2 . It is that time of the year, when a handful of world’s leading scholars, social activists and researchers are rewarded with what is often cited as the most prestigious acknowledgement of human effort-the Nobel Prize. Here’s a look at who has won the prize and for what.

Physiology or Medicine

Swedish geneticist Svante Peabo won the first Nobel of the year, for starting the field of ancient DNA studies. He is well-known for extracting, sequencing, and analyzing ancient DNA from Neanderthal bones.

Physics

Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger’s work in quantum (量子) technology landed them the second Nobel Prize announced in 2022. Although Aspect is from France, Clauser from the U.S, and Zeilinger from Austria, the three separately performed “groundbreaking experiments” as one team. “Their results have cleared the way for new technology,” the committee stated.

Chemistry

The Nobel Prize for chemistry went to another trio, Carolyn R. Bertozzi from the U.S., Morten Meldal from Denmark and K. Barry Sharpless from the U.S. “for the development of click chemistry and biorthogonal chemistry,” the committee stated. Dr. Bertozzi is the eighth woman chemist to be awarded the prize, while Dr. Sharpless is the fifth scientist to be awarded two Nobel Prizes.

Economics

The Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to three American economists, Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas W. Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig “for research on banks and financial crises,” the Nobel Prize committee announced on Monday. By studying the history of American economics, particularly the Great Depression of the 1930s,they improved how we understand the role of banks during times of hardship and the bank’s impact on societal functions.

4 . If you have no difficulty in understanding what native English speakers say in daily life, there is a whole new world of brilliant podcast (播客) series to explore. If you aren’t sure where to start, have a look at these:

5 . For children, space is magical — a whole world is out there, with so many things to learn and stories to read. Here are some children’s books about space and the solar system.

Mae among the Stars by Stasia Burrington

This beautifully illustrated picture book is attractive to young kids. It was inspired by the first African American woman in space, Mae Jemison. It tells the story of Mae as a little girl, who always knew she had big dreams about space. This is a great addition to a young kid’s collection, as a reminder to hold tight to dreams and never give up.

Space by Libby Jackson

This beautifully illustrated book gives kids a look at 50 women from around the world who were involved in exploring space in some way, from the 19th century to the present day. This is a perfect gift for young kids who want to know more about some of the lesser-known scientific achievements related to space exploration.

Chasing Space by Leland Melvin

This is Melvin’s story about being a football player-turned-astronaut, along with his recovery from an injury that nearly left him deaf. Kids will love reading his story about how he faced challenges and advanced ahead, and he also includes DIY experiments for kids to try, and a section of full-color photographs.

System and Beyond by David A. Aguilar

The book is full of beautiful illustrations of space, and is perfect for kids of all ages, exploring various planets and the solar system. Unlike other kids’ space book, this is a National Geographic book written and illustrated by an award-winning astronomer and space artist. Aguilar is also the former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

8 . SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP

Sponsor Teen Ink’s future magazines for any specific school or region that is important to you and bring your message to a large audience of students, parents and teachers. We will print your name on the cover of each issue every month.

Call (617)964-6800 for details and cost.

How school sponsorship works:

You select the schools—as many as you want—to receive future Teen Ink magazines.

Your company’s name will appear on the cover of every monthly issue for the schools you sponsor.

Your total cost for a full year is only $195 per school for 30 copies a month—that’s 300 copies per school year.

Advantages for your organization:

 Your message reaches a large audience of students, parents and teachers, which tells them you care about teens, their voices and their education.

We contact the schools explaining your sponsorship and your support of teens in the community.

 We ship the magazines directly to the schools. There is no extra work or expense for you.

You will be working with an organization that has 14-year experience with teens, schools and educators.

Advantages for the students you sponsor:

Teens are connected with their peers nationwide at a place that is specifically theirs. Students have the opportunity to submit their work for publishing in our magazine, book series and website.

Students gain important reading, writing and communication skills necessary for success in school and the workplace.

9 . Last summer holiday, Aunt Emily took us to a safari park (野生动物园), not far from Liverpool.

I was very happy to go as I had never been to a safari park before. It’s a very interesting park, full of wild animals running freely.

When we got there, we bought our tickets and drove into the park. We were very excited at the thought of going to see the lions. But to get to the lions’ place we had to go through the monkeys’ land first. And that was an unforgettable experience because they climbed all over the car, ate apples and bananas, and threw all kinds of things at us. They seemed very unfriendly.

Anyway, we went on our way to the lions’ place where we had to lock ourselves in the car as we knew lions could be dangerous. A lion came up very close to us. Then it was on the bonnet (车盖). It looked calm but we felt terrified. Aunt Emily, who isn’t very brave, started to call for help. The kids started crying. Only my brother, George, stayed cool. I sounded the horn (喇叭) but nobody heard us.

In the end a guard arrived in his car, and the lion just got off our car and started smelling the guard’s hand as if nothing was the matter.

10 . If you live in a region where winter weather is a regular risk, you are likely used to pouring salt on your sidewalks. But how does it work? And how much salt do humans pour onto our planet’s surface? The second question is easier to answer: a lot.

Salt doesn’t directly melt ice, nor does it make snow simply disappear. Instead it makes water less likely to freeze in a phenomenon called freezing point depression. In the case of simple rock salt, which is a rawer, less pure version of table salt, each molecule (分子) splits into smaller elements. Normally, when water freezes into ice, its molecules line up to form a stable, orderly structure. Salt interrupts the process, however, and temperatures must drop lower to overcome that interruption and for freezing to occur.

But if salt needs to interact with liquid water, how does it do anything when temperatures are stubbornly below freezing, and water should already be in the form of ice? That’s where cars help clear their own way by creating friction and, in turn, heat. The friction allows for the ice that has already frozen to melt a little bit, making it unlikely to freeze.

Beyond rock salt’s ability to clear icy streets, it can also be destructive. Chloride ions (氯离子) can cause wear and tear on vehicles and facilities. Increasing chloride densities in North American lakes could begin to upset local ecology and degrade sources of drinking water.

Many local governments are looking for alternatives to rock salt. Other salts such as magnesium chloride and calcium chloride work in the same way as rock salt, and they’re perhaps even more efficient. Some experiments are testing other ice-preventing solutions, including those that contain sugars instead of or in addition to salts. Another approach relies more heavily on sand, which can mechanically make roads safer. All of this experimentation is aimed at ensuring people can travel in any weather condition — a Herculean task when winter brings its worst.