2 . A team of researchers from several institutions in the UK and one in Estonia has created a type of buoy (浮标) that has proven to be effective at frightening seabirds, thus preventing them from getting caught in gill nets (刺网) — a type of fishing net that is made of a material that makes it nearly invisible underwater.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of seabirds die when they get caught in gill nets. Some estimates suggest that up to a half-million birds are caught in them each year. Over the years, researchers have created devices to prevent the birds from trying to catch fish near or in gill nets, but those didn’t work well.

To find a way that would work for all seabirds, the researchers first studied seabirds in a general sense, expecting to find things that they would avoid. They noted that seabirds avoided eye contact with other creatures. Then the researchers came up with a simple idea—they put a small pole to a regular buoy and then attached a pair of googly eyes (金鱼眼) to the top of it. They made the eyes big enough so that even birds with poor eyesight, such as geese, would see them. Adding to the effectiveness of the device, waves made the eyes move back and forth. And the wind made the buoy spin (转动) very slowly, making sure that birds from every direction would get a good look at the eyes.

To test their idea, the researchers selected several sites near the gill nets and counted how many birds approached and how many attempted to catch fish near the nets. They then set up their googly-eyed buoys and once again counted birds. Over the course of 62 days, they found the number of birds that tried to catch fish near the gill nets dropped by about 25% for a distance of up to 50 meters. They also found that the birds were less likely to fish near where the buoys had been for up to three weeks after they had been removed.

3 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity.

The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.

The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hate and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged (不和的) accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.

As an important note, when we take a classical philosophical perspective, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, in real situations, develops with practice.

4 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

8 . Bees are a big part of the life cycle of plants, pollinating flower after flower and allowing plants to produce their yummy output. But with bee populations on the decline, what can take their place? How about soap bubbles?

It may sound fantastical. But Eijiro Miyako and his colleague at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have used battery-powered bubble makers to pollinate a pear orchard. The details of their magical approach to agriculture are in the journal Science.

A few years back, Miyako and his team tried to copy the pollination of honeybees by adopting a two-inch-long toy drone with brushes made of horsehair. But the tiny flyer was tough to control. And its little hairy brushes ended up damaging the delicate targets.

After spending some time blowing bubbles with his son, Miyako started thinking more seriously about these little soapy wonders. He figured bubbles would be sticky enough to carry and deliver a pollen load but soft and flexible, so they shouldn’t hurt a flower when they land.

The researchers chemically bettered their soapy solution to make bubbles that were mechanically stable and actually enhanced the pollination process. In the orchard, they aimed their soap bubbles at row after row of pear trees. And they found the bubble system worked just as well as the more labor-intensive pollination by hand: pear trees pollinated by bubbles eventually produced fruit — a sweet sign of success.

Miyako has also upgraded the drone — this time using a larger model — equipped with a machine that lets out a huge number of bubbles in a short time. It has a big advantage over the hand-held model, because it’s fully autonomously controllab le by GPS with Google Map. So the drones can make a beeline to where farmers need them to be.

10 . The government of Singapore has created a highly developed system that turns wastewater into drinking water. The system involves a network of tunnels and high-technology treatment centers.

Reused wastewater can now meet 40 percent of Singapore’s water demand. The country’s water agency says it expects to meet 55 percent of Singapore’s water demand by the year 2060.

Most of the water is used for microchip manufacturing centers and cooling systems in buildings. But some of it is added to the country’s drinking water supplies. The system helps reduce ocean pollution, as only a small amount of the treated water is sent into the sea.

Singapore has few natural water sources. The island nation has long had to depend mostly on supplies from neighboring Malaysia. Low Pei Chin, chief engineer of the water reclamation department of the Public Utilities Board, told reporters with Independent, “Singapore lacks natural resources, and it is limited in space, which is why we are always looking for ways to explore water sources and stretch our water supply.”

The Changi Water Reclamation Plant on Singapore’s eastern coast is the main part of the country’s recycling system. Parts of the water treatment center are underground. Wastewater enters the center through a 48-kilometer tunnel that is linked to sewers(下水道). The center contains a large system of steel pipes, tubes, tanks, cleaning systems and other machinery. It can treat up to 900 million liters of wastewater a day.

Waste that arrives at the plant goes through a cleaning process before powerful pumps send it flowing to areas above ground for more treatment. There, the treated water receives additional cleaning. Bacteria and viruses are removed through highly developed cleaning processes.

Singapore is also in the process of expanding its recycling system. The country will add another underground tunnel and a major water treatment center to serve the western half of the island. Officials expect work on the center to be completed by 2025. By the time the expansion is finished, Singapore will have spent about $7.4 billion on its water treatment systems.