【推荐2】A relationship between the amount of adult speech children are exposed to and the concentration of myelin, a substance in the brain, has been found, researchers say.

“I think the take-home message is, absolutely talking to your kids. It’s literally shaping the structure of the brain,” says the lead author, Prof. John P. Spencer of the University of East Anglia.

The team find, for the 30-month-olds, larger amounts of adult speech are associated with higher quantities of myelin in language-related pathways in the brain; however, for the 6-month-olds, it goes the opposite way.

While the latter (后者) is unexpected, Spencer points out one possible factor: the brain’s stage of development.

“When babies are six months old, they experience massive growth of new nerve cells,” he says. “So the input comes in and may help extend the period of brain growth.” “While at 30 months, the brain starts to cut back some of the cell growth, and form specific connections. That’s where myelin comes in. So now the input starts to help structure the myelin,” he adds.

The researchers conclude adult speech is significant for both age groups and that the more adult speech children go through, the more sensitive they will be to language. The next step for them is to figure out whether the 6-month-old babies showing that negative connection will surely turn into 30-month-old kids who show positive relationship.

Dr. Saloni Krishnan, Reader in cognitive neuroscience (认知神经科学) at Royal Holloway, University of London, who is not involved in the work, however, notes individual differences in language ability are linked to genetics. “Children who are exposed to more language at home and have higher myelination will also have inherited genes (经遗传获得的基因) from parents who are more excellent in languages,” she said. “No final conclusion could be made before this potential genetic effect are tested. And yet there being currently no standard around the amount of input children should receive, caregivers should not necessarily feel pressure to talk more to their children.”

【推荐1】Protecting from above

A deadly asteroid (小行星) heading toward the Earth is a common plot in sci-fi movies.     1     An increasing number of space agencies are now taking steps to defend against near-Earth asteroids (NEAs).

    2    

Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), recently told CCTV News that China will start to build Earth and space-based monitoring and warning systems to detect NEAs.     3     In 2025 or 2026, China hopes to be able to closely observe approaching asteroids before impacting them to change their path toward our planet.

Making an impact

NASA also has its own program for developing technology to deflect (使转向) incoming asteroids. On Nov 23, 2021, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) was launched to slam into Dimorphos and change the speed at which it orbits its space neighbor, Didymos, an asteroid approximately 2, 560 feet in diameter (直径).     4    

Global effort

    5     It also re-launched its Planetary Defense Office in 2021, according to Electronics Weekly. Restarting the program, which seeks to communicate with space agencies around the world, is due to “the global character of the dangers we all face due to asteroids”, said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.

【推荐2】Kjell Lindgren wanted to be an astronaut for as long as he could remember. However, his hopes of becoming an astronaut would come to a sudden halt when he was diagnosed with asthma (哮喘) after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Air Force decided to medically discharge him.

So Lindgren came to a medical school, eventually specializing in emergency medicine. As part of his training, he was retested for asthma. This time, the tests said that he didn’t have the condition. Lindgren’s dreams of spaceflight returned.

Lindgren worked as a flight surgeon at NASA, treating crews that were preparing for spaceflight. Then, in 2009, he was selected as a NASA astronaut at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Since then, Lindgren has flown into space twice, where he performed more than 100 scientific experiments. Lindgren is now a member of the Artemis Team, a group of scientists and astronauts working together to send people back to the moon in 2024.

The following is part of an interview, where he shares his experiences and advice with Science News Explores.

Q: How did you get where you are today?

A: My passion for space came from reading science fiction and watching science fiction movies. I grew up as a Star Wars fan. Then, in the second grade, our teacher wheeled the television into our classroom and we watched NASA’s first launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) on April 12, 1981. And that’s when this passion really grabbed me. It became clear that getting to live and work in space wasn’t just for the movies or for books. It was a real thing, and I think that’s really when I held fast to that dream.

The number one thing that opened doors for me and established opportunities was just hard work. By working hard, I came across really cool opportunities that weren’t necessarily on the path that I had dreamed of for myself. I think the other important thing was reading. Read as much as you can about the things that you’re passionate about. The practice of reading helps stimulate your brain. It was a critical part of my journey. In fact, reading has formed the foundation of my professional career.

【推荐3】Japanese automaker Toyota says it will team up with the country’s space agency to develop a vehicle called the Lunar Cruiser to explore the moon. The name comes from a popular Toyota vehicle called the Land Cruiser. The company said it plans to launch the vehicle in the late 2020s. After that, Toyota said the vehicle could assist people living on the moon by 2040 and could possibly be sent to Mars as well.

Takao Sato heads the company’s Lunar Cruiser project. He told The Associated Press the vehicle is based on the idea that people eat, work, sleep and communicate with others safely in cars. He hopes theLunar Cruiser can serve the same purpose in space. “We see space as an area for our once-in-a-century transformation, ” Sato said, “By going to space, we may be able to develop telecommunications and other technology that will prove valuable to human life. ”

Another company, Gitai Japan Inc., is partnering with Toyota to develop a robotic arm for the Lunar Cruiser. It will be designed to perform jobs such as carrying out inspections and maintaining the vehicle. The company said the arm will be built to work with different tools. These tools could be used to study the moon’s surface more closely.

Interest in space has been growing in Japan in recent years. Japanese space exploration company iSpace announced last April that it would transport an explorer belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the moon in 2022. Japan’s iSpace will provide the lander to carry the UAE’s rover(探测器).

The company plans to launch the lander on a Falcon 9 rocket built by American company SpaceX. Japanese citizens followed the trip to space last year of billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. He spent 12 days aboard the International Space Station. Maezawa also plans in the future to orbit around the moon on a SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft.

Toyota engineer Shinichiro Noda said he thinks the lunar project can extend the company’s tradition of serving customers to a place beyond Earth. He said Toyota currently has vehicles almost everywhere. “But this is about taking our cars to somewhere we have never been, ” Noda said.

【推荐1】“I still cannot believe it!” said the newest Pritzker Architecture Prize winner, Diébédo Francis Kéré, who had already received numerous accolades in his field, including the Aga Khan Award and the Thomas Jefferson medal. But he was still as surprised as anyone else to be selected for the field’s most famous prize.

Most of the architects and critics had openly supposed that 2022 would be Sir David Adjaye’s year, who is best known for designing such notable buildings as the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. Kéré, who is based in Berlin but centers much of his practice in Africa, has been far lesser known, with signature buildings that include primary schools and a health care clinic.

Kéré said his architectural practice was inspired by his own experience attending school with around 100 other children in a region where temperatures were regularly higher than 38℃.

“It’s very hot inside and there was no light, while outside, the sunlight was abundant. So I dreamed of making it better one day,” he said.

When he was twenty, in 1985, Kéré earned a scholarship to study carpentry (木工) in Berlin. While studying roofing and furniture making, he also attended night school and was admitted to Technische Universität Berlin, from which he graduated in 2004 with an advanced degree in architecture. He was still a student when he designed and built the Gando Primary School. The recognition it earned helped Kéré open his own office in Berlin.

In his designs for Gando Primary School and Naaba Belem Goumma Secondary School in Burkina Faso, Kéré drew on traditional building materials such as local clay mixed with concrete, and emphasized shade and shadows with well-aired spaces that reduce the need for air conditioning.

【推荐3】The UMass program Brown is taking over presents different challenges from the one he helped rebuild in 2018. The Minutemen are 2-23 over the past three seasons.

As an independent program, UMass has to work on its own to put together schedules and negotiate television contracts. But Brown doesn't like to look at the past, bad or good. He says he doesn't even watch film of previous games. “I haven't worried about what's happened behind me but what's in front of me, ”Brown says.

He emphasizes the importance of a well-conditioned team. He's already looking forward to winter workouts. “When I'm chasing guys around the mat room, I feel pretty good,” Brown says. Brown also emphasizes playing fundamental football, preferring to keep his focus on the immediate future.

Brown, 66, will be one of the oldest head coaches next season. He signed a five-year deal with UMass. “You can see his passion. He's got a lot of energy to build our program and a lot of pride in it,” Scott, president of UMass says. “We're gonna take advantage of that to build back a winning program that we all want.” Brown knows what UMass looks like as a winning program. He's made it his mission to get the Minutemen back there.

“It will mean a lot. I'm going to work tirelessly to make it happen. I have no doubt that we're going to get there,” Brown says. “Won't it be nice to be playing in a bowl game? That's the beauty there. We will get ourselves into a bowl game and bring our first bowl cup home at this level. It will be a special moment.”