1 . Everyone knows memory fails as you age.     1     Short-term memory contains the contents of your thoughts right now, which is easily disturbed or disrupted. It depends on your actively paying attention to the items that are in the “next thing to do” file in your mind. Our ability of the short-term memory declines slightly with every decade after 30.

    2     Some aspects of memory actually get better as we age. For instance, our ability to extract patterns, regularities and to make accurate predictions improves over time because we’ve had more experience.     3    

So, how do we account for our subjective experience that older adults seem to struggle with words and names?     4     Our brain capacity to deal with information and data does suffer with the ageing process. But given a little more time, older adults perform just fine.

Then, older adults have to search through more memories than younger adults to find the target information. Your brain becomes crowded with memories and information.     5     It’s just that there is so much more information to sort through. And experiencing new things is the best way to keep the mind young.

2 . A diet high in protein is often promoted as part of a healthy lifestyle, and many diets encourage consumers to reduce fats in favor of protein to lose weight and gain lean muscle.

For the study in Nature Metabolism, Bettina Mittendorfer and colleagues found that while increasing the proportion of protein in daily calorie intake is beneficial, consuming protein too much not only doesn’t add to the development of lean muscle but can cause unintended negative health effects.

“Consumers are being led to believe that they can never get too much protein in their diet,” says Mittendorfer. “However, our research shows that specific amino acids (氨基酸), which are the building blocks of protein, can trigger heart disease through a signaling mechanism at the cellular level in the blood.”

An amino acid found in animal-protein foods, such as beef, eggs, and milk, was found to be responsible for signaling activity in cells that typically clear away rubbish in blood vessels. As consumption of dietary protein increases, so does the consumption of leucine (亮氨酸), the specific amino acid responsible for triggering this cellular activity in the blood.

When functioning normally, these cells work to keep blood vessels free from plaque (血小板) buildup. When their production becomes overactive, the resulting accumulation of spent cells in the vascular system can cause the plaque buildup and blockages they are supposed to prevent. The resulting hardening of the arteries (动脉) is a leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

“Our hope is to eventually find the Goldilocks approach for maximizing the health benefits of dietary protein, such as building lean muscle, while avoiding the health drawbacks from overconsumption.” says Mittendorfer.

The researchers found that consuming more than 22% of daily calories from protein carries more downside risk than dietary benefit. For a normal adult, 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal, or 60 to 90 grams of protein per day is adequate to support health.

The study combined human trials with experiments in mice and cells.

3 . “Please would you tell me,” asks the heroine of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “why your cat grins like that?” Alice is surprised when told that all Cheshire cats can grin and that “most of ‘em do”.

We can only wonder, then, what she would make of a new study that claims that our pet cats actually have nearly 300 facial expressions — far larger than many experts had expected and which may have evolved as a result of them living alongside humans.

The study involved dozens of cats being filmed at the CatCafe Lounge in Los Angeles, where homeless cats live together while up for adoption. More specifically, they logged each occurrence of 26 facial muscle movements, including blinks and half blinks, nose licks, and various ear positions. They identified 276 combinations of those movements, each of which represents a cat facial expression.

That was not far away from the 357 expressions a similar study had previously seen in chimpanzees, and it easily beat the 80 from gibbons (长臂猿). Dogs are said to be capable of 27 facial movements.

According to the researchers, the number of cat facial expressions was a surprise and indicates a hidden depth to how cats express themselves. “Thanks to the development of Facial Action Coding Systems, we are now able to uncover communicative complexity among mammals that may have been previously overlooked.” they said.

The studies showed that about 45 per cent of them were clearly friendly: These tended to involve eyes being closed and ears and whiskers (胡须) being tilted forwards, towards another cat, during a friendly encounter. Another 37 per cent were obviously aggressive or defensive.

The researchers suggest that pet cats have a greater range of facial expressions in part because being close to people often also means living in close places with other cats — and being able to communicate can avoid conflict. And they believe it should be possible to read more subtle messages. “We plan to study how cats produce facial signals during specific interactions, such as play, fighting, and so on.”

4 . The sun near the equator is never-ceasing, bearing down as I lead Elaine, a dark brown horse, through thick bushes. It’s been a long day on horseback. My legs ache and our camp signals across a ridge of ancient folding hills in the Lolldaiga Range of northern Kenya, a mosaic (马赛克) of twisted landscapes and communities.

Suddenly Elaine’s ears flick into alert, and the muscles of her body tense beneath me. Our guide Nicholus stretches out a lean arm toward a bush just meters away. My eyes focus, trying my best to see what the others already have: two amber balls glowing from a shadowed form. It’s a young lion, quick and strong, in the middle of the high grass.

A wild silence hangs between us.

Without the defensive hunting vehicle, I feel completely exposed. Peering into the bush, I’m suspended between wonder and terror, the distance between myself and the Savannah’s most notorious hunter unbelievably small. Usually, I’m the one tracking the lion, camera in hand. Now, the lion shifts in my consciousness from object to subject. I shift, too, strongly aware of the soft flesh of my own body.

Nicholus nods his head in the other direction, a safer distance away. He points to shallow holes in the dust. “Look, this is a big lion, and these are young ones, some cubs,” he says. “Probably a mother.” Pawprints marked the earth, each telling the story of more lions, moving in different directions.

It was time to go.

Horseback safaris are still the most immersive way to view wildlife in Kenya. To journey on horseback is to break down the walls — meant to protect, but also to separate us from the natural world. And as we’re absorbed in the thrill of the experience, we’re vividly reminded of the importance of protecting these wild spaces.

Out here your horse is your translator, responding to the low hiss of a leopard, the soft scent of an elephant herd, the cool morning breeze descending from Mount Kenya’s glacial peaks. Your job is to learn how to listen.

5 . Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests. And there’s enough action to satisfy the most demanding thrill-seeker. Below, we look at the places you won’t want to miss.

La Fortuna

You can get up close to its lava-covered lower slopes by taking the Las Coladas trail, one of several unforgettable hikes around Volcán Arenal National Park, about 7km west of La Fortuna.

Around 7km east of La Fortuna, there’s horseback riding, mountain biking, along with kayaking on Lake Arenal. The region’s natural hot springs make the perfect place to ease weary muscles.

Monteverde

Monteverde’s mist-wreathed cloud forest reserves sit high on the country’s mountainous spine. It’s one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots, with a shocking diversity of plants and animals.

For a bird’s eye view of the forest, take a thrilling ride on a zipline(滑索), skimming the canopy at high speed—Sky Trek Monteverde has an automatic braking system, useful for kids and anxious adults.

The Nicoya Peninsula

Famed for its postcard-perfect beaches and sweet Pacific swells, Nicoya has something for wave riders of all levels. There’s wildlife too: Grande Beach is a nesting site for leatherback turtles from October to March.

Further south, the remote, jungle-backed town of Santa Teresa is now a hip hangout with cool cafes, sushi restaurants and designer boutiques.

6 . Many people have long believed that bright lights draw, or attract flying insects. But that is not exactly what is going on, a new study suggests.

Researchers believe that artificial lights at night may cause problems with flying insects’ natural navigation systems. As a result, the creatures fly in confusion around porch lamps, street lights and other artificial lights. “Insects have a navigational problem,” said Tyson Hedrick of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He added, “They’re accustomed to using light as a cue (提示) to know which way is up.”

Insects do not fly directly toward a light source, but actually “tilt their backs toward the light,” said Sam Fabian of Imperial College London. Fabian was a co-writer of the study that appeared recently in Nature Communications. This tilting action would make sense if the strongest light source was in the sky. But in the presence of artificial lights, the result is midair confusion.

For the study, researchers attached very small sensors to moths and dragonflies in a laboratory. They then filmed “motion-capture” video of flight — similar to how filmmakers attach sensors to actors to follow their movements. Researchers also used high-resolution cameras to film insects flying around lights at a field in Costa Rica. Such films permitted researchers to study in detail how dragonflies circle endlessly around light sources, positioning themselves with their backs facing the light. Researchers also documented that some insects fly upside down — and often crash land — in the presence of lights that shine straight upward like search lights. Insect flight was least disrupted by bright lights that shine straight downward, the researchers found.

“For millions of years, insects oriented themselves by sensing that the sky is light, the ground is dark — until people invented artificial lights”, said Avalon Owens of Harvard University.

8 . When looking for some vacation ideas to spread out and get some time and space to yourself, check out these great resorts (度假胜地) options.

Located in Punta Cana, this family-friendly vacation at an all-inclusive resort offers something for everyone in your party. Parents can enjoy relaxing by one of the resort’s swim-up bars in an infinity pool or head out for some deep-sea fishing. Kids, meanwhile, can head over to the kids’ club for a number of activities. Plus, all of the drinks and food across the 14 restaurants and bars is included.

This resort has become the Caribbean’s popular go-to when it comes to all-inclusive family vacations that provide great value since there’s so much to do for guests of all ages. There’s a 45,000-square-foot water park, 24 restaurants, unlimited PADI-certified scuba diving and water sports, a 12-mile beach, a spa, 10 pools—whew!

If you live in the city and want to get back to nature, this luxury farm over nearly 11,000 acres in California’s Santa Ynez Valley is a perfect fit for a family. All that wide-open space means activities like horseback riding, scenic cycling, hiking, fishing, kayaking and, for the body-and-spirit-minded traveler in your group, yoga.

The 20,000-acre community includes a nature preserve with walking trails, but the real stars of the show here are the over 300 species of birds. The resort’s resident naturalist takes families on walks to Bird Island, sharing a history of the area. Plus, kids will love the kayak tours that get up close to the dolphins that live there year-round.

10 . A recent study suggests that groundwater is an answer to water shortages in African countries south of the Sahara Desert, This finding could help millions of people in an area which is expected to be strongly affected by climate change.

WaterAid, an international non-profit group, and the British Geological Survey (BGS), a British government organization, carried out the research.    1    

The report released in March said underground water could help develop agriculture in the area. Additional water resources could help farming in an area where only three to five percent of agricultural land is irrigated (灌溉). For example, BGS information shows Senegal has an aquifer (地下水层) that has been kept in good condition by years of rainfall    2    Experts say it is hard to find scientists who are trained at finding underground water.

    3    When a well in the village began to dry up in 2021, the government dug another one. That well started to dry up, too. Then the town raised US $5, 000 to dig a new well last year. But that well also failed. The most dependable aquifers can be 400 meters underground.    4    Building a well that deep costs about US $20, 000.

“We can’t drink enough to satisfy our thirst,” said Oumou. Drame. She is 40 years old and a mother of five. “We don’t sleep at night.    5    . From very early in the morning until now we are looking for water,” said Drame.