1. First 100,000 KG Removed From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Ocean Cleanup has been working on ridding the world of the GPGP since 2013. Its founder and CEO, Boyan Slat, said the company's current cleanup platform, System 002, had collected 101,353kg of plastic since being deployed in August 2021. The cleanups swept a 3,000 square kilometer area of the Pacific, roughly equivalent to the size of Rhode Island or Luxembourg.
2. There are 40% more tigers in the world than previously estimated
It's the Year of the Tiger, and a new population assessment offers some hope for the endangered species.
An estimated 3,726 to 5,578 tigers currently live in the wild worldwide — up 40% from 2015, according to a new tiger assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Tigers are still considered endangered and remain on the IUCN's Red List, which assesses endangered species.
A man who has lived with HIV since the 1980s seems to have been cured in only the fourth such case, say doctors. He was given a bone marrow transplant to treat blood cancer leukaemia from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus.
The 66-year-old, has stopped taking HIV medication. He said he was "beyond grateful" the virus could no longer be found in his body. The man is known as the "City of Hope" patient after the hospital where he was treated in Duarte, California.
Nurses across Pennsylvania will begin receiving notifications next week about whether they are eligible for a share of the $55 million the state is making available to lower or erase their student loan debt.
The money for Pa. Student Loan Relief for Nurses Program comes out of state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan funds. This one-time offer will relieve selected state-licensed nurses who cared for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Pennsylvania health care facility of up to $7,500 of student loan debt.
5. This beautiful blue parrot has returned to the wild 2 years after being declared extinct
After teetering on the edge of extinction, the beautiful Spix's macaw has made its return to the wild, over two decades after the last bird was seen in nature. Eight of the bright blue parrots have been released into a protected nature reserve in Brazil.
"They're doing absolutely wonderful. So far there is 100 per cent survival. The birds are all staying together as a group... They're staying in around the release area. And they're also beginning to forage on natural occurring foods," biologist Tom White told The Current guest host Duncan McCue.
6. New research shows that signs of Alzheimer’s can be found in blood 17 years before symptoms begin.
A newly developed immuno-infrared sensor allowed researchers to discover biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease in blood samples 17 years before clinical symptoms appeared.
The goal is to determine the risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia at a later stage with a simple blood test even before the toxic plaques can form in the brain, in order to ensure that a therapy can be initiated in time.
7. Drone lifeguard saves boy, 14, from drowning in sea in Valencia in Spain
A pioneering drone lifeguard has saved a 14-year-old boy from drowning in the sea in Valencia in Spain.
The drone lifeguard service, which has been rolled out across Spanish beaches, dropped a life vest into the sea this month that was able to keep the teenager afloat just as he started to sink, its operators have said. The vest kept the boy afloat until a physical lifeguard team arrived moments later.
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