Larger brain size linked to longer life in deer. The size of a female animals' brain may determine whether they live longer and have more healthy later generations, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge.

    The study, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, shows that female red deer with larger brains live longer and have more surviving later generations than those with smaller brains. Brain size is heritable and is passed down through the generations. This is the first extensive study of individual differences in brain size in wild mammals and draws on data comparing seven generations of deer.

    Across species of mammals, brain size varies widely. This is thought to be a consequence of specific differences in the benefits and costs of a larger brain. Mammals with larger brains may, for example, have greater abilities that enable them to adapt better to environmental changes or they may have longer lifespans. But there may also be disadvantages: for instance, larger brains require more energy, so individuals that possess them may show reduced ability to give birth to young babies.

    The researchers, based at the University of Cambridge's Zoology Department and Edinburgh University's Institute of Evolutionary Biology, wanted to test if they could find more direct genetic or non-genetic evidence of the costs and benefits of large brain size by comparing the longevity(长寿) and survival of individuals of the same species with different sized brains. Using the skulls of 1,314 wild red deer whose life histories and breeding success had been monitored in the course of a long-term study on the Isle of Rum, they found that females with larger endocranial volumes(脑腔容量) lived longer and produced more surviving offspring in the course of their lives.

    Lead author Dr Corina Logan, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, says, "The reasons for the association between brain size and longevity are not known, but other studies have suggested that larger brains are a consequence of the longer-lived species having longer developmental periods in which the brain can grow. These predictions were generated from cross-species correlations; however, testing such hypotheses requires investigations at the within-species level, which is what we did. "

    Dr Logan adds, "We found that some of the cross-species predictions about brain size held for female red deer, and that none of the predictions were supported in male red deer. This indicates that each sex likely experiences its own set of trade-offs(权衡,协调) with regard to brain size. "The study also showed that females' relative endocranial volume is smaller than that of males, despite evidence of selection for larger brains in females.

    Professor Tim Clutton Brock, who set up the Rum Red Deer study with Fiona Guinness in 1972 and started the work on brain size, points out, "The reason that this kind of study has not been conducted before is that it requires long term records of a large number of individuals across multiple generations and data of this kind are still rare in wild animals."

    When you cross deep water driving too fast, you risk splashing water up into the air box and having it get sucked into the internal engine, which is more common than you think. There are a few steps you should take to clear the water out before you try to start it:

    ⒈First, drain the fuel tank, fuel lines and the oil. While it's draining, put a fan on the wiring and dry it out. Remove and clean the carburetor (化油器).

    ⒉Take the plugs out of the engine and turn it over to force any water out. Water will come out with the oil. Add oil to the engine and turn it over again, without the plug in. Let it sit for a while, then observe the oil to tell if there's any water in it (it will look like a white milky substance if there is water mixed with the oil). If it's there, drain it again and start over until there is little or no white showing in the oil.

    ⒊Now re-install the spark plug, add gas, then try to start the engine. You should have a can of ether (乙醚) handy just in case it's stubborn, but don't use too much. If it starts, let it run for a few minutes without making it work faster.

    ⒋After it runs for several minutes, shut it off, drain the oil and change the filter(过滤网). Run it again for a few minutes then shut it off and checks again for milky colored oil. If you have none, you should be good to go.

    ⒌If you cannot start the engine, you may have already ruined it and you will probably need to seek a professional to repair it, or, more likely, you'll have to replace it.

    If you are the kind of tourist who likes to visit places with outstanding landscapes and multicultural cities, then Asia is the place to go. Take a cruise(巡游)to Asia and you will not be disappointed.

    The Finest Asian Cruise Explorations

    Tourists who want to visit several Asian countries understand that cruising there is the best alternative. You can decide to take a two-week cruise, starting from Sri Lanka to Thailand. There's also a three-week cruise that starts off in China all the way to Japan. A most popular voyage is one that starts from Hong Kong to Singapore.

    The Best Time to Travel

    When touring Asia, it's best to understand that different cruise lines have different travelling timelines. You can be caught in the rain during your tour(October to December in Malaysia and December to February in Indonesia). Most cruises take place from December to the end of March.

    Booking Cruise-ship Tours

    Given that you'll probably be taking long flights to get to South Asia and the Far East, the budget will be large, especially if you are visiting as a family. In addition, many people tour this region, so it would be best if you book early when the prices are more appealing.

    Activities

    There are so many ports in Asia and this might bring a challenge if you want to get somewhere in time. Make sure you plan your day-trips in advance and follow the cruise line tours to avoid missing the boats. Apart from visiting the cities, you could also go to Borneo, Indonesia to see the orangutans(猩猩). You can also hop across several islands from Bali, appreciate the colorful floats as well as the cherry blossoms in Japan and visit the floating fish farms in Vietnam.

    Alison Malmon was ending her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania. US, when she got the news: Her older brother Brian, a student at Columbia University; was suffering from mental illness.

    Inspired by this, Malmon formed a group at her university to organize students to talk openly about mental health. It soon blossomed into a national organization that today has more than 450 campus chapters. Leaders with the organization spend their time talking with college students about the pressure that today's young people face.

    "What you hear often is just a need to be perfect," said Malmon, "and a need to present oneself as perfect." A new study in the UK proved that this need for perfectionism is simply part of today's society. In the study, two researchers studied more than 40,000 students from the US, Canada, and the UK. They found that what they called "socially-prescribed (社会定向型的) perfectionism" increased by a third between 1989 and 2016.

    Lead researcher Thomas Curran said that while so many of today's young people try to present a perfect appearance online, social media isn't the only reason behind this trend. Instead, he said, it may be driven by competition in modem society, meaning young people can't avoid being sorted and ranked in both education and employment. That comes from new normal situation like greater numbers of college students, national examination and parenting that increasingly emphasizes success in education.

    For example, in 1976, half of high school seniors expected to get a college degree of some kind. By 2008, more than 80 percent expected the same. The researchers also said changes in parenting styles over the last two decades might have had an impact. As parents feel increased pressure to raise successful children, they in turn pass their "achievement anxieties" onto their kids through "too much participation in their child's activities or emotions

    Those in the mental health community like Malmon say they're concerned about the impact the culture of perfectionism has on mental health on campuses. "Mental health has truly become this generation's social justice (公正)issue," she said. "It's our job to equip them with the tools and to let people know that it's not their fault."

    Why is it that many people who have suffered a major shock, such as divorce or death of a family member, seem to be weaker against a variety of major and minor illness? One common idea among psychologists has been that people could deal with suffering more effectively if they were able to understand and accept it. Indeed, many experts stress the value of expressing thoughts and feelings connected with upsetting events.

    Recently, a team of medical researchers studied the links between describing psychologically painful events and long-term health. In one experiment healthy college students were asked to write about either personally disturbing experiences or ordinary topics over a period of four days. In the months afterwards, students who had chosen to show their inner thoughts and feelings in their writing visited the health center for illness much less often than those who had written about everyday topics.

    In an experiment that followed, another group of healthy students were given the four-day writing exercises. Some chose to write about highly personal and upsetting experiences (including loneliness, problems with family and friends, and health). When questioned immediately afterwards, they said that they did not feel any better. However, their blood samples(样本) taken before and after the experiment showed evidence of an improved resistance to illness. The white cells that fight off bacteria and viruses had increased their reaction and sensitivity to these "invaders". This trend continued over the following six weeks, when another blood sample was taken. Individuals who showed the best results were those who wrote about topics that they had actively kept from telling others about.

    The researchers suggested that failure to face up to painful experience can be a form of stress itself, and can increase the possibility of illness. It follows, then, that actively dealing with a major shock makes possible its understanding and acceptance. The answer is not to suffer in silence. It may not always be possible to talk about personal problems, but writing them down will help the body to fight disease in the long run.

It was a cold February day. Dangwen and his wildlife monitoring team patrolled(巡逻)along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. That day, they {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (meet) 220 blue sheep and five white-lipped deer. Through the camera, they found a mother and two baby leopards(豹) — and the babies had grown much {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (big) than three months earlier.

Dangwen comes from Yunta, a village located in Sanjiangyuan, Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. Sanjiangyuan serves as an important habitat {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  rich and unique species.

Dangwen is neither officially a researcher {#blank#}4{#/blank#} an activist. But he has taken upon himself the task of monitoring local wildlife with a team of other villagers, as part of a conservation project driven by the Shanshui Conservation Center, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Beijing-based non-governmental organization. When the organization brought up the idea of {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (organize) villagers to watch over wildlife and protect their lands, Dangwen volunteered {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (immediate). Having grown up in the village, he knows very well the land, the river and the wildlife, and he is especially proud of the sacred mountains {#blank#}8{#/blank#} are around all of them. This is the fourth year that Yunta villagers have carried out this monitoring, patrolled the village to identify poachers(偷猎者), and managed rubbish {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (keep)the land and rivers clean.

Monitoring data shows that local wildlife {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (population), including snow leopards, are increasing.