【推荐1】The world’s first 3D-printed wood log hive (蜂箱) is a new project developed by the Lacrima Foundation in Edinburgh to reduce the troubling decline of honey bee populations around the world.

The Lacrima Foundation is a charity that is “committed to the conservation and protection of one of the Earth’s most important inhabitant.” The charity teamed up with beekeepers in Europe to work towards a rewilding approach that would offer bees a natural nest habitat and, in turn, create resilience (复原力) among bee communities.

Honey bees are one of the most important pollinators (授粉者), and although they may seem small and insignificant, they are vital for the production of our food — we couldn’t eat without them! However, in recent years, bee populations have been severely impacted by the growing climate emergency and our intensive agriculture practices, including the overuse of pesticides.

With help from local partners, the Foundation created 3D-printed wood log hives, which allow the bees to live in an undisturbed ecosystem where they can carry out their lives. They install these hives in high sections of tree trunks to model natural conditions for the big honey bee populations.

Vince Moucha, chairman of the Lacrima Foundation, said, “Even though there are other people and organisations working in the field of natural beekeeping, the impact, progress and scope of these projects is minimal and slow, due to limited access to resources and clear vision. I am driven by responsibility and decided to act on it due to the urgency and importance of this matter.”

The Foundation will continue to work with beekeepers in the UK, Europe, and the United States to help our bee populations survive and thrive for them and us! Check out the Lacrima Foundation, where you can see their mission and donate to the cause and even get a honey bee gift bracelet in return.

【推荐2】Researchers from the University of Bath have developed motion capture technology that enables you to digitize（数字化）your dog with only one camera. The software could be used for a wide range of purposes, from helping vets diagnose lameness（跛）and monitoring recovery of their dog patients, to behavior supervision.

The University of Bath's motion capture research centre digitised the movement of 14 different breeds of dogs. Wearing special doggie motion capture suits with markers, the dogs were filmed under the supervision of scientists doing a range of movements. They used these data to create a computer model that can accurately predict and copy the poses of dogs when they re filmed without wearing the motion capture suits. This model allows 3D digital information for new dogs-their shape and movement-to be captured without markers and expensive equipment, but using a single RGBD camera instead.

The researcher Kearney said, “This is the first time RGBD images have been used to track the motion of dogs using a single camera, which is much more affordable than traditional motion capture systems that require multiple cameras. This technology allows us to study the movement of animals, which is useful for applications such as detecting lameness in a dog and measuring its recovery over time.”

The team has also started testing their method on digital images of other four-legged animals including horses, cats, lions and gorillas, with some promising results. They aim in the future to extend their animal dataset to make the results more accurate；they will also be making the dataset available for non-commercial use by others. “Our research is a step towards building accurate 3D models of animal motion along with technologies that allow us to very easily measure their movement.” said Kearney.

【推荐3】French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. If the taxis are actually used in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world show of the flying technology.

Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support. One of the companies in attendance was Germany’s Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.

But so far, no air taxi maker has received government permission to launch service in France. Volocopter hopes to be the first. But the company still needs to run its aircraft through rigorous weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Company chief Dirk Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, air taxi companies have also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world. Robin Riedel, who co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey, said companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years. In addition, many investors(投资人) have decided to put money into drones(无人机) instead of flying taxis.

Hoke has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis-French President Emmanuel Macron. “That would be super amazing,”Hoke said, “That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying.”

In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly. This is because current battery technology limits the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry. The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies. Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers. As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis is expected to reach into the millions.

【推荐1】Social media networks have been shown to have greatly changed students’ social behaviour. But the relationship between social media and students’ English language writing has been largely ignored (忽视). So our team of four researchers studied one English as a Second Language (ESL) class at Fiaseman SenirHigh School in Tarkwa, southwestern Ghana. Our research focused on a Form 2 class, made up of 47 students aged 17 and 18 on average. It was one of the largest classes in the school, which offered English as a general subject.

The study found that the students spent really long periods of time on various social media platforms (平台) . But most of the sites they visited were not about learning. That was worrying. One student said, “I visit social media every day. I can’t count. I’m always there. It is very difficult to control my presence there. I truly don’t know what to do.”

We also found that their social media use had resulted in their use of shortened forms of English words-such as “4” in place of “for”, “u” in place of “you” and “d” in place of “the” --in their writing, including in their English examinations. These are the unacceptable written forms of English.

We concluded that the way in which English is being used in examinations by students is being undermined by their use of the English language on social media. This is a growing trend (趋势) that will see students struggle to get ahead in the subject, as more formal English language writing is needed for examinations and further studies.

We recommend that those involved in education should consider connecting teaching practices that take advantage of social media to attract students. This would allow students to learn during their time on social media platforms. Also, teachers should help students choose proper social media sites. They should tell students about the importance and dangers of social media and how to use them, especially for educational purposes.