【推荐3】A team of Dutch researchers has discovered that magpies (喜鹊) are using metal spikes (things with sharp points) designed to keep them away from certain urban areas to make their own nests stronger and keep invaders at bay.

Scientists have known for a while that magpies are some of the most intelligent birds in the world, but even they were puzzled by their amazing ability to adapt to hostile urban environments. It’s not unusual for birds to use human trash as tools and building materials for their nests, but seeing them use the very things we humans use against them was nothing short of puzzling for researchers at the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, in the Netherlands.

“I didn’t expect this. These anti bird spikes are meant to deter birds, they are supposed to scare them off, but on the contrary, the birds just use them.” Kees Moeliker, the director of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam, told The Guardian.

One particularly impressive magpie nest was discovered in the courtyard of a hospital in Antwerp, Belgium. It was made up of around 1,500 anti-bird spikes, most of which seemed to be positioned with the sharp point outwards, as protection against invaders. After discovering it, researchers checked the roof and confirmed that around 50 meters of anti-bird spike strips had been ripped off the building, leaving only the glue used to fix them in place.

Birds have been known to take sharp objects, from point y branches to nails, screws, into their nests as protection, but the use of anti-bird spikes is kind of ironic, as they are the very things used to keep them away. To scientists like Hiemstra, this is a sort of “beautiful revenge”.

A few years back, we wrote about rich people in the UK installing anti-bird spikes on trees to stop birds from pooping on their luxury cars, but I guess the birds had the last laugh.

【推荐2】During the summer holiday, visiting museums has become a new fashion, with several famous museums being considered as “must-visit” places by visitors. Tourists were seen queuing for long hours in front of museums and getting entrance tickets became more challenging.

According to media reports, the Henan Museum received more than 12,000 visitors this summer, nearly double that of the same period in 2019. The Hangzhou Museum recorded 12,800 visitors on July 16, setting a new daily attendance record. In response to the growing need, 46 museums in Beijing canceled their Monday closures and remained open daily until August 31.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the “museum fever” can be caused by various factors, including the public’s increasing enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture, the increasing market for youth educational tours and summer camps, as well as the continuous development of museums.

Lin Liugen, the director of the Institute of Archaeology at Zhejiang University, said the “museum craze” reflects a deep connection between the public and traditional culture. As the economy and society progress, more people want to have a deeper understanding of China’s rich culture and history.

Summer camps, family trips and educational tours have been the primary forms of tourism this summer, with museum visits becoming a must-do activity for travelers.

Besides, the application of new technologies has made cultural relics (遗物) easier to reach. For instance, 3D projection technology breathes life into those relics, enabling them to come alive before visitors’ eyes. AR glasses offer a special experience by allowing visitors to enjoy relics through voice orders and sight recognition. Additionally, an advanced intelligent lighting system helps display relics more clearly and vividly.

Liu Yanchang, the curator (馆长) of the Shandong Museum, said “In the future, more and more people will take visiting museums as a kind of habit and lifestyle.” On how to better meet museumgoers’ needs, Sun Mingli, deputy curator of the Suzhou Museum, says that popular museums may consider using hourly booking systems or hosting “cloud exhibitions” to improve visitor experience.

【推荐3】Commercial organizations have not been slow to see the financial rewards of using music in shops, restaurants, banks and there is now a fascinating and significant body of literature on the topic. This has been spearheaded (做先锋) by the British psychologist Adrian North in many studies that have been imaginative and inspiring.

In one study this research group agreed with a supermarket to play either stereotypically (带有成见的) French or German music on alternate days for a fortnight in the part of the shop selling wine They measured the amount and type of wine bought during this period. Yes, it worked! French music led to more sales of French wine and German music led to a preference for German wine.

In another study the research team played different kinds of music while people were tasting wine. They showed, as predicted, that the words people used to describe wine like smooth or bold were a part function of the music that was playing.

In a similar study either classical, pop or no music at all was played in a British restaurant over the course of nearly 3 weeks. Researchers measured time and money spent, the latter being broken: or down between drink and food. The customers spent more time and money (on starters and coffee) when the classical music was playing. The researchers offered three explanations for these potentially important findings: classical music was synergistic (协同的) with all other aspects of the restaurant   atmosphere.

Second, the patrons (顾客) simply preferred it, and transferred their good response to increased time and money spent. The third explanation was that classical music promotes an upmarket (高价位市场的) atmosphere in which it is natural to spend more money. Of course all explanations could function at the same time.