While it may seem like fish will drive cars when pigs fly, in a new experiment scientists put goldfish’s sense of direction to the test.

A scientific team at Ben-Gurion University in Israel taught several goldfish to drive a robotic “car” — a tank of water on wheels-around a room. Researchers’ originally thought teaching goldfish to navigate(航行)such unfamiliar areas may seem like a fish-out-of-water idea, but they took to it like naturals.

The motorized fish tank was equipped with a camera to track the fish’s position. When the goldfish swam towards one of the walls, the fishmobile drove in that direction.

The researchers trained the fish over a dozen 30-minute sessions to drive to the center of a small room towards a pink board by giving the fish a treat whenever it arrived at its destination. In the first session, the goldfish averaged between 2-3 successful trips. By the end of the experiment, the fish were averaging between 17-18 successful trips per session. As with humans, some of the fish behaved smarter and quicker than others-taking faster and more direct paths to their target.

Throughout the experiment, researchers changed up the starting position of the fishmobiles. Even in different locations, the goldfish were still able to reach the pink board. This finding ruled out the possibility that the fish were just memorizing the pattern of movements to get to their reward. These marine animals were actually planning new routes to get to their destination.

“That was pretty conclusive that the fish actually navigate,” said Ohad Ben-Shahar, coauthor of the study. The animals’ sense of direction and orientation isn’t limited to the water.

Maybe next they’ll teach a fish how to ride a bicycle.

There’s a day for just about everything, and the United Nations has designated May 20 as World Bee Day to celebrate the pollinators (传粉昆虫) dwelling in hives, fields and gardens around the globe since 2015. It draws much concern on bees and there’s a good reason to pay attention to them.

“There are 20,000 species of bees around the world and a lot of these bees are in decline,” says Hien Ngo, a pollinator expert from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. That includes honeybees, of course, but Ngo says they only make up a minority of all the kinds of bees in the world. Climate change, pesticides and habitat loss are putting many of those species a risk.

“Bees really provide for us in many ways, like food and human well-being. They’re also important to our culture, dating back thousands of years in terms of heritage, inspiration of art,” Ngo says. They even provide inspiration for TikTok, where Erika Thompson，a professional beekeeper in Austin,Texas, shares her work.

“The landlord wanted to call an exterminator (根除者), but the family who lived here wanted to save the bees, so they called me,” she says in her video.

Her fans watch with happiness — and sometimes a little horror-as she picks up mounds (成堆) of bees with her bare hands and then moves them somewhere safer.

“I’ve removed bees from a lot of crazy places,” Thompson says. “You know, I’ve removed bees from homes, RVs, tires, speakers and even a toilet.”

Thompson’s work is about more than getting millions of views per video. “Bees are just a key factor in creating diverse and healthy ecosystems,” she notes.

Interested in getting ahead over the summer? Then stay on course by taking advantage of Alvernia’s Summer Session. It lets you get ahead with a large selection of undergraduate and graduate courses. You can attend the class in classrooms or online, or you can take mixed courses if you like. We offer several flexible sessions at all three locations in the summer to help move you closer toward graduation. All courses are officially recognized and credits you earn are transferable. You don’t have to be admitted to Alvernia to take classes this summer. Our Summer Session is open to all Alvernia students and to students from other colleges and high schools, as well as adult professionals and lifelong learners.

And if you’re taking a course with us, you’ll have full access to the library, gym, cafes, and computer labs. Alvernia’s Summer Session is a perfect option for students who:

●Want to lighten their course load for coming terms.

●Stay on track to complete their degree on time.

●Plan to earn additional credits now to graduate a term early.

●Had trouble with a course during a past term and need to retake it.

●Just want to take a course for fun.

To find out what financial aid options might be available to you, contact the Office of Student Financial Planning by emailing financialaid@alvernia.edu or calling 610-796-8356.

We offer several flexible sessions to help fit your busy lifestyle. You can take classes and also enjoy your summer!(See courses for specific dates by visiting http://www.alvernia.edu/financialaid.)