【推荐2】A discovery of mummies in the Tarim Basin in China from the 1990s has finally been uncovered. The remains showed evidence of western origin, but after a DNA test, it turns out that these mummies are a bit more local than once thought.

The Tarim Basin is mostly covered by the Taklamakan Desert, which is dry and unlivable for human settlement. Located in central Asia, this was the location of an incredible anthropological (人类学的) find. The remains of thousands of people were discovered alongside clothes, tools, food, and other artifacts. The dry climate created a perfect setting for preservation for what is now known as a 4,000-year-old civilization.

This discovery was noted as even more of a mystery because of the western look of the clothing on the mummies and the burial practices that had never been known before-all of the remains were found laid to rest in wooden boats. This is odd due to the location of the find-the middle of the desert. Many believed that these peoples were wanderers or nomads, but genome sequencing (基因组测序) done on 13 of the mummies by Chinese, European, and American researchers showed that these remains are actually native children of an ancient ice-age civilization.

This genetic (基因的) research is only the beginning. There are still mysteries surrounding this find. “The mummies have long fascinated scientists and the public since their original discovery. Beyond being extraordinarily preserved, they were found in a highly unusual context, and they exhibit diverse and far-ranging cultural elements, ” stated Christina Warinner, an associate professor of anthropology at Harvard. The research surrounding this discovery will continue globally and with every bit of information uncovered, the more the anthropological community, as well as the public, will understand about this incredible find.

【推荐1】There are many kinds of pollution, which can be classified by environment, including air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Modern society is also concerned about specific types of pollution, such as noise pollution, light pollution and plastic pollution. Pollution of all kinds may not only have negative effects on the environment and wildlife, but also do harm to human health and well-being.

Although environmental pollution can be caused by natural events such as forest fires and active volcanoes, use of the word “pollution” generally means that the wastes have an anthropocentric source—that is, a source created by human activities. Pollution has accompanied humankind ever since groups of people first congregated and remained for a long time in any one place. Indeed, ancient human settlements are frequently recognized by their wastes, Pollution was not a serious problem as long as there was enough space available for each individual or group. However, with the establishment of permanent settlements by great numbers of people, pollution became a problem, and it has remained one ever since.

By the middle of the 20th century, an awareness of the need to protect air, water, and land environments from pollution had developed among the general public. In particular, the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring focused attention on environmental damage caused by improper use of pesticides such as DDT. In response, major pieces of environmental law and regulation were passed in many countries to control the environmental pollution.

Great efforts are made to limit the release of harmful substances into the environment. Unfortunately, attempts at pollution control are surpassed by the scale of the problem, especially in less-developed countries. Noxious levels of air pollution are common in large cities. To control the pollution completely, we still have a long way to go.

【推荐3】White sand beaches of the Cocos Islands, which are known as a splendid tourist destination surrounded by greenish blue water, have now been filled with wastes like abandoned plastic water bottles, toothbrushes and cigarette lighters.

Jennifer Lavels, a marine scientist, went to these tropical islands with her research team. Knowing that lots of beaches were polluted by plastic wastes, the team conducted a careful scientific examination on the coast, only to find the problem caused by pieces of trash humans left was worse than expected.

Not all plastics are to blame. They are necessary in places like hospitals and airplanes , and make our vehicles lighter and more efficient. However , other plastics, especially disposable(一次性的) plastics , account for the growing mess on the beaches. Islands all over the world are jammed with plastics. And the Cocos Islands are no exception.

It requires the greatest effort of all time to control plastic pollution in modern society. No matter how tall the hurdles are , something has to be done.

Apparently, demand for disposable plastics must be reduced greatly. “Why don't we carry around bags that we can use over and over again?” asked Richard Gross, a chemist who researches innovative ways to make more sustainable plastics. “Let's carry about reusable lunch boxes. We should understand how serious the situation is.”

Although it is important for individuals to make an effort to avoid using disposable plastics, it is also generally believed that only with international rules can such a deep- rooted, common, and worldwide disaster be tackled.

However, the U.N, which engages in dealing with accelerating climate change and public health crises , obviously isn't paying enough attention to calling for international action on plastic pollution. As a result, billions of plastic products will still be produced every year, many of which will end up in the ocean.

Nowadays, fish are eating plenty of plastics, and people eat those fish. It remains unrevealed how it will affect human health, but clearly the amount of plastics used has increased many times in the last several decades, and if this tendency goes on , by 2050 an enormous amount of carbon will be released into the already carbon-saturated

【推荐2】Right at this moment, cockroaches (蟑螂) are doing more to save the environment than you are. A big overstatement? Not if you’ve ever thrown away leftovers from your plate or bought more food than you could manage to cook in a week. You’re part of the food waste problem. But just like cockroaches, you can also be part of the solution.

For example, some farmers in Asia and Africa collect tomatoes in big bags, which means that many of them get crushed out of shape and spoiled before they can be sold or eaten. Switching the bags for large wooden containers already lowers the amount of food lost. Similar successes can and have been achieved in various regions with weather-protected storage facilities.

Let’s focus on China for a second. It’s one of the few countries with an innovative approach to minimizing the environmental impact of food waste. How does it do it? Cockroaches. Millions of the tiny creatures are kept in farms in the suburban districts of big cities. Every morning, food waste is delivered by the tonnes and fed to the cockroaches. Just like tiny pigs, they’re not picky and devour everything quickly. After they die, they’re processed into protein-rich feed for animals such as cows or sheep, or used for cosmetic products and Chinese medicine. It’s an efficient and environmentally-friendly alternative to dumping leftover food in a landfill. Cockroaches aren’t going to solve the problem with food waste, but they can serve as an inspiration for finding other similar solutions on a wider scale.

To avoid food waste completely, improvements are needed at every step of the food supply chain, from production to retail. These take time and are often out of your hands as a consumer. But a meaningful reduction of food waste is definitely in your hands. You can not only buy less and shop more often, but also cut down on animal products.

【推荐1】The concept of “forest bathing” has long been praised for its supposed health benefits. It can improve mental health and cognitive (认知) performance, reduce blood pressure and even treat depression and anxiety. Yet forests can be hard to reach or completely inaccessible in a world where as many as 5 billion people might live in urban environments by 2030. Some scientists believe that virtual reality could offer an alternative.

VR has already been used to help distract children undergoing medical procedures, and icy virtual landscapes have eased the pain of burn victims. Could virtual forests obtain the same physiological responses as real ones?

A group of scientists at the Czech University of Life Sciences—a psychologist with researchers in the forestry department—has tested the assumption by taking a group of 15people into the Roztocky háj nature reserve for 30-minute bathing sessions. They then used laser scanners to develop a virtual twin of the same area of forest, enhanced with audio recordings. Twenty participants, including 10 who visited the real forest, spent 30 minutes in the virtual forest. Questionnaires assessing the participants emotional states revealed no significant difference between the two experiences, according to the results. As the forestry researcher leading the project explained, “I was aware that the forest was not real. However, the experience was vivid, and it was easy for me to forget that I was in an experimental room.”

There are limitations, of course. Since computer processing power is finite (有限), virtual forests have physical boundaries. Some of the participants said they felt caged when they encountered the invisible forest wall. Power constraints (约束) also mean the computer is not perfect at small details like mushrooms or insects. Nor can virtual environments imitate every sensory experience of a real forest, like the smell of damp leaves. Making other sensations, like the feel of wind would prove more complicated.

Virtual environments can also cause cybersickness, which happens when your eyes perceive motion while your body does not. That is why some people felt dizzy after the bathing sessions. Psychologists and computer scientists hope that further research with larger groups of participants will help to overcome these limitations.

【推荐2】Dr Paul King at Texas Christian University has been an influential scholar in the field of communication studies for 30 years. I spoke to King about his research into “state anxiety in listening performance”. Most of us believe that anxiety impacts only the person giving the speech or presentation. Dr King has discovered that audience members feel anxiety, too.

King says that listening is a tiring activity because the learner is continually adding material to be remembered-retrieved-later. This is what he means by “cognitive backlog(认知积压)”. Put simply, the longer the task or the more information that is delivered, the greater the cognitive load. According to King, listening to a five-minute presentation produces a relatively small amount of cognitive backlog; an 18-minute presentation produces a little more, while a 60-minute presentation produces so much backlog that you risk seriously upsetting your audience unless you create a very engaging presentation with “soft breaks”— stories, videos, demonstrations, or other speakers.

The longer the presentation, the more the listener has to organize, comprehend, and remember. The burden increases along with a listener’s anxiety. They become increasingly frustrated, even angry. King says that the current research into memory processing suggests that it’s better to study content on two or three occasions for a short period of time instead of spending an entire evening cramming(填鸭式学习).

King applies the results to his graduate class on research methods. If given a choice, most graduate students would rather attend a single three-hour class than three 50-minute classes. When King taught his class once a week, he found that the students returned for the next class having lost most of the information they had learned the prior week. King discovered the “better practice” was to schedule the same content on three separate occasions, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. King said that despite objections, when he taught the class on three occasions his students scored better and exhibited a better memory of the complex material.

【推荐3】The Mogao Grottoes were a center of Buddhist life and some of the world’s great cultures for hundreds of years. However, by the late Qing Dynasty they had been abandoned and nearly forgotten and many of the caves had become damaged by the elements. Around 1900, with the discovery of a library of thousands of ancient documents, the caves received new interest from Chinese and foreign researchers. Unfortunately, this resulted in tens of thousands of items from the caves being taken to foreign museums

In the 1940s, many researchers and artists visited the area to study traditional Chinese art. Copies of some of the artwork painted by respected artists such as Zhang Daqian and GuanShanyue helped people all over the country learn about Dunhuang. These artists were also inspired by the artwork they saw in the caves and it began to influence their painting styles. Others staved in the desert for much longer, Chang Shuhong stayed for the rest of his life — struggling to record the cultural treasures and protect them from the weather. As a result of their efforts the Dunhuang Academy was formed to protect and study the Mogao Grottoes.

In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the caves are open to the public, access is now limited in order to protect the artwork. However, the caves can be seen online in digital form so that people around the world can study and enjoy them.

Despite its remoteness, the Mogao Grottoes continue to draw visitors. And just as the sand and desert have survived largely unchanged through the centuries, this small art gallery in the desert has also survived largely unchanged providing an amazing look at a world long ago past.