In ancient seawall built by Neolithic people to protect their village from sea-level rise over 7,000 years ago has been discovered by scientists. The 330-fbot wall, off the Carmel coast of Israel, was built with boulders from a riverbed over a mile away to create a buffer （缓冲器） between the Mediterranean Sea and the settlement of Tel Hreiz, researchers say.

In a study published in PLOS One, researchers led by Ehud Galili, of the University of Haifa, Israel, say this represents the oldest known coastal defense system in the world and a feat of engineering with "extensive effort invested by the Neolithic villagers in its conception, organization and construction."

At the time the settlement existed, sea levels were rising as global temperatures warmed following the end of the last icc age. The Mediterranean was rising by up to seven millimeters （0. 27 inches） per year. Over a lifetime, this would have equaled around 20 centimeters.

"This rate of sea-level rise means the frequency of destructive storms damaging the village would have risen significantly," Galili said in a statement. "The environmental changes would have been noticeable to people, during the lifetime of a settlement across several centuries. Eventually the accumulating yearly sea-level necessitated （vt. 使……成为必要，需要）a human response involving the construction of a coastal protection wall similar to what we're seeing around the world now. "

The Tel Hreiz settlement was first uncovered in the 1960s but the seawall was only identified in 2010 after a severe storm exposed it. Galili and his team then set about analyzing the remains of the submerged （水下的）wall.

They found it was almost 10 feet tall and was built around the same time as the village. Over the course of decades, the seawall would have suffered from marine erosion, the researchers say. After the sand layer was removed, waves and storms may have eventually dislodged boulders and stones.

Despite this "display of resilience" in the face of sea-level rise, the people of Tel Hreiz eventually left the village and, over time, both the seawall and village were lost to sea. "The seawall may have worked for a period," the team wrote, "however, ultimately it proved futile （无用的）and the village was eventually abandoned. The Tel Hreiz seawall represents the earliest example of a coastal defense of this type known to date. "

The team points to parallels with sea-level rise mankind is facing today. While the rate at the moment is considerably lower than what these Neolithic people were facing, it is expected that many of the world's coastal towns and cities will be impacted in the next century.

"Given the size of coastal populations and modern urban settlements, the magnitude of predicted future population displacement differs considerably to the impacts on people during the Neolithic,” the study said. “However, many of the fundamental human questions and the decision making relating to human resilience, coastal defense, local adaptation, technological innovation and decisions to ultimately abandon long-standing settlements remain ominously relevant. ”

The Surprising Benefits (益处) of Pets

Nowadays, more and more people like to keep pets, such as dogs, cats and so on. 【小题1】 Here are the four reasons why your pet is worth an extra treat today.

Walking your pet for 2. 5 hours a week not only benefits your quality of life but can also cut your chances of developing serious illnesses. 【小题2】 According to a survey of 6, 500 people, dog owners were more likely to report having an easier time falling asleep at night than non-dog owners.

Research shows that children who live with pets from birth have lower rates of allergies (过敏反应), and the more animals in the house, the greater the protection. Kids with four or more cats or dogs have half the rate of allergies as non- pet owners. 【小题3】

Researchers tracked 4,000 people for over ten years and found that pet owners had a 30 percent lower risk of dying of heart attack. That’s because keeping a pet lowers a person’ s heart rate. 【小题4】 In fact, some research has shown that pet owners are much more likely to survive a heart attack compared to non- dog owners.

When Margie, 40, left her job as a teacher in 2019, she was suffering from anxiety. Luckily, Margie and her husband, decided to keep a dog. “We thought having a dog would give us something to do while we’re at home, and she has just changed our lives,” she says. “I feel so happy by her joy, energy and love. I’ve even told my doctor I don t think I need my medical service anymore.”

Most kids spend their weekends playing or watching TV–but for one 11-year-oldboy, Thiago, in Brazil, Saturdays are for helping street dogs. Thiago has always loved animals. He wished he could do something for the estimated 30 million abandoned dogs and cats in Brazil. So he decided to give them baths to help them live better.

At the end of 2020, Thiago created the project I’m homeless but I’m clean with his father and started to change the lives of the street dogs around him. While talking to my father, I told him about my idea of bathing street dogs so they stayed clean and fragrant and people looked at them differently on the street, Thiago told The Dodo.

The project got off to a bumpy start. “Catching dogs on the street was difficult,since they were always scared and many were victims of abuse,”Thiago said. “So we spent some time without baths until my father spoke to Noah’s Ark and we started to bathe their newly rescued dogs.” After the dogs took their baths they each got a photo shot with Thiago. Thiago’s father posted the pictures on social media to highlight each one. “The project has borne fruit, because most of the furry ones are adopted,” Thiago said. “This gives a lot of motivation to continue.”

Thiago hopes that his efforts will change the way people think of the homeless animals, and will convince more people to open their homes to them. And for those who don’t have the space or ability to adopt a dog, Thiago encourages them to help in other ways–such as donating, volunteering at a shelter or putting out small bowls of food and water on their sidewalk. Even the smallest effort can make a difference.