1 . Elephants call out to each other using individual names that they invent for their fellows, a study said on Monday.

While dolphins and parrots have been observed addressing each other by mimicking (模仿) the sound of others from their species, elephants are the first non-human animals known to use names that do not involve imitation, the researchers suggested.

For the new study, a team of international researchers used an artificial intelligence algarithm (算法) to analyse the calls of two wild herds of African savannah elephants in Kenya.

The research “not only shows that elephants use specific vocalizations (嗓音) for each individual, but that they recognize and react to a call addressed to them while ignoring those addressed to others,” lead study author Michael Pardo said.

“This indicates that elephants can determine whether a call was intended for them just by hearing the call, even when out of its original context,” the behavioral ecologist at Colorado State University said in a statement.

The researchers sifted through elephant “rumbles” recorded at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park between 1986 and 2022.

Using a machine learning algorithm, they identified 469 distinct calls, which included 101elephants issuing a call and 117 receiving one.

Elephants make a wide range of sounds, from loud trumpeting to rumbles so low that cannot be heard by the human ear.

Names were not always used in the elephant calls. But when names were called out, it was often over a long distance, and when adults were addressing young elephants.

Adults were also more likely to use names than calves, suggesting it could take years to learn this particular talent.

The most common call was “a harmonically rich, low-frequency sound,” according to the study.

2 . Sichuan is a province in our country where landslides occur frequently, causing serious casualties (伤亡). A landslide is the movement of rock, earth or debris (碎片) down a sloped section of land. It always strikes suddenly, which makes it a frightening disaster for many.     1    . One way of saving you from a landslide is by knowing the signs that appear before their occurrence.

·Soil moving away from foundations.

·Sunken (凹陷的) or down-dropped road beds.

·    2    

·Unusual sounds, such as trees cracking or large rocks knocking together.

…

    3    

Stay alert. Listen for warnings of heavy rainfall. Be aware that heavy, short bursts of rain may be particularly dangerous.

Be especially alert when driving. Bridges may be washed out. Do not cross flooding streams! Embankments (路堤) along roadsides can be destroyed by landslides easily.

    4    . If you are trapped in the path of a landslide, curl up into a tight ball and protect your head.

Finally, if you manage to escape, avoid the area where the landslide occurred.     5    . Avoid this area and seek shelter.

3 . Xinjiang is building Asia’s largest wind-solar integrated renewable energy project (风光一体化项目). Once it is connected to the grid (电网), it’s going to produce 5.8 billion kilowatts of clean energy every single year, which can power the entire community of Xinjiang for thirteen days. It’s also going to save around 1.73 million tons of standard coal annually and cut down carbon emissions by a massive 4.72 million tons, which equals planting nearly 4.5 million trees.

However, these steep mountains and the extreme weather conditions make it challenging to build the project here. The steepest slope of the project is over 30 degrees and machinery also struggles to access these areas. So the drone is being used to survey the terrain (地形) of the entire site, identifying areas with depressions or steep slopes. Then, a terrace method is being adopted to help construction, resembling a structure or stair treads. In addition, aluminum-magnesium-zinc-coated materials are also used, which are as tough as nails and can handle anything this crazy climate throws away. From corrosion (腐蚀) to earthquakes, this stuff is built to last. Photovoltaic panel (光伏板) material is also a new type which provides 5-8% more power generation capacity compared to ordinary ones.

In Xinjiang, you can also see some of the livestock grazing (吃草) under the panels, because the project has tried to take care of the local ecology. The solar panels are so tall that it remains a grazing area for animals, like sheep, cows, horses and even groundhogs. Those tall panels allow them to graze underneath freely while the project is being built.

Not only does the solar project help China reach its dual carbon goals, but it also seems like they’re taking measures to ensure that the local people and the local ecology are all taken care of.

4 . With their bright eyes and noticeable beards, it’s easy to see how orangutans (红毛猩猩) got their name; “orang” is Malay for person, while “hutan” means forest. Their similarity to humans doesn’t stop there. Researchers have observed a male orangutan treat a wound on his face with a plant that’s also used in human medicine.

It’s the first time any wild animal has been seen caring for a wound using a natural substance with known medicinal ingredients, researchers report May 2 in Scientific Reports.

On June 25, 2022, field biologist Ulil Azhari was observing an orangutan named Rakus in the Suaq Balimbing research area of Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park. The area is home to about 150 of the species, and researchers have been studying them since 1994. Azhari watched as Rakus chewed up a plant, locally known as Akar Kuning, and rubbed the resulting paste (糊状物) onto an open wound he suffered on his right cheek, likely from a fight with another male. He applied the paste several times over his injury, almost like a bandage. Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria) is used by the local people in traditional medicine and has a long list of known medicinal ingredients.

Isabelle Laumer, a biologist and member of the Suaq Project studying orangutans, read the notes from the observation and was immediately getting very excited. She says, “He only treated this wound and not any other body part. And this was done repeatedly.” Rakus’ intentionality, and the fact that his wound was closed just five days after the observation — and never became infected — convinced her that he was purposefully using the plant to treat his wound.

Laumer says she hopes the finding will help more people appreciate how similar orangutans are to humans and care more about protecting them. The orangutans are critically endangered. “It would be so sad if they would die out from this world.” she says.

5 . In today’s world, the turn towards renewable (可再生的) energy sources is not just an environmental requirement but also a necessity for technological innovation and sustainable development. You are welcome to learn about renewable energy sources in the Museum of Science.

6 . At Manzo Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona, raising fish at school was one small answer to a big problem: many people in the neighborhood did not have enough food to eat.

The students could eat breakfast and lunch at school, but their families didn’t always have enough money to provide dinner. Buying fresh foods, such as vegetables and meat, was difficult. Then the teachers had an idea: could the students raise food at school for the neighborhood?

The project wouldn’t be easy to carry out. Tucson is in a desert, so water is a precious resource. Soil in the desert doesn’t always have the nutrients plants need to grow, so the students would need to add a natural fertilizer (肥料).

Counselor (顾问) Moses Thompson read about aquaponics, a way of growing fish and plants together for food. Hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs built “floating farms” called chinampas on the lakes outside what is now Mexico City. Inspired by that, Moses helped the school set up a system in which fish waste fertilizes plants, and the plants’ roots clean the water in the fish tank.

Fish aren’t the only animals that help students feed their neighbors. Chickens lay eggs. Visiting pollinators help turn flowers into beans, tomatoes and so on. “Bees and butterflies come,” says Santiago, aged 10.

When the students have raised enough food, it’s time for Market Day. Vegetables are available for donation to people in the neighborhood. Students sell eggs and tilapia (罗非鱼) to raise money for seeds, fish food and chicken food.

“People don’t have a lot of money, so it’s a nice dream we have to give them food,” says Emmanuel, aged 11. “It’s an opportunity to be healthy and eat better.”

“We can plant good food and have fun while we’re doing something important,” says Blanka, aged 10. “I’m so happy to be at this school.”

7 . Did you know the basic structure of your brain is very similar to that of other mammals? This surprising fact says a lot about animal thought because having brains and hormones(激素) similar to those of humans makes other mammals(哺乳动物) act, feel, and think much like we do.

In fact, animals actually possess cognition, the ability to acquire knowledge. Elephants consciously(有意识地) learn which plants to eat from older elephants by observing them and tasting the foods they eat. So, while our experience of the world might differ from theirs, consciousness is not a privilege(特权) limited to us.

And brains can even teach us about how animals feel. For instance, oxytocin, a kind of hormone, is essential in forming bonds in humans as well as other mammals. So, if it’s blocked in an individual’s brain, they’re likely to feel alone. The fact that the same is true for humans and animals suggests a similarity both in our brains and our feelings.

But what about the animals with tiny brains? Can they feel too? Actually, brain size is a poor indicator of animal intelligence. A better one is how much an animal’s brain has in common with ours. That’s because a larger brain, while it means more computing power, isn’t necessarily helpful. For example, tuna have smaller brains than dolphins but are just as good at hunting.

Large brains are necessary for being social and cooperating with others. That’s because when individuals are responsible for the survival of a group, a bigger or social brain is needed. In the case of animals that do have social brains, like elephants, whales, and dolphins, it’s hard to deny that they’re thinking and feeling like humans when their brains so closely resemble ours.

8 . Countless cicadas (蝉) are coming to the United States. Two groups of the red-eyed flying insects are emerging from the ground this month. People in the Midwest and Southeast should expect a noisy season.

Brood XIX cicadas show up every 13 years. Brood XIII cicadas show up every 17 years. The last time these two groups arrived together was more than two hundred years ago, in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was the President of the United States, and we won’t see this situation again until 2245.

For more than a decade, they live in holes seven to eight inches underground, and then, when they’re mature enough, they make their way out. Weeks before they’re expected to emerge, cicadas build tunnels (隧道) to the surface. But they don’t come out of their holes until the soil temperature warms up to about 18℃. But they don’t live very long once they’re out of the ground. After they emerge, they have only four to six weeks to mate before they die. Periodical (周期) cicadas are about an inch long. They’re identified by their big red eyes. There’re seven different species, three of which surface every 17 years. The other four emerge every 13 years.

Cicadas will be seen across several states. Probably only two — Illinois and Indiana — will get to see both groups. The male cicada’s mating call is loud. Many people find it annoying. But cicadas are harmless to humans. They don’t bite. Actually, they can have a positive impact on nearby plants and animals. They’re a great food source for birds. And they’re beneficial for the soil as they decompose after they survive on the ground for 4-6 weeks. Cicadas won’t be harmful to flowers or fruit. Female cicadas can damage a young tree if they lay their eggs in its branches. To protect trees, Mount St. Joseph University, in Ohio, suggests wrapping a tree’s branches with cloth to keep cicadas away.