2 . Cleaning up after an oil spill has always been a costly and time-consuming process that often harms wildlife and further damages the ocean environment. But now researchers at Northwestern University have developed a "smart sponge （海绵）“to clean up oil spills in the ocean.

This new approach is designed to only absorb oil, leaving the clean water behind without affecting ocean wildlife, according to a Northwestern news release. The secret of how the new sponge can selectively absorb only the oil lies in a nanocomposite （纳米复合材料）coating and a carbon-based structure that attracts oil and drives water away. The composite's 3D structure interacts with and sticks the oil, holding it until it is squeezed out.

The best part is that this composite can be used to coat any commercial sponge. All you have to do is apply a thin coating of it to the sponge and let it dry before use. The smart sponge can absorb oil up to 30 times of its own weight. Plus, it is reusable up to a dozen times. The researchers even came up with a plan on the best practices for the smart sponge. The sponge will come in large sheets that are rolled. While there are no limitations in the size, 2-3 feet width will be enough. And the sponge can be used on a beach after an oil spill or airdropped to absorb oil in the ocean.

While getting rid of fossil fuels is the longtime goal, its continued use requires the liquid to be transported long distances and with that comes the risk of oil spills. When these occur, having a safer, more effective method to clean the affected oceans and fragile beach environments will go a long way towards saving our ocean wildlife and coastlines.

3 . You can learn anything on the Internet, so why do I so often learn things I don't want to know? When I'm surfing the web, I want to be drawn in by articles on Europe's political history or the nature of the outer space, but I end up reading trivia (琐事) such as a menu from a Netherlands prison. Why am I not curious about the things I want to be curious about?

Curiosity feels as if it's out of your control, and trying to direct it sounds as challenging as forcing yourself to find a joke funny. But if you understand what arouses curiosity, you may be able to channel it a little better. Across evolutionary time, curious animals were more likely to survive because they learned about their environments; a food hunter that occasionally skipped a reliable feeding ground to explore might find an even better place to eat.

Humans, too, will give up a known payoff to explore the unknown. In one experiment, subjects were asked to choose one of four photos, each carrying some chance of paying a cash prize. Photos repeated, so subjects learned to pick the best-paying, but when a novel photo popped up, they chose it more often. This preference for something novel is, of course, the reason manufacturers constantly make changes to product packaging and advertising. But it's good to know about your environment even if it doesn't promise a reward right now; knowledge may be useless today but vital next week. Therefore, evolution has left us with a brain that can reward itself； satisfying curiosity feels pleasurable, so you explore the environment even when you don't expect any concrete payoff. Infants prefer to look at novel pictures compared with familiar ones. Preschoolers play longer with a mechanical toy if it's difficult to deduce how it works.

4 . 4 Summer Programs in Alaska for High Schoolers

Summer's no sweat when you journey to Alaska! Check out this article for tips on programs to join once school lets out.

Brown Environmental Leadership Lab

Brown University Grades: 9th, 10th and 11th Program Cost: $5, 810

Application Deadline: March 25th

Qualification: All 9-11th grade students are encouraged to apply.

This two-week program is a great way to learn how you can be socially and environmentally responsible in your own neck of the woods. Learn more by visiting the program website. Ready to apply? You can find the full application online. You will be asked to respond to three related questions.

ANSEP Acceleration Academy

University of Alaska Anchorage Grades: 10th and 11th Program Cost: $0

Application Deadline: March 1st

Qualification: To apply, the minimum pre-condition is Intermediate Algebra (中级代数)，but Calculus (微积分)or higher is preferred.

Spend five weeks diving into your future STEM degree on UAA's campus. Learn more on the program website. Ready to apply? You can find the full application online. You will be asked to write a 500-word response to the following essay topic: How do you plan to contribute to the future of the world?

Service Adventures

The Wrangell Mountains Grades: 10th and 11th Program Cost: $5,850

Application Deadline: March 1st

Qualification: All 10-11th grade students are encouraged to apply.

Work and live at the base of the Wrangell Mountains in an Athabascan Native village for three weeks. In this program, students will learn carpentry and power tool skills to participate in construction projects, ranging from home repair to woodshed building. You will live off the land and witness the beauty of Alaskan wilderness. Ready to apply? You can find the full application online. You will be asked to respond to an essay topic in 150-200 words.

Della Keats Health Sciences

University of Alaska Anchorage Grades: 11th Program Cost: $0

Application Deadline: March 31st

Qualification: Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria: Member of an ethnic minority background; resident of rural Alaska; first generation American; first generation college attendee; non-native English speaker; member of a low-income household.

In this intensive four-week course, you will take a tour of healthcare careers you can pursue at UAA. If making a lasting impact in medicine is your dream, visit the program website today to learn more. Ready to apply? You can find the full application online. Be prepared to answer 7 related questions.

8 . There are many traditions around the world that are interesting and fun, but there are also those that are bizarre (奇异的) and even a little cruel.

In Sweden it's common for parents to leave their babies outside to nap (小睡) even when the temperatures are below zero. Many of us would find this custom dangerous, but many Swedes actually consider it good for their babies. They believe that by exposing their young ones to their country's cold temperature they can help their babies to grow up healthily and protect them from diseases. They also believe doing so will help them sleep longer and better.

In Bali, Indonesia, babies are forbidden to touch the ground for three months. The reason is that during the baby's first months its connection to the “spirit” is still unbroken and clean and letting it touch the ground would defile it. For three months, the baby is constantly held in someone's arms―the father, mother, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and even neighbours. After 105 days, a special ceremony called the Nyabutan is held where the baby touches Mother Earth for the first time.

In Guatemala, it's common to see babies being bathed with cold water. Maya mothers commonly practise this bizarre ritual (仪式) with the belief that it's beneficial to the baby's health. Bathing their babies with cold water is also an effective means to eliminate heat rashes, and this custom helps babies sleep better.

Some Indians allow their babies to be thrown from temple roofs as high as 50 feet. This strange custom started 500 years ago and continues to this day, though there's a movement to ban it for obvious reasons. However, Hindus believe that performing this ritual brings good luck and health to their babies. Below the roof is a bed sheet that's held tightly by several men. The baby lands safely on the sheet. The tradition's practitioners and believers strongly prove that it's safe, saying no babies have ever been injured.

10 . It was the toughest months after my husband Larry had returned from the navy. The only job available for him was in a city 6.5 hours away from where we lived. My illness made it impossible for me to stay with Larry in that city. So there we were, delaying our departure(离开) by passing time in a secondhand bookstore before the girls and I headed back to southwest Virginia. This was a precious time for us.

We joked as we continued our treasure hunt, all hoping to find the oldest, least expensive book. There was lots of laughter and hugging and kissing as we enjoyed each other’s company.

Only one other person was in the bookstore——a lovely, well-dressed woman about my age. I noticed her expensive clothes, shoes, and handbag. I wondered what it would be like to be rich enough to walk into a bookstore and have the money to buy any book my heart wanted. We were having so much fun, however, that I quickly forgot the woman.

Finally, I spied my perfect book! It was a hundred years old, and it was on my favorite time period——the Middle Ages. Oh, how I wanted that book! I quickly checked the inside cover for the price, and my heart fell.

“Oh, I wish I were rich,” I murmured(低语), as my eyes locked with the woman’s.

“It looks to me as though you already are,” she said, with a smile.

There was a long pause, and then my heart was filled with comprehension. I was rich. Very rich. I turned quickly to thank the woman for her gentle reminder, but she was gone!

Strangely enough, within days my husband received a job offer in southwest Virginia. In less than two weeks, he was hired, and we moved to the place that is now our home.

Thank for the angel. It was she that gave me God’s rich message of love and encouragement when I was at a loss.