1 . On March 20, the U. N. International Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) released the final volume in a series of reports outlining experts’ latest understanding of climate science. It warned that even with urgent action we will face a dramatic increase in catastrophic events—from droughts to floods—that have become signs of a rapidly warming world. But the most worrisome things are the “known unknowns”—potential outcomes scientists know could happen even if they don’t know exactly when or how.

It’s striking how little we know about them. Take the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation(AMOC) for example. This system of ocean currents is a key regulator(调节器) of Atlantic Ocean temperatures and, in turn, maintaining land temperatures, particularly in North America. If it collapsed, it would remake weather patterns and disturb “human activities”.

Another known unknown is the scale of sea-level rise. It is estimated that global average sea levels are expected to rise up to 1m (about 3 ft.) by 2100. But because the science of rapidly melting ice sheets remains difficult for scientists to understand, that number could also end up being 2m in the same time frame.

The more the planet warms, the more likely we are to experience unpredictable catastrophic changes. Climate events like these are referred to as tipping points: singular climatic events that can instantly reshape our understanding of climate systems. The new report also points out how the future becomes more difficult to predict as climate change continues. Impacts that scientists could forecast today will become more difficult to predict effectively when they are combined with other climate effects. Food insecurity, for example, could drive changes in agricultural practices, which would in turn affect the climate.

According to three decades of IPCC reports, it’s easy to see how the science has become more certain and more urgent. The IPCC is not expected to publish another report for at least six years. In that time, the science will evolve, as will the human impacts. By then we should know more about these known unknowns, too. We can only hope that the knowledge brings relief, not the alternative.

2 . As we get older, we realize that time is short, which often leads to a readjustment of our priorities—whether it’s wanting to spend more time with family, or doing something we really love. As such, many consider upskilling or retraining, to pursue a new passion, or even achieve a lifelong childhood dream that they never had the chance to do before.

However, there may still be apprehension—and you may be wondering, “Is this really something I can do at my age?” Victoria, a 50 Plus Champion at Jobcentre Plus, says, “It can be daunting (令人畏惧的) to change jobs at any age, but it’s never too late. In fact, the older you are, the more you understand what you enjoy and what you’re good at.”

Then how can you get into a new job? The key is to understand your strengths and be able to recognise the transferable skills you have. It’s crucial to make a list of all the skills you’ve acquired from different occupations and life experiences, for instance, attending to children or elderly relatives or managing a household budget. Consider trying the Midlife MOT which can help you plan your work, health and money for the future on the website. It could help you when thinking about the sorts of roles you want to go for.

Numerous employers place a high value on the contributions that seasoned professionals can offer, hence it is advisable not to restrict your job search. For instance, further educational institutions, such as colleges and training centres, are constantly in pursuit of individuals with extensive experience in a particular industry to pass on their knowledge. Additionally, the healthcare and social services sector, including the National Health Service(NHS), acknowledges the significance of incorporating experienced workers into their workforce to enhance its overall efficacy (效力).

People aged over 50 bring life skills and experiences, communication skills and emotional intelligence, which creates a really multi-generational workforce.

3 . Scientists from Tufts University have developed tiny groups of human cells that can move on their own-and in a lab experiment, these so-called “anthrobots” inspired sheets of human neurons to repair themselves when damaged. The researchers hope the collections of cells could one day be used to treat diseases or aid with healing in humans.

The study comes on the heels of earlier work from one of its authors, who produced tiny robots by stitching together frog embryo cells. These robots, known as “xenobots”, could assemble themselves, move across surfaces and travel through liquid.

Since they're not made from human cells, xenobots can't be used to treat humans, writes Matthew Hutson, a freelance science writer. But the anthrobots in the new study could theoretically. Each anthrobot started with a single cell from an adult human lung. It then grew into a multicellular biobot after being cultured (培养) for two weeks.

These lung cells are covered in cilia. But at this point in the research, the cilia were growing inside the clumps of cells. So, for the next week, the researchers grew the cells in a solution (溶液) that caused the cilia to face outward instead, enabling these structures to move the anthrobots, which could move in tight loops, travel in straight lines or wiggle in place. Their speed varied as well.

The researchers also tested how these robots might heal wounds. They mimicked (模拟) a wound by scratching a layer of neurons in a dish. Then, they introduced anthrobots to the site of the scratch, and within days, the neurons regrew, bridging the gap created by the wound. The findings show new structures that might have uses in biomedical settings can be developed without gene editing and without having to design the structures manually, the study authors write.

“Unlike xenobots, anthrobots don't require tools to give them shape, and we can use adult cells-even cells from elderly patients-instead of embryonic cells,” says Gizem Gumuskaya, the paper's lead author. "We can produce these robots in large amounts in parallel, which is a good start for developing a therapeutic tool.”

6 . In America, the “Big Dig”, a highway project that resulted in a mess of traffic in the centre of Boston for years, came in five times over its initial budget. Even the Germans get huge projects wrong. Conception to operation of Berlin Brandenburg Airport has taken 30 years, with seven missed opening dates. The airport ended up costing $8.2 billion. However, the original estimate was about $2.7 billion.

Huge projects like Berlin Brandenburg Airport are the subject of an amusing new book called How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. Mr. Flyvbjerg sets up a database of over 16, 000 projects and data analysis reveals that only 8.5% of the projects meet their initial estimates on cost and time, and 0.5% of them achieve what they set out to do on cost, time and benefits.

Over-optimistic time and cost estimates originate from both psychological and political perceptions: the reliance on intuition (直觉) rather than data, and a problem that Mr. Flyvbjerg calls “strategic misrepresentation”. This is when budgets are intentionally reduced in order to get things going. And once the projects are under way, they will not be stopped, because money spent on them will thus be wasted.

Mr. Flyvbjerg speaks highly of Pixar’s methodical approach to developing and testing films in great detail before they go into production. He also tells the story of how Frank Gehry’s well-developed architectural models helped ensure the success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Narrowing down the producing window of a project before it is actually carried out reduces the probability of unexpected events.

Big customized projects are particularly likely to run into trouble. However, the more a project can be divided into standardized processes, the better its prospects are. Projects run into problems for specific reasons as well as general ones: Britain’s trouble is not something that China has to worry about, for instance. But the iron law is that if you plan strictly and standardize where possible, you are less likely to dig yourself into a hole.

8 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.

Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear. Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks over those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really becoming stronger. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.

“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”