【推荐1】Mass communication has been growing and affecting the way communities and people behave. At every stage of the development of communication, from the telegraph to the Internet, societies have had to adapt to its effects. But have the effects been more positive or negative?

The saying “knowledge is power” has been an excellent motivator for people to improve their lives, but today the massive amount of information available through the Internet doesn't always seem to be helping people in the way we’d hoped. Rather than improving people’s lives and bringing us closer together, the information age is making us more divided and irresponsible.

Nevertheless, many people find comfort in their virtual (虚拟的) worlds and are happy to connect with real-life friends and online friends from the familiar surroundings of their living rooms. However, being able to reinvent themselves online and be whoever they want to be leads to the question of whether they are losing their identities by living in a virtual world. It's not all bad news, however. Mass communication has helped change some attitudes for the better. Take our views on the environment for example. Internet campaigns by governments and other organizations have helped popularize the ideas of recycling, protecting wildlife and reducing pollution.

Modern electronic communication now influences every aspect of our lives - it is a powerful tool that has raised some concerns for society. However, it has also brought countless benefits to society. At the end of the day, it can be used both for good or evil, which largely relies on the morals and sense of responsibility of the individual or community involved. In short, it needs to be used with care.

【推荐2】Foldable phones are once again facing questions about their durability(耐久性).The Galaxy Z Flip and the Motorola Razr are now both available to buy in the US-but early reports suggest the screens are easily damaged.

One media published photos of two layers of the Razr's display separating, affecting the touch screen. The Galaxy flip, meanwhile, boasts(自夸)a "flexible glass" display---but tests appear to show it scratching(刮擦)as easily as plastic.

In a statement, Samsung said the display had a protective layer, and had undergone extensive testing. "While the display does bend, it should be handled with care, "it said.

The Z Flip's "pretty thin glass" is one of Samsung's primary marketing messages for the new phone. But a durability test conducted by popular Zack Nelson, a regular buyer, suggested it was no more durable than soft plastic screen, and could even be dented(痕)by fingernail.

Nelson said Samsung's screen scratched exactly how plastic screen would react. "I don't know what material this is, but Samsung definitely shouldn't be calling it glass," he said. He found that the screen of the Motorola Razr scratched as easily but it is not marketed as "glass".

The Motorola Razr was put on sale 13 days ago in the US, but Raymond Wong, an editor says the flexible screen on his handset has already broken. The upper layer of the Razr's screen separated from the bottom, creating "a giant horizontal air bubble" for no apparent reason. He wrote that the fault appeared after 45-minute train ride during which the phone was in his pocket. The screen was completely warped from hinge-to-hinge with the top layer raised like a poorly applied screen protector. But Mr. Wong said that apart from the visual problem, the damage has affected the responsiveness of the touchscreen.

【推荐3】Certain forms of AI are indeed becoming ubiquitous. For example, algorithms (算法) carry out huge volumes of trading on our financial markets, self-driving cars are appearing on city streets, and our smartphones are translating from one language into another. These systems are sometimes faster and more perceptive than we humans are. But so far that is only true for the specific tasks for which the systems have been designed. That is something that some AI developers are now eager to change.

Some of today’s AI pioneers want to move on from today’s world of “weak” or “narrow” AI, to create “strong” or “full” AI, or what is often called artificial general intelligence (AGI). In some respects, today’s powerful computing machines already make our brains look weak. AGI could, its advocates say, work for us around the clock, and drawing on all available data, could suggest solutions to many problems. DM, a company focused on the development of AGI, has an ambition to “solve intelligence”. “If we’re successful,” their mission statement reads, “we believe this will be one of the most important and widely beneficial scientific advances ever made.”

Since the early days of AI, imagination has outpaced what is possible or even probable. In 1965, an imaginative mathematician called Irving Good predicted the eventual creation of an “ultra-intelligent machine…that can far surpass all the intellectual (智力的) activities of any man, however clever.” Good went on to suggest that “the first ultra-intelligent machine” could be “the last invention that man need ever make.”

Fears about the appearance of bad, powerful, man-made intelligent machines have been reinforced (强化) by many works of fiction — Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Terminator film series, for example. But if AI does eventually prove to be our downfall, it is unlikely to be at the hands of human-shaped forms like these, with recognisably human motivations such as aggression (敌对行为). Instead, I agree with Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom, who believes that the heaviest risks from AGI do not come from a decision to turn against mankind but rather from a dogged pursuit of set objectives at the expense of everything else.

The promise and danger of true AGI are great. But all of today’s excited discussion about these possibilities presupposes the fact that we will be able to build these systems. And, having spoken to many of the world’s foremost AI researchers, I believe there is good reason to doubt that we will see AGI any time soon, if ever.

【推荐2】Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet,but they say a robotic vehicle called “Curiosity” is helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.

Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more than eight months.It was sent to Mars by scientists from NASA in the United States.

Curiosity is about the size of a car and has six wheels.It also has a robotic arm,cameras,and instruments that allow it to examine things it finds on the surface.Then it sends the information back to the earth.

Curiosity’s main task is to find out if anything could live on Mars,either now or in the past.On Nov.2,NASA scientists held a press conference (新闻发布会) to discuss what Curiosity had found in its first two months on Mars.

Curiosity has found soil that is similar to the sand formed by volcanoes (火山) on the earth.Scientists say that studying the minerals in Martian soil will help them understand what conditions were like on the planet in the past.Curiosity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and seashores on the earth,where their rough edges have been worn down by water.Mars is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell them that a river used to run through the place where they were found.

Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called methane (甲烷),but so far it has not found any.On the earth,most methane is produced by plants or animals.Methane on Mars might indicate that some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.

Curiosity is the fourth robotic vehicle to be sent to Mars.It will continue to explore the planet for about two years.

【推荐3】An ancient plant, amaranth(苋菜),is drawing attention throughout the world and connecting indigenous people(土著人)to their history. It has become a billion-dollar food and cosmetic product since the 1970s. The ancient grain can be found in greater numbers of grocery stores in the US and Mexico, and increasingly in the Asia Pacific and Europe.

“This is a plant that could feed the world.” Beata Tsosie-Pena, a coordinator of the environmental, health and justice program at nonprofit Tewa Women United, told The Guardian.                      

A single amaranth plant produces hundreds of seeds and can be grown in a wide variety of climates and countries from India, China, Southeast Asia to West Africa and the Caribbean. It’s this resilience that allowed the plant to survive over the centuries, even when the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 16th century and outlawed amaranth. Growing amaranth has also provided a degree of economic independence for indigenous farmers in Guatemala and the US, according to The Guardian. Even after facing a near-extinction event in Guatemala when state forces targeted the Maya people and burned their fields, farmers preserved their amaranth seeds by hiding them in jars in the field and under their floorboards.

“What we want is for the whole world to produce their own food,” Maria Aurelia Xitumul, a. member of agricultural community Qachuu Aloom, told The Guardian. ”For the seeds, distance doesn’t exist. Borders don’t exist.” Most recently, Xitumul said that during the pandemic, people with their own gardens, especially in locked down communities, felt secure knowing they had control over their food supply, thanks to amaranth.

“Amaranth has completely changed the lives of families in our communities, not only economically, but spiritually,” added Xitumul.

【推荐1】In an effort to fight plastic pollution, Indian company EnviGreen has produced a new material that looks like plastic, but is 100% organic and eco-friendly. You can even dispose (处理) of such a “plastic” bag by eating it.

EnviGreen founder Ashwath Hedge came up with this idea after seeing people struggling to find alternatives to plastic bags, following bans released by several Indian cities. So he decided to work on something that would solve this problem while being environment-friendly.

Hedge spent four years experimenting with various materials, but one day he discovered a combination of 12 ingredients, including potatoes, corn, vegetable oil, bananas etc, which looked and felt like plastic, but caused none of the environmental problems. The process is obviously a closely-guarded secret, but Hedge did reveal that the raw materials are first changed into liquid form, and then taken through a six-stage process to create the bags.

The cost of an EnviGreen bag is about 35% higher than that of a plastic bag, but the benefits of using the former are more than worth the extra cost. EnviGreen bags dissolve naturally in less than 180 days, and if placed in water at room temperature, they dissolve in less than a day. Placed in boiling water, they dissolve in about 15 seconds.

EnviGreen has begun to produce EnviGreen bags for commercial use. The company has set up a factory in Bangalore, where it produces around 1,000 tons of eco-friendly “plastic” bags a month. That’s not very much, considering that the city of Bangalore alone consumes over 30,000 tons of plastic bags every month, but Hedge says that he wants to set up enough factories before they start distributing to individual customers. They have started supplying the bags to big supermarkets like Metro and Reliance. Apart from protecting the environment, Hedge also plans to use EnviGreen bags to support local farmers.

Nowadays, over 15,000 tons of plastic waste is produced in India every day, only 9,000 of which are collected and processed. Inventions of EnviGreen can help solve this problem, so let's hope it lives up to its potential.

【推荐2】Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status(形象) by public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their conduct in real life to improve their image online.

The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 16 was carried out by Children's Commissioner(专员) Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major psychological risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to deal with the huge pressure they faced online. Youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk, not responding to social media posts quickly and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts", indicating a “need” for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become.

Children tended to compare themselves to others online. "Then there is this push to connect—if offline, will you miss something, will you miss out, will you show you don't care about those you are following, all come together in a huge way at once." Miss Longfield said, "For children it’s very difficult to handle." The Commissioner found children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for fun.

However, the research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. When they started secondary school—at age 11—children were already far more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts, the research found.

Meanwhile, they still did not know how to dispose of mean-spirited jokes, or the possible sense of inability if compared with celebrities(名人) or more brilliant friends online. They also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day—especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones.

The Commissioner advocated schools and parents do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区) . "It's vital that new age-appropriate relationship and sex education lessons help equip children to deal with growing demands of social media.” Social media companies must "take more responsibility" and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters.

【推荐3】In 2013 Tallinn(爱沙尼亚首都塔林) became the world’s first capital city to offer people free public transport. Last year Estonia(爱沙尼亚) set the aim to become the first country with free public transport nationwide. Buses are now free of charge in 11 of its 15 counties.

Tallinn’s city government came up with the idea of free transport in 2008. Even though the city paid more than 70% of public-transport costs, ticket prices were still too high for poorer people. Crowdedness had also become a problem. Since 1991, the number of people owning cars has doubled.

Opponents(反对者) thought the idea unaffordable and critics(批评者) predicted the transport system would become overcrowded and lack money.

Surprisingly, public transport has improved, despite a €12 million hit to the system’s finances from lost ticket sales. Tallinn’s population has grown, leading to an increase in local tax intake. Additional revenu(财政收入) comes from tourists, who still have to buy tickets. The use of public transport in Tallinn has gone up by 10%, while the number of cars in the city has gone down by 10%, meaning less congestion.

Now other countries are looking at Estonia’s experience. Tallinn officials say they have had interest from France, Sweden, Poland, Italy and Germany. Other places have already introduced free public transport for certain groups or at certain times. In England 1/3 of all bus trips are fare-free especially for pensioners(领养老金者); Wales runs free travel at weekends to improve tourism. But so far full fare-free travel is rare. The city of Hasselt in Belgium ran free public transport for 16 years before reintroducing fares because of increasing costs.

【推荐1】Saving the giant panda from extinction isn't just good for the bears-it's good for the bottom line too,a new analysis by an international team of scientist shows.

The results,published in the journal Current Biology,highlight the economic benefits that they say go hand in hand with environmental conservation. In order to protect giant pandas,the government must protect their forests,which provide a host of often-under appreciated services to the communities that live in and around them. For example,forests allow for the growing of crops and the grazing(放牧）of animals,store clean fresh water and supply firewood,lumber(木材）and many useful plants.They manage storm runoff and help prevent erosion(侵蚀）。

The pandas themselves also hold enormous cultural value that has risen rapidly in recent decades among Chinese residents,the study also points out. "From 1980 to 2010,the cultural values of   pandas and their reserves almost doubled,largely driven by tourism use,rising 500-fold from 1980 to 2010, "they said.

Taking all of these factors into account,the scientists calculated a total economic value of Approximately $2. 6 billion in 2010 in China. Keep in mind,the costs of preserving panda habitat at current levels come to about$255 million. The study authors said that including the global cultural Value of the animals would increase the total economic value to $6. 9 billion per year-or about 27 times the cost of habitat preservation.

The researchers also noted that the investment in panda habitat has improved the living conditions   of local residents. They pointed to data from the Chinese Statistical Yearbook showing that the annual income in Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu provinces,which sit next to panda reserves,rose by an average of 56%from 2000 to 2010. Farmers in counties within these provinces that were next to the panda reserves saw their annual incomes rise by 64%,on average.

The findings provide a promising example of how conservation efforts can pay off,and they could be applied to many other threatened and endangered species,the study authors said.

【推荐2】At the 4th Street Photo Gallery on the comer of the Bowery, many photos are strung together like clothes on a laundry line. There are portraits of Muhammad Ali and Jean-Michel Basquiat, plus a series of cityscapes detailedly captured over 60 years by Alex Harsley, a neglected but talented New York photographer.

The city has been Mr Harsley’s home since 1948, when, aged ten, he moved there from South Carolina. He took his first photograph ten years later, and became the first black photographer to work for the city’s district attorney’s office. His vivid pictures freeze moments in New York’s evolution from the 1950s to the present. “It could start with the smell of something burning.” he says of his method. “And then you see a family sitting on the steps of a funeral home sadly looking at the firemen going through their routine.”

Some of the scenes in the collection were captured from the window of his old apartment in Harlem; they include images of black activists, streets submerged in snow and shots of the Crown Heights riots of 1991. A.D. Coleman, a photography critic, says Mr. Harsley has been able to capture the lives of minority groups by making himself “invisible”. His aim has been to assemble these fragments (片段) into an extended history of the city.

Mr. Harsley’s gallery is a time capsule. For decades, it is also a hub for the city’s artistic underworld. In the 1970s New York’s photography scene was flourishing, but exclusive. As Mr. Harsley puts it, “a number of great artists were swept aside” because they lacked connections. Helping talent became part of his mission. In 1971 he established The Minority Photographers, an organization that helps up-and-coming artists exhibit their work. He opened his gallery two years later; many photographers have had their first shows there.

【推荐3】It’s often said that creative people see the world differently from the rest of us and a Harvard study is providing one explanation.Scientists studied brain scans of people after asking them to come up with creative uses for everyday objects.And they found a specific pattern of connectivity that correlated with the most creative responses.

“What this shows is that the creative brain works differently,”said Roger Beaty,the first author of the study.Beaty and colleagues examined brain data from previous studies and found that,by simply measuring the strength of connections in these people’s brain networks,they could estimate the originality of these people’s ideas.

While the data showed that regions across the brain were involved in creative thought,Beaty said the evidence pointed to three subnetworks.And they were the default mode(默认状态)network,the salience(突出)network and the executive(管理的)control network.They appear to play key roles in creative thought.The default mode network, he said,is involved in memory and mental acting,so the theory is that it plays an important role in processes like mind-wandering,imagination,and natural thinking.The salience network notices important information.When it comes to creativity,it may be responsible for arranging the ideas that come from the default mode network.Lastly,the executive control network works to help people keep their focus on useful ideas while getting rid of those that aren’t working.Beaty said,“People who think more flexibly and come up with more creative ideas are better able to use these networks that don’t typically work together and bring these systems online.”

Based on the results of that study,Beaty and colleagues developed a predictive model and tested against brain scan data collected for earlier studies on creativity.“We used already-published data...we found that based on how strong the connections are in these networks,we could guess pretty accurately how creative you’re going to be on a task,”Beaty said.He added,“It’s also not clear whether this can be modified with some kind of training.Creativity is complex,and we’re only working on the surface here.”