【推荐2】When we first started researching ecotourism in Spain, we were surprised to see how many amazing opportunities it offered for outdoor recreation.

Sierra Nevada National Park

Being the largest national park in Spain, it offers a lot more than the skiing for which it is best known. With 20+ peaks over 3,000 meters tall, the park has spectacular scenery, as well as numerous natural mineral springs and more than 50 mountain lakes. The park’s diverse ecosystems are home to 2,100 plant species (60 of which are unique to the area).

Somiedo Natural Park

Somiedo Natural Park is the only place where you can see Cantabrian Brown Bears in the wild. They are known as “the littlest grizzly (灰熊)”. Spain ’s Brown Bear Foundation has been a leading force in preserving the troubled population. Thankfully, their numbers have risen in recent years to around 150 bears.

Cantabrian Coast

Cantabrian coast has 17 caves full of Palaeolithic Cave Art dating back to 35,000 — 9.000 BA. The most famous of these is Altamira Cave, which is known as the “Sistine Chapel of Quaternary Art”. The art there includes hundreds of animals that were created some 14,000 years ago. The number of visitors is limited to 9,000 per year.

Cabrera National Park

This 100 square km park is about as remote a destination as any nature lover could hope to visit. Due to its isolation, the coastal landscape of these 19 islands has remained relatively unchanged. The area is perfect for watching wildlife, scuba diving, and simply surrounding yourself in the beauty of nature. Access to the park is limited to just 200 people a day to minimize environmental impact.

【推荐1】A wild African bird that will lead people to trees with honeycomb (蜂巢) seems to somehow learn the distinct whistles and calls of the human foragers (觅食者) who live near them.

This bird species has far more information about what the bees are doing than humans ever could. In Tanzania, Hadza foragers can use a special whistle to attract this bird, which will then fly down and start leading them to honey. With its noisy chattering sound, the bird is very conspicuous. Once the bird arrives at a tree with honey inside, it will rest near the beehive silently, seemingly not to disturb the bees. “That’s the signal to the Hadza to really start searching,” says Brian Wood, an anthropologist at University of California, Los Angeles. Pretty soon, the foragers will locate the hive and cut open the tree trunk.

It is found that the birds are more likely to show up when the familiar signal used by the locals is being broadcast. According to the research, the birds appear 82% of the time when Hadza whistles are being played. But they appear only 24% of the time when the researchers play the whistles traditionally used in a different country.

This makes it clear that the birds have learned what their human neighbors do when they want to partner up and go honey-hunting. “This is a very strong result which supports the idea that there’s a learning process involved,” says Wood.

But how do the birds learn? It’s still unclear. What is clear is that this human-animal communication seems to benefit both parties, and it may go back many thousands of years. When the honeycomb is out, the birds get some of the beeswax, which they love to eat. And the human foragers get the honey—which is an enormously important food for the Hadza. Wood has calculated that the Hadza get about 10% of the calories in their annual diet with the help of the birds.

【推荐2】The desire for ivory products causes the killing of an elephant, but as their populations continue to fall, the hungry black market has become creative to satisfy its greed. Now, ivory hunters are setting their sights on everything. One victim of this cruel practice is the hippopotamus(河马). A new study says that arise in demand for hippopotamus’s teeth is threatening them with extinction.

In many ways, it takes a lot of effort to kill an elephant. They are legally well protected in most countries where they range and international regulations are clear. Also, smuggling(走私)large pieces of ivory internationally is easily noticed. Hippos offer a cheaper and easier ivory option. The simple truth is that they are not high on the priority list of the international conservation community. A group of wild-living African elephants will either be tracked with radio collars(项圈) or will be the focus of long-term conservation research, ecotourism or law-enforcement efforts. Not so with hippos. Unlike their famous cousins, they don’t come with a protective environment, meaning hunters can take their time.

Most elephant populations are listed under the highest level (Appendix I) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, but hippos are listed under Appendix Ⅱ of it, meaning some trade impossible. We have created a situation where some hippos can be shot, but we have few effective ways to regulate the trade, leaving it wide open to abuse.

Having lived in Africa and worked in frontline conservation, I have seen the first-hand that in the name of art, no ivory-bearing animal is safe. I have heard the stories and seen the bodies of hippos killed by machine-gun fire, mouths open, bloody and toothless. People are working to stop this and many wildlife authorities do what they can, but until there is a real change in the demand for ivory, the hippo has joined the elephant in being in desperate need of our help.

【推荐1】July is National Ice Cream Month. This means it is your civil duty to consume a spoon or two of the delicious treat daily. In 1984 the former US president Ronald Reagan designated July 17 as National Ice Cream Day in honor of the nutritious food. Here are some ice cream anecdotes (轶事) to keep you entertained while enjoying the creamy dessert.

Origin of ice cream

The first records of milk-based ice cream, made using heated milk, flour, and camphor (樟脑), come from China’s Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). But the Arabs are credited with inventing the delicious treat, using milk, sugar as ingredients in the 9th century. By the 10th century, the modern-day recipe with milk, cream and dried fruits was widely available in West Asian countries.

The frozen treat did not arrive in the US until 1744 when Maryland Governor Thomas Bladen served strawberry ice cream to guests. Now, Americans are the world’s largest consumers of ice cream, eating an average of 48 pints (品脱) per person every year.

Ice-cream related Guinness World Records

The frozen dessert’s popularity makes it a favorite for setting new Guinness World Records. The latest one was set in 2021 by the Ice Cream Lab pop-up at the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The temporary retail shop offered ice cream lovers 1,001 flavor options — setting a new world record for the most flavors offered.

Ice cream choice reveals personality traits

Most people believe their choice of ice cream flavor is due to taste preferences. But Dr. Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, maintains it reflects the individual’s personality.

Vanilla ice cream fans are risk-takers who are great at relationships. Love chocolate ice cream? Then you are lively, charming, and slightly dramatic. Mint chocolate ice cream fans can be ambitious and argumentative. Surprisingly, those who enjoy the multi-colored rainbow sherbet (果汁冰糕) are labeled pessimists, while rocky road ice cream lovers are believed to be engaging speakers and even better listeners.

【推荐2】The National Center for Education Statistics reports that about one in five adults in the US is illiterate (不识字的) or has poor literacy skills. I Love Books is on a mission to change that.

Founded in 2021, the social organization aims to end illiteracy by making sure that all children have access to books. Through selling clothes and other things online, the organization is able to provide new books for the youth. So far, it has donated more than 3,000 books to pupils across three Kentucky cities.

“One of the difficulties in achieving high literacy for kids living in poverty is that there are no books in their homes or communities. Their schools may not have a lot of books, either,” said Jonathan Beatty, the founder of I Love Books. “If you’re a parent and you have to choose between your meal, rent, or whatever bill that you may need to pay and a book, you’d probably choose the former.”

To increase access to books for future generations, I Love Books hosts a book-giving activity quarterly, working with schools and non-profit organizations. In the first book-giving event, more than 300 children from William Wells Brown Elementary got their own copies of LeBron James’ I Promise, which was read at the school each morning. “Most of the books are well received by teachers and students,” the headmaster of the school told Nice News.

The organization also hosts a program called BAM, which combines books, art, and music. “What if we show how literacy gives you the ability to write songs or understand music lyrics better? If you want to be an artist, you need to read more about art to create your own.” said Beatty. He believes the program will be attractive to more young people.