【推荐1】If electric bikes haven't caught your attention yet, here's one that might. Okapi, a Boston-based company, is producing a unique e-bike that bridges the gap between motorcycles and ordinary bikes.

These aren't normal bikes. If the futuristic appearance doesn't give them away, the specs（规格）will: Okapi's bikes have an all-electric range of up to 40 miles and a top speed of around 30 mph. Those aren't crazy numbers, but they are more than adequate（合乎要求）for an ordinary bike. The company's selling its bikes for just under $3,000. That's in line with other e-bikes' pricing, but Okapi's bikes look more attractive than the others, which try to look like normal bicycles.

The bikes full suspension（减震）, hidden storage, and 1,000-watt motor all add up to a fun ride. Okapi's design appears to be stronger and more able to handle the bumps（碰撞）than many other electric bikes, some of which appear to be modeled after old models The main downside to Okapi's design is that it supports a maximum of 280 pounds, which may stop some riders enjoying the bike.

Electric bikes are getting cheaper, almost every day, but Okapi's product charges a high price The Starter Edition bike costs $2,989. 98. The good news is that Okapi's bike looks better and stronger than many offerings on the market today.

Though they're not the most mainstream product there, e-bikes are worth the coin at almost any price. If you' re considering buying an electric bike, do it. E-bikes absolutely offer you an enjoyable and exciting experience, even on the cheaper end.

【推荐2】Alina Morse is just 14 years old and is the founder of Zollipops, a business founded in 2014. It has produced S2 million worth of lollipops (棒棒糖) which are actually good for your teeth.

The idea for the lollipops, her company’s first product, came to Alina back in 2012, when she was just 7 years old. It all started when she went to a bank with her dad Tom and a teller offered her lollipops. Though she really wanted to accept, she remembered how her parents bad told her that sugar was terrible for her teeth. So she asked her dad, “Why don’t we make a healthy lollipop that’s good for my teeth so I can have candy, and it won’t be bad for me?”

Two years of online research, at least a hundred attempts at making lollipops in their home oven and many plant tests later where they tested their creations on commercial (商业的) production equipment Alina and her father got their first meeting, and finally their first retail (零售) placement, with Whole Foods Market. “They loved our product, and they loved the idea,” Alina says. The sugar-free candies reduce the risk of tooth decay (蛀牙).

Soon after landing in Whole Foods Market, Zollipops began shipping on Amazon, which makes up around a quarter of the company’s yearly sales.

By 2015, at age 10, Alina was on “The Steve Harvey Show”, telling the host, “I hope every kid in America has a clean mouth, a healthy smile and a Zollipop in their hands.” The next year, she landed Kroger. “We were on the bottom shelf, but it was still really exciting because Kroger is the biggest food shop. And recently, we were brought up to the second-to-last shelf,” she says with a laugh.

“Alina hasn’t had 5 or 10 jobs where you have to follow this rule or that rule or do things in a certain way,” says her mother Sue. Tom agrees. Having worked for major brands, he sees the way his daughter benefits from inexperience. “Kids ask really good questions,” he says. “They don’t have the same kind of baggage adults do, so they don’t need limitations.”

【推荐3】Soil is one of the most important materials of daily life. It’s necessary for growing the food and resources we depend on, protecting against drought (干旱) and flooding and storing carbon dioxide for years to come. But the dirt under our feet is constantly in danger because of rising temperatures and loss of biodiversity caused by climate change. Although we may think soil is simple, it’s pretty hard to know what’s really going on deep in the ground from the surface.

Scientists in Italy, however, think they may have a robotic solution—a seed-inspired (受种子启发的) robot. Scientists at the Bioinspired Soft Robotics (BSR) Lab have developed the first 4D-printed seed-inspired soft robot, which can act as sensors for monitoring pollutants, CO2 levels, temperature and humidity (湿度) in soil.

They were inspired by a South African geranium (a garden plant). The seeds of the plant have the ability to change shape in response to how humid their environment is. When the time comes for the seeds to leave the plant, they can separate themselves from the plant and move independently to find their way through soil. The curly seeds can find a home for themselves simply by becoming bigger or smaller depending on the water content in the air. The team imitated the seeds and developed robots that use materials that also change shape when exposed (暴露) to humidity.

When tested in a soil sample, the robot was able to rock from side to side, adapt its shape to the space, and get into holes in the ground like a natural seed. Not to mention, it was capable of lifting things about 100 times its own weight. First author Luca Cecchini said that the robot is easy to break down and causes no harm to the soil. It could be used as a wireless, battery-free tool for surface soil exploration and monitoring.

【推荐1】FREMONT, Calif. —Among a large group of people who are starting Silicon Valley companies and websites, it’s hard to find one more inspiring than 17-year-old Suraya Shivji.

After teaching herself to program iPhone gaming apps (应用软件) and getting them posted on Apple’s App Store, the Fremont teen is using them — along with a crowd-funding campaign (大众筹资活动) she began this year on her website, Rizikitoto — to raise money for African orphans (孤儿).

So far, Rizikitoto has helped Suraya raise about 1,300 dollars for the children, with money from each app given to a particular child. Suraya talked about her plans in an interview.

Q: What caused you to want to help these children?

A: I went to Africa a couple of years ago, and my sister and I volunteered at an orphanage in Uganda. Most of the children I worked with were 10 and 11. The orphans were really talented and really bright. I just saw the need. I liked the idea that anyone like me could help.

Q: What made you think of using your gaming apps?

A: I taught myself how to program a few years ago. The apps are great. But I didn’t want them to just sit on the App Store as stupid games. And then I thought of connecting each one to a kid at the orphanage I worked at. So that’s how it started.

Q: Do you make money by having people pay to download them?

A: A couple of them must be paid for but the rest are free with advertisements. The first ones were free, because I wanted to get things rolling. But I’m pretty sure from now on I’ll have all of them paid for, because it’s the best way to grow successfully.

Q: How do you see Rizikitoto developing?

A: I can see it being pretty big. I want other kids to program apps for the company, so it won’t be just myself. I’m trying to reach out to other groups, too. And I’d like to work on more projects like this.

【推荐3】Alex Spektor was nervous. He was in Poland near the Ukrainian(乌克兰的)border to meet his twin sons, Lenny and Moishe, for the first time. The boys were just 10 days old, born prematurely. Because of the war, his under-sized babies required oxygen and constant monitoring. Spektor had no clue how he would get them home to Chicago safely.

Then he heard about Bryan Stern. The navy veteran(退伍军人)ran the non-profit Project Dynamo, which sent all unpaid volunteers like Stern into war zones to rescue Americans and allies trying to flee. When Spektor reached out to him, Stern recognized just how serious the situation was for Lenny and Moishe. Saving the twins would require more than a fast car. The precious “cargo”(货物)had to be monitored and watched continuously by medical staff. Stern would follow in his car to navigate the various checkpoints and live fire.

Then there was an added wrinkle: baby Sophie, another baby who needed to be rescued. Born two days after the boys, she was even more fragile than the twins. This was quickly becoming the most difficult rescue Project Dynamo had faced.

Saving Lenny, Moishe, and Sophie was proving tougher. They found themselves under fire as soon as they left for the border. At the Polish border, Spektor waited with his phone, anxious for updates. Around 11 p. m., more than 13 hours after they left the hospital in Kyiv, Stern texted Spektor: “We’re at the border”. A few hours later, Lenny and Moishe were in their father’s arms. Soon, all three babies were resting in a Polish hospital. Stern, who served in multiple war tours and was awarded a Purple Heart, told Today: “It was by far one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done.”