It is every climber’s dream to reach the summit of Mt Qomolangma. At 29,017 ft, the peak is undoubtedly the highest spot on earth. But the trek to the summit is anything but a walk in the park.

Ever since the summit was climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, eager climbers try to make the pilgrimage(朝圣之旅) to the top of the mountain every year. The last few weeks of May is the perfect time when the severe weather conditions usually open up for a brief period of time.

On one such day in May, there was a strange traffic jam of mountaineers as they navigated the “death zone” —the deadliest trail to the summit. The severe overcrowding resulted in mishaps and loss of lives.

Mountain climbing, which was once a sport for the fittest, has been crowded out by a wave of adventure tourism. Now, numerous climbers make a beeline for the top of Mt Qomolangma, led by commercial companies. Better equipment and clothing has made it appear all very easy.

However, Qomolangma is a tough mountain. With just a single icy path to the summit and only a few days of clear weather to climb, the dangers of not moving quickly can be fatal. Today, many buy a spot to the top if they have the means to pay for it, but they are ill-prepared or unfit. These tourists push themselves beyond their capacity in the thrill of achievement, risking not just their own lives but that of others following behind.

More than 200 lives have been taken by the slopes so far. Eleven climbers have died this year alone. The last stretch to the peak is a narrow path used by both people sending and descending the summit. With oxygen level at just 30% of what it is at sea level, the human body can shut down from exhaustion very quickly. Climbers have said that the mad rush to the summit makes people uncaring to the troubles of others who are struggling.

If you plan to learn a foreign language, you might think it’s going to be really challenging. You’ve probably heard a lot of talks about how it’s easier to learn languages as a young child, and that learning as an adult can be difficult. You might even know friends or family members who have tried to learn a foreign tongue and failed. That’s because they are surrounded by the failure. We’re here to cheer you up with some good news and inspire you to get started.

The amazing adult brain: whether you can learn languages at any age? Scientists are always learning about the human brain. Decades ago, experts believed that the brain developed during childhood and then kept that way for life. However, modern studies have shown us that the brain has the ability to continually form new neural (神经的) connections throughout adulthood. A 2010 Swedish study tested two groups of people, one in the range of age 21 through 30 and another between 65 and 80. Remarkably, they found no significant differences in neuroplasticity (神经可塑性). In other words, this suggests that it’s possible for you to learn new things at any age.

Besides being possible to learn languages: research also suggests that it improves the adult brain in general. In a 2012 Chinese study, experts looked at a group of adults who were learning Mandarin over a nine-month period. They found that these adults showed improved integrity in their white matter, the part of the brain that allows neural cells to communicate. The better your neural cells communicate, the easier it will be for you to learn new things.

Why may adults have an easier time learning? Children might be blessed with a naturally high degree of neuroplasticity, but that doesn’t mean learning is necessarily easier for them. In fact, adult brains have a number of great qualities that might actually make learning easier, especially if you take advantage of free language learning apps like Mondly.

Astronauts have traditionally been serious sensible types with the “right stuff” who can be trusted to fly equipment worth billions of pounds.

But any mission to Mars will need a “joker”or “class clown” figure to be successful, according to NASA research. A sense of humor will be vital for any team to keep morale (士气) high on a two-year trip to Mars which could happen in the 2030s.

Professor Johnson said, “Groups work best when they have somebody who takes on the role of the class clown. These are people that have the ability to bridge gaps when tensions appear and really boost morale. We can all think of the person at work who fulfills this role who makes us laugh and makes the job more enjoyable. People like being around them.”

“When you’re living with others in a confined space for a long period of time, such as on a mission to Mars, tensions are likely to increase. It’s vital you have somebody who can help everyone get along, so they can do their jobs and get there and back safely. It’s critical to the mission.”

Professor Johnson said that the reason Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen succeeded where Captain Scott failed in reaching the South Pole was because the Norwegians had a cheerful “clown” figure on their team. Professor Johnson said, “Amundsen had a cook named Adolf Lindstrom. People described him as being someone who laughed and was very friendly and very happy, an entertainer, keeping up people’s spirits. In Amundsen’s diary he said he had offered greater service to the Norwegian polar expedition than any other man. He was the clown of that expedition. Scott’s expedition was radically different. They broke into cliques (派系); they didn’t have a cohesive group.”

But he added, “being funny won’t be enough to land somebody the job. They also need to be an excellent scientist and engineer and be able to pass a rigorous training system.”

Clowns have to be positive. It’s pretty universal that group dynamics happen in very similar ways across all human groups.

The joker role will be tested in NASA’s group mission simulations at the Johnson Space Center.

Called an “e-broom”, Toyota’s latest mobility platform looks like a futuristic broom that users can ride to get around. Apparently, quidditch (魁地奇) fans found the concept very attractive.

    11    , but it is capable of helping people moving on the ground, as long as they are wearing roller-skates. The e-broom is meant to be ridden like a witch’s broom, only instead of relying on magic to take its users towards the sky, it relies on an electrical motor and a wheel at the bottom to push its rider forward at a not-so-fast speed. It’s not as impressive as we’d like it to be, but at least it’s a step toward a real life quidditch broom.

    12    , we don’t have much information on the e-broom. We don’t know the capacity of the motor or the battery, maximum speed or even when or if it’s going to be on market. We do know that it has a transparent cat as decoration as its tip.     13    .

“This mobility platform combines people and machines, and allows users to feel the enjoyment of mobility.     14    !” a Toyota press release states.     15    . And those of quidditch are in particular, very excited, but unless they plan to wear roller-skates in their games, they’ll have to wait a while for an improved ride.