2 . It is often said that laughter is the best medicine. But some researchers at the University of Oxford think the ability to belly laughs (捧腹大笑) was unique to early humans. This, they believe, made our ancestors able to form much larger groups.

The researchers first tested the pain thresholds (临界值) of some volunteers. They divided them into two groups. One group was shown 15 minutes of comedy videos, while the other was shown boring programs.

Through this experiment, the researchers found that those who had recently experienced belly laughs were able to withstand (忍受) up to 10% more pain than they had done before watching the videos. To their surprise, the scientists also found that the other group was less able to withstand pain after watching 15 minutes of the “boring” programs.

Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, who led the research, believed that belly laughs release chemicals called endorphins (内啡肽) into the body which make us feel less painful.

However, not all comedy programs had such effects, according to Prof Dunbar. For example, though clever stand-up comedy was found to be enjoyable, it had no effect on raising pain thresholds. “Things that worked very well were interesting comedies such as Mr. Bean. Situation comedies such as Friends also seemed to be particularly successful,” he added.

In order to measure endorphin levels, the researchers put a bag of ice on the volunteers’ arms to see how long they could withstand it. They found that the greater the increase in pain thresholds, the greater the amount of endorphins produced.

The purpose of Prof Dunbar’s study was not to develop a new treatment. Instead, it was to study the role of laughter in the forming of human societies two million years ago.

“The next stage will be to see whether laughing really allows people to keep together and work as a group better and be friendlier towards each other. If that is the case, then it may explain why two million years ago, the first humans were able to form large communities of up to 100,” Dunbar added.

3 . The 2023 China-Germany Automobile Conference was held in Jilin, Henan and Zhejiang recently. At the conference, people discussed plans for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and collaboration between Germany and China.

China has established a competitive edge in NEVs. In 2022, China’s market share of NEVs accounted for more than 65 percent of the global total, maintaining its position as the world’s leading NEV market for eight years, China Daily reported.

Reflecting on the journey of leading Chinese electric car manufacturer (制造商) BYD, Chairman Wang Chuanfu recalled about 2003 when BYD entered into the NEV industry amid doubts and mockery, as few people back then believed in the future of NEVs. Surprisingly, within a few years, China’s NEV exports increased greatly. In 2022, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported an impressive total export volume of 679,000 NEVs.

In the European market, Chinese brands, such as BYD and Hongqi, have entered the top 50 best-selling motor companies across Europe, The Times reported. Shu Youxing, general manager of BYD International Cooperation Division and the European Automobile Sales Division, said that the company’s pure electric buses have now hit the roads of more than 100 major European cities such as Amsterdam, London and Copenhagen, helping Europeans cut carbon emissions by over 200,000 tons.

NEVs made in China are also popular in Mexico. One local, Israel Aguilar, is deeply impressed. After nearly a year of trying out a Chinese NEV, Aguilar said he may never go back to driving his traditional petrol car, stating that the NEV offers better comfort.

“Technology is truly very important in these times, especially for a vehicle. And it has been truly extraordinary for me to handle these technologies that come from China,” Aguilar told Xinhua.

The thriving global expansion of Chinese NEVs is primarily thanks to the efforts of companies to improve their capability for innovation. One major example of this is China’s drive to become the global leader in making EV batteries, fueled by an advantage in the supply chain and raw materials such as lithium (锂) and cobalt (钴).

4 . John Nelson, 92, grew up in Michigan and volunteered for the army in 1945. The 18-year-old managed to get accepted, despite being colourblind. He landed on the island of Iwo Jima in the first days of the American attack to take the island from the Japanese. Nelson fought day and night for 10 days before receiving a serious wound to his right arm. The other seven men in his squadron (中队) all died. American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded.

Nelson saw the American flag being raised on Mount Suribachi after the island was taken by the American forces. The arm would continue to trouble him the rest of his life. Suffering from anxiety and flashbacks, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (创伤后应激障碍).

Al Elders was a Grandville farm boy. He joined the Navy and was stationed on Guam when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9,1945, basically ended the war with Japan.

War often develops lasting friendships. But for the two World War II veterans (老兵) living at Sunset Manor in Jenison, their friendship didn’t begin until about a year and a half ago. One day, Elders noticed a man sitting at a cafeteria in the Sunset Village, and that was Nelson. Seeing his Marine cap, Elders thought they would have something to talk about. And they did. The war in the Pacific is a common bond.

The two men later worked together to serve other residents at Sunset Manor. John began detailing cars during good weather and cleaning walkers in winter. Elders became his advertising manager. They donated most of their income to the Wounded Warrior project. John is less mobile now and is in care at Sunset. Elders continues to visit and to encourage his friend. A friend of Elders’ who traveled to Iwo Jima brought back a jar filled with sand from the rock y island. Elders sent the gift, along with his own wartime collections, to the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.

7 . If the eyes are the romantic’s window into the soul, then the teeth are an anthropologist’s door to the stomach.

In a study published recently in the journal Science, Peter Ungar of the University of Arkansas and his partner, Matt Sponheimer of the University of Colorado, US, examined the teeth of ancient human beings to find out what they were really eating.

They already knew that different foods cause different marks on teeth. Some cause scratches, while others cause pits(坑). The carbon left on teeth by different foods is also different. Tropical grasses, for example, leave one kind of carbon, but trees and bushes leave another kind because they photosynthesize(进行光合作用)differently.

Traditionally, scientists had looked at the size and shape of teeth and skulls to figure out what early humans ate. Big flat teeth were taken to be signs that they ate nuts and seeds, while hard and sharp teeth seemed good for cutting meat and leaves. But this was proved wrong.

The best example was the Paranthropus(傍人属类人猿), one of our close cousins, some of whom lived in eastern Africa. Scientists used to believe that they ate nuts, fruits and seeds because they had big crests(突起)on their skulls, suggesting that they had large chewing muscles and big teeth. If this had been true, their teeth should have been covered with pits like the surface of the moon. They would also have had a particular type of carbon on their teeth that typically comes from tree products, such as nuts and seeds.

However, when the two scientists studied the Paranthropus, it turned out to have none of these characteristics. The teeth had a different kind of carbon, and were covered with scratches, not pits. This suggested they probably ate grass, not nuts and seeds. It was the exact opposite of what people had expected to find.

Carbon “footprints” give us a completely new and different understanding of what different species ate and the different environments they lived in, which also provide a groundbreaking perspective on the diets and habitats of various species. This method has reshaped our understanding of ancient human diets, challenging previous assumptions based on tooth and skull morphology.

8 . When I stepped into the Samcheong Park Library in Seoul, I saw the future. The simple building had a nice selection of books and a cafe where readers could enjoy coffee while gazing at the leaves outside. It was specifically designed without any latest technology.

“What’s so innovative about that?” a librarian in Toronto asked when I showed her pictures. Innovation to her meant digital technology, like 3D printers. “Why couldn’t they both be innovative?” I asked.

We are constantly told that innovation is the most important force in our economy, without which we would be left behind. But that fear of missing out has led us to fall into the false trappings of innovation over truly innovative ideas that may be simpler and more effective. This mindset implies that if you just buy the new thing, you have innovated! Each year, businesses and individuals run around like broken toy robots, trying to figure out their strategy for the latest buzzword equipment.

At best, this is a waste of resources. Devices are bought, used and abandoned, as the technology’s capabilities fall short of its promise. But at its worst, this approach can truly cause damage. Schools cut field trips to purchase tablets with few proven benefits. Companies that applied AI into hiring have actually strengthened gender and racial prejudices.

True innovation isn’t just some magic devices. It is a continuing process of reflection and reassessment, which often means adopting “old” ideas and tools in a new context, or even returning to methods that worked in the past. Adjusted properly, these rearview(后视的) innovations have proved as transformative as novel technologies.

Look no farther than the streets of New York, which have been redesigned recently to accommodate cyclists with car-free zones. The idea isn’t new. It was created half a century ago, with the aim of bringing cities back to their residents. And while e-reader sales have been exploding, Penguin just announced it would publish tiny printed books, an ideal solution for a market demanding both convenience and physicality.

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