1 . “Going wireless is the future for just about everything!” That is a quote from scientist Sreekanth Chalasani, and we can’t help but agree. Realizing this, a team of scientists has made a breakthrough toward wirelessly controlling human cells using sound, in a technique called “sonogenetics (声遗传学).” This concept may seem strange but let us explain.

Basically, the term “sonogenetics” means using ultrasound (超声波) to change the behavior of cells in a non-invasive manner. “We already know that ultrasound is safe, and that it can go through bone, muscle and other tissues, making it the ultimate tool for controlling cells deep in the body,” says Chalasani.

Low-frequency ultrasound waves can target a particular protein that is sensitive to the signal. This research, published in Nature Communications, focused on TRPA1. When this protein is stimulated through the ultrasound waves, it also stimulates the cells which carry it. What type of cell is being stimulated depends on the outcome. For example, a muscle cell may contract with stimulation, or a neuron (神经元) in the brain will fire. In this experiment, scientists genetically marked cells with an increased concentration of TRPA1, making them the key targets of the ultrasound waves.

Currently, treating conditions like Parkinson’s disease requires scientists to implant electrodes (电极) in the brain which stimulate certain disordered cells. Researchers hope that sonogenetics can one day replace these invasive treatments.

In the future, the team wants to adjust the placement and amount of TRPAI around the body using the gene treatment. Gene delivery techniques have already been shown to be successful in humans, such as in treating blindness. Therefore, it’s just a case of adjusting this theory to a different sound-based setting.

“Gene delivery techniques already exist for getting a new gene—such as TRPA1—into the human heart,” Chalasani says. “If we can then use an external ultrasound device to activate those cells, that could really change pacemakers.” There is still a while to go before this treatment can become a reality. The future for sonogenetics, though, looks bright.

Malaria has been a    1     (dead) problem for humans since ancient times. Countless people have died of it.    2    (thank), Chinese scientist Tu Youyou found qinghaosu.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of Tu’s    3     (discover). In 1967, Chinese started a national project. Two years later, Tu became director of it to develop     4     drug against malaria. Tu and her team collected over 600 plants and listed almost 380 possible Chinese recipes for malaria.

One recipe uses the sweet wormwood plant    5    (treat) malaria Tu found it effective and tried to extract the qinghaosu    6    it in order to make drugs and succeeded in 1972.

After her team showed that qinghaosu could treat malaria in mice and monkeys, Tu and two of her colleagues volunteered to test the drug on    7     (they) before testing it on human patients. It turned out     8     qinghaosu was safe. Gradually, qinghaosu became the first-line treatment for malaria,     9     (save) millions of lives around the world.

In 2015, when Tu     10     (award) with the Nobel Prize, she refused to take all of the credit. She said, “Every scientist dreams of doing something that can help the world.”

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients     1     (treat) with natural plant, animal, and mineral remedies (药物). It is assumed, for a person to be healthy,     2     yin and yang forces should he in balance. Imbalance causes illness or injury. TCM is about     3     (restore) the balance between yin and yang forces in patients. It has been a major part of traditional Chinese culture and continues to play     4     vital role in medical treatment in China today.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs    5     medicines from plants and animals. This is especially true in countries where traditional medicines are     6     (wide) used.

Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading    7     (popular) of natural remedies around the world, the demand for these medicines and remedies     8     (rise) now. The rising demand,     9     (combine) with reduced habitat, has caused an alarming increase in the number of plant and animal species used for medicinal purposes at risk for many years. For instance, TCM uses about 1,000 plant and 36 animal species, including the tiger, rhinoceros, and sea horse,     10     are all in danger.

4 . Can a diabetic (糖尿病患者) find affordable life insurance? Yes, if you follow these 3 steps. Here is what you need to know to save money on life insurance for diabetics：

    1    

How can you control your diabetes? You probably know the following, which can help you：

★Eat the right food.

★Exercise regularly.

★Keep your weight in a healthy range.

★See your doctor for check－ups.

★Ask your doctor questions about how to better control your blood sugar and follow that advice.

★    2    

★Keep records of your blood sugar tests, exercise and food intake.

★Consult with your doctor about what changes might help you keep better control of your diabetes.

Prepare for your exam

    3    The blood test will examine how well you are controlling your diabetes over the past several months.You will also be examined for your height, weight, blood pressure and other health indicators. Your agent will give you instructions to help you get the best results on your exam.It’s important to get the best results because the insurance companies look at your results as the most recent information about your health. They review your exam and make a determination about your rating(等级).     4    

The bottom line

    5    More importantly, you can help make it more affordable by caring for your health and asking an independent life insurance agent to help you find the best insurance.

5 . It is commonly known that when people have disease or feel ill, they will have pills or go to see a doctor in the hospital. They are accustomed to seeing a human doctor. However, have you tried seeing a doctor that is not a human being?

Many hospitals employ therapy dogs to comfort and inspire patients.     1     Peyo is a 15-year-old horse who used to compete professionally with his trainer Hassen Bouchakour. Now, he’s comforting patients and family members alike.

    2     The staff in the French hospital always call him “Doctor”. His trainer Hassen Bouchakour says that even at competitions, Peyo seemed to seek out contact specifically with those struggling physically or mentally. After a few years of research, vets believe Peyo’s brain functions in a unique sympathy-rich way.

In the hospital, Peyo goes from door to door in the care center. He has been highly effective for reducing patients’ stress and relieving anxiety for their family members as well. According to doctors, they knew how beneficial Peyo’s presence was by observation.     3    

Peyo has stayed with many patients right until the end of their lives. One patient, Daniel, was a former athlete.     4     When he passed away this year, his family requested that the horse accompany his coffin to the funeral.

Animals are born with power to comfort us.     5     Perhaps this uplifting story of animal companionship will encourage more medical facilities to look into the healing benefits of animals.

6 . Jack Andraka was 15 when he came up with an idea for a new way to test for pancreatic (胰腺) cancer. When Andraka was 14, a family friend died of the disease, and this affected him deeply. This kind of cancer is particularly serious because there is no test you can have done to find it in the early stages. By the time standard tests determine you have the disease, it is often too late. Realizing that this was the case, Andraka decided to try to develop a test that might catch problems at the earliest stages.

The road ahead looked difficult for Andraka. He was still a high school student, and he wanted to create something that no one else had done. But Andraka read endlessly about the disease, wrote a proposal for his idea, and sent it out to 200 cancer researchers. Only one professor, Dr.Anirban Maitra, responded positively. Dr.Maitra agreed to work with Andraka on his idea, giving him guidance and access to a laboratory.

The next big reward for Andraka’s perseverance was winning the grand prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This great award is given to young innovators who have developed a world-changing idea. Developing the test is likely to take many years, but Andraka hopes the test will eventually improve people’s lives and maybe save them.

Jack Andraka is not alone as a young innovator. After all, there were 1,499 other contestants for the Intel award, and all of them had ground-breaking ideas. For Andraka, having a family that loves science and encourages creative thinking gave him an advantage. But the key for Andraka is that reading, research, and discovery are just plain fun, and the chance to improve the world around him in the process makes it even better.