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Are bees smarter than we think? Scroll down to find out. It’s a fascinating read!!

Health Science

New Treatment for Rare, Deadly Lung Condition

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a novel treatment developed by Merck, Winrevair, aimed at treating a severe and progressive lung disease, marking a significant advancement for both the pharmaceutical company and individuals diagnosed with the rare condition.

Winrevair has been authorized for the treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition affecting roughly 40,000 Americans. This drug stands out as the first to directly tackle the underlying cause of PAH, whereas existing medications have focused on symptom management.

PAH is characterized by the narrowing of small blood vessels in the lungs, leading to elevated blood pressure in the arteries that transport blood from the heart to the lungs. This condition can severely damage the heart and limit physical activity, with a 43% mortality rate within five years of diagnosis, according to data from Merck.

Merck anticipates that Winrevair will be accessible through selected specialty pharmacies in the U.S. by the end of April. The medication, which is administered as an injection every three weeks, will be available in kits containing either one or two vials.

The cost of Winrevair is expected to be set at $14,000 per vial before insurance adjustments, as stated by a Merck representative. However, the company is offering a program to assist eligible patients with their out-of-pocket expenses and copayments.

Designed to be used in conjunction with other treatments for PAH, Winrevair aims to enhance exercise capacity, alleviate the severity of the condition, and lower the risk of disease progression.

This FDA approval is particularly crucial for Merck as it seeks to diversify its revenue sources ahead of the 2028 patent expiration of its best-selling cancer drug, Keytruda.

The approval was based on the results of a late-stage clinical trial involving over 300 PAH patients at a moderate stage of the disease who were already on another treatment for their condition. The trial demonstrated that patients taking Winrevair in addition to their existing therapy could walk approximately 40.8 meters further in six minutes after 24 weeks compared to those on a placebo.

The improvement in mobility and the increased ability to exercise is tremendous, as PAH significantly restricts patients' physical activities due to symptoms like severe shortness of breath. Moreover, when combined with another medication, Winrevair notably achieved eight out of nine secondary objectives in the study, including an 84% reduction in the risk of death or deterioration of the condition compared to those on an existing treatment alone.

World News

Billionaire Constructs Mega Clean Energy Plant

The Khavda solar and renewables park, located in Gujarat, India, is a significant endeavor. Aiming for an ambitious capacity of 30 gigawatts—matching the entirety of Switzerland's national grid—the park will cover an area over five times larger than the city of Paris and is estimated to cost $20 billion. It's designed to supply enough energy for 16 million Indian households, potentially contributing 9% to India's renewable energy mix by 2070.

This project, which includes solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage, is led by Sagar Adani, the executive director of Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), part of the Adani Group—India's leading coal power investor. Despite the Group's considerable resources, the initiative highlights the practical use of barren land for generating renewable energy.

With the Adani Group pledging to invest $100 billion in the energy transition over the next decade—primarily in clean energy—this commitment supports India's objective to reach net-zero emissions by 2070.

As India's economy continues to grow, driven by a burgeoning middle and upper-income population and increasing demand for energy, projects like Khavda become essential for sustainable development.

Environment

Are Bees Smarter than We Think?

A study published in Nature suggests that bumblebees possess the ability to teach each other complex behaviors.

In this research, bees were trained to solve a puzzle in exchange for a sugary reward. Remarkably, these trained bees were able to pass on their acquired skills to other bees, indicating that bees can engage in social learning of behaviors previously thought to be beyond their capacity.

The concept of culture, often discussed in human context, refers to socially learned behaviors that persist over time. Evidence suggests that animal culture, like human culture, can involve cumulative learning, where new behaviors build upon existing ones.

While human cumulative culture involves behaviors of considerable complexity, previously thought beyond individual discovery, such phenomena had not been observed in invertebrates.

Alex Thorton, a co-author of the study, points out the unique attribute of human species: the progressive improvement of skills and technologies through the spread and refinement of innovations.

Unlike humans, bumblebees rely on social learning to acquire non-natural behaviors like string-pulling and ball-rolling for rewards. To investigate their capacity for learning complex behaviors, researchers designed a challenging two-step puzzle box.

Despite ample time, individual bees from different colonies couldn't independently solve the puzzle. However, after just two days of training, demonstrator bees could successfully complete the task, often requiring rewards at the initial step. Subsequently, untrained bees quickly learned the puzzle-solving technique from the demonstrators without needing a reward, suggesting social learning and potential cultural transmission among bumblebees.

Check out the bees in action below:

Culture

Attic Filled with Looted Art from Battle of Okinawa

A Massachusetts family stumbled upon a valuable collection of Asian art while sorting through their late grandfather's belongings last year. They reached out to the FBI Art Crimes Unit in Boston when they realized the grandfather, despite being a World War II veteran, had no connection to the Pacific Theater.

Special Agent Geoffrey J. Kelly explained that the family identified several items, particularly scrolls, matching entries in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File from about 20 years ago.

In total, the FBI recovered 22 artifacts, including painted scrolls from the 18th-19th centuries, a 19th-century hand-drawn map of Okinawa, and various pottery, ceramics, and metalwork. An unsigned typewritten letter found among the artifacts confirmed their looting during the Battle of Okinawa at the end of World War II.

Kelly reiterated the cultural significance of the artifacts, highlighting their importance in preserving Okinawan history. The FBI transferred the items to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C., where the scrolls were carefully unveiled, revealing portraits of Okinawan royalty.

Kelly stressed the importance of returning such cultural artifacts to their rightful owners, expressing gratitude for the family's decision to report their findings to the FBI.

Watch the story here:

Mind Stretchers

⁉️ 

What is the largest possible number you can write using only 2 numbers - just 2 numbers, no other mathematical symbols?

Answers to yesterday’s Mind Stretchers:
Add “S”, then they become spies 🕵️ 

Galen Garretson got the correct answer first!

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.