When we look at birds, we tend to focus on their plumage. But many birds have colorful body parts that are not feathers. So a group of scientists wondered if dinosaurs, the distant ancestors of birds, also had some shining body parts. According to a study published this week, some dinosaurs might have had colorful feet and faces, and these bright body fashions could have been used to attract their mates.

“Living birds use a collection of pigments (色素) and can be very colorful on their legs and around their eyes,” lead author Sarah Davis said in the University of Texas at Austin on Thursday. “We could expect that extinct dinosaurs expressed the same colors.”

As is known to us, carrots are a famous example of how carotenoids (胡萝卜素) make food orange. Data analysis from the past also suggested insights into modern birds. They also give birds their bright yellow, orange and red colors. The study found birds with plant-based diets with plenty of carotenoids tend to have more bright colors in more places on their bodies than meat-focused birds. “The earliest dinosaurs were as big as a small horse and ate such large birds or animals,” said the study’s co-author Julia Clarke, “so this led to the coloration of dinosaurs’ skin.”

However, the fossil (化石) record doesn’t give scientists a lot to go on when it comes to determining what color the dinosaurs have, but the study suggests some bright new possibilities for what dinosaurs might have looked like.

Researchers have studied how birth order affects kid’s personalities in the past, but one study out of the United Kingdom has found that firstborns may have an educational advantage over their younger siblings (兄弟姐妹).

Researchers at the University of Essex’s Institute for Social and Economic Research surveyed 3,553 individuals and 1,503 groups of siblings, and discovered that firstborn children tended to have higher educational aspirations and attainment. Only children and firstborn twins were not included in the study.

For each family involved in the study, researcher Feifei Bu examined sibling birth order, the number of children in the family, age spacing, sex, health, relationships with one another and educational aspirations. She found that firstborns had a greater probability—16 percent higher—of attending further education, compared with later-born sibling.

“The advantage of firstborns in educational outcomes may be partially explained by the fact that firstborns tend to have higher aspirations which push them toward high education levels,” Bu wrote in the published study.

She further explained to The Guardian that parenting could play a role. “It could be that the parents simply devote more time and energy to them; it could be that they are actually more intelligent. For me, I tend to lean towards the theory that the amount of time, energy and involvement that parents put into caring for their children is possibly at work here,” she said.

She also found age spacing to be a contributing factor. The further apart in age the siblings—for example, a six year instead of one year difference—the more likely both kids were to be successful. The idea is that with widely spaced siblings, parents have the ability to spread out their resources. In other words, they have time to give each child more time and money.

But younger siblings shouldn’t worry. The world is full of successful middle and youngest children willing to prove this study wrong.

The North Star, also known as Polaris, is often used by campers to help them find their way when they get lost. 【小题1】 You can use them to find the North Star and help you if you lose your direction, or just find the North Star for fun if you’re into star gazing.

【小题2】 You can use the Big Dipper(北斗七星)to find the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper is the constellation(星座)that contains the North Star. The tip of the Little Dipper’s handle is the North Star. If you’re able to locate the Little Dipper, you can easily spot the North Star.

Locate the North Star with your smart phone. There are many smart phone applications that work something like a telescope. You allow the phone to find your location, and then point your phone to the sky. The phone acts as interactive map, identifying stars and constellations for you. 【小题3】

Buy a star atlas(星图). If the idea of carrying your phone around while stargazing kills the fun for you, consider buying a star atlas instead. You should also always take an atlas with you when hiking in case your phone battery dies. 【小题4】 A star atlas is a book that breaks down the night sky by the region and time of year. You can use it to locate the North Star on any given night.

【小题5】 You can use desktop applications for your computer to know how the sky will look on a given night. These devices can help you plan ahead. You’ll go outside with a rough idea of where you can expect to find the North Star.