1 . A new Dutch car company, Lightyear, announced its new car, Lightyear One concept earlier this week, which can constantly refill its power using the sun and travel a range of up to 800 km when fully powered. That’s just the start: The company claims that in sunny environments (say, Hawaii), the One could potentially drive for months at a time between charges.

The Lightyear team claims the car can fuel up with more than just sunshine. It is equipped to charge from a socket (插座), even a regular household power socket. Lightyear claims that just charging its car from a standard (3.7 kw) socket for an hour would give you 40 km worth of power.

The solar power collected by the car’s panels could be used to power more than just the One itself, allowing owners to connect the energy to their homes, devices, and even other electric cars. This is indeed a new idea.

It’s not exactly clear how the company plans to produce its breakthrough cars. The company’s website includes some unclear language about a “completely newly-designed car” which will require a “revolutionary production process”. It mentions that industry partners have signed up to support the process, but doesn’t offer any specific names.

Lightyear’s founders aren’t new to the solar car, which makes the One slightly more believable than other new concepts with little real-world data to support them. The company was started by five former members of Solar Team Eindhoven, the group that created the four-seat, solar-powered car Stella which hit the US streets back in 2014.

You can order the One in advance now in the EU and US, but, unsurprisingly, it won’t come cheap. Reserving a One will allow you to get a discount if you pay by the month and the final cost is expected to be €119,000.

The company won’t produce the One on a large scale (规模). Therefore, it won’t cause industry giants like Tesla to lose any sleep just yet, and Lightyear still has to prove it can change its experimental technology into a fully realized consumer experience. If the company succeeds, however, we could be looking at a new future of cars, directly powered by the sun.

2 . Children who suffer trauma (创伤) from abuse or violence early in life show biological signs of aging faster than children who have never experienced adversity(逆境), according to the research published by the American Psychological Association. The study examined three different signs of biological aging-early adolescence, cellular aging and changes in brain structure-and found that trauma exposure was associated with all the three.

Exposure to adversity in childhood is a powerful predictor of health outcomes later in life—not only mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety, but also physical health like cardiovascular disease(心血管病), diabetes and cancer," said Katie Mclaugllin, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard University and senior author of the study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin."Our study suggests that experiencing violence can make the body age more quickly at a biological level, which may help to explain that connection.”

Previous research found mixed evidence on whether childhood adversity is always linked to accelerated aging. However, those studies looked at many different types of adversity abuse, neglect, poverty and more and at several different measures of biological aging. To distinguish the results, McLaughlin and her colleagues decided to look separately at two categories of adversity: threat-related adversity, such as abuse and violence, and deprivation- related(与缺乏有关的) adversity, such as physical or emotional neglect or poverty.

The researchers performed an analysis(分析) of almost 80 studies, with more than 116,000 total participants. They found that children who suffered threat-related trauma such as violence or abuse were more likely to enter adolescence early and also showed signs of accelerated aging on a cellular level—including shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of our strands of DNA that wear down as we age. However, children who experienced poverty or neglect did not show either of those signs of early aging.

In a second analysis, Mclaughlin and her colleagues systematically reviewed 25 studies with more than 3, 253 participants that examined how early-life adversity affects brain development. They found that adversity was associated with reduced cortical (表层) thickness-- a sign of aging because the cortex thins as people age.

5 . Airport security is there to protect you, but it may also give you a cold -or worse .

To all the places and surfaces we’ve been warned are covered with germs－the subway seat, airplane cabins, the ATM－add the airport security trays(托盘). The plastic security trays －used at airport checkpoints around the globe and touched by millions of passengers as they drop shoes, smartphones, baggage and other items into them to clear X-ray scanners－have been found to have a variety of germs in them, including the ones responsible for the common cold, according to researchers in Europe.

Scientists from the University of Nottingham in England examined frequently touched surfaces at Helsinki Airport in Finland during and after peak hours in the winter of 2016 and found rhinovirus, the source of the common cold in them. They found it on half the baggage trays, more than on any of the other surfaces they tested. It wasn't found on toilet surfaces at the airport. The findings could help improve public health strategies in the fight against the spread of infectious diseases worldwide.

The European Union has funded a research project, called PANDHUB, on preventing the spread of“high--threat ” pathogens(病原体) on public transportation, and the study by the University of Nottingham is part of that project .

"The presence of germs in the environment of an airport has not been examined previously, said Niina Ikonen, who was involved in the study.

Finavia, the company that operates Helsinki Airport, said in an email,“At Finavia airports, the hygiene(卫生) standards are applied in accordance with health officials' requirements－all surfaces are cleaned daily and all security checkpoint trays, etc., are washed regularly."

Washing your hands properly and coughing into a tissue or sleeve, especially in public places, can help minimize the risk of catching infectious diseases, said Jonathan Van-Tam, a professor at the University of Nottingham. "These simple measures can help prevent the spread of germs and are most important in crowded areas like airports that have a high volume of people traveling to and from many different parts of the world." he added.

6 . In November 2020, Stephanie Morton announced her retirement. The then 29-year-old athlete’s exit was a blow for the Australian Olympic program. “This decision wasn't made lightly. Eight months ago, I had such an idea, and thankfully I had the support of the Australian Cycling Team throughout the whole process, along with my family and close friends,” said Morton

Born in Adelaide, Morton stood out as an athlete throughout her childhood even though in a different sport. She grew up in a badminton-mad family. Her father coached the South Australian team, and her mother was its manager. It just so happened that when Morton was 15, her uncle suggested she test her power output on an exercise bike. “I always say cycling picked me. I didn't pick cycling,” Morton said.

Morton joined the national program midway through the reign of Anna Meares, who won a medal at every Olympics between 2004 and 2016.It was an unusual relationship-- Meares was Morton's coach, teammate and competitor.

In 2010, Morton took on the role as Tandem Pilot for the cyclist Felicity Johnson, with the combination winning three world titles across 2011 and 2012, followed by one gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. In 2014, Morton beat Meares for the first time at the national track championships. The same year, Morton won one gold medal and one silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. But it was after the 2016 Rio Olympics, a disappointing overall campaign for the Australian track team, that Morton really began to shine. Two silver medals at the 2017 World Champions were followed by three gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Compared with the pandemics global deaths, the retirement of an athlete might seem insignificant. For Morton, the next stage of her life now begins. The cyclist has studied criminal justice part-time throughout her cycling career and has previously shown an intention to join the police. Morton said, “I want to be an active and positive role model.”

8 . The transatlantic car carrier, Oceanbird, is being designed by Wallenius Marine, a Swedish shipbuilder,with support from the Swedish government.

With a capacity(容量) of 7,000 vehicles, the 650 foot-long vessel will have a similar size to ordinary car carriers, but it will look totally different. The ship will have five “wing sails”, with each being 260 feet tall. These sails are capable of turning 360 degrees, and it can be shortened to 195 feet in order to pass under bridges or withstand rough weather.

Although the general theory of wing sails is not new, designing the Oceanbird’s sails has been a challenge, says Mikael Razola, the research project manager for Oceanbird. “That’s because these are the tallest sails that have ever been constructed. The top of the sails will be more than 100 meters above the water surface. At such a height, the wind direction and speed change a lot,” says Razola.

To better understand the atmospheric conditions(大气条件) at this height, Wallenius put sensors on top of its existing vessels to gather data of wind. “All of this information has helped us make the most of the power available in the wind and design an efficient wing vessel,” says Razola.

With its special sails, Oceanbird will outperform conventional car carriers in the aspect of exhaust emission. Nowadays, the shipping industry is under pressure to reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. According to the International Maritime Organization, the UN body that regulates global shipping, shipping accounted for 2. 89% of global manmade greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. And in the same year, this organization introduced a mandatory( 强 制 的 ) 50% reduction of total annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Oceanbird is designed to exceed(超过) the target---Wallenious said the ship would emit 90% less CO₂ than other car carriers.

With a stop speed of about 10 knots, Oceanbird will be slower than standard car carriers, which can travel at 17 knots. It will take around 12 days, instead of the standard seven to cross the Atlantic. “This long journey will require some scheduling changes as well as acceptance from carmakers,” said Razola. “But the response so far has been very positive. ”

Researchers in Wallenious have built a 7-meter model of Oceanbird which will sail in Stockholm’s archipelago to gather data that will help finalize the ship’s design. “It will take around three years to launch the full-size version. Our ambition is to see Oceanbird sailing in 2024,” Razola said.

10 . You may have heard the expression “crocodile tears” when it comes to someone who is not showing true emotion and is being insincere. While this may extend to the phrase, some research shows that crocodile tears may be more similar to ours than previously thought.

In the study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, a group of researchers collected tears from a variety of animals including macaws, owls, parrots, hawks, sea turtles, tortoises and caimans. Additionally, they collected tears from 10 healthy humans.

The tear samples were then examined and were found to be similar when it came to electrolyte (电解质) composition with one slight difference being in that bird and reptile (爬行动物) tears had a slightly higher concentration than other species. Additionally, in the tears of the sea turtles and owls, there were higher levels of protein found.

Where variation eventually did come in was when the researchers examined how tears became solid as they dried. They found that the tears from different animals form totally different patterns, much like snowflakes (雪花) each has individual and unique shape. They noticed that the turtles’ and caimans’ tears were especially different. They owed this to their adaptation (适应) in some way in order to be able to better function in their habitats.

One note that the researchers made was that the tear samples they collected were from captive (圈养的) animals, which could be completely different from animals found in the wild. However, the study still is one of the biggest studies of its kind in comparing tear compositions across varying species.

Lead author Arianna P. Oria from Brazil said, “This discovery is vital for understanding the evolution and adaptation processes, and is essential for the discovery of drugs to treat eye diseases. This knowledge helps in the understanding of the evolution and adaption of these species, as well as in their conservation. ”