【推荐1】A 14-year-old scientist took home $25, 000 from a national science competition for inventing a liquid bandage that could replace antibiotics (抗生素).

Kara Fan from San Diego, CA won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fan came up with a special liquid bandage that could replace the overuse of antibiotics. “I want to show my invention of the liquid bandage to more people. I think it is important for more people to be aware of the serious crisis and do something about it,” Fan said.

The 3M Young Scientist Challenge is a national competition for middle school students, which takes place every year. The students are tasked with coming up with an idea or invention that solves existing problems.

Ten finalists are chosen to compete for the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and a grand prize of $25, 000. After being selected, they work with scientists to make their idea come to life. Each competitor is judged on their invention’s creativity, scientific knowledge, persuasiveness (说服力) and communication, and overall presentation. Apart from Kara Fan, other finalists included Jay a Choudray, who invented an airflow control robot that helps to save energy in a home, and Caroline Crouchley, who invented a climate-friendly transportation system that doesn’t need a diesel engine or electric motors.

3M holds the competition for students in grades 5-8 because its research has shown that their interest in science fades, which is terrible for a country. And they want to inspire the young to develop love in science .

【推荐2】Palestinian farmer Salman al-Nabahin was working in his garden in Gaza when he noticed that some of the new trees he’d planted on his land did not root properly. Curious about what might be causing the issue, al-Nabahin asked his son to help him start digging.

His son’s ax (斧子) struck something hard. When the two men began to clear away the dirt, they discovered an item they did not recognize. A little Internet searching provided the answer to their mystery: They’d come across a Byzantine-era floor mosaic (拜占庭时期马赛克地画) featuring birds and other animals.

This happened six months ago. Now, archaeologists (考古学家) are hard at work studying the flooring to learn more about its secrets and civilization values.

The mosaic features 17 images of birds and other animals presented in bright colors. Archaeologists believe artists created the flooring sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries, though they don’t know whether the mosaic had religious (宗教的) origins. In total, the land covering the entire mosaic is about 500 square meters, and the mosaic itself measures about 23 square meters. Some parts of the mosaic appear to be damaged, likely from the roots of an old tree.

“These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the vivid representation and the complexity of the pattern,” says René Elter, an archaeologist in Jerusalem. “Never have mosaic floors of this precision in the patterns and richness of the colors been discovered in the Gaza Strip.”

The Gaza Strip, which is located between Israel and Egypt and was a busy trade route throughout history, is home to many ancient civilizations. The farmer and his son discovered the mosaic about a kilometer from the border with Israel. Archaeologists and other experts are concerned about the mosaic’s future because of the ongoing conflict there and a lack of funding for historical protection.

【推荐1】September is upon us, which means one thing for parents and children alike: term time after the lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic(疫情). No Isolation collected responses from 1,005 parents and carers of 1,477 children of primary and secondary school.     1    

Loneliness is difficult to describe and talk about for adults.     2     To help children understand that their feelings are normal and acceptable, parents need to open up a dialogue around what loneliness is, explaining that feeling lonely is completely normal and a topic that is safe to talk about.

Another way that we can deal with social isolation(孤独) is through the use of technology, especially video calls. Video calls have been common during the pandemic.     3     Because it can be hard to know how or when to speak up or interact. As a result, having a talk over a video conference can be very difficult for some children, making the feelings of loneliness more serious.

Are you worried about how your child might be struggling, or concerned that a more digital life could be leaving them isolated     4     Now, more than ever, we should be listening to children and helping to make sure they are heard in these difficult times. They are facing the same pandemic that we are.     5    

【推荐2】Researchers in the United Kingdom are testing to see whether vitamin A can be used to restore the sense of smell in people who lost it because of COVID-19.

A loss of the sense of smell is a common side-effect of COVID-19, with around eight people in 10 who have a symptomatic infection experiencing some reduction in their ability to smell. For some patients—round 18 percent according to one study—the symptom is severe, causing total smell loss.

Prior to the pandemic , researchers at the Interdisciplinary Center for Smell and Taste in Dresden, Germany, established a link between vitamin A drops and improved outcomes in patients with viral-induced smell loss, causing scientists at the University of East Anglia to use the treatment on COVID-19 patients in a new UK government-funded study.

"Around one in 10 people who experience smell loss as a result of COVID-19 report that their sense of smell has not returned to normal four weeks after falling ill," said Carl Philpott, a professor of olfactology at the university.

Philpott said people with smell loss can experience depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation（孤立）, and weight loss due to reduced appetite. He said other risks include failure to notice hazards（危险）, such as gas or spoiled foods.

"We want to find out whether there is an increase in the size and activity of damaged smell pathways in patients' brains when they are treated with vitamin A nasal（鼻的）drops," said Philpott. "This would show recovery of the damage caused by common viral infections, including COVID-19, in the nose."

In the new study, 38 patients will receive a 12-week course of nasal vitamin A drops and 19 will receive inactive peanut oil drops. Before and after the treatment course, researchers will use MRI scanning to see if there is a change in the size of the olfactory bulb, an area above the nose where the smell nerves join together and connect to the brain. They will also test for neural activity and olfactory performance by introducing distinctive odors, such as roses or rotting eggs, while patients are undergoing MRI imaging.

【推荐2】A single teacher can reach thousands of students in an online course, opening up a world of knowledge to anyone with an Internet connection. This limitless reach also offers opportunities to school districts that need to save money, by reducing the number of teachers. It can help high achievers in need of more advanced coursework than their districts provide. This is especially true in small districts that offer few traditional courses to students working ahead of their grades.

A study in Maine and Vermont examined the effect of online courses on eighth graders with strong math skills in schools that didn’t offer face-to-face math classes. Students were divided between online math and standard math offered in traditional classes. Both groups of students were tested at the end of the school year. The online students did better than those in standard classrooms. They were also twice as likely to complete advanced math later in high school.

But there is something wrong with it. In reality, students who complete these courses tend to do quite poorly on subsequent (随后的) tests of academic knowledge, suggesting that these online courses often give students an easy passing grade without teaching them very much.

Some researchers examined the performance of hundreds of thousands of students at DeVry University, which offers online and face-to-face versions of all its courses, using the same textbooks, assessments (评估), homework and teaching materials in each course. Even though the courses are seemingly the same, the students who attend online courses do worse. The effects are lasting, with online students more likely to drop out of college altogether. Hardest hit are those who entered the online class with low grades. Work by researchers in many other colleges is in line with the DeVry findings: The weakest students are hurt most by the online learning. For those with strong academic skills, by contrast, online learning can open up amazing opportunities.

Online education is still in its youth. Many ways of learning are possible, and some may benefit students with deep and various needs. As of now, however, the evidence is clear. For advanced learners, online classes are a good choice, but academically challenged students need a classroom with a teacher’s support.