In today’s Good News, a tiny drawing sketched out by one of the old masters is making a big difference in the modern world of wildlife conservation. And if you need to lower your stress levels fast, new research says to head outside and listen to the birds.

Catherine Garcia
The Week Digital

In a potential new approach to fighting Alzheimer’s disease, researchers used engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells to target amyloid beta plaques in mice brains. These plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, and the study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science is the first to use CAR-T therapy for a neurodegenerative disease. Researchers also determined that mice treated with CAR-T cells had healthier brains compared to those given control T-cells.

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An endangered Asian elephant was born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., last week — the first such birth there in almost 25 years. Since the genes of the female calf’s parents, Nhi Linh and Spike, are “not well represented in zoos,” their baby will “strengthen the genetic diversity of the Asian elephant population,” the zoo said. The newborn, whose name will be chosen by the public, weighed in at 308 pounds and measured 38.5 inches tall.

We can learn from animals without trapping and capturing them

A small chalk drawing of a lion by Rembrandt recently sold for a record $18 million, with all proceeds going to support big-cat conservation. “Young Lion Resting” dates back to about 1640, and because the drawing depicts a leash around the lion’s neck, it is believed Rembrandt saw the lion in person, possibly at a fair. The sale will benefit Panthera, a charity that protects lions and other wild cats through habitat restoration, community partnerships and anti-poaching efforts.

Listening to birds sing, chirp and chatter reduces stress, according to new research from Germany’s University of Tubingen. Scientists studied volunteers walking in a park, separated into three groups: one that listened to loudspeakers playing birdsong, one that heard natural birdsong and one that wore noise-canceling headphones. All experienced reduced blood pressure and cortisol levels from the walking, but those who listened to and paid close attention to birdsong also saw a boost in feelings of well-being.

Robots can help develop them

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