New research shows sheep are clever

    People often make jokes about how dull sheep are, but new research shows they may be cleverer than we think. Researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that Welsh mountain sheep have brainpower that equals rodents (啮齿动物). Tests found that the sheep can map the area they live in, and some may even be able to plan ahead.

    Young fish prefer noisy neighbors

    A new study has shown that young fish like to live on reefs (暗礁) with noisy neighbors! Researchers from the universities of Auckland and Bristol found that young fish looking for a home choose areas where other noisy fish live. The scientists produced all kinds of sounds which had been recorded in different natural environments. The young fish seemed to prefer the sounds of natural reefs, compared with noisy animals! The scientists compared the choice to a music fan wandering around at a music festival, choosing to set up a tent closest to the music they like best!

    Butterflies are disappearing

    A new study has shown that 17 species (物种) of butterfly found in Europe have dropped by 70% in the last 20 years. The information collected from 3,000 sites across 15 countries shows it may be caused by the loss (减少) of grasslands covered with flowers. You can encourage butterflies to come into your garden by planting flowers.

    A new phone app uses shaking from smartphones to warn people about earthquakes. The new app is called MyShake, which is the work of four researchers at the University of California. Berkeley.

    Smartphones are equipped with accelerometers(加速器). MyShake uses phone accelerometers to measure seismic (地震的) activity. It has been programmed to know the difference between normal activity and earthquake movement. The software developers say their app is right 93 percent of the time. A smartphone sends seismic information to the app developers. If the developers receive several warnings from one area, it recognizes that an earthquake may be taking place or will take place soon. Using information sent from the app, the network then judges the location and strength of the quake in real time. MyShake can record 5.0 earthquake at distances of 10 kilometers or less.

    MyShake uses very little power, according to its developers. Only when seismic activity is sensed by the app does it become active and sends data to the network. The app works best when your phone is resting on a flat surface, like a table.

    The developers hope that MyShake can add to information collected by the U.S Geological Survey. That U.S agency has created the Earthquake Early Warning System, also known as the EEW. The EEW has used sensors for measuring quakes in many areas. In places where no such equipment exists, MyShake may be the only method of early quake detection (发现). The app also shows ways to stay safer during an earthquake. The developers say it will become more effective as more people use it.

    The developers say they hope to add a feature that will warn people about possible tsunami after an earthquake.

    Among the most popular forms of dieting is the South Beach diet, developed by Arthur Agatston of Miami, Florida. Dr. Agatston developed the South Beach diet for his patients with heart problems to lose weight. Since weight matters a lot in keeping heart healthy and traditional low-fat diets were too difficult for them to stick to, Dr. Agatston decided to create a plan that could help his patients. At first, the diet was just for his patients. Soon, thanks to his patients' success, the diet became the buzz in Miami, and eventually, word spread across the nation.

    This diet focuses on a healthy balance between carbohydrates（碳水化合物）and fats. It is based on eating a combination of “good” carbohydrates and fats, while limiting those “bad” ones. It is divided into three different phases.

    The first phase lasts for two weeks and is the strictest of the three. During this phase, you are asked to restrict（限制）all carbohydrates (good and bad). You are allowed to eat all types of fish, cheeses, eggs, and nuts, and a large number of vegetables. Most dieters can expect to lose between 8 and 12 pounds during this phase.

    During Phase 2, you are allowed to reintroduce some of those carbohydrates that are not allowed before. You are encouraged to start eating carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index（升糖指数）. But you should keep in mind that the key is moderation（适度）. Most people continue to lose 1-2 pounds per week. You continue with this phase until you reach your target weight.

    Phase 3 is designed to help you keep your weight. During Phase 3, you can reintroduce some of the carbohydrates that have a higher glycemic index, although again, this should be in moderation. Phase 3 is meant to be a way of life.

    Road trip

    Motorhome delivery offers great family holidays. For just $1 a day, you can hire a fully-equipped motorhome, which you deliver to a specific destination within some days and kilometers. You then hire another one to get home or take a bus or train. Your only other expense will be fuel and about $20 a day for parking fees. To learn more, visit apollocamper. com.

    Plan ahead

    For a comfortable break, flexibility with times, dates and places helps lower the cost. Find a few hotels you like, ask about their vacant rooms, then wait a few weeks and call again. If they still have rooms, you're at an advantage to ask for a better price. Lots of last-minute deals are online. Watif (watif. com. au) has deals on hotels that have dropped their prices so slow. You don't know where you're staying until it's booked, but anywhere with four or five stars has to be fairly good.

    Back to nature

    Wild camping appeals to nature lovers and costs nothing. This is forbidden on beaches and parks in most urban areas, but you can turn up in more distant area as long as nobody owns the land. You'll need to take everything with you and may need to shop on eBuy (ebuy. com. au). If you're a camping beginner, be aware of safety measures and get your questions answered on the Internet.

    Swap meet

    How about a home swap? For a $250 yearly joining cost, you can stay in someone's home in an international place of your choice while they or someone else stays in yours. Find out more at familylink.com.au.

    During the two and a half years since I settled down in Germany, I've caught a cold several times and gotten to experience how different German cold remedies (疗法)are from the Chinese ones.

    Back in Taiwan, whenever I had a streaming nose and a dry throat, I'd rush to the hospital to get prescribed medicine. For a fever, I would receive a red pill, which I now know is a type of antibiotic (抗生素).

    Another thing I know now is that the criminal behind my cold is a virus. The drugs I used only relieved the symptoms. When I went to a German hospital intending to get some medicine to treat my cold, I got nothing more than a pat on my shoulder and words from the doctor, saying that I should get some really good rest. The first time this happened, I was shocked. I wondered how I could put up with my sickness without the help of medicine. But the longer I stayed in Germany, the better I knew how to self-medicate as other Germans do.

    I learned to take vitamin C to build up my resistance. But what I like the most is drinking "Erkaltungstee". For German people, Erkaltungstee is what their grandmother gives them when they catch a cold. It's a tea bag mainly made of lime flower and orange rind. Another popular cold remedy in Germany is chicken soup. During my first winter in Germany, I got a really bad cold. My neighbor brought me a bowl of chicken soup to make me feel better. It contained a lot of ginger, onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Germans believe these ingredients are perfect for helping your body recover.

A planet the size of Jupiter has been discovered and it is one of the hottest ones known to us. This has made scientists think about how planets are formed.

Planets such as Earth have more oxygen than carbon, but what if the composition（组成）is just the opposite? This is a question opened up by a recent discovery of a diamond planet by US and UK scientists. The planet is 1200 light years away from Earth and was observed using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Dr Marek Kukula explained that researchers initially used the Super WASP(Wide Angle Search for Planets) robotic observatories operating continuously, all year around. They detected the planet, then it was observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected the heat coming from the planet, and from that heat signature they can tell what this planet is made from.

The planet is very different to Earth. "It's giant planet," explains Dr Kukula, "a gas planet, a bit like Jupiter in our solar system. But the interesting thing that they've discovered is that it has a very different composition to the planets in our solar system. This planet has more carbon than oxygen." This suggests that there is more than one way to make a solar system and the range of planets in the universe could be much wider than previously thought.

Dr Kukula says that if there are smaller planets in the same solar system with a similar composition, rich in carbon, their rocks could be rich in minerals such as carbon and diamonds, unlike Earth which has silica (硅石), the sand that rocks on Earth are made from. "This is where this diamond planet idea comes from; they haven't actually detected a diamond planet yet," explains Dr Kukula.it' s hypothetical (假设的), "but you can imagine strange landscapes with black graphite rocks lying around and the surface could be covered with sticky liquids instead of water".