At the end of every year, Time picks the best 25 inventions that are “making the world better and smarter”. Here we have picked three of this year's inventions that could be a part of your life in the near future.

The levitating(悬浮的) lightbulb

    This special lightbulb was invented by US artist and scientist Simon Morris. He got the idea of making a lightbulb float from hoverboards(悬浮滑板)，which he used to dream of having as a kid.

    But the floating is not the most amazing part. The rejection force between the opposite ends of the magnets(磁铁)，which were put in the bottom of the bulb and in the wooden base, does the job. What's new here is a technology called induction (电磁感应). It allows the lightbulb to get power from the base even they are not in contact.

Shoes that tie themselves

    They're not what you think-shoelaces that tie themselves in the way we tie them. Instead, the new shoes have small motors that control their laces. When you step in them, your feet will hit a sensor（传感器）in the shoes and the motor will automatically tighten the laces.

    But the shoes weren't just designed for lazy people's needs. They could actually give athletes an advantage during competition. They are also useful for people who cannot move their arms or fingers easily.

The no-touch thermometer

    Taking your body temperature usually means putting a thermometer (体温计) in your armpits (腋窝) and staying still for minutes. It may be easy for you, but it's an impossible task for little kids.

    Now, with the new thermometer, users can simply put it 2.5 centimeters from a patient's forechead and press the button, and it can get the reading in two seconds.

    Wild animals are our friends, but many of them are getting fewer and fewer. We should try to protect them. The four animals below are now in danger.

     Tibetan Antelopes

    Tibetan antelopes are medium - sized animals. They mainly feed on grass. They are usually found in groups of about 20. They are killed for their wool, which is warm, soft and fine and can be made into expensive clothes. Although people can get the wool without killing the animals, people simply kill them before taking the wool. The number of them is dropping year by year. There are less than 75,000 Tibetan antelopes left in the world, down from a million 50 years ago.

    Golden Monkeys

    Golden monkeys are mainly found in Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi provinces and Shengnongjia mountainous area of Hubei Province. Golden monkeys have golden - orange fur. They move around in the daytime, usually in groups of as many as 100 to 200 heads, or 20 to 30 heads. They feed on fruits and young leaves of bamboos. But people are destroying the environment where they live. Trees and bamboos are disappearing, so golden monkeys have less and less to eat.

    Elephants

    Elephants are very big and strong. They are bigger than any other animals on land. They are grey and have long trunks and tusks. They have poor eyesight, but very good hearing and smell. They can lift heavy things and break down branches with their trunks. Elephants are very friendly towards each other and towards their neighbours. Normally, they live in a group for many years. Young male elephants do not leave the group until they are about 12 years old. Now, there are very few elephants in the world. The number of them is becoming smaller and smaller because their living areas are used for fanning. Also, people hunt them for their tusks.

    Wolves

Wolves are not very big. They have grey fur. Solves have very good eyesight, hearing and smell. Wolves' food is various. They eat animals, insects and snails. They are friendly to each other and never attack people. They do not kill for fun. Wolves are in danger, too. They are losing their living areas because people cut down forests. Soon they will have no home or food.

    Many years ago, people relied on the sun, the moon and stars to find their way around. Later, the compass was introduced. And now, we have satnav（卫星导航）systems to guide us. A satnav system uses groups of satellites to show the user's location. They send information to a receiver, such as a smart phone, to show us where we are.

    The earliest built satnav system is the Global Positioning System, which belongs to the US. Then there is Russia's Global Navigation（导航）Satellite System, the European Union's Galileo and China's own satellite navigation system, BeiDou.

    On October 14, 2017, an ARJ21-700 plane, which was the first domestically-produced jet equipped with the BeiDou navigation system, successfully completed a test flight. The results showed the performance of the system developed by China matches that of similar systems produced abroad, according to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

    Since its introduction in 2000, the Beidou navigation system has seen increasing numbers of applications linked to everyday life, from shared bikes to farming.

    When it comes to shared bikes, smart locks that support BeiDou chips offer more accurate positioning than others, making it easier to find a bike.

    Farmers can use BeiDou-enabled tractors to plow（犁）the soil and use unmanned aircraft with BeiDou to sow seeds, which can improve efficiency and make better use of resources. BeiDou's farming applications have spread from Heilongjiang province to Beijing, Liaoning, Shanxi, Hubei and other regions across China.

    With its many uses, the Beidou navigation system is even playing a big role in the Belt and Road Initiative（— 带—路）. “To date, the BeiDou system has covered most parts of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as counties along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road” said Yang Changfeng, Chief designer of the BeiDou system.

    Today, there are more than 20 BeiDou satellites above our heads, and China plans to launch even more this year to expand the BeiDou network to better serve the Belt and Road Initiative.

    “As BeiDou expands its overseas reach, it will be increasingly popular in the logistics （物流）industry,” said Miao Qianjun, secretary-general of the navigation services association. “Ships, for example, can use it to position themselves while sailing across oceans to European countries, no longer limited to Southeast Asian regions in the near future.”

    Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:

    A happier heart

    Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart．Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow. These benefits are the result of coca's chemicals, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation (炎症)．

    Better blood pressure

    If yours is high, chocolate may help. Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.

    Muscle magic

    Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout (锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.

    Better for your skin

    German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special cocoa every day. After three months, the women's skin was moister (滑润的) and smoother. The research shows that chocolate helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance．

Brain gains

    It sounds almost too good to be true, but research suggests that chocolate may improve your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving by increasing blood flow to the brain．

Family Fun in Canadian Museum of Nature

    Bring the whole family to rediscover our fully redecorated museum.

    WHAT TO SEE AND DO

    Check out What's On for all the events, educational activities and HD movies happening during your visit. Care for birds, dive down into the depths at the helm (舵柄) of a research submersible(潜水器) or explore a cave… on the first floor. Don't miss our gallery play areas on the third floor when visiting with kids. By visiting here, your children will learn more about nature. Check out Our Exhibitions which present our special exhibitions and our galleries. Be sure to stop at our Nature Boutique on the second floor for a vast selection of games, books and nature-related souvenirs from 9:30 am until the museum closes for the day.

    HOURS, ADMISSION, SERVICES AND MORE

    The Canadian Museum of Nature provides a host of information, images and videos on our websites about nature, such as http://www.nature.ca/en/family-fun and http://www.expeditionarctic.ca/.The museum also participates in several social networks. Follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

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