A new study shows that rising levels of planet-warming gases may reduce important nutrients in food crops.

    Researchers studied the effects of one such gas—carbon dioxide—on rice. The researchers grew rice plants in a controlled environment. They set carbon dioxide levels to what scientists are predicting for our planet by the end of the century. They found that the resulting rice crops had lower than normal levels of vitamins, minerals and protein. The researchers said the effects of planet-warming gases would be most severe for the poorest citizens in some of the least developed countries. These people generally eat the most rice and have the least complex diets, they noted.

    In the experiment, scientists grew 18 kinds of rice in fields in China and Japan. They pumped carbon dioxide gas over the plants in an effort to create the atmosphere of the future. Rice grown under high carbon dioxide conditions had, on average, 13 to 30 percent lower levels of four B vitamins and 10 percent less protein. The crops also had 8 percent less iron and 5 percent less zinc（锌）an rice grown under normal conditions. However, vitamin E levels increased by about 13 percent on average.

    The results are bad news, “especially for the nutrition of the poorer population in less-developed countries,” said the University of Tokyo's Kazuhiko Kobayashi, who helped to write the report. That includes about 600 million people in Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Laos and other nations, mainly in Southeast Asia, the report said.

    One of the scientists is Sam Myers of Harvard University in the American state of Massachusetts. He said that findings like this are an example of the surprises climate change create. “My concern is there are many more surprises to come,” he said.

    Myers noted that pollution, loss of some species, destruction of forests, and other human activities are likely to produce unexpected problems. He said that you cannot completely change all the natural systems that living organisms have grown to depend on over millions of years without having effects come back to affect our own health.

    The new study suggests a way to lower the nutritional harm of climate change. One way, Kobayashi said, is grow different forms of rice that have shown to be more resistant to higher carbon dioxide levels.

    Passing through the Atlanta airport one morning, I caught one of those trains that take travelers from the main terminal to their boarding gates. Free, and impersonal, the trains run back and forth all day long. Not many people consider them fun, but on this Saturday I heard laughter. At the front of the first car – looking out the window at the track that lay ahead – were a man and his son.

    We had just stopped to let off passengers, and the doors were closing again. "Here we go! Hold on to me tight!" the father said. The boy, about five years old, made sounds of sheer delight.

    I know we're supposed to avoid making racial distinctions(种族歧视) these days, so I hope no one will mind if I mention that most people on the train were white, dressed for business trips or vacations.

    As I got off, I remembered something I'd wanted to buy in the terminal. I was early for my flight, so I decided to go back.

    I did – and just as I was about to reboard the train for my gate, I saw that the man and his son had returned too. I realized then that they hadn't been heading for a flight, but had just been riding the shuttle.

    "I want to ride some more!"

    "More?" the father said, mock-exasperated(嗔怪模仿) but clearly pleased. "You're not tired?"

    "This is fun!" his son said.

    "All right," the father replied, and when a door opened we all got on.

    There are parents who can afford to send their children to Europe or Disneyland, but the children turn out rotten. There are parents who live in million-dollar houses and give their children cars and swimming pools, yet something goes wrong. Rich and poor, black and white, so much goes wrong so often.

    "Where are all these people going, Daddy?" the son asked.

    "All over the world," came the reply. The other people in the airport were leaving for distant destinations or arriving at the ends of their journeys. The father and son, though, were just riding this shuttle together, making it exciting, sharing each other's company.

    Please Choose Cloud Services

    May be unsure, or you do not know where to begin. Trying every Cloud service would take a lot of time and work. But, the website Reviews.com might help.

    One valuable feature is the protection of digital files, including photos, videos, documents, music and more. If the worst happens and your computer crashes, or gets lost or damaged, your files can still found in the Cloud.

    Cloud services let you access your files from almost anywhere. No need to worry about a file stored on your computer when you are away from your desk. If you have an Internet connection, you can open your files from any computer, or from a phone, when they are stored using a Cloud service.

    Using a Cloud service makes sharing files easier. If you send documents to a group using emails, you may then wonder which version everyone is working with. When sharing files using a Cloud service, everyone will see the same document and the latest version.

    The first thing to consider is the amount of storage space you need. Check how much space you are currently using on your computer and mobile devices. If your computer or phone is filled with photos and you have little free space, you may want to move your photos to the Cloud. Some Cloud services are free. But, if you need a lot of space, you will probably need one that costs money.

    Even if everyone you have ever met is a Windows user, you still probably want a Cloud service that works with many platforms. You might become friends with an Android user or start a job with a company that computers on Apple!

    Vacation is a time for refreshment. In work, we are often called to think. Sometimes, it's good to give our brains a rest. Without a break, we may not be able to perform up to our potential. This can be a problem, not only for the employee, but for the employer as well.

    "The main benefit of vacation is for the worker to come back energized," says Weaver. "If they haven't had a break, then they're not coming back with new energy. They haven't had a chance to step back and get perspective（远景）, and come back with renewed enthusiasm."

    Long working hours without a break, insecurity about one's job, and other work-related worries can lead to burnout and stress. Humans can usually adapt to pressure, but not for a limitless amount of time.

    "It is a problem of relating good workers and having them loyal to the firm while they're there," says David Maume, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati. He says burnout can also affect employees' productivity, creativity, and effectiveness.

    In addition, high levels of stress may lead to depression, which can hit both the employer and employee's pocketbook. Even people who manage to remain productive at work can have problems. If they're always at work, then they're not with their family and friends. If they're working while on vacation, for the time that they're on the job, they're not really present.

    An unbalanced emphasis on work can strain family and social life. When you come up for air, you may see that you're alone, or that your relationships have gone on without you.

Natural silence—the kind when you hear nothing but the sound of nature around you—is becoming increasingly scarce.The rumblings of man-made noise can be heard even in the remote corners of national parks and deep in the Arctic Ocean.

 This is having a troubling effect.In humans,noise pollution has been linked to cardiovascular diseases,mental health problems and cognitive impairment in children.In wildlife,it's disrupting navigation,mating rituals,communication and can cause hearing loss."We're losing the ability to listen to nature without noise pollution," says sound recordist Matt Mikkelsen.He's part of the non-profit organization Quiet Parks International,which aims to identify and preserve the planet's last quiet places.

 Recently,this took him to Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota.No cars,motor boats,electricity or telephone lines are allowed in the 1-million-acre area,making it a strong candidate for Quiet Park status.But listening back to the recording,Mikkelsen can hear the low hum of a commercial jet flying far away.

 Quiet Parks hasn't yet decided if Boundary Waters meets its criteria—it's one of 260 potential sites around the world that the organization is currently exploring.The team will analyze the sound recordings from each location and consider them alongside other data.

 In recent years,the world has been getting louder,with cities and towns expanding and an increasing number of beeping cars,whooshing airplanes and cargo ships with blasting horns.But during the pandemic,there has been momentary respite.In 2020,global air travel was down by 60% and road transport decreased by almost half.Scientists in Europe found that noise caused by humans fell by up to 50% after lockdowns were imposed.

"People relished the silence," says Mikkelsen."There were no airplanes in the sky and cars weren't on the street...It was a miraculous thing to be able to hear the world,all of a sudden,free from noise pollution,"he says.Since the start of the pandemic,Quiet Parks says it has experienced a huge surge in interest for quiet places."I hope that we can take that desire for a world with less noise forward," says Mikkelsen,"and appreciate the spots we have,where we can go and not experience noise pollution."

Education in 2080 is distinctive from education in the 2020s. Until about 2035, the main function of education systems was to supply the economy with the next generation of workers. In 2080, the purpose of education is the well-being of society and all its members. To make this a bit more tangible(可感知的;有形的) for you, I would like to give an example of what a child's education looks like in 2080. Her name is Shemsy. Shemsy is 13, and she is confident and loves learning. 

Shemsy does not go to school in the morning because schools as you know them no longer exist. The institution was abolished as it was widely thought of as more like a prison or a factory than a creative learning environment. Schools have been replaced with "Learning Hubs" that are not restricted to certain ages. They are where intergenerational learning happens, in line with the belief that learning is a lifelong pursuit. 

Every year, Shemsy designs her learning journey for the year with a highly attentive "teacher-citizen". Shemsy is actively engaged in designing her education and has to propose projects she would like to be involved in to contribute to and serve her community. She also spends lots of time playing as the role of play in learning has finally been recognized as essential and core to our humanity. Shemsy works a lot collaboratively. Access to education is universal, and higher education institutions no longer differentiate themselves by how many people they reject yearly. Variability between students is expected and leveraged （利用） as young people teach one another and use their differences as a source of strength. Shemsy naturally explores what she is curious about at a pace she sets. She still has some classes to take that are mandatory for children globally: Being Human and the History of Humanity. 

We invite you to think about your vision for education in the year 2080, what does it look like, who does it serve, and how does it transform our societies?