【推荐2】The researchers say a person loses two months for every kilogram overweight they are— and seven years for smoking a packet of cigarettes a day.

Unusually, the Edinburgh university team found their answers by analysing differences in people’s genetic code or DNA. Finally they think it will show new ways of helping us to live longer.

The group used the genetic code of more than 600, 000 people who are taking part in a natural experiment. If someone smokes, drinks, drops out of school and is overweight, it can be difficult to identify the impact of one specific unhealthy behavior.

Instead, the researchers turned to the natural experiment. Some people carry mutations(变异) in their DNA that increase(食欲) or make them more likely to put on weight, so researchers were able to compare those programmed to eat more with those who were not. The research team also found specific mutations in human DNA that alter lifespan (寿命).

●Mutations in a gene (a set of instructions in DNA) that is involved in running the immune system could add seven months of life on average.

●People with a mutation that increased levels of bad cholesterol knocked eight months off lifespan.

●A rare mutation in a gene—APOE—linked to dementia reduced lifespan by 11 months.

●And one that made smoking more appealing cut lives by five months.

Dr Joshi says that while genes do influence lifespan, “you’ve got even more influence” through the choices you make. Dr Joshi said, “We hope to discover genes affecting lifespan to give us new information about ageing and construct treatment tor ageing.”

There are also some disease mutations that clearly affect lifespan and to destructive effect, such as the Huntington’s gene. People with Huntington’s often die in their 20s.

However, in order to follow people until the end of their lives, many of the people studied were born before 1940.

【推荐1】It’s common knowledge that some countries have higher life expectancies (预期寿命) than others, but the city you live in can also affect your health.

Some cities are hard on their residents. In places with poor city planning, for example Lagos, which was called out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit, public spaces are few, making outdoor activities hard. Lack of infrastructure (基础建设) blocks the streets with cars and the air with pollutants, and residents work long hours for little money.

These are just some of the factors concluded by Spotahome, a rental agency. They’ve analyzed data from a range of sources, including the World Health Organization, TripAdvisor and the CIA World Facebook to score each city on health, gym availability and quality, life expectancy, obesity (肥胖), green space and other elements to make a list to work out a list of the world’s healthiest cities.

The list is certainly Euro-centric but continuous sunshine is seen as a positive thing, even if it may be more of a disadvantage in other regions. But it does go some way towards suggesting which cities are getting it right in providing a good life for their residents. It may not be surprising to learn that most of the healthiest cities are in northern Europe, known for its people-first approach to city planning. The cities of Australia and Canada also do well — but Alaska, the first U.S. city is only in 34th place. The U.K. doesn’t fare too well either — its only city in the top 50 list is London, in 40th.

Whether you’re planning a wholesome holiday, or simply wondering what your city can do better, this list of the 50 healthiest cities will give you pause for thought about the future of city planning. Here are the attractive, healthy-eating, clean-aired cities that are getting it right.

【推荐2】The curb cut (路缘坡) is a convenience that most of us rarely, if ever, notice. Yet, without it, daily life might be a lot harder—in more ways than one.

Pushing a baby stroller onto the curb, skateboarding onto a sidewalk or taking a full grocery cart from the sidewalk to your car—all these tasks are easier because of the curb cut.

But it was created with a different purpose in mind.

It’s hard to imagine today, but back in the 1970s, most sidewalks in the United States ended with a sharp drop-off. That was a big deal for people in wheelchairs because there were no ramps (斜坡) to help them move along city blocks without assistance. According to one disability rights leader, a six-inch curb “might as well have been Mount Everest” for wheelchair-bound people. So, activists from Berkeley, California, who also needed wheelchairs, organized a campaign to create tiny ramps at intersections to help disadvantaged people dependent on wheels move up and down curbs independently.

I think about the “curb cut effect” a lot when working on issues around health equality. The first time I even heard about the curb cut was in a 2017 Stanford Social Innovation Review piece by PolicyLink CEO Angela Blackwell. Blackwell rightly noted that many people see equality as “a zero-sum game (零和游戏)”. Basically, there is a deeply rooted social belief among them that intentionally supporting one group hurts another. What the curb cut effect reveals though, Blackwell said is that “when society-creates the circumstances that allow those who have been left behind to participate and contribute fully, everyone wins.”

One such example is closed captioning (字幕), originally intended to help deaf people understand movies and TV shows without needing to hear dialogue or sounds. But it’s easy to think of other applications for closed captioning: it’s convenient for customers watching TV in a noisy bar or gym, second-language learners who want to read as well as listen, or students who use it as a study aid.

So, next time you cross the street, or roll your suitcase through a crosswalk or ride your bike directly onto a sidewalk—think about how much the curb cut, that change in design that broke down walls of exclusion for one group of people at a disadvantage, has helped not just that group, but all of us.

【推荐1】When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China's name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.

Alcohol

Shocked? It was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC—1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely consumed by people.

Tea

China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The Mechanical Clock

Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 AD and 907 AD.

Silk Fabric

Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.

【推荐2】Studies have suggested early rising and success might be linked. People who wake up early are more in keeping with the traditional corporate schedule and tend to have more positive personalities, which might lead to better grades in school or higher wages on the job.

Is getting up early for everyone? No. There's been lots of research about how some people are biologically more likely to feel more alert （机敏的）in the morning, while others are at their best at night. You might be more alert and have better cognitive （认知的）ability in the afternoon, for instance. So, if you don't naturally feel alert in the morning but decide to wake up early anyway, you might be disturbing your actual top performance times. Of course, people may have personal reasons for making an early start. Parents with young children or workers with non-traditional hours may also have no choice about what time they start the day.

Getting up early doesn't necessarily translate to instant success at the office. In fact, depending on the person, it could end up having a negative effect. Especially if you don't normally wake up super early and are trying to follow some kind of productivity fashion. An even worse condition may arise if you're actually reducing sleep to become an early riser. Sacrificing sleep means you may be hit by the many negative effects of sleep lack. Getting a full night's sleep and getting the same amount of sleep at the same time each night are both important. So if early rising means cutting sleep, don't do it.

What should you do? Don't listen to thought-leaders or Linkedln influencers but figure out what works best for you. Pay attention to when you feel most tired and most awake. Make a note of the times you fall asleep and wake up naturally. Try to adjust your schedule to those times, as that's how you'll tap into most of your natural energy for the day ahead. And above all, it's getting adequate amounts of sleep.

【推荐3】Best Soda Alternatives

You know soft drinks aren’t a smart way to get rid of your thirst. Making them a habit increases your risk of being overweight. But water isn’t the only smart alternative. Choose pure juice which has fewer calories and more nutrients will contribute to your good health. Studies show surprising benefits from:

Orange Juice

Drinking a couple of glasses of OJ prevents the inflammation that can be caused by a fast food breakfast, making damage to blood vessels less likely, a new study shows. The protective effect may come from the juice’s contents with anti-inflammatory properties.

Grape Juice

It’s a good source of antioxidants that seem to strengthen brain function. In one study, older adults who drink grape juice daily for 12 weeks shows significant improvement on memory tests.

Lemonade Juice

Several studies suggest lemonade can help stay away from kidney stones, a painful problem that’s on the increase and cut your risk of a recurrence by as much as 90 percent with a large daily dose: Mix four ounces of lemon juice with two liters of water and drink straight up or sweetened, says Roger L. Sur, MD, director of the University of California, San Diego, Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center.

Apple Juice

Apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Compared to many other fruits and vegetables, apples contain relatively low amounts of vitamin C, but a rich source of antioxidant compounds. The fiber content, while less than in most other fruits, helps regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer. They may also help with heart disease and weight loss.

【推荐1】The year 2018 will mark the 100h anniversary of the deadliest influenza outbreak in history. It is estimated that the influenza pandemic (瘟疫) of 1918 killed more than 50 million people around the world. Other estimates go much higher. Because of a lack of medical record-keeping, we may never know the exact number.

The influenza was a fast killer. Some victims died within hours of their first symptoms. Others died after a few days. “Their lungs filled with liquid and they choked to death.” The 1918 flu pandemic was also different from other outbreaks. It struck many young. healthy people. Viruses usually affect sick or old people.

Although modern medicine effectively controls many diseases, influenza remains difficult to protect against. The World Health Organization estimates that every year influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people around the world. Each year, medical scientists develop flu vaccines (疫苗) which offer immunity (免疫) from some influenza viruses. But they can only guess which form of the virus will spread.

Health officials remain concerned about another flu pandemic. New forms of the flu virus appear regularly. One example was the “swine flu” or H1N1 outbreak in 2009. Anthony Faucal, Director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in the United States says that virus caused a true pandemic.

To stop the next pandemic, scientists are now researching how to create a universal influenza vaccine. In October 2017, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U. S. announced the Universal Influenza Vaccine Initiative. The university said researchers are leading an international effort to develop a universal influenza vaccine that will protect everyone against all forms of the flu anywhere in the world. The university added that researchers will begin tests in early 2018. The Human Vaccines Project, a public-private partnership, is funding the project. However, until a universal influenza vaccine is available, today’s seasonal flu vaccine remains important.

【推荐2】There's a lot of losing in sports. Only one team can win at a time, and only one champion escapes the season without tears. But that doesn't stop Americans from spending nearly $56 billion a year on sporting events. Is fandom (运动迷） worth it?

At first glance, the evidence isn't encouraging. Following a loss, fans are more likely than usual to eat unhealthy food, be unproductive at work, and in the case of the Super Bowl - die from heart disease. What about fans of the winning team? Well, they are more likely than other fans to suffer a postgame traffic fatality(死亡）if the score was close.

Rival(竞争的）fans' treatment of one another is hardly more encouraging. A recent study found that fans experienced greater pleasure when watching a rival team fail,as opposed to non-rivals. Fans in another study reported schadenfreude, a feeling of satisfaction, when reading about the injury of a rival team's player, and gluckschmerz or unhappiness when later reading about the player' s unexpectedly speedy recovery.

Yet a great deal of research shows that being a fan can also have positive effects. It can prevent depression and build a sense of belonging and self-worth ----- provided the object of one's devotion is a local team. Much of this is due to social bonds among fans, but not all - sports worship also provides fans with a number of skills at dealing with life's emotional challenges. A landmark 1976 study found that after a win, fans were more likely than usual to wear clothes connected to the winning team, and to claim credit for the team’s success by describing the team as “we” instead of “they ”in conversation.

Along with schadenfreude and gluckschmerz, being a fan seems more than anything else to be a matter of managing responses to things one can't control. Sports fans tend to respond to reminders of death with optimism, and to remember victories much more clearly than defeats.

【推荐3】Guana was born from a family with 7 children. His parents had two jobs to make ends meet and struggled to pay for basic expenses. Guana was once a cleaner at a school but now he is a superintendent(教育学监), leading the Byron Union School District in rural northern California.

Guana always remembers when he wanted to give up, someone would encourage him. One was the cleaner at his school when he was a boy. He called her “Nike” because she wore Nike shoes. Guana wanted those kinds of shoes, too, but his parents could not afford them. Young Gauna liked how Nike made everything so clean. He told her he wanted to be a cleaner, too. Nike said, “it’s good if you want to be a cleaner, but make sure that you go to college and make this as one of your steps there.”

Guana also looked up to the principal(校长), the leader at his school. He was a tall, friendly and good-looking man. He told Guana about his job helping students and teachers. And he said, “Well if you don’t give up, you’ll get there.” Guana did get there, and two men remain friends. But before Guana became a school principal, he followed in Nike’s footsteps and become a cleaner. He worked for three schools in Lodi, California, which helped him earn the money needed for his first two years of college. He earned a high-level university education and gained a doctor’s degree. Then he worked as a campus safety officer, teacher, counselor, administrator, and now superintendent.

Even though Guana has had a successful career, he never forgets where he came from, or how he felt. He uses his life experiences to guide him as a leader.

For example, Guana’s younger sister needs a wheelchair to get around. To this day, her disability helps him as a school administrator to help and support special children. In Guana’s school system today, everyone is important and invited to parties and events.