【推荐1】Beautiful coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in Thai seas have been gradually worsening due to global warming that causes coral bleaching, in addition to certain human activities without proper control and environmental consciousness. Recently, researchers from Thai university Chulalongkorn have created 3D-printed coral reefs modeled on the nature of real corals called Innovareef to accelerate the recovery of the coral reef ecosystem.

Innovareef corals are coated with calcium and phosphate nutrients that corals need to thrive and consist of flat surfaces. The reefs’ holes serve as habitats and hiding places for many sea animals. Artificial reefs also make use of hydrodynamics technology to enhance their resistance to tidal forces and ensure that they stay in place. Finally, the pH (level of acidity) of the selected type of cement used for the reefs is close to that of seawater, and the design concept is that of Lego, easily assembled (组装) and disassembled blocks that are easy to transport and fix.

“The Innovareef is not too large. It’s light-weighted and can be carried by anyone thus saving transportation costs. You can simply put it at any desired location in the sea and then dive down to put all the units together to complete the Innovareef. Not even five minutes afterward, fish and several ocean creatures start to come in to survey and make it their new habitat, leading to biodiversity around the Innovareef. More importantly, the research data indicates that the settlement and growth rates of planula on the Innovareef are better than those on other artificial reefs,” said Associate Professor Dr. Nantarika Chansue at Chulalongkorn University.

Innovareef is the hope for the effective recovery of natural coral reefs. Now the team is focused on adding more details to the reefs to adapt to more species so that the new structures look more like natural reefs.

【推荐2】The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual speed breakers(减速带) on major highways and roads, in order to check speeding and careless driving, and finally make its deadly roads a little safer. ''We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers, '' India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari wrote.

The optical illusions(视觉错觉) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier, India had ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a safety hazard for high-speed vehicles. India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization, over 200,000 people are killed by road accidents.

The use of optical illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorists. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings. In India, cities such as Ahmedabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmedabad for instance, a mother and her daughter, both artists, have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of 2016. The artists say their motto is ''to increase the attention of drivers'', and that the concept has been successfully tested in accident-prone zones on a highway.

However, critics argue that once drivers know that these speed breakers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large number of pedestrians. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.

【推荐3】Have you ever lost your direction? Then you might find satellite navigation(satnav) systems(卫星定位系统) helpful.

A satnav system uses groups of satellites. They send information to a receiver(接收器), such as your smartphone. Then they can find where you are.

The earliest satnav system is the Global Positioning System(GPS) of the United States. The US has put 24 satellites into space to make sure GPS can locate(定位) a person correctly and globally. Likewise, Russia’s GLONASS and European Union’s Galileo can also work globally.

But China is catching up, building its own BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. BeiDou is China’s homegrown satnav system, reported Xinhua. It was set up in 2000, when China sent BeiDou’s first navigation experiment satellite into space. With it, China became the third country to build a satnav system after the US and Russia.

BeiDou can find you wherever you are. It helps you go faster by finding shortcuts(捷径) and using correct directions. When you are in trouble and call the police, they will know exactly where you are if you have a cellphone that uses BeiDou.

Today, there are more than 20 BeiDou satellites above our heads. And the system is able to offer open services to the Asia-Pacific region(亚太地区).

In November, China plans to send more BeiDou-3 satellites into space. BeiDou-3’s position accuracy(准确度) is less than five meters, Ran Chengqi, a senior designer of the satellite navigation system, told China Daily.

By 2020, BeiDou is planned to have 35 satellites and begin serving globally, reported Xinhua.

【推荐2】Lufinha has crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat powered only by the sun and wind. He used kites to move the boat and solar power to use lights and equipment on the boat. He expects his trip will earn him a Guinness World Record for Fastest Sol o Atlantic Crossing by Kite Boat. He also hopes to help people understand the need to protect the oceans.

The kite-powered boat reached top speeds of over 30 kilometers per hour. Lufinha traveled 6,400 kilometers in 25 days. The 38-year-old set out from Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal on November 3, 2022, and arrived in Martinique on December 20, Lufinha was not at sea for all that time, however. He made a planned stop at the Canary Islands on November 8. But he had to stay longer than planned because of the powerful storm and he remained there until November 30.

Lufinha made the crossing completely alone in a 7.2-meter-long and 5.6-meter-wide trimaran, a boat which has three long, thin parts, with a small room for sleeping and shelter. Lufinha used a hand pump to produce water for drinking and cooking. He said, “I have two such water makers, which I can pump and every hour I can make around four liters of water.” The water pump has a special filter (过滤器) to remove salt from the sea water. Lufinha used the water to add to dried food he carried with him on the boat.

He called his trip “a big learning experience”. It was a big test of his adaptability. He learned most of all to look at his problems relatively. He had so many problems all of the time, such as kites getting torn and kites exploding. And the only way not to suffer was to think, “It could be worse.” He said his way of thinking during the difficult crossing helped him get through it hour by hour, day by day, week by week until he finished this Atlantic crossing.

【推荐3】It is reported that a record-breaking high-speed rail will connect Inner Mongolia in the north to Hainan in the south. According to the Shaanxi Development and Reform Commission，the proposed line will operate at a speed of 350 kilometers per hour（217 mph）.

Beginning in Inner Mongolia's Baotou city and running through southern Shaanxi， Hubei， Hunan， Guangxi and Guangdong， its final stop would be in Haikou city on Hainan Island，China's southernmost province.

Though the exact length of the proposed route has not been released，it will likely become the world's longest high-speed rail line as the journey by road between Baotou and Haikou is approximately 3,000 kilometers(1,864 miles)long. Currently, the world's longest high-speed rail line is almost 2,300 kilometers long （1,429 miles）,running from Beijing to Guangzhou.

The proposed rail is part of China's aim to create another “Silk Road of the 21st Century” and improve the country's transportation network while driving land development and urbanization（城市化） in some provincial areas.

Many of the provinces through which the high-speed trains will travel are near major bodies of water，such as the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi province, the Yangtzi River in Hubei and the South China Sea， where the line would end.   It will also take passengers to popular tourist attractions including Zhangjiajie, Xi'an, Guilin and minority areas in western Hunan and Hubei.

"The country is now shifting its focus and investing in the western regions and economically underdeveloped areas, making up for China's long debt to these areas,“ Tan yuzhi, professor of the School of Economics and Management at Hubei University for Nationalities， told local media.   " The project will significantly narrow regional disparities（差异） and solve minority issues.”

However，Deng Hongbing，director of China University of Geosciences' Center for Regional Economic and Investment Center，said that if the north-to-south railway is to go ahead，there needs to be a sound ecological program in place to ensure the protection of these underdeveloped and ecologically sensitive areas.