【推荐1】A new study shows that female academics are significantly underrepresented in winning academic prizes and having awards named after them. Analysis of nearly 9,000 awardees and 346 scientific prizes and medals published in Nature Human Behaviour has found that men win eight prizes for every one won by a woman if the award is named after a man. These awards represent almost two-thirds of all scientific prizes. Female academics are, however, more likely to win awards that have been named after other notable female scientists, with 47% of those awards going to women and 53% to men.

Dr Katja Gehmlich, Associate Professor in the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study, said, “The gender gap between awardees in scientific prizes is sadly a product of a long, systematic issue of poor representation of women in sciences. Despite decades of efforts to rebalance this issue, our study shows that women are still poorly recognized for their scientific contributions, and men are far more likely to win prizes and awards, in particular, if those awards are named after other men.

“It seems particularly shocking to me that awards named after women still see more than half of prizes going to men. We further propose a list of actions to address and overcome these issues but are aware this will be a long process. The Nominate Her movement is one way that the scientific community can begin to address this,” said Dr Gehmlich.

Prof Stefan Krause from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and joint lead author of the study said, “Our data is indicative of much wider issues of gender inequality within sciences. Our current publication is an initial attempt to understand the causes of such striking gender inequality and to promote discussion on the subject within our scientific communities.”

“Research culture has a lot to do to improve the gender prize gap, as well as efforts to address the inequality that sees almost two-thirds of prizes currently named after men. More pathways may also be needed, such as renaming or getting rid of gender names associated with some awards,” added Prof Krause.

【推荐2】Shadow puppetry, also known as shadow play, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment in China. ___①___ Shadow puppets were first made of paper later from the leather of donkeys or oxen. That’s why its Chinese name is piying, which means shadow of leather.

___②___ It became popular in the Tang dynasty and prevalent in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The following story recorded in The History of the Han Dynasty is believed to be the origin of shadow puppetry.

___③___ More than 2,000 years ago, a beloved concubine of Emperor Wu of Han died of illness. The emperor missed her so much that he lost his desire to reign. One day, a minister happened to see children playing with dolls whose shadows on the floor were vivid. Inspired by this scene, the minister came across an idea. He made a cotton puppet of the concubine and painted it. As night fell, he invited the emperor to watch a puppet show behind a curtain. The emperor was delighted and began to watch it regularly from then on.

___④___ Shadow puppetry wins the heart of an audience by its lingering music, delicate sculpture, natural color and lively performance. Shadow plays from Hua County of Shaanxi Province are the best known. Nicknamed the “Business of the Five” by local people, the drama involves five performers. One is responsible for singing the different roles of a play; one operates the movements of the puppets; one is in charge of percussion instruments such as gongs and bowls; one plays a suona horn, and one plays Banhu fiddle. These five artists keep busy doing their particular work offstage to put on the performance.

In the 13^th century, Chinese shadow puppetry was introduced into West Asia, and by the 18^th century it had spread to other parts of the world. Famed German writer Geothe spoke highly of it, and the great comedian Charlie Chaplin drew inspiration from it for his legendary silent films. In 2011, Chinese shadow puppetry was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

【推荐3】We’ve had weather forecasts for decades. Forecasting our near-term health is far tougher. Yet knowing early that we may be coming down with the flu or COVID-19 could be hugely helpful. The good news: Wearable technology, such as smartwatches, is beginning to provide just such early warnings. This early warning can help stop infections in the bud. It may head off severe symptoms that otherwise would send vulnerable (易受伤害的) people into hospitals.

Jessilyn Dunn was part of a team that analyzed data from wearable devices. The smartwatch-like systems contain sensors. These collect data that can point to health or disease.

The researchers gave 31 of the 49 recruits (成员们) nose drops with a flu virus. Trials where volunteers agree to receive a virus are unusual. They also can be dangerous. So the researchers made sure the volunteers were healthy and would not give the flu to others. Recruits started wearing the wristbands before they were exposed. The sensors continued to collect data for several days after the exposure. Some data were measured more than 30 times per second. That means the 49 recruits had up to 19 million data points each. Dunn tested its predictions in the remainder of the data. Her final model accurately predicted infections 9 times in every 10.

One challenge for the study is that many viral infections have similar symptoms. In fact, many things other than viruses trigger (引起) the same symptoms. What’s more, in real life, we don’t know who was exposed to some viruses and when.

Could such a system one day point to people coming down with COVID-19? Maybe, says Dunn. Similar technologies are being developed elsewhere to provide early warnings of that infection.

“Such studies sound exciting, but also very pilot,” Dunn says. “95 percent of prediction accuracy sounds good. But that number means telling one out of every 20 people every night that they will get the flu when they actually won’t.”

【推荐1】An Indian man recently shocked the airport staff in Abu Dhabi, because his passport showed he was born in 1896, which would make him 123, the oldest man to have ever lived.

Swami Sivananda’s passport shows him to be a year older than France’s Jeanne Louise Calment, who holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person in history —122— but the problem is that the only evidence he has comes from an old temple register. Furthermore, he looks decades younger than his alleged age and has good health. He’s been trying to have his name included in the Guinness Book of Records for three years, but he has been having trouble proving his age.

Allegedly born on August 8, 1896, in Behala, then a village, Sivananda says he lost both his parents when he was only four, and his sister, who used to beg for food with him, two years later. His relatives handed him over to a guru (宗教教师), who brought him to the city of Nadadwip. Later, he settled in Varanasi. Sadly, there was no formal record of his age in these places and Swami Sivananda can only rely on a temple register to prove that he really is 123 years old.

“I lead a simple and regular life. I eat very simply — boiled food without oil, rice and boiled soup. I avoid taking milk or meat because I think these are fancy. In my childhood I slept many days on an empty stomach,” said Sivananda. “I believe in eating simply, living modestly and being merciful. I feel good when I have tried my best to help those in need.”

【推荐3】Rugiatu Favour Kanu, a 28-year-old Agriculture graduate from Njala University, wants to leave the future of farming in good hands.That’s why she started her business, Slay Farms, in Sierra Leone (塞拉利昂). On her 10 acres of land, Rugiatu works with other women farmers while teaching them everything she knows about sustainable agriculture. This effort has earned her the nickname,“The Slay Farmer.”

Slay Farms is more than just a company; it’s also a community. By building a network of farmers who share their skills, Rugiatu has created a space where women with shared goals can help each other. The farm hosts a variety of learning events to spread information about the latest sustainable agricultural technology. It also connects farmers with a wider market for their goods.

“In a country where agriculture is a key sector and the majority of the population is engaged in farming, building relationships with other farmers can also help young agribusiness entrepreneurs (企业家) understand the local context, including the challenges and opportunities that exist,” she wrote in a post on the Slay Farms Facebook page.

She continued, “I encourage young farmers to adopt new, improved methods of farming, and I believe by supporting each other, they can create a more sustainable agricultural sector in Sierra Leone, contributing to the country’s economic growth and development.”

According to SwitSalone, Ruciatu also works for the Sierra Leone Produce Monitoring Board. As a Quality Control Officer,she helps to make sure that local farms are putting out the best possible produce for domestic and global distribution.

Ragiatu’s contributions to promoting agricultural innovation and giving other women farmers a leg up in the industry recently caned her the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This program has taken her to Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta Georgia for academic and leadership courses that she’ll be able to apply to her work back home. Plus, it will afford her numerous networking opportunities to continue growing her agricultural community!