New mercury(汞) threat to oceans from climate change

    Rising temperatures could boost mercury levels in fish by up to seven times the current rates, said Swedish researchers in an article published in Science Journal. They've discovered warming increases levels of the toxin (毒素) in sea creatures. In experiments, they found that extra rainfall drives up the amount of organic material flowing into the seas. This alters the food chain, adding another layer of complex organisms which boosts the concentrations of mercury up the line.

    Mercury is one of the world's most toxic metals, and according to the World Health Organization, is one of the top ten threats to public health. The substance at high levels has been linked to damage to the nervous system, paralysis and mental impairment in children.

    The most common form of exposure to mercury is by eating fish containing methylmercury(甲基水银), an organic form of the chemical which forms when bacteria react with mercury in water, soil or plants. Levels of mercury in the world's ecosystems have increased by between 200% and 500%, since the industrial revolution say experts, driven up by the use of fossil fuels such as coal.

    In recent years there have been concentrated efforts to limit the amount of mercury entering the environment, with an international treaty, called the Minamata Convention, signed by 136 countries in place since 2013.

Researchers hope that the Minamata treaty will be successful and countries reduce the amount of mercury that is being produced. Otherwise this discovery of a previously unknown source could have impacts for human health.

    Other researchers in the field say that the new study highlights important issues that have previously been little known.

     “This work experimentally proves that climate change will have a significant effect of methylmercury budgets in coastal waters and its accumulation in fish,” said Milena Horvat from the Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia.

     “This work will also help us understand the formation of mercury in fish and help reduce mercury from emission sources (primarily industrial).”

    Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British theoretical physicist who published wildly popular books exploring the mysteries of the universe, has died, according to a family spokesman. He was 76.

    Considered by many to be the world's greatest living scientist, Hawking was also a cosmologist, astronomer, mathematician and author of numerous books including the landmark“A Brief History of Time,” which has sold more than 10 million copies.

    With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking combined Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory(量子理论) to suggest that space and time would begin with the Big Bang and end in black holes. He also discovered that black holes were not completely black but emit(释放) radiation and would likely eventually evaporate(蒸发) and disappear. “It will be difficult enough to avoid disasters on planet Earth in the next 100 years, let alone next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket or on one plant. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load.”

    Hawking suffered from ALS (amyotrophic latcral sclerosis), a disease which is usually fatal within a few years. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially gave him only a few years to live. The disease left Hawking wheelchair-bound and paralyzed. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for everything—bathing, dressing, eating, even speech. “I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.” Dramatically, he even guest-starred in the “Star Trek”, “The Simpsons” and the 2014movie “The theory of Everything”.

    Hawking leaves behind three children and three grandchildren. “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. “We will miss him forever.”

    Discovering Tasmania

    The island of Tasmania a place of natural beauty and has more than 2,000 km of walking tracks and 18 national parks. If you go on a tour, you'll discover a wild and beautiful place where the people are friendly and the food is delicious. If you don't like walking, there are other tours you can choose from including a river cruise(巡游) and cycling. You can also enjoy fishing, sailing or sunbathing on the beach.

    The Tarkine coast is located in the northwest of Tasmania. It's such a wild and remote(偏僻) area that you can easily complete your walk without seeing anyone apart from the members of your group and your two guides. The area contains the largest rainforest in Australia which is home to more than 50 endangered species. It is also home to many Aboriginal Heritage Sites. During your tour, you'll come across rivers, mountain ranges, waterfalls, wildlife and long wild beaches.

    Tour Itinerary：

    Day 1：

    You're picked up from your hotel in Launceston and driven to the Tarkine. You then complete a three­hour walk through the forest before arriving at your camp at Mystery Creek. There you will enjoy a delicious meal cooked by your guides.

    Day 2：

    After breakfast, you continue deeper into the rainforest, passing some of the tallest trees in the world as you go, and stopping for lunch and then camp in the evening.

    Day 3：

    The exciting part of today's tour is the Tarkine Falls, a beautiful 15­metre waterfall.

    Day 4：

    You can stay at the camp and bathe in the Tarkine Falls, or you can go for a walk for more fantastic views of the forest.

    Day 5：

    After a last journey through the forest, you are picked up at about 4：00 p．m. and you arrive in Launceston at around 7：00 p．m.

    The tour includes two professional guides, transport to and from the rainforest, all food while on the tours and all safety equipment. You should buy or hire(租用) recommended camping equipment including: backpacks, sleeping bags, rain coats and trousers.

    For hours after their boat sank, Ken Henderson and Coen trod(踏) water in the Gulf of Mexico, talking about life and death while struggling to survive. For more than 30 hours, it worked.

Then Henderson was forced to make a decision. "I'm going to go for help or you're not going to make it," Henderson told Coen, just before cutting the strap(带子) that connected them in the deep, cold waters. "I understand,"Coen responded, giving Henderson a last set of instructions, "Kiss my babies for me."

    Days after the fishing trip ended in tragedy, Henderson told the story for The Associated Press.

    They had been fishing for a few hours when suddenly Coen noticed the boat was filling with water. Henderson got both motors roaring, only to have the saltwater that had leaked in break them straight away…Coen jumped to the right, his sunglasses and cap flying off. The two grabbed extra life jackets and other floating items, including a half full bottle of Diet Coke.

"The water was so cold and it took your breath away," Henderson said. They immediately began to tremble.

    The pair prepared for a long wait. And they talked.

"We discussed things and discussed life. We discussed families. We just tried to keep occupied," Henderson said.

    Eventually Coen started hallucinating(有幻觉). Henderson tried to keep Coen's arms and legs moving. But as morning came, Coen's situation worsened. And so Henderson decided to cut the strap.

    He swam for two hours, tired, frustrated and depressed. Then he saw an oil rig(钻探平台) in the distance. He swam, seeing ice and crystal trees in the water. He reminded himself constantly there were no trees.

    His legs was so weak that he could barely lift them. Henderson slowly pulled himself up the rig's ladder.

    It was over 50 miles from where they had gone in the water.

    All he could think of was Coen. Convinced his friend would survive, he told the coast guard where they had parted.

    Two hours later, a fisherman found a body in a life jacket.

    Later, in the hospital, Henderson saw his friend. He apologized and asked for forgiveness. He promised to realize his wishes and look after his girls.

"I felt like a part of me had died out there," Henderson said.

    Born and raised in a digital age, today's young people are generally tech savvy (技术娴熟的). But when it comes to basic life skills, they're less capable than the older generation.

    According to a recent study, 69 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK have no idea how to bleed a radiator(暖气片换水). About 35 percent of them don't know how to sew on a button, while about 11 percent don't understand how to change a light bulb or iron clothes.

    It appears young people are losing the skills older generations took for granted. In fact, the problem is shared by young people in the United States. According to a report by Forbes in 2014, most millennial (千禧一代) drivers don't know how to check their tire pressure. Cooking is another basic life skill that has been dropped, as millennials are much more likely to order food deliveries than previous generations.

    Technology may be to blame for this generational gap. Skills at using phones and computers are the ones valued these days, and the practical skills are now seen as functions that can be easily outsourced (外包). Indeed, improvements in technology have made young people unfamiliar with many basic life skills. For example, with GPS always at hand, young people have had no need to learn how to read physical maps.

    However, this change has raised concerns among many people. “If you have your master's degree and you can't live within your means or go home from your job and feed yourself a nutritious (有营养的) meal, you're not a complete graduate,” Chris Moore, a professor from Brigham Young University, US, told Huff Post.

    That's why there's an increasing call for the return of “home ec” in the US, short for home economics, which teaches basic life skills like cooking and how to do laundry. It was very popular in the early 20th century, but was later taken out of schools and universities because of budget(预算) cuts. But recently, home ec was reintroduced in a small number of schools and universities.

    “The educational system would work better if every academic class had a practical course that applied the theory to do something regular people do in real life,” Robert Frost, instructor and flight controller at NASA, wrote on Quora, according to Huff post.

    The market watchdog(市场监督部门) in northwest China's Xi'an has started a survey into a complaint that a woman's newly bought Mercedes-Benz car has engine oil leaks(漏). The incident has attracted wide attention after a video of a woman sitting on top of a Mercedes-Benz while weeping and arguing with salesmen went viral online. In the video posted on Weibo by a net friend on April 11, the woman said she found an oil leak when she was driving the car home from the 4S store. After she drove the car back, the trader claimed the car had passed all tests before it was sold. She was told she couldn't get her money back nor change a new car for her. All that the trader could offer was to change the engine. The CLS300 car cost around 660,000 yuan($98,445).

    The customer met with officials from the market watchdog of Gaoxin District on Saturday, requesting a full maintenance(维修) history of the car and an independent test by a third-party, Shaanxi TV Station reported.

    Mercedes-Benz issued an announcement on its Weibo account on Saturday, saying it was sorry for the customer's "unpleasant experience". The company has sent a team to Van to help solve the issue.

    Li Yong, an official with the market watchdog of Gaoxin District in Xi'an, told cnwest.com that they learned about the incident online. They are still surveying the incident. They will punish those who are responsible if anything illegal is discovered.