【推荐2】Built in 1990, the Moriyama City Firefly Forest Museum has been trying to recover the number of the Genji firefly (源氏萤火虫), whose population was near extinction in the first half of the 20th century.

In Japan, fireflies have long been the sign of summer. Moriyama’s Genji fireflies were especially prized for their vivid, yellow-green glow. However, from 1868 to 1912, a commercial firefly industry developed. In just one night, a single hunter could catch about as many as 3,000 fireflies, sweeping the earth with brushes to frighten just egg-laying fireflies from riverbanks. It was easiest to catch female fireflies when they laid their eggs. Thus, there were fewer and fewer left to produce the next generation. At the same time, a fast-urbanizing Japan was turning Moriyama’s once ideal habitats into places where few fireflies could survive. Concrete was laid on the banks where there was once grass. Wastewater ran into the waters where the larvae (幼虫) grew.

The founders set its museum in the kind of habitat that Genji fireflies would find attractive. They created an artificial river and planted its banks with grass. Inside the museum, they mate and reproduce Genji fireflies; it is still the only organization to do so in a large size. Fireflies lay thousands of eggs. When the larvae come out, they are moved to boxes with flowing water. They grow there until February when the larvae are moved to the man-made river. Then, the fireflies leave the water and take flight in June.

The museum also has educational purpose. Throughout the year, it lectures on the insect’s history and ecology in schools. They also lead museum activities and other training and awareness campaigns, including the museum’s magazine, From the Firefly Forest. Cleanup activities around waters are also organized.

The action is reasonable but, despite their efforts, the number of Genji fireflies hasn’t increased so much in Moriyama. Most other habitats continue to become worse due to urbanization. Unless people preserve them, fireflies will continue to suffer. “The only chance at recovering Genji firefly populations is to act now,” ecologist Kato warns. “We’re running out of time to provide the environmental education to save Japan’s beloved insect.”

【推荐1】You may have noticed particular bright night skies recently as we experienced a full moon. NASA reported the event, called the Wolf Moon, began Thursday afternoon and ended Saturday morning. But did you notice any changes in your personal sleep patterns in the days leading up to the full moon?

As the latest full moon was beginning, a new study was released suggesting that a full moon can affect human sleep cycles. Researchers confirmed that the nights leading up to a full moon have more natural light available after the sun goes down.

The new research found that in the days before a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time.

The moon takes 27. 3 days to go around the Earth, but it takes 29.5 days to complete a full cycle from New Moon to New Moon. The new study measured the sleep patterns of test subjects as the moon progressed through at least one whole 29.5—day cycle. Some subjects were tested through two moon cycles.

On average, people involved in the study slept about 52 minutes less on nights before a full moon. They also went to bed about 30 minutes later. The research showed that people had the latest bedtime and the shortest amount of sleep during the nights that were three to five days before a full moon.

The study involved 98 individuals living in three different indigenous communities in Argentina. Each local community had different access to electricity. One countryside community had no electricity access, while a second had only limited access. A third community was in a more populated area and had full access to electricity.

The scientists say further research is needed to help explain other possible causes for the changes in sleep patterns in the test subjects. Such causes could involve biological differences in individuals or social patterns within communities.

【推荐2】IQ is often regarded as a crucial driver of success, particularly in fields such as science, innovation and technology. But the truth is that some of the greatest achievements by our species have primarily relied on what scientists call “cognitive flexibility”.

Cognitive flexibility is a skill that enables us to switch between different concepts, or to adapt behavior to achieve goals in a novel or changing environment. And the good news is that it can be trained. Currently, a group of researchers from Cambridge University are conducting a research, trying to work out how people can best boost their cognitive flexibility.

Cognitive flexibility may have affected how people coped with the pandemic lockdowns, which produced new challenges around work and schooling. Some people may have changed their routines from time to time, trying to find better and more varied ways of going about their day. Others, however, struggled and finally became more rigid in their thinking. They stuck to the same routine activities, with little flexibility or change.

Flexible thinking is key to creativity. It also supports academic and work skills such as problem solving. Unlike working memory, it is largely independent of IQ. For example, many visual artists may be of average intelligence, but highly creative and have produced masterpieces.

So does cognitive flexibility make people smarter in a way that isn’t always captured on IQ tests? We know that it leads to better rational thinking throughout the lifespan. For example, for children it leads to better reading abilities and better school performance.

It can also help protect against a number of prejudice. People who are cognitively flexible are better at recognizing potential faults in themselves and using strategies to overcome these faults.

Cognitive flexibility is essential for society to flourish. It can help maximize the potential of individuals to create innovative ideas and creative inventions. Ultimately, it is such qualities that we need to solve the big challenges of today.

【推荐1】After traveling more than seven months in space, Tianwen 1 is one step closer to Mars! Tianwen 1, China’s first Mars probe （探测器）, successfully entered Mars orbit in February, according to the China National Space Administration （CNSA）. It will stay in orbit for about three months before landing on the red planet.

A small step on the red planet will be a big step for human beings. Humans have launched 46 Mars exploration missions since October 1960, but only 19 of them have been successful, according to China Daily. It’s China’s first spacecraft to Mars, and the missions are rather ambitious. Tianwen 1 aims to achieve “orbiting, landing, and roving （环绕，着陆，巡视）” all in one journey, which will make the country the world’s first to accomplish all three goals with one probe, mission scientists said. Among the three tasks, touchdown on the red planet is the most difficult. The result mainly depends on the “breathtaking seven minutes,” which will deploy multiple cutting-edge technologies and accurate timing of each action, including the burning of engines and opening of parachutes （降落伞）to ensure a safe landing, according to the Global Times. The previous success of Chang’e 5 has accumulated experience in this regard which “boosts our confidence”, Wang Ya’nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times. Tianwen Vs ultimate goal is to land a rover on Mars in May or June, and it will conduct scientific investigations on Mars’ soil, geological （地质学的）structure, environment, atmosphere and water, according to China Daily.

February was Mars month. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on Feb 19, and China’s Tianwen 1 and United Arab Emirates’ （UAE） Hope have arrived within orbit of the red planet. Although they started their Mars journeys at almost the same time, their missions vary. “When we step into the far planets of the solar system, the magnitude （量级）of the resources and timeline required will take a global commitment,” US Congressman Frank Lucas said, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in space.