【推荐1】“There’s a little black woman walking, spraying (喷洒) stuff on the sidewalks and trees on Elizabeth and Florence...” he told the police. Her neighbor saw her spraying something on the sidewalks and trees and this made him worried. In the call to 911, he described the child as “a little black woman”.

Well, the “little black woman” was actually 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson, a young scientist. The fourth-grader had created her own insecticide (杀虫剂) to fight spotted lanternflies (斑衣蜡蝉). She came across the recipe on TikTok and had recently learned that the harmful species damages trees because they feed on their sap (树液). Bobbi was simply testing out her invention in her neighborhood when the police call was made.

“That’s her thing,” her mother Monique Joseph said. “She’s going to kill the lanternflies, especially if they’re on a tree. That’s what she’s going to do.” Bobbi’s 13-year-old sister, Hayden Wilson, also defended her, noting that Bobbi “was not only doing something amazing for our environment, but she was also doing something that made her feel like a hero”. Luckily, what happened didn’t influence Bobbi’s spirit and has led to some positive experiences for her.

She has since been recognized by several organizations for her environmental efforts. She has also been invited on special tours. One took place at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Another was given by the United States Department of Agriculture of New Jersey at a plant where they discussed lanternflies. But that’s not where her recognition ends! The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) honored Bobbi with their Sustainability Award for her work to save trees and fight lanternflies.

“We were excited that she was doing that,” Ann Marchioni of the ANJEC said. Ann added that the organization praises volunteers for being “hands-on” in their community. In addition to the award, she and her family got to visit with a group of black female scientists at Yale University. They showed her various labs and even invited her to donate lanternfly specimens (标本) for the university’s work.

【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2】Hearing aids will become more accessible thanks to a new rule. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that people can now buy hearing aids directly from a store or online, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. Before, Americans could only get a hearing aid with a prescription, visiting a hearing health professional and having a custom fitting. The new rule will help those with hearing loss to buy hearing aids over the counter.

Dr. Robert Califf said, “Today’s action will not only help those with hearing loss gain access to more affordable and innovative production options, but it’ll release the power of American industry to improve the technology in a way it’ll impact the heavy burden of disability from hearing loss that affects the world.”

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) lauded the new rule made by the FDA. “ASHA fully supports the creation of this new category of over-the-counter hearing devices, which will increase the availability and affordability of hearing aids for many Americans,” said Janice R. Trent, a leader of ASHA.

The new rule still doesn’t ensure hearing aids are covered by insurance. Hearing aids often burn a huge hole in people’s pockets with a pair costing $4,000, according to a study published in JAMA. Considering that five large companies control 90% of the global marketplace for hearing aids, FDA is counting on the new rule to bring down prices by inviting more players into the market.

“I have a big smile on my face right now,” said Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. “In 1977, the only way for hearing aids to be safe and effective was that they were programmed, fitted and professionally adjusted by a licensed provider. Now the new rule could change the market. This allows more companies that are already making innovative earbuds to enter the market.”

Do you think you’re a good listener? Chances are you do. But studies show that most people seriously overestimate their ability to listen. The truth is we are generally not good at listening, and our listening comprehension declines as we age.

Why aren’t we good at listening? One reason concerns the speed at which we think. The adult brain can process up to around 400 words per minute. This means during a conversation an average person thinks more than three times faster than he speaks. Therefore, we can easily think about something else while someone is talking to us, allowing our mind to wander or get sidetracked. Thinking about how you will reply while someone is still talking is one of the most common barriers to effective listening.

Another factor that contributes to our poor listening is our ever-decreasing attention span (持续时间). According to study conducted by Microsoft, in 2000—around the time the mobile revolution began—the average human attention span was 12 seconds; by 2013, it had fallen to 8 seconds! Our mobile devices provide constant distractions, which can be very destructive to listening. Test results have shown that being interrupted by a cell phone lowers listening comprehension by 20 percent.

Interruptions and distractions can cause a dramatic decline in listening ability—but they don’t have to. More and more people now realize that listening is a skill that can be developed through practice. Learning to observe a speaker’s body language and emotions, for example, can improve our active listening. Even the simple act of note-taking or making eye contact can help us stay focused while listening.

The rewards of effective listening are many. Research suggests that people who are good listeners make better leaders. And a recent study indicates that employees who don’t believe their bosses are listening to them are less likely to offer helpful suggestions and new ideas. As Dr. Ralph Nichols once said, “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”

【推荐3】The Suez Canal (苏伊士运河),which connects the Mediterranean Sea (地中海) and the Red Sea, opened in 1869. It helps speed world trade between the East and the West. But the man-made waterway has also helped speed the rise of other things, such as non-native species, which have damaged the Mediterranean’s environment and caused native species to disappear.

The number of non-native species has risen since the Suez Canal was widened in 2015. The “New Suez Canal” has raised concerns in many Mediterranean countries.

Bella Galil is an Israeli biologist who has studied the Mediterranean for over 30 years. She noted that the widening and deepening of the Suez Canal had created a “moving aquarium” of species. These species could make coastal waters almost unusable for human beings. Galil believes the number of invasive species has reached 400, which is twice the number from 30 years ago.

Scientists in Mediterranean countries from Turkey, Tunisia to Lebanon share the same concern. But some Egyptians don’t consider the environmental concerns as serious. They said only 5% of the invaders are a problem and that invasive species can be helpful by “replacing species that are overfished”. They don’t think that the widening of the canal is responsible for the increase in invasive species; they say the increase was caused by rising water temperatures and wastewater from ships.

The Suez Canal Authority runs the canal. Canal officials say they are closely watching the movements of sea species. They say they are requiring ships to take action to avoid carrying species from one side of the canal to the other. And they are trying to keep salt levels high in the Bitter Lakes to block invasive species out. Galil, however, questions whether these will be enough to protect the native species. “One day we will wake up to a complete and irreversible (不可逆的) change and know that there was something we could have done about it, if only it had been done on time,” she said.