue is top among Swedish voters' concerns”. A Verian opinion poll shows that 37 percent of respondents said the climate was a top priority in the election.
Killer Feature
Engineers building a solar farm near the Arctic Circle got used to hearing “Who the hell builds a solar plant in Lapland?” The Simo solar park now runs for almost 22 hours a day every summer (and in the winter snow reflecting light onto double-sided panels turns out to be a killer feature). Nordic investors added more new solar than wind for the first time last year, and Sweden and Finland have both hit their 2030 solar targets years early, reports Bloomberg.
"Rare are those people who use the mind; few use the heart; and really unique are those who use both." Rita Levi-Montalcini
On This Day
26 August 1682: English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes the comet named after him. In 1705, he used Isaac Newton's laws of motion to calculate that sightings from 1531, 1607, and 1682 were the same object and predicted the comet would return in 1758, which proved correct and led to it being named Halley's Comet. The comet visits Earth every 76 years, last appearing in 1986 and next returning in mid-2061.
Today's Articles
“Dream Technology”: Solar cells achieve “impossible” efficiency, generating more energy than they receive.
Ideal Guinea Pig: The Paris Games provided NBCUniversal with a billion dollar Olympics lab for LA 2028.
Mood Boosting Video
Meet Wisdom: The world's oldest known wild bird and believed to have flown 3.5 million miles in her life so far.
