If you can't wait until the summer for your sunshine fix, why not fly off on a winter break? Here are some great deals for all budgets.

    1. ST LUCIA

    The beachside resort(度假胜地)of St James's Club in Morgan Bay is fairly quiet—the local market is nearly 5 kin away—but it has six bars, six restaurants and four outdoor pools. There are plenty of water sports, you can travel through the rainforest, go on a jeep trip or enjoy dolphin-Spot-ting. Average temperature in March is 27℃.

THE DEAL:A seven-nightstay with flights from Gatwick for 1,429pp. From March 1.

    2. GOA

    With an average February temperature of 26℃, scenic Goamakes for a warm winter get away. In the village of Arpora, the Resorte Marinha Dourada is a 10-minute walk from the clear beach—the hotel provides transfers for guests. Alternatively, relax by the outdoor pool and have a drink at one of the hotel's two bars. A visit toArpora's lively Saturday night market is also recommended. Go bird-watching, beating on thelake, or fishing.

    THE DEAL: 10 nights' bedand breakfast with flights from Manchester for 1,157pp. From February 18.

    3. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

    Bayahibe is a beautiful fishing village on the shores of theCaribbean and it is also the Dominican Republic's premier scuba-diving destination. There are around 20 dive sites just off its coast. Enjoy golf, spas, watersportsand large outdoor pools. If you simply want to relax, the CataloniaGran Dominicus hotel is right on a pure white sandy beach, complete with palm trees. With average February temperature of 28℃, it's theperfect escape．

    THE DEAL: A seven-nightstay with Gatwick flights for 1, 403pp. FromFebruary 20.

    4. SOUTH AFRICA

    February is summer in South Africa, with average temperatures in the mid-20s℃. If you fancy chilling out in the sunshine, the Southern Sun Waterfront hotel has a large outdoor pool. But it is also in the heart ofthe city, which makes it easy to explore its many historic attractions. Take a cable car ride up TableMountain, or a shortboat trip to Robben Island，where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner.

    THE DEAL: 10 nights for 1, 662pp, with Heathrow flights. From February 18.

    In the near future, we may be using our eyes to operate our smart-phones and tablets, even when it comes to playing popular games like Fruit Ninja.

    The Gaze Group has been developing eye-controlled computer technology for nearly 20years. But those devices have been firstly designed to help those with disabilities, and are very expensive.

    “After a while, we figured out that probably the best way is to go for a mass-market way,”says Gaze's Sune Alstrup Johansen. “Where everybody would have this available.”

    Johansen and some of his colleagues have formed a new company, the Eye Tribe, which is hoping to develop the technology on a mass commercial level.

    The technology works when combined with the computing device toward the user's face. After making sure of the user's eye movements, the technology is then able to easily find where a person's eyes are moving, and then allow the eyes to control a cursor (光标)

    “Our software can then determine the location of the eyes and know where you're looking on the screen to make sure what you're looking at, ”reads an explanation on the Eye Tribe site.

    There has been a gradual change toward hands-free technology in recent years, particularly in the gaming world. Recently Xbox released the Kinect device, which lets users control their Xbox and play certain games using only their hands, legs and voices. But still, most of these devices have been more of a gimmick than a practical way to use one's hands to control a mobile device. Johansen said a replaceable filter (滤光器) would be a cheap, convenient way for most consumers.

    And even as companies like The Eye Tribe work to create such a product for the average user, making the eye-controlled technology more accessible and less expensive will have similar benefits for physically disabled users.

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    Many science fiction stories tell about explorers arriving in a new world. The explorers then use some kind of high-tech device to test for breathable air or signs of life. But here on Earth, science fiction is becoming reality through a new sampling technology called environmental DNA, or eDNA for short. Scientists can use it to identify rare species or estimate fish populations with just a little air or water.

    Environmental DNA can be used in two ways. One is to identify the creatures that live in a certain place. The other is to confirm the presence or lack of a specific creature.

    Caren Goldberg is one of the first biologists to take the technology from the testing stage to actually using it. She sees eDNA as a way to get answers more efficiently and with less destruction compared to traditional survey techniques. Until recently, scientists depended on snorkeling ( 潜水), netting or using an electric current to temporarily catch fish.

    This newer way to identify what lives in the environment is becoming popular around the world. Animal experts in Vietnam are using the eDNA to find the last, wild Yangtze giant softshell turtles. One researcher on the Caribbean island of Trinidad is using the sampling technology to find endangered golden treefrogs. In Madagascar, it is being used to identify amphibian(两栖动物)diseases.

    Ms Goldberg has used eDNA testing to confirm the local extinction (灭绝) of a leopard frog in the American state of Idaho. She has also been asked to document the spread of the New Zealand mudsnail in the state of Washington. The creature has been found in lakes and other waterways across the state.

    Scientists working with the technology say they do not expect robots to replace field biologists anytime soon. But the old-fashioned field work could soon be more targeted.

    Get ready to fill your days full of fun and adventure. West Dorset, an area of outstanding natural beauty, is always a place to go and there is always something going on. The following are some of the star attractions.

    Mapperton House & Gardens

    Impressive valley gardens surrounded by wooded landscape.

    Gardens open: Daily 11 am -5 pm except Fridays, March to October included.

    Booking through Tel: (0103)959203 or www.mapperton.com

    Bridport Museum

    Local history museum attracts every history lovers. We also have a year-round Local History Centre nearby where you can complete local and family history research.

    Open: Monday-Saturday, April to October included.

    Booking through Tel: (0103) 959711 or www.bridportmuseum.com

    Furlelgh Estate Wine Tours

    Vineyard and winery, producers of the UK's most outstanding wine. Come and see how the 2019 Winemaker of the Year makes wine.

    Open for sales: 11 am-4 pm Fridays and Saturdays, tours at 2 pm.

    Booking through Tel: (0103) 906323 or wwwjurleiehestate.uk

    Old Crown Court and Cells

    Experience two hundred years of shocking crime and punishment. Tours of court room and cells on selected afternoons mid July to end August.

    Open: Tuesday-Sunday, March to September included.

    Booking through www.visitdorset.com

    For all the latest information about attractions including opening times, reasonable prices and special offers，please go to www.visitdorset.com

    For the first time, China's South Pole researchers can eat fresh vegetables grown regularly, according to Wang Zheng, the grower, who came home last month after a 400-day mission in Antarctica.

    "Growing vegetables in Antarctica reminded me of The Martian, a sci-fi movie about an astronaut who survives alone on Mars by eating potatoes he grows there," Wang said on Friday. "I totally understand the main character of the movie, I understand how he feels when he watches a small green plant grow in a fragile man-made environment,'' said the 40-year-old doctor. But he admitted that the conditions he faced in the Antarctic were much better than those in the film.

    Wang said the growth chamber(生长室) at the Zhongshan Station, had only a low yield when it was established in 2013. The amount was too small to make it possible for researchers to have vegetable dishes. To increase the yield, he reduced the number of vegetable varieties and focused on only some fast-growing ones, which makes the output stable. As a result, during much of his stay there, at least one vegetable dish, such as cucumbers, lettuce or cabbage, was served at every meal for a group of 18 researchers.

    Wang, an orthopedist, said he knew nothing about botany or farming before he arrived at the station in December, 2014. "I was given this job probably because my office is next to the growth chamber, and as a doctor, I had more spare time than others," Wang said. He considered many factors, such as light, temperature and humidity. Light music is played in the 16-square - meter greenhouse around the clock. "Mild music is good for vegetable growth," he said. "We also played Buddhist music, which has soft melody."

    "Growers before me did very good work. My job was to maintain the chamber and keep everything working." Before the  harvest, researchers had a very limited vegetable supply—mostly potatoes and cabbage, which taste awful after months of storage. "Because of our success in growing vegetables, we can have fresh vegetables every day," he said. "The Russian station is no more than one kilometer away from ours. We even had enough vegetables to invite our Russian colleagues for dinner."