【推荐1】More than half of the birds in Washington are at risk of extinction because of climate change. That's according to a new national report from the Audubon Society, which gives detailed analysis of climate effects on about 600 species of North American birds.

It's based on more than 140 million observations of birds across the US, Mexico and Canada. Audubon scientists looked at the likely effects of sea-level rise, urbanization, drought, extreme spring heat, increased fires, heavy rain and other factors.

But it doesn't just spell out a doomsday scenario (世界末日).Instead, it offers a range of effects and warming, depending on how much carbon humans add to the atmosphere.

"It is truly an existential threat (威胁), not only to birds but to people,” said Doug Santoni, board chair of Audubon Washington, who looked into the report as soon as it came out.

Santoni says he was struck to see the vulnerability (脆弱)of a common “ backyard bird" , the dark-eyed junco. It's one that many first-time birders become familiar with as they learn how to identify species based on their markings and other traits. Currently in Washington, you can count on juncos to show up at your feeder, year round. Extreme spring heat, increased fires and heavy rain are the kinds of changes that will force birds like these north, or kill them off if they fail to adapt.

Trina Bayard, director of bird conservation at Audubon’s Washington chapter, says, "It's certainly a very serious warning report," but adds that there’s still hope. “If we can stabilize current temperatures and decrease our emissions (排放), we can really reduce the effects to these birds …that's very motivating. ”

【推荐1】As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine.    1    . However, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects is has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.    2    . People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet.    3    . Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs.    4    . The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.    5    . They try to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.

【推荐2】It has long been believed that the smart phones in our pockets are actually making us dumb (迟钝的). Now there is evidence for it.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin discovered that people are worse at completing tasks and remembering information if a smart phone is within sight. In two experiments they found phones sitting on a desk or even in a pocket or a handbag would distract (使分心) users and lead to worse test scores even when they were set up not to disturb test subjects.

The researchers tested 520 university students on their memory and intelligence when they were in the presence of a smart phone to see how it affected them. They were told to complete tests in mathematics, memory and reasoning with their smart phones either on their desks, in their bags or pockets, or in another room. Those who had their phones on the desk recorded a 10 percent lower score than those who left them in a different room. Those who kept their phones further out of sight in their pockets or their bags scored only slightly better than those whose phones were placed on desks.

The researchers found that the negative effect of having a phone within sight was greater among those who said they were dependent on their smart phones. It was also found that phones could distract users even when they were turned off or when they were placed face down.

The researchers said the effect arises because part of the smart phone users’ mind is trying not to think about distractions such as whether they have any messages when the smart phone is in their line of sight.

Similar research has previously shown that smart phones can lead a “butterfly brain effect” on users that can cause mental blunders (错误).

【推荐1】Have you ever taken a personality test and found the results to be scarily accurate, checked your horoscope and had everything come true or taken an online quiz that told you precisely what your favorite Disney princess means about you? Well, we certainly have done so too many times, so we decided to do a little investigation into how Internet -quizzes, magazines and horoscope books seem to know us so well.

We discovered that we’ve all been falling victim to the Barnum effect. The Barnum Effect is the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them, despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone. It was named after P. T. Barnum, a famous 19th century showman, who would famously say, “There’s a fool born every minute.”

Indeed, Barnum proved to be right, as pseudoscience —such as astrology and personality tests — remains popular to this day. The Bamum effect explains why extremely general statements, such as the results of your personality test, seem so specific to you. Don’t believe us? Well, late psychology professor Bertram Forer offered some proof.

In a historic study, Forer conducted a personality test to his students. Forer copied statements such as “You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.” and “You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.” from the newspaper’s horoscope column and gave a test to every student. Forer asked his students to rate the accuracy of the test from one to five, with “one” being the least accurate and “five” being the most accurate. The average rating was 4.26. The universally high ratings from students on the personality test supported the Barnum effect.

One of the most important factors when reproducing this study is to keep the statements as vague as possible, with a mix of mostly positive and some negative content. For example, using the phrase “at times” makes for a powerful Barnum Effect. See “At times you are outgoing and sociable, while at other times you are shy and reserved” who would not agree with that statement?

So, keep in mind that we are not immune to the Barnum effect. Take everything you hear with several grains of salt.

【推荐2】Darek Fidyka, a 38-year-old Bulgarian, had been paralysed（瘫痪的）from the chest down for four years after a knife attack. Scientists from Britain and Poland took cells from his nose, transplanted them into his back and regrew his spinal cord （脊髓）. Now he can walk and even drive a car. The doctors were delighted but said it was the first step in a long journey.

The breakthrough came after 40 years of research by Professor Geoff Raisman, who found that cells had the possibility to repair damage to nasal （鼻子的） nerves, the only part of the nervous system that constantly regrows. “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself, and put it into an area that doesn't repair itself,” Professor Raisman said.

Polish doctors injected the nasal cells into Mr Fidyka's spinal cord above and below the injury and used some nerves from his ankle to form a bridge across the damaged tissue. The nasal cells appear to have caused the spinal nerves to repair themselves.

Professor Raisman achieved this with rats in the late 1990s, but this is his greatest success. “I think the moment of discovery for me was Christmas in 1997 when I first saw a rat that couldn't control its hand put its hand out to me. That was an exciting moment, because I realized then that my belief that the nervous system could be repaired was true. ”

Doctors chose the easiest case for their first attempt — it might not work for others. But there is a real sense of hope that an idea once thought impossible has been realized.

David Nicholls, who helped provide money for the breakthrough, said information about the breakthrough would be made available to researchers across the globe.

“What you’ve got to understand is that for three million paralysed people in the world today, the world looks like a totally brighter place than it did yesterday,” he said.

【推荐3】At night, when you go to bed, many birds and animals are getting ready to sleep too. But others are just waking up and beginning their day, because they are nocturnal: they sleep during the day and then come out at night. Have you ever heard an owl hooting in the night? Owls are nocturnal. They spend the night looking for rabbits, mice and other small animals to eat. Bats, pangolins, moths, spiders, and many kinds of frogs come out at night to look for food too. And even in the oceans, some fish sleep at night while others, like sharks, become active.

So why do these animals live so differently? For some of them, it is safer, because there are fewer predators that want to catch and eat them. For others, it is easier to find food because the animals that they eat come out at night too. Some animals are nocturnal because the temperature is better for them at night. Slugs and snails, for example, can easily dry out in the daytime sun, so they hide in dark wet places and wait for the night. Many desert animals are also nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day.

Many nocturnal animals have special senses to help them to move around, stay safe and find food at night. Some have very big eyes that let in a lot of light, so that they can see in the dark. Some, like the fox, can smell things very well or, like owls, have an amazing sense of hearing. And some use echolocation to help them move around and find food in the dark. They make special noises that echo back, telling them what is nearby What other animals do you know about that are nocturnal? Try and find out about one.

Why does it come out at night, and what special senses does it have for night-living?