Sensors for Houseplants

Over the past two years Jasmin Moeller, a 38-year-old in Germany, has been buying more houseplants, making her feel more comfortable.

Actually, the fact that people have spent much more time     1     at home has started a trend to bring more nature inside. In the UK, the latest     2     show that 2021 houseplant sales were 29% higher than in 2020. It is a similar picture in other countries, with sales of houseplants in the US rising by 18% last year, for instance.

Yet it is one thing to buy a houseplant and quite another to successfully look after it. Luckily, some     3     sensors for indoor plants may help those without professional skills in gardening. These devices, usually solar powered and connected wirelessly to a user’s smartphone, should be inserted into the soil next to the plants. Then, they show in real time the     4     of the plants.

A sensor made by German firm Greensens has approximately 5000 plant     5     on its app database. Like a traffic light system, the app uses red, yellow and green faces to     6     how plants are doing. For example, red reveals that the plant is dying, while green means it’s in perfect condition. Besides, users are regularly     7     of what they should do with plants.

Another app released by German business Fyta tells users how their plants are by analyzing the uploaded pictures of the plants. It also includes     8     content other apps rarely offer, such as cultural history of some plants, so users can learn more about their plants.

However, Botanist Silver Spence is worried that     9     on these sensors may affect users’ gardening skills negatively. And David Anglov recommends that amateurs try their best to establish their own     10     of what a plant needs in various situations through careful observation.

Back in Germany, Ms Moeller says she is sure that the sensors are helping her improve gardening skills.

While giant sharks are more common sea monsters in films, jellyfish also pose a major threat in real life—with some being able to kill people with their stings. And the     1    danger they cause doesn’t stop there, with reports of them attacking salmon farms, shutting down power stations and incapacitating(使丧失能力)warships. There are even some scientists in Australia researching whether box jellyfish could     2    destroy our oceans—so could destroying them be a possible solution?

The huge number of jellyfish in our oceans means that if we did start eating them, there is already a large     3    of these potential morsels to be dined on. Also, some people argue that due to their reproductive cycle, jellyfish are actually a(n)     4    food source. Removing a jellyfish from the ocean doesn’t stop new ones being born. This is because they are spawned(孵出)from polyps on the seabed. In some ways, you can     5    them to apples. When you take an apple from a tree, the tree still goes on to produce more apples.

What about their nutritional value? Jellyfish contain 36 calories per ounce, which puts it on a par with iceberg lettuce. However, unlike lettuce, it is full of protein, making it potentially a great diet food. And indeed, in many parts of the world,     6    in Asia, they are already consumed, often raw, fried or chopped up as part of a salad. The demand for these animals, combined with their numbers, means that selling jellyfish is becoming an ever more     7     business.

But what do they taste like? While some say they are flavourless, others describe them as having a salty taste. This could be due to their absorbent(能吸收液体的)     8    , which also leads them to being often served in a sauce. As for the texture, some people negatively compare the experience to eating gristle.

So, the next time you     9    chowing down on some fish, you might look at jellyfish as a sustainable     10    . They might not be the tastiest thing you’ve ever eaten, but it beats fleeing the sea to avoid being stung.

A team of scientists led by Alejandro Arteaga, grantee of The Explorers Club Discovery Expeditions and researcher at Khamai Foundation, discovered three new cryptozoic (living underground) snakes dwelling under graveyards (墓地) and churches in remote towns in the Andes region of Ecuador.

It was an exploration that led to the most     1    of places.

First published in the journal, Zookeys, Arteaga and his team named the small brown color-patterned snakes in honor of institutions or people supporting the exploration and    2     of remote cloud forests in the tropics.

The Discovery Ground Snake (Atractus discovery) was found underground in a small graveyard. Two     3    new species were found near an old church and inside a small school. Destruction of the snake’s native forest habitat may have forced them to     4     to these people-less areas according to Arteaga’s findings.

Atractus discovery was named to honor The Explorers Club Discovery Expedition Grants     5    , a program seeking to foster scientific understanding for the betterment of humanity and all life on Earth and beyond. The grant program supports researchers and explorers from around the world in their quest to ease the climate change crisis, prevent the extinction of species and cultures, and    6    the health of the Earth and its inhabitants.

Atractus zgap was named in honor of the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP), a(n)     7     seeking to conserve unknown but highly endangered species and their natural environment.

Atractus michaelsabini was named in honor of Michael Sabin, grandson of American philanthropist and conservationist Andrew Sabin. Through conservation organization Re:wild, the Sabin family has supported field research of threatened reptiles and has protected thousands of acres of     8     habitat throughout the world.

“The discovery of these new snakes is only the first step towards a much larger conservation project,” says Arteaga. “We have already started the process of establishing a nature     9     to protect the ground snakes. This action would not have been possible without first unveiling the existence of these unique and cryptic reptiles, even if it meant     10     disturbing the peace of the dead in the graveyard where they lived.”