1 . On Sept 25, a team of doctors made medical history. In a two-hour procedure, led by Dr Robert Montgomery at New York University (NYU) Langone Health in the US, doctors successfully attached a kidney (肾) from a genetically-engineered (转基因的) pig to a human. The kidney functioned normally and wasn’t rejected (排斥) by the person’s immune system.

Montgomery said that the success was great. “It was a kidney that was immediately functioning,” Montgomery told CBS News.

The recipient (接受者) was a brain-dead patient with signs of kidney dysfunction (功能障碍) whose family agreed to the experiment before she was due to be taken off life support, researchers told Reuters.

For three days, the kidney was attached to the patient’s blood vessels (血管) by the upper leg and kept outside her body.

This kidney was never meant to serve as a permanently functioning organ for the patient. Instead, the point of the operation was to test whether the body would reject the organ. Researchers have been working toward the possibility of using animal organs, for example pigs’, for transplants for years. The problem lies in how to prevent the body from rejecting the organ.

This is where the idea of using an organ from a genetically-engineered pig came into play.

According to Popular Science, pig cells contain a sugar molecule (分子) that is foreign to the human body and causes organ rejection. Montgomery’s team thought that using a genetically-engineered pig that wouldn’t produce this sugar molecule would overcome the problem of organ rejection. This could give hope to many common people.

Montgomery said that the NYU kidney transplant (移植) experiment would bring hope for patients with kidney failure, possibly in the next year or two, CNN reported.

While there is still much to be done before entire pig organs are regularly used in people, the future itself is encouraging. Amy Friedman told The New York Times that she hopes that in the future, it will be possible to use other organs grown in pigs as well. “ It’s truly unbelievable to think of how many transplants we might be able to offer.”

2 . On December 26, 2004, an earthquake along the Indian Ocean caused a huge tsunami(海啸)that killed thousands of people in Asia and East Africa. However, wildlife officials at Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park reported there had not been many animal deaths.

Some researchers believe the animals at the park were able to sense the earthquake and moved to higher ground before the earthquake hit. Animals have good senses that help protect themselves from being hunted by their natural enemies. It is thought that their senses might also help them sense the coming disasters. Several countries have done research on the prediction(预测)of earthquakes by animals. There are two theories(理论)about how animals may be able to sense earthquakes. One theory is that animals sense the earth’s shake. The other is that they can sense changes in the air. However, so far there has been no strong evidence about how animals may be able to sense earthquakes.

Other researchers are skeptical(怀疑)about using animals for earthquake predictions. The United States Geological Survey(USGS)officially states, “Changes in animal behaviors cannot be used to predict earthquakes. A connection between a specific behavior of an animal and an earthquake has not been made. Because of their fine senses, animals can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages before the humans. That’s why people say that the animal knew the earthquake was coming. But animals can also change their behaviors for many other reasons. If an earthquake can shake millions of people, it is likely that a few of their pets will, by chance, be acting strangely before the earthquake.”

Although scientists disagree on whether animal behaviors can be used to predict earthquakes, they all agree that it is possible for animals to sense changes in the environment before humans. Researchers around the world are continuing to study the connection between animal behaviors and earthquakes. It is hoped that these studies will help to predict earthquakes.

3 . Toilet paper as we know it today is a relatively modern invention that's only been around for about 150 years. It s natural to wonder what was used before modern toilet paper. Toilet paper in its ancient form dates back to China in at least the 6th century. Although paper itself appeared long before that time.

In ancient times, many kinds of materials(材料) were used instead of toilet paper. For example, sand was used by people who settled near the desert(沙漠); grass was used by people living in the grassland. Some other things known to have been used included: fur, leaves, rocks, snow, and so on. Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for people to go to the bathroom in a small river.

They might have used a cloth or their hands to clean themselves afterward. For many people, that might have been preferable to the method used by ancient Romans: a sponge(海绵)on a stick kept in saltwater...and shared by everyone using public bathrooms.

Luckily for us, Joseph Gayetty created the first toilet paper in 1857. His “Gayetty's Medicated Paper” didn’t become popular soon, however, since the public was used to using materials they got for free rather than spending money on toilet paper. The rolled toilet paper we’re familiar with today appeared in the 1880s. It wasn’t necessarily soft like we’re now used to, though. Paper production methods would often leave splinters(刺)in toilet paper. It wasn’t until 1935 that Northern Tissue said they had made “splinter- free” toilet paper.

Other improvements in toilet paper happened over the course of the 20th Century. Larger rolls with softer paper became more popular. Today, take a trip to your local supermarket and you will find many different kinds of toilet paper. For such a widely-used, necessary invention, it isn’t given much thought...until it runs out!

4 . In a new study released last week，researchers analyzed data from two large-scale surveys about how Americans spend their time.

The researchers found that people with more free time generally had higher levels of subjective well-being—but only up to a point. People who had up to two hours of free time a day generally reported they felt better than those who’d had less time. But people who had five or more hours of free time a day generally said they felt worse. So the free-time “sweet spot” might be two to three hours per day, the findings suggest.

“While too little time is bad，having more time is not always better，”said Marissa Sharif, an assistant professor of marketing at The Wharton School and lead author of the paper, in a press release. Of course, most people know that being too busy can cause stress. But the new study is not the first to question whether more free time will actually make people as happy as they believe it will. Experts note，for example，that some adults struggle with the “retirement blues”, which can be due to a lack of stimulation and structure among other things.

“Sweet spot” has to do with how people spend the extra time they have, the researchers behind the new study argue. They conducted several smaller online experiments. In one they asked participants to imagine having 3 to 7 free hours per day. They were asked to imagine spending that time doing “productive” things or to imagine doing “unproductive” activities. Study participants believed theft well-being would suffer if they spend the free time unproductively.

“Of course，what feels ‘productive’ is up to you. If watching two hours of ‘Real Housewives’ in your free time increases your happiness，you should do that. The point of all of this is self-care，not shame. In other words，how people use their free time matters.” Sharif added.

5 . The following top places that are worth visiting in China are recommended on the tourism website.

Gannan

Located in south western Gansu province and the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Gannan has both Tibetan culture and spectacular plateau (高原) landscape. With the average altitude of 3, 000 meters above sea level, you can experience Tibetan culture and enjoy the plateau scenery, grand grasslands, Tibetan villages, unique mountain peaks, and hidden wonderlands without the risk of altitude sickness in October.

Yading

Yading, a place where you can gain insight into the Tibetan minority culture, can be available via Daocheng. The golden fall colors here are splendid. The red bushes of Hongcaodi combined with the yellow leaves under the clear blue sky are believed to exhibit the colors of heaven. The temples in these mountains represent the local Buddhist culture.

Kaili

Kaili is one of the best places as a base for exploring minority cultures. In Kaili, the museum, the Sunday market, and the villages nearby with their unique culture and architecture are all worth a visit. It is said that in Kaili“grand festivals occur there every three days, while minor ones occur every day.” Autumn is a perfect season for outdoor activities, when you can enjoy the flesh air and cool weather.

Mongolia Autonomous Region

October is a great time to visit Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. At this time, travelers can go to the quiet Ejina to enjoy the wonderful scenery of the area’s unique populous Euphratica Forest (胡杨林). The particularity of its geographical position has blessed Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with rich travel resources including plains, deserts, sparkling lakes, and massive herds of cattle and sheep. You can even experience the Mongols’ ancient sporting traditions like horse racing and wrestling.

6 . A new study out of Canada suggests teenagers should spend less time looking at screens and more time getting involved in activities. The findings published in the journal Preventive Medicine were based on a survey of 28,000 7th graders in British Columbia.

They answered questions about how much time they spent watching TV, streaming videos ₉ playing video games and how much time they spent on after-school activities like sports and music programs. Then they ranked how good they felt about each day when they woke up. From their answers, researchers concluded that teens who spent more time on activities were mentally healthier and less anxious and depressed than those who spent more time on screens. And the study suggested that extra screen time was especially harmful to girls. For them, researchers say the negative effects were stronger.

So how much screen time is too much? The Canadian Pediatric Society says all teens should have less than two hours of screen time per day and that guideline was factored into the study. But it’s important to point out that the information about it was gathered between 2014 and 2018, years before the CO VID hit. And this year, with fewer opportunities to see friends and participate in after-school events, teenagers have shown higher levels of depression and anxiety according to other research.

The lead author of the Canadian study says even though it’s harder to do, it’s still important to find ways for teens to safely get involved with programs and hobbies away from screens.

7 . There are many challenges such as kayaking （划独木舟）the Colorado River Rapids, climbing to the summit （顶峰）of Qomolangma, mountain biking Colorado’s 100-mile Leadville Trail and skydiving solo. Adventurers take on these challenges all the time. One thing that makes an American named Erik Weihenmayer stand out is that he has done them all without the sense of sight.

He is the first blind person to have climbed the tallest peak in every continent. When he was 4 or 5 years old, he was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called retinoschisis （视网膜劈裂症）and when he finally went blind, he felt it was an unbelievable relief as if the worst thing had happened, so there’s nothing else to lose.

He began rock climbing with the help of a recreational group taking blind kids rock climbing and fell in love with it immediately. He felt it was just for him. It was sort of the full package of adventure, all the things he wouldn’t have as a blind person. He has learned to do the things, which sighted people learn to do with their eyes, with his hands.

He stated “When people say they climb for the view, I think they’re misunderstanding why we do the things we do. Honestly, the summit is not the destination. The movement is for me the most exciting part.”

As a blind climber, it’s really hard, but he has to accept that suffering. Blindness is just a thing that happened to him. He thinks he likes all challenges and that people have got to use them as a drive to push them in new directions. It’s the idea of turning bad things into good things, and it’s something all could use.

10 . Jessica Ramos suffered from a stillbirth and a miscarriage（流产）at her 30s. Not one to feel sorry for herself, and not working at the time, Jessica went to VolunteerMatch. org to find something to involve herself in, hoping it would take her away from her own sorrow.

But when she got a call from the volunteer services manager, Jessica had to Google hospice（临终关怀）. She wasn’t sure what it was. “But I’ve always been around the elderly and sick. " So she embraced the opportunity.

Jessica signed up to visit four patients three times a week. One patient, just a decade older than Jessica, was dying of cancer, angry and acting out. "I welcomed the challenge of this patient. When I got a call that he had died that night, I feel sorry, "Jessica says. So she concentrates on her remaining three patients, Sophie, Margaret and Wilson, all elderly. Sophie, in a wheelchair, is originally from Cuba. Margaret, who has children in the area, longs for more visitors.

But it was Wilson who taught Jessica about being of service. Wilson was bedridden. He was on medicine for pain, and he slept. Jessica would rouse him as best she could when she arrived. She’d heard that music can reach Alzheimer’s patients, so she asked him what his favorite music was, and Wilson mumbled, “Country music. ” So she brought in some Clint Black. But still Wilson remained mostly unresponsive. Jessica went to her volunteer manager to ask what she could do. Cathy assured her that just sitting together can be important to a patient like Wilson. Jessica was unconvinced.

But by the time Cathy called to say there was another patient Jessica could see who was more responsive, Jessica had come to terms with Wilson and herself. “I wanted Wilson to be a certain way, and I felt bad when he wasn’t. But I needed to appreciate Wilson for who he was. I was there to meet Wilson’s needs, not my own, " she says now.