1 . Some people say that the planet is getting smaller, that there are few places left to explore, and that the age of exploration will be over soon.

I would argue instead that there has never been a greater need to explore. That’s because the stage for all exploration is the natural world, and nature is experiencing a rapid decline. It is by exploring that we understand and when we understand we develop an appreciation for what is found. Ultimately, only the things we appreciate are worth protecting.

As the golden age of exploration weakens, so does the richness of life on Earth. It isn’t just that there are fewer blank areas on the map; it is that wild places and spaces have been progressively carved up (瓜分). Visiting the Okavango Delta or Kalahari Desert, for example, no longer implies a self-supported expedition ( 考 察 ). Field stations pop up in important national parks and remote sensing by satellite becomes commonplace.

In the next century, I believe we will need larger and wilder areas. We will need the wilderness, not just for the protection of it, but because it is an important part of the ecosystems from which we gain our necessities like clean water, food and materials. If we succeed, then expeditions — brief travels into the wild that seek to answer questions, monitor populations, and inspire action — will have a renewed sense of purpose. More importantly, they greatly help the public experience, understand and appreciate nature.

Based on my own research expedition which aims to understand “edge effects”— how the changes in temperature at forest edges impact animals, I find it important that today’s scientists continue to spend time in the field. It is here that they begin to understand how seemingly unrelated environmental interactions influence their study system. Sometimes, it’s difficult to know which is important to measure until you stand out there on the forest edge.

It is the young generation that is the main force to lead the next wave of expeditions. The measure of their success will be whether there are still well-preserved wild places for expeditions in the future. Their leadership is needed now, more than ever.

2 . Like many people, in terms of socializing, I prioritize making time for my closest friends and family. When it comes to reaching out to people I don’t know as well I often find myself reluctant to engage. This could be a big mistake, though, according to a new study. Having different types of social interactions seems to be central to our happiness — something many of us may think little of.

In a series of surveys, researchers looked at how having a socially diverse network related to people’s well-being. In one survey, 578 Americans reported on what activities they had been engaged in, with whom and for how long over the past 24 hours, while also saying how happy with life they were. The researchers found that people with more diverse social networks were happier and more satisfied with life than those with less diverse networks — regardless of how much time they had spent socializing overall.

“The more you can broaden your social circle and reach out to people you talk to less frequently — like an acquaintance, a friend, a coworker, or even a stranger — the more it could have positive benefits for your well-being,” said the lead researcher Hanne Collins of Harvard Business School.

To further test this idea, she and her colleagues looked at large data sets from the American Time Use Survey and the World Health Organization’s Study on Global Aging and Adult Health. In both cases, they found that when people had a broader range of social interactions, they experienced greater happiness and well-being.

Then Collins and her colleagues did another analysis, using data from a mobile app that 21,644 French-speaking people used to report on their daily social activities and happiness. There, they found that when someone experienced greater-than-average social diversity one week, they were happier that week and the week after.

Why is that? It could be that being with different people contributes to different kinds of emotions, which may be a driving force in our happiness, says Collins. Alternatively, it could be that having a more diverse network allows you to get various social supports when you need it. Whatever the case, Collins hopes her research will inspire people to expand their social networks when they can.

3 . A new project aims to create a computer replica (复制品) of an entire city. It will allow experts to perform real-time resilience (适应力) testing to see how is infrastructure (基础设施) will perform in the face of challenges such as climate change and population growth.

Known as the “digital twin”, the technology has already been adopted by Formula One teams and engine makers like Rolls Royce, but its use to this degree didn’t exist.

A partnership between Newcastle University and Northumbrian Water will recreate Newcastle based on data from across the city and test its resilience in possible emergencies. Professor Chris Kilsby said, “You can try lots of things with the twin in the case of a city. I think of it as a replica that you can play with and do unimaginable things to see what would happen. The changes can be seen immediately — from observing what would happen if the river Tyne rises by a few meters to what the city would look like if the population has aged over a certain period of time. It could also be used to model human behavior, for example, determining the most likely roads people would use in the event of a food.”

Newcastle University is working on a data platform with lots of dynamic parts like traffic, water, population, etc. Much of the data is coming from the university’s Urban Observatory project, which has monitors all over the city checking pollution, water quality and biodiversity.

In 2012 an event known locally as the “Toon monsoon” took place, with a month’s worth of rain falling in two hours during the evening rush hour, causing £ 8 m worth of damage. The Toon monsoon caused a breakdown to the city because we just didn’t design anything for that sort of event. There was no one to blame. The city just couldn’t resist the heavy rain.

The digital twin will allow the city not only to react in real time to such strange weather events, but also to test its resilience in endless potential future emergencies.

Chris Jones, research and development manager at Northumbrian Water, imagined the project’s “amazing possibilities”, saying that in time it could be applied to any city with accessible data.

Learning outside of a classroom may still be a new thing for many people but not for Kamer ·Meli·Veseli, who’s completing his final year of high school that way. His family moved from Kosovo to Switzerland, so he’s doing his coursework remotely and will take a big test with all of his teachers at the end of the year. It’s the ideal arrangement for Meli since it allows him to manage his own schedule and pursue other interests in his free time. That’s where Spark and online learning come in.

Meli has always been a serious gamer, but he’s not just looking to have fun. He likes examining the technology behind his favorite games and is curious to understand how developers create the graphics, textures, and special effects. He really wanted to make his own games and actually did develop a couple on Android but wasn’t satisfied with the results.

Searching for online courses that could take his game to the next level, he found Spark, and it was “one of the happiest days of my life.”

But gaming isn’t the extent of Meli’s interests. He’s also a hopeful singer who’d always lacked the confidence to sing in public. Then he took courses on Spark and discovered exercises that could help him loosen and relax his throat and release his voice “10 times better in 10 minutes.” Now he plans for Switzerland’s version of the TV show “The Voice” in 2016! With Spark courses, Meli’s also brushing up on his drawing skills, which he picked up in his childhood. He finally created a perfect portrait of his older brother.

Wherever Meli’s dreams take him, he knows he’ll be able to find relevant courses on Spark: “The variety is unlimited — so many languages, all kinds of software, even things like meditation and cultural lessons. Whatever you want to learn, you’ll find it on Spark.”

5 . While there are still a lot of unknowns about the coming year, one thing is certain: we need an escape. With a vaccine (疫苗) finally greenlighted, the future of travel is looking up, but what will be the safest trips to take while the world is still in continuous change? Think wide open spaces, small-group adventures and responsible tourism. Playing it safe doesn’t mean you can’t get outside your comfort zone and have a novel adventure next year, though. Here are the friendly escapes we’re dreaming of right now.

Consider a human-powered road trip with a long cycling adventure—made more accessible with some power from an electric assist bike. Discover the beautiful and bizarre (奇异的), from the Mojave country on an e-bike-friendly tour. TDA Global Cycling’s Great American Road Trip can be done in full, or broken down to a 10-day trip to explore one region.

Dubbed “The Aquarium of the World” by Jacques Cousteau, the Sea of Cortez is one of the best spots in the world to swim with whale sharks and sea lions. Located in Mexico’s least-populated state, Baja California Sur, this island has a natural protected UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of it. There are no hotels, but Todos Santos Eco Adventures offers a solar-powered luxury camp experience on the island, private-chef included.

While the world waits for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, consider Japan’s last-developed island as a refuge (庇护所) from the crowds. Rugged (崎岖的) and remote, Hokkaido is filled with unique natural wonders and adventures including trekking in untouched forests, fat biking on frozen lakes, soaking in onsens (温泉), or natural hot springs, and searching for the island’s rare red-crowned crane — the only place in Japan you can find the sacred bird.

Nearly a year after Australia’s bushfires destroyed over 200,000 hectares and killed billions of animals, new life is rising from the ashes. This 96-mile-long island is one of the best places to view Australia’s unique animals in the wild — kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and more. Support the recovery with regenerative (再生的) tourism, critical in reversing biodiversity loss. Swim with sea lions or sip some Jacob’s Creek local wine and watch the kangaroos bounce back.

6 . Scientists who study happiness know that being kind to others can improve well-being. Acts as simple as buying a cup of coffee for someone can boost a person’s mood, for example. Everyday life affords many opportunities for such actions, yet people do not always take advantage of them.

In studies published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, a behavioral scientist and I examined a possible explanation: people who perform random acts of kindness underestimate how much recipients value their behavior.

In one experiment, participants at an ice-skating rink in a public park gave away hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. Although the people giving out the hot chocolate saw the act as relatively insignificant, it really mattered to the recipients. Our research also revealed one reason that people may underestimate their action’s impact. When we asked one set of participants to estimate how much someone would like getting a cupcake simply, for participating in a study, for example, their predictions were well calibrated (校准) with recipients’ reactions. But when people received cupcakes through a random act of kindness, the cupcake givers underestimated how positive their recipients would feel. Recipients of these unexpected actions tend to focus more on warmth than performers do.

Missing the importance of warmth may stand in the way of being kinder in daily life. People know that cupcakes given in kindness can make them feel surprisingly good. If people undervalue this effect, they might not bother to carry out these warm, prosocial behaviors (亲社会行为).

And kindness can be contagious (传染的). In another experiment, we had people play an economic game that allowed us to examine what are sometimes called “pay it forward” effects. In this game, participants allocated money between themselves and a person whom they would never meet. People who had just been on the receiving end of a kind act gave substantially more to an anonymous (无名的) person than those who had not. The person who performed the initial act did not recognize that their generosity would spill over in these downstream interactions.

These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for. Given that these warm gestures can enhance our own mood and brighten the day of another person, why not choose kindness when we can?

7 . Trying to find the perfect present is about as easy as trying to read someone’s mind. Few people will actually tell you what they want for a special occasion. So what to do? Here are some tips that could help.

Be honest-do you wait until the last minute to start looking for presents? While you are definitely not alone in this ritual, it is something you might want to try to change. Starting your shopping early can have a number of advantages, particularly when stocking up for holidays such as Christmas. If you plan in advance rather than last minute you can go shopping online which increases your gift buying possibilities as you’ll have time to factor in the delivery of the gift.

Now is the time to put your thinking cap on as you make a list. If you are lucky, you should be able to find a few good ideas in one of these lists. However, what if this list isn’t as helpful as you might have hoped? In this instance, write down different personality traits of the person you are shopping for. Then try to determine how to use this information to find a gift that is perfectly suited to them.

If you are still coming up empty, it is time to get creative. Often, the reason you get stuck for gift ideas is because you are restricting yourself too much. An example of being creative is to think about what your friend’s office looks like. This can give you lots of ideas to give him a gift for his workspace. In the end, it’s about finding something he can use every day, something he can really appreciate.

If a regular old present isn’t doing the trick, it may be time to think a little bigger. Instead of a physical gift, you can give someone an experience that they will never forget. You may be wondering what an “experience” means exactly. Well, it can be anything that will interest the recipient. If they are an adventurer, a local or foreign trip will be excellent. On the other hand, if they are a sports enthusiast, you can buy them tickets to a significant game.