【推荐1】British anthropologists (人类学家) Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham, after studying the results of one-on-one boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling matches at the Olympic Games, conclude that when two competitors are equally matched in fitness and skill, the athlete wearing red is more likely to win.

Hill and Barton report that when one competitor is much better than the other, colour has no effect on the result. However, when there is only a small difference between them, the effect of colour is enough tip the balance. The anthropologists say that the number of times red wins is not simply by chance, but that these results are statistically significant.

Joanna Setchell, a primate (灵长目动物) researcher at the University of Cambridge, has found similar results in nature. She studies the large African monkeys known as mandrills. Mandrills have bright red noses that stand out against their white faces. Setchell’s work shows that the powerful males — the ones who are more successful with females — have a brighter red nose than other males.

As well as the studies on primates by Setchell, another study shows the effect of red among birds. In an experiment, scientists put red plastic rings on the legs of male zebra finches and this increased the birds’ success with female zebra finches, Zebra finches already have bright red beaks (鸟喙), so this study suggests that, as with Olympic athletes, an extra flash of red is significant. In fact, researchers from the University of Glasgow say that the birds’ brightly coloured beaks are an indicator of health. Jonathan Blount, a biologist, and his colleagues think they have found proof that bright red or orange beaks attract females because they mean that the males are healthier. Nothing in nature is simple, however, because in species such as the blue footed booby, a completely different colour seems to give the male birds the same advantage with females.

Meanwhile, what about those athletes who win in their events while wearing red? Do their clothes give them an unintentional advantage? Robert Barton accepts that “that is the implication” of their findings. Is it time for sports authorities to consider new regulations on sports clothing?

【推荐2】Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.

The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B.C. to about 1300 A.D., when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.

The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China.

Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web. The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy, and religion.

【推荐1】Today, China has conducted its first 3D printing experiment in space in a newly launched spacecraft, which was put into low-Earth orbit by China’s Long March 5B heavy lift carrier rocket.

Video broadcast on CCTV showed that the printer has printed a flat section of a honeycomb-shaped structure as well as a symbol of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the parent company of the China Academy of Space Technology. The experiment was done by a 3D printer, developed and built by its Beijing Spacecrafts Manufacturing Factory, inside the prototype (原型) of China’s new — generation manned spacecraft.

The printer, named the Space-Based Composite Material 3D Printing System, uses carbon fiber-reinforced materials to autonomously print objects. It is placed in the reentry module (返回舱) of the experimental spaceship, and will be brought back to Earth once the module returns.

The printer features advanced technologies in material modeling, accuracy control and automation. Once the space-based 3D printing technology becomes operationally ready, it can extensively benefit space programs as astronauts can use it to manufacture (大规模制造) a lot of things they currently now need to obtain from resupply flights by cargo spacecraft.

Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the 3D Printer will be very useful in extended space missions, such as those in a space station, because it will allow astronauts to make components (零件) quickly and conveniently in space. The technology will save future space journeys considerable resources and costs.

In fact, the device is not the only representative of 3D printing on board the Prototype.

A CubeSat deployer, designed and made through 3D printing by CoSats Space Technology, is also carried by the spacecraft to check the adaptability of 3D-printed equipment in space. CoSats Chief Operating Officer Bai Ruixue said the 3D-Printed deployer is much lighter and stronger than its counterparts and it will have huge potential in the space industry.

【推荐3】Anyone who has had a long-term illness knows that recovering at home can be boring. This can be especially true of children. They may feel cut off from their friends and classmates. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help feel less lonely. That friend is a robot.

The robot is called Avatarl (AV1). It takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They also can take part in classes from wherever they are recovering. And the children's school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot on their desks.

A Norwegian company called No Isolation created the robot. There are another two co-founders: Karen Dolva and Marius Aabel.

Dolva explains how the robot works. She says from home the child uses an iPad or a phone to start the robot, control the robot’s movements with touch, and talk through it. The child can take part in classroom activities. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras that make communicating easy. So it’s the eyes and the ears and the voice of the child at school. Inside AVI is a small computer connected to a 4G network. A small camera connected to a small computer could do the job. But that would not be the same.

AV1 was designed to be tough. It won't allow water to pass through it and can take a fall from a desk without damage. AV1 is large and looks like a human for a reason. Dolva says it can't be just a tiny camera because the other kids can't pick it up and take it with them. This is important because the robot is supposed to be a friend to the children.

Hopefully AV1 will help some children feel less lonely while they are absent from class.

【推荐1】The sunrises over the Cordillera mountain ranges in the Philippines, lighting up the beautiful terraced rice fields. Rows of terraces(梯田) wraparound the mountainsides from the ground to the very mountaintops, as far as the eye can see. Built with stonewalls at least 1, 000 years old, possibly 2, 000years, they are maintained by the ancient tradition and the lifestyle of the local Ifugao people. However, with the development of economy, life here is changing. And with it comes threats to this World Heritage(遗产) Site.

Young people are influenced by modern media and no longer want to work such long hours. More educational opportunities mean that many choose to make a life outside of the villages and rice fields. Roads are being built, allowing trucks bearing agricultural goods and buses bringing more tourists to and from. More tourists mean the need for more water and food, and the production of more waste and pollution. Ugly tall buildings, rather than beautiful traditional wooden homes, spring up in some villages.

Can these changes be managed so that the terraces continue to produce rice, and remain a beautiful part of our world heritage? Jimmy Padchanan, an official of the village of Mayoyao, said in an interview, “We are combining the old societies with the new, while maintaining many of our values.” He and the local people were confident that they would keep the best of the new and the strength of the past to protect the terraces, which are described as “a living cultural landscape of breathtaking beauty”. They said cultural heritages are very valuable for human, and it is a necessary duty for everyone to try his/her best to protect them.