【推荐1】Baby giraffes inherit aspects of their mothers’ patterning—which could give them a survival advantage if good camouflage runs in the family. Just like humans have unique sets of fingerprints, every giraffe has a unique set of spots.

Derek Lee is a wildlife biologist and population ecologist at Penn State, and with the Wild Nature Institute, a research consulting group. He and his colleagues have been tracking giraffes for seven years, throughout 1,500 square miles in Tanzania.

Now, they’ve used image analysis software to study the spots of mothers and their babies. And they found that baby giraffes inherit at least some particular elements of their patterning from their mothers, like how circular the spots are. They also found that baby giraffes with larger spots have better chance to survive their first months, because the spots are more like the dappled sunlight in the bushes where baby giraffes like to hide from hungry lions and hyenas(wild animals like dogs).

The results—and a lot of giraffe patterns—are recorded and explained in the journal Peer J.[Lee et al., Seeing spots: quantifying mother­offspring similarity and assessing fitness consequences of coat pattern traits in a wild population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)]

It’s perhaps not surprising that a physical characteristic that protects an individual from being eaten passes the test of Darwinian natural selection—and get passed along to later generations. “The fact that these things are inheritable and they do affect survival of baby animals makes us feel like evolution is embodied exactly by these spot features.” So if a mom’s camouflage is good, her babies, too, might have the spots that keep them safer.

【推荐2】If there is any such thing as a sea monster, chances are that it looks much like a frilled shark(皱鳃鲨)！This fearsome but interesting creature is one of the most rarely sighted species on earth. Let’s take a closer look at the habitat, appearance and feeding behavior of the frilled shark.

While very little is known about the frilled shark, it is thought to live in the deepest, darkest parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and only come to the surface when sick or injured. It is believed that they are able to survive at a depth of about 5,150 feet but are more commonly found in waters 50-200 feet deep. There is a small but convincing body of research that suggests the frilled shark is a vertical migrator, moving from deep to deeper waters on a regular basis.

While this mysterious beast is called a shark, many believe it looks more like an eel with a long, slim body about five to six feet in length. It has a head that’s triangular in shape similar to that of a poisonous snake and large oval eyes giving off a strange and frightening green light. The unusual creature has six pairs of gills (鳃), each with the frilled edges for which the sea monster was named.

The feeding behavior of the frilled shark has never been studied or even observed by human eyes. However, it is almost certainly a predator (食肉动物). After all, researchers believe, why else would it need 300 sharp teeth?! Scientists theorize that these dangerous teeth make it possible for a slow moving fish like the frilled shark to catch squid and other deep-sea creatures.

As research into the habitat, appearance and feeding behavior of this strange creature continues, there’s a good chance that we will gain a full understanding of this unusual species one day. Until then, the frilled shark remains one of the great mysteries of the deep.

【推荐3】Mareus Eriksen was studying plastic pollution when he met camel expert Ulrich Wernery. He went deep into the desert and spotted a camel skeleton（骨架）.Eriksen was not prepared for what he saw in the desert. It was justappalled," he said. “Inside the camel's body was a mass as big as a medium-sized suitcase, all plastic bags. "

Wernery is a scientist working in a researeh lab in Dubai. Since 2008. Wernery s team has examined 30,000 dead camels. Of these, 300 had gutspacked with plastic. As camels wander in the desert, they eat plastic bags and other trash that drift into trees and pile up along roadsides. "To a camel, if it s not sand, it's food," explains Eriksen.

Tightly packed masses of indigestible things can build up in the gut of people or animals. Scientists call them bezoars. Normally, these are made of vegetable fibers or hair. Wernery and Eriksen call those found in the camels “polybezoars”. It points to their origin：plastic polymers.

A bezoar can be dangerous. As it fills the stomach. an animal may stop eating. No longer feeling hungry, they might starve to death. Plastic can also release harmful chemicals. The polybezoars may even carry bacteria that can poison camels.

In a new study, Eriksen and Wernery report data suggesting that each year these polybezoars are killing off around 1 in every 100 of camels. Of five camel bezoars analyzed for this study, the plastic content ranged from 3 to 64 kilograms. "If 1 percent mortality（死亡率）due to plastic is confirmed by future and more detailed studies, then plastic pollution will certainly represent a reason of concern for camels." says Luca Nizzetto. an environmental scientist. Such studies are important, he says, because they "raise social awareness about this pollution”.

Banning plastic bags and single-use plastics is crucial for protecting camels and other wildlife, Eriksen says. “Plastic bags are escape artists. They blow out of garbage cans, out of landfills and out of people's hands. ”What's more, he adds, “They travel for hundreds of miles.”

【推荐1】Every few years, there’s a hot new management-strategy that promises to make employees happier, healthier and more productive. To that end we’ve seen the rise of positions like chief happiness officer’ as well as workplace dogs and on-site meditation. But while the employers may have improved the office itself, they have not solved the stress itself: the crushing tide of emails and IMs, which-thanks to the rise of smartphones-can pull us back to work, anytime, anywhere.

Now, in an effort to prevent burnout, a growing number of employers have started to suggest ways in which employees should unplug their connected devices. The automaker, Volkswagen, in collaboration with its union, sets its servers to stop mobile email service for some workers from 30 minutes after quitting time until 30 minutes before starting time.

These measures may sound dramatic and possibly impractical, but there is a data to suggest they are needed. A recent research has suggested that limiting the number of times a day that we check email or work-chat services -- from say 10 or 20 to three or four--can not only reduce stress levels but also increase the overall productivity.

But in order for any solution to succeed, workers have to be willing to regulate their own habits. Yet that is especially tough in a country like the U.S., where, being super-busy, or at least appearing to be super-busy, is a point of pride. Even if more U.S employers were to implement the kinds of limits that Volkswagen do, experts are skeptical that they’d work. “If the social norm is to be on all the time, you don’t want to be the odd one out,” says Angela Leaney, a New Jersey-based marketing consultant, adding that some bosses will think less of employees for not answering emails after work hours, even if they say they won’t.

Moreover, dictating (强制规定) when and how employees should use their connected devices will inevitably hamper many workers. There are plenty of people who do their best work at 3 a. m. In fact, a majority of working adults say that being able to check work email at home makes it easier to get more done; many also said it improved their relationships with their colleagues.

For now, it seems, the best way for employers to foster a fulfilled, productive workforce is to be flexible, both inside and outside the office. One example, although Andy Mon-fried, the CEO and founder of Lotame, a New York-based data management company, says those kinds of time limits wouldn’t work for his business-- it’s too global-- he does give his employees flexibility on when and where they can work. He’s also vigilant (警惕的) about burnout. “I vowed that I would not create a company where people had the Sunday-might blues--the kind where you go to bed sick to your stomach,” he says. “I tell people if that’s happening repeatedly, it’s a sign of work-life imbalance and they should come talk to me.”

【推荐2】In the past, when people had problems, they usually went to their families or friends to get advice. Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows, TV programmes and telephone hot lines. A hot line is a telephone line. It offers a direct way of getting in touch with advisers. Most hot lines are completelyanonymous. That is to say, callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers. Most hot lines are free. Callers do not have to pay for the advice or the phone calls. At some hot lines, the advisers are volunteers. Other hot lines pay their advisers for their work. Usually the advisers are full-time-job people with years of education and experience, but sometimes the advisers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hot line. All the advisers listen to people and help them solve their problems.

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【推荐3】Architects have long turned to the past for inspiration. In this age of concrete and steel, however, they’re more likely to look for aesthetic (美学的) influence than technical know-how. But an ancient Chinese construction technique called dougong is a remarkable exception.

Consisting of a series of wooden brackets (支架) with no nails or fasteners, it is 500 years old and commonly found in Chinese architecture, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing. Many structures built during the Tang and Song dynasties featured “curtain walls” which were non-load-bearing. As a result, the unsupported wood shouldering the weight might break. Designers needed a technique which would more regularly spread the burden across their structures. Their solution was dougong.

Engineering has come a long way since the ancient Chinese building technique was fashion. But there’s a timeless quality to it. Modern designers in many areas are adopting it to produce amazing and stable work of architecture. Among them is Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who used dougong-inspired methods for his recent buildings: Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum and Cafe Kureon, a2, 120-square-foot restaurant.

For architect Terrence Curry, the attraction of using ancient methods is about finding something that can “speak to Chinese identity”. His structure Dougong Cube(立方), now part of the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University in Beijing, was constructed using classical-style brackets and over2, 000boards. “It has fundamental structure of dougong, but we just aren’t using it in the way it was intended to be used. We’re really pulling it out-emphasizing its beauty and complexity, and the way it works,” said Curry, “The shape and function of dougong is directly related to properties of wood, and the ability of people who make these buildings. In this way, there’s little need for decoration because the structure and design give it its distinctive look.”

【推荐2】Change is a natural part of language development. The words you like to use are probably a little different from those that your grandparents used when they were young. A study carried out by a British company found that the use of e-mail has had a bad influence on the standard of written English.

According to the research, computer users today are too busy to hit the “shift” buttons on their keyboards — e-mails are often written in lower case, that is to say, with no capital letters (大写字母) for names or the beginning of sentences. Spelling mistakes are generally accepted even in formal e-mails. And nouns are often used as verbs (e.g. Please bookmark this site).

With the development of the Internet, e-mail and mobile phone messages, a new language has developed within just a few years — we call it Weblish. The latest Oxford English Dictionary has included many new words showing the changes in our communication culture.

While some language experts are concerned about the future of English and want to do something, John Simpson, chief editor of the dictionary says,“The standards may be different now but it has certainly encouraged writing and communication, which means a faster development of language change. There are a large number of words that either come from the Internet or have been given new meanings by the Internet.”

【推荐1】I like to believe that some things in life never change. A constant, ever since I could hold a pen, has been the routine at lunch with my grandfather. My grandmother will ask me how the walk was from my parents’ house before I take a seat at their kitchen table.

Sitting in his usual spot in the corner is my grandfather. He looks up for a quick “hello” before heading back down to the crossword puzzle in front of him.

“So, how is this one coming along?” I’ll ask. With a failed laugh, he’ll slide the crossword toward me. Carefully cut and neatly folded from his newspaper, three-quarters of it will already have been finished. Many of the clues（线索）are far too advanced for me to figure out. However, I’m happy to help with the strange clue related to sports ---my expert knowledge --- that still remain.

Even if I’m certain of an answer, I fill in the squares with a pencil, as clues are always checked thoroughly by my grandfather. In the rare event that we’re unable to finish the crossword by the end of lunch, he’ll call me later that evening to go over the clues he later solved.

Today, lunch unfolds in its usual manner. However, large parts of the puzzle are blanks “Grandfather, I think this is 49-down... and this, 52-across,” I say.

“Oh, right. Yes, put that down there,” he replies.

I reach across the table to hand him the crossword. Looking at him as he searches for answers, suddenly I feel something different. I note his hair is whiter than I remembered. For the first time I think about my grandfather as, well, a grandfather.

But life is about changes we aren’t always prepared for. Just as we are on different ends of life, we find ourselves on different ends of the city now too. But at lunch, when we take up our pens and open the crossword, the world stands pleasantly still. Now, instead of an exercise of quick wit（机智）, our crosswords are about patience and understanding. As clues are slowly understood, so are the truths in life.

【推荐2】What’s next after the smartphone?

Humans can play tricks today that magicians couldn’t have imagined 50 years ago. Armed with only a tiny device today, our smartphone allows us to access a lifetime’s worth of information, connect with anyone in real time even if they are miles away. But the most astonishing part of this technological “magic” is the speed at which new opportunities and experiences are coming out.

For generations, we have seen the inevitable connection between humans and technology as advancements are applied to serve us and improve our quality of life. And the rate of technological progress is doubling every year.

Twenty years ago, who would have thought that we would be walking with robots and cyborgs (半人半机器的生物)? With the development of technology, we humans are accepting digital technologies to improve and expand our senses and abilities. Take Moon Ribs and Neil Harbison for example. They are both cyborgs, with Ribs having a chip put into her arm so she can feel earthquakes all around the world in real time and Harbison, who is color blind, has an antenna (天线) put into his head to allow him to be aware of visible and invisible colors via sound waves.

This is only the beginning. As we continue to spend more time with machines, the more they will become embedded (嵌入) in our lives. Technology already feels like it has a mind of its own, and over the next two decades, this will become even more pronounced.

Machines will eventually become as intelligent as us, and, while today they may just live in our pockets, tomorrow they could be in our blood stream and our minds, linking us to the cloud. And as this gap separating humans and machines continues to close, we will reach a point where they can be hardly identified. Technology and humanity will fuse (融合) together some day in the near future.

【推荐3】An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.

Fragile items, like those made of glass are easily broken and should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them on cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. When there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly and not on you.

There is a strong chance of short circuits (短路) and fire breakouts during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.

During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the stairs at all times.

If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.

If trapped in debris (瓦砾堆), cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you. Use a whistle (哨子) if one is available. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust. Do not light a match because you may burn yourself. Do not move about or kick up dust.