tv Tomorrow Today Deutsche Welle April 20, 2019 5:30am-6:01am CEST
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south so they can plant crops and find food. floods and droughts will climate change become the main driver of mass migration you can write any apocalyptic scenarios you want and probably most of them to come from. canada so this starts to fall thirty years on t w. hello and welcome to tomorrow today the science show on d w coming up on this edition. learning from nature's example how wild plants and insects can produce agriculture. the science behind medicinal plants researchers are unlocking leonsis. but first spiders and their potential role in medicine there's so could save lives.
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mother nature is a monster of invention science can learn a lot from the incredible materials around us like bamboo it's light flexible and still extremely steady because of the knots along the stem. and caterpillar silk is another it warms up in the cold and cools down in the heat nature spins out of all kinds of fascinates materials some could even be used to heal us. every year nearly three hundred thousand people have a heart attack in germany alone many of those who survived face dealing with a weakened heart for the rest of their lives. that's because the heart muscle tissue damaged in an attack can't regenerate scar tissue forms which affects the hearts ability to pump. but this might be about to change thanks to spiders
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they could help millions of people regain a strong and healthy heart. find their path to spiders or simply amazing might comes to producing materials there are masters at manufacturing remarkable fibers. it's the spider silk that has scientists excited it's made up mainly of proteins and it's a biological model a strand maybe only two thousands of a millimeter wide yet it's tougher and stronger than any other known fiber. it's possible to milk spiders to. the material is being used more and more in the field of medicine for example dressing. used inside our bodies. the most exciting aspect of these fibers is that they are invisible to the body so they can be used as a bio shield in stealth mode anything you wrap and so is no longer regarded as
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a foreign substance by the body this is a great achievement we can avoid triggering any reaction on the part of the body to the surface of so. scaffolding material. at the university and. natural to grow heart muscle cells. microscope you can see individual cells contracting rhythmically. there is a downside natural. the problem is we couldn't produce cells of the same quality or in sufficient quantities so we abandon the project because we thought we could never implemented in humans. bought. in the meantime thomas scheiber over in by ojt was working on
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a possible solution to the problem artificial spider silk. and was we had one advantage before us twenty years of research had failed so we knew what not to do. after many years of work shy who fought our way to engineer spider silk protein. with the help of tyria. to achieve this he first had to decipher the d.n.a. of the spider then he identified the blueprint of a certain silk protein and translated it into the language of the bacteria and then planted these genes into the genome of the bacteria which could then produce the valuable so protein. that was the plan and it worked. right now large amounts of the spider so protein can be produced in so called for
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mentors. after several rounds of purification and processing the protein is reduced to a white powder this powder can then be processed as needed in huge quantities. we produce tons of silk protein in one hundred twenty thousand leader bioreactors it is in fiction anymore it's already in reality. the protein is being tested as a coating on breast implants to improve bio compatibility and decrease the chance of an adverse response. it's probably also well seated as a coating for artificial heart valves. sprayed on as a fin film the silk protein would make the foreign parts almost invisible to the body. and the synthetic protein looks like a fantastic resource for felix angle in his quest to grow new heart muscle cells as
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a gel it can be used in three d. printing. three d. technology is available we all know we can print non-living matter and now we're seeing it's possible to print a living matter as well. perhaps one day we might be able to print heart muscle blood vessel and connective tissue cells in just the right combination . for now the initial experiments show that heart muscle cells produced in this way can form a structure and beat synchronously for several weeks. in the future it might be possible to apply such engineer tissue to damaged areas of the heart and give it new strength. the prospect of replacing and renewing heart muscle in humans is still quite distant the individual components of the printed heart tissue would have to grow together and form
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a single well formed unit and the implanted to she would have to be able to beat in sync with the recipient's heart nevertheless there is growing confidence that this goal will eventually be achieved with the help of high tech spider silk. it seems there's no end to nature's curative powers have you ever thought of metals as medicine. how about ginger as a natural antibiotic. all sage to treat a sore throat. they say is the medicinal treasure trove. and there's still so much left to discover. it's knowledge dating back thousands of years the healing effect of plants and hopes knowledge that was of great importance in the middle ages and then to some
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extent forgotten. but many scientists are now developing a curiosity for these plants and medical practitioners rediscovering their healing powers. to the medical remedies are often underestimated they shopwoman conventional medicine sometimes they're the first choice. where in town or snare frank frat with is from put karma she's looking for hopes for medicinal teas today she mostly wants young nettles and birch and black berry leaves. some independents and i collect metals and birch leaves because they flush out the urinary system. and black berry leaves have an anti inflammatory effect and the mouth want to use all three to make an herbal blend quite and it's like a home remedy. hose up with you can. also her back spat at frankfurt's palm and gotten botanical gardens she knows the potential of plants to protect themselves
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against past some pathogens they often contain oils substances and assets that kill germs. like willows along with many other active ingredients that contain salicylic acid compounds at the end of the nineteenth century chemists developed these substances in two thousand of the most. fever and pain relief medications. aspirin . there are more than seven hundred plants in germany known to have medicinal effect a new ones are discovered around the world all the time. research and has hansel is trying to unlock more secrets from the plant world he's investigating marshmallow root and cats whiskas which contain substances that could help relieve coughs and urine every tract infections. the research is job is to develop new drugs and improve the ones that are already available. is the future the problem is the sheer multitude of substances in these medicinal plants often we know the plant has an
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effect but many times we don't know which of the countless substances is responsible that's what our research is about cracking this code so we can develop more effective medications we're. going to come and begin to put. red sage is also an intriguing plant it's nice to have a wind healing effect but there are over fifty attentional active ingredients so which one is responsible for healing wounds researches are trying to find out says he sings human skin cell cultures they treat them each with just one isolated substance from the sage plant. the question is does the substance promote cell growth. because for a wing to heal new skin cells have to grow in that area. the samples are tested a few days later it's a painstaking test but the results could be huge. for would.
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be such a great breakthrough to identify which substances have the most positive effect on wound healing especially for bedridden patients with wounds that are hard to treat hopefully our research will help us to develop new drugs. scientists haven't tested all the substances yet but they hope to find the active ingredient within a year or two and to develop a drug from it. the research is further along for other medicinal plants. markdown a is from the submitted clinic in western germany he treats patients every day with highly effective herbal drugs the clinic is one of six acute care clinics across the country that focus on complementary and alternative medicine half of all patients at the clinic receive it usually alongside conventional medicine. for a severe cough for example but also to fight urinary tract infections and chronic
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gastrointestinal diseases or to lower cholesterol levels. the clinic uses more than fifty plant based medicines in the internal medicine department alone and house them so fifteen years. of supplementing conventional medicine with herbal remedies can offer big results. like the nonspecific back pain and i am and many people suffer from. it if she looks not at on specific back pain can be greatly helped by using herbal medicine because if the biggest advantage of these herbal drugs is that they often cause fewer side effects significantly fewer herbal medicine also plays a major role in treating respiratory diseases it can alleviate the symptoms which means less coughing less pain in the limbs and faster healing and there is no conventional alternative to this herbal remedy that's on a par in terms of side effects. of you. want to be fancy.
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of course it's always important to speak to a doctor about because of an illness and the treatment plan. self medicating with herbal remedies alone can be life threatening. it's a danger that is respond put karma is aware of. even though the hope she collects are considered completely safe she's very careful and she knows when to seek medical attention. in this market doesn't she. if i notice a slight infection in my bladder or kidneys i use these plans. done good it is a flaw but i monitor myself carefully. if after two or three days there is no improvement i would definitely go to a doctor and have it checked out. clearly. disproves some of that but pretty late
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she's collected straight away so that the active ingredients can infuse best. she tries the rest to make tea plans for later medicine cabinet scavenged from nature. even pesky we can help to heal us. we asked on facebook if there are any natural remedy used to swear by. puttin aquia as a blunt tang is a fan of metal because they can defend themselves and defend us. could reach a burqa every year carnegie thinks aloe vera is probably the best skin remedy she knows it has a powerful effect on the skin especially when it's combined with lemon juice and other natural products. and stim are just barely gratis
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says james is the first thing he takes when he's ill and it's even better with a bit of honey and lemon. for your comments. to see it becomes a seedling it grows its first leaves. and then flowers and eventually the fruit with fields of its own and so the cycle begins again but plans change constantly depending on the time of day. joshua crave from ghana sent in this photo with a question for us. why do flowers close at night and how do they do it. the flowers don't only move when the wind blows. or when you give them to your sweetheart. it all happens so slowly that the movement is best captured with time lapse photography. a rose bursts into
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bloom. morning plants open and close their blossoms every day not all at night but at different times depending on their needs why is that they only pollinators to carry their pollen to other flowers and fertilize them. but have flowers all opened at the same time the competition for the beans or balancer of birds would be very great. crocus as do close their flowers at night the theory is that they do so to protect their pollen from the damp and the cold but how do they do it. at this party it's easy to see how it works the young people use their muscles and joints to make their dance moves. but flowers all they have to do is stand there to attract pollinators with their
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beautiful colors nectar and fragrance. but they do also have joints of a sword where the petals grow out of the stone. when the water pressure inside increases the bloom opens. when the pressure subsides the flower closes and takes a rest. if outlet is read why aren't byron do you have a science question that you've always wanted answered we're happy to help out send it to us as a video text or voicemail if we answer it on the show we'll send you a little surprise as a thank you. come on you just ask. you'll find us at v.w. dot com slash science on twitter did over here under school site tech and on facebook d.w.
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dot science. flower is open up to lure in their insect visitors like bees bees live in communities sophisticated systems with a clear division of labor nurse species look after the larvae worker bees build the honeycomb from where else and they fly out to collect nectar to make honey as a small these can do things they'd never be able to do on their own that's what our web video is all about this week. how did peace defy the wind. once a year honeybees head out to form a new colony. to rest during their search they gather under branches to huddle together. scientists wanted to know how honeybees swarm holds together in the wind. so in the lab they built these
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movable platforms to simulate winds. when the swarm a shake and the bees are exposed to extreme loads especially those directly on the board. these responded by spreading out. placer county makes a small more stable. resources track the movements of individual beans and found that they crawl in the direction of the high alert and. when all the bees follow that rule the cone becomes flattened. then the colony becomes more stable and can withstand the wind small intelligence makes for a stronger colony. these butterflies and other insects need large medicine grasslands to thrive. that's industrial
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monoculture is humming that biodiversity that's bad for the bugs especially the pollinators we rely on scientists are looking for a solution. researchers at the university of bonn visit these fields regularly to count the insects this is a research facility of the agriculture department across the rhine in half their aims to make farms and farming more insect friendly. the fields here are bordered by head dros and wild flowers. thomas during says they attract all kinds of insects. more than fifty species of ground beetle spend the winter in these hedges when spring comes they get to work. around beetles in parasites there are lots and
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lots of these beetles here in the field so they consume lots and lots of pests. with the hedges flowers and grasses the agricultural ecologists have created a habitat. for beneficial insects that eat the past reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides. here's a lady bird lover it feeds on aphids fun. by promoting beneficial bugs we can substantially reduce the pest population reduce not eliminate some always remain as you can see here on these beans. but we can succeed in stabilizing the system.
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alongside the hedges the flowers around the field don't all bloom at the same time but in sequence so the insects never run out of food. many different species of insect make use of the flowers. this part of the field is known as the head land or turn row where the tractors turn warned. this because of the heavy traffic the soil tends to be rather compacted. so the yield here isn't so great. when it comes to crops the area may not be so attractive in economic terms. but we can use it to house insects. it's not just the edges of the field that look different
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the field itself has to. know weed killers are used here so insects find food throughout the fields seeds pollen nectar from poppies and cameo. the downside is that the wild flowers compete with the crops for nutrients in the soil . you have to accept some degree of weed cover gannett farming you can never keep all weeds and bay that's not the aim anyway. overall organic farming yields about twenty percent less than conventional farming. on the other hand by deploying beneficial bugs and a range of other measures we can ensure that yields are relatively stable. drilling and his colleagues use mechanical methods to deal with weeds not chemicals
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. the equipment can only be used between the rows of crops any weeds right up against the wheat remain. the crop rotation is carefully planned six different crops over a six year cycle and then it starts all over again. each crop takes a different mix of nutrients from the soil depletion is slower and more balanced. the insects thrive in the good soil. there's no need for synthetic nitrogen fertilizer its job is done by the legumes such as clover and beans that make up part of the rotation cycle their roots bind nitrogen from the air and make it available to the soil. crop rotation is a key part of organic farming with it you can kill two birds with one stone well
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not just two but ten the soil here is nothing like what you have with say a maze monoculture the soil structure is much much better. nice and crumbly it is. this has to do with lots of beneficial insects neta disease prevention. and better way contro. rotation has lots of advantages that all come together. biodiversity here is thirty percent greater than in conventionally farm fields and when it comes to pollinators it's fifty percent greater blossoming hedge rows and borders no pesticides less fertilizer plus crop rotation this winning combination is bearing fruit and a bit and here's the well being. was hooked on so many species. meaning
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the latest fashion in chocolate easter eggs part of a special easter collection created by conception or by time was called. to his concept this year in what could. modeled on designs by great means and fashion eggs quested easter creations. the romans thirteen and the. old order is history the world is reorganizing itself and the media's role is keep shifting powers the topic in focus at the global media forum twenty nineteen the laboratory for nigel h. . who are we following do we trust to debate and shape the future at the
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doj a valid global media forum twenty nineteen the place made for minds. and during the civil chain reaction of progress. began around six hundred years ago. in the renaissance the revolution in thought enabled us mention that people became aware of their abilities and strengths in a new. well. there was an outpouring of self-confidence and i mentioned it's the first. architects. scientists. and artists. invented completely new things and top of the ancient giants who had originally been its teachers are going to. try to put europe out of the darkest millimeters into a new epoch. because probably no place anywhere in the us with things more
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inventive such quick succession and a few of. the renaissance. starts april twenty second t.w. . in the united states a congressional committee has issued a subpoena demanding to see a complete copy of the report into possible collusion between president trump and russian agents during the twenty sixteen presidential campaign committee chairman jerry nadler said he could not accept the current redacted document which he said quote leaves most of congress in the dark. in northern ireland the people of london derry have been remembering a twenty nine year old woman who was shot dead during an overnight right.
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