1 . How music boosts brain

Many people believe that learning an instrument contributes to better educational attainment, cognition (thinking) and intelligence scores in children. But does this musicality translate to better cognition later in life?

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A recent study investigated this question by asking middle-aged and older people to complete a questionnaire on their musical experience and complete cognitive tests. The results showed musical people had better memory and executive function (the ability to stay focused on tasks and control oneself). A good memory, important for playing a musical instrument, translates to people’s cognitive performance.     2    .

Continuing to play

    3    . Currently, amateur musicians show the highest cognitive performance of participants. That’s because continuing to play an instrument brings continued brain health benefits. By contrast, having played an instrument for three years during childhood might not have that big an impact on our cognitive performance later in life.

The “Mozart effect”

The famous “Mozart effect” was based on a study published in 1993.     4    . Sadly, the current study found no association between listening to music and cognitive performance. Cognitive stimulation depends on being actively engaged in activities. Thus passively listening to music doesn’t seem to provide any cognitive benefits.

Study conclusions

Playing an instrument or singing seems to have benefits to our brain health in ageing, according to the study.     5    . The study provides no evidence for this yet and it is also not clear how the findings apply to the general population, since most people in the study were female, well-educated and well-off.

2 . It takes courage to live on Montana’s short-grass prairie (大草原). The native people successfull, adapted to the difficult environment over many centuries. For the last 150 years, wild animals have given the basic habitat up to cows, which makes this rare habitat decline ecologically.

Today, though, parts of the landscape are being shaped by a different resident—the North American plains bison (野牛). Tribes and conservation organizations have recently started bringing the bison back. And scientists studying the returns are discovering that getting the 900 kg grazer back in its native ecosystem could be a key to the future of the prairie.

An adult bison eats about 11 kg of grass a day. The grasses adapt to their search for food. Vegetation across the plains uses the nutrients in their waste. Birds pull out their fur from bushes to keep the heat of nests from passing out.

Bison also shape the land literally. They roll in the dust and create muddy areas that hold water after rainstorms. After the bison move on, insects flourish in these pools and become a feast for birds and small mammals. Pronghorn antelope survive by following their tracks through deep winter snows.

Plains bison spent thousands of years engineering a distinctive grassland ecology from Northern Canada through Montana to Mexico. But more than a century ago, this influence suddenly stopped. A few decades of killing led the number of bison to fall suddenly from 60 million to barely 800 living wild in the US and Canada by 1889.

Today, however, bison are getting a second chance. Tribal reservations are at the forefront of their recovery, taking extra bison from Yellowstone National Park and restoring them to treaty lands. Now some scientists are keeping close watch on the changes of the lands after the return of bison.

3 . As a university professor, I have been immersed in theory and guess for so long that it recently struck me: I don’t know how to do anything. By “do”, I mean something material, something done with my hands that produce an actual product.

The trades come to mind. Whenever I call an electrician, or a mason, or a carpenter, I look on in wonder as they smoothly employ their skills. For example, I recently had a new kitchen sink nulled by a young man. He kept singing as he worked at the pipes. Minutes later, he turned on the water and it flowed forth with nothing similar to a leak. Is this not a minor miracle?

All of this brought me to a decision: I registered for an adult evening course at a local technical school. The title: Basic Electricity and Wiring (线路). When we began, I felt immediately overwhelmed. So many new terms. In an instant, I was a student again in all respects: The anxiety, the self-doubt, the wondering if I had made a mistake. And then I recalled: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence... Education will not; the world is full of educated failures.” So I worked my way through my basic wiring course. My initial impulse to jump ship gradually gave way to the awareness that I was, indeed, acquiring a useful new skill.

What followed ahead was the course’s climax: Each student was presented with a switch and a lighting fixture (照明设备). The task was to install them-in-a-door-frame and-wire them; but not throw the switch until the instructor was present. There I was, an experienced professor, standing like a fresh-faced schoolboy. I worked away, using my tools to connect wires. When I was done, I raised my hand. The instructor looked over my job and glanced at me. “Hit the switch,” he said.

It’s hard to characterize that moment. But I did feel that learning is not something that ends early in life. I need to widen my horizon through constant learning. The broader the horizon, the more opportunities there are to learn something new.

I hit the switch.

There was light.

In more ways than one.

5 . Teenage years are an unforgettable season of life and books read at that time also make a difference. Much like the best children’s books ever written, these following top teen-centered books offer hope for the future and nostalgia for young life.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Because of cancer, protagonist (主人公) Hazel Lancaster believes her life is over. But then she meets Augustus Waters, and the way he makes her laugh—the way he makes her feel seen—makes her want to live again. The Fault in Our Stars will attract young adults with themes of life and death, true love, and friendship that surpass circumstances. This book is especially worth reading if you love sad books.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

In this classic book, Bilbo Baggins is summoned (召唤) on a great adventure that will change his life forever. With themes of friendship, loyalty, sacrifice, and more, The Hobbit is an adventure waiting to happen for those willing to experience the dangerous business of stepping into the story.

Dune by Frank Herbert

A science fiction novel for the ages, Frank Herbert’s Dune tells the adventures of Paul Atreides—who will become known as Muad’ Dib—as he and his family strive to bring humankind’s greatest dream to life while living on a desert planet. Though written in 1965, much of Dune’s story may be more relevant to 21st-century readers than it was to bookworms who picked it up in the 1960s.

Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene

His collection of classic mystery novels was actually written by various authors under the pen name of Carolyn Keene. Over the past few decades, Nancy has evolved with the times—to the point where she’s now using a cell phone to investigate her never-ending mysteries. Today, Nancy is attracting a whole new generation of fans, thanks to a television show launched in 2019.