Silent Signals: How Plants Communicate Without Words

Why is the Sky Blue?

Schrödinger's Cat: A Quantum Quandary

The Three States of Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases

The Mariana Trench, in the Pacific near the Mariana Islands, is the deepest trench on Earth, reaching over 10,984 meters deep. IT is over 2 kilometers deeper than the highest point on Mount Everest. The water pressure at the bottom is 1,071 times that at sea level, and temperatures range from 1 to 4 °C. It's also home to unique, one-celled tiny organisms called monothalamea at depth of 10.6km, and likely hosts to more microbial life forms.

The Mariana Trench: Earth's Deepest Enigma

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, with an altitude of 4,207 meters. It is the highest peak in the Pacific and a symbol of Hawaii's natural beauty and cultural significance. Its name means "White Mountain". Mauna Kea is the highest point in Hawaii and the second-highest island mountain in the world. Calculated from the underwater base, its height reaches 9,330 meters, exceeding the altitude of Mount Everest of 8,848.86 meters, so Mauna Kea is sometimes considered the highest mountain in the world. Due to its high altitude, dry climate and stable airflow, the top of Mauna Kea is a world-class star observation location. Thirteen telescopes from 11 countries have been established here, making it the world's largest cluster of observatories. However, they were built on sites considered sacred by Native Hawaiians, thus creating ongoing controversy.

Mauna Kea: Hawaii's Majestic Summit, Tallest Mountain from Underwater Base

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on earth, located in the Himalayas, with an altitude of 8848.86 meters. The border between China and Nepal runs through the summit of Mount Everest.
The average temperature in this area throughout the year is -29°C, and it is known as the "third pole in the world" after the Antarctic and the North Pole. Due to the extrusion of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Continental Plate, the entire Himalayas are still rising, with Mount Everest increasing by about 1.27 centimeters every year. But global warming threatens Himalayan glaciers, which are continuing to shrink in size. The Everest region is sparsely populated. China and Nepal have established national parks or nature reserves, and many climbers are attracted by this majestic mountain. Although the standard route does not require highly technical climbing skills, due to dangerous factors such as altitude sickness, severe weather, and avalanches, 310 people have died on Mount Everest by the end of 2022.

Mount Everest: The Roof of the World

A berry is a small, juicy fruit that is usually round, colorful, and can be sweet, sour, or tart. It doesn't have a hard stone or pit inside, but it may contain small seeds.
But when we talk about berries in everyday language, it's different from the scientific definition. scientifically a berry is a fruit that develops from a single flower's ovary, where the outer part turns into a tasty flesh. This includes fruits like grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, bananas, and chili peppers, which aren't commonly thought of as berries.
On the other hand, fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are considered berries in common language, but they aren't technically berries according to the botanical definition. They're aggregate fruits. Mulberries are also not true berries, which are multiple fruits. Surprisingly, watermelons and pumpkins are actually huge berries, scientifically known as "pepos".

What are and What aren't Berries?

The ostrich, native to the vast savannahs of Africa, stands as a testament to nature's boundless diversity. Towering above the landscape, these magnificent birds can reach staggering heights of up to nine feet (~2.7 m), making them the largest and heaviest (up to about 150 kg) living avian species on Earth. Though flightless, ostriches have evolved into remarkable runners, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 km per hour, making them the fastest birds on land. They also produce the largest eggs of any living birds, and the shell has been used by humans for millennia. They also have the largest eyes (about 5 cm in diameter) of any land animal, and only whales have bigger eyes. Ostriches are truly fantastic species.

Marvelous Ostrich: Earth's Largest Bird

Ants are known to be one of the most abundant insects on earth, with over 13,800 species identified so far. They are fascinating insects known for their intricate social structures, incredible strength relative to their size, and impressive diversity. They live in colonies with specialized roles and communicate using chemical signals. Ants play essential roles in ecosystems as ecosystem engineers, dispersing seeds, aerating soil, and even forming mutually beneficial relationships with other species. Their adaptability allows them to thrive in various environments worldwide, and they can be found everywhere on earth except for Antarctica and some island nations.

Ants: Tiny Insects, Mighty World-Changers

Rafflesia arnoldii, or corpse flower,or giant padma is a parasitic plant that produces the largest individual flower on Earth, up to 1 meter in diameter. It has a foul smell of decaying flesh that attracts flies and beetles for pollination. It is native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo and is one of the national flowers of Indonesia. It is a parasitic plant that lives inside the vines of another plant genus called Tetrastigma. It has no leaves, stems or roots and does not perform photosynthesis. It has both male and female reproductive organs, but they rarely bloom at the same time, making pollination difficult.

Rafflesia Arnoldii: Facts about the Unique and Largest Flower on Earth

Bamboo is the fastest growing woody plant in the world. Some species of bamboo can grow up to 91 centimeters in a 24-hour period, at a rate of almost 40 millimeters an hour. This is due to a unique rhizome-dependent system that allows bamboo to produce new shoots from underground stems. Bamboo is a versatile plant that has many uses and benefits. It can be used for building materials, food, paper, furniture, musical instruments, and more. It is also a good candidate for afforestation, carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation because it can grow in marginal land and absorb more carbon dioxide than most trees.

Bamboo: World's Fastest Growing Woody Plant

Otters are furry and friendly animals that live in water and on land. They are known for their intelligence and playfulness, as well as their amazing adaptations. Some of their habits are grooming, sprainting, sliding, and sleeping. To maintain their thick fur, they spend a lot of time grooming, which involves licking, scratching, rubbing, and shaking. Otters also communicate with each other through their feces, which they call spraint, and they use spraint to mark their territory, to signal their presence, and to share information about their diet, health, and mood. They also have a unique way of sleeping in groups, either on land or in water, depending on the species. For example, sea otters sleep in the water, holding hands with each other to stay together, while river otters sleep on land, in dens or burrows. They can sleep for up to 12 hours a day. Otters also enjoy playing, and one of their favorite activities is sliding down snowy or muddy slopes. In addition, they are very intelligent and use tools to obtain food. They have a loose flap of skin under each arm, which they use as a pocket to store their favorite rocks, which they use to crack open shells. They can also store food in their pouches, to eat later or to share with their mates or offspring. Overall, otters are wonderful animals that have many cute and clever habits. Their habits show their social and survival skills, as well as their joy and curiosity. They are a delight to observe and learn from.

The Cute and Clever Habits of Otters

The world’s smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat, a tiny flying creature that lives in Thailand and Myanmar. It has a body no bigger than a large bumblebee, measuring about

The Bumblebee Bat - World’s Smallest Mammal

Discover the magic of chemistry with the exciting elephant toothpaste experiment! Watch as simple ingredients combine to create a spectacular foam eruption, demonstrating catalytic reactions in a fun, colorful way. This safe, easy-to-do experiment is perfect for curious minds of all ages.

Elephant Toothpaste

The Evolution of Emojis: from Symbols to Global Language

The Journey of Tea: from Beverage to Cultural Lifestyle

The Evolution of Pizza: From Flatbread to Global Phenomenon

Spaced repetition is effective for language study because you train your brain by recalling words and phrases over and over again and building habits in your long-term memory. It has been widely acknowledged that repetition of distances is one of the most effective ways to learn new information.

Spaced Repetition is an Effective Learning Method

The steps to making bread are very simple. First, prepare the required ingredients, including three cups of plain flour, a small bag of instant yeast, a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of salt, and a cup of warm water. Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar together, then gradually add water and mix evenly to form a dough. Next, let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. The fermentation process takes approximately 1-2 hours. Then take out the fermented dough, put it on the table to deflate, then shape it into the shape you want and put it in the baking pan. Let the dough rise again in a warm place for about 30-60 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Put the fermented dough into the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the surface of the bread is golden brown. Finally remove the bread and let it cool for a while before enjoying the freshly baked bread.

Easy Steps for Baking Delicious Bread at Home

The Parthenon, an ancient temple located on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, is a remarkable testament to the artistic and architectural prowess of the ancient Athenians. It was built in the mid-5th century BC and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. With its iconic Doric columns and intricate sculpture, the temple is often considered the pinnacle of Doric order development. Its decorative sculptures are considered the pinnacle of classical Greek art and are enduring symbols of ancient Greece, democracy, and Western civilization. Through the passage of time and through all kinds of adversity, it remains a globally recognized symbol of historical and cultural significance.

The Parthenon: A Testament to Ancient Greek Artistry and Architecture

The Great Pyramid of Giza stands as an awe-inspiring testament to the ingenuity, precision, and grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilization. Situated on the Giza Plateau, just outside modern-day Cairo, Egypt, this architectural marvel is the last surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Believed to have been constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops), around 2560 BCE, the pyramid's sheer scale and intricate design continue to captivate the imagination of people worldwide. Its construction required a staggering amount of labor and resources, with an estimated workforce numbering in the tens of thousands. The Great Pyramid's imposing limestone blocks, arranged with remarkable accuracy and symmetry, hold within their silent depths countless mysteries and historical insights. From its precise alignment with cardinal points to its intricate internal passages and chambers, the Great Pyramid remains an iconic symbol of Egypt's rich cultural heritage and an enduring testament to the ancient Egyptians' mastery of engineering and architectural prowess.

Great Pyramid of Giza: the Last Standing Wonder and Timeless Marvel of Ancient Egypt

Zheng Yi Sao, also known as Ching Shih, was a female Chinese pirate leader, and arguably the greatest pirate in the world's history. She ruled over a large pirate confederation in the South China Sea from 1801 to 1810. Some believe she rose from a background as a prostitute, and married to Zheng Yi, a pirate chief, and took over his Red Flag Fleet after his death in 1807. Under her leadership, the fleet grew into one of the largest and most powerful pirate organizations in history, with hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of pirates under her control. Known for her strategic acumen, she united various pirate factions, enforced a strict code of conduct, and successfully challenged Qing Dynasty authorities. She also fought against British and Portuguese fleets. Her negotiation skills led to a peaceful surrender in 1810, allowing her to keep her wealth and avoid punishment. Her legacy continues to resonate as a symbol of a strong and daring female leader who defied societal norms and commanded an impressive pirate force.

Zheng Yi Sao, the World's Greatest Pirate Leader and a Legendary Woman in Chinese history

Vanishing Voices: The World's Most Endangered Languages

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe. It is one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.
The wall was built over centuries by different dynasties, starting from as early as the 7th century BCE. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, unified the existing walls into one in the 3rd century BCE. The best-known sections of the wall were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), who improved the wall with watchtowers and platforms. 
The wall stretches for thousands of miles along China's historic northern border, from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west. Depending on how the wall is measured, it is somewhere between 4,000 and 5,500 kilometers long.
The wall has served many purposes besides defense, such as border control, trade regulation, immigration and emigration control, and cultural symbol. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Great Wall of China: Beyond Borders and Time

Once upon a time, there was a man who asked the doctor what fruit to eat for his health.
Doctor: Different fruits are good for the body, but eating too much may also cause harm. For example, eating pears is good for the teeth, but eating too much can hurt the spleen and stomach. Eating jujubes is good for the spleen, but eating too much is bad for the teeth.
After hearing this, the man thought for a while and said: Then I can eat different fruits in different ways. For example, if I eat pears, I just chew but don’t swallow them; if I eat dates, I don’t need to bite them, I just swallow them!
The doctor listened, smiled and said: Haha, your method is not good. It is possible to chew pears without swallowing, but it is very difficult to eat dates without chewing. And if you swallow the dates like this, you can't appreciate the taste of the dates!
This is the origin of the idiom Huluntunzao, which is a metaphor for learning without seeking deep understanding, rote memorization, lack of thinking, and finally not learning real knowledge, nor being able to use knowledge flexibly.

Chinese Idiom Story - Hu Lun Tun Zao (Swallow Dates Whole)

Title: "To the Tune of Tianjingsha: Autumn Thoughts". Author: Ma Zhiyuan. Time period: Yuan Dynasty. Genre: Sanqu (literary song). Old trees are entwined with dead vines, and crows return to their nests at dusk. Under the small bridge, the stream is gurgling, and the smoke from the houses beside the stream is lingering. Riding a thin horse in the howling autumn wind, walking slowly on the desolate ancient road. As the sun sets, the extremely sad wanderer wanders in the ends of the earth.

To the Tune of Tianjingsha: Autumn Thoughts - Poem from Yuan Dynasty

In the Spring and Autumn Period, the King of Wu wanted to attack his neighbors, and the ministers persuaded him one after another. Not only did the King of Wu not listen, he also angrily said that he would execute those who continued to persuade him. But there was a clever child beside King Wu. In order to persuade King Wu, this child came to the garden of the palace with a slingshot for three consecutive days and stood under a big tree. The king of Wu was very curious when he saw the child's behavior, and asked him what he was doing. The child replied that there was a cicada on that tree, which had been singing without worry. But it didn't know that there was a praying mantis behind it, trying to catch it. And the mantis didn't realize that there was actually a squirrel behind it, which wanted to pounce on it and eat it. But the oriole only saw the praying mantis in front of it, but it didn't know that I was aiming at it with a slingshot to shoot it down. They all only saw the benefits in front of them, but did not realize the danger behind them. After hearing this, King Wu understood that if he attacked a neighboring country, other countries would take the opportunity to attack Wu, so he withdrew his decision to send troops. "The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the oriole follows" is a complex idiom derived from a fable, which is a metaphor for short-sightedness and harming others for the sake of short-term interests, but does not know that someone is also plotting against him in the same way.

Chinese Fable Story - Praying Mantis Stalks Cicada, Oriole Lurks Behind

One summer day in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao led his army to set off. The soldiers were hot and thirsty from the long journey and under the scorching sun, but there was no water nearby. Cao Cao was very anxious when he saw that the dry mouth of the soldiers had seriously affected the march, but there was no immediate solution. In desperation, Cao Cao came up with a plan. He pointed his horsewhip at the hillside in front of him and shouted to the soldiers: There is a lush plum forest ahead. When you get there, you can enjoy the plums to quench your thirst. When the soldiers heard that there were plums, they immediately thought of the sour plum juice, and their saliva flowed out reflexively, and they suddenly felt less thirsty. So the soldiers continued on their way, and the marching speed increased. Soon after, Cao Cao led the team and finally found the water source. "Looking at plum blossoms and quenching thirst" is an idiom evolved from a fable. It tells people not to shrink back when they encounter difficulties, but to motivate themselves with the desire for success, so that they will have the courage to overcome difficulties and persevere. Keep trying. This idiom is also a metaphor for comforting oneself from unrealistic fantasies.

Chinese Fable Story - Wang Mei Zhi Ke (Quench the Thirst by Thinking of Plums)

Title: "Fisherman on the River". Author: Fan Zhongyan. Time period: Northern Song Dynasty. Genre: Five-Character Quatrain.
 
People coming and going on the river only love the delicious sea bass.
Look at the fisherman driving a small boat like a leaf, coming and going in the strong wind and waves.

Jiang Shang Yu Zhe (Fisherman on the River) - Poem from Northern Song Dynasty

Title: "(The Scenery of) Luchai". Author: Wang Wei. Time period: the glorious age of Tang Dynasty. Genre: Five-Character Quatrain. The mountain is empty and silent, no one can be seen, only the sound of human voices can be heard. The golden light of the setting sun shines directly into the deep forest, and shines on the moss in the dark place.

Lu Chai (The Scenery of Luchai) - Poem from Tang Dynasty

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a child named Sima Guang. He is very smart and eager to learn. Everyone likes him very much and has many friends. One day, he was playing with a few friends in the backyard. A child climbed onto the rockery in the yard and accidentally fell into a large tank filled with water next to him. The water was very deep, and the other friends were frightened, worried that he would be drowned. Some children even cried and shouted, and hurriedly asked adults to help. At this moment, Sima Guang picked up a big stone from the ground and threw it hard at the water tank. After several times of smashing, the water tank was smashed with a "bang", and the water flowed out of the tank, and the child who fell into the water tank was saved. This is the story of the famous Chinese historical allusion "Sima Guang smashed the vat".

Chinese Classic - Sima Guang Za Gang (Sima Guang Hit the Tank)

It is said that in ancient times, a young man surnamed Ye liked dragons very much. There are dragons carved on the stone pillars in front of the gate of his house, and a pair of big dragons on the roof. There are also dragons everywhere in the yard, including stones, walls, steps, etc. are decorated with dragon figures. Even the furniture, tableware and bedding in his home are decorated with dragons. The real dragon in the heaven was very moved when he heard that Ye Gong liked dragons so much, so he went down to the world to express his gratitude to him. On this day, Ye Gonggong was taking a nap when he was suddenly awakened by lightning and thunder. When he got up to close the window, he happened to meet the real dragon poking his head through the window. Ye Gong was frightened out of his wits by the huge dragon head, turned around and fled into the house, only to see a very huge dragon tail. Ye Gong had nowhere to escape, and was frightened and fainted immediately. Seeing Ye Gong who fainted, Zhenlong felt very baffled, and returned to the heaven in disappointment. It turns out that Ye Gong doesn't really like dragons, but just likes things that look like dragons but not dragons, so as to express himself in front of everyone. This is the story of the idiom "Ye Gong loves dragons", satirizing people who have duplicity and duplicity.

Chinese Idiom Story - Ye Gong Hao Long (Lord Ye Professed to Love Dragons)

Once upon a time there was a sheep raiser. One morning when he was grazing the sheep, he found a hole in the sheepfold. After careful inspection, it was found that a sheep was missing, and it was a wolf who got in through the hole at night and took it away. The neighbor advised him to repair the sheepfold as soon as possible. But the man said, the sheep are lost, so what's the use of repairing the sheepfold. But early the next morning, when the man was grazing the sheep, he found that there was another one missing in the flock. It seems that the wolf once again got in through the hole and took a sheep. He regretted not listening to his neighbor, so he quickly mended the hole in the sheepfold. Since then, his sheep have never been lost again. This is the story of the idiom "remedy after a sheep is lost", which means that after something goes wrong, you should find a way to remedy it in time to avoid more serious losses.

Chinese Idiom Story - Wang Yang Bu Lao (Mend the Fold after the Sheep Were Stolen)

Once upon a time, there was a man named Yu Gong who was nearly 90 years old. There are two big mountains in front of his house, the traffic is very tortuous, and it is very difficult to enter and exit the mountains. So he summoned the whole family and decided to try their best to dig the two mountains together.
The young and old in the family agreed one after another, and under the leadership of Yu Gong, they began to dig the mountain bit by bit.
After an old wise old man learned of this, he laughed at Yu Gong for being too stupid, how could he move the mountain with his old bones. Yu Gong said, after my death, there are still countless descendants who will continue to persevere, and one day they will be able to level the mountain.
Yu Gong's persistence moved the mountain god, and the mountain god reported the incident to the Emperor of Heaven. The Emperor of Heaven was also moved by Yu Gong's sincerity, and ordered the two sons of Hercules to carry the two mountains away.
This is the fable of "The Foolish Old Man Moves the Mountain".

Chinese Fable Story - Yu Gong Yi Shan (The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains)

Once upon a time, a man thought that the seedlings he planted were not always tall enough, so he went to the field and pulled them up one by one by hand. After a busy day, I finally came home exhausted and out of breath. He said to his family, "I'm really exhausted today! However, I managed to make the seedlings grow taller at once!" But his son ran to the field and found that the seedlings were all dead. No one in the world does not want their crops to grow fast. Those who think that it is useless to maintain crops and ignore them are lazy people who only grow crops and do not weed. But those who think that pulling out the seedlings can help them grow, not only are their hard work useless, but they kill the crops. This is the story of the idiom, which tells people to follow the objective law of development of things. Wishful thinking and ignoring the "help" of its laws, eager for success, may backfire, and haste makes waste.

Chinese Idiom Story - Ya Miao Zhu Zhang (Haste Makes Waste)

Once upon a time, several blind men came to the palace to see the king. They wanted to know what the elephant looked like, and asked the king to touch the elephant with their own hands. The king agreed, and ordered his men to bring an elephant to satisfy the wishes of the blind people. But the elephant is so big that everyone can only touch a small part of the elephant. After a while, the king saw that they were almost done touching, and asked them if they understood what an elephant looked like now. The one who touched the ivory just now replied that it was like a big carrot, the one who touched the elephant's ear said it was like a big fan, the one who touched the elephant's head said it was like a stone, the one who touched the elephant's trunk said it was like a giant python, and the one who touched the elephant The one with the legs said it was like a big pillar, the one who touched the elephant's body said it was like a wall, and the one who touched the elephant's tail said it was like an elastic rope. As a result, a group of people thought that what they said was correct, so they kept arguing. At this moment the king laughed, lamenting the pointlessness of such an argument. I have never seen the whole body of an elephant, but I only touched a part of it, thinking I got the whole picture, but I was wrong about any of them. This is the story of the idiom The Blind Man Touching the Elephant, which is a metaphor for knowing things one-sidedly, only knowing a part of it rather than the whole picture, but making wild guesses that are clever. Only by fully understanding the actual situation and grasping the overall situation can we obtain the truth.

Chinese Idiom Story - Mang Ren Mo Xiang (The Blind Men and the Elephant)

During the Warring States period, there was a man from the state of Zheng who wanted to buy a pair of new shoes. Before going to the market, he found a short piece of rope and measured the length of his feet. After arriving at the market, he went straight to the shoe shop, and after some selection, he chose a pair of shoes that he was satisfied with. When he was about to take out the small rope prepared in advance to compare the size, he found that he had forgotten the rope at home. He had to apologize to the shoe store owner, saying that he needed to go home to get the size before he could buy it. So he ran home as fast as he could, took the rope and returned to the market. But it was getting late at this time, the market had already dispersed, and the shoe store was closed, so he had no choice but to return home resentfully. Seeing his dejected look, the neighbors asked what was going on. He told his neighbors what happened. After hearing this, the neighbor asked, why don't you just try it on with your feet when you buy shoes to see if the size fits. But he replied seriously, the measured size is the only reliable one! I only believe in the measured size, not my own feet. This is the story of the idiom Zhengren buying shoes, which is a metaphor for rigid dogma in doing things, sticking to the rules, not proceeding from reality, not paying attention to objective reality, and not knowing how to adapt.

Chinese Idiom Story - Zheng Ren Mai Lv (A Man of Zheng Buying Shoes)

Title: "Birds Chirping in Mountain Stream". Author: Wang Wei. Time period: the glorious age of Tang Dynasty. Genre: Five-Character Quatrain. Few people are still out, only sweet-scented osmanthus falls silently, and a quiet spring valley is silent and empty at night.
The bright moon rises and shines, disturbing the birds in the mountains, flying high and singing in the spring stream from time to time.

Non-Fiction