The microbes saving bees, preventing maternal deaths, protective UV contact lenses

Photo: Krzysztof Niewolny / Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, scientists have engineered a microbe that protects bees from the deadly varroa mite, online courses on abortions that reduce the number of maternal deaths, and smart contact lenses warn their users of UV light.

Scientists have engineered a microbe to help bees fight off the deadly mite that causes colonies to collapse

The deadly varroa mite can be fought by the genetically modified bacteria which leads the parasite to self-destruct and will protect the beest against colony collapse disorder.

Source: The Scientist

MSF launches online course on medical abortions to reduce number of maternal deaths

Médicins Sans Frontières, working with HowToUseAbortionPill.org, launched the platform for humanitarians last week, hoping to reduce the number of maternal deaths.

Source: Devex

Contact lenses that change colour based on UV light remind to protect against the sun

These contact lenses will change colour when exposed to UV light to remind their wearer to put on sunscreen or to seek shade.

Source: New Scientist

Pope Francis has created a homeless shelter in a Roman Palace

Thanks to the religious leader, a 19th century palace next to the Vatican has been converted into a shelter for those facing poverty and homelessness.

Source: Global Citizen

Scientists have developed a way for plastic to be recycled hundreds of times without losing quality

A new breakthrough means that the material does not lose its quality, even after being recycled hundreds of times. Most plastics can currently only be recycled two or three times before becoming unusable.

Source: Euronews

“Cyborg Jellyfish” have been created by scientists to help explore the ocean

The “biohybrid” jellyfish have low-power microelectronics on their undersides, which will make them swim three times as fast as normal jellyfish. Scientists from Stamford and Caltech will use these jellyfish globally to help explore the Earth’s oceans.

Source: Futurism

Yale researchers have found a new method to reverse type-2 diabetes and liver fibrosis in mice

The studies show a new path for reversing type-2 diabetes and liver fibrosis in mice, and have shown that the processes would be effective in humans too.

Source: Medical Xpress

AI-Powered Plantix app to help farmers fight against pests and plant diseases

The Plant Doctor’ can detect pests and diseases by usng machine learning, an will offer farmers tips on how to treat the plants, aiding smaller farmers and increasing food security.

Source: Reset

Dogs trained to save citrus trees by sniffing out bacteria

Researchers have trained dogs to sniff out the bacteria that causes citrus greening, with nearly 100% efficacy, in a move to save the industry from a pandemic.

Source: Tree Hugger

Reading project in Rio de Janeiro spreads books in schools

Thanks to the work of 73-year-old Maria Cristina Basilio, who founded the Blue Dragon Book Club, students in municipal schools have greater access to reading tools.

Source: Future Perfect

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