1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

2 . The African elephant holds the record for sleeping the least among mammals — about two hours a day — but now, the elephant seal is giving its namespace a run for its money. Recent experiments on elephant seals showed the animals averaged only two hours of sleep per day during the seven months out of the year they spent at sea.

Jessie Kendall-Bar, a Ph. D. at the University of California, discovered elephant seals’ special ability. She found in the open ocean, elephant seals sleep less than two hours per day. While on land, they sleep more than 10 hours a day. “That’s really special,” she says. Previous observations had shown that elephant seals in the open ocean surface for a couple of minutes at a time. So scientists knew that they must be sleeping underwater. But they knew very little about it.

To find out more, Kendall-Bar developed a headcap to gather data about the animals’ brain waves, heart rates, dive (潜水) depths, and movements to determine when they were sleeping. She discovered that seals do not sleep in two-hour bursts. Instead, they take some “catnaps (小睡)” lasting less than 20 minutes each. Starting at the surface, adult seals take 10-minute dives at great depths, usually from 300 to 1,000 feet.

At this point, the animals enter the first stage of sleep, or slow-wave sleep. Then, they fall into REM sleep, when their bodies turn upside down. It seems REM sleep at great depths is risky because of the inability to escape at that moment. “It is just scary to imagine an animal doing this underwater in that state,” says study co-author Terrie Williams.

But what’s likely happening is that the seals are sleeping at great depths where their primary hunters — sharks and killer whales — hardly appear. “The elephant seal is basically using its ability to div e really deep as a protective mechanism (机制),” says Kendall-Bar. “It doesn’t have to keep one eye open or stay awake. It’s sleeping with its entire brain.”

5 . One good part about school is field trips. Students can get out of the classroom and into the real world, even if just for a few hours.    1    Whether it is learning how to feed chickens on the farm or understanding how gravity works at the science museum, these hands-on learning experiences bring them benefits.

Students do better in school. Students who go on field trips generally have better grades.    2    In fact, in a study conducted by some researchers, 89% of adults said educational trips had a positive, lasting impact on their education and career. It's because the trips made them more curious and interested in and out of school.

    3    When exploring a new place, students have the opportunity to listen to and talk to new people. They can learn how to effectively communicate with strangers, get along with them and work with them. For example, they may acquire the skill of using body language to interact with strangers.

Students learn to be more independent. A field trip includes many things. Although adults are in charge, it’s also up to students to figure out what exhibits they want to learn about, how they can finish certain tasks, etc. During field trips, students can have many such situations to learn to be independent. In the process, they sometimes may feel unpleasant and stressed.    4    

Students develop a stronger connection to a neighborhood. By getting out of the classroom and, into the streets, students can become more familiar with a neighborhood.    5    Moreover, they have the chance to communicate with local people, which also improves their connection to the neighborhood.

6 . A Japanese company has announced the successful test drive of a flying car. SkyDrive Inc. conducted the public demonstration on August 25. The company said in a news release at the Toyota Test Field, one of the largest in Japan, “This is the first time the flying car was exhibited to the public.”

“We are extremely excited to have achieved Japan’s first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two dozen months since we founded SkyDrive...” CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said in a statement. “We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a secure, and comfortable new way of life.”

The car, named SD-03, manned with a pilot, took off and circled the field for about four minutes. It is the world’s smallest electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle and takes up the space of about two parked cars, according to the company. It has eight motors to ensure “safety in emergency situations”.

“We wanted this vehicle to be futuristic, charismatic and desirable for all future customers, while fully incorporating the high technology of SkyDrive,” Design Director Takumi Yamamot said. The company hopes to make the flying car a part of normal life and not just a commodity. More test flights will occur in the future under different conditions to make sure the safety and technology of the vehicle meet industry standards.

The success of this flight means that it is likely the car will be tested outside of the Toyota Test Field by the end of the year. “The company will continue to develop technologies to safely and securely launch the flying car in 2024,” the news release said, “No price has been announced.”

7 . Someone has put forward a dream home which is so advanced that its kitchen can suggest what to make with certain things. Also, a Microsoft home doesn’t just warn you when you’re out of milk — it can send you a fresh gallon.

But are these innovations just magic, or are they really coming soon to a neighborhood near you? To find out, US News asked some experts to get their opinions about the home of the not-so-distant future. Here’s a look at the innovations.

The housing boom was marked by mass-produced buildings filled with units which look the same. The coming years, however, will give way to a personalized approach to home construction, with houses as more of an instrument of self-expression. “The successful builders will be the ones that figure out how to change their production model enough to make the buyers feel like they are really getting something that is designed for them, not just a model,” says Kermit Baker, the chief economist at the American Institute of Architects.

Future homes will probably become smaller. “We will be building smaller but smarter houses,” says Ed MeMahon, a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute. “Instead of having a room for just one use, consumers will demand homes that make better use of space,” says Susanka, whose best-selling book, The Not So Big House, has become increasingly influential in home design. Seldom-used quarters, such as dining and living rooms, will be replaced with space that can serve both functions. “The goal of his ‘right-size’ home is to fit its owners like a specially cut suit rather than a jacket you buy in a store,” says Susanka.

8 . Road Trip Apps You Need Before You Leave

Ever wonder how do livery drivers manage to hit so many different places in a relatively short amount of time? It’s because they’re using an app like Road Warrior to plan their routes to be as efficient as possible. However, while many other route planning apps only take things like traffic into account, Road Warrior includes lots of other time-sucking details. The subscription options start at $10 per month.

Gas prices have been something of a catastrophe recently, so travelers are naturally focused on finding the lowest rates whenever possible. GasBuddy is one of the most popular apps for locating affordable gas, especially on long road trips. Simply enter the starting point and destination, and then watch as all of the cheapest gas prices along your route pop up. Like many apps, there is a free version, as well as a premium(额外费用) option with added features.

For people who aren’t totally focused on getting from point A to point B in the fastest time possible, the Road Trippers app is an absolute must-have. Users can pan their trip from start to finish with as many as 150 waypoints stops when using the premium version of the app, which costs $29.99 per year. It won’t let you miss the famous scenic spots along the way. It estimates fuel costs allows for RV drivers to customize routes friendly to their particular vehicle and lets the user cooperate with friends who are also on the road.

Sure you could listen to music or watch movies, but sometimes it’s fun to throw it way back with classic travel games. The Plates Family Travel app is a modernized version of the classic license plate game. There also a map feature that shows you exactly where you saw all the license plates on your road trip. This app is available for Apple or Google devices for free.

10 . Greenhouse gas emissions would rise if all farms in England and Wales went organic. Though the emissions of each farm would go down, much more food would have to be imported, as the amount they would produce would decrease greatly.

“The key message from my perspective is that you can’t really have your cake and eat it,” says Laurence Smith, now at the Royal Agricultural University in the UK, who was part of the team that ran the numbers. Smith is a supporter of organic farming and says “there are a lot of merits of the organic approach”, but his analysis shows that organic farming has downsides too.

Farming and changes in land use, such as cutting down forests, are responsible for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. That means reducing farming emissions and the land needed for farming is required to limit further global warming.

Smith and his colleagues found that emissions per unit of food are, on average, 20 per cent lower for organic crops and 4 per cent lower for organic animal products. However, organic harvests per hectare (公顷) are also lower on average. For wheat and barley, for instance, harvests are just half of those of conventional farms. This means 1.5 times as much land would be needed to grow the same amount of these foods.

The estimated increase in emissions varies greatly, depending on where the extra farmland comes from. If only half comes from turning grassland into farms, the increase could be as low as 20 per cent. If grassland that would otherwise have been reforested is turned into farmland, emissions could nearly double.

This doesn’t necessarily mean people should stop eating organic produce, says Smith. People might choose organic food for other reasons, such as to reduce their pesticide exposure (though contrary to popular belief, organic farmers do use pesticides) or for the sake of wildlife.

Going 100 per cent organic could also harm global biodiversity. The extra land used for farming would mean the land available for wildlife would be smaller and more fragmented (碎片化的).

Smith says the best option may be to use some organic and conventional farming methods at the same time.