【推荐1】Osedax worms have been found in oceans all over the world. They’ve only ever been spotted on bones, which makes some scientists think that the bone-eaters are specialized to live in odd ecosystems, such as whale falls. “Those kinds of animals are definitely uniquely adapted to the environment in which you find them, ”says marine biologist River Dixon. She is a graduate student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

But as recent experiments show, the bone-eaters may not be picky about what type of bones they devour(吞食). Last year, biologists spotted Osedax worms in the Gulf of Mexico for the first time. And not on whale bones. Dixon was part of a research team that made the discovery. In early 2019, her group put the dead bodies of three alligators(短吻鳄)in water about 2 kilometers deep. Over the next few months, they sent a remote-controlled vehicle a few times to spy on what were essentially “alligator falls”.

51 days after the alligators were placed in the seawater, scientists revisited. “The flesh was gone”, Dixon says. . “It had been reduced to just the skeleton(骨骼).” And just as at whale falls, it hosted a carpet of bone-eating Osedax worms. These worms were similar to other bone-eaters but represented a never-before observed species. That means the scientists who found them get to name it (although Dixon says they haven’t settled on a name yet).

The lab where Dixon works studies food systems in the deep ocean. Algae and plants use photosynthesis(光合作用)to turn sunlight into food. Animals eat those plants and algae to survive. Then larger animals may eat those animals. But sunlight doesn’t reach the deep ocean’s bottom. So other pathways are essential. These pathways include whale falls and other dead bodies. The scientists wondered how alligator falls fit into a larger food web. To find out, they submerged them.

Studying alligator falls, Dixon says, could help show how life evolved(进化)in the deep sea. It’s possible that the creatures found on whale falls and other falls today, Dixon says, evolved from creatures that hundreds of millions of years ago would have devoured plesiosaur (蛇颈龙) falls.

【推荐2】A brown leather cap, worn by pioneer pilot Amelia Earhart during her record-breaking flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, had sold for $825,000 online, according to the Heritage Auctions (拍卖) website. The leather cap was expected to sell at around $80,000, but on Saturday, a person purchased it at about ten times the amount.

Anthony Twiggs, a retired photographer in Minnesota, put the helmet up for auction after experts confirmed its authenticity, according to The New York Times. Twiggs had received the cap 20 years ago from his mother, Ellie Brookhart, who claimed she got from a friend in 1929 following the first Women’s National Air Derby, an all-female race, in which Amelia finished third.

When the pilot was talking with reporters after the race, Ellie Brookhart and her friend were among the greeting crowd. The friend spotted the cap on the ground and presented the leather helmet—with the name “A. Earhart” printed on the inside—to Twiggs’ mother in an attempt to impress her. “My mother decided to keep it for Amelia,” Twiggs tells The New York Times. But Amelia was too busy with reporters then and when his mother tried to give it back to her a bit later, she had already left.

For the next 90 years, the cap was kept in a closet in Brookhart’s home, where she would bring it out occasionally over the years to show her four children. After his mother’s death, Twiggs tried to interest museums and collectors in acquiring it. However, he hit a wall. No one believed the story.

Now 67, Twiggs sent photos to John Robinson of Resolution Photomatching to verify (核实) the flying cap’s authenticity. After comparing images of Earhart wearing the hat with the current photos of the artifact, Robinson gave him a positive answer.

【推荐3】When Makayla Nunn was 8, she was diagnosed (诊断) with an illness called chronic (慢性的) fatigue syndrome. People with this condition are always affected by extreme tiredness. The feeling doesn't go away when they sleep or rest. Makayla lives in the United Kingdom. Because of her illness, she had to give up some of her hobbies.

On her doctor's orders, she started spending no more than three hours at school each day. She soon fell behind in her studies, and she missed her friends. “I would love to see them more,” Makayla, now 15, told TIME for Kids. Then Makayla's mom introduced her to a tool that would help her keep on top of schoolwork and stay connected to friends. It was a robot called AV1. AV1 is 11 inches tall and weighs about two pounds. The robot was developed to help kids who have a chronic illness.

Now, when Makayla can't make it to school, AV1 takes her place. If she feels well enough to take part in a lesson, she opens an app on her phone. She uses AV1's camera to see what's happening in the classroom.

AV1 isn't the only technology that lets kids who are sick attend school remotely (远程地). But AV1 is specially designed to encourage social interaction. The robot's expressive eyes let Makayla show emotions (情绪) to people such as happiness or sadness. The whisper function allows her to speak with friends in class. And AV1 is easily carried, so Makayla's friends can take it with them during breaks or on social outings.

Makayla's classmates nicknamed her robot Robbie. One staff member even made Robbie a coat so it wouldn't get cold.

Karen Dolva cofounded No Isolation, the company that makes AV1, in 2015. “When you're not in school, you miss out on all these small, magical moments and interactions,” Dolva told TIME for Kids. “AV1 helps you stay active in the conversation.”