【推荐1】Bright and early on the morning of our first full day in Antarctica, L' Austral's Captain Fabien's voice woke us up as it came through a loudspeaker. If we looked outside right now, he said, we'd see a beautiful sea of icebergs in the golden sunlight. My sister and I jumped out of bed, staring in amazement as we sailed past giant pieces of ice. In the distance, we spotted a group of humpback whales feeding on smaller fishes. Next door, my parents were also waking up to the sights of a new day in Antarctica. Over breakfast, my sister and I excitedly told them about the whales we saw from our room that morning.

You might not immediately think of "family vacation" when talking about a trip to Antarctica, but tour companies like Adventures by Disney are changing that. The company offers guided group trips to destinations across all seven continents in the world.

Our adventure started when we flew to Buenos Aires and explored the beautiful Argentine capital for a day. After leaving Buenos Aires, we flew to Ushuaia on an Adventures by Disney plane. Then, it was the journey toward the Drake Passage. After a speedy Drake Passage crossing, we reached Antarctica early, adding a half day to our scheduled four days on and around the continent.

To those unfamiliar with Adventures by Disney, the fact that you can experience Antarctica-the most distant, extreme continent-with Disney might be surprising. During the trip, there were thoughtful acts, from stamped postcards to send from an Antarctica post office to a champagne (香槟) party on our final stop of the journey; Adventures by Disney truly thought of everything for us. Antarctica is a life-changing destination packed with experiences that can't be copied. We experienced seasickness when travelling across the Drake Passage, hiked up ice hills alongside lovely animals, and had a taste of champagne. And honestly, it's going to be hard for the next family trip we may take to compete.

【推荐3】The Florida Sea Base Programmes

Diving Adventure

If you are a diver, this is your programme. During the programme you will be making as many as nine dives (weather permitting), including a night dive.We have open dates in June, July and August for the summer months and for fall we have opening in September, October, November and December. Check out the dates today.

Sea Exploring!

The name brings back the memory of pirates (海盗) sailing the high seas of the past. This adventure is for larger teams of 18 to 20 teammates. Sailing on a tall ship with your team, you will be making memories that you will share for the rest of your life with anyone who will listen. We can fit your timetable to meet your needs with these great dates.

Live Aboard Diving

The Florida Sea Base has the sailing and diving programmes joined for one wonderful adventure! On this adventure, you will spend your days not only in diving, but also in sailing around the Florida Keys. There are openings this fall and winter. Check now for open dates to spend your winter holidays in the keys. Fall dates are open now!

Just around the corner: the Christmas season in the keys! We have an opening for the Live Aboard programme on December 26. Book today — it won’t last long!

Diving Certification (证书)

The Diving Certification programme is designed for teammates who want to get a certification — all who complete the week successfully will be offered PADI certification! Come and learn how to dive in the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys.

We have the following dates open: August 5, August 12, August 19, August 22 and August 26. We also have programmes we offer in the fall: September 30, October 7, October 14, October 21, and many more dates. Check out the rest of the dates.

【推荐1】People hate mosquitoes due to their blood-sucking tendencies. Scientists, too, are troubled by mosquitoes and have been researching ways to keep them away. A team of researchers from Virginia Tech in the US looked into different kinds of soap. They invited volunteers to test how four different soap flavors attract mosquitoes.

After analyzing the mosquitoes’ behavior, the researchers discovered several chemicals in the soap that can influence the mosquitoes’ “choice of food”. Two chemicals, one with the smell of coconut and the other with the scent (气味) of flowers, can keep the insects away.

The team also found that what matters to mosquitoes is not just the chemicals, but rather the combination of chemicals with each person’s smell. For example, people who attract mosquitoes can be more attractive to them after using one type of soap. They can also repel (驱除) mosquitoes by using another kind of soap. The findings were “remarkable”, said senior author Clement Vinauger in a news release, adding that he would choose a coconut-scented soap to keep mosquitoes away

How these insects manage to find humans has also made scientists curious. According to a new study published in Current Biology, researchers built a “canteen” for hundreds of mosquitoes. In the 20-by-20-meter facility, there were six pads that had the smell of different humans. The pads were heated to imitate sleeping humans. They found that the insects can track scents up to 60 meters. Also, mosquitoes are most attracted to a kind of chemical called carboxylic acid, which is usually produced by bacteria on human skin. The smell of one participant wasn’t attractive to the insects, and researchers believed it was due to the person’s diet, which is a mainly plant-based food.

By analyzing the chemicals that either attract or repel mosquitoes, scientists are able to improve mosquito repellent (驱蚊剂) With more studies, scientists believe changing a person’s diet could one day make them “mosquito-proof”. This is especially beneficial for regions where mosquitoes carry diseases, such as malaria, CNN reported.

【推荐3】So many things can keep you from seeing your loved ones in person, from busy schedules to long distances to a rather unexpected COVID-19 virus. Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, the people we miss are often only a phone call or text message away. But if you’re someone who prefers to type out messages. you may want io reconsider. A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that communication that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social relationships than communication through typing, like text messaging or email.

In the study, researchers used various experiments to measure relationships. In one, they asked 200 people what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then asked them to do one or the other. Although people anticipated that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone’s voice actually made the experience better.

“People reported they did form a stronger relationship with their old friend on the phone compared with email, and they did not feel more awkward,” said Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business.

In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connected by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. They found that both forms of voice communication — whether video or audio only — made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated by text.

Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard psychologist, says people tend to text or email instead of calling because of convenience, as they see it as a controlled form of communication where they can “communicate information exactly in the way they want without unexpected additions by the other person.”

Romanoff says that in reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation. “A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the pet effects of the message,” she explains. “Each party is more present, and therefore, able to understand the meaning behind the content without thinking about the endless possible meanings behind words.”