【推荐2】Birds usually build their nests with sticks, leaves or grass. But do you know that birds are also building their nests with rubbish these years? The rubbish includes cigarette butts（烟头）and plastic bags.

A group of European scientists looked into（调查）about 35,000 studies on bird nests. They found that birds have used man-made things in nests almost everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. Some rubbish seems to be helpful. This is why birds “like” putting it in their nests. For example, cigarette butts have a special smell, so they can keep insects away and protect the baby birds. Plastic bags are useful in keeping the animals warm, and other hard things, such as paper cards, can make nests stronger.

However, in the end, human rubbish may only bring more harm to birds. The toxic（有毒的）chemicals in cigarettes hurt the baby birds. They may get sick or have shorter lives, according to a study.

To make matters worse, if the cigarette still burns when the bird brings it back to its home, it may set fire to the nest. Pieces of fishing net may also trap birds, and it’s impossible for them to get out by themselves. If the baby birds eat other kinds of rubbish by accident, they will also get hurt. Our bird friends in the air are feeling the bad effects of humans polluting the environment.

【推荐3】The speedy lizard (蜥蜴) was moving quickly across the tabletop when suddenly one foot hit a slippery spot. It just made a split-second adjustment as it moved onward. Afterward, its movements, recorded with Hollywood-style motion-capture technology, were played back in slow motion.

This is the lab of Tonia Hsieh, a Temple University biologist who studies life on the move. The goal of the lizard study is to use the animals as a model for humans, to figure out better ways to prevent falls among the aged. The scientists are using two species — the frilled dragon and the brown basilisk — that share an unusual characteristic with humans: the ability to run on two legs.

If the scientists can figure out how these lizards remain upright in different situations, they hope some of the lessons can be used to guide human treatment.

The lizards run on a tabletop covered with sandpaper except for one slippery spot in the middle: a square of poster board covered with contact paper.

In the lab recently, the scientists filmed one of the frilled dragons in action and played it back at slow speed on a computer screen, the lizard’s movements reduced to a series of colored dots on a gray background. At the moment the lizard stepped on the contact paper, its left foot slid to the side, and its upper body twisted in the opposite direction. It barely seemed to lose its balance.

Could some clue in those colored dots be used to improve stability in older adults? Every year, thousands of older, adults die from injuries sustained in falls.

The work is still ongoing, but early indications are that. tendons (肌腱) in the lizards’ feet play . a key role in balance, acting as springs that counteract (抵消) small changes in the surface. It’s a valuable first line of defense that kicks in even before the brain has time to react, Hsieh said.

If the scientists can figure out what factors are most important in keeping the lizards upright, perhaps someone can work out strategies to enhance those factors in people.

“I think this is a great first step,” said Hsieh.

【推荐1】Recycling plastic has always been a stop-start effort, and the wide variety of plastics we produce, the pollution from waste, and other limitations make recycling an economic(经济) problem. It’s estimated(估计)only 9% of plastic ever created has been recycled. But with the help of a chemical process, Canadian Miranda Wang and her company BioCellection want to change that.

Stability is one of plastic greatest qualities and downside. There's limited evidence that some plastics can biodegrade (生物降解)but largely photo-plastics degrade in the sun. It’s a long process, and the truth is that we can only estimate how long it takes. Wang is looking to break the inaction and BioCellection's task is to make most plastic waste recyclable.

She outlines two current methods. One is to take plastics like water bottles, wash them, cut them, melt and reconstitute them. “That's a very limited process” she says, due to the requirement that plastics be “clean” . The other, which can handle dirtier plastics and a level of pollution, is called hydrolysis(热解). Intense heat is applied to break down plastics so they can be reused as oils for energy, but “it’s not economical,’’ she says.

BioCellection’s solution builds on research from over ten years ago, Wang explains, when a US study discovered pure polyethylene powder (聚乙烯粉)could be broken down by a catalyst (催化剂). Wang and her co-founder Jean hit upon a bacterium being able to eat plastic. In the years since, they engineered a comparable catalyst capable of doing the same job, only faster, which even works on plastics no one else can recycle at present. “We have now found a catalyst that is much cheaper than the one that was used before, Wang says.

Currently focusing on plastic films like shopping hags, the three-hour process breaks clown plastic into chemicals that can act as the building blocks for more complex plastic products.

“Right now we’re able to achieve about 70% transformation from plastic waste material to these chemicals,” she adds, saying they’re working to increase that figure.

【推荐2】Oriol Mas is a young Spanish man who loves Chinese martial arts, or more widely known as Chinese kung fu. Originally, he was in poor health, and accidentally came into contact with traditional Chinese kung fu, and learned to practice, which has much improved his physical state.

In addition to his own practice, Mas also teaches Chinese kung fu to Spanish youth. He said the martial arts has led him into Chinese philosophy, such as Taoism, and made him feel that China is a modern country that preserves its traditional culture.

Shaqliah said that Chinese kung fu not only gives the trainees strength, speed and flexibility in controlling their bodies, helps them link their muscles with their minds, but also helps them to get rid of negative energy resulting from life stresses.

Five-year-old Hasifa Nakirijja is becoming well known in Uganda because of her amazing skills in kung fu. The person behind Nakirijja’s skills is her father, Manisuru Ssejjemba, who in 2017 made a journey to the Shaolin Temple, thousands of kilometers away in China, to explore more of martial arts. Ssejjemba set up a temporary training center behind his house where he trains youngsters to help promote the kung fu culture in Uganda.

Chinese kung fu highlights the harmonization between body and spirit and combines the inner and outer qualities. By bringing up a good temperament (气质) that fills one with energy and life force, and offering exercises to help lead a longer life, kung fu has long been considered as an effective way to maintain good health.

The core philosophy of kung fu is drawn from the Confucius principle of physical and mental blend mixed with neutralization; the Taoist principle of dynamic balance; the Buddhist principle of showing cultural join of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in China.

【推荐3】Aging is a natural part of life, yet it has long been regarded as something to be ashamed of. Luckily, many people are speaking up to change that. Even better, some are having a lot of fun and freeing themselves while doing so. Candace Leslie Cima is a 76-year-old fashion and lifestyle influencer working to change the attitudes regarding aging for both her generation and the ones following hers via her social media presence called Life in My 70s.

Cima’s story as an influencer began at 72, when she first got an Instagram account. Curious about what influencers were, she took a deep dive, only to find that there weren’t that many voices in her age group. “I remember being on the checkout line at a supermarket and looking at the headlines on those magazines. They would always have headlines like ‘How to look your best at 20, 30, and 40.’ Never did they mention 50, 60, and 70.” She began to post videos, in which she confidently walking by a pool deck in a bathing suit, giving styling tips, or showcasing her strength by climbing a tree.

In addition to her videos, Cima also has a blog where she speaks at length about aging and fashion, making it as accessible as possible for women of all walks of life. After all, everyone ages, so we all as a society should normalize these changes and learn to see them positively.

For her, age is not just a number, it’s a badge of honor to wear proudly. “The only way that view is going to change is that we, as older women, show them that aging is a gift, something to be embraced, valued and shared,” she writes.