【推荐2】We’ve all been told that different types of fruits and vegetables have different benefits that help us keep healthy. A new international study has found that eating one fruit regularly can help reduce the risk of cancer, among those people who have a high risk of developing certain cancers.

The research, which followed almost 1, 000 patients with a variety of cancers, found that taking regular resistant starch could have a great preventative effect on the risk of cancer. Here’s what you need to know about how eating bananas regularly can help reduce the risk of cancers.

Resistant starch is found in green bananas. By eating green bananas your body gets resistant starch, which has been found to reduce the risk of cancers in some parts of the body by more than a half, according to the new research. The study, which was published in Cancer Prevention Research, was led by experts at the Universities of Newcastle and Leeds. It found that resistant starch, if taken regularly for two years, had a very good effect on some cancers, which can be difficult to find.

John Mathers, a professor at Newcastle University explained, “Resistant starch really helps in fact, which has several health benefits and fewer calories than regular starch.”

In addition to green bananas, resistant starch is also found in foods such as peas, beans and other starchy foods. In terms of bananas, experts think that eating one banana every day has the same effect as a certain amount of resistant starch. The secret is to eat the bananas before they become too ripe or soft.

【推荐3】It is a truth universally acknowledged that water is tasteless. But it happens from time to time: you pick up the bottle of water you didn’t finish yesterday, and it tastes strange. Most often, you tend to drop the bottle in the trash bin, believing that the water has gone bad. But is it true?

According to Time, taste has little to do with quality of water. When water is exposed for 12 hours, carbon dioxide interacts with the H2O in the water, and the pH value lowers slightly. As a result, the water has a different taste.

“But it’s most likely safe to drink,” Norwegian expert Truls Krogh told Science Nordic. “If the water is covered and of good quality to start with, in principle it can last a thousand years. That’s because when water is fresh, it contains little organic matter. As long as water is held in clean glasses or bottles, no pollutants will enter it to harm our health.”

People in countries like the US, the UK and Australia usually drink tap water. According to Time, if tap water is drunk within six months, the chlorine in the water will be enough to kill any bacteria and keep it safe to drink.

However, there are also some exceptions. If you accidentally put your fingers into water or store water in unclean containers day after day, microorganism will enter the water. With the help of surrounding temperature, and sunlight streaming through windows, these microorganisms multiply quickly. Sooner or later, the water will be in the charge of the unfriendly bacteria. And if you drink the water too often, then you’re more likely to be ill.

And what about water in plastic bottles? Heat and plastic are a bad combination, US researcher Kellogg Schwab stresses. When plastic bottles are used at high temperatures, they produce a chemical called BPA. BPA is something that affects hormones and research has tentatively linked it to “several health damage, including heart disease and cancer”, Time reported.

Schwab suggests replacing disposable plastic bottles with the refillable containers made of metal or glass to deal with BPA.

【推荐1】Traditionally, robots have been hard, made of metal and other rigid material. But a team of scientists at Harvard University in the US has managed to build an entirely soft robot-one that draws inspiration from an octopus (章鱼).

Described in science journal Nature, the “Octobot” could pave the way for more effective autonomous robots that could be used in search，rescue and exploration. “The Octobot is minimal system which may serve as a foundation for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous robots” the study’s authors wrote.

Robots built for precise, repetitive movements in a controlled environment don’t do so well on rough terrains (地形) or in unpredictable conditions. And they aren’t especially safe around humans, because they’re made out of hard and heavy parts that could be potentially dangerous to their users.

So researchers have been working on building soft robots for decades. They’re taken inspiration from nature, looking to animals from jellyfish to cockroaches, which are often made up of more flexible matter.

But creating a completely soft robot remains a challenge. Even if engineers build a silicone (硅酮) body, it’s still a grand challenge to construct flexible versions of essential parts, such as a source of power.

“Although soft robotics is still in its early stage, it holds great promise for several applications, such as search-rescue operations and exploration,” Barbara Mazzolai and Virgilio Mattoli of the Italian Institute of Technology’ Center for Micro-BioRobotics, wrote in a comment. “Soft robots might also open up new approaches to improving wellness and quality of life.”

【推荐2】Get your vaccine shot

The COVID-19 virus is still spreading around the world. It hangs over all of us. But some good news about vaccines ( 疫 苗 ) for COVID-19 is bringing us closer to ending this terrible pandemic.

On Dec 8, the UK rolled out (推出) a vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech. The US started its own COVID-19 vaccine rollout nationwide on Dec 14, Xinhua reported.

China will start vaccinating high-risk groups over the winter, Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC, 国家卫生健康委员会), said at a press conference on Dec 19.

This means that those who work in the cold-chain industry, healthcare, customs ( 海 关 ), seafood markets and public transportation are among those who will receive the vaccine first. Their work puts them at higher risk of being infected (感染).

This is the first step in China’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, Zeng said. As more vaccines are approved (批准) and produced, elderly people, people with underlying conditions (基础疾病) and the general public will receive vaccines in an orderly manner.

China’s COVID-19 vaccines can offer effective protection for at least six months, Zeng pointed out. Vaccination experiments have shown that the vaccines are safe and effective.

As for those who are not among the first to receive vaccines, officials at the NHC said there’s no need to worry. “Wearing masks in public places, practicing social distance and washing hands are protective measures that have been proven to be very effective,” said Cui Gang, a senior NHC official.