【推荐1】Scientists say they have found high levels of small plastic particles(颗粒) in Arctic snow. A German-Swiss research team collected snow samples(样本）from the Arctic and other areas. They included northern Germany, the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and the North Sea island of Heligoland.When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics.

Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic. These plastic particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. They come from the breakdown of man-made plastic products and industrial waste.

The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps. One snow sample from the area had 154,000 microplastic particles per liter. Samples collected from the Arctic had much lower levels. However, even samples from the Arctic contained up to 14,000 particles per liter.

The study also attempted to explore how some of the material could have been carried in the atmosphere. A limited number of earlier studies did find microplastics in the air of some cities, including Paris, Tehran and Dongguan, China.

Bergmann Melanie co-wrote the report on the new study. She believes the new study clearly shows that “the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air.” The new study suggests that much of the microplastic found in Europe and the Arctic comes from the atmosphere and snow.

While there is growing concern about the effect of microplastics on the environment, scientists are still studying their possible harmful effects on humans and animals. “I hope the new study will lead to more research on this issue. I think   microscopic plastic particles should be included in worldwide observations of air pollution levels.We really need to know what effects microplastics have on humans, especially if inhaled with the air that we breathe.” Bergmann said.

【推荐2】A DAY IN THE CLOUDS

The air is thin and we have to rest several times on the short hike from camp. To our left, snow-covered mountains disappear into clouds that seem almost close enough to touch. On the plain in front of us, we can just make out a herd of graceful animals. This is why we’ re here — to observe Tibetan antelopes.

Tibetan antelopes live on the plains of Xizang, Xinjiang, and Qinghai. Watching them move slowly across the green grass, I’ m struck by their beauty. I’ m also reminded of the danger they are in. They are being hunted, illegally, for their valuable fur.

My guide is Zhaxi, a villager from Changtang. He works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a shelter for the animals and plants of northwestern Xizang. To Zhaxi, the land is sacred and protecting the wildlife is a way of life. “We’ re not trying to save the animals,” he says, “Actually, we’ re trying to save ourselves.”

The 1980s and 1990s were bad times for the Tibetan antelope. The population dropped by more than 50 percent. Hunters were shooting antelopes to make profits. Their habitats were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.

In order to save this species from extinction, the Chinese government placed it under national protection. Zhaxi and other volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.

The measures were effective. The antelope population has recovered and in June 2015, the Tibetan antelope was removed from the endangered species list. The government, however, does not intend to stop the protection programmes, since the threats to the Tibetan antelope have not yet disappeared.

In the evening, I drink a cup of tea and watch the stars. I think about the antelopes and what Zhaxi told me. Much is being done to protect wildlife, but if we really want to save the planet, we must change our way of life. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.

【推荐2】One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. “One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states.” said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.

In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions (规定) was the 1994 “Toubon law” in France, and the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often considered as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.

It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the “purity” of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but that has not been a barrier to acquiring superiority and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of the state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things.

The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon, especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new ways of communication promoted by technology may be key fields to defend.

【推荐3】Beer and eggs are commonly seen in the kitchen. However, scientists recently found that they were used in historic paintings, too.

To protect Danish paintings, a group of researchers studied what was the composition of ancient paint or what it was made of. They did experiments on small pieces of paintings that had already been cut off from the original artwork.

According to their paper published in Science-Advances, grains and yeast (酵母) were found on the base of the paintings. Beer was the most common drink in the 19th century in Denmark, and its by-products (副产品) were used grains and yeast.

The study showed that they were used to provide a stable painting surface. Researchers also pointed out that beer by-product was used as a “glue” because it had a lot of sugar. With beer added, the paint can also dry faster.

Apart from beer, egg has long been found in oil-based paints used by artists in the 15th century, such as Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci. A recent study published in Nature Communications may have “cracked” the secret of how eggs can help protect artworks.

The researchers re-created the ancient paint by adding egg yolks (蛋黄) to oil paint. They then looked into how it changed over time. The findings showed that the proteins in the yolk helped to make the oxidation (氧化) of the paint go at a slower speed and reduce wrinkling (皱褶) as the egg makes the paint more smooth.

However, the oil paint with added egg usually takes longer to dry. It seemed fine for artists. They were willing to accept that their work would be protected for a longer period.

The more we understand how artists choose and use their materials, the more we can “appreciate what they’re doing”, Ken Sutherland, an expert at the Art Institute of Chicago, US, told Science News. Sutherland added that research like this could help people know the artworks better.