2 . Resting on a branch in the dark is a Xingu screech owl with piercing eyes. Created by British artist Sarah Ball, the artwork refers to the scientific name of this species only found in the indigenous Xingu region of Brazil. The striking work is unique not just for its subject matter, but for how it was made: It was created with ash (灰烬) left behind after wildfires in the Amazon rainforest.

It’s part of a project called “From the Ashes”, an exhibition that ran in February in London. “Featuring 29 indigenous and non-indigenous artists, all the works were created using ink, colour and pastels produced from ash and charcoal (木炭),” said Migrate Art, the London-based social enterprise (企业) that created the project, whose goal is to help fix damage from the fires by raising money.

In March, the artworks were auctioned (拍卖) in London with estimates for individual pieces ranging from £2,000 to over £50,000, according to Simon Butler, founder of MigrateArt. “We keep 20% of what we make. The rest of it goes to the indigenous Xingu community, primarily for firefighting equipment,” he said.

Butler visited the Amazon rainforest two years ago. Witnessing the areas of the forest that had been burnt down, which he described as a “red desert that looked like the end of the world”, motivated him to create change through art. He collected the burnt remains of the rainforest, and shipped it back to London to be made into art materials. The materials were then sent to artists around the world. British artist Piers Secunda used black ink to create a painting titled Smoke In The Jungle. The collection also includes works made by members of the indigenous community.

“The sale of my work to help the Xingu Reserve buy firefighting equipment to extinguish Amazon fires is the best use of my time and resources that I can imagine,” said Secunda. “These art advocacy actions are grains of sand which build a pile. For now, the pile is small, but it is growing and will become substantial.”

3 . On the surface, Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert might appear calm. But deep underground, blind moles (鼹鼠), also called kakarratul, covered in silky yellow fur are “swimming” through the sand. These creatures that are considered elusive spend so much of their lives below the surface that they remain largely unknown to wildlife biologists.

Now, Aboriginal rangers (护林员) have made a sight of one of the kakarratuls by the Martu, the local people of central Western Australia. This marks the second kakarratul sight in just six months. Historically, people only see the species five to ten times every decade.

Kakarratuls are very small and can’t see very clearly. Their bodies are covered in soft fur, and they primarily eat worms (蠕虫). They’re also perfectly adapted for life in the tough Australian land. Rather than living in the hot sun, they live almost entirely underground — digging holes as far as 8.2 feet below the surface — where they move through the sand in a unique way. The kakarratul is an amazing creature that “swims” through the sand of Australia’s western deserts. They carve a path and fill it in as they go forward through the sand.

“The creatures can survive by just breathing the air that moves between sand,” wrote Joe Benshemesh, a biologist with the National Malleefowl Recovery Group, for Australian Geographic. “They save energy and resources by allowing their body temperature to reflect that of the surrounding sand,” he added.

The moles periodically come to the surface, especially during periods of cool, rainy weather. But they don’t appear often, so wildlife scientists don’t know their population size. They are regarded as a species of “least concern”. “Local rangers try their best to take good care of kakarratuls, but they aren’t easy to find,” said Lynette Wildridge, a senior Nyangumarta ranger.

4 . A missing woman Emma was found after three days stuck in the mud and her parents are calling it a miracle (奇迹).

The 31-year-old was reported ________ on June 26 by her parents, who said she left her cell-phone behind when she left home on Sunday night. When she didn’t return, they ________ the alarm. “So many times this type of story ends ________ and I didn’t have much hope at all,” the missing woman’s father said.

Local authorities were called to Borderland State Park in Easton, Massachusetts. Emma was ________ found when people hiking reported ________ coming from a swamp (沼泽地). Easton police officers entered the swamp and ________ to pull Emma from the swamp—she was then carried to ________.

Emma’s mom, Barbara Zinaman, said, “She ________ for help. She said ‘I need help.’ I’m still ________ after a week that she could even do that because she didn’t have ________ and she was also pretty dehydrated(脱水的).” “It was awful to be ________ in the swamp for as long as she was,” Zinaman continued. “It’s miraculous that they ________ her.”

Emma’s mother went on to ________: “I want to thank everybody that has texted, called, emailed, showed love and ________. The search and rescue teams and the county.”

Police say Emma will recover. While she is still ________, her injuries are not life-threatening.

5 . A 2021 York University study showed that weekly dance training improved motor function and daily living for those with mild Parkinson’s disease. So what is it about dance that’s different from other exercises?

Helena Blumen, a scientist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, says the mental multitasking that dance requires activates various parts of the brain at the same time, which can lead to the building of better connections across different brain regions. Basically, dancing requires more “brain power” than simpler repetitive exercises.

While scientists are still learning how dancing works in the brain, a clearer picture is beginning to take shape. In 2018, researchers at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg in Germany, did MRI scans (扫描) of older adults who had taken part in one of the two programs over six months: one group practiced dance and the other did a traditional exercise program with cycling and strength training.

Both groups improved their level of physical fitness, but the dancers grew more white and grey matter in the parts of the brain that are responsible for cognitive (认知的) processes. What’s more, the dancers showed an increase in blood plasma BDNF, a factor known to play an important role in the development of brain capacity (能力). Together, the researchers suppose, these brain changes contribute to more of the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.

In a different study in 2022, Blumen and other researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that social ballroom dancing, when compared with treadmill walking among adults over 65, was connected with diminished possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease and improved overall quality of life.

Similar studies have shown the benefits of dance in conditions ranging from MS to Huntington’s disease or other mental illnesses. Dance therapy (疗法) might even help people with brain injuries. A small Finnish study of 11 people with severe brain injury showed that dance-based therapy may improve mobility, cognition and overall well-being.

6 . You’ve made the decision that you want to travel more this year. You’ve realized that experiences are more important than possessions (财产) and you’ve put together a plan to start saving for your next big trip.     1     Here are my top tips to help you choose your travel destinations.

Be open-minded.

Haven’t heard of a place?     2     Have no idea where a place is? But you’ve found cheap flights to that place…? Search it using the search engine, check whether it’s safe and if so, book that flight! Sometimes you’ll have the best adventures in places you can’t pronounce, Ljubljana, for example.

    3    

You want to travel to a certain destination but flights are really expensive? Don’t let this put you off, unlock your creativity and find a solution. Using the example of Ljubljana again, it’s really expensive to fly direct but flights to Venice are cheap and then there’s a 2-hour shuttle (往返) bus from Venice Ljubljana. Problem solved.

Explore travel websites and blogs.

    4     Visit travel websites and blogs that specialize in the destinations on your route. These websites often feature articles and lists of top attractions, along with detailed descriptions, impressive photos, and helpful tips from experienced travelers. Take the time to look through these websites and complete a list of the attractions that catch your interest.

Seek suggestions from locals.

Locals are often the best sources of information when it comes to discovering hidden destinations. Engage (接触) with locals through conversations, or social media groups related to your destination.     5