Compared to eukaryotic cells, bacteria may seem much smaller and simpler—yet, their way of living provides insights into fundamental metabolic processes that have implications far greater than their size suggests. While the vast majority of bacteria that cluster in the human body are necessary for our existence and survival, certain types of bacteria are disease-causing organisms, or pathogens, and pose a danger to humans due to their ability to infect our cells.
Do some songs make you happier or sadder than others? If you’ve answered yes, you’re not alone. It seems music does this to all of us. Regardless of age, culture, or birth country, we all speak the emotional language of music.
Carnegie Hall in New York City ha d been f a mous f or it s wa r m,resonant sound since it opened in 1891. After ninety years, however, the hall needed a major makeover. When it reopened in late 1986, something was wrong. Musicians said the sound was harsh, hollow, brittle, and dead.The hall tried several fixes, but nothing worked. Nine years later, the mystery was solved. Somehow during the renovation, concrete had been laid under the wooden stage floor. That had dulled the sound, especially the bass notes. In a concert hall, even unseen det ails can make a huge difference.
Bravo for Concert Hall Acoustics Continue reading »
We love looking at art. We put it on our walls. We see it at museums. And if we’re inspired, we may even create it. What is it about our art experience that makes it so enjoyable? We can appreciate art as one of those things we do simply for a pleasurable experience—such as when we listen to music, watch a movie, or read a novel. For most of us, these activities capture our attention and spark an emotional response . Although our survival does not depend on such activities, our lives would seem so much less enjoyable without them.
Whenever the word “genius” is used, a small but magnificent group of names usually follows . Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Raphael, Beethoven and Mozart are the automatic choices . For the modern era, two giants stand above all others: Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso . They are in so many ways connected, especially because both of them redefined the way we consider the world we live in and both of them had brilliant new concepts of space. For Einstein, it meant the universe and man’s place in it were suddenly better known. For Picasso, the breakthrough was cubism, a way of looking at objects in space that was completely unlike any artistic vision before.
Have you ever considered what the world would look like without waste? A world free from garbage dumps, landfills and pollution? For some people, this may feel like a pipe dream given the era of consumerism and throwaway products that we live in. For others, there is great ambition and hope as the world is starting to respond to the global rise in waste, offering possible ways to address this challenge.
Places where life can thrive vary widely on planet Earth. Scientists find the greatest diversity in rainforests with abundant water and mild year-round temperatures.
In contrast to Earth, somewhere like Mars seems like a bleak wasteland. With an atmosphere that’s about 100 times thinner than Earth’s, the planet surface can’t hold in heat well. A summer day at the Martian equator might get up to 20℃ at noon
生命可能在哪些环境下生存？ Continue reading »
A car drives along an empty stretch of highway late one night in the mountains of New Hampshire, USA. Out of nowhere, a bright light appears. Could it be a falling star? It is September 19, 1961, and Betty and Barney Hill are on their way home from vacation in Montréal, Canada. Strangely, the bright light seems to follow them. Then the car starts to vibrate and the Hills hear strange buzzing and beeping sounds. A feeling of drowsiness washes over them.
On a winter morning in New York City in 2017, workers tossed a duct- taped box into a garbage truck. When the truck crushed the box, it exploded. The quick-thinking workers stopped the compactor, retrieved the burning box, and tossed it in a puddle, putting out the fire.
废旧电器的归宿废旧电器的归宿——我们该如何处理那些“危险”的电子垃圾？废旧电器的归宿 Continue reading »
