【推荐1】Humans are fascinated by the source of their failings and virtues. This state of mind inevitably leads to an old debate: whether nature or nurture(养育)frames us more. A revolution in genetics has poised this as a modern political question about the character of our society: if personalities are hard—wired into our genes, what can governments do to help us? It feels morally questionable, yet claims of genetic selection by intelligence are making headlines.

This is down to “hereditarian”(遗传论的)science and a recent paper claimed “differences in exam performance between pupils attending selective and non—selective schools mirror the genetic differences between them”. With such an assumption, the work was predictably greeted by a lot of ridiculous claims about “genetics determining academic success”. What the research revealed was the rather less surprising result: the educational benefits of selective schools largely disappear once pupils’ inborn ability and socio—economic background were taken into account. It is a glimpse of the obvious—and there’s nothing to back strongly either a hereditary or environmental argument.

Yet the paper does say children are “unintentionally genetically selected” by the school system. Central to hereditarian science is a tall claim: that identifiable variations in genetic sequences can predict an individual’s capability to learn, reason and solve problems. This is problematic on many levels. Unlike—minded academics say the inheritability of human traits is scientifically unsound. At best there is a weak statistical association and not a causal link between DNA and intelligence. Yet sophisticated statistics are used to create a frightening atmosphere of scientific certainty.

While there’s an undoubted genetic basis to individual difference, it is wrong to think that socially defined groups can be genetically accounted for. The fixation on genes as destiny is surely false too. Medical predictability can rarely be based on DNA alone; the environment matters too. Something as complex as intellect is likely to be affected by many factors beyond genes. If hereditarians want to advance their cause, it will require more balanced interpretation and not just acts of backing.

Genetic selection is a way of exerting influence over others, “the ultimate collective control of human destinies,” as writer H.G. Wells put it. Knowledge becomes power and power requires a sense of responsibility. In understanding cognitive ability, we must not elevate discrimination(歧视)to a science: allowing people to climb the ladder of life only as far as their cells might suggest. This will need a more doubtful eye on the science. As technology progresses, we all have a duty to make sure that we shape a future that we would want to find ourselves in.

【推荐2】Health experts have long known that vitamin D is important for healthy bones and teeth. It may also help to protect the body against diseases such as diabetes and cancer. And now, researchers say vitamin D might help fight brain diseases called dementia(痴呆).

Dementia is a brain disease that damages thinking and memory processes, which scientists call “ cognitive(认知)abilities.” Dementia is difficult to treat. Taking care of someone who has dementia is extremely demanding. And the disease is very frightening to sufferers. Chris Roberts suffers from dementia. He says the worst part of living with this disease was getting lost while driving. “The worst thing that I found was getting lost in the car, not just forgetting where I was going—I wouldn't know where I was.” More than 47 million people around the world suffer from dementia. The World Health Organization reports that 60percent of them live in low—and middle—income countries.

We get vitamin D from some foods like nuts, lentils(扁豆) and fatty fish. We also get vitamin D from the sun. But that is not dependable. In some parts of the world, there is not enough sunlight to provide enough vitamin D. Also, sunblock prevents the vitamin from entering the body. To add to the problem, the skin's ability to process vitamin D weakens as a person ages.

Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey are exploring the relationship between vitamin D and dementia. The team recently measured vitamin D levels and cognitive ability in older people. Nutritional sciences professor Joshua Miller led the team. He said cognitive abilities differed among the study subjects. He said tests showed that about 60 percent of the group was low in vitamin D.

【推荐3】People have different ways of dealing with a common cold. Some take over-the-counter(非处方的)medicines such as aspirin while others try popular home remedies(治疗)like herbal tea or chicken soup. Yet, here is the tough truth about the common cold: nothing really cures you of it.

So why do people sometimes believe that their remedies work? According to James Taylor, professor at the University of Washington, colds usually go away on their own in about a week, improving a little each day after symptoms peak, so it’s easy to believe it’s medicine rather than time that deserves the credit.

It still seems hard to believe that we can deal with more serious diseases yet we are powerless against something so common as a cold. Recently, scientists came closer to figuring out why. To understand it, you first need to know how antiviral(抗病毒的)drugs work. They attack the virus by attaching to and changing the surface structures of the virus. To do that, the drug must fit and lock into the virus like the right piece of a jigsaw(拼图), which means scientists have to identify the virus and build a 3D model to study its surface before they can design an antiviral drug that is effective enough.

The two cold viruses that scientists had long known about were rhinovirus(鼻病毒)A and B. But they didn’t find out about the existence of a third virus, rhinovirus C until 2006.All three of them contribute to the common cold, but drugs that work well against rhinovirus A and B have little effect when used against rhinovirus C.

“This explains most of the previous failures of drug trials against rhinoviruses,” study leader Professor Ann C. Palmenberg at the University of Wiscons in Madison, US, told Scienc Daily.

Now, more than 10 years after the discovery of rhinovirus C, scientists have finally built a highly detailed 3D model of the virus, showing that the surface of the virus is, as expected,different from that of other cold viruses.

With the model in hand, hopefully a real cure for a common cold is on its way. Soon, we may no longer have to waste our money on medicines that don’t really work.

【推荐1】The biggest challenge faced by travelers, especially those who like to have a backpacking trip is how to ensure a steady supply of clean clothes. Now, thanks to a great invention called Scrubba Wash Pack, that worry may be a thing of the past.

The portable washing machine was invented by Ash Newland in 2010, while he was planning to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Struck by the limited packing space, he got inspiration from traditional washboards to create a bag that could be used to clean clothes. Then he quitted his career as a lawyer and focused on perfecting the bag’s design. By 2012, the bag was ready for the public. It weighed only 180 grams and required very little storage space, making it perfect for anyone wishing to travel light.

Not surprisingly, the bag which was worth 55 dollars was an instant hit with travelers, university students and even passengers. However, Newland was not satisfied. He still saw a disadvantage with his invention — dirty clothes had to be carried around in a separate bag! The recently introduced Scrubba Wash Pack solves that problem.

In order to make the pack active, dirty clothes are placed inside the bag along with two or three liters of water. The bag is then shut tightly to ensure all air is squeezed out and the colors are massaged for a few minutes. After a quick wash, they are clean and ready to be dried. According to Newland, the pack can clean anything from jeans to smelly socks! What’s even more amazing is that with a capacity to hold 13 liters of water, it can be used to wash more clothes at a time.

The best part is that the 99-dollar pack that will be available for sale later this year, only weighs 300 grams and is completely foldable, making it easy to store when it’s not in use. With the Scrubba Wash Pack, wandering through foreign cities searching for a washing shop, or paying for washing machines may soon be a thing of the past.

【推荐2】According to Jessica Hagy, author of How to Be Interesting, it’s not difficult to make yourself interesting at a dinner party.

The first step is to go exploring, if you’re out of your comfort zone or if you’re wandering into somebody’s house for the first time. So the main thing is just to show up and be adventurous, trying different new foods and talking to strangers.

People love to talk about themselves. If you can start the conversation with a question other than “What do you do for a living?”, you’ll be able to get a lot more interesting conversation out of whomever it is you’re talking to. If you ask the question “How did you get here?”, it can bring in “I have this old, broken-down vehicle” or “I rode the bus with these crazy people who were laughing at silly jokes in the back.” It just opens up conversation.

What about that person who had too much to drink or won’t stop talking? If you can’t take their wine away, you should certainly try to take away their soapbox (讲台). If you’re the host, you can ask them to help you in the kitchen with something and just remove them from the situation. Or turn the conversation into a topic where they have little to say.

And what about that other dinner-party killer: awkward silence? If you’re faced with an awkward silence at a dinner party, the only thing that always gets everyone talking again is to give the host a compliment (赞扬). He or she is the person who is feeling the weight of that awkwardness the most. Just quickly turn around and say, “This cake is extremely delicious and you have to tell me all about it.”

So being interesting at a dinner party isn’t that hard.