Contents
A new kind of plastic decomposes in the sun in just a week, and life expectancy can now be determined by a blood test
Topics of the week
Found a way to predict life expectancy by a blood test
American scientists have developed a system for predicting life expectancy by analyzing human blood.
Based on the analysis of certain proteins that indicate the overall level of inflammation, it is now possible to determine biological age, know the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and estimate life expectancy.
The researchers studied blood samples from 1 people aged 001-8. They set out to find out how signs of chronic systemic inflammation change with age. Scientists have previously identified nine hallmarks of the aging process. Now they have discovered the tenth sign – age-related dysfunction of the immune system. This indicator, according to experts, may be the most informative.
The authors identified a specific biomarker of immune aging, the chemokine CXCL9. With age, as systemic inflammation increases, its release increases, which ultimately contributes to cellular aging and impaired blood vessel function.
In some people, signs of systemic inflammation appear earlier, while in others later.
The iAge immune “clock” algorithm created by scientists allows not only assessing the state of the human immune and cardiovascular systems, but also predicting the rate of aging in the future.
The study has been conducted in the USA since 1948. The group included 97 extremely healthy people aged 25 to 90 from California, as well as centenarians from Bologna in Italy.
“On average, centenarians have an immune age about 40 years younger than what is considered normal. We have a separate case of a super-healthy 105-year-old man from Italy, whose immune system is at the age of a 25-year-old man, ”said David Fuhrman, head of the study.
At the same time, scientists have not yet fully understood the main triggers that cause age-related inflammation. Therefore, in the near future it is unlikely that it will be possible to develop drugs that target inflammation without harming the immune system as a whole.
China has created a plastic that decomposes in the sun and air
Chinese experts have created a new type of plastic that decomposes when exposed to sunlight and air. This development can be a real breakthrough in the fight against plastic waste.
Chinese scientists tried to improve the chemical sensor that was used to measure the level of acidity. At the same time, a new material was discovered quite by accident. They developed a polymer film that acted as an indicator and changed color depending on the chemical composition of the environment. And after seven days, it completely decomposed under the sun’s rays.
At the same time, products made from this type of plastic can only be used in dark and sealed places. Otherwise, exposure to air and light will destroy them. But the new polymer can be used to produce parts for electronic equipment or technology, where it will be isolated from air and light throughout its entire service life. This can greatly facilitate the disposal of electronic devices in the future.
It is reported that during the disintegration process, which occurs in just a week, the film releases a safe succinic acid, which is actively used in the food and drug industries. A series of studies will be required to introduce ecoplastics into mass production.
News of the week
- Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are trying to change vaccines to prevent blood clots.
- The Chinese authorities are launching a emissions trading system.
- The EU is preparing an ambitious plan to combat climate change.
- NASA has signed a contract to build a habitable module for a lunar station.
- In Germany, they learned how to extract cobalt from mining waste.
- The world’s smallest portable MRI scanner is introduced.
- scientists have learned how to double the rate at which fractures heal.
Week numbers
- Uralchem invested ₽300 million in the development of alternative products from peas
A major fertilizer manufacturer plans to enter a new business line – the production of vegetable proteins.
- Super Mario 64 cartridge sold for $1,5 million in US
The starting price of the lot at Heritage Auctions was 100 thousand, but during the auction it increased by more than 15 times, breaking the world record.
- The Japanese first discovered algae with three sexes
The researchers learned that the green algae Pleodorina starrii has three different sexes – male, female, and “third”.
Study of the week
To “make ends meet” a family in our country needs at least ₽61.
Russian households need at least ₽61 a month to make ends meet. This is ₽2,5 thousand more than two years ago, according to a survey conducted by Rosstat.
75,7% of households in our country experience financial difficulties to some extent. 24,3% of families can easily make ends meet buying the bare necessities. These are the main results of the large-scale study “Comprehensive monitoring of the living conditions of the population” for 2020.
The situation in this parameter has improved compared to 2018 (the study is conducted every two years), when 79,5% of families experienced difficulties in buying the most necessary things. In 2016, there were 84,6% of such households.
Most of all, the minimum required income increased for young families with children – by 17% to ₽80,9 thousand, and for families with disabled children – by 13% to ₽88,4 thousand.
However, the exact wording of the survey was: “What is the minimum monthly income your household needs to make ends meet, that is, to pay all the necessary daily expenses?” In other words, the required minimum of goods was understood subjectively in the survey. The cost of living in our country for 2021 is ₽11,65 thousand per capita.
More than 100 Russian families took part in the survey.
What to read
- A two-fold increase in suicidal publications on the Web was recorded
In the first half of 2021, over 22 websites and individual resource pages with calls for suicide or descriptions of its methods were blocked in our country. This is twice as much as in the same period a year earlier. For the whole of 2020, 25 such pages were blocked, Roskomnadzor reported. Experts attribute the growth to a massive transition to remote work and distance learning, as well as the emergence of viral messages that supposedly warn of danger, but in reality only generate hype among teenagers and panic among their parents.
What to listen
- Podcast “Newochem”, episode “How captives changed the culture of the invaders”
What is cultural diffusion? This term, which originated in the XNUMXth century, suggests that cultural practices flow from one person to another as smoothly and naturally as ink on paper. One of the most important channels for the dissemination of culture was captivity. Even under the yoke of slavery and contempt, people who were captured brought new ideas and technologies to the invaders.
What to see
- A new robot will help people with limited mobility get dressed
Robots have huge potential. They are able to help dress people with disabilities. But this is a rather difficult task that requires dexterity and speed. Scientists managed to develop a special algorithm, thanks to which robots learned to dress people without disturbing them.
- Billionaire Richard Branson flew to the edge of space
The Unity-22 Virgin Galactic spacecraft made the first-ever tourist suborbital flight with a crew, live broadcast was conducted on the YouTube channel and the official website of the company.