1 . The Chinese public on Tuesday sent their blessings to astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu—the crew of the Shenzhou-13 spaceflight mission, who have lived and worked in Tianhe space station core module for exactly one month since October 16.

Some 30 million Chinese netizens participated in online discussions of the event on Tuesday.

On seeing the latest images of the crew, some sharp eyes netizens are wondering if the food onboard is so yummy that the three lookedpuffyon camera.

“In zero gravity, liquids inside the human body would go upward into their faces and heads, causing them to look fatter. That’s a moon face, which is a common phenomenon.”said Pang Zhihao, a senior space expert in Beijing. Two-thirds of people’s bodies are made up of liquids. On Earth, gravity pulls most of this toward legs. The extra liquid in the head may lead to blocked noses and sinuses (鼻窦炎), but once the astronauts are back on Earth, they return to their normal appearance, according to the BBC. To feel better and relieve the “puffy face syndrome”, suggested that a negative pressure device may come in handy, as it could reverse the upward movement of liquids.

Planned to last six months, Shenzhou-13 mission is the longest space stay for a single space-flight mission in China’s history. One of the highlights of the first month’s stay in the Tianhe station was the successful execution (实施) of the Shenzhou-13’s first spacewalk, during which Zhai and Wang, the female astronaut, stepped out of the core module and completed all planned tasks in six and a half hours.

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)said in a statement at the time that the spacewalk, the first of the Shenzhou-13 mission and the third during the country’s space station building period, has further proved the performance of China’s home-developed spacesuit, the ability of the astronauts to work with the robotic arm, and the reliability and safety of the supporting system. The Shenzhou-13 crew will carry out another one or two spacewalks during the mission.

2 . Nowadays, we are very worried about such COVID-19 variants as Delta and Omicron. To relieve our anxieties, we should have a look at our own cell and the original COVID-19 virus.

First of all, our cell isn’t stupid. If any virus wants to enter our cell, it must figure out a way for its spike (触手) to hold tightly to the spike on the cell’s surface. You can imagine this connecting as a secret handshake.

At the early stage, the COVID-19 virus figured out a way to connect to a specific spike on the surface of human cell, called ACE2. But the connecting wasn’t perfect. However, it was good enough to trick the ACE2 to let it in.

Once the virus was inside the cell, it kept copying itself in order to find more cells to infect. During this time, the immune (免疫) system started making antibodies to fight back. Some of those antibodies acted like little caps that stick to the ends of the virus’s spike. Once “capped”, the infection couldn’t move forward, and the body won!

But every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, it has the chance of changing its spikes slightly. Most of the variations are actually harmful to the virus. So these variants disappear. However, once the virus hits upon a set of variations that actually help the virus to connect more tightly to the cell or more quickly, a person’s cell gets infected more easily.

Then what about the antibodies? Aren’t they coming to save us again? Well, yes... and no.

Scientists found that a person who was infected with the earlier version of the virus may not be protected as well against these new variants. He still can be infected, again. However, the antibodies’ spikes come in different shapes, too. So even though some antibodies become less useful, others will get the job done—or at least, hold back the infection long enough so the body can make new antibodies that fit perfectly on the changed spike.

5 . SHANGHAI---Within 48 hours, 61 artists from 13 countries sent their videos supporting China’s ongoing campaign to fight the novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) via their Chinese partner---ASK, a Shanghai-based international theater presenter committed to introducing partner theater productions for young audiences to China.

Most of the artists showed in their videos the slogan:”stay strong! We are with you, China !”

ASK planned to introduce top-class performances to a special venue at the Tianjin Grand Theater since this February, but this had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the epidemic(传染病)。

The artists have shown strong confidence in China as well as Tianjin in their efforts to combat(对抗) the virus.

Within the video, Yvette Hardie, president of Assitej, the International Association of Theater for Children and Young People affiliated(隶属的) to UNESCO, took the initiative in responding to the campaign, joined by a large group of artists from leading theater organizations around the world, including the Edinburgh Children’s Festival and Australian Windmill Theater, to name a few.

Shona Reppe, who starred in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean, a top children’s drama from Britain, said she expects the outbreak of the epidemic will soon be overcome and she is keen to come to China.

Ian Cameron, 73, who started White, also an internationally acclaimed classical piece from Britain, said: My heart is with you, China.”

Helene Ducharme, director of Elisapee and the Northern Lights from the Canadian troupe Motus, led a group of local friends to shoot the video while she was doing a co-production in Africa, using different languages to encourage China’s efforts to combat the virus.

Tony Mack, chairman of Slingsby, an Australian performance troupe(剧团) which is famous for its Emil and the Detectives, said:“The medical workers: You are heroes. Thank you so much for standing on the front line, and you are not only keeping China safe but also the whole world safe!”

The ASK team said it will remain positive and active in connecting with audiences and followers by spreading online content to enhance energy, courage and creativity.