【推荐1】Has Iceland had its last whaling season?

Iceland’s last whaler has no plans to stop. But as global demand slows for whale meat, his business may be over anyway.

Iceland is a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) but goes against the 88-nation body’s ban on commercial whaling, in force since 1986. In 2006, the country began setting quotas(配额) for whale hunts in its waters. This year, after a four-year suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hvalur’s hunt restarted, from June through September. Iceland’s current quota of 161 fin whales(长须鲸) applies to the western region covered by the company’s license, which will be out of date at the end of 2023.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which last assessed fin whales in 2018, lists them in danger, largely because of their decrease by commercial whaling during the 20th century. Fin whales are speedy swimmers, and with the appearance of steam-powered ships and explosive harpoons, they became easier to catch. Since the 1970s, however, hunting restrictions have allowed these whales to rebound. The most recent estimate, in 2007, of fin whale numbers in the Iceland region was about 30,000.

In February, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, told local news outlets that “there is little to justify allowing whaling” because of the controversial nature of the industry and the low demand these days for whale meat.

The percentage of Icelanders who oppose fin whaling has more than doubled since 2013, while the percentage of supporters ‘has fallen more than 20 percent, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Only 2 percent of Icelanders say they eat whale meat regularly, and 84 percent had never tried it, a 2018 Gallup poll found.

“Continued whaling is a fool’s game, really, on the cost of the planet, biodiversity, the climate,” says Astrid Fuchs, policy manager at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit dedicated to marine conservation and welfare.

【推荐3】A new species of pygmy seahorse (豆丁海马) has been discovered off the coast of South Africa in Sodwana Bay, attracting scientists with its tiny size—only 2.7 centimeters.

An international research team studied the tiny pygmy seahorse in 2019, after it was spotted by chance by diving instructor Savannah Nalu Olivier who was exploring algae (海藻) on the seafloor of the bay. But it wasn’t easy to see it at all, according to a press release from the University of Leeds in Australia. That’s because these sea creatures are camouflaged by their stony golden-brown look.

This is the first time that a pygmy seahorse has ever been discovered in the Indian Ocean. In fact, the closest known pygmy seahorse species live 8,000 kilometers away in a region of the Pacific Ocean called Coral Triangle. Until now, all but one of the seven pygmy seahorse species have been found in the triangle, making this discovery particularly puzzling.

The study was led by Graham Short from the California Academy of Sciences. It discovers a number of detailed features that differentiate this species from other seahorses. While larger seahorses have gills (鳃) on each side of their head, the Sodwana Bay pygmy seahorse has only one gill slit on its back. “That would be like having a nose on the back of your neck,” Short said in an interview. The tiny seahorse also has a set of sharp spines (刺毛) on its back while other pygmy seahorses have flat—tipped spines. The researchers haven’t figured out what they are used for yet.

The tiny pygmy seahorse reminds us that when we open our eyes, the natural world becomes an endless mystery. Unknown species and even entire ecosystems are awaiting to be discovered in places we never thought possible.

【推荐3】When I turned 12, I started hiding how I looked with jackets and oversized T-shirts for fear of comments about my body. I wouldn’t talk about things I loved because I was afraid that people would think I was odd for liking them or that I was talking too much.

At the age of 14, I’d had what I now know were panic attacks over grades in the middle of the hallways in school, or in loud, crowded queues in theme parks. This led to some long talks with my parents and failed meetings with my school advisors, And I eventually decided it was time for me to try mental therapy (治疗).

I still remember going to my first therapy session,almost four years ago. Before I went to it, I feared it’d be scary, but I was wrong. The first few sessions were just used for the two of us to get to know each other. The following few sessions were used for me to figure out why I was there. I tested fairly high on the anxiety scale.and ever since then I’ve kept going there. Two years later, I started going there every two weeks rather than every week. My anxiety levels have gone up and down because of exams, issues with friends and just plain old bad days. For now though,they seem to remain stable for the most part.

To this day, I still think that going to therapy was one of the best decisions I’ve made so far in life. From the first session that I attended to the last one I went to, I’ve learned so many life skills and coping strategies that I use at least once a week.

I’ve always said to my friends and family that they should try therapy if it’s necessary. For people suffering panic attacks, going to therapy means talking to someone who you know won’t judge you about anything, who won’t tell anyone about what you say or how you feel, and who helps you understand yourself and your life.