【推荐1】There’s a lot of confusion around exercising and eating. What should you eat before you work out? What about after? How long should you wait to eat? How will all of this benefit your goal of losing more fat? Scientists have now answered one important question.

In a new study researchers had a group of overweight males walk for one hour on an empty stomach, and then had them walk again for 2 hours on another day after eating a good breakfast. The researchers collected their blood samples after eating or fasting (禁食) as well as after exercising. They also took fat samples directly before and directly following an hour of walking.

The results showed differences in gene expression of the fat tissue in the two tests. The two genes they looked at, PDK4 and HSL, increased as a result of the volunteers fasting and exercising, and decreased when they ate before exercising. The researchers believe that the rise in PDK4 likely shows that stored fat was used to fuel metabolism (新陈代谢) during exercise，and that HSL increased when the fat tissue used stored energy to benefit an increase in exercise.

According to Dylan Thompson, an author of the study, the results support the viewpoint that “fat tissue often faces competing challenges”. “For example,” he says, “after eating the body is busy responding to the meal, and a short period of exercise at this time will not cause the same beneficial changes in fat tissue.”

How long do you have to decline food to meet their definition of “fasting”? Thompson says, “The best advice would be to make sure that your last meal was 4 hours before exercise to get the effect that we reported.”

【推荐2】Every human being has a unique arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.

The ridge (脊状) structure on a person's fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one which bears a reproduction of the original pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.

Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer's ink. They can be recorded easily. With special methods, identification (识别)can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and low cost of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.

When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to “print” them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.

【推荐3】How Plants Branch Out to Access Water

New research has discovered how plant roots sense the availability of water in soil and then adapt (适应)their shape to acquire water. The discovery could enable crops to be raised which are more adaptive to changes in climate conditions, such as the absence of water, and help ensure food safety in the future.

These findings, published in the journal Science, describe a new mechanism(机制) discovered by cooperating teams at the universities of Nottingham and Durham.

Roots are very important for plants to acquire water and nutrients(营养)from the soil. Water is necessary to plant growth , yet changing climatic conditions makes acquiring water from soil even more challenging. Plants are able to adapt to different soil moisture(湿润)conditions by changing their roots.

The researchers discovered that plant roots lacking a branching master gene were no longer able to branch out. They found that when roots have access to moisture, the certain gene remains active and promotes root branching, but when put in air, the gene is in activated, preventing root branching. The research has identified the certain protein which can inactivate root branching.

Professor Sadanandom explained: "This is hugely exciting as it opens up the possibility for us to help develop plants that could continue to branch roots even in challenging conditions such as the absence of water.''

Professor Bennett concluded: "Water is the key to plant growth, development and their survival. By studying how plant roots change their branching in response(回应)to water availability, we have uncovered a new mechanism. This opens the way to develop new crops better adapted to climate change and to help deliver global food safety."

It is absolutely imperative to ensure food safety worldwide. Crop production must double by 2050 to keep pace with global population growth. This target is even more challenging considering the effect of climate change on water availability. In this case, developing crops with better ability to acquire water would provide a solution.

【推荐1】You can get a clear picture about Deep Work by Cal Newport in 5 minutes. Deep Work tells us professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive(认知的)capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value and improve your skill. The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who develop the skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive (蓬勃发展).

The book tells us the core abilities for thriving in the new economy, which are the ability to quickly master hard things, the ability to produce a high level, in terms of both quality and speed. If you can’t learn, you can’t thrive. If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are. If you haven’t mastered deep work, you’ll struggle to learn hard things. To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.

The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and habits to your working life designed to minimize a state of unbroken concentration. To master the art of deep work, therefore, you must take back control of your time and attention from the many entertainments on the Internet that attempt to steal them. Adopt a tool only if its positive impacts on these factors substantially outweigh its negative impacts. It’s crucial that you figure out in advance what you’ re going to do with your evenings and weekends before they begin.

In the end of Deep Work, we can know that the ability to concentrate is a skill that gets valuable things done. If you’ re struggling to use your mind to its fullest capacity to create things that matter, then you’ll discover, as others have before you, that depth generates a life rich with productivity and meaning.

【推荐2】We pick the upbeat tunes for parties and workouts, and save the low-key songs for romantic or sad moments. It’s hardly a new idea that music is mixed with our emotions. But how have our favorites changed over the decades, and what do these changes say about America’s shifting emotional landscape (景象)?

Researcher E. Glenn Schellenberg set out to examine songs popular in America during the last five decades, using a selection from Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 charts, hoping to learn how emotional cues (提示) in music, such as tempo (slow to fast) and mode (major or minor key), have changed since 1960.

The most striking finding is the change in key. Songs written in a major key tend to sound warm and high-spirited, while songs in a minor key can sound darker and more melancholic (忧郁的). Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complex. The study also finds America’s popular songs have become slower and longer. Even more interesting, is that our current favorites are more likely to be emotionally ambiguous, such as sad-sounding songs being fast or happy-sounding songs being slow.

A possible explanation for the changes is that the more contemporary music reflects the hardships that our society has gone through. However, Schellenberg believes that the steady increase in length and decrease in tempo doesn’t support the idea of growing difficulties fully because it would mean our problems have increased steadily over the last fifty years. He suggests that popular songs have become more complex over time because Americans are becoming more diverse and individualized in their musical tastes.

Though we can only guess about the specific causes of this evolution in music, Schellenberg’s initial observations have helped to open the door to research on the link between emotion and music consumption. Perhaps someday we’ll learn more of the secrets behind the music we love and the times we live in.

【推荐3】Summer's here and it won't be long before school -aged kids across America start complaining that they're tired of riding their bikes, playing at the park, swimming in the pool ..... and all the other awesome activities their parents hoped would keep them entertained for the next 10 weeks.

Such rapid—onset boredom could indicate that the kids have amazing powers of recall. Because a new study shows that the better your short—term memory is, the faster you feel sated and decide you've had enough. The findings appear in the Journal of Consumer Research. “Though satiation can be physical, like when you feel full after eating too much, we were interested in the psychological side of satiation. Like when you're just tired of something.” Noelle Nelson, assistant professor of marketing and consumer behavior at the University of Kansas School of Business. She and her colleague Joseph Redden at the University of Minnesota tried to think outside the lunch box. “Something that was interesting to me is that some people get tired of same things at very different rates. So if you think about pop songs on the radio, some people must still be enjoying them and requesting them even after hearing them a lot. But a lot of other people are really sick of those same songs.” The difference might have to do with memories of past consumption. For example, studies show that people push away from the dinner table sooner when they're asked to describe in detail what they ate earlier for lunch.

The findings suggest that marketers could use our desire for their products by figuring out ways to distract(使分心)us and keep us from fully remembering our experiences. We could also trick ourselves into eating less junk food by immersing(使浸没)ourselves in the memory of a previous snack. As for kids easily bored, just tell them to be fogged(模糊的)about it—it might help them have more fun.

【推荐1】Captured(捕获的) carbon dioxide(CO2) could be used to extract(提炼) useful metals(金属) from recycled technology such as smartphone batteries rather than just being buried underground. The technique could help make it more economical to capture the greenhouse gas before it enters the atmosphere.

“If you also extract metals by filling CO2, you add value to a process that is known to be costly,” says Julien Leclaire at the University of Lyon, France.

CO2 is the main cause of modern climate change, so many people have attempted to develop technologies to capture it when it comes from power plants and other major sources. The gas can then be stored underground. The problem is that such carbon capture and storage (CCS) is expensive. “No one wants to pay the price for it,” says Leclaire.

To make CCS more appealing, Leclaire’s team has found a use for the gas.

His team collected CO2 from a car gas, cooled it, then pumped it into a mix of chemicals. The CO2 combined with the mix to make many molecules(分子) of various shapes and sizes.

The team found that this process could sort out mixtures of metals, because one metal would dissolve(溶解) in the liquid while another would form a solid. In a series of experiments, they successfully separated three kinds of metals-all of which are used in batteries, smartphones and computers.

If the process can be widely used, it could be a more environmentally friendly way to recycle batteries and other electrical equipment, says Leclaire. This is normally done using highly reactive chemicals, which are potentially polluting. Replacing them with CO2 should lead to a much lower environmental pollution, he says.

Other researchers and companies are trying to change captured CO2 into useful materials like plastics, which are normally produced from petrol, but this is chemically difficult. Leclaire says his approach is more in line with how CO2 behaves naturally. “Instead of copying what we know how to do better and cheaper with oil, let’s find things you can only do with CO2,” he says.

【推荐2】Name-calling, teasing, pushing and fighting—whether you have experienced it or not, the chances are that these are the things that appear in your mind when you hear the word “bullying”. Yet, many of us know little about the serious, lasting harms bullying could cause.

If you’ve watched 13 Reasons Why, you’ll understand the impacts that bullying can have. The second season of the popular US teenage drama was released on May 18. It tells the story of Hannah Baker, a high school student who takes her own life after she’s picked on by fellow students, while others stand by and do nothing to help her.

One of the important messages audiences could get from the show is to treat people with kindness and respect. “It teaches us that every single thing we say and do has an impact on others,” news platform Odyssey noted.

Some may think 13 Reasons Why exaggerates (夸大) the seriousness of school bullying, but according to the US National Center for Educational Statistics, more than 20 percent of US students were bullied in 2016, and only 36% of this group reported it.

NBA player Gerald Green opened up about being called “alien hands” during his teenage years due to his big hands. “Being bullied was embarrassing,” he said. “I still remember shying away from crowds and walking around with my hands in my pockets to evade the attention from my peers.” To get away with the teasing, he found his motivation by playing basketball and making a career out of it. But not everyone is so lucky to discover a release.

According to statistics released by the US government, if someone prevents a bully, there’s a 57% chance that the bullying will stop within 10 seconds. So if you ever witness bullying, consider stepping up and supporting the victim. As US actor Brandon Flynn, who stars in 13 Reasons Why, said, “Just because you’re not the one getting bullied, it doesn’t mean it’s not your problem.”

【推荐3】The Consumer Technology Association, formerly called The International Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, believes about 170, 000 people will attend the show. About one-third of them are reported to come from countries besides the United States.

More than 4, 000 businesses will show products used through the Internet such as gaming, self-driving cars, artificial intelligence（人工智能）and robotics. One of the biggest stars at CES this year is the voice-controlled digital （数字的）assistant. While the technology is not new, many companies will show off the latest digital assistants.

Equipment controlled by digital assistants, especially those turned on by voice, were already big sellers in 2017. This year, Google, Amazon and Apple are expected to release even more products to keep up with the rising demand.

Digital assistants are powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. They are designed to learn users' preferences over time and then “think" and act on their own. Some of the biggest developments in technology have come in the area of home automation （自 动化）. Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple's Home Pod and Microsoft's Cortana are a few examples of voice-controlled equipment. All include smart speakers that “talk" to users inside the house and can perform operations.

Experts with the Consumer Technology Association say sales of smart speakers are expected to nearly double in 2019.

The Internet-linked products can play music or find information when asked questions. They can also control equipment such as lighting, cameras, televisions and temperature controllers. Among new “smart" home products to be released at the CES are voice-controlled washing machines, refrigerators, showers and toilets. There is also much new physical fitness and health-related equipment on show. Some are designed to help people create the best personal fitness plans to reach their goals. Wearable health equipment is used to study and measure body conditions, while others help recognize signs of disease.

【推荐1】I’ve been taking time this week to smell the roses. I bend over in my neighbors’ front yard, check that nobody is watching, then bury my head in the flowers.

I’ve also been walking into bakeries and walking around without buying anything.

After having surgery on my broken nose 18 months ago, I haven’t been able to smell or taste things. This week, however, my nose is back in business.

I’ve been fascinated by smells, and it’s given me a new way of thinking. Smell is just one of the little bits and pieces that make life enjoyable, but which we often ignore. I remember once, when my son was 5 months old, I was carrying him down the street. Wind swept through and almost tipped us over. He threw his little head back and giggled (傻笑). He’d never felt the wind on his face. When is the last time I laughed at the weather?

The first time I ate bacon, I rushed home to my parents, determined that we ate this deliciousness at every meal. My father smiled and agreed.

Do you recall when you learned that the voice actors of Mickey and Minnie Mouse were married in real life? Do you enjoy sleeping in new, clean bed sheets?

We don’t write postcards about the small things. We don’t frame them in photographs.

They aren’t that great or grand, but without them, life is altogether too loud. These quiet experiences give us a chance to enjoy the simple fact of being alive.

As my sense of smell returns to me, it’s like I’m smelling things for the first time. They’re full of memories and magic. Food tastes better, and the air is indeed sweet. I know what the poets mean now. It almost makes my broken nose worthwhile. Now, I am waiting for this bandage to come off. There’s an itch (痒) I can’t reach!

【推荐2】I've been writing since before I could write. As a kid, I dictated stories to my parents.About 12 years ago,I was living in New York City and pursuing a master in creative writing. For years I'd been suffering vision disorder,but in New York my symptoms worsened. I became unable to read or write for any considerable length of time. I tried vision therapy(疗法），an overhead projector,a special pair of glasses-all in vain.

Eventually,I discovered a computer program for the visually challenged. As I typed,my words were read aloud by an automated voice. With my screen dimmed to black,I relied entirely on audio feedback to know what I had written.

Facing the blank page is worrying,but facing the black page is worse. The dark screen is a sinkhole that swallows creative hope. Sentences disappear into it like an astronaut into a black hole. I managed to complete my master degree, but it took me years to adapt to my new reality. The greatest barrier seemed to be the automated voice, which was like a robot parrot on my shoulder, and I wanted nothing more than to drive it away. If a pianist were forced to practice on an untuned piano,would it corrupt his ear over time?

Of course,I could have quit writing and stopped making myself suffer.But it honestly never occurred to me-and I'm glad it didn't. Last year, after I told my story on the radio,I was contacted by VocaliD,a Massachusetts-based company that created a voice modeled on my own.

The first time I heard the voice they created, it is so close to my own that the two are nearly indistinguishable. I've only just begun using this new voice. My hope is that this will restore a sense of solitude(孤独） to my writing process,allowing me easier access to that inner space where the imagination can take over, and I can forget myself, and the real work can begin.

The black screen still exists-it always will-but the robot parrot has taken wing.

【推荐3】Some students get so nervous before a test, they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock, a psychology professor at the University of Chicago in IIIionois, has studied these highly anxious test-takers.

Sian Beilock:"They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry , it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about it as your cognitive (认知) horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

Sian Beilock:" What we think happens is when students put it down on paper, they think about the worst that could happen and they reassess the situation. They might realize it's not as had as they might think it was before and, in essence, it prevents these thoughts from popping up when they're actually taking a test."

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.

Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.

Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+,compared to a B- for those who did not.

Sian Beilock :" What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who'd done our writing intervention(干预), all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most likely to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don't normally get nervous in these testing situations."

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before and exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.