Laura Sharkey breeds mixed-breed dogs, but they’re not Goldendoodles, Chiweenies, Pomskys, or any other designer crosses. She doesn’t even aim for a specific build, size, or coat. “I’m not concerned with what they look like,” she says of her puppies. “I don’t want any genetic pressure other than health and state of mind.”

Sharkey and Eric a Pytlovany, both dog trainers, founded BosunDogs in 2019 after witnessing clients continually face severe behavioral challenges in adopted dogs. They regularly see owners face rehoming or even euthanizing (使安乐死) their pets due to health issues. “I would really love for all families who want a nice dog to be able to get a nice dog —and we don’t have that right now,” says Sharkey, who also owns WOOFS! dog-training centers in Arlington, Virginia. “I decided that the best way I could do that was to breed them.”

Sharkey is part of the growing functional-breeding movement, which raises dogs in small-scale settings to be friendly and healthy pets, with less focus on purebred (纯血统的) status. “I want to breed dogs for what I think is the actual highest function a dog has, especially in this country, which is as a companion animal,” says Sharkey.

In particular, Sharkey hopes to offer an alternative to purebred puppies, around a third of which are bred in high-volume kennels (犬舍). And while some of these facilities are regulated by the USDA and meet standards such as Purdue University’s Canine Care Certified, many don’t pay as much attention to selecting healthy breeding dogs and providing adequate puppy enrichment as small-scale breeders do, says Sara Reusche, owner of Paws Abilities Dog Training in Rochester, Minnesota.

Some concerned with the health and welfare of purebred puppies choose to adopt shelter animals as an alternative. But this route may not be feasible for everyone—especially in high-demand areas, such as the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and West Coast. Twenty years ago, many U. S. shelters euthanized dogs to provide space for new intakes, explains Reusche.

For the perfect cup of tea, does one add milk to boiling water, or the opposite? Neither, based on a new research in the journal Current Biology. What must be prepared first, instead, are the microbes(微生物).

Previous studies have shown that the presence of the right microbes can enhance the absorption of critical nutrients like iron, phosphorus (磷) and nitrogen (氮).

Tea experts Wei Xin and Wenxin Tang at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in China were attracted by it because tea plants rely upon nitrogen-rich ammonium (铵)in the soil around their roots to produce theanine, an amino acid (氨基酸) that generates their special pleasant flavors. Collecting the roots and leaves of 17 different tea types at different times of year, Dr Xin and Dr Tang found that theanine production varied widely, even among similar teas. Some highly valued oolong teas, such as Rougui, produced a lot of the compound, whereas others, such as Maoxie, produced less.

After growing these two types under identical conditions, the researchers collected soil samples and used genetic analysis to identify which microbes were present around the roots. The microbes of the two were very different. Crucially, Rougui had more microbes associated with nitrogen than did Maoxie. Consequently, Rougui also showed a greater ability to absorb nitrogen from ammonium in the soil. These differences were particularly clear in the autumn, when the roots were accumulating theanine.

To explore further, the researchers created a community of microbes that resembled the community found around autumnal Rougui roots and applied them to the roots of Maoxie plants. They report that this not only enhanced root growth in Maoxie seedlings by giving them a nitrogen boost, but also nearly tripled the theanine in the leaves.

Flavors aside, what they found has the potential to make a wider environmental impact. Most farmers add some form of nitrogen to their soil to enhance growth. While some of this is absorbed by plants, most runs off during heavy rains and ends up polluting natural water bodies. When the researchers applied their microbial mixture to soil, they found that, just as with Maoxie, the newcomers enhanced nitrogen uptake. This suggests that these microbes have the potential to create new flavors while also reducing agricultural pollution. That should be everyone’s cup of tea.

As new data from Famileo reveals the loneliness issue in the UK, its founder looks at the reality of social isolation in today’s digital age.

A consumer survey conducted by Famileo has revealed that nearly half of British adults feel disconnected from their loved ones nowadays. The past few years have been unquestionably tough. The isolation of the pandemic has led to many of us experiencing prolonged feelings of loneliness and seclusion (隐居), even long after any restrictions were lifted. Pair this with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and people are socializing with others far less than before. The way we interact with others has become dominated by digital channels, social media exactly. While social media have proven an incredibly useful tool, most of Brits believe that our growing reliance on technology to interact has impacted the frequency of in-person social interaction, leading to increased isolation.

Another contributing factor to social isolation is physical distance. Combined with the demands of our increasingly busy lives, the physical distance between family members often prevents us from keeping in contact with our loved ones as often as we would like.

Talking of social isolation, our minds often spring straight to the older generations who regularly find themselves left out, owing to their declining physical capacity and a gap in digital literacy. Interestingly though, despite effortlessly navigating the digital landscape, it is younger generations who report feeling the most isolated, 41 per cent of people aged from 16 to 24 feeling the rise of social media causing increased isolation.

While digital platforms like Facebook serve as a means to send photos and life updates quickly and easily, the majority of Brits still love the tangible (可触摸的、可感知的) experience of receiving personal post. Considered a dying art, it is clear snail mail, still has its place. Whether it be a letter, birthday card, or family newsletter, I have seen how enriching the touchable experience of sending and receiving personal post can be, to people of all ages. Nurturing relationships and fostering a profound sense of being loved and better connected to loved ones, it is a vital tool that we should employ as a means to not only relieve the effects of social isolation, but simply brighten someone else’s day.