The brain of an insect isn't very big. But insects are somehow still able to make lots of important decisions. Bees, ants and roaches(蟑螂) build hives(巢穴)with thousands of workers doing specialized work. The jobs are done without a head or even a plan. How do insects manage this?

    To solve the mystery, scientists in Belgium spent months building robotic roaches and then putting them among real roaches. The final goal of the research is to find out how the simple behavior of individuals gives rise to a collective decision. The roach is a good starting point for trying to answer the big question because its social system is simple enough for scientists to study.

    The first step was to build robots that real roaches would accept as their own. Although the robotic roaches don't look much like the real thing, they have similarities with them in three key ways: they naturally head toward dark areas, they are influenced by the behavior of other roaches, and even more importantly, they smell like roaches.

    The next step was getting the robotic and real roaches to work together on common tasks. In experiments, the robots would collectively head towards a dark place, copying the behavior of natural roaches. That got the researchers wondering: if you program the robotic roaches to go woward the lighted place, would the real roaches follow, going against their natural instincts.(本能) ?

    They will – it turned out. Many of the real roaches followed the robots to a lighter shelter. But influence turned out to be a two- way street. On occasion, the real roaches were able to override the programming of the robot roaches and get them to turn into dark hiding places. Being social creatures, both the robotic and natural roaches were paying attention to and following the example set by others.

    In theory, it would be possible to create a robot that could influence collective decision-making in humans. To do this, researchers would have to invent a robot that people would accept. Fortunately, the technology isn't there yet.

    It's true that quite a few most respected scientific authorities have confirmed that the world is becoming hotter and hotter. There^'s also strong evidence that humans are contributing to the warming. Countless recent reports have proved the same thing. For instance, a 2010 summary about the climate science by the Royal Society noted that: The global warming over the last half - century has been caused mainly by human activity.”

    You may not believe that humans could change the planet's climate, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, billions of tons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere because of human activity. As has been known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.

    Of course, the earth's climate has always been changing due to “natural” factors such as volcanic eruption or changes in solar, or cycles concerning the Earth's going around the sun. According to the scientific research, however, the warming observed by now matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build - up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere - not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.

    Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming recorded so far, that would give birth to a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it: “If some newly discovered factor is to blame for the climate change, then why aren't carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”

    The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths-one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn't possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.

How to Fill Your Empty Walls with Beautiful Art

    If you've ever stared at an empty wall wondering what to put there, you're not alone. The idea of having the same museum print as everyone else doesn't seem that appealing.

    But, many people who may be interested in purchasing art are at a loss on how to start. The amount of time taken to discover art and artists that you truly love, and the expense of purchasing art, keep many people from even considering it.

    But now, TurningArt is solving this dilemma(困境). TurningArt is an online subscription(订阅 ) service that allows the average consumer to learn about art and be able to afford to own it. TurningArt offers art-lovers an online gallery of thousands of works, from highly accomplished and successful artists, to view in their homes and eventually buy if they want to.

    Here's how it works

    Visit TurningArt.com to browse through the work of hundreds of independent artists from across the country. Sorted by style, medium, color, price, artist, or even region, new art is added daily. You're sure to find several things you like.

    Then, simply sign up for one of TurningArt's subscription plans. These start at just $10 per month. TurningArt will send you your first piece, framed and ready to hang right out of the box. The piece will not be the original, but rather a museum-quality print produced together with the artist. You can request the next piece at any time. New prints arrive in a mailer that you can use to send back your old prints.

    You can enjoy each piece for one, two, or three months—however long you want. And, best of all, you never have to worry about taping, sizing, or centering your new print, because all prints are pre-sized to fit easily into the frame originally sent to you.

    If you've got an empty wall to fill, or simply like the idea of getting fresh art in your home every now and then, TurningArt is for you.

    Pat O'Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands. Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly(大胆) up to the company and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his Mends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowed burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit(机智), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.

    Long long ago there were a lot of donkeys. The donkeys worked hard every day. They had no time to play or to relax, but they never felt appreciated（得到赏识的）for the work they did.

    One day two donkeys got bored. They wanted to live a comfortable life, so the donkeys went to see a wise old man. They told him their problem. The wise old man agreed they worked too hard, and he wanted to help the donkeys. “I have an idea,” he said.

    “What is your idea?” asked the donkeys.

    “I will paint you and no one will know you are donkeys,” said the man.

    The man went off to find some paint and he returned in just a matter of minutes. He had two pots of paints. One pot was filled with white paint, and the other black paint.

    The old man first painted them white, and then painted stripes（斑纹）over the white paint. When he finished, the donkeys did not look like donkeys at all. “You no longer look like donkeys,” the old man said. “Everyone will be fooled（欺骗）. I will call you something else, zebras（斑马）.”

    The zebras went to a field to eat grass. Now they did not have to work.

    Soon, other donkeys saw the zebras. They asked the zebras where they came from. When the zebras told the donkeys their secret, the donkeys all rushed to see the old man.

    “Please make us into zebras, too,” they pleaded. So the wise old man painted more donkeys. As he did, more and more donkeys came.

    The old man could not paint fast enough. Soon the donkeys became impatient （不耐烦的）. They began to kick about, and they knocked over the paint pots.

    There was no more paint. The painted donkeys ran off to become zebras. The unpainted donkeys, because of their impatience, had to return to work.

    Chinese girl looking for language exchanger

    PostedAugust 10, 2018 16:25 by Sophia

    Tag:Seeking Language partners Guangzhou

    Sex:Female

    I am a Chinese girl in my 20's, can speak andwrite in English, but I'dlike to make some improvement. People always look for making it better, right?

    Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share.

    Andif you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you aroundin my spare time.

    Reply to happycora hotmail. com or call 15015704625

    Tianhe nice apartment for share

    PostedAugust 24, 2018 16:47 by Vivian

    Tag:Seeking roommates, Guangzhou Tianhe District

    I have a room available for rent in a sharedapartment in Central Tianhe district.

    The room has a big window with a nice view. The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new safe building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from subway stations on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses andother transportation methods very close.

    If you are interested, please feel free to phone me (Vivian)on 13145751201 (message preferred), or email me on vivian liu2006 hotmail. com.

    Business Guide

    PostedAugust 26, 2018 08:46 by Sony

    Tag:Business Services Guangzhou Baiyun District

    Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter (口语翻译), now looking for an interpreter job right now. Please readmy information as below:

    Name:Sony Song

    Sex:Male

    Age:22 years old

    Education:StudiedEnglish in Da Shan Foreign Language College

    Ability:Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc.

    Contact Detail:E-mail/ MSN:sonysong4 hotmail. com; cell phone:15112015812

    Looking for flat

    PostedAugust 11, 2018 14:03 by LucyTag:Apartments wanted, Guangzhou

    Hello!This is Lucy coming from Peru andlooking for a short term flat, from 15th August until 16th September 2018. If somebody can give some information, sendme pictures, price and address. Email:lucitamaron  hotmail. com; cell phone:13800013900

    Thanks a lot in advance!