【推荐2】Vicky Barlow is a volunteer for a non-profit environmental organization. She was overturning stones in a rock pool in Falmouth, England when something “extremely bright and unusual” caught her eye. Under a large seaweed-covered rock, she made a very rare find: a rainbow sea slug (蛞蝓).

Rainbow sea slugs are very uncommon in England — they’re usually found in warmer waters, such as those along the west coasts of Spain, Portugal and France. In fact, there have only been three previously documented sightings of the species in the UK. But those were all found by divers rather than rock poolers. “It’s a warm-water species but it looks as if it has arrived here,” said the sea biologist Ben Holt. He adds that waters around the UK have seen rapid warming due to climate change. By the end of the century, water temperatures in the UK will rise by more than 3℃.

Sea slugs are particularly useful in related research. Most sea slugs only live up to about one year, which means they can make a very quick response to the changes in water temperatures caused by climate issues. In Australia, climate scientists have been collecting information on sea slugs for over 10 years to record the species and learn about changes in their distribution (分布), including their arrival in historically cooler waters.

Around 3,000 species of sea slugs exist in waters worldwide. They mainly feed on seaweed and other sea slugs. Unlike snails, adult sea slugs don’t have shells to protect them from being eaten by hungry marine animals. Instead, many of them have formed bright colors to scare off their enemies such as sea turtles, starfish and crabs. Some species may even have the unusual ability to steal stinging cells (刺细胞) from animals they feed on and shoot them out when threatened.

Before sending it back where it came from, Barlow placed the sea slug in a pot to get a better look at its colors. “It is absolutely amazing that I could find it on our rocky coasts,” Barlow writes in her blog. “It’s a perfect example of the incredible wildlife we have on our doorstep.”

【推荐3】Scientists have found a new way to break down a group of harmful chemicals very hard to get rid of. The discovery could help solve a dangerous and growing problem — how to clean up the pollution of “forever chemicals”.

The group of chemicals known as PFAS (全氟烷基物) are pretty amazing. They’re non-stick, waterproof, and oil proof. They don’t burn easily or dissolve (溶解) in water. So scientists got really excited when they were discovered. Businesses started putting PFAS in all sorts of products, from non-stick pans to waterproof clothes, and from fire-fighting spray to carpets that resist stains. Even things like food wrappers and floss for cleaning your teeth contain PFAS chemicals.

But after a while, scientists realized the same things that made the chemicals useful also caused a real problem — PFAS doesn’t break down in nature. It doesn’t dissolve in water or bum. Not even bacteria can break PFAS down. No wonder these chemicals are known as “forever chemicals”.

As a result, PFAS chemicals surge in the environment. The chemicals are found in air, water, and dirt around the world — and in animals and people. In the US, 97% of humans have PFAS in their blood.

Luckily, scientists in the US have now found a way to break down some PFAS chemicals. Their solution requires boiling PFAS with two other very common chemicals. These chemicals can be found in just about any laboratory.

Dr. Brittany Trang, one of the scientists involved, said she didn’t even want to test the idea at first. “I thought it was too simple,” she said. But the process worked.

The research involved 10 types of PFAS, including two of the most common kinds. That’s a big step. But there are over 12,000 different kinds of PFAS. It’s important to note that the new method can only break down PFAS chemicals that have already been collected. Figuring out how to remove PFAS chemicals from the environment and collect them remains a huge challenge.

【推荐1】As a summer job, I used to do housework for Mr Fleagle. When I entered his house, I saw that books were piled up (堆积) like a small hill. It was like a library, except with no order to the arrangement.

“Read, borrow, keep, or find something you like. What do you read?” Mr Fleagle said.

“I don’t know.” And I didn’t. I generally read what was in front of me, so I started to look through the piles of books. I asked him to choose a book for me.

“You really read all of these?” I asked.

“These aren’t many，” Mr Fleagle said.

“They_are_nothing,_just_what_I’ve_kept,_the_ones_worth_looking_at_a_second_time.”

After a moment, he handed me a dark red hardcover book, fairly thick.

I started to read the book after finishing housework, sitting outdoors on an uncomfortable kitchen chair. Translated from French, the language was simple, impossible to resist (抵挡). When the evening light finally failed, I moved inside and read all through the night.

Thirty years later, I still remember the experience. It was my first connection (联系) with the world literature, and I was amazed by the connected power a novel could contain.

All in all, a book, if it arrives before you at the right moment, in the proper season, will change the way of all that follows.

【推荐2】My zodiac sign (生肖) is horse.I live in a small town in Yunnan on the historic Tea Horse Road. I remember when I was very young, old people told me about the horse-carriage traders who had traveled that trail for centuries, carrying tea, silks, ivory, and other goods to markets as far away as India. There was usually a head horse leading the way.

My family has lived in my hometown of Xizhou for many generations. I have to admit that when I first heard that Paul Salopek was going to walk the entire globe on his own two feet without any modern transportation, I was blown away. I couldn’t imagine that there could be such an unusual person in the world. So it was even more surprising when one day last May, I found myself buying a standing-room ticket on a high-speed train to Shanghai to meet him.

Paul told me it was his first time in China. He talked to me with excitement about the history and discovery in my region of China. One would cross a thousand oceans and climb a thousand mountains to meet people one is destined to meet, a Chinese saying goes. I think destiny brought me Paul. I finally made my biggest decision. I would try my best to accompany Paul for hundreds of miles on his walk toward my home of Yunnan.

On September 28, we finally set out. We woke up at sunrise and rested at sunset. Nature does not hurry. We climbed a lot of mountains, only to reach yet another mountain; we crossed a lot of rivers, only to reach yet another river. We met many people on the road, many beautiful souls, simple souls, warm souls, decent souls. I came to an unexpected realization. Walking for its own sake, while healthy and admirable, is only a small part of the benefit. A deeper reward is rediscovering the world around us, shortening the distance between each other, and sharing each other’s cultures.