【推荐2】An unconventional method for growing rice has been found to increase yields(产量) by 20 to 50 percent. Reports from China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa suggest that average yield increases of 20 to 50 percent are regularly being achieved by farmers adopting the "system of rice intensification(集约化)"(SRI)，which needs one-tenth as many seeds and aims to stimulate the root system of plants rather than trying to increase yields in the conventional way by using improved seeds and fertilizers.

The idea of using less to gain more is seen as an important innovation(革新) for adapting farming to climate change and a way to increase yields at a time when human populations are growing fast but traditional plant breeding and genetically modified techniques have failed to increase yields more than a few percentage points, says Norman Uphoff, professor of international agriculture at Cornell.

The new way to grow rice needs only half as much water, and is proving most popular in water-stressed countries, says Tavseef Mairaj Shah, a Ph.D. researcher. "Rice growing in Kashmir largely depends on irrigation systems that draw water from the river Jhelum. But climate change is leading to drier winters, untimely rains, and warmer summers."

“SRI is a great technique, not just from the water-saving perspective but because it offers better yields and soil conditions. Different studies, both at the experimental level and farmer-participative level, have shown that SRl improves yields with less water.” Shah adds.

Some academic, the global seed industry and the international community once rejected reports of “fantastic” yields, accusing farmers of falsifying(篡改）records and researchers of carelessness and "non-science". But more than 600 articles, checked by SRI International at Cornell University, have shown benefits.

Uphoff says, “Attitudes are changing.The original hostility(敌意) has gone." However, the early opposition has resulted in comparatively little scientific research being conducted into SRI and a slow understanding by funders.

【推荐1】The “Three Rs” of Environmental Protection

Last time you drank a soda in an aluminum can or water in a plastic bottle, what did you do with thecan or bottle when you were finished? Did you know both could be recycled? To recycle something is to make it into something else. Pollution is the introduction of harmful chemicals into the environment that can hurt people and the earth. Pollutants can come from garbage that isn’t recycled.     1     . These pollutants can make us and animals very sick. It is a big problem in our world today.

Is there something you can do about it? There sure is.     2     .

First, reduce. Something simple like turning off the lights when you leave a room or turning off the water faucet while you brush your teeth can make a big difference.       3     , and even using a cloth towel rather than a paper towel when you spill something in the kitchen can help our planet.

When you don’t want a toy you have anymore, don’t just throw it away. Find a friend who might want it. That is reusing. Clothes you have grown out of can be donated for others to wear. A plastic cup you drank out of can be cleaned and used to store small toys in your room.       4    

    5     . Look on the bottom of plastic cups and containers. If you see a recyclable symbol, you can recycle the item. Newspapers, school papers, even glass jars and bottles can be recycled. Most neighborhoods have garbage trucks that just pick up recyclable items. Ask your parents if there is one in your area and use it.

We only have one planet to live on. Be someone who makes an effort to take care of it.

【推荐2】Let me start by stating that I am an osprey. As with many in the human population, I spend a great deal of time near the shores and coastlines. Now, many of my fellow wild creatures have asked me to communicate with you on a matter of great importance. We need your help.

It has come to our attention that all of our lives could become endangered by your government. One of the most protective wildlife laws ever put into action is about to be severely weakened:the Endangered Species Act.

We know this would be a disastrous mistake. We had a frightening brush with extinction from the 1950s to the 1970s.Humans realized that chemical poisons such as DDT were causing our eggshells to thin. Other flying species were dying off, too. In 1973, when they were prohibited according to the Act, our population recovered, but it was not easy and not immediate.

The law also protected scores of other animals and plants. It helped save your national symbol, the bald eagle (秃鹰), from extinction. It allowed for the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park to restore a natural balance to that ecosystem. Right now, the law protects more than 1,600 species in the United States. Do you really think it is a good idea to weaken it?

Your government is engaged in some very dangerous, short-term and nonscientific thinking. Apparently, it is more economically accountable. That means if saving our lives involves larger possible economic losses, our lives and the stability of all of the multiple ecosystems of which we are a part will be ignored. This will not result in healthy, stable and sustainable ecosystems, which are what we all need to survive. Please help us and help yourselves. Keep the Endangered Species Act unbroken.

【推荐3】Last month, a part of the Negro River in the Amazon rainforest reduced to a depth of just 12.7 metres, its lowest level in 120 years, due to the lack of rainfall. In Lake Tefé, about 500 kilometres away, more than 150 river dolphins were found dead, not because of the low water levels, but probably because the lake had reached temperatures close to 40℃.

“The Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil is experiencing a tough time and it is the sum of three things,” says Luciana Gatti, a researcher at Brazil’s National Institute. “The first is deforestation, which is turning rainforest into a drier, hotter place,” she says.

“Additionally, El Ninio climate pattern has begun and it makes things worse,” adds Gatti. El Niño is a phenomenon which occurs every two to seven years. During El Niño, winds that usually blow from east to west along the equator (赤道) are weakened or even turn the other way round. This leads to the change of rainfall in South America, causing dry air in the north, where the rainforest lies, and damp air in the south. As a result, countries in the south are currently greeted by heavy rains, while the Amazon is experiencing the lowest rainfall levels from July to September in 40 years.

The third factor is the unusual warming of the water in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The warming of these waters causes the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (热带辐合带), a region of intense cloud and rain formation, to shift north. The ITCZ takes the storms with it, away from Brazil, and causes less rainfall than usual.

Although it is hard to predict when the next drought might strike the Amazon, studies show that climate change is messing with the timing of El Niño. “The tendency is that we have stronger and more frequent crises,” Gatti says. This could be a disaster for the Amazon rainforest, already hit by deforestation and a warming, drying climate.” The forest’s tipping point is coming closer—and it’s coming quick.

【推荐3】Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center mapped brain changes after a year of aerobic workouts and uncovered a potentially significant process: Exercise increases blood flow into two key areas of the brain associated with memory.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed this blood flow can help even older people with memory issues improve cognition, a finding that could guide future Alzheimer's disease research, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center.

In the study, researchers followed 30 participants who were 60 or older and had memory problems. Half experienced a year of aerobic exercise while the other half did stretches. “We've shown that even when your memory starts to fade, you can still do something about it by adding aerobic exercise to your lifestyle," said Binu Thomas, a senior research scientist of UT Southwestern Medical Center who led the study. "The aerobic exercise group showed a 47% improvement in some memory scores after a year; the other group showed slight change. Brain imaging of the aerobic exercise group, taken while at rest at the beginning and end of the study, showed increased blood flew into the specific brain areas that played important roles in memory function."

Many teams across the world are trying to determine if aerobic exercise might fight memory loss. Evidence is growing that it could at least play a small role in delaying or reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. For example, a 2018 study showed that people with lower fitness levels experienced faster retrogression of vital nerve fibers in the brain called white matter related to memory.

“Blood flow in the brain connected with memory improvement is still a part of the puzzle, and we need to continue piecing it together," Thomas says. "But we've seen enough date to know that starting a fitness program can have lifelong benefits for our brains as well as our hearts."