Less than 5 percent of elephants die from cancer, and researchers may have finally figured out why.

According to a study from The University of Chicago, elephants produce "zombie genes"   (僵尸基因)that can help protect the animal from cancer.

Here's how it works: Humans and other animals carry one copy of a " master tumor suppressor" Gene(主肿瘤抑制基因). Elephants have 20 copies. Scientists found that gene can cause a "zombie gene" to come back to life with a new purpose: killing cells in damaged DNA.

This is beneficial. because it acts in response to genetic mistakes, errors made when the DNA is being repaired, said Vincent Lynch, an assistant professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago and the study's lead author, in a statement. " Getting rid of that cell can prevent a subsequent cancer. "

Scientists say the gene also helps elephants enjoy long lives. They likely emerged roughly 25 to   30 million years ago, when small - sized ancestors of modern elephants grew bigger, Lynch said.

Researchers want to conduct more studies to find out exactly how the genes in elephants kill off cells in damaged DNA. That could help humans: Studying how animals' bodies fight off cancer could lead to strategies to treat people. An estimated 17% of people worldwide die of cancer, according to the study published in the journal Cell Reports.

"If we can understand how these genomic changes (基因组变化 ) are contributing to cancer   resistance, then we'll be able to start thinking about how we translate these to our patients. "Joshua Schiffman professor of pediatrics at University of Utah and an investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute, said in an interview with CNN.

How Technology Can Help Language Learning

Intelligence, according to Howard Gardner, is of eight types—verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. This is the first in a series of posts that explore and understand how each of the above forms of intelligence is affected by technology-mediated education.

Verbal-linguistic Intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish goals. Such intelligence is developed by three specific activities: reading, writing and interpersonal communication—both written and oral. The traditional tools that have been used to efficiently develop verbal-linguistic intelligence—textbook, pencil, and paper—are giving way to technology in many schools. E-books, Internet lesson plans, online assignments and word processing software, or a subset of the above, are now common in schools. Technology allows addition of multisensory(多种感觉的) elements that provide meaningful contexts to help comprehension, thus expanding the learning ground of language and linguistics.

Research into the effect of technology on the development of the language and literacy skills vis-à-vis reading activities of children has offered evidence for favorable effects of digital-form books. A study shows that digital reading materials have become common in developing countries in early childhood classrooms to support engagement in storybooks while enhancing the emergent literacy(早期读写能力) among children. E-books are also being increasingly used to teach reading among beginners and children with reading difficulties.

Technology can be used to improve reading ability in many ways. It can enhance (加强) and sustain the interest levels for children by allowing immediate feedback on performance and providing added practice when necessary. Recent research shows that students are able to improve their sight word vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based reading.

Technology can also help in improvement of writing skills. Word processing software promotes not only composition but also editing and revising in ways that streamline the task of writing. Desktop publishing and web-based publishing allow the work to be taken beyond the classroom into a virtual world that allows more constructive interactions.

Technology enhanced oral communication is indeed useful in that it allows students from remote locations, or from all over the world to communicate orally through video and audio conferencing tools. For example, students of languages in Australian universities overcome the problem of insufficient contact with native language speakers by using online audio and video tools that allow the development of aural, vocal and visual-cognition skills that are important in verbal and linguistic education. Oral group discussions in the form of video conferencing can help non-native speakers of a language with natural language negotiation and cultural intonations in ways that have not been possible due to geographic isolation.

Computer definitely aided language learning and computer mediated communication enhance teaching and learning experiences in the areas of linguistics and language intelligence. Although there have not been comprehensive studies on the use of technologies to aid K-12 English-language learners, there have been many individual computer programs and other technologies that accelerate the acquisition of phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and reading-comprehension skills and other language building blocks.

Title: How Technology Can Help Language Learning

Most people don't think much about the food scraps they throw away; however, researchers in Tokyo have developed a new method to reduce food waste by recycling discarded fruit and vegetable scraps into robust construction materials.

Worldwide industrial and household food waste amounts to hundreds of billions of pounds per year, a large proportion of which comprises edible(可食用的) scraps, like fruit and vegetable peels. This unsustainable practice is both costly and environmentally unfriendly, so researchers have been searching for new ways to recycle these organic materials into useful products.

“Our goal was to use seaweed and common food scraps to construct i materials that were at least as strong as concrete,” explains Yuya Sakai, the senior author of the study. “But since we were using edible food waste, we were also interested in determining whether the recycling process impacted the flavor of the original materials.”

The researchers borrowed a “heat pressing” concept that is typically used to make construction materials from wood powder, except they used vacuum-dried, pulverized food scraps, such as seaweed, cabbage leaves, and orange, onion, pumpkin, and banana peels as the construction powders. The processing technique involved mixing the food powder with water and seasonings, and then pressing the mixture into a mold at high temperature. The researchers tested the bending strength of the resulting materials and monitored their taste, smell and appearance.

“With the exception of the specimen obtained from pumpkin, all of the materials exceeded our bending strength target,” says Kota Machida, a senior collaborator. “We also found that Chinese cabbage leaves, which produced a i material over three times stronger than concrete, could be mixed with the weaker pumpkin-based material to provide effective rein for cement.”

The new, robust materials kept their edible nature, and the addition of salt or sugar improved their taste without reducing their strength. Furthermore, the durable products resisted rot, fungi, and insects, and experienced no appreciable changes in appearance or taste after exposure to air for four months.

Given that food waste is a global financial burden and environmental concern, it is crucial to develop methods for recycling food scraps. Using these substance to prepare materials that are stronger enough for construction projects, but also maintain their edible nature and taste, opens the door to a wide range of creative applications.