Australia's koalas could die out within 30 years unless immediate action is taken to stop the losing in population, according to researchers. They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to reduce the number of wild koalas sharply.

    The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years. The number of koalas was once estimated to be more than 100,000, but now is as few as 43,000.

    The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers. In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.

    The foundation said besides problems caused by cutting down forests, hotter and drier conditions because of global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their main food, eucalyptus (桉树) leaves, leading to poor nutrition for them. Koalas, which live in the forests in Australia's east and south, are very picky about what types of the leaves they eat.

    Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It's really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don't have any koalas.”She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government's Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened. But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely recently and the koala's status as one of the country's favorite animals would not be a factor. “There's a number of species which are attractive and people have special feelings towards them. We don't consider that,” Mr Beeton said.

C

    Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published Monday.

    While the decline over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children's lives, and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.

    According to the report's key findings, "the proportion (比例) who say they 'hardly ever' read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today."

    The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages2-8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each session has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per session.

    When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to counsel(建议)parenst looking for data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.

    The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home, more books purchased for them, parents who read more often, and parents who set aside time for them to read.

    As the end of school approaches, and school vacation reading lists loom(逼近)ahead, parents might take this chance to step in and make their own summer reading list and plan a family trip to the library or bookstore.

    You may know about “junk food” like French fries. But do you know about “junk sleep”?

    Recently, a British survey found that electronic(电子的) products in teenagers bedrooms are affecting(影响)their sleep.

    The survey was done among 1,000 British kids from 12 to 16. It found that 30 percent of them got just 4 to 7 hours sleep every day. But doctors say they need 8 to 9 hours.

    Almost a quarter of the kids said they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic products.

    “This is very worrying.” said Dr Chris Idzikowski, a British expert, “We call it 'junk sleep', it means you don't get enough sleep and the quality of the sleep is bad, too. If you don't get good rest, you don't perform well in school the next day.”

    The survey found that 40 percent of the kids felt tired each day, with girls between 13 and 16 feeling the worst. Nearly all the teenagers have a phone, Mp4 or TV in their bedroom. And many of them have all three.

    People always think men are more skilled than women in driving. Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.

    In a survey done by insurer MetLife, 51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. "Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding (手法的) drivers, which leads to fewer accidents," the report says. However, not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them up on one point: automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control, which helps prevent rollover accidents.

    Auto safety unavoidably matters to money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general, women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest advantage in Wyoming (where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington, D.C., where their insurance costs are 16% lower.

    "More than 11, 9000 male drivers died in U.S. traffic accident in 2009, compared with just under 4,900 women drivers," according to the study. "Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, vs. 1.7 deaths for women."

    We have recently heard some interesting ways that 5G wireless technology might change our lives in the future. One project in Britain is testing this superfast technology, but not on humans. Instead, the experiment involves an unlikely group of Internet users—cows. The system connects the animals to 5G in an effort to automate the milking process.

    The project was developed by American technology company Cisco Systems. It is part of a Cisco-led program called 5G Rural First. Cisco says the program seeks to explore the future of 5G connectivity in rural communities around the world. Rural areas are expected to be the last to receive 5G service.

    Testing areas were set up on farms in three rural areas of England. The cows are equipped with 5G-connected devices that link up to a robotic milking system. The system uses sensors and machine learning to fully automate the process, System designers say the technology takes over after a cow feels ready to be milked and walks toward an automatic gate. The device is designed to recognize each individual cow. It then positions equipment to the right body position for milking. During the process, machines release food for the cow as a reward.

    One of the test areas is in the town of Shepton Mallet, in southwest England. There about 50 of the farm's 180 cows are fitted with 5G smart collars and health-observing ear sensors. Project officials say the devices do not harm the cows and the sensors permit farmers to immediately identify any problem or health concerns.

    Other technology tools powering the 5G smart farms include automated brushes that work automatically when the cow rubs up against them. Sensors also control the amount of light to the cows' living areas depending on the weather. And, an automatic feeding system makes sure the animals always get enough to eat.

    Nick Chrissos works on the project for Cisco. He said the system could connect every cow and every other animal on the whole farm. "That's what 5G can do for farming—really release the power that we have within this farm, everywhere around the United Kingdom, and everywhere around the world."

When you take to the seas on a cruise(游船度假), you usually think you are leaving solid ground behind, but the Celebrity Solstice brings a whole new experience to its passengers. Aboard the 317m-long ship is a half-acre lawn(草坪). The Celebrity Solstice is the first cruise ship ever to house live grass.

Nikolas Asproudas, the ship's environmental officer told New Zealand Neus, It was a crazy idea to start with. For five years now, they have been saying that this lawn is the most walked lawn in the world. It's a symbol of honor, particularly because the lawn on the top deck of the ship has special challenges with growth at sea, including "burns" from the salt water, which must be washed off immediately and clearance checks before the ship can pull in to shore.

The lawn is grown in silica(二氧化硅)sand rather than soil, which not only reduces weight, helping the ship's stability, but also agrees with restrictions and helps control pests that may otherwise stay on the grass.

Asproudas sends the Captain of the ship a weekly report on the status of the lawn. "We know that the Australian and New Zealand, authorities are very strict with the grass, and of course, they have to check before we come if, everything's OK," said the Captain.

The lawn is a source of pride for Asproudas, so. when there are problems with it, he says, "It brings me some sad feelings, but I need to be strong, because I know that it will recover within one week." All of the crew's hard work to maintain the "backyard" is appreciated by its many guests, including some that say the: Celebrity Solstice's lawn is better than theirs at home. Two recent passengers aboard said, "We're having a drought at home so…it was brilliant!"

Though the option of walking barefoot through a grassy field on a moving cruise ship seems terrific, there are many other ships that are trying to outdo one another with even more surprising guest options.