【推荐1】Scientists say they have found detailed evidence of ancient rivers on Mars. The discovery supported existing evidence that Mars once had water. The researchers said their findings suggested rivers may have flowed on the surface of Mars for hundreds of thousands of years.

These images were captured by a camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The camera is able to take detailed pictures of the surface while orbiting the planet from about 400 kilometers away. A team of scientists studied the images, which showed a valley network on Mars.

The team was led by Francesco Salese, a geologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Salese said the scientists studied sedimentary (沉淀物) rocks from a 200 meters high rocky cliff. Sedimentary rocks form when sedimented (使沉积) and transported by water or wind.

“These are sedimentary rocks and were formed by rivers that were likely active for over 100,000 years,” Salese said, adding even without the ability to examine the cliff area on Mars, the pictures show strong similarities to sedimentary rocks found on the earth.

William McMahon is another geologist who was part of the investigation team. He said sedimentary rocks have long been studied on the earth to learn what conditions were like on our planet millions or even billions of years ago. Another leader of the team was Joel Davis, a researcher with Britain’s Natural History Museum. He said scientists had never before been able to examine such a rock formation with such great detail. They created 3D images of the area to get a more detailed understanding of it, which suggested some ancient Martian rivers were several meters deep.

【推荐2】Surprised scientists say they now have absolute proof that life exists on Jupiter (木星). They’re receiving SOS signals radioed from the destroyed planet! Off the record, NASA higher-ups are analyzing that the signals were caused by the recent strike of Jupiter by comet fragments (彗星碎片).

“Theses signals can only be coming from an intelligent (智慧的) life form,” says Dr. Lucas Mirsch, a highly respected planetary astronomer with close ties to NASA. “Contrary to what we’ve believed for years, we’re not alone in the solar system. And based on what we can tell from the mathematical pattern of these signals, the residents of the largest planet in our galaxy are asking Earth for help.” Dr. Mirsch says NASA officials have absolutely confirmed that Jupiter is the source of the strange signals, which began in late June—just weeks before the comet fragments began to hit the giant planet.

“NASA has investigated every possibility that this could be a hoax,” says Dr. Mirsch. That is, it may be a trick. “State-of-the-art sensors have traced the point of origin to the exact position of Jupiter’s orbit. There’s simply nowhere else they could be coming from.”

One of the specialists who has analyzed the mathematical pattern of the sounds says he and his staff are 99 percent sure the message is an SOS of some sort. “It’s difficult to explain to the public,” said the expert. “But the frequency with which certain numbers occur in a coded message gives us clues about its general content. Although we can’t give an exact word- for-word translation, we can say with reasonable certainty that life-and-death urgency is being communicated.”

NASA won’t officially comment but Dr. Mirsch says, “There’s not much the agency can do to help. All we can do now is pray that Jupiter survives this terrible strike and that our two worlds can make contact again soon.”

【推荐2】The impact of technology on language is a topic that often causes concern, with many assuming that it is simply ruining it. However, language experts resist such pessimism, noting that there is little evidence to support the view that speech is getting worse. Gretchen McCulloch, in her book Because Internet, focuses on what can be learned about language from the internet rather than talking about its supposed negative effects.

McCulloch compares studying language online to growing bacteria (细菌) in a Petri dish,where trends emerge and disappear quickly, allowing language experts to observe changes that would otherwise take a considerable amount of time. The influence of strong ties like friends or family vs weaker ties on language change is analyzed, with computer simulations (模拟) revealing that having both strong and weaker ties helps spread updates in a community.

The role of social media platforms in language change is also discussed. Twitter, with its mix of strong and weak ties, is shown to drive more language change than Facebook, which is controlled by stronger ties. Emoji is highlighted as a universal digital expression of gestures, not a language. Additionally, there is evidence that the use of internet“innovations”such as“omg”dates back to pre-computer eras.

McCulloch’s book focuses on the birth of a new medium rather than a new language. The rise of mass writing on the internet, characterized by frequent, error-filled, and short-lived communication, challenges traditional ideas about writing’s importance. McCulloch suggests future historians should see this as a return to more casual (随意的) language, paying more attention to the value of tools that improve social interaction online. The book argues against the idea that these changes might lead to the end of “real” writing, advocating for an appreciation of anything that enhances human connection and the enjoyment of each other’s company.