This week’s positive news

Good morning!

Here is this week’s positive news. An extra thank you u/Moopey and u/LimJans both of which tipped me off to two pieces of news before this post. (One of u/LimJans I’m still researching.) If you come across something yourself, you’d better send it to me.

Fewer and fewer people die in heat waves

Recently, the largest ever study was completed into how many people die in heat waves each year. It is also the first time that the issue has been looked at from a global perspective. Naturally, there are large regional differences, but globally, heat wave mortality has decreased by 7.2% per decade over the past thirty years. The figure is particularly impressive because 1) heat waves have become more common over the period and 2) the world’s population is, on average, older and thus more sensitive to extreme temperatures. (Thanks u/Moopey for the tip!)

Breakthrough for infection research

Researchers at Lund University have made a breakthrough when it comes to e.g. infections. Infections work by breaking down the body’s proteins into so-called peptides. In an infected wound there are huge amounts of peptides, depending on the type of infection and how serious it is. The researchers in Lund have trained AI to sort out about 95% of the peptides in a sample, so that you are left with the important pieces. These can then be analyzed to determine the type of virus or bacteria it is, and the degree of infection. In reality, this means that something that today takes several days to get an answer to can be found in just a few minutes, which also means that you can avoid unnecessary antibiotic use, because the doctor will know exactly what type of infection it is when he writes a possible prescription . Erik Hartman, one of the researchers, says: “The cool thing is that the algorithm is not limited to wound infections, but is general and can be used for many different diseases where the breakdown of proteins plays a significant role. Peptides thus become a new source of information, which in the next step can help tailor treatment, as well as contribute to finding new drug candidates.

Taylor Swift made Stockholmers happier

On May 17-19, Taylor Swift played in Stockholm. Researchers at the School of Economics used the opportunity to measure whether, and if so how much, joy is contagious. By carrying out several measurements before, during and after the concerts both in Stockholm and the country as a whole, it was possible to determine that Stockholmers as a whole felt approx. 5% happier, felt a greater sense of belonging and were more willing to help others. The effect lasted at least from about a week before the concerts to a week after. Of course, those who went to the concert experienced the greatest effect, but the joy has since spread like ripples on the water. The phenomenon is by no means unique to Taylor Swift concerts; although this was the first time looking at a specific cultural event, it has previously been possible to measure similar effects at large sporting events, such as the Olympics or football tournaments. (Thanks u/Moopey for the tip!)

Vaccination Gaza

In an incredibly rare glimmer of light from Gaza, the first phase of polio vaccination has gone better than expected. During phase 1 of the vaccination, they managed to vaccinate 30,000 more children than had been calculated in advance. (Thanks u/LimJans for the tip!)

Connection between enlarged part of the brain and depression discovered

Thanks to improved MRI techniques, researchers have been able to identify neurological differences in those suffering from depression. In the past, it has been possible to identify small differences in the brain between depressed and healthy people, but now it has been possible to show that what is called in English the ‘frontstriatal salience network’ is on average almost twice as large in those who suffer from depression. It is not the disease itself that creates the enlargement, but rather it seems that those who have an enlarged network run a higher risk of becoming depressed. In a small-scale test with MRI images from children, it was possible to predict which of the children would become depressed several years before the disease broke out.

Endings and Sources:

These posts have got their own website! It is u/AmTeaPotSometimes who made it. We’re having some trouble writing the link directly in the post, but I’ll put it in a comment below. If you yourself have come across any positive news, please write it in a comment or send a PM, and I can include it in next week’s post.

• Heat waves: 1 2
• Taylor Swift: 1 2
• Infections:1 2
• Depression: 1
• Vaccination in Gaza: 1