Good Morning! 🌞 

We are very happy to see so many responses to our recent Mind Stretchers! Yesterday’s was a tricky one but a lot of you got it right. Albert Knox was the first one to send us the correct answer.

Scroll down to see the solution!

Innovation

Game-Changing Cancer Test

An ongoing human study on an experimental cancer test suggests that analyzing blood proteins, instead of tumor DNA, may accurately detect up to 18 early-stage cancers. The US biotech firm, Novelna, presented trial results involving 440 individuals with 18 different cancers, using blood plasma samples from each patient and 44 healthy donors.

The Novelna team achieved high sensitivity and specificity by analyzing trace proteins in the blood. The test, which also considers sex-specific proteins, identified 93% of male and 84% of female cancers at stage I with 99% specificity. The researchers proposed the test as a foundation for a cost-effective, accurate, multi-cancer screening on a population-wide scale, covering major human organs.

Acknowledging the trial's small size, the team stresses the need for larger trials to confirm accuracy. Despite this, they highlighted the significance of detecting low-level proteins in blood samples for early tumor identification. Implementing such tests could improve survival rates, especially for cancers like breast cancer, and contribute to global efforts in combating the substantial impact of cancer, which currently accounts for one in every six deaths worldwide.

Culture

5 Year Old’s Brilliant Composition

What does a genius composer write when they are 5 years old?

I encountered this video from a very popular classical music channel on YouTube. In it they have to guess the composer by listening to the composers first piece. After they guess, they are given the answer and the age of the composer when it was written.

It is quite fun to guess along too, even if you are not well versed in classical music.

There is a reason people still remember the names of great composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach, (just to name a few). In a way it is even more noticeable when you hear what they first wrote, often as children.

World News

Centenarian Veteran Bob Booth Honored for his Service

Bob Booth, a 100-year-old World War Two veteran from Manchester, is being honored for his duty in safeguarding merchant shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic. Joining the Royal Navy at 18, Booth received three Norwegian medals for his service, aiding in the transportation of supplies for the Allies during the war.

The Norwegian government is now recognizing individuals who served on their merchant ships during the war, awarding Booth the Convoy Cup Medal, The Camp Norway Medal, and a Medallion commemorating the Liberation of Norway. Former Norwegian sea captain Wiktor Molleskog, who presented the medals, pointing out the significant contribution of the Norwegian fleet, especially the tankers transporting aviation fuel, in the Allies' victory.

Booth's granddaughter, Alison Manion, expressed pride in her grandfather's wartime service, noting his modesty about the experiences until his later years saying: "To see him with his medals round his neck - it's just so heart-warming. He's 100 years old and nobody deserves it more than my grandad." Booth also served in the Mediterranean and the English Channel, supporting troops during the D-Day invasion, and after the war, he married Peggy in 1946, and they had three children.

Environment

Slovakia, Turning Cigarette Filters into Road Asphalt!

Bratislava's waste management company, OLO, plans to deploy special containers at public events in 2024 to collect discarded cigarette butts. In collaboration with the City Council, SPAK-EKO, and EcoButt, the initiative aims to convert the waste into asphalt for roads.

While placing containers for cigarette’s are not a novel concept, the approach of using cigarette butts for road construction is a pioneering effort. The filters can be made into special fibers that can be made into an admixture for the preparation of asphalt for roads.

“If visitors to a festival, run, market or other urban event throw cigarette butts into a special container, they will contribute not only to a cleaner environment but to the material recovery of this type of waste,” Martina Čechová, manager of the circular economy at OLO, said in a press release.

Mind Stretchers

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What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
There are 7 members in the family! (If you are confused, go back and read it. You will see there is only one brother.)

Albert Knox was the first to send in the correct answer. Nice job Albert!

Be the first to send us the correct answer for today’s mind stretcher for a shout-out with the answer tomorrow. Just send us the answer and your name to [email protected] or reply to the email.

If you have any uplifting stories and experience you might want to share, send those over to [email protected] for the chance to be featured.